The U.N. human rights chief said Thursday that his office is in �survival mode� as he presented an appeal for $400 million to meet its estimated needs this year, after funding cuts last year hurt its work in 17 countries including Colombia, Myanmar and Chad.

Volker T�rk laid out his office’s needs after the United States and some other traditional top donors in the West cut back their outlays for humanitarian aid and many U.N.-related organizations in 2025, warning of damage to its monitoring of rights worldwide.

�These cuts and reductions untie perpetrators� hands everywhere, leaving them to do whatever they please,� he told diplomats at his office’s headquarters overlooking Lake Geneva. �With crises mounting, we cannot afford a human rights system in crisis.�

�I am thankful to our 113 funding partners � including governments, private, and multilateral donors � for their vital contributions,� T�rk said. �But we are currently in survival mode, delivering under strain.�

His office receives money through the regular U.N. budget, but traditionally gets most of its funding through voluntary contributions from member countries. It is seeking $400 million in voluntary funding this year.

Last year, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had initially appealed for $500 million in voluntary contributions, but received nearly $258 million. It received $191 million through the regular budget, some $55 million less than initially approved.

The United States, under the Trump administration, halted its contributions in 2025; A year earlier, the U.S. under the Biden administration was the top single donor of voluntary contributions, with $36 million.

A U.N. rights office tally also showed France, for example, did not provide any voluntary funding last year, after contributing more than $5 million in 2024. Britain also lowered its outlay last year. Donors like Sweden, Germany and the European Union raised their contributions from 2024, however.

Citing the impact, T�rk said his office last year undertook fewer than half the monitoring missions it did in 2024; pared down its �engagement� in the peace process in Colombia, where three of its eight country offices are closed; faced cuts of 60% to its Myanmar program; and reduced its advocacy and assistance for nearly 600 detainees in Chad.

�At a time of escalating gender backlash, our work to prevent gender-based violence and protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people has suffered cuts of up to 75%,� he added.

The rights chief trumpeted his office�s work in places like Ukraine, where its monitoring mission has kept tabs on civilian casualties since 2014; in Palestinian areas, where it has trained over 320 staffers to identify people in need; and in Colombia, where it worked with the Defense Ministry to establish codes of conduct and training.

(AP)