Judges and lawyers face many challenges in working for just, peaceful and inclusive societies worldwide. This Hand book offers foundational insights from the international human rights community as practical tools to meet them. It recalls that the international community has elevated some international human rights norms to peremptory norms of international law, among which the absolute pro hibition of slavery and of torture. The selection of human rights norms that have now attained the status of custom ary international law is one of the Handbook’s pioneering features. Clear, expert analysis of concepts and principles is supplied; solemn declarations on the rule of law adopted by the UN, such as on the independence of the judiciary and on principles of remedies and reparations, are also listed. Authoritative, concise and easily accessible, the Hand book reflects its author’s decades of expertise serving and writing on the causes of peace and human rights. It is an essential tool for judges and lawyers, as well as for all hu man rights defenders. Published under the auspices of the University for Peace. Committed to Quality Professor Bertrand G. Ramcharan, a Barrister of Lincoln’s Inn, London, holds degrees in philosophy, history and law. He has been Chief Speechwriter for the UN Secretary-Gen eral, Director of the International Conference on the For mer Yugoslavia, Director in the UN Political Department, Deputy and then Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, Professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute, Chan cellor of the University of Guyana, Professor of Interna tional Law at the University of Ottawa, Visiting Professor at Columbia University and at Lund University, Sweden. He is the author of numerous works on human rights and international law