OHCHR has country offices in Angola, Bolivia, Cambodia, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Nepal, Togo, and Uganda, as well as stand-alone offices in the occupied Palestinian territories and Kosovo (Serbia).
The usual legal basis for the establishment of country and stand-alone offices is a standard agreement with the respective government, based on the High Commissioner’s mandate. OHCHR’s country and standalone offices support national efforts aimed at strengthening respect for human rights. To this end, they analyse and report publicly on the human rights situation in the country, and recommend the formulation and implementation of necessary measures to enhance the protection of human rights. They promote the implementation of the recommendations made by the international human rights mechanisms, and provide support, through technical cooperation and advice, to the authorities and other national stakeholders for developing effective national human rights protection systems.
Country offices vary in size, depending on the phase of deployment and the nature of the work undertaken. With the exception of the office in Cambodia, their funding comes from voluntary contributions. They report annually to the High Commissioner, and their reports are generally presented to the Human Rights Council either independently or as an addendum to the High Commissioner’s report.