The UN and Human Rights: Who Guards the Guardians?

Guglielmo Verdirame

ISBN 10: 0521841909 / ISBN 13: 9780521841900

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2011

About this Item

This books asks, can the UN violate human rights, and if so, how can it be held accountable? Series: Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law. Num Pages: 512 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: JPSN1; LBBR. Category: (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 233 x 162 x 28. Weight in Grams: 920. . 2011. Hardcover. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780521841900

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The UN and Human Rights: Who Guards the Guardians?
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521841909
• ISBN 13: 9780521841900
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Through an analysis of UN operations including international territorial administration, refugee camps, peacekeeping, the implementation of sanctions and the provision of humanitarian aid, Guglielmo Verdirame shows that the powers exercised by the UN carry a serious risk of human rights abuse. The International Law Commission has codified and developed the law of institutional responsibility, but, while indispensable, these principles and rules cannot on their own ensure compliance and accountability. The 'liberty deficit' of the UN and of other international organisations, thus remains an urgent legal and political problem. Some solutions may be available; indeed, recent state and institutional practice offers interesting examples in this respect. But at a fundamental level we need to ask ourselves whether, judged on the basis of the principle of liberty, the power shift from states to international organisations is always beneficial.

About the Author

Guglielmo Verdirame is Professor of International Law at the Department of War Studies and the School of Law at King's College London. Before taking on this position, he was a Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law. His main areas of research and teaching are public international law, and legal and political philosophy. He is a barrister at 20 Essex Street chambers, London.