United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the

▪ international organization

      department of the United Nations (UN) created to aid and protect human rights. The UN General Assembly Resolution 48/141 created the OHCHR in its present form in 1993. The OHCHR works with all levels of government internationally to achieve its goals to protect human rights across the globe.

      The OHCHR is financed through a combination of the UN regular budget and voluntary contributions. In addition to the Executive Office of the High Commissioner, the organization includes four other branches: the Treaties and Commission Branch (TCB), the Special Procedures Branch (SPB), the Research and Right to Development Branch (RRDB), and the Capacity Building and Field Operations Branch (CBB). The majority of the OHCHR staff are based in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, with the remaining staff working from the UN offices around the world.

      The high commissioner for human rights, who carries the rank of under secretary-general of the UN, heads the OHCHR. The post of high commissioner was established in 1993 by a General Assembly resolution and is appointed by the UN secretary-general. According to the resolution, the high commissioner has the broad responsibility to encourage and defend all human rights, from civil and political to economic, social, and cultural. The OHCHR has taken an active role in moderating conflicts and drafting treaties in conflict areas around the world, including early-21st-century conflicts in Iraq and Sudan.

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