The Role of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Development of Regional Arrangements

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in this paper, the role of the Declaration in development of regional instruments and mechanisms is being examined. So far, five regions in the world (Africa, Americas, Europe, the Islamic-Arabic region and Asia-Pacific) have been inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and established their regional arrangements, such as instruments and mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing human rights, including declarations, commissions and special courts of human rights. In these regional arrangements, while maintaining the principles and values set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, regional features such as philosophical foundations, values, norms, concerns and local and regional needs are taken into account. For this reason, the establishment of regional arrangements, in addition to the development of universal human rights principles, promotes the acceptance and implementation of these principles at local and regional levels.The present study demonstrates that regional human rights systems continue to strengthen the UN system in protecting and promoting human rights at the regional level and enhancing its effectiveness.