Protecting the Individual from International Authority

This book shows how international organizations have a greater capacity to violate human rights, but also take on responsibility to avert such harm.

This book examines institutional responses in international organizations (IOs) to human rights violations which arise from the actions of IOs rather than those of states. It shows under which conditions human rights provisions for IO practice arise.International organizations (IOs) develop institutional provisions to make sure that their policies do not violate human rights. Accordingly, whilst IOs have a greater scope of action and ability to promote collective goods than ever before, they also have a greater capacity to do harm. Based on ten case studies on UN and EU sanctions policy, UN and NATO peacekeeping, and World Bank and IMF lending, this book examines human rights violations which can arise from the actions of IOs rather than those of states. It further explains how powerful IOs have introduced human rights protection provisions and analyzes the features of these provisions, including differences in their design and quality. This book provides evidence of a novel legitimation strategy authoritative IOs draw on that has, as yet, never been systematically studied before.