UN human rights office in "survival mode" amid major funding cuts

GENEVA: The United Nations human rights chief said on Wednesday his office was in "survival mode" due to major funding cuts from global donors, while rights violations and needs in conflict-affected areas surge.

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OHCHR funding gap of US$90M led to 300 job cuts and halted essential human rights work worldwide.
Country visits, investigations, and treaty compliance reviews have been scaled back significantly.
Turk warns reduced operations undermine global efforts to protect human rights amid rising crises.

"Our resources have been slashed, along with funding for human rights organisations – including at the grassroots level – around the world. We are in survival mode," said Volker Turk, the High Commissioner for the U.N. human rights office (OHCHR) told reporters.

OHCHR has US$90 million less in funding than it needed this year, which resulted in 300 jobs cuts, directly impacting the office's work, Turk said.

"Essential work has had to be cut, including on Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Tunisia and other countries at a time when the needs are rising," Turk stated.

He said country visits by UN Special Rapporteurs, who are independent experts, as well as investigative missions by fact-finding bodies have been reduced, while dialogues with states on their compliance with UN human rights treaties have had to be postponed, with the number of state parties reviews falling from 145 to 103.

"All this has extensive ripple effects on international and national efforts to protect human rights," Turk said.