This document aggregates public data on the impact of the liquidity crisis and budget cuts related to the UN80 Initiative on UN human rights mechanisms since 2024. ISHR welcomes any additional information on this matter, to be reflected on this page, that can be submitted through this form.
Latest update: 5 March 2026.
Table of contents
2026 activities
Special Procedures and other expert mechanisms
- 2025 cost-saving measures are extended, including reduction by half of country visits (from two mandated per year to only one), as well as one-third or more of sessions of Working Groups (on arbitrary detention (when opinions on individual cases are adopted), enforced disappearances (when cases are transmitted through the humanitarian procedure), discrimination against women and girls, people of African descent, business and human rights, mercenaries, and the rights of peasants) (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 9 February 2026).
Treaty Bodies
- Sessions where committees review compliance of State Parties’ with human rights treaties are being shortened, including by 1 week for CEDAW’s first session, 1.4 week for CESCR’s first session, 1 week for the Human Rights Committee’s first session, 1.2 week for CED’s first session, 1 week for CRPD’s first session. No other sessions are confirmed as of early March. The current backlog of reports to be reviewed (including as a result of the postponement and shortening of sessions) totals 332 as of January 2026. (OHCHR HRTB Weekly Update 4 and 7).
- The lack of non-post funding at the Division of Conference Management at the UN Office in Geneva resulted in inability to deliver essential accessibility services, such as international sign language interpretation and captioning, for the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), resulting in impossibility to carry out its 34th session scheduled for 9-27 March. The Committee considers that this amounts to discrimination against the Committee, placing it in a ‘materially different and disadvantaged position compared to other human rights treaty bodies’ (statement by the CRPD, 31 January 2026). In response to a letter from the President of the Human Rights Council raising this issue, the UN Secretariat reprioritised funding for the provision of accessibility services (letter from the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet, E. Courtenay Rattray, 20 February 2026).
Human Rights Council
- The HRC Bureau maintained for 2026 the extraordinary package of cost-saving measures for the HRC adopted in 2025 to reduce the duration of HRC sessions by at least 10%, including reducing the speaking time of general debates to 1 minute and 30 seconds for all, capping the length of interactive dialogues to 1 hour and 30 minutes, among others (minutes of HRC Bureau meeting, 6 February 2026).
- 2026 funding and staff projections will drastically limit the Universal Periodic Review Secretariat’s ability to deliver reviews as scheduled (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 8 December 2025).
- The lack of non-post funding at the Division of Conference Management at the UN Office in Geneva resulted in an inability to deliver essential accessibility services, such as international sign language interpretation and captioning, for upcoming Human Rights Council sessions (letter from the President of the Human Rights Council, Sidharto Suryodipuro, 10 February 2026). In response to a letter from the President of the Human Rights Council raising this issue, the UN Secretariat reprioritised funding for the provision of accessibility services (letter from the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet, E. Courtenay Rattray, 20 February 2026).
Country-specific investigative mechanisms (including Syria, Myanmar and Afghanistan IIMs)
- The budget adopted by States reduces the number of new posts requested for the new Independent Investigative Mechanism on Afghanistan (HRC resolution 60/2) from 14 to 10, including a Dari-English reviser and two administrative assistants (resolution of the Fifth Committee endorsing ACABQ recommendations on HRC Revised Estimates, 28 December 2025).
- All mechanisms have had to reduce the scope of investigations, the conduct of interviews, and engagement with stakeholders – in particular the Commission of Inquiry on the Eastern DRC, which will function with substantially reduced capacity (maximum of 60% of staff). The fact that most investigative mechanism staff are on temporary contracts and increasingly being forced to separate has resulted in significant loss of institutional knowledge and operational expertise and has placed increasing strain on the mechanisms’ ability to operate (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 9 February 2026).
- The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel was unable to implement its reporting mandates on the transfer or sale of arms, munitions, parts, components and dual use items to Israel, and on illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (assigned by HRC resolutions 55/32 and 55/28), already postponed once in 2025 by HRC resolutions 58/28 and 58/2. The mandates have now expired, and the Commission will continue to be unable to implement unless and until a new HRC decision is adopted and the hiring freeze is lifted as no funding was included in the 2026 budget, (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 9 February 2026).
