The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) works to offer the best expertise and support to the different human rights monitoring mechanisms in the United Nations system.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights is the principal human rights official of the United Nations. The High Commissioner heads OHCHR and spearheads the United Nations’ human rights efforts. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was established in 1993.

Currently, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is Ms. Michelle Bachelet, who took office on September 1, 2018. She is the seventh Commissioner in this term.

OHCHR provides assistance in the form of technical expertise and capacity-development in order to support the implementation of international human rights standards on the ground. It assists governments, which bear the primary responsibility for the protection of human rights, to fulfil their obligations and supports individuals to claim their rights. Moreover, it speaks out objectively on human rights violations.

The OHCHR is part of the United Nations Secretariat, with a staff of about 1,300 based in Geneva, as well as an office in New York. It is also present in the field with independent regional and national offices.

Albania has a very good relationship with the Office of the High Commissioner.