The U.N. human rights chief appealed on Thursday for $500 million in funding for 2025 to support its work such as investigating human rights abuses around the world from Syria to Sudan, warning that lives hang in the balance.
The U.N. human rights office has been grappling with chronic funding shortages that some worry could be exacerbated by cuts to U.S. foreign aid by President Donald Trump. The annual appeal is for funds beyond the allocated U.N. funds from member states' fees, which make up just a fraction of the office's needs.
"In 2025, we expect no let-up in major challenges to human rights," High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told member states in a speech at the U.N. in Geneva.
"I am very concerned that if we do not reach our funding targets in 2025, we will leave people ... to struggle and possibly fail, without adequate support," he said.
He said any shortfall would mean more people remain in illegal detention; that governments are allowed to continue with discriminatory policies; violations may go undocumented; and human rights defenders could lose protection.
"In short, lives are at stake," he said.
The human rights office gets about 5% of the regular U.N. budget, but the majority of its funding comes voluntarily in response to its annual appeal announced on Thursday.
Western states give the most, with the United States donating $35 million last year or about 15% of the total received in 2024, followed by the European Commission, U.N. data showed. Still, the office received only about half of the $500 million it sought last year.
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Newly released air traffic control (ATC) audio recordings provide an eerie and detailed account of the tragic midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River on January 29, 2025.
Red Cross buses carrying 110 Palestinian prisoners arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday (January 30) as part of a phased agreement that ended over 15 months of conflict.
An 80-year-old Israeli hostage, Gadi Moses, has arrived at Tel Aviv’s Sorasky Medical Centre following his release from Hamas captivity
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Newly released air traffic control (ATC) audio recordings provide an eerie and detailed account of the tragic midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River on January 29, 2025.
Red Cross buses carrying 110 Palestinian prisoners arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday (January 30) as part of a phased agreement that ended over 15 months of conflict.
An 80-year-old Israeli hostage, Gadi Moses, has arrived at Tel Aviv’s Sorasky Medical Centre following his release from Hamas captivity
Apple is set to report slow revenue growth as weak iPhone demand, AI delays, and tough China competition weigh on sales, while a strong U.S. dollar adds further pressure.
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