Mandates implemented by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)*
- States adopted a 2026 budget cutting 117 posts at the OHCHR. Nearly all the cuts in the 2026 budget are to posts that were vacant as a result of a hiring freeze prompted by the UN’s cash crisis, further eroding chances for these important human rights mandates to be implemented. Most vacancies relate to Human Rights Council (HRC) resolutions adopted in recent years, tabled by countries from all regions, covering diverse areas of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights (article by ISHR, 9 January 2026).
- The budget adopted by States significantly reduces the number of new posts requested to implement recent HRC resolutions, including 2 of 3 posts requested related to HRC resolution 58/13 on a legally binding instrument relating to older persons, 2 of 3 posts requested (in Africa and in the Pacific) related to HRC resolution 60/20 on sea-level rise, and 3 of 4 posts requested related to HRC resolution 60/14 on economic, social and cultural rights in the context of addressing inequalities (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 9 February 2026).
- The approved Regular Budget for OHCHR in 2026 was reduced by USD 25.28 million compared to the 2025 approved budget (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 9 February 2026).
- As of 9 February 2026 and likely until April, the OHCHR only received 20% of its 2026 approved budget (i.e. USD 42.39 million), excluding resources for newly approved HRC mandates for 2026, and with no predictability about the timing of the next installment (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 9 February 2026).
- The HRC-mandated intersessional meeting on the promotion and protection of human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the global level cannot be delivered (letter from High Commissioner Volker Türk, 6 June 2025).
2025 activities
Special Procedures and other expert mechanisms
- Half of country visits were cut (from two mandated per year to only one), as well as one-third or more of sessions of Working Groups (on arbitrary detention (when opinions on individual cases are adopted), enforced disappearances (when cases are transmitted through the humanitarian procedure), discrimination against women and girls, people of African descent, business and human rights, mercenaries, and the rights of peasants) (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 8 December 2025).
- In October 2025, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) had a backlog of approximately 8,000 cases to be examined and processed under the humanitarian procedure; the visit to the Republic of Korea scheduled for June 2025 had to be cancelled and no country visits could be carried out in 2025 (statement of WGEID Chair-Rapporteur Gabriella Citroni, 21 October 2025).
- A global consultation to be convened by the Special Rapporteur on peaceful assembly and association on human rights in the context of peaceful protests (HRC resolution 56/10) cannot be delivered in 2025 or 2026 (letter from High Commissioner Volker Türk, 6 June 2025).
- Reduced number of participants in consultations by the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia with stakeholders, including civil society, in Geneva and New York in September and October, respectively.
Treaty Bodies
- Sessions where committees review compliance of State Parties’ with human rights treaties had to be postponed due to reductions of 30% of the meeting time (28 weeks): the number of sessions fell from 145 in 2024 to 103 in 2025, delaying 39 State Party reviews (press conference by High Commissioner Volker Türk, 10 December 2025; and statement by CEDAW Chair Nahla Haidar, 10 October 2025).
- This included the first-ever cancellation of a session of the Committee against Torture (CAT) due to liquidity shortages, postponing six country reviews and cancelling the consideration of 30 individual complaints. The loss of ‘highly qualified officials’ and freezing of contracts more broadly led to significant staff shortage (statement by CAT Chair Claude Heller, 14 October 2025).
- The Human Rights Committee for the first time ever cancelled its autumn session. It has shortened its remaining sessions (meaning it can examine fewer country situations every year) and adopted fewer Lists of Issues Prior to Reporting (depriving States and civil society of the structured guidance needed to prepare high quality reports). Delays in processing individual communications also increased. Cancellation of sessions at short notice also had negative impacts for civil society participants (article by the Center for Civil and Political Rights, 28 July 2025).
- The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers (CMW) was unable to conduct the necessary reviews of 35 State Parties (statement by CMW Chair Fatimata Diallo, 21 October 2025).
- Meeting time for the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) dropped from 20 to 12 working days per session, with over 30 State Parties yet to undergo their first review, contributing to a backlog of 54 reports, representing a delay of nearly five years (statement by CRPD Chair Miyeon Kim, 23 October 2025).
