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Human Rights Day

Human rights belong to all of us. Join us and uphold the rights of everyone, everywhere. Our rights, our future, right now.

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Member States

Resources

Governments have the main responsibility for protecting the human rights of the people within their countries. The UN human rights system assists them by:

  • strengthening their capacity in meeting their obligations
  • advising them on new rights policies and institutions, and
  • issuing recommendations through periodic reviews.
     

UN Human Rights Technical Cooperation

Human rights standards only have value if they are effectively implemented. States recovering from conflict or who lack adequate resources or expertise need assistance to implement their human rights obligations. UN Human Rights' Technical Cooperation Programme supports States' national efforts to protect human rights.

UN Human Rights Technical Cooperation Programme.

Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council is the key United Nations intergovernmental body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights. Representatives of 47 Member States of the UN sit on the Council, each of them elected by the General Assembly. 

Universal Periodic Review

The Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) assesses the human rights record of all 193 UN Member States every four years.

Special Procedures

The Council's Special procedures are independent experts who investigate and report on specific human rights thematic and country mandates.

Treaty bodies

Treaties are legally binding documents, consented to by Governments. By adopting international treaties, States agree to be legally bound to uphold the individual rights and freedoms of everyone under their jurisdiction. Ten committees of experts monitor countries' compliance with the treaties they have ratified.

Human Rights Databases

UN Human Rights manages a number of databases ranging from jurisprudence information repositories to interactive dashboards.

UN Human Rights databases

About UN Human Rights

What we do

Our roadmap