Human Rights Components of Peace Missions

Based upon the Security Council’s acknowledgement that the realization of human rights is essential for building and keeping peace, OHCHR works in close collaboration with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), and other actors to ensure that human rights components of UN peace missions are adequately guided and supported. These human rights components aim to prevent and redress human rights violations by monitoring the human rights situation, issuing public reports, and assisting in building national capacities to address human rights issues.

Human rights components are financed and supported operationally and administratively by the UN department in charge of the mission, but also receive guidance and support from OHCHR. This may take the form of substantive advice, funding for technical cooperation activities, or the deployment of human rights officers with specific expertise. The heads of human rights components of peace missions are selected by OHCHR, and they report to both the Special Representative of the Secretary-General heading the mission and to the High Commissioner.

Human rights components of UN peace missions are deployed, or about to be deployed, in Afghanistan, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Georgia/Abkhazia, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iraq, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan and Timor-Leste.