- No decision could be adopted on 185 individual communications (statement by CEDAW Chair Nahla Haidar, 10 October 2025).
- Half of the country visits committees with visiting mandates were postponed (statement by Human Rights Committee Chair Changrok Soh, 16 October 2025).
- The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was unable to carry out the country visit scheduled for 2025 (statement by CRC Chair Sopio Kiladze,13 October 2025).
- The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) was forced to cancel its country visit to Mexico (statement by SPT Chair María Luisa Romero, 14 October 2025).
- Two of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) country visits were delayed or cancelled (statement by CED Chair Juan Pablo Albán Alencastro).
- Many CRPD members, themselves being persons with disabilities, continue to face barriers due to the lack of reasonable accommodations during meetings. National sign language interpretation was not provided fully during two sessions in 2025 and has been excluded from the official UN budget (statement by CRPD Chair Miyeon Kim, 23 October 2025).
Human Rights Council (HRC)
- The HRC Bureau adopted an extraordinary package of cost-saving measures for the HRC in 2025 to reduce the duration of HRC sessions by at least 10%, including reducing the speaking time of general debates to 1 minute and 30 seconds for all, capping the length of interactive dialogues to 1 hour and 30 minutes, among others (minutes of HRC Bureau meeting, 27 May 2025).
- The liquidity crisis has impacted the HRC Secretariat’s ability to provide substantive and technical advice and support to the HRC Bureau, Member States, and other stakeholders (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 8 December 2025).
- The August 2025 sessions of the HRC Advisory Committee and the Complaint Procedure’s Working Group on Communications could not be held (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 8 December 2025).
- HRC-mandated technical cooperation and capacity-building activities have been reduced (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 8 December 2025).
General Assembly’s Third Committee
- In 2025, due to the liquidity crisis, and pursuant to the proposal submitted by the Third Committee Bureau, on an exceptional basis, the general discussion of each agenda item or cluster of agenda items was replaced by a single general debate held at the start of the session. This is the same arrangement adopted during the General Assembly’s 75th session at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Statements made during the general debate under any or all agenda items were limited to 10 minutes for individual delegations and to 12 minutes for statements made on behalf of a group of delegations.
- The liquidity crisis also impacted travel of some experts, such as the Chairs of the Treaty Bodies, who briefed the Third Committee remotely as a result (final proposal by the Bureau-elect of the 80th session of the Third Committee).
Country-specific investigative mechanisms (including Syria and Myanmar IIMs)
- The impact of budget cuts is mostly felt on newly mandated country mechanisms, as they require hiring new staff (letter from Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 4 July 2025).
- Investigative bodies had to scale back investigations, and the hiring restrictions have limited staffing to 50-60% (and severely limited operational budget) depriving some of them of essential expertise (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 8 December 2025).
- As of July 2025, OHCHR stated it had exhausted available internal resources and was unable to support the start of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (letter from Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 4 July 2025). As of December 2025, no regular budget resources were available to support the onboarding of the Secretariat staff of the COI. OHCHR has initiated preparatory work on recruitment, contingent on the 2026 regular budget allotment and with all positions advertised as unfunded (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 8 December 2025), likely delaying the presentation of an oral update and comprehensive report by the COI originally scheduled for 2026.
- The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel is unable to implement its reporting mandates on the transfer or sale of arms, munitions, parts, components and dual use items to Israel, and on illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (assigned by HRC resolutions 55/32 and 55/28), already postponed once in 2025 by HRC resolutions 58/28 and 58/2 (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 8 December 2025).
Mandates implemented by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)*
- The disbursement of funds to OHCHR worsened in 2025. According to OHCHR, it had been allocated only 78% of its approved budget as of December 2025 (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 9 February 2026).
- In 2025, OHCHR had USD 90 million less than required: 300 jobs were lost and essential work on Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Tunisia and other countries had to be cut (press conference by High Commissioner Volker Türk on 10 December 2025).
