The human rights field operation in Rwanda: Protective practice evolves on the ground

Abstract

HRFOR ‐ the Human Rights Field Operation in Rwanda ('UNHRFOR’ would have been too similar to UNPROFOR) ‐ was launched in September 1994. For several years there had been, on the one hand, UN Human Rights offices in many countries throughout the world (managed from the Centre for Human Rights in Geneva to administer its ongoing technical assistance and advisory services projects) and, on the other, several field operations in which human rights monitoring played a prominent role. However, HRFOR was the first human rights field operation to be launched as such by the first High Commissioner for Human Rights. Particularly as regards the cutting edge of human rights protective methodology, which evolved in response to the challenges of emergency situations on the ground, the rich experience of the first, formative year of HRFOR needs to be analysed and considered for possible adaptation or replication for other field operations elsewhere in the future.