The Human Rights Council is the world’s peak multilateral human rights body. It is comprised of 47 Member States and meets at least three times per year in Geneva. It is mandated to strengthen the global promotion and protection of human rights, and to address human rights violations and situations of concern.
ISHR works intensively at the Human Rights Council to support the work of human rights defenders. Our strategic combination of research, capacity building, policy development, and advocacy seeks to ensure that the Council is accessible to human rights defenders, protects them against intimidation and reprisals, and is an effective mechanism for change on the ground.
We also monitor and report on States’ cooperation with the Human Rights Council and advocate to ensure that States that seek membership are held to account for their commitment to ‘uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights’.
Read more about our impact and vision in making progress and preventing regress for civil society at the UN.
Over a dozen organisations sent a joint letter to all States members of the Human Rights Council, calling for the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia. Read the letter below.
Candidate States to the Human Rights Council presented their pledges and responded to questions by civil society on their human rights records, while elaborating on their vision to improve the work of the Council at ISHR’s and Amnesty International’s annual event.
The 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council will consider issues including acts of intimidation and reprisals for cooperation with the UN, systemic racism, environment and climate justice, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and people of African descent. It will also present an opportunity to address grave human rights situations in States including Afghanistan, Burundi, China, Israel/oPt, Nicaragua, Russia, Sudan and Venezuela, and many others. Here's an overview of some of the key issues on the agenda.
Over 80 Afghan and 20 international organisations, including ISHR, have sent an open letter to States of the Human Rights Council urging them to establish an accountability mechanism in Afghanistan.
Sudanese authorities are systemically denying access to identification documents, especially passports, to human rights defenders, political opponents, and peace advocates calling for an end to the war, a sustainable peace, and a democratic transition.
On 1 July 2025, during the 59th session of the Human Rights Council, the Universal Periodic Review of Angola was adopted. The statement delivered by ISHR, in partnership with Kutakesa, highlighted the recent adoption of legislation jeopardising the freedom of assembly and association and imposing risks on the work of human rights defenders in Angola.
Understand the structure, purpose and mandate of the Human Rights Council and the opportunities for effective engagement.
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ISHR has published ‘scorecards’ for States seeking election to the UN Human Rights Council for 2026-2028 to help inform voting States’ decisions in the upcoming election.
In response to the annual call for inputs from the UN Secretary-General, ISHR has submitted 120 cases of intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders engaging with the UN from 29 countries.
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.
ISHR is pleased to launch a Reprisals Toolkit in four languages, an essential tool for human rights defenders and all stakeholders concerned about intimidation and reprisals against those cooperating with international or regional human rights systems.
ISHR has published ‘scorecards’ for States seeking election to the UN Human Rights Council for 2025-2027 to help inform voting States’ decisions in the upcoming election.
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.
