<p>The protection and promotion of human rights is an integral part of contemporary international peacekeeping operations. It is also a controversial aspect of peace operations at both an institutional and operational level. </p><p>By bringing together a wide range of practitioners and academic scholars this special issue addresses key contemporary legal political and operational challenges to human rights protection. </p><p>This book was previously published as a special issue of the leading journal <em>International Peacekeeping.</em></p>