English Itihas 9th

6 International Problems

Let’s revise ! of citizens’ rights.

Till the last chapter, we studied the Rise of the concept of human rights
sovereign States in the international in international relations : After the
system, India’s foreign policy and India’s United Nations was established, the
defence system. We also studied the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
objectives of the United Nations. In this was prepared. It was adopted in the
chapter, we are going to study some United Nations General Assembly by a
important international problems. Some majority vote on 10th December 1948.
problems are not restricted to any one Later, in 1966, the United Nations General
country. They affect many countries and Assembly adopted the International
eventually all the countries of the world. Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
These problems that affect the whole (ICCPR) and the Internal Covenant on
world are called international problems. Economic, Social and Cultural rights
In order to solve these international (ICESCR). These two covenants are a
problems, all nations need to make joint part of International Law. Member Nations
efforts. In this chapter, we shall therefore of the United Nations are bound to
study problems related to human rights, observe them.
environment and terrorism. Even the
questions of refugees are now assuming Human rights include the important
global proportions. Hence we shall rights to life, food, clothing, shelter,
consider this issue as well. education and health. The State has
to see to it that these rights are
Human rights : The concept of available to everybody.
human rights has emerged from the
concept of natural rights. Natural rights The question of human rights was
are those rights that we are endowed with raised in United Nations General Assembly
because we are born as human beings. In on several occasions during the Cold War
the same vein, human rights are those period. Racial segregation in Africa was
rights that are necessary for living as a said to be against human rights and hence
human being and as a constituent of it was decided to boycott the regime
society. The American and the French there. Freedom for colonies and insistence
Revolutions proclaimed Liberty, Equality, on the democratic system could be cited
Fraternity and Justice as Human rights. as examples of the same. In modern
The idea that in order to realise these times, problems like struggle against
rights, a democratic form of government racism, border disputes, terrorism are
is essential was strengthened. After that jeopardizing human rights on a large
several European nations adopted scale. Apart from this, the concept of
democratic constitutions and governments. human rights has broadened due to several
This brought limits on the authority of the issues of global nature like contagious
State. The main responsibility of the State diseases, the threat to environment, natural
came to be understood to be the protection

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disasters, etc. Human rights today also this law, the National Human Rights
include goals like protection of the Commission and the State Human Rights
environment and sustainable development. Commissions were established. The
Human Rights Commission is responsible
Do you know ? for taking cognizance of the complaints
regarding violation of human rights and
There are 30 articles in the United take appropriate action regarding such
Nations Declaration of Human Rights. violation.
There are a few articles about civil
rights. Similarly there are provisions Can you tell ?
of economic rights like right to work
and equal pay for equal work. It is Who is the Chairman of the
expected that member nations should National Human Rights Commission of
extend civil rights to citizens. Just like India currently ?
the United Nations Declaration of
Human Rights, on 20th November Secure environment : In the present
1959, a Declaration of the Rights of times, the concept of Human Rights has
the Child was proclaimed. become broader and it is increasingly
being accepted that a secure environment
Human rights and India : In the is an important Human Right. At the
Indian Constitution, human rights have international level, the awareness and
been given the place of Fundamental need of saving the environment was
Rights. The constitution gives the expressed in 1970. The experts studying
responsibility of the protection of the the environment believed that due to
weaker sections like women and minorities industrialisation on a large scale and the
to the government alongside that of the increasing need for energy has endangered
Fundamental Rights. In 1993, the Human the environment. These activists celebrated
Rights Protection Act was passed. As per the first Earth Day on 22nd April 1970.
Chemical fertilisers and pesticides used in
Let’s do it  ! agriculture, sound pollution due to vehicles,
radiation from nuclear reactors, oil
A few issues have been given here. leakages or leakages of chemical gases
Classify them into two groups : make the environment unsafe and create
National and international issues. various problems.

