Although human rights have been classified in a number of different manners it is important to note that international human rights law stresses that all human rights are universal, indivisible and interrelated
One classification used is the division between ‘classic’ and ‘social’ rights. ‘Classic’ rights are often seen to require the non-intervention of the state (negative obligation), and ‘social rights’ as requiring active intervention on the part of the state (positive obligations).
Civil rights The
term ‘civil rights’ is often used with reference to the rights set out in the
first eighteen articles of the UDHR,
Political rights
In
general, political rights are those set out in Articles 19 to 21 UDHR and also
codified in the ICCPR. They include freedom of expression, freedom of
association and assembly, the right to take part in the government of one’s
country and the right to vote
Economic and social rights
The
economic and social rights are listed in Articles 22 to 26 UDHR, and further
developed and set out as binding treaty norms in the ICESCR. These rights
provide the conditions necessary for prosperity and wellbeing. Economic rights
refer, for example, to the right to property, the right to work, which one
freely chooses or accepts, the right to a fair wage,etc.
Cultural rights
The UDHR lists cultural rights in Articles 27 and 28: the
right to participate freely in the cultural life of the community, the right to
share in scientific advancement and the right to the protection of the moral
and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic
production of which one is the author.
