International human rights law is the body of
international law designed to promote and protect
human rights at the international, regional, and domestic levels. As a form of international law, international human rights law is primarily made up of
treaties, agreements between
states intended to have binding legal effect between the parties that have agreed to them; and
customary international law, rules of law derived from the consistent conduct of states acting out of the belief that the law required them to act that way. Other
international human rights instruments while not legally binding contribute to the implementation, understanding and development of international human rights law and have been recognised as a source of
political obligation.