8.5A - Human Rights Vs Economic Development
Some states frequently invoke human rights in international forums and debates whilst others prioritise economic development over human rights and defend this approach.
All the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, France, the UK, and Canada, among others, are at the forefront of human rights. These countries have signed up to all aspects of UN human rights agreements, and enshrined protection and equality relating to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability and children, and issues such as modern slavery and people trafficking into their own laws.
- Those countries are all ranked 'free' using the Freedom House, 'Freedom in the World Index'
- These are usually the first countries to 'call out' human rights abuses.
Sweden, Finland, Norway, Austria, Ireland and Switzerland are historically neutral countries, and are therefore often the locations chosen for international agreements on human rights, and their diplomats are often involved in negotiating agreements and settling disputes.
Some countries may prioritise economic growth over human rights, including China, Malaysia, Mexico, much of the Middle East and large parts of Africa. It could be argued that:
- human rights bring financial costs, such as providing education and healthcare, and this money could be better spend on economic infrastructure
- workers rights get in the way of profits, and they add costs to businesses
- rights such as freedom of the press bring no economic benefit
On the other hand:
- people may be more productive and innovative when they have the protected freedoms that human rights bring
- many of the world's wealthiest countries have are also those with the best human rights records