The United Nations Tools in Responding to Gross Human Rights Violations in Syria & North Korea

Abstract

This thesis seeks to find an understanding for the actions that the global community of the United Nations has taken regarding gross human rights violations in Syria and North Korea. These are two infamous countries known for their human rights issues, where it is the government itself that is perpetrating gross human rights violations towards their own citizens. These violations have been occurring for a decade now in Syria, while in North Korea it has been occurring for several decades. The history of these states is what brings forth the context as to why they have human rights issues that they have today. The actions, or lack of actions, from the global community of the United Nations remains opaque. To understand the bases for the choices that have been mad, it is necessary to also look at what tools the global community of the United Nation have.