The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. We have a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect all human rights.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is to work for the protection of all human rights for all people; to help empower people to realize their rights; and to assist those responsible for upholding such rights in ensuring that they are implemented.
In carrying out its mission OHCHR will:
- Give priority to addressing the most pressing human rights violations, both acute and chronic, particularly those that put life in imminent peril;
- Focus attention on those who are at risk and vulnerable on multiple fronts;
- Pay equal attention to the realization of civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights, including the right to development; and
- Measure the impact of its work through the substantive benefit that is accrued, through it, to individuals around the world.
Operationally, OHCHR works with governments, legislatures, courts, national institutions, civil society, regional and international organizations, and the United Nations system to develop and strengthen capacity, particularly at the national level, for the protection of human rights in accordance with international norms.
Institutionally, OHCHR is committed to strengthening the United Nations human rights programme and to providing it with the highest quality support. OHCHR is committed to working closely with its United Nations partners to ensure that human rights form the bedrock of the work of the United Nations.
Members:
Resources
Displaying 71 - 75 of 91Peasant mobilization for land reform historical case studies and theoretical considerations
Peasants' pursuit of outside alliances in the process of land reform a discussion of legal assistance programmes in Bangladesh and the Philippines
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment 7 on Article 11.1: Forced Evictions/Right to Adequate Housing
UNDERSTANDING THE RATIONALES OF DONORS-FUNDED CIVIL SOCIETY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A GAME THEORY APPROACH
General
This project questions the view, mainly based on Putnam´s theory of social capital that civil society in form of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries can act as agency for social change. Based on this view, large funds have been channeled to NGOs with the assumption that NGOs can advance development and stimulate democracy. Where corruption is the social norm due to the lack of appropriate rules, empirical evidence does not correspond to social capital theory. There is often a discrepancy between the assumed role of NGOs according to the premises of social capital and their behavior that has been described as being corrupt and self-serving. There is however no conducted studies to explain from a theoretical point of view why NGOs often perform the way described. Thus our research aims to bridge this academic gap. We put forward and examine the applicability of game theory to explain the behavior of NGOs. We explore the different rationales of NGOs in relation to their specific context. The research is designed as case studies and will use the described qualitative and quantitative methods. We aim to contribute to theoretical development of our understanding of civil society, in particular regarding the role of the social context and linking theory with practice. The research will also generate knowledge for policy measures on the usefulness of aid to fulfill the purposes of advancing development and democracy goals.