Human Rights

The UN and the OSCE both have specialized agencies – the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) – that lead the implementation of the organizations’ human rights work. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and associated conventions form the normative basis for human rights work within and beyond peace operations. The EU derives its remit to promote human rights from the Lisbon Treaty (2009).

For virtually all OSCE and UN missions, human rights are a stand-alone mandated task as well as a task that is integrated into other mission activities. In that way, the promotion of human rights is a guiding principle for a mission’s work in the areas of >Protection of Civilians, >Women, Peace and Security, Children and Armed Conflict, >Reconciliation and Transitional Justice, >Rule of Law, >Policing, >Security Sector Reform and >Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism.

The UN describes the goals of the human rights teams in their missions as follows: “to contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights through both immediate and long-term action; to empower the population to assert and claim their human rights; and to enable state and other national institutions to implement their human rights obligations and uphold the rule of law.” These objectives are also reflected in OSCE activities.

A typical activity within peace operations is human rights monitoring. For instance, the OSCE monitors trials in Kosovo as well as hate speech and hate crimes in the Republic of North Macedonia. The UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA), together with the Malian security forces, established a tracking mechanism for human rights violations. Increasingly, peace operations offer human rights training for government institutions and components of the security sector, such as the OSCE training for corrections officers in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

A further important element is support for civil society organizations and national human rights bodies. In the Central African Republic, the UN mission (MINUSCA) has helped establish a national human rights commission. In Macedonia, the OSCE has strengthened the anti-discrimination commission. Related activities include efforts to raise public awareness and enhance knowledge of human rights. In Mali, as well as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN missions have supported victims’ rights organizations that are working to increase victims’ access to justice.

As of 15.08.2023

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