The Oxford Handbook of the UN Human Rights System

Human rights have been embedded in the work of the United Nations since its creation.The very purpose of the United Nations, set forth in the UN Charter, is to "reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights" and "encourag[e] respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms." Creating an efficient and effective machinery to do so, however, has been a persistent challenge.Not only are the human rights functions of the United Nations carried out by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and an array of bodies, agencies, experts, and mechanisms.But the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which is supposed to drive the core human rights work of the United Nations, receives only some $200 million annually, less than four percent of the UN's regular budget. The Oxford Handbook of the UN Human Rights System is the first comprehensive and compelling practical account of the human rights work carried out by the United Nations.It explains the various parts of the system, des