Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais Wilson. 52 rue des Pâquis. CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Background
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), guided by the mandate provided by General Assembly resolution 48/141, OHCHR represents the world’s commitment to the promotion, protection and realization of the full range of rights and freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
OHCHR has a central role in safeguarding the integrity of the three pillars of the United Nations: peace and security, human rights and development. For 2024-2027, the Office has maintained its six thematic pillars on which its work stands, which are (1) Support to the United Nations human rights system; (2) Mainstreaming human rights within the United Nations other pillars, namely development and (3) peace and security; (4) Advancing the core human rights principles of non-discrimination, (5) accountability, (6) participation. OHCHR has identified six strategic directions, namely:
- Rebuilding trust and reinvigorating a global movement for human rights.
- Fostering inclusion and equality through a diversity approach.
- Enhancing early warning and advancing the global protection agenda.
- Promoting a human rights economy to realize rights and address inequalities.
- Promoting rights-based climate and environmental action.
- Using digital technologies and data to advance human rights.
All areas have a strong focus on women’s human rights and gender issues, including in line with OHCHR internal policies on gender equality and the Secretary General System Wide Strategy on Gender Parity.
Institutionally, OHCHR is committed to strengthening the United Nations human rights programme and to providing it with the highest quality support, by working closely with its United Nations partners to ensure that human rights are at the center of the work of the United Nations.
Policy framework
See gender-related resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly, Security Council and Human Rights Council, and relevant subsidiary bodies.
Areas of Focus
The mission of OHCHR is to work for the protection and promotion of all human rights for all people; to help empower people to realize their rights; and to assist those responsible for upholding such rights in ensuring that they are implemented. The Office carries out its mission with respect to gender-based violence within the overarching strategies to ensure country engagement, leadership, partnership, and support and strengthening of the Office and the human rights machinery.
OHCHR’s unique added value in addressing gender-based violence as a UN entity lies in its monitoring mandate, enabling it to identify trends, structural causes, and consequences through case investigations and public reporting. It plays a central role in the international human rights system by supporting UN human rights mechanisms (Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures, and Universal Periodic Review) in developing recommendations and advocating for justice. With its human rights-based and survivor-centred approach, OHCHR promotes a holistic protection framework, ensuring victims’ access to services, gender-responsive accountability, and strengthened states’ capacities. OHCHR situates gender-based violence within broader gender inequalities and systemic discrimination, emphasizing the intersectionality of multiple forms of oppression that exacerbate violence and hinder access to justice. Its convening power facilitates global, regional, and national dialogues, fostering survivor participation and advancing substantive equality, prevention, and gender-transformative measures, including reparations.
OHCHR supports the Human Rights Council, UN investigative bodies, special procedures, and human rights treaty bodies, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
Resources
For recent resources, visit: https://www.ohchr.org/en/women/gender-based-violence-against-women-and-girls
UNODC was involved in the work of the global focal point for police, justice and corrections in post-conflict and other crisis situations, in relation to joint field missions, planning and programming, and in strategic and operational discussions at headquarters. Led by UNDP and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in partnership with Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN-Women and UNODC, the global focal point supports UN country presences in mission and non-mission settings.
In 2014, OHCHR continued to undertake efforts to strengthen capacities of human rights components of peace missions and fact-finding bodies to investigate sexual and gender-based violence. OHCHR's three-day training on investigating conflict-related sexual violence was delivered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan (Darfur), and Mali.
In 2014-2015, OHCHR continued supporting the mandate of the Rapporteur on violence against women, in its active engagement with civil society organizations, including through participation in regional consultations. She participated in three regional consultations, held in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, on the topic of “closing the normative gap” in addressing violence against women at the international level.
OHCHR continued strengthening national capacities to investigate sexual gender-based violence in Afghanistan, the DRC, Liberia, and Sudan.
As a member of the Team of Experts, OHCHR supported efforts to strengthen the capacity of national rule of law and justice actors to address impunity for conflict-related sexual violence.
OHCHR assisted CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women) and the CRC (Committee on the Rights of the Child) in elaborating joint General Recommendation No. 31/General Comment No. 18 on harmful practices and the update of General Recommendation 19 on violence against women.
In March 2014, during the 25th session of the Human Rights Council, OHCHR partnered with UNFPA, UNICEF and others to bring the award winning exhibition, “Too Young to Wed” to the Palais des Nations in Geneva on the issue of child marriage.
In June 2014, OHCHR launched a paper on “Eliminating Judicial Stereotyping: Equal Access to Justice for Women in Gender-based Violence Cases”. The paper is a tool to raise awareness of, and encourage advocacy related to, judicial stereotyping in gender-based violence cases.
The "Secretary-General Guidance Note on Reparations for victims of Conflict-related Sexual Violence" was launched in June 2014 by OHCHR and UN Women. The implementation of the note has been promoted in a number of contexts and has resulted into legislative revision (Kosovo), introduction of a specific reparation programme (Moldova) and pilot assistance programmes for victims (DRC).