Earlier this month, it came to light that due to delays in payments from UN member states and travel budget cuts for UN representatives, six of the UN human rights treaty bodies are facing severe and unexpected budget cuts that are likely to result in the cancellation of the reviews of states parties scheduled for autumn this year. Such a cancellation of treaty body sessions is deeply worrying and sends a troubling message ahead of the 2020 treaty body strengthening discussions. The GDP has thus joined hundreds of NGOs in an open letter urging all UN member states to pay their assessed contributions without further delay, to prioritise securing funding for the UN’s human rights pillar, and to initiate discussions on how to reverse of a reduced regular budget for OHCHR and assuring that the UN’s human rights mechanisms are not disproportionately affected by overall cuts to the UN budget. Read more.
