The question of culture in the international human rights discourse has since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 been relatively marginal, but have recently taken new turns. This article argue that there are several dimensions of cultural relativism in human rights despite its universalistic pretentions. The reason for the cultural relativistic turn in human rights is that nations, cultural groups and legal structures explicitly question the ability' of the universal discourse to address the concerns of nations, individuals, and cultural groups. Finally, it is suggested that these human rights dilemmas may be solved by national and local transformation and application of the universal discourse.