The Potential Role of Turkey toward a Regional Human Rights Arrangement in Asia

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discover the possibilities for establishing a regional human right instrument and respective enforcement mechanism in Asia and the potential role of Turkey in that regard. The examples of three existing regional human right systems indicate that such establishments significantly contribute to the protection and development of human rights and freedoms. It is often argued that the distinct features of Asia hinder a concrete regional project in terms of human rights. This account, however, ignores recent human rights movements in the region. Recent developments strengthen the hope toward a credible Asian human rights mechanism. It must be also noted, even mere efforts be it political or civil to build such a system will greatly contribute to the development of human rights by raising public awareness and furthering capacity building. In other words, not only the goal but also the process itself to attain this goal is highly valuable in terms of human rights protection. Of course, political dedication is the pillar of a regional system. In that regard, Turkey may play a crucial role in leading such efforts along with other democratic states in the region. As a democratic country and welldeveloped economy, together with its geopolitical position and historical ties, Turkey should undertake concrete steps for establishment of regional cooperation for human rights protection.