The UN Human Rights Game and the Arab Region
This chapter examines the role played by the international human rights protection system and its mutual interactions with countries and societies of the Arab region. The United Nations human rights system has grown considerably over the past six decadess, and with it the demands for human rights protection and their respect around the world, including in the Arab region. The revolts that first hit the region in 2011 brought into sharp focus the interdependence of development, democracy, and human rights, first articulated in the outcome document of the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993. This chapter first provides an overview of the UN normative framework of human rights before discussing how Arab states engaged with this framework and how the UN bodies and processes have dealt with rights issues in the region. It also reviews Arab civil society's interactions with and usage of the UN human rights system.