As the principal United Nations (UN) office mandated to promote and protect human rights for all, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) leads global human rights efforts and speaks out objectively in the face of human rights violations worldwide. OHCHR provides a forum for identifying, highlighting and developing responses to human rights challenges, and acts as the principal focal point of human rights research, education, public information, and advocacy activities in the UN.

Since the establishment of the UN in 1945, promoting and encouraging respect for human rights for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion, has been one of the fundamental goals of the organisation. OHCHR achieves this by:

• Mainstreaming human rights, this means injecting a human rights perspective into all UN programmes
• Partnerships, including working with governments, civil society, national human rights institutions, and other UN entities and international organisations
• Standard-setting and monitoring, this includes offering expertise and substantive and secretariat support to the different UN human rights bodies
• Implementation on the ground, such as monitoring human rights situations and implementing projects, such as technical training and support

OHCHR has a mandate to lead the business and human rights agenda within the UN and in collaboration with the Working Group on Business and Human Rights, to develop guidance and training relating to the dissemination and implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

OHCHR seeks the implementation of human rights standards in the daily lives of all people everywhere. Working towards this goal, it collaborates with Governments, parliaments, judicial authorities, police and prison officials, National Human Rights Institutions, NGOs and a broad range of other civil society actors to build awareness of and respect for human rights. OHCHR empowers individuals to claim their rights and assists states in upholding their human rights obligations.

The mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is to work for the protection of all human rights for all people; to help empower people to realise their rights; and to assist those responsible for upholding such rights in ensuring that they are implemented.

Approximately two thirds of UN Human Rights’ income comes from voluntary contributions from Member States and other donors. The remainder is covered by the UN regular budget.

In 2019, voluntary contributions (extrabudgetary resources) represented around 62.9% of the UN Human Rights’ overall budget. Approximately 58.5% of all voluntary funding was used to support work in the field, which receives minimal support from the regular budget.

Find out more.