- OHCHR undertook less than half the number of human rights monitoring missions in comparison with 2024, reduced the number of Human Rights Advisors deployed to UN Country Teams, and closed offices or significantly reduced presences in 17 countries (including Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Guinea, Myanmar, the DRC and Chad), drastically diminishing support for transitional justice processes, the provision of technical assistance and advice to governments, and vital protection to human rights defenders and targeted communities (statement by High Commissioner Volker Türk, 5 February 2026).
- OHCHR has been forced to cut work to prevent gender-based violence and protect the rights of LGBTI persons by up to 75%, and abolish 4 out of 5 regional economist posts (including in Chile) (statement by High Commissioner Volker Türk, 5 February 2026).
- OHCHR was unable to deliver, or deliver fully, on 17 thematic HRC-mandated activities that were either not postponed since 2024 (by HRC decision 55/115), not scheduled for early 2025 (before budget cuts were announced), or not perennial (i.e. staff was not already on board) (letter from Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 4 July 2025).
- Substantial reductions were made to HRC mandates requesting strengthening of existing OHCHR staff capacities, such as in the areas of economic, social and cultural rights; sustainable development; the right to development; biodiversity; digital technology, and children’s rights (letter from Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 4 July 2025)
- The following HRC-mandated activities are expected not to be delivered in 2025 or 2026 (letter from High Commissioner Volker Türk, 6 June 2025):
- Secretary-General study on support systems to ensure community inclusion of persons with disabilities (HRC resolution 55/8);
- Report on menstrual hygiene management, human rights and gender equality (HRC resolution 56/11);
- Report the implementation of recommendations on representation of women in human rights organs and mechanisms (HRC resolution 56/22);
- Report on countering cyberbullying against older persons (HRC resolution 57/6);
- One-day panel discussion and report on local government and human rights (HRC resolution 57/12);
- Intersessional panel discussion and report on the prevention and elimination of domestic violence (HRC resolution 57/18);
- Report and HRC dialogue on the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet, including a human rights approach to meaningful connectivity and overcoming digital divides (HRC resolution 57/29);
- The following HRC-mandated activities adopted in 2024 were meant to start in 2025, but will only start in 2026, in a reduced form, contingent on the 2026 budget allotment (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 8 December 2025, letter from High Commissioner Volker Türk, 6 June 2025, and HRC decision 55/115):
- Comprehensive report on education as a tool to prevent racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance (HRC resolution 57/24);
- Comprehensive report on the prevention of adolescent girls’ pregnancies (HRC resolution 56/21);
- OHCHR proposes to defer the report and HRC dialogue on the safety of the child in the digital environment (HRC resolution 56/6) to 2027; the five regional workshops cannot be delivered;
- Two workshops and ensuing summary reports on a culture of peace (HRC resolution 55/17) will not be delivered, the expert panel discussion will be held in 2026;
- Report on the promotion and protection of human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the global level to be presented at HRC61 in 2026, instead of HRC60 in 2025;
- Summary report of regional seminars on the contribution of North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation to the enjoyment of all human rights (HRC resolution 53/11) and compilation of best practices;
- The following HRC-mandated activities, including some postponed since 2024, have been implemented but in a reduced form, with some activities not delivered (statement by Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, 8 December 2025, and letter from High Commissioner Volker Türk, 6 June 2025):
- Biennial panel discussion on unilateral coercive measures and human rights (HRC resolution 27/21) was held at reduced cost and form, but related report cannot be delivered;
- Panel discussion on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, with a focus on the 2025 UN Water Conference (HRC resolution 57/13) was held, but summary report cannot be delivered;
- Panel discussion on human rights in the context of HIV and AIDs (HRC resolution 56/20) was held, but the related report cannot be delivered;
- Expert workshop on the impact of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) on freedom of expression and other human rights (HRC resolution 56/7) was held online, but without interpretation nor accessibility, and the related report cannot be delivered;
- Panel discussion on the rights to work and to social security in the informal sector (HRC resolution 55/9) was held, but the related analytical report cannot be delivered;
- One-day seminar on promoting international cooperation to support national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up (NMIRF) (HRC resolution 51/33), already postponed from 2024, could not support the travel of participants;
- Fifth session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (HRC resolutions 28/14 and 52/22) reduced, with a reduced number of participants funded with regular budget;
- Mandate on ending and preventing child, early and forced marriage (HRC resolution 53/23) expected to be modified, including holding only one in-person consultation to facilitate the elaboration of guidelines;
- Four of five regional seminars on the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights (HRC resolution 53/11) were postponed to 2025 and one to 2026, with the holding of only one in-person regional seminar;
- Fewer workshops with less participants organized on technical cooperation and capacity-building on the penitentiary system, security and justice in Honduras (HRC resolution 54/30), with foreseen consequences:
- Impact on progress on establishing an agreement between the Judicial Power, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Security Secretariat to improve the investigation and sanction of crimes committed against women;
- Less opportunities for authorities to learn about and choose other models for prison management based on international human rights standards;
- Incomplete delivery of key outputs, including a human rights-focused prison management plan; a complaints protocol; a guide on police procedures with a human rights perspective; and a detention protocol with a human rights perspective, would not be fully delivered.
