The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights, organized in 1998 by Prof. Burns H. Weston, Prof. Rex Honey and Dorothy M. Paul, grew from the programming efforts of Global Focus: Human Rights '98, initiated and led by Prof. Weston to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10,1948.

In 1999, the program became The UI Center for Human Rights, a unit of The University of Iowa International Programs. According to its web site, its mission is the "promotion and protection of human rights at home and abroad through distinguished multidisciplinary leadership in human rights research, education, and public service to the University, its surrounding communities, the State of Iowa, and beyond".