ABSTRACT

In recent years, the importance of human rights in post-conflict situations has attracted growing interest amongst scholars.1 Not only are human rights violations a characteristic common symptom of most armed conflicts, widespread and structural violations often also rank among the main causes for the outbreak of conflict. Therefore, the question of human rights in the post-conflict phase is of utmost importance for the stabilisation of the situation and the building of sustainable peace. In recognition thereof, human rights aspects have also gained increasing importance within United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations. This chapter aims at taking a closer look at this institutionalisation. Are human rights provisions regularly incorporated into peacekeeping mandates? If so, how strongly worded are they, especially in relation to other tasks of the mission? And, most importantly, can the present mode of human rights institutionalisation be considered a success story or is there a need for a reconsideration of how human rights are approached in peacekeeping operations and post-conflict situations in general?