HUMAN RIGHTS
UN urges donors to follow Microsoft’s lead
Microsoft’s $5m donation to help UN develop and make better use of technology in its human rights work
Geneva — The UN human rights office welcomed on Tuesday a $5m donation from Microsoft and called on the rest of the private sector, which makes up only a tiny proportion of its donors, to "step up to the plate". Microsoft’s funds will go towards helping the UN agency develop and make better use of technology in its human rights work as part of a five-year partnership, the parties said at a news conference in Geneva. UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, who has called his agency "dramatically and chronically underfunded", said he hoped the donation would encourage others in the private sector to contribute. On top of funding from the UN budget, Zeid has called for voluntary donations of $253m in 2017. Almost all such donations come from governments. "We’re receiving close to zero from the private sector," Laurent Sauveur, head of external relations at the UN human rights office, said at a briefing. "We feel the private sector has a tremendous role to play…. "We do believe tha...
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