Foreword by the High Commissioner

OHCHRREPORT2016 Foreword by the High Commissioner High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein. © OHCHR The achievements of my Office in 2016 were especially notable in light of an -em battled context for human rights work. In every region, human rights actors faced challenges to law and principle. Respect for the three great bodies of international law – international humanitarian law; international human rights law and international refugee law – was eroded. Not coincidentally, conflicts remained intracta- ble, driving out millions of people to seek the basic conditions for life elsewhere. Religious hatred, xenophobia, homophobia and outright racism returned to the front stage. Judicial institutions, which act as checks on executive power, were undermined in several countries. Inequalities deepened divisions – wasting tal- ent, undermining social cohesion and structuring economies to only benefit the few. Governments sharply restricted the ability of people to exercise their civil and political rights, which are essential in themselves and crucial to promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development. This landscape calls for courage, clarity of conviction, compassion and an unwa- vering focus on our service to victims, human rights defenders, people vulnerable to abuses and humanity as a whole. Faced with today’s intensifying challenges to peaceful coexistence and sustainable development, my Office sees clearly how -es sential the work of upholding our mandate really is. It is my firm belief that human rights principles provide a practical, safer and more sustainable pathway to peace, prosperity and justice. Discrimination, poverty, terrorism and conflict build on each other. Undoing this manufacture of suffering – and replacing it with inclusive development, justice and peace – is our shared responsibility. In the course of this past year, we have worked to assist civil society in countries across the world to exercise strong and confident voices. We have helped States and other key actors to increase their capacity to protect and fulfil the rights of their people. We have supported the international human rights mechanisms which, along with my Office, issue expert OHCHR REPORT 2016 3 and practical guidance in support of universal freedoms. The in-depth monitoring and private and public advocacy that we undertook created opportunities for prevention – shedding light on patterns of violations and showing how these can be halted, repaired and rights restored. Improving the ability of individuals – the world over – to enjoy their rights, wherev- er they are, is the core purpose of all that we do. From strengthening human rights mechanisms to working with local non-governmental organizations; with national authorities, Parliaments and human rights commissions; and with regional institutions – our ultimate aim is to assist all women, men, young people and children to live in dignity. The pages that follow set out concrete examples of this work to uphold the uni- versality and indivisibility of rights across every region and in diverse sectors. Our work, now well underway, to set up the new international, impartial and independent mechanism on international crimes in Syria, which the General Assembly called for in an unprecedented resolution in December 2016. Our Stand Up For Human Rights campaign that seeks to galvanize people to take a personal stand in their everyday lives for the human rights of those around them. Our intensified work to protect the rights of migrants, in the context of increasing xenophobia, militarization of borders and escalating reliance on detention and deportation. Our efforts to mainstream human-rights based approaches throughout the work of all UN entities, including by promoting implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in alignment with international human rights standards at global and country level. These are but some of the ways in which we have sought to ensure that human rights are understood to be assets to the cooperative and collaborative efforts of the international community to advance peace, prosperity and justice for all. Our current planning cycle will end in 2017 and we expect that the majority of the expected accomplishments and targets set out in the Office Management Plan will be achieved in the course of the coming 12 months. Although deferral by the General Assembly of our Change Initiative plans delays our efforts for a more bal- anced global presence, we remain fully committed to strengthened regional and country presences to enable more effective delivery on our mandate – to protect and promote all human rights for all. I take this opportunity to thank all of our partners, donors and all the local, national, regional and global actors who have stood up for the work of our Office in 2016. Your support inspires us to continue to address challenges. I am encouraged by your backing for our work to tackle the root causes of conflict by reacting earlier and more effectively in addressing human rights concerns. Only by upholding the human rights of all can we build peace within and between nations and this essential task of prevention will always be at the core of all that we do. I trust that the work laid out in these pages will inspire you to deepen your support as we continue to strive for a more peaceful, more prosperous and more just future. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein High Commissioner for Human Rights May 2017 4 OHCHR REPORT 2016 Contents Foreword by the High Commissioner 3 Highlights of results 8 About OHCHR 57 Management 66 Funding 77 Financial statements as at 31 December 2016 92 Funds administered by OHCHR 112 Donor profiles 121 Annexes 142 I. OHCHR’s theory of change and results’ framework 144 II. Achievement of targets in 2016 151 III. Abbreviations and acronyms 153 IV. OHCHR organizational chart 155 Contents of the USB key OHCHR in the field 157 OHCHR’s approach to fieldwork 157 Africa 161 Americas 193 Asia and the Pacific 217 Europe and Central Asia 235 Middle East and North Africa 251 Headquarters 265 Executive Direction and Management 265 Research and Right to Development Division 279 Human Rights Treaties Division 289 Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division 299 Human Rights Council Mechanisms Division 309 OHCHR REPORT 2016 5 Highlights of results 6 OHCHR REPORT 2016 On 10 December, the UN Human Rights Office launched a year- long campaign entitled “Stand up for someone’s rights today.” For the launch, the High Commissioner took part in a Facebook Live session and turned on Geneva’s iconic Jet d’Eau, which was lit up with blue lights at night. The Office participated in the Geneva Lux Festival with a symbolic “tree of human rights” that was artistically illuminated in the Old Town of Geneva. Selfie stands were set up at the airport, downtown Geneva and at the Palais des Nations to inform people about the campaign. Other activities were organized elsewhere by UN Human Rights field presences, the United Nations family and the global human rights community. The “Stand up” campaign will continue to call for action on numerous occasions in 2017. © OHCHR OHCHR REPORT 2016 7 Highlights of results This section highlights the results to which the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR or UN Human Rights) made a meaningful contribution – along side the work of others – in 2016. The results are organized according to thematic priorities established in the OHCHR Management Plan 2014-2017 (OMP). The Office’s work is grounded in a theory of change and thematic expected accomplishments (see annex I) that define the intermediate results towards which the Office contributes in the pursuit of its long-term goal – all human rights for all. OHCHR’s current planning cycle will end in 2017. The majority of our expected accomplishments and targets set out in the OMP therefore are forecasted to be achieved by the end of that year. In 2016, an estimated 18 per cent of national expected accomplishments, planned to be realized by the end of the four-year planning cycle covering 2014-2017, were fully or partially achieved and good progress was made on 29 per cent of those expected accomplishments. Annex II provides an overview of the extent to which the targets have been achieved. For a general overview of OHCHR’s role in the human rights developments set out below, please refer to the end of this chapter. For a more detailed description of OHCHR’s specific role in these results, please refer to the chapters on OHCHR’s field presences and headquarter divisions that can be found on the USB key that is annexed to this report or on the Office’s website. Strengthening to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Dis- crimination against Women (OP-CEDAW); Madagascar international human rights adopted legislation on the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil mechanisms and Political Rights (ICCPR-OP2) and the OP-CAT; and Sao Tomé and Principe adopted a bill for the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political In 2016, 24 per cent of planned national expected Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Eco- accomplishments were reported as fully or partially nomic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). achieved and good progress was made on an addi- tional 33 per cent of them. In the Americas, Peru ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a com- munications procedure (OP-CRC-IC) and Venezuela Ratification ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of In total, 44 new ratifications of or accessions to the hu- Their Families (ICRMW). In Europe, the Netherlands man rights treaties were deposited with the Secretary- ratified the CRPD; Finland ratified the CRPD and the General in 2016.

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