UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has launched a $500 million funding appeal for 2025, aiming to address global human rights needs, according to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Speaking in Geneva, Türk highlighted human rights violations in conflict zones such as Gaza, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar, emphasizing the urgent need for action.
“During conflicts and in peacetime, in developing and advanced economies, my Office is holding the line for humanity,” he said.
In 2024, the UN Human Rights Office, with 2,000 staff across 92 countries, conducted:
🔹 11,000 human rights monitoring missions
🔹 1,000 trial observations
🔹 15,000 documented human rights violations
🔹 Support for 10,000 survivors of modern slavery
🔹 49,000 survivors of torture and their families
Additionally, over 100 detention centres and prisons reported improvements due to the Office’s efforts. The agency also advanced human rights-based economic policies in countries like Cambodia, Jordan, and Serbia.
Despite requesting $500 million in 2024, the Office raised only $269 million, four percent less than in 2023. Türk warned that a funding shortfall in 2025 could result in fewer human rights violations being documented, reduced protection for human rights defenders, and limited opportunities for women and girls.
“Human rights are a low-cost, high-impact investment in peace, security, and sustainable development, yet funding remains woefully inadequate,” Türk stressed.
Calling for broader financial support, including from non-traditional donors, he urged the global community to make human rights a top funding priority in an increasingly divided and polarized world.
