The human rights idea is shaping the contemporary world. At long last, human rights are being given the prominence they deserve by the organs of the international community dealing with questions of peace and security as well as with development. How is the security council dealing with human rights imperatives? What does it see as the place of human rights in conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding? How does it address the quest for justice in the face of gross violations of human rights? These and other similar questions are addressed in this book which focuses on the human rights role of the Security Council in the post Cold War world.