Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Rights, freedoms hang in balance
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 30/12/2023
» The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) capped 2023 by celebrating its 75th birthday just before the year's end. As the seminal UN document on human rights, it is closely linked with the four freedoms: namely, freedom of expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Where are we in that long march towards their realisation?
Soft power charms, with a Thai ripple
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 04/12/2023
» The term "soft power" has seeped into international relations and it is now a catchphrase with its own global momentum. Yet it should be recalled that in the 1980s, it was used to describe the nature of a weaker state confronted by the "hard power" embodied by a stronger state.
Towards a global summit of the future?
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 19/06/2023
» If international plans are on course, there will be a global Summit of the Future (SOF) in 2024 at the UN General Assembly. Given that 2023 is already witnessing various global activities for the 30-year milestone of the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, as well as a summit on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), what could be the value-added of the SOF? And perhaps the value-subtracted?
Righting the wrongs of development
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 27/03/2023
» A key issue with which the world community has had to grapple since the end of the Second World War is that of "development", especially from the angle of national and international measures to ensure responsiveness to the rights and needs of the peoples of the land, without discrimination and violence, and to overcome historical and other injustices.
Between rule of law and law of rule(r)s
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 14/12/2022
» The term "rule of law" has a resonant ring which sounds both familiar and distant. It seems familiar because it is employed frequently by lawyers to analyse the makings of a legal system. Yet, it is distant because it sounds "legalese", harbouring both the thin version and the thick version of its intrinsic self. The thin version covers various legal safeguards for litigants and accused persons, such as a fair trial, accompanied by the advocacy of an independent judiciary. The thicker version demands more, namely: adherence to human rights and democracy.
Rights under threat from emerging tech
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 16/11/2022
» A key challenge facing human rights globally today is the advent of emerging technologies that mutate rapidly and potentially beyond human control. The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva has thus singled out for special study during the next couple of years four areas of concern: autonomous weaponry, neurotechnology, cyberbullying, and green technology (inevitably linked with climate change). What are the prospects for enjoying the fruits of such technologies and pre-empting their negative implications?
Heed the global messages against discrimination
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 03/02/2022
» The past couple of months have seen two global developments sending strong messages against discrimination and exclusion. On Jan 13, the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus a key resolution against denial of the Holocaust, advocating stronger action against such a refutation on an international level.
Law, legitimacy and human rights in cyberspace
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 08/11/2019
» Challenges facing human rights in our brave new cyberworld invite reflection on how the law can be of assistance. Yet, the law also needs to respond to social values of what is acceptable and legitimate -- especially from the angle of democracy, sustainable development and aspirations of peace.
Human rights and the Asian riddle
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 08/10/2018
» This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a seminal declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. This document has spawned several international treaties ("conventions") and it has inspired a vast range of actions worldwide to protect human rights on the basis of equality and non-discrimination.
How Thailand can proceed with ambitious SDGs
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 11/09/2017
» Two years ago, the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the global community at the United Nations General Assembly to guide global development for 2015-2030, encompassing all countries. They came hot on the heels of the UN's more modest Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set for 2000-2015.