The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) is the leading UN entity on human rights. They represent the world's commitment to the promotion and protection of the full range of human rights and freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Both the High Commissioner and the Office have a unique role to:

• - Promote and protect all human rights: They speak out objectively in the face of human rights violations and help elaborate on the standards that are used to evaluate human rights progress worldwide.
• - Help empower people: Their research, education, and advocacy activities, contribute to the increased awareness and engagement by the international community and the public on human rights issues. This means thousands of people in all regions of the world are empowered to claim their rights.
• - Assist Governments: Through their field presences, they help prevent abuses and contribute to defusing situations that could lead to conflict. Their monitoring and analysis feed sensitive decision-making and development programming. They also provide capacity-building and legal advice to thousands, supporting the development and judicious enactment of laws and policies the world around.
• - Inject a human rights perspective into all UN programmes: They mainstream human rights into all UN programmes to ensure that peace and security, development, and human rights - the three pillars of the UN - are interlinked and mutually reinforced.

Their mission

In carrying out their mission UN Human Rights:

• - Gives priority to addressing the most pressing human rights violations, both acute and chronic, particularly those that put life in imminent peril
• - Focuses attention on those who are at risk and vulnerable on multiple fronts
• - Pays equal attention to the realization of civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights, including the right to development
• - Measures the impact of its work through the substantive benefit that is accrued, through it, to individuals around the world

What they do: an overview

As the principal United Nations office mandated to promote and protect human rights for all, UN Human Rights:

• - Works with and assists Governments in fulfilling their human rights obligations
• - Speaks out objectively in the face of human rights violations worldwide
• - Provides a forum for identifying, highlighting, and developing responses to today's human rights challenges
• - Acts as the principal focal point of human rights research, education, public information, and advocacy activities
• - Works with a wide range of partners in order to widen the constituency for human rights worldwide.