United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

The Office is particularly active in the field of human rights in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Tanzania, three countries where activities have been carried out thanks to funding from Luxembourg. The funding helps to further promote and protect human rights in the region and assists the Office in pursuing its role as a trusted partner on human rights issues with the African Union and its counterparts in the Horn of Africa and East Africa. In addition to emerging priorities linked to the relevant national contexts (transitional justice in Ethiopia, the Universal Periodic Review in Djibouti and the consolidation of civil rights in Tanzania), the office is focusing in particular on gender equality and the promotion of women’s rights.

In the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Luxembourg provided EUR 400,000 in support to the UNHCR Office, whose mandate is to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the OPT. That mandate includes monitoring and reporting, technical assistance and capacity building, particularly following Palestine’s ratification of seven of the core UN human rights treaties in 2014.

At the end of 2023, Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation allocated an additional contribution of EUR 1 million to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights. The Fund, financed through voluntary contributions, provides technical assistance in the field of human rights, at the request of developing countries, and supports national efforts to put in place human rights protection frameworks, by supporting the creation of strong legal frameworks, national human rights institutions, the strengthening of independent judicial systems, and vibrant civil society organisations.

Finally, in 2023 Luxembourg continued to support OHCHR activities to monitor, promote and protect human rights in Myanmar and Rwanda.