ABSTRACT
During Wilton Park’s first five decades, human rights issues per se were discussed only occasionally, mostly in the context of a broader meeting theme. It was not until the mid-1990s that human rights issues were discussed in any depth focusing on strengthening international institutions, and the standards and procedures to protect and promote human rights. Key post-war innovations addressed included the concept of universal obligation, with states committing to conducting themselves in a certain manner; placing the individual at the centre, becoming a subject rather than an object, of law; and the principle of subsidiarity (while the primary responsibility for human rights protection rests with national governments, the exercise of that function is subject to international monitoring). Discussions at the United Nations (UN) were seen to fulfil only the demands it placed on itself and were largely absent from its political decision-making bodies, development bodies and peacekeeping activities. However, from the early 2000s, the UN’s human rights activity underwent institutional reform, with the creation of the Human Rights Council, and there were major developments in international and transitional justice, including the establishment of the International Criminal Court.
