The United Nations Security Council in the Age of Human Rights

This is the first comprehensive look at the human rights dimensions of the work of the only body within the United Nations system capable of compelling action by its member states. Known popularly for its failure to prevent mass atrocities in Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, and Syria, the breadth and depth of the Security Council's work on human rights in recent decades is much broader. This book examines questions including: how is the Security Council dealing with human rights concerns? What does it see as the place of human rights in conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacekeeping? And how does it address the quest for justice in the face of gross violations of human rights? Written by leading practitioners, scholars and experts, this book provides a broad perspective that describes, explains and evaluates the contribution of the Security Council to the promotion of human rights and how it might more effectively achieve its goals.

'For decades the UN Security Council skirted human rights, addressing them sporadically, reluctantly, and typically without reference to binding standards. That began to change with the end of the Cold War, as easing political tensions allowed the Council gradually to act on the fact that upholding the norms against atrocities is intimately connected to its classic mandate of defending international peace and security. Yet even since then, that evolution has been contested, particularly when the Council's permanent five members fear the topic might come back to haunt them or their close allies. This exceptional volume of essays provides a comprehensive assessment of the Council's conflicting views on human rights with more nuance, sophistication, and historical memory than anything else around. It helps us to understand how the shifting battles over human rights are being waged in the Council and provides guidance as to how the Council can more effectively defend our rights in the future.' Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch

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