ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to assess place and role of human rights in the contemporary and globalised world, and the role of UN in promoting and protecting human rights. In most countries, except for few Islamic States, mainly in Gulf region, and certain parts of Africa, embracing human rights has meant embracing modernity in approach to life and in social relations. The situation of human rights is a matter of legitimate concern of international community, challenging as it does State sovereignty. Greater respect for human rights has spurred a revolution in societal ideas and values, and resulted in transformation of many traditional societies. The UN human rights agenda has largely been allowed to operate as western dominated endeavour until relatively recently. Democracy without human rights can become a mobcracy, kleptocracy, chumocracy, technocracy, theocracy and even autocracy. The UN values and the UN definition of human rights are values of international community of our time and are part of contemporary international law.