- Fewer digital products and activities related to the mandate on a global call for concrete action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance (HRC resolution 54/27).
2024 activities
Special Procedures
- Consultations by the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia with stakeholders including civil society inside and outside Russia were postponed to 2025 (HRC decision 55/115).
Mandates implemented by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)*
- In 2024, OHCHR only received 87% of its approved regular budget (OHCHR Annual Report, May 2024). The lack of funds led the HRC to adopt resolution 55/115 on postponing 17 mandated activities (HRC decision 55/115).
- This includes activities reduced or postponed to 2025 related to 12 HRC mandates (letter from High Commissioner Volker Türk, 6 June 2025, and HRC decision 55/115):
- Technical assistance and capacity-building to national authorities in Honduras in penitentiary, security and justice matters (HRC resolution 54/30) was postponed to 2025;
- Inter-sessional seminar by the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (HRC resolution 33/25) was postponed to December 2025;
- Report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (HRC resolution 52/31) was cancelled, and pertinent information was integrated in another report presented on Myanmar (HRC resolution 50/31);
- One-day seminar on promoting international cooperation to support national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up (NMIRFs) (HRC resolution 51/33) was postponed to June 2025, while OHCHR cannot support the travel of participants; the virtual knowledge hub for national mechanisms was also postponed to September 2025, with minimum content given lack of funds to build a full infrastructure;
- Fifth session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (HRC resolutions 28/14 and 52/22) was postponed to 2025 with reduced number of participants funded with regular budget;
- Four of five regional seminars on the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights (HRC resolution 53/11) were postponed to 2025 and one to 2026, with holding of only one in-person regional seminar; and, relatedly, online repository of technical cooperation and capacity-building activities in the implementation of UPR recommendations (HRC resolution 54/28) was postponed to 2025;
- Expert workshop on equality in nationality rights in law and practice (HRC resolution 53/16) was postponed to May 2025, with report for June 2025;
- Intersessional high-level panel discussion on the incompatibility between democracy and racism (HRC resolution 53/21) and summary report were postponed to 2025;
- Report and HRC dialogue on discrimination and unequal enjoyment of the right to privacy (HRC resolution 54/21) were postponed to September 2025;
- Regional consultations on sports and racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance (HRC resolution 54/25) were postponed to 2025;
- Expert study on stock-taking of the work of Treaty Bodies in implementing the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (HRC resolution 54/27) and related digital products were postponed to September 2025.
- This also includes activities delivered with some delay in 2024 related to 3 HRC mandates (letter from High Commissioner Volker Türk, 6 June 2025):
- Information note compiling best practices on social protection and human rights (HRC resolution 52/11) was postponed from March to September 2024;
- Report on challenges and best practices in regularly assessing civil space trends (HRC resolution 53/13) was slightly delayed from June to September 2024;
- Compilation of best practices in the contribution of development to the promotion of human rights in the context of recovery of the Covid-19 pandemic (HRC resolution 53/28) was slightly delayed from June to September 2024.
* This page distinguishes activities by the UN human rights mechanisms tasked with implementing them. However, while appointed experts to Special Procedures mandates, Treaty Bodies, and country-specific investigative mechanisms work on a pro bono basis, OHCHR is the only organ to provide secretariat and operational support to all UN human rights mechanisms.
