A/HRC/22/29 Contents Page I. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1–5 3 II. The concept of democracy ...................................................................................... 6–16 4 A. Definition ........................................................................................................ 6–10 4 B. Universality of the concept, and diversity of mechanisms ............................. 11–16 5 The imperatives of the rule of law and human rights .............................................. 17–26 6 A. Interdependence of human rights, democracy and the rule of law ................. 17–22 6 B. Effectiveness of the rule of law and human rights as democratic benchmarks ..................................................................................................... 23–26 7 Challenges to the securing of democracy ................................................................ 27–41 7 A. Political and security challenges ..................................................................... 29–34 8 B. Social and economic challenges .................................................................... 35–41 9 The process of transition to democracy ................................................................... 42–52 10 A. From protest to transition ................................................................................ 43–48 10 B. The role of State and non-State actors ............................................................ 49–52 11 Lessons learned and best practices .......................................................................... 53–80 11 A. National experiences ....................................................................................... 53–69 11 B. International and regional cooperation for the promotion of democracy and the rule of law .......................................................................................... 70–80 14 Conclusions and recommendations ......................................................................... 81–103 16 III. IV. V. VI. VII. 2 Paragraphs A. Conclusions .................................................................................................... 81–91 16 B. Recommendations........................................................................................... 92–103 17