The concept of human rights is not just a set of ideas but is involved in public policy and the law. Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration in 1948, a system of international law has developed, overseen by the United Nations and controlled by its 195 member states. This chapter provides a guide to this system and its relevance to leisure policy and practice in nation states. It has nine main sections: the League of Nations and the International Labour Office; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the indivisibility of human rights; associated covenants (treaties in international law); compliance with obligations by nation states; UN agencies and programmes; non-government organisations (NGOs), including the World Leisure Organization (WLO); critical debates on the validity of the Universal Declaration; regional rights declarations; and human rights and peace.