2023 Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme participants and ISHR staff in front of the UN building in Geneva ©Ben Buckland
Here at ISHR we are constantly being inspired by the brave people taking action to defend human rights and want to share some of their stories with you.
'From the time we grow up, our grandparents teach us to love nature and the environment, to respect rivers, lakes and mountains, because, as children, they explain to us that all of it is sacred.'
Alexandra Lezama is a human rights defender from Venezuela who came to Geneva to expose the facts and consequences of illegal mining and the contamination of the environment in the State of Bolívar.
'Daily challenges are quite difficult sometimes. But I am convinced that, when we do good, when we commit to human rights, whatever the difficulties that come before us, we will always be able to overcome them in full solidarity.'
We are privileged to have met a young, passionate human rights defender - and HRDAP 2018 alumni - who works so that everyone can "live in a better world, a just and humane society in harmony with nature and climate."
Luisa Rios has been working for several years with environmental defenders in Peru. In the past, Luisa helped an indigenous leader capture the attention of the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples, in order to draw attention to the adverse impacts of investment projects on people in isolation.
In this video, Luisa talks about her current role as the Office Director for the Madre Dios branch of the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA), an organisation that leads a free legal clinic that offers legal assistance and defense to forest users and environmental defenders in the region.
ISHR was honoured to interview Nfor Hanson Nchanji, award-winning Human Rights Journalist from Cameroon.
Looking ahead to next month's UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, this month's defender profile features ISHR trainee and Thai lawyer Sor Polkla. Sor describes her work improving access to justice for those affected by development projects in rural Thailand, and explains how she plans to use the connections she made with ISHR and others at the Forum to expand her network and support her community on the ground.
Surendra Pratap, from the Centre for Workers and Education in New Delhi, collaborates with grassroots organisations across India, advocating for the rights of agricultural, forest, and informal workers, with a focus on addressing large-scale labour rights violations.
Francisco Javier, a human rights defender from Honduras, advocates for environmental and land rights, focusing on the protection of Indigenous territories and resources.
Iftikhar Mubarik from Pakistan, associated with the Children Advocacy Network, champions children's rights, focusing on policy advocacy and the implementation of the CRC to address issues like child exploitation, marriage disparity, and the need for an empowered children's rights commission.
Ivette Gonzalez, a defender from Mexico, advocates for business accountability and human rights, facing risks in a context where defenders and journalists were increasingly threatened.
Denis Mukwege, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate from the DRC, is a distinguished surgeon and human rights advocate dedicated to restoring the dignity of women survivors of sexual violence in conflicts, bravely confronting threats due to his vocal opposition to impunity and economic injustices.
