Declaration+25: Articulating international standards to protect the right to defend rights

Human rights defenders are people who are making the world a better and fairer place by promoting and protecting human rights. They are the eyes, ears and voices of our communities. As informed social justice leaders, they are essential partners in our shared journey towards equality, justice and peace on a healthy planet.

“Human rights defenders are ordinary people who do extraordinary things. They work peacefully for the rights of others and help build civil and just societies based on the rule of law.”

Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of HRDs

In some countries, the government or powerful corporate interests harass or try to discredit people who defend human rights, lock them out of public discussions and silence their voices. Human rights defenders are intimidated, attacked, imprisoned or even killed by those in power. For a more complete panorama of the threats and obstacles human rights defenders face, check out Front Line Defenders Global Analysis 2024. 

During the development of the Declaration+25, we consulted more than 700 human rights defenders around the world who talked about their lived experiences. We identified some trends and patterns that you can discover in the compilation report of the consultations.

The elaboration of the Declaration on human rights defenders began in 1984. It was adopted in 1998, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, following years of sustained advocacy by civil society and State negotiations. It was adopted by consensus at the UN General Assembly.

The need for a Declaration on Human Rights Defenders became clear in the 1980s, as the Commission on Human Rights – the predecessor to the the UN Human Rights Council-  became increasingly vocal about threats, reprisals and attacks against individuals who worked to defend human rights.

In 2018, twenty years after the adoption of the UN Declaration, defenders from across the globe met in Paris for the Human Rights Defenders World Summit. The Summit sought to reaffirm the principles of the Declaration, to commemorate defenders’ essential role, to provide them with a platform to put forward their solutions based on their lived realities, and identify strategies for campaigns and advocacy. The outcome document of the Summit was a call for action, including to take stock of the developments in normative frameworks related to the protection of defenders since 1998 and further develop and deepen the norms contained in the UN Declaration with the view to afford enhanced protection. The Declaration +25 Project sought to do just that. 

As part of activities to mark the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on human rights defenders, Amnesty International, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS, Defend Defenders, Front Line Defenders, Gulf Centre for Human Rights,  ILGA World, The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders (IM-Defensoras), Peace Brigades International, ProtectDefenders.eu, Protection International, The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in Southwest Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA), Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) launched a consultative initiative to identify the key issues faced in the defence of human rights that are not, or are only insufficiently addressed by the Declaration. 

This process involved human rights defenders, legal and human rights experts, and civil society. Over the course of a year, more than 700 human rights defenders provided inputs through in-person consultations or an online questionnaire. 

International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer was engaged on a pro bono basis to develop the Declaration +25,which was then finalised and adopted at a two-day meeting in Bangkok of human rights defenders and legal experts.

The result is the Declaration +25.

We thank the Ford Foundation and the permanent missions of the UK and the US for supporting the first two stages of the project.

The Declaration+25 is grounded in and articulates international law. Alongside the Declaration+25, we are also launching jurisprudential annotations which provide additional information about the international instruments upon which each principle in the Declaration +25 is based. Although not explicitly forming part of the text of the Declaration +25, they serve as a guide to the legal framework underpinning each principle.

Twenty five years after the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, there has been an incredible expansion of human rights work: an increasing number of human rights defenders are working around the world. The human rights movement is more vibrant and diverse than ever and have reached unprecedented achievements in some of the darkest corners of the world. Human rights mechanisms and laws have further developed the understanding and application of existing rights and even new rights have been recognised (such as the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment). 

Despite all this, conflict and fear are increasingly used to spread violence, division and silence civil society. Countries are turning their backs on solidarity and justice. Some leaders even take pride in violating human rights and are openly waging war on those who dare to stand up for what is right. As a result, the human rights defenders’ movement is today confronted with an unprecedented scale of persecution and repression. Human rights defenders are increasingly the targets of attacks, harassment, intimidation, surveillance, censorship, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and even killings – just for standing up for what is right. These threats and attacks have been accompanied by a pervasive narrative depicting HRDs as criminals, undesirables, terrorists, or as opposing development.