Human rights are equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family (Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights). Protecting human rights is protecting the inherent human dignity. The work of VETO! Human Rights Defenders’ Network is based on the foundation of international human rights instruments. They are declarations, covenants, conventions, protocols, etc. of the United Nations, such as:

The International Bill of Human Rights

The International Bill of Human Rights consists of

• the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR),
• the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and
• the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and its two Optional Protocols.

Other core international human rights instruments

• the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)
• the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
•  the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)
• the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
• the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICMW)
• the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CPED)
• the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

and their Optinal Protocols

• Optional Protocol to the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
• Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty
• Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
• Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict
• Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
• Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
• Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities