A/HRC/17/28* particular protest action are clearly meritorious, the State has a residual obligation to maintain public order. 17. Public protest has a potential spill-over effect and can compromise legitimate State and social interests. Protest can result in social disruption, damage to property, injury and loss of life. 18. A relatively clear and coherent set of international human rights law standards has been developed in respect of the use of lethal force by law enforcement officials in general, including during demonstrations. However, as will be shown later in this report, vastly diverging standards are applied in respect of the use of lethal force domestically, and many do not meet international standards. 19. The need to take stock of the law of protest gains additional urgency from the cumulative effect of a number of contemporary developments that point to a probable increase in the incidence and intensity of public demonstrations in the future. This includes: (a) more pressure on scarce resources, leading to increased competition, especially in societies where large parts of the population are already at risk due to poverty; (b) the expanding role of information and communication technology, often beyond direct State or community control, with far-reaching effects on the quick mobilization of crowds, including in societies where communication has traditionally been restricted; (c) rapid urbanization, primarily in the developing world, with political protest taking place mostly in cities and towns; (d) strong global population growth, at least over the next few decades, causing, in particular, an increase in the number of young people in developing countries, the most energetic participants in political protest; and (e) the global expansion of ideas of democracy and human rights, which have in their own right become a catalyst for activism, including in countries where there would have been hesitance in the past, and where the path to reform is the longest. 20. The last point requires elaboration. The recent events in the Arab world have lowered fear barriers around the world, and will have an influence for many years to come. Moreover, demonstrations often coincide with elections, which have increasingly turned violent in recent years. 4 21. The abovementioned considerations suggest that there will be pressure, in particular on developing countries and countries without established traditions of democracy and human rights, to manage demonstrations. 22. In view of the foregoing, it would be appropriate to determine to what extent the legal and policy frameworks in place, in respect of mass gatherings, are suitable for dealing with current and future challenges. It is a well-established fact that the handling of crowd situations needs to be planned well in advance, for once control of the situation lapses, it is difficult to turn it around. 23. Most of the available studies of demonstrations focus on the right to peaceful assembly in societies where there are, by and large, sufficient resources available, and where a general commitment to human rights prevails. This is not, however, the kind of situation in which most lives are lost. This report casts the net wider, and deals with the right to life during peaceful and legal demonstrations, as well as with situations where such protests have turned violent or illegal in settings around the world. 4 6 A/HRC/14/24/Add.7, paras. 49-62.