Abstract: This article examines the role of the principle of subsidiarity in international human rights law. It explains the concept and the procedural doctrines of subsidiarity and considers subsidiarity of international institutions as a structural fact and the substantive subsidiarity within the state. It contends that international protection of human rights is subsidiary to national protection and that subsidiarity plays important roles in international human rights law. This article also predicts the future expansion and evolution of the role of subsidiarity in international human rights law.