Human Rights and Globalization

After World War II, a global architecture for human rights took shape around the United Nations (UN), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948), and the expanding role of international NGOs (INGOs). In this essay, I trace the evolution of the global focus on human rights protection in recent years, identify three UDHR rights that I consider most urgent to protect, and examine the relationship among religion, society, and government in Italy, together with severe cases of religious intolerance from an Italian perspective. I also outline how the UN can curb state-sponsored religious intolerance through accountability mechanisms and by supporting locally grounded dialogue across communities. In the Italian case, this includes encouraging municipal-level roundtables with religious communities, including Islamic associations, to promote intercultural mediation, education, and non-discriminatory access to worship.

Evolving Global Focus on Human Rights
Over recent decades, glocalization has generated cultural hybridization; an addition of external elements rather than a loss of local identity. This environment underscores an unprecedented need for mutual, international agreements supported by constant monitoring. International NGOs (INGOs) operate with speed and reach, yet reliance on private funding can distort agendas, which makes accountability crucial (Sidiropoulos et al., 2021). New wars, large-scale migration, and disinformation, together with ongoing debates over religious freedom, have shifted the human-rights focus from lofty declarations to implementation. Consequently, advocacy, service delivery, and systematic data reporting increasingly anchor the agenda in measurable indicators and impact evaluation.

Three Rights of the UDHR
If I had to choose three articles I consider most important, I would select Article 1 (human dignity and equality), Article 18 (freedom of thought, conscience, and religion), and Article 29 (duties to the community and limits consistent with others’ rights). First, human dignity and equality (Art. 1) anchor the entire human-rights framework: without a shared premise that every person has equal worth, other rights lose both normative force and equal protection (United Nations, n.d.). Second, freedom of thought, conscience, and religion (Art. 18) safeguards inner freedom and moral agency; it enables pluralism and is a precondition for expressive rights such as opinion and association. Third, duties to the community (Art. 29) ensure that liberty does not become license; the article links personal autonomy to social responsibility, preventing the abuse of rights and fostering cohesion and the common good.

Italy: Religion, Society, and Government
Italy is predominantly Roman Catholic, though affiliation and practice vary across regions and generations. Catholic symbols such as crosses and statues remain common in public spaces and schools, reflecting historical and cultural heritage alongside constitutional protections for freedom of religion. Debates over classroom crucifixes have become a touchstone: supporters defend the cross as part of Italy’s cultural identity, while critics call for stricter state neutrality in shared spaces.

Italian courts - and European jurisprudence more broadly - have generally considered the classroom crucifix compatible with pluralism where there is no coercion or proselytism and where schools remain open to reasonable accommodation of other beliefs. In this context, the UN system could support local roundtables between municipalities and religious communities - including Islamic associations - by funding intercultural mediation, civic education, and shared civic spaces to strengthen dialogue and non-discriminatory access to worship.

Worst Cases of Religious Intolerance
Italy consistently condemns severe cases of religious intolerance abroad, especially the persecution of Christians in Africa and the Middle East, including countries such as Iraq and Nigeria. For Italy, the freedom to practice one’s faith should be recognized as a source of resilience and cultural richness, not as a pretext for violence or exclusion. This aligns with Article 29 of the UDHR, which reminds us that exercising rights entails responsibilities toward others: respecting diverse beliefs is essential because all people share the same world and universal rights, despite differences in socio-political and economic circumstances (United Nations, n.d.).

The Role of the UN
The United Nations plays a central role in countering state-sponsored religious intolerance by coordinating with more than 5,000 international NGOs that have the speed and reach to foster dialogue and mutual respect across nations (Sidiropoulos et al., 2021). In this sense, the UN functions as a global linking power, creating spaces for cooperation and accountability. However, its effectiveness depends on treating people and states on equal footing, since past initiatives have sometimes been criticized for insufficient transparency or uneven application. Strengthening oversight, supporting independent evaluations, and ensuring inclusive dialogue can help the UN build credibility while addressing intolerance fairly and effectively.

Conclusion
We are living in an age of globalization that increasingly takes the form of glocalization, opening broader perspectives toward the world while also highlighting local specificities. This expanded view requires respect for differences, since a “common world” without diversity would be difficult to sustain and would risk erasing essential identities. By contrast, a world enriched by differences can bring light, resilience, and the power of diversity. Protecting dignity, ensuring freedom of thought and religion, and fostering responsibility toward the community are not only core principles of the UDHR but also necessary foundations for building a more inclusive global society.

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References

Sidiropoulos, S., Emmanouil-Kalos, A., Kanakaki, M. E., & Vozikis, A. (2021). The rise of NGOs in global health governance and credibility issues in the 21st century. HAPSc Policy Briefs Series, 2(2), 278–288. https://doi.org/10.12681/hapscpbs.29516

United Nations. (n.d.). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

Yarulin, I., & Pozdnyakov, E. (2021). Are universal human rights universal? Politeja, 2(71), 67–77. https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.18.2021.71.04