Microsoft and the United Nations (UN) have announced a five-year “landmark” partnership to develop technology to “better predict, analyze and respond to critical human rights situations,” according to a statement issued today. Additionally, Microsoft will support work being carried out by the UN Human Rights Office by contributing $5 million to a grant in what the UN called an “unprecedented level of support” from a private organization.An example of the kind of technology the duo have been working on is an information dashboard called Rights View that gives UN employees access to real-time aggregated data on rights violations by country. This, it’s hoped, will “facilitate analysis, ensure early warning of emerging critical issues, and provide data to guide responses,” according to Microsoft...Speaking of Microsoft’s support, UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said, “This could be a truly groundbreaking agreement. The private sector has an essential role to play in advancing human rights, and this partnership with Microsoft demonstrates how we can join forces in a constructive way.”