With the adoption of extensive human rights standards and their wide acceptance by States and the international community, the time has come to emphasise the implementation of these standards at both national and international levels. International financial institutions and development agencies have a special role to play in this respect, considering the influence and the resources at their disposal. Increasingly, they are acknowledging this duty, not only as a service to human rights but more so in recognition of the contribution which human rights and democracy, and so by extension good governance and accountability, make to political stability and improved economies.
This volume is the result of a Workshop on the Inspection Panel which was organised in Lund by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and co-sponsored by the World Bank. Its purpose is to look for common ground in areas of mutual interest and to offer a substantive collection of ideas which can prove useful for the future work of the Inspection Panel and similar institutions. Such undertakings must include human rights education and training for the officialdom of national governments and international organisations, as well as for the individuals and groups who stand to benefit from the implementation of the international standards and monitoring exercises, where independent and impartial experts scrutinise the conduct of national and international actors.