The Asia-Pacific can generally be recognized to include not only the entire Asian region, from Japan and the Philippines in the East to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the West, but also areas of the South Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, the East Indies and the Pacific Islands, and Russia. These countries are diverse in a wide variety of areas, including culture, language, history, wealth, technology, development, and legal systems. Yet they share not only a territorial commonality, but also some similar interests and problems. The European Commission and the European Court of Human Rights were established in response to the atrocities committed during the Second World War. The ECHR subsequently created the European Commission on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights.
Optional protocols afford additional rights.
The European Commission can receive complaints from state parties and individuals, but only states can refer a case to the European Court, unless the Ninth Protocol is ratified by the state to allow individuals to have standing before the court. Optional protocols to the ACHR provide additional rights. In 1978, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights was established by the ACHR, despite lack of individual court standing. This charter established the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights. While discussions have greatly progressed on establishing an African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, this court is not yet a reality.