The protection of rights is therefore of the utmost importance if we are to deal with conflict in an effective, constructive, and sustainable manner. This direct relationship between rights and conflict is generally under-explored in theory and practice. As far as attention is devoted to such connections, emphasis is placed on the tensions that exist between the fields of human rights and conflict management. Well-known, for example, is the 'peace vs justice' debate as it has unfolded in various contexts, such as Bosnia, South Africa, or Sierra Leone. Other tensions relate to the question of whether one favors an adversarial approach or a co-operative approach in redressing grievances, and to the extent to which human rights concerns are raised as issues to a dispute or are reframed.
Tensions can also arise from the roles that actors in either field play in times of conflict.
Human rights actors are geared towards advocacy, whereas conflict management practitioners generally play a more facilitative role. Human rights actors are not neutral when issues of rights and justice are involved, whereas conflict management practitioners carefully guard their impartiality in order to ensure their acceptability to all parties in conflict. There is all the more reason for us to look at these fields in conjunction with one another. Human rights actors and conflict management practitioners have a common interest in promoting sustainable peace. They also often operate in the same system of conflict, and activities by people in the one field can impact on efforts by actors in the other field.