Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, announced the launch of a fundraising campaign for $400 million for 2026, aimed at addressing pressing human rights issues.
In 2025, experts from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 87 countries monitored over 1,300 legal proceedings, assisted 67,000 victims of torture, documented a significant number of violations, and facilitated the release of more than 4,000 individuals who were subjected to arbitrary detention.
Due to funding cuts in 2025, the OHCHR was able to conduct only 5,000 monitoring missions, significantly down from the 11,000 conducted in 2024.
He also expressed regret that the OHCHR lost about 300 staff members out of 2,000 and was forced to close or significantly reduce its presence in 17 countries, making it difficult to implement programs that are critically important for vulnerable and marginalized communities, including in Colombia, Guinea-Bissau, and Tajikistan.
According to UN News Service data, the approved budget for the OHCHR for 2025 was $246 million, but only $191.5 million was actually received. An additional $500 million in voluntary contributions was requested, of which only $257.8 million was raised.
For 2026, the UN General Assembly approved a regular budget for the OHCHR of $224.3 million, which is formed based on mandatory contributions from states. This amount is 10% less than in 2025, and there remains uncertainty regarding actual revenues. As part of the 2026 campaign, the office plans to raise an additional $400 million in voluntary contributions.
