Scottish Human Rights Law Group

By Kasey Lowe

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [OHCHR] is very much the primary support for the international human rights system across the globe.  On 14 October 2009, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay opened the first OHCHR office in the European Union.  The new office, located in EU hub of Brussels, marks the eleventh regional office opened under the auspices of the OHCHR.

As part of the UN Secretariat, the OHCHR spearheads the UN’s human rights efforts by offering leadership, education and grassroots work to empower individuals and States to uphold human rights. Up until this month, the OHCHR operated ten regional offices in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.  Though its main office is located in Geneva, the OHCHR’s new European regional office is meant to allow for greater engagement with EU countries and agencies in the effort to promote, implement and protect human rights.  The new office in Belgium also marks the 55^th country to host an OHCHR office at the national or regional level.

Noting the importance of the closer relationship that should result from the establishment of the new office, the High Commissioner stated, “[w]hen the EU speaks, people listen. When the UN speaks on human rights issues, people also listen, and when we are in tune we can be an important force for change.”