The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, or OHCHR, was forced to remove human rights advisors from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Myanmar and Sierra Leone in part due to U.S. aid cuts. It cannot meet requests to deploy 12 additional advisors.
Date: 9/25
Region: Global
Country: Global
Topic: Governance & Rights
Policy Lens: Democracy & Governance
Entry Type: Operational Impact
Additional Context: According to OHCHR, human rights advisors are deployed at the request of U.N. resident coordinators to assess country-level conditions, advise U.N. country teams, and work with national actors to advance human rights standards.
Devex Researcher Note: The OHCHR faced a $54.5 million regular budget shortfall and received $242 million less in voluntary contributions than requested in 2025. While framed as a multi-country issue with many donors pulling back, the funding gap was driven in large part by reductions in U.S. foreign assistance — historically the largest source of U.N. human rights funding.
Source: OHCHR