@ Frontline Defenders
The Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council are independent human rights experts, appointed to monitor and report on human rights violations and to advise and assist in promoting and protecting rights.
ISHR works closely with a wide range of Special Procedures experts whose mandates are directly related to the creation of an enabling environment for the defence of rights – such as those focused on human rights defenders, freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of assembly and association – as well as with mandate holders whose work is seen by our human rights defender partners as critical at key moments in their own context.
ISHR also works to safeguard the independent and effective functioning of the Special Procedures mechanism as a whole, including by advocating for the appointment of highly qualified, independent experts; closely monitoring efforts to hamper these experts’ independence or limit their methods of work; and by working with human rights defenders and civil society groups to encourage States to implement the recommendations of Special Procedures.
State candidates to the Human Rights Council presented their pledges and responded to questions by civil society and other stakeholders on their human rights records, while elaborating on their vision to improve the work of the Council at ISHR’s and Amnesty International’s 16th annual event.
This briefing highlights ISHR’s key priorities at HRC63, including safeguarding Special Procedures reporting, addressing reprisals and transnational repression, upholding the universality of the Universal Periodic Review, and advancing environmental and racial justice. It also identifies country situations requiring principled scrutiny and action, including Afghanistan, China, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Venezuela, Western Sahara and the United States. Particular attention is needed to renew key investigative and monitoring mandates on Sudan and Venezuela and to ensure meaningful civil society participation throughout the session.
At the 62nd Human Rights Council session, civil society organisations shared reflections on key outcomes and highlighted gaps in addressing crucial issues and situations.
On 3 July 2026, the Human Rights Council held an urgent debate to discuss the situation in and around El Obeid, North Kordofan in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Sudan. Sudanese activist Noon Kashkoush delivered a joint statement on behalf of ISHR and other groups.
On the sidelines of the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council, defenders and activists examined how systemic discrimination and democratic backsliding are deeply intertwined. Drawing on lived experience, speakers argued that marginalised communities are often the first to detect authoritarian practices, and offered concrete recommendations for building more inclusive, resilient democracies.
ISHR and Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) delivered a joint statement during a dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, calling for investigations, accountability, reparations to victims' families and non-recurrence in cases of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.
Explore the purpose and mandates of the Special Procedures and how you can work with them to strengthen your advocacy
Visit the ISHR Academy to find out more!
This is a compilation of publicly available information on how the liquidity crisis and budget cuts related to the UN80 Initiative are affecting the work of UN human rights mechanisms since 2024, including their ability to fulfil their mandates and deliver tangible improvements for individuals and communities.
ISHR is pleased to launch its updated guide to the UN Special Procedures, an essential tool for human rights defenders seeking to engage more strategically with these experts, for greater impact on the ground.
ISHR is pleased to launch a Special Procedures Explainer in five languages, an essential tool for human rights defenders seeking to engage more strategically with Special Procedures, for greater impact on the ground.
In a new report, ISHR analyses China’s tactics to restrict access for independent civil society actors in UN human rights bodies. The report provides an analysis of China’s membership of the UN Committee on NGOs, the growing presence of Chinese Government-Organised NGOs (GONGOs), and patterns of intimidation and reprisals by the Chinese government.
This briefing paper summarises the position of UN experts that RSDL constitutes enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and could amount to torture, and includes a repository of all UN documents referring to RSDL since August 2018.
On April 15 2024, ISHR submitted its annual submission to the UN Secretary General on intimidation and reprisals against defenders engaging or seeking to engage with the UN and its human rights mechanisms.
