Introduction to the International Human Rights Regime / / Manfred Nowak.

• Superior document: The Raoul Wallenberg Institute Human Rights Library ; 14
• VerfasserIn: Nowak, Manfred
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden; , Boston : : Brill | Nijhoff,, 2003.
• Year of Publication: 2003
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: The Raoul Wallenberg Institute Human Rights Library ; 14.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.

Human rights are the only universally recognized system of contemporary values which, during the last 50 years, has been gradually developed and defined by all States in a comprehensive international legal framework. The international human rights regime is closely related to international peace and security, development and a global trend towards pluralist democracy, good governance and the rule of law. International humanitarian and criminal law can today be considered as specific aspects of international human rights law, which after the end of the Cold War has become increasingly complex and difficult to oversee. The present textbook attempts to provide a first and at the same time comprehensive introduction into the idea and significance of human rights, its philosophical and theoretical foundations, historical development, the main structures and procedures of international human rights protection by the United Nations and regional organizations (Council of Europe, Organization of American States, African Union, OSCE and others), and modern trends, such as preventive mechanisms, international criminal law, human rights as essential elements of peace-keeping and peace-building operations, humanitarian intervention or the relationship between human rights and terrorism. The book perceives human rights as an inter-disciplinary topic and illustrates the theory of human rights with a considerable number of practical case-studies, graphics, statistics, procedural charts and textboxes. It serves as a textbook for students of law, political science, international relations and other academic fields related to human rights, but may as well be used as a first introduction for those working in the field, for NGO activists, legal practitioners and others interested in the fascinating world of universal human rights.

Table of Contents

1. WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS? -- 2. HlSTORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS -- 3. INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION - CONTEXT AND CONCEPTIONS -- 4. UNITED NATIONS -- 5. COUNCIL OF EUROPE (CoE) -- 6. ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES (OAS) -- 7. ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY (OAU)/AFRICAN UNION (AU) -- 8. ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE (OSCE) -- 9. EUROPEAN UNION (EU) -- 10. EFFORTS OF OTHER REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS -- 11. NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOS) -- 12. TRADITIONAL PROCEDURES AND MECHANISMS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS -- 13. SHORTCOMINGS OF TRADITIONAL PROCEDURES AND NEW TRENDS IN THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS REGIME -- 14. MECHANISMS FOR THE PREVENTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS -- 15. INDIVDUAL CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS -- 16. HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND SECURITY -- 17. CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE.