The advancement of human rights has without doubt been impressive with the development of existing rights, the addition of new rights, and the constantly growing concern of protecting all human rights and freedoms.
The growth of human rights has created new features and elements to international law by redefining the relationship that exists between nations and their citizens. There are now necessary obligations imposed on sovereign states to guarantee basic human rights to all their citizens. There are now opportunities for individuals to make claims of human rights violations under international law which redefines the traditional view of international law. The instruments for human rights have challenged the thought that the treatment of a state's citizens is only the concern of the state itself; these agreements are not considered multilateral agreements signed only for the benefits of the states involved, but for all peoples regardless of nationality.
International declarations such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the American Convention on Human Rights have achieved a much greater respect for the rights of all humans. Although the term "human rights" is a fairly new term, the concept of human rights is ancient, with the first formal action on human rights taken after the events of World War II with the creation of the United Nations in 1945. World War I had left Europe in a state that needed to be reformed. This led to the creation of the League of Nations, which was the predecessor to the United Nations, whose focus was to restore peace in Europe by protecting minorities and to eliminate any potential cause for conflict. It was in the period between the two world wars that the concept of social rights was adopted and the idea that government involvement was a necessity for human rights to be truly protected. It was now the state's responsibility and obligation to provide the basic necessities to every human for a dignified life.