ABSTRACT
The principles of equality and non-discrimination are essential pre-requisites to realisation of human rights. The various human rights instruments reveals a clear focus on the rights of the individual, although there is a limited recognition that the individual personality can only fully develop within the context of community. The individual is viewed within a variety of social relationships which are protected under the instruments, such as family and religious groupings. Yet the rights to petition the Human Rights Committee in UN are available to individual rights holder only. Those involved in establishing a new human rights order after the collapse of the League of Nations regime were concerned to prevent the re-growth of nationalist tendencies. The recognition of the rights of minorities is unlikely by itself to stop active discrimination in society. The Human Rights Committee has the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of covenant provisions.
