Un Declaration On Human Rights Defenders Pdf Download
Celena Holtzberg
Also known as the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Declaration defines a human rights defender as anyone working for the promotion and protection of human rights. This broad definition encompasses professional as well as non-professional human rights workers, volunteers, journalists, lawyers and anyone else carrying out, even on an occasional basis, a human rights activity.
The Declaration articulates existing human rights in a way that makes it easier to apply them to the situation of human rights defenders. It specifies how the rights contained in the major human rights instruments, including the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly, apply to defenders. It also outlines the specific duties of States and the responsibility of everyone with regard to defending human rights.
In 2000, the UN took a positive step by establishing a specific mandate on human rights defenders (now known as the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders), to help monitor and press for the implementation of the Declaration.
The bad news is while the Declaration puts a responsibility on States to implement and respect all of its provisions, particularly the duty to protect human rights defenders from harm as a consequence of their work, in reality many States are still failing to do so.
Authoritarian governments restrict civil society, suppress dissent, and refuse to respect human rights laws. When criticised for doing so, they jail, harass, disappear, torture and even murder those human rights defenders who stand up in protest.
ISHR believes the situation for human rights defenders has to change, and there is an urgent need to translate the promise of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders into a reality. Much of our work is focused on achieving this. Find out more about what we do here.
On 14 May 2024, ISHR delivered a statement on the situation of human rights in Africa, with a particular focus on the impact on civic space of the implementation of recommendation 8 of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in African States as well as the need to ensure that existing measures and mechanisms to protect defenders are effective.
After a year at war, Sudan is witnessing unprecedented violence and targeted attacks on civil society and local responders, with dozens of activists and local volunteers arrested, threatened and prosecuted in several states during in recent weeks. We reiterate our call for ceasefire, restoration of communications and cease of attacks against health facilities.
On the recommendation of the Commission on Human Rights - resolution 2000/61 (E/CN.4/RES/2000/61) - a Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders was appointed in 2000 to support the Declaration. The mandate calls upon the Special Representative to gather information on the situation of human rights defenders in all parts of the world, to make recommendations on better protection, and to report to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.
Several human rights organisations celebrate together the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and call for the US government and the international community to continue to stand with and increase support and protection for human rights defenders worldwide.
Several leading human rights organisations also hosted a delegation of HRDs from Colombia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Ukraine in Washington, D.C., for an event on Capitol Hill to mark the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9, 1998.
Since the adoption of the UN Declaration on HRDs in 1998 until 2021, an estimated 4,814 human rights defenders have been killed worldwide. In 2022 alone, at least 401 HRDs were killed globally, based on statistics by the HRD Memorial, as published by Front Line Defenders.
HRDs put their lives on the line every day to defend and advance the ability of all people to access their fundamental human rights, and this critically important role was formally recognised with the adoption of the UN Declaration. The HRDs visiting Washington, D.C., exemplify this hardship, and the urgency of doing more to protect them and their vital work in defense of human rights.
A two-part event in Washington, D.C., celebrated the achievements of HRDs over the last 25 years by featuring courageous human rights defenders and high-level speakers from the US State Department, USAID, the US Congress, the European Union, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, and the diplomatic community.
The event was organised by a coalition of international human rights organisations, including: Amnesty International USA, American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, Freedom House, Freedom Now, Front Line Defenders, International Center for Not-For-Profit Law, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Martin Ennals Foundation, Peace Brigades International, PEN America, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). They emphasised the role governments, multilateral institutions, and international organisations play in supporting and elevating the work of HRDs.
The visiting HRDs include: Astrid Torres, Corporacin Jurdica Libertad, Colombia; Mariam Oyiza Alliyu, Founder and Executive Director, Learning Through Skills Acquisition Initiative, Nigeria; Lina Al-Hathloul, ALQST, Saudi Arabia; Bussarin Panaeh, iLaw, Thailand; and Maryna Slobodianiuk, Truth Hounds, Ukraine.
The groups called on US lawmakers to introduce and pass bills in both the House and Senate to protect human rights defenders. An example would be legislation creating a limited, targeted visa program to offer HRDs at risk a way out of life-threatening situations of persecution and violence.
The US and other governments should also shore up emergency financial assistance to HRDs on the front lines, including through existing initiatives like the Lifeline Embattled CSO Assistance Fund. Such initiatives allow HRDs and civil society organisations at risk to receive timely and tailored assistance that meets needs like relocation, medical treatment, psychosocial support, security trainings and more.
The Biden administration must also do more to engage with HRDs, including by ensuring its embassies and consulates meet regularly with HRDs in-country, providing emergency assistance to frontline HRDs at risk, observing trials, publicly and privately condemning attacks against HRDs, denouncing the unjust detention of human rights defenders, and advocating for their release worldwide. The State Department has taken important steps in this direction with its Guidelines for U.S. Diplomatic Mission Support to Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders but these guidelines need to be strengthened and mainstreamed at every US mission.
A. whereas the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders defines human rights defenders (HRDs) as individuals or groups who act to promote, protect or strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms through peaceful means;
K. whereas Parliament has repeatedly called for the EU to address acts of grand corruption by individuals and entities through sanctions; whereas HRDs involved in anti-corruption activities are being increasingly targeted for their work; whereas the Council and the Commission have initiated work towards the sanctioning of individuals and entities responsible for corruption crimes;
L. whereas the consistent, effective and efficient implementation of the Guidelines is even more important in the current global context of declining democracy, the deterioration of human rights, shrinking civil society space, climate collapse and heightened risks for HRDs posed by factors such as digital surveillance and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic;
N. whereas authoritarian governments, but also a worrying number of long-established democratic countries across the world, including within the EU, are increasingly adopting new kinds of tactics and restrictive measures against HRDs in order to censor their work and silence and harass them; whereas such measures include strategic lawsuits against public participation, restrictive government policies, defamation campaigns, discrimination and intimidation or violence, including killings, abductions, arbitrary arrest and detention; whereas a climate of impunity for violations committed against HRDs is prevailing in numerous countries around the world;
O. whereas HRDs are increasingly being targeted by authoritarian third-country regimes through embassies, diplomatic missions and staff, law enforcement officials and other proxies on the territories of EU Member States where they have found shelter or asylum;
1. Praises and thanks all human rights defenders for their courageous and crucial work in defence of human rights and the planet; acknowledges that they have to do their work under increasingly challenging and evolving circumstances and often at a heavy personal cost for them, their families and their communities;
4. Considers, however, that the overall application of the Guidelines by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Commission and the Member States has been uneven, largely focusing on reactive measures, lacking a consistent overall implementation of the strategy and being characterised by insufficient visibility of EU action and channels of support for HRDs; believes that an HRD dimension has yet to be integrated into all EU external action in a systematic and consistent manner, including EU country, regional and thematic policy documents and at all relevant levels of EU diplomatic engagement and decision-making, up to the highest levels;
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