Who’s Responsible for Human Poverty? One scholar’s answer…

Recently the United Nations University hosted Dr. Thomas Pogge, the Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale University.  Dr. Pogge discussed “Human Rights: the Second 60 Years” during the week celebrating the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Dr. Pogge addressed the future of human rights protections by first recognizing several key questions: what does it mean for human rights to be fulfilled; what are the deficits for each human right; how should human rights be weighted/prioritized; how can we analyze the persistence of human rights deficiencies; and who is responsible for the fulfillment of human rights?  He began to answer these questions by looking at Franklin Roosevelt’s inauguration speech addressing the four freedoms.  Dr. Pogge picked out “freedom from want” as the human right deserving of highest priority because of the human cost of poverty.

Next, Dr. Pogge looked at the ways that human rights are violated through: events causally traceable to a human agent; active agency; official capacity; or with the intention or ability to foresee that actions will result in a human rights deficit.  Dr. Pogge recognizes that local factors have some influence on the state of poverty in many nations, but makes the argument that the global institutional order also plays a role in perpetuating poverty.  Ultimately, he calls for the structural reform of global institutions like the World Bank, WTO, and IMF in order for human rights to be fulfilled in a different international order.

Whether or not one agrees with Dr. Pogge he brings up an interesting idea of institutional reform, and as we approach the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it begs the question whether the international laws and accompanying institutions set up are enough to progress toward human rights fulfillment or whether the system needs modifications.