THE TOP human rights leader at the United Nations said his office is having a hard time working because of big cuts in money from countries that give support. At the same time, human rights problems are getting worse all over the world.
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| PHOTO: EPA |
Volker Turk, the UN's chief for human rights, told reporters on Wednesday that the office is missing $90 million this year. He said this has already led to losing 300 jobs and made it harder for the organisation to track human rights violations around the world.
"Resources have been cut, and funding for human rights groups, including at the local level, has also dropped," Turk said. "We're in survival mode."
Countries that usually give money to the UN, like Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden, are giving less because they are focusing more on national defense and their own budgets.
The United States has also cut support, especially under President Donald Trump, who has been critical of the UN and has pulled back from some UN agencies. A recent move by Congress also cut funding for international groups, including the UN. Turk's warning comes as the UN's humanitarian organisation, OCHA, is asking for $23 billion for 2026. But it's also facing its own funding problems, knowing that less support from donors means millions of people in need won't get help.
The biggest request is for the occupied Palestinian territories, with $4 billion mainly going to Gaza. The ongoing war has caused almost all 2.3 million residents to be displaced and rely on aid. UN officials say this amount is still below what is actually needed.
Other major crises also need funding, including $2 billion for people displaced in Sudan, $1 billion for Sudanese refugees, $1.4 billion for communities affected by violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, over $2 billion for emergency help inside Syria, and nearly $3 billion for Syrian refugees.
To deal with the financial problems, Turk said that UN experts can't visit many countries anymore, and that fact-finding missions and investigations have been cut back. Reviews of how countries follow UN human rights rules have also been delayed, going down from 145 to 103 this year. "Everything is affecting international and national efforts to protect human rights," Turk said.