The Working Party on Human Rights (COHOM) was established by the Council of the European Union and is responsible for human rights issues in all aspects of the EU's external relations.

The Working Party meets on a regular basis and the agendas of its meetings cover various aspects of the EU's human rights policy, such as action in international fora, dialogues with third countries, thematic issues, the mainstreaming of human rights in EU policies, and human rights situations of urgent concern.

The Working Party is composed of human rights experts from the EU Member States, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission. The informal meeting is traditionally held once every six months in the Member State which holds the EU Council presidency. The Latvian Presidency will host the meeting in Riga at the end of April.