The concept of human rights is as old as human history itself. Different civilizations, as far back as the second millennium A.D., have derived some measure of human rights from religious documents, considering such "natural" rights as emanating directly from a superior being. Entitlement to those rights was often limited in scope, however, with women and slaves most often excluded from the enjoyment of certain rights.

It wasn’t until after of the Second World War, in 1948, that the community of nations, as represented by the United Nations General Assembly, decided to adopt a Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which sets forth, in 30 articles, the "equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family". The recognition of this Declaration was considered "the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world". While not legally binding, the (UDHR) has inspired several other pieces of international legislation regulating specific aspects of human rights, such as:

the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1951)

the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1969)

the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1981)

the Convention against Torture (1984)

the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

In spite of such global efforts, the recognition of the basic rights of all human beings, regardless of their "race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status" remains far from universal. Often cultural traditions play against full recognition of the basic rights of certain groups of the population, notably women. Widespread poverty and lack of government resources often translate into inadequate provision of basic services, such as healthcare, sanitation and education –– not to mention, of course, the many areas of the world where wars and internal strife condemn many to a life of despair.

As the leading news agency of civil society and development, IPS devotes a large part of its editorial production to human rights worldwide.

We maintain two thematic sites (in English and Spanish) with up–to–date stories on all aspects of human rights.

Within the EU–funded Death Penalty Abolition Project, IPS reports on the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment and the global moratorium.

Indigenous peoples are amongst the most discriminated against group in many countries. IPS has a thematic website and a newsletter about indigenous peoples and their struggle to assert their rights.

IPS Latin America is leading a new programme of work 2007–2008 that includes reporting, translation in Maya, Quechua, Aymara, a radio partnership with AMARC and a training workshop in Bolivia.

Within the framework of a rights–based approach, IPS has always devoted attention to the rights of women and to various forms of gender–based discrimination . As an organisation IPS is committed to representation of women at all operational levels – the current Editor–in–Chief, more than half of the regional editors and almost half of the global management team are female. To ensure that a gender perspective is adequately reflected in all its stories, IPS has developed and adopted a set of detailed guidelines for mainstreaming gender in its copy. In addition, as part of its capacity–building efforts, IPS has developed a set of media tools for reporting on gender, including:

Gender and Development Glossary – a glossary of terms commonly used in writings on the advancement of women (2000) [available in English, Spanish and French];

Fighting Violence Against Women – a manual published and launched in June 2000 at the Beijing+5 Review in New York [in English];

How to Report Culture, Religion and Gender, a Training Manual for the Media (2002) [in English, part A – part B];

Gender, HIV and Rights, A Training Manual for the Media (2003) [in English], part of a programme of work supported by SIDA, Sweden and others.

While IPS has a global commitment to mainstreaming gender in the media, IPS Africa has been particularly active in this area, and plays a leadership role in IPS. In 2007–2008 IPS Africa is implementing with UNIFEM a project aimed at Strengthening the Voice and Visibility of Women in Elections . Journalists, female candidates and women’s organisations will be linked to communicate effectively the gender dimensions of elections in Africa. See the results so far here .

A longstanding partnership with UNFPA has enabled IPS to report systematically on women’s sexual and reproductive rights, and win many awards for this coverage.