The international human rights architecture is increasingly coming under attack. Authoritarian regimes are ever more openly and brazenly calling into question the principle of universality of human rights. At the same time, the United Nations is facing a budgetary crisis which threatens the continued and reliable funding of instruments that are crucial for the global protection of human rights.

Germany has for many years supported the work of the OHCHR as a reliable partner and is currently its second-largest donor. With today’s pledge to provide an additional 6 million euro, we are strengthening the work of the Office of the High Commissioner and helping to defend the rules-based international order. In this way, we are showing that human rights are vitally needed across the globe. Particularly now, we must strengthen the instruments that monitor compliance with, and protect the universality of, human rights.