Jessica Brock, University of Notre Dame Law School
“Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Millennium Development Goals”
Bio: Jessica Brock is a law student at the University of Notre Dame where she is focusing on international human rights law. Originally from Wichita, Jessica graduated from Notre Dame in 2005 with a B. A. in sociology and theology. Jessica’s research and work experience in developing nations has primarily been in the areas of education, microfinance, and migration. Prior to beginning her legal studies, she spent two years as a missionary in Kyarusozi, Uganda where she worked as a teacher and community organizer. In addition to her experience in East Africa, Jessica has traveled and studied in Cuba as well as working and researching in Tijuana, México.
Abstract: Law plays a central role in human development. At the basis of an individual’s ability to develop or realize his or her rights is a presumption of protection and enforcement of those rights domestically and internationally. This presumes and requires the presence of laws that secure rights and sound judicial systems that freely protect and enforce those laws for all citizens. At the minimal end of the rights to be secured, protected, and enforced by governments are those relating to human rights as enumerated in numerous international conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR explicitly names in the Preamble among the general purposes for coming to agreement on the document the “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family [as] the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” by protection of those rights in the law “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.” So, the intimate link between the presence of law and human development is stated from the onset of the document and as part of its impetus.
2008 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). As the international community celebrates the anniversary, it is appropriate to look at the ways the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) stem from the UDHR. The UDHR itself in the Preamble notes its purpose “as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.” This research will address the following questions: How has the “common standard” given in the UDHR influenced and guided the MDGs? If the MDGs are derived from the UDHR, what legal commitments do developing countries have to their citizens, and how does ensuring accountability to those commitments help to ensure authentic human development?
