The office was established on 27th November 2014, pursuant to the Puntland State Constitution, Human Rights Defender Act of 2011 and the International Human Rights law and Guiding Principles (Paris Principles). The establishment of the office did not spring from a vacuum, or came due to the impulse of circumstances, but rather it was as a result of collective demands of the Puntland people, and a long process of evaluation that was realized thoughts and  concerted efforts undertaken by the various concerned parties of national and international.

The OPHRD is mandated to observe constitutional and legal rights as well as advocate human rights issues at Puntland State particular, and Somalia at large. The office is committed to the protection, respect and the promotion of human rights for everyone. Human rights are the basic rights that everyone has, simply because they are human.

The primary focus of OPHRD is to strengthen the extension of human rights to all sections of society and empower them to raise their voices to be heard, in particular, the vulnerable groups.  As it is obvious to everyone, the institutional and individual transformation is not enough to expose and protest injustice,  but the requirement is to advocate for creation of enabling environment and policy solutions necessary to ensure consistent observance, respect and defend for human rights in Puntland through institutional and legal advocacy for  all community segments as well as government tiers.

This calls for collective actions and complementary interventions through co-owned strategic partnership at bottom up right-based approach. In this regard, OPHRD invites concerned institutions and individuals to play their respective prominent roles in the collective engagement of advocacy and raising awareness on legal and constitutional rights for Puntland people and their government interlocutors.