The Promotion of Freedom of Speech in China and South-East Asia: The Role of the United Nations

Bachelorarbeit , 2009 , 62 Seiten , Note: 5,5 (Schweizer System)

Politik - Region: Südasien

Freedom of speech is considered to be a counter stone for democracy and development.
This paper aims to contribute to the discussion on the topic of freedom of speech, with a special focus on China and South‐ East Asia. To approach this topic, first of all, an overview of the topic of human rights will be presented, and an examination of the principle of universality of human rights will be made. Secondly, a closer consideration of freedom of speech will be presented. After this, the United Nations and their relation to human rights will be reviewed and the topic of the universality of the UN human rights system will be analyzed. Furthermore, the most important organs and treaties considering human rights within the United Nations System
will be introduced. It is also important to take a look at the current situation of human rights in general and freedom of speech in particular in China and South‐ East Asia.
In the end, two policy recommendations, one concerning South‐ East Asia and one concerning China, on what the United Nations can do to support and promote freedom of speech in these regions, will be made. These two recommendations will be slightly different for the two regions, mainly due to the position of China within the United Nations. While the recommendation for South‐ East Asia can be made (almost) within the human rights framework of the United Nations, the recommendation for China has to focus on socalled soft power measures.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Relevance
• Research Questions and Objectives
• Structure and Methodology
• Human Rights
• History and Development of Human Rights
• Universality of Human Rights
• Freedom of Speech
• International and Regional Standards
• Justifications of Freedom of Speech
• The Role of Freedom of Speech for Democracy and Development
• Limitations of Freedom of Speech
• United Nations and Human Rights
• Universality or Relativism?
• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
• UN Charter-based Bodies (and other Non-treaty Bodies)
• The UN Charter
• The General Assembly
• Economic and Social Council
• The Commission on Human Rights and Sub-Commission
• The Special Rapporteur for Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression
• UN Treaty-based Bodies
• Human Rights Committees
• The Security Council
• Measures to Promote Human Rights
• Justifications for Interventions
• South-East Asia and Freedom of Speech
• South-East Asia: A portrait
• History of Human Rights
• Current Situation of Freedom of Speech
• Myanmar
• Timor-Leste
• China and Freedom of speech
• China: A portrait
• Human Rights Debate
• Confucianism
• Current situation of Freedom of Speech
• Freedom of speech in general
• Censorship
• Uighur
• United Nations' Support for the Promotion of Human Rights in China and South-East Asia
• Current situation in China
• Current situation in South-East Asia
• Policy Recommendations
• South-East Asia
• China

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion on the topic of freedom of speech, with a particular focus on China and South-East Asia. To achieve this goal, the paper will examine the universality of human rights and freedom of speech. Additionally, it will explore the role of the United Nations in promoting and protecting human rights, including freedom of speech, in these regions.

• The universality of human rights, particularly freedom of speech
• The role of the United Nations in promoting and protecting human rights
• The current situation of freedom of speech in China and South-East Asia
• Policy recommendations for the United Nations to promote freedom of speech in China and South-East Asia
• The challenges and opportunities for promoting freedom of speech in diverse cultural and political contexts

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The paper begins by outlining the relevance of freedom of speech and its significance for democracy and development. It then delves into the history and development of human rights, emphasizing the principle of universality. Chapter 2 focuses on freedom of speech, exploring its international and regional standards, justifications, and limitations. Chapter 3 examines the role of the United Nations in promoting and protecting human rights, including its key organs and treaties.

Chapter 4 provides an overview of the current situation of freedom of speech in South-East Asia, focusing on specific examples like Myanmar and Timor-Leste. Chapter 5 examines the situation in China, considering its unique historical and cultural context, including Confucianism. The paper then analyzes the United Nations' support for the promotion of human rights in both China and South-East Asia, highlighting the challenges and opportunities faced by the organization in these regions.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This paper explores the critical concepts of freedom of speech, human rights, and the United Nations' role in promoting these rights. The paper examines the challenges and opportunities for promoting freedom of speech in China and South-East Asia, focusing on the specific contexts of these regions. Key terms include: universality of human rights, freedom of expression, censorship, Confucianism, international law, United Nations, South-East Asia, China, and policy recommendations.

• Hochschule: Universität St. Gallen
• Veranstaltung: International Affairs
• Note: 5,5 (Schweizer System)
• Autor: Jacqueline Lehmann (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2009
• Seiten: 62
• Katalognummer: V172948
• ISBN (eBook): 9783640931095
• ISBN (Buch): 9783640930982
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: promotion, freedom, speech, china, south-east, asia, role, united, nations, system)