The Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) was established by the General Assembly in December 1993 with Resolution 48/141.

The High Commissioner has a broad mandate which includes the prevention of violations of human rights, ensuring the respect of all human rights, coordinating all United Nations activities involving human rights and strengthening national systems for protecting human rights and the rule of law. In this context, one of the crucial strategic activities for the High Commissioner’s Office is supporting the establishment and development of independent National Human Rights Institutions. In order to fulfil its mandate, the Office of the High Commissioner has consolidated its presence “on the ground”, establishing numerous regional and national offices, sending experts on integrated United Nations peace missions or dispatching independent fact-finding operations, as well as mainstreaming the human rights component in United Nations teams’ activities at Country level or Programmes and specialised Agencies of the United Nations (such as UNDP).

The Office of the High Commissioner is funded one-third by the regular budget of the United Nations, approved by the General Assembly every two years; the remaining two-thirds of the budget are voluntary contributions, mostly from States and additionally from international organisations, foundations, commercial enterprises, and private citizens.