Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction ot human rights institutions : legitimacy and authority / Steven Wheatley -- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights : politics and provisions (1945-1948) / Roland Burke and James Kirby -- The UN Human Rights Council : achievements and challenges in its first decade / Humberto Cant�u Rivera -- The UN high commissioner for human rights and field operations / William G. O'Neill -- The UN human rights treaty bodies : impact and future / Lutz Oette -- The UN Human Rights Committee / Anja Seibert-Fohr -- The UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights / Fons Coomans -- Gender in the UN : CEDAW and the Commission on the Status of Women / Jane Connors -- The UN Security Council and human rights / Joanna Weschler and Lindiwe Knutson -- International Labour Organization / Maria Victoria Cabrera-Ormaza -- UNESCO and human rights / Yvonne Donders -- A world court of human rights / Manfred Nowak -- National human rights institutions / Kirsten Roberts Lyer -- Human rights : the Nuremberg legacy / Miriam Cohen -- Human rights : future of ad hoc tribunals / Milena Sterio -- The International Criminal Court between human rights and realpolitik / Luigi Daniele -- Enforcement of international humanitarian law / Gentian Zyberi -- Transitional justice for human rights : the legacy and future of truth and reconciliation commissions / Elin Skaar -- The European Court of Human Rights : achievements and prospects / Philip Leach -- The European Union Fundamental Rights Agency / Gabriel N. Toggenburg -- The Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights / Veronica Gomez -- The African Commission and Court on Human and Peoples' Rights / Manisuli Ssenyonjo -- Human rights mechanisms in the Arab world : politics and protection / Zaid Eyadat and Hani Okasheh -- ASEAN human rights mechanisms / Sriprapha Petcharamesree -- Agenda for strengthening human rights institutions / Gerd Oberleitner -- Selected human rights instruments.

"This book introduces readers to the major human rights institutions, courts, and tribunals and critically assesses their legacy as well as the promise they hold for realizing human rights globally, and the challenges they face in doing so. It traces the rationale of setting up international institutions, courts, and tribunals with the aim of ensuring respect for international human rights law and presents their historic development, and critically analyzes their contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights. At the same time, it asks which promises old and new (and envisaged) human rights institutions hold for safeguarding human rights in light of continuing violations and recent global trends in human rights and politics. The first section presents institutions created within the framework of the United Nations. The second part of the volume assesses how international criminal tribunals have reframed human rights violations as individual criminal acts. The third part of the volume is devoted to established and emerging regional human rights bodies and courts around the world."-- Publisher's website.