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UN rights chief appeals for $400 million as crises mount and funding shrinks
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 5, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 5, 2026
Quick Summary
UN human rights chief Volker Turk appeals for $400M to address global human rights needs amid significant funding cuts impacting operations.
UN Human Rights Chief Seeks $400 Million Amid Funding Crisis
U.N. Human Rights Funding Appeal
By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, Feb 5 (Reuters) - U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk appealed for $400 million on Thursday to address mounting human rights needs in countries such as Sudan and Myanmar, after donor funding cuts drastically reduced the work of his office and left it in "survival mode".
The U.N. office is appealing for $100 million less than last year, after a significant scale back of its work in some areas due to a fall in contributions from countries including the U.S. and Europe.
Current Human Rights Violations
"We are currently in survival mode, delivering under strain," Turk told delegates in a speech in Geneva, urging countries to step up support.
Impact of Funding Cuts
In the last year, Turk's office raised alarm about human rights violations in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, and Myanmar, among others.
However, due to slashes in funding, Turk's office undertook less than half the number of human rights monitoring missions compared to 2024, and reduced its presence in 17 countries, he said. Last year it received $90 million less in funding than it needed, which resulted in 300 job cuts, directly impacting the office's work, Turk said in December.
Call for Increased Support
"We cannot afford a human rights system in crisis," he stated.
Turk listed examples of the impacts of cuts, noting the Myanmar programme was cut by more than 60% in the last year, limiting its ability to gather evidence.
A U.N. probe into possible war crimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also struggling to become fully operational due to limited funding, while work to prevent gender-based violence and protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people globally has been cut up to 75%, the office said.
"This means more hate speech and attacks, and fewer laws to stop them," Turk stated.
The U.N. human rights office is responsible for investigating rights violations. Its work contributes to U.N. Security Council deliberations and is widely used by international courts, according to the office.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
Key Takeaways
- •UN seeks $400M for human rights amid funding cuts.
- •Volker Turk highlights reduced operations in 17 countries.
- •Funding cuts impact missions in Sudan, Myanmar, and more.
- •300 job cuts due to $90M funding shortfall last year.
- •Critical programs for LGBTIQ+ rights and war crimes probes affected.
Frequently Asked Questions about UN rights chief appeals for $400 million as crises mount and funding shrinks
1What is funding crisis?
A funding crisis occurs when an organization or entity faces a significant shortfall in financial resources, impacting its ability to operate effectively and fulfill its mission.