Empowerment of weaker sections As a result of this awareness, the
question of environmental safety began to
Lack of public hygiene Terrorism be discussed at the international level.
After the wave of globalisation that
Traffic Jam Privatisation of economy started in 1990, the interdependence
among nations increased and therefore a
Secessionism Violation of human rights need for nations to cooperate with each
other emerged. The threat to the
Thinning of Ozone layer Poverty, illiteracy environment caused by pollution or by
leakage of oil or gas does not remain
restricted to one nation. Also, its effects
are long term. It becomes necessary for

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nations to act with each other’s consent due to their long term effects, while some
and cooperation in order to deal with problems are inherently of a global nature.
these effects.
Stockholm to Paris Conference
The visible effects of the decline of
environment are extinction of species of In order to discuss the immediate and
plants and animals, decrease in the long term problems related to the
fertility of soil, water shortage, fluctuation environment and to find solutions on
in the proportion of rainfall, global them, a United Nations Conference on
warming, drying up of rivers and lakes, human environment was called at
pollution of rivers and seas, incidence of Stockholm from 5th to 16th June 1972.
newer diseases, acid rain, thinning of the
ozone layer, etc. Even if some of the In this conference, it was stressed that
effects are restricted to particular nations, it is the responsibility of all nations to
these problems reach global proportions, cooperate to overcome pollution.

Conservation of environment : a legacy The developing nations feel that the
developed nations are more responsible
Let’s do it  ! for the decline of the environment and
they should take the responsibility for
* Give examples of environmental stopping the decline. Even today the
developing countries take the same
problems that are restricted to one position.
nation.
Another feature of this conference was
Let’s do it  ! that the non-governmental organisations
Find out about the Paris Conference working in the field of environmental
and compile some information about protection were also present.
the following details :
The issue of the protection of the
* Number of participating nations common global wealth was raised. A
* Topics for discussion consensus emerged that it was the
* Issues raised by India. responsibility of all the nations to
protect these resources.

It was after this conference that the
United Nations created the United
Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP).

Many international treaties about
environment were signed after this
conference. Several rules were made
about the protection of environment.

Environmental movements started on a
large scale at national as well as at
the international level. Non-
governmental organisations also
assumed a bigger role in the decision
making process at international
conferences regarding the environment.

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The next stage was the environmental Terrorism is organised and planned
conference at Rio in 1992. In this violence.
conference, the idea of sustainable
development was stressed. Different Terrorism has made a deep and long
treaties regarding bio-diversity, climate term impact on international politics. In
change due to green house gases, the last two decades, terrorist conflict
protection of forests, etc. were signed. appears to have intensified in different
countries. Terrorist conflict is different
In 1997, the conference at Kyoto laid from traditional war. Traditional war is a
down the protocols for the developed conflict between two or more sovereign
countries for preventing climate change. States. In such wars, the geographical
These were applicable for 15 years. boundaries between nations acquire
importance, i.e. national security is
After this, a conference on climate connected with geographical boundaries.
change was held at Paris in November On the other hand, in the case of terrorism,
2015. An appeal was made in this terrorist groups can cause violence in any
conference that all nations should make part of the world from anywhere in the
concerted efforts to stop climate change world. The aim of a terrorist attack is not
and global warming and that the developed to endanger the geographical boundaries,
countries should help the developing but to challenge a regime in a country or
countries to acquire the technology to refuse to acknowledge the existence of
achieve these goals. the State. This means that due to
increasing terrorism, the internal security
Do you know ? of a country is threatened in addition to
its external security.
Oceans, deep seabeds, atmosphere,
outer space, genetic resources are In order to curb terrorism, it is
included in the global resources. Since imperative that the security mechanisms
this wealth of resources belong to all of different nations should work in a
the nations of the world, it is expected concerted manner.
that all nations should look after it.
Find out !
Terrorism : This is a major problem
of our times. Several countries in the * Why are many people from Syria
world are facing this problem. No nation becoming refugees ?
is capable of countering terrorism entirely
on its own. Hence terrorism is considered * From which other countries are
to be a global problem. swarms of refugees coming ?

