Reassessing Participation in International Human Rights in Treaties, 1948-2024

• In Event: Treaties and Conventions

Abstract

A prior study found that regime type was not the best predictor of whether a state would become a party to international human rights treaties in the twentieth century. Instead, the evidence suggested that several motivations might be in play depending on the type of state, including medium size democratic states seeking to solidify norms in the international system, newly democratizing states trying to entrench democratic governance by binding future governments to human rights standards, and major powers, regardless of regime type, attempting to prevent human rights obligations from hindering their free movement in exercising power. At the quarter mark of the twenty-first century, the emphasis on the enumeration and enforcement of human rights through international agreements appears to have declined significantly. This paper utilizes a database of human rights treaty participation to outline new patterns of participation and trends in twenty-five global international conventions, tracking participation, length of time to accepting obligations, denouncements, reservations, and objections, to ascertain participation patterns. Preliminary results suggest that new patterns have emerged in the early twenty-first century, perhaps prompted by international events such as terrorism and high-profile migration events. At the same time, governments have also sought to create new procedures, obligations, and interpretations to solidify norms and desired political outcomes.

Author

• Mark Sachleben, Shippensburg University