Right to the City - KSA - Essay Example

Right to the – KSA Governance, Participation, and Human Rights Introduction Right to the refers to the responses to social injustices and neoliberal urbanization in various countries worldwide. The aspects of human rights are prevalent the concept of right to the city in the social context. Human rights refer to the ability of a particular authority or organization to uphold different of freedom of a particular group or an individual. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia violate the rights of its citizens through various contexts such as inadequate housing, limitations to communication and upholding of corporal punishments based on the guidelines of the Sharia law. This paper examines various aspects of human rights and housing in KSA and provides recommendation for promotion of the human rights. The fundamental law in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not provide the complete concept of human rights. The issue of human rights is prevalent in the country due to the strict regulations provided by the Muslim law. In this case, various authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have integrated different guidelines of the Islamic religion into the federal law, which hinders initiatives to uphold human rights in the country (Almihdar, 2009). Women comprise of the most affected population regarding the aspect of human rights in KSA. The rights of the citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are abused daily due to the integration of the religious concepts into the country’s legislation. This limits efforts by different human rights organization to campaign for human rights in the country. The aspect of urbanization is regarded as one of the contributors to the violation of human rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Presstv.ir, 2015). According to various reports by UNESCO and Un-habitant, there is a high number of Saudi Arabians who are relocating to the cities annually in search of employment and investment opportunities (Jennings & Jordan-Zachery, 2010). The rates of migration to the cities supersede the rate of housing development in the country, which leads to high levels of slum dwelling. Furthermore, the growing number of the women population in the cities promotes the issue of gender inequality in the country. The issue of gender inequality occurs because the local laws limit women from engaging in various economic and social activities such as banking, driving, management and education (Iaara.org.ir, 2015). In this case, the rates of human violation in Saudi Arabia are highest in the cities. These human rights issues affect individuals in the lower context of the society and women in terms of housing and freedom respectively (Steiner, Alston & Goodman, 2008). UN Resolutions The issues highlighted in the paper fall under various contexts of the United Nations such as human settlements and the human rights. The UN has established different resolutions regarding the issues of human rights and human settlements in the world. First, the United Nations aims ensuring that all the rights of individuals in different countries are upheld regardless of the religious and social status. In this case, the establishment of the human rights bodies The UN aims at creating appropriate avenues in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to promote the aspect of human rights (Steiner, Alston & Goodman, 2008). In addition, during the recent UN summit on human rights, the KSA was marked among the countries that need to develop reliable approaches to promoting human rights among its citizens. Secondly, the United Nations monitors the criteria through which the authorities handle violations of human rights among the urban and rural populations (Jennings & Jordan-Zachery, 2010). The evaluation process entails an examination of laws that promote the welfare of the urban populations and women in the society. Thirdly, the UN has established various initiatives in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia geared towards enhancing the welfare of the slum dwellers in the cities of Saudi Arabia. These initiatives include construction of drainage systems, health facilities, education facilities and appropriate sanitation. Finally, the United Nations has resolved to organize community based civil education to inform to inform the people regarding their rights through the relevant government bodies. Furthermore, the organization has resolved support the initiatives by the human rights and urban welfare organizations in the country such as Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, National Society for Human Rights, Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula (Ohchr.org, 2015). The resolutions by the United Nations to promote the welfare of the urban population and human rights in KSA are appropriate because of various factors. First, human rights violations are prevalent in Saudi Arabia due to integration of the religious concepts into the federal law. The violations affect the minority populations in the county, which include the women and marginalized communities. Secondly, the issue of urban migration has contribution of various human rights of the lower end population in the country. The Saudi Arabian government is working along various subsidiary organizations of the United Nations to uphold the human rights in different social contexts. Moreover, the government 9of KSA has approved the registration of local human rights organizations (Ohchr.org, 2015). KSA Recommendations Good Governance The former Commission on Human Rights has clarified the concept of good governance as the core solution to the issue of human rights in Saudi Arabia. Good governance entails various attributes, which include transparency, responsibility, accountability, participation and responsiveness. The KSA government can establish reliable avenues for promotion of human rights among different population through supporting the attributes of good governance. In this case, the population can present their perceptions regarding their rights to the authorities freely (Steiner, Alston & Goodman, 2008). Legislation The concept of legislation is among the largest contributors to violation of human rights in KSA. The authorities in the country can adjust the laws in order to accommodate the dynamics of the needs of the population. In this case, the government can minimize the aspects of the Sharia guidelines in the law to promote the rights of the general population. Welfare of the urban population The government can work alongside different non-government organization in the country to establish various amenities that promotes the welfare of the marginalized and lower-end populations in the cities. The KSA government can finance affordable housing projects in the cities to promote the aspect of settlement and human rights in the country (Iaara.org.ir, 2015). Conclusion The aspect of Right to the City is prevalent in the KSA because of the violation of human rights and settlement guidelines of the international community. The legislation system of the country is based on the guidelines of Muslim law, which promotes human rights violations. Furthermore, the high rate of urbanization hinders the government from providing appropriate services to the lower-end urban population. The UN resolutions regarding the aspect of settlement and human rights in KSA include construction of affordable houses, social amenities and establishment of human rights bodies in the country. References Almihdar, Z. (2009). Human Rights of Women and Children under the Islamic Law of Personal Status and Its Application in Saudi Arabia. Muslim World Journal Of Human Rights, 5(1). doi:10.2202/1554-4419.1158 Iaara.org.ir,. (2015). IAARA::Mission. Retrieved 11 July 2015, from http://www.iaara.org.ir/World%20Assembly%20of%20Islamic%20Cities.html Jennings, J., & Jordan-Zachery, J. (2010). Urban spaces. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Ohchr.org,. (2015). Human Rights Bodies. Retrieved 11 July 2015, from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/Pages/HumanRightsBodies.aspx Presstv.ir,. (2015). PressTV-‘S Arabia buying positive media coverage’. Retrieved 11 July 2015, from http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/07/10/419580/Saudi-WikiLeaks-Riyadh-Wesal-Spogmai Steiner, H., Alston, P., & Goodman, R. (2008). International human rights in context. Oxford [UK]: Oxford University Press. Read More