Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. The office was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 December 1993 in the wake of the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights.
The office is headed by the high commissioner for human rights, who co-ordinates human rights activities throughout the United Nations System and acts as the secretariat of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. The eighth and current high commissioner is Volker Türk of Austria, who succeeded Michelle Bachelet of Chile on 8 September 2022.
In 2018–2019, the department had a budget of US$201.6 million (3.7 per cent of the United Nations regular budget), and approximately 1,300 employees based in Geneva and New York City. It is an ex officio member of the Committee of the United Nations Development Group.
The mandate of OHCHR derives from Articles 1, 13 and 55 of the Charter of the United Nations, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and General Assembly resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993, by which the Assembly established the post of United Nations high commissioner for human rights. In connection with the programme for reform of the United Nations (A/51/950, para. 79), the OHCHR and the Centre for Human Rights were consolidated into a single OHCHR on 15 September 1997.
The objectives of OHCHR are to:
The OHCHR is divided into organizational units, as described below. The OHCHR is headed by a High Commissioner with the rank of Under-Secretary-General.
The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, accountable to the secretary-general, is responsible for all the activities of the OHCHR, as well as for its administration, and carries out the functions specifically assigned to him or her by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993 and subsequent resolutions of policy-making bodies. He or she advises the Secretary-General on the policies of the United Nations in the area of human rights, ensures that substantive and administrative support is given to the projects, activities, organs and bodies of the human rights programme, represents the secretary-general at meetings of human rights organs and at other human rights events, and carries out special assignments as decided by the secretary-general. As well as those human rights that are currently included in legally binding treaties, the high commissioner also promotes human rights yet to be recognized in international law (such as the adoption of economic, social and cultural rights as a strategic priority, which are not all currently recognized in international legal instruments).
The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, in the performance of his or her activities, is assisted by a deputy high commissioner who acts as officer-in-charge during the absence of the high commissioner. In addition, the deputy high commissioner carries out specific substantive and administrative assignments as decided by the high commissioner. The deputy is accountable to the high commissioner.
The current deputy high commissioner for human rights is the Australian national Kate Gilmore.
The assistant secretary-general for Human Rights (not to be confused with the deputy high commissioner, who is also an assistant secretary-general) is based in New York City and heads the New York Office of the High Commissioner. The New York Office represents the high commissioner at United Nations Headquarters in New York and promotes the integration of human rights in policy processes and activities undertaken by inter-governmental and inter-agency bodies at the United Nations.
The post of assistant secretary-general for human rights was created in 2010, when Ivan Šimonović was appointed to the position. From 2016 to 2019, the position was held by Andrew Gilmour. The current assistant secretary-general for human rights, since 2020, is Ilze Brands Kehris [fr].
The Staff Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is headed by a chief who is accountable to the high commissioner. The core functions of the Staff Office are to:
The Administrative Section is headed by a chief, Kyle F. Ward, who is accountable to the deputy high commissioner. The core functions of the Administrative Section, in addition to those set out in section 7 of Secretary-General's bulletin ST/SGB/1997/5, are to:
The New York Office is headed by an assistant secretary-general who is accountable to the high commissioner. The core functions of the New York Office are to:
The Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division is headed by a director who is accountable to the high commissioner. The core functions of the division are to:
The Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division is headed by a director who is accountable to the high commissioner. The core functions of the division are to:
The Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division is headed by a director who is accountable to the high commissioner. The core functions of the division are to:
(Source: OHCHR Website)
Journalist Emma Reilly leaked e-mails in 2020 and 2021 in which the OHCHR provided names of Chinese participants in UN human rights activities to China on request. This occurred on multiple occasions from before 2012 to at least 2019, despite an explicit ban against this sort of activity. In some cases, after obtaining their name in advance from the UN, the Chinese Communist Party made sure an activist was not able to leave China for Geneva to attend.