With the rapid development of international law, norms and institutional reform in the area of human protection over the past three decades, this article assesses the current trends at the UN to identify whether there is an international backlash currently occurring. It traces the development, implementation and constestation of international human protection norms in three key areas, namely the protection of civilians in UN peacekeeping, the responsibility to protect, and the human rights and prevention agenda. It argues that while states have demonstrated both a commitment and creativity in the implementation of human protection norms, these developments have been matched by contestation over the human rights foundations of international human protection norms, providng insight into the pragmatic direction that global governance is headed to accommodate the global shift in power relations. Finally, it considers avenues through which countries, such as Australia, that are committed to the values of human rights and the international rule of law, can promote the strengthening of these important human protection norms.