ABSTRACT
While some readers will be familiar with the region, others will not. The purpose of this chapter is to establish the regional environment in which human rights operate. This requires some awareness of the geographical parameters of the area under consideration, the composition of its people and formsof social organisation, thenature of its political and constitutional structures, the relationship of Pacific Island countrieswith other powers and the economic environment. All of these elements contribute to shape the experience of human rights in the Pacific region and to explain some of the obstacles and challenges that confront them. Given the diversity and complexity of the region, never mind its expanse, it is impossible to do more than to sketch this environment in order to build a foundation upon which further detail can be added through consideration of specific human rights issues and incidences in subsequent chapters.
