The Historical Origins and Contemporary Evolution of International Human Rights Law: Retrospect and Prospect

This article is adapted from the first in a series of three public lectures, which was delivered at the launch of the Law Society Public and International Law Committee at the Supreme Court Auditorium, on 29 May 2008, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UN General Assembly Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this address the author provides a history of human rights law, and the state of this branch of law today. She also discusses some of the issues and controversies extant in the discourse. The author has locates the discussion within the Singapore context, as human rights are the common heritage of mankind and not the possession of any one country.