The Network offers an opportunity for Canadian university students and the people we mobilise to observe and analyse a situation through a human rights lens, as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in numerous other treaties and instruments. Rather than using needs as the starting point in our analysis of a situation, Rights & Democracy, its Network, and Network delegations seek to identify population groups where inequalities are particularly deep in order to empower those groups, overcome the discrimination they face, and foster a better distribution of power – which ultimately lead to human rights for all rather than a few. Choosing a human-rights approach in our work enables us to strengthen the capacity of both persons or groups (right-holders) to claim their rights, and states, governments or others (duty-bearers) to meet their obligations towards them. As a student network linked to Rights & Democracy, our activities must also fulfill Rights & Democracy's mandate to uphold the International Bill of Rights, which is composed of five major human rights instruments:
- the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
- the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
- the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
- the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. All of the above should help to guide and inspire the work of our members and ensure that we are fulfilling the Network mandate of effectively defending and promoting human rights. All projects, events or actions undertaken by student delegations have to be relevant to international human rights and democratic development.
