Together with the declaration, they mapped out the international human rights agenda, established the benchmark for state conduct, inspired provisions in many national laws and international conventions, and provided a beacon of hope to many whose rights had been snuffed out by brutal regimes. A right is a claim, an entitlement that may neither be conferred nor denied. A human right, owed to every person simply as a human being, is inherently universal. Held only by human beings, but equally by all, it does not flow from any office, rank or relationship. The idea of universal rights is denied by some who insist that moral standards are always culture-specific.
Relativism is often the first refuge of repressive governments.
The false dichotomy between development and human rights is usually a smoke screen for corruption and cronyism. Relativism requires an acknowledgment that each culture has its own moral system. Government behavior is still open to evaluation by the moral code of its own society. Internal moral standards can comply with international conventions. But because moral precepts vary from culture to culture does not mean that different peoples do not hold some values in common.