Uspostavljen 1995. kako bi nadzirao provedbu Dejtonskog mirovnog sporazuma, OHR se trebao ugasiti 2007, ali je njegov mandat produžavan nekoliko puta zbog političke nestabilnosti i nedostatka reformskog napretka.
Set up in 1995 to supervise the implementation of the Dayton Peace agreement, the OHR was due to be phased out in 2007, but its mandate has been extended several times due to political instability and lack of reform progress.