4.1 Integrating human rights into the work of the  United Nations
Since the Secretary-General launched the Programme of Reform in July 1997, there have been on-going efforts to promote and protect human rights by inte- grating human rights into all activities and programmes of the United Nations [see Introduction]. This strategy reflects the holistic approach to human rights. It recognizes that human rights are inextricably linked to the work of all United Nations agencies and bodies, including programmes and activities relating to housing, food, education, health, trade, development, security, labour, women, children, indigenous people, refugees, migration, the environment, science and humanitarian aid. The objectives of the process of integrating human rights are to:
• increase cooperation and collaboration across the entire United Nations system for human rights programmes;
• ensure that human rights issues are incorporated into untapped sectors of the United Nations work;
• ensure that United Nations activities make respect for human rights a rou- tine, rather than a separate, component of United Nations activities and programmes.
The issue of human rights was, therefore, designated by the Secretary-General as cutting across the four substantive areas of the Secretariat’s work programme (peace and security; economic and social affairs; development cooperation and humanitarian affairs). Mainstreaming human rights primarily takes the follow- ing forms: (a) adoption of a “human rights-based approach” to activities car- ried out in terms of the respective mandates of components of the United Nations system; (b) development of programmes or projects addressing spe- cific human rights issues; (c ) reorientation of existing programmes as a means of focusing adequate attention on human rights concerns; (d) inclusion of human rights components in field operations of the United Nations; (e) the presence of human rights programmes in all structural units of the Secretariat responsible for policy development and coordination. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights plays a lead role in the integration of human rights throughout the United Nations system.