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
In October 2018, CEDAW adopted revised reporting guidelines for States parties, which integrate SDGs with a view to ensuring systematic reporting by States parties and collection of data to be used in assessing progress made on the implementation of all SDG targets.On 22 November 2018 to commemorate the International Day on the Elimination of Violence against Women and which, inter alia, “called for strengthened cooperation between independent global and regional mechanisms, as common synergies and efforts to address violence against women under the existing normative framework on human rights, which will contribute to closing gaps in combating and preventing violence against women worldwide” the experts also called for the inclusion of monitoring mechanisms to ensure full implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 5.” (See: https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23921&LangID=Ettp://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22432&LangID=E );
On the occasion of the 16 Days of Advocacy on ending violence against women and International Human Rights Day in December 2018, the OHCHR supported the efforts of the SRVAW who reiterated her call for the establishment of a femicide watch to collect, analyse and review data at the national, regional and global levels.
On the occasion of International Women Human Rights Defenders Day the OHCHR supported the SRVAW, SUMEX and WGDAW, along with other relevant mandates in calling on States “to fulfil their commitment to enable that work, proclaimed almost 20 years ago in the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and reaffirmed five years ago in General Assembly resolution 68/181 on protecting women human rights defenders” https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23943&LangID=E