What is Terrorism? The problems of the refugees :
People who have to leave their motherland
Terrorism is spreading fear and terror against their wishes or are forced to go
in a society by using or threatening to to other nations, seeking refuge or for
use violence against common and innocent security are called as refugees. People
people for achieving political goals. become refugees due to torture or
persecution for belonging to a particular

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race or religion, due to war or a disaster, Once the refugees reach a safe place,
etc. In such situations people are forced they have new challenges. They need to
to leave their own country and seek find work, a place to live and other
shelter in another country. problems of a day to day nature. If the
language and culture in the other nation
Before the Second World War, the are different, then adjusting to that poses
Jews were tortured in Germany. Their difficulties. There is no assurance that the
citizenship and property was confiscated. people in the nation which gives shelter
Due to this, the Jews became refugees. In to the refugees will accept them. On the
1971, the people in East Pakistan turned contrary, as the number of refugees
refugees and came to India seeking refuge increases, the strain on the economy of
due to political and religious persecution. the host nation increases. A shortage of
In the last few years due to the war-like essential goods is created; there may be
an increase in crime or even inflation.
The locals may lose their jobs; a problem
of law and order may crop up. Many
such problems may emerge. Due to these
problems, many nations are not ready to
give shelter to refugees and to resettle
them.

In 1951, some provisions were made

United Nation’s aid to refugees regarding the question of refugees at the
international level. One such provision
situation in Iraq and Syria, a lot of people was that the refugees will not be forcefully
are leaving Syria as refugees. We can sent back to their country against their
cite many such example of refugees. wishes. Similarly an office of the High
Commissioner of the Uinted Nations has
When people of any country are been established to solve their problems.
forced to leave their own country as
refugees, they have to face many problems. If all nations safeguarded and fostered
The most important problem is to decide human rights, exploitation and violence
where to go? And will that nation give would reduce. All people will be able to
us shelter? These are the questions that achieve their own development safely and
they face. Secondly, they have to also securely. Human rights can be more
take along with them other members of effectively implemented if the environment
their family. It involves a lot of physical is safeguarded and if terrorism is
and emotional stress. Apart from this, completely wiped out. No group of people
there are problems caused by natural will have to become refugees. For this,
elements like heat, rain, storms, as well all nations have to come together,
as shortages of food, sickness, an enemy cooperate with each other, take concrete
in pursuit, etc. In this process many action and bring about actual change.
people loose their lives.
Next year, we shall study how India
has progressed in this direction.

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Exercises

1. Choose the correct option from the 4. Complete the activity as per the given
given options and complete the instructions.
statements.
Prepare the following concept map.
(1) Which among the following is an
international problem ? Causes Visible Effects

(a) Border dispute between 1. 1.
Maharashtra and Karnataka
2. 2.
(b) Kaveri water sharing question 3. 3.
(c) Problems of refugees 4. Envi ronme ntal 4.
(d) Naxalism in Andhra Pradesh
Degradation
(2) Which among the following rights
are not included in human rights ? Remedial Measures
1.
(a) Right to work 2.
(b) Right to information 3.
(c) Children’s rights 4.
(d) Equal pay for equal work
5. Answer in brief.
(3) Which among the following days is (1) Explain India’s position in
observed on an international level ?
establishing human rights.
(a) Teachers’ Day (2) Narrate the effects of terrorism
(b) Children’s Day
(c) Earth Day and suggest remedies to control it.
(d) Flag Day
Projects
2. State whether the following statements
are true or false. Give reasons for your (1) Find out about the State
answer. Commission for Protection of Child
Rights with the help of your
(1) It is necessary that all the nations teachers.
should cooperate in order to find
remedies on environmental (2) Find out about the Great Sparrow
degradation. Campaign in China and the Chipko
Movement  in India.
(2) Sino-Indian relations are friendly.
(3) Write your opinion on whether big
3. Explain the following concepts. dams cause problems.
(1) Human Rights
(2) Degradation of the Environment (4) Write a Report of how the Earth
(3) Terrorism Day was observed in your school.

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