2025 Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme (HRDAP) participants and ISHR staff in front of the UN building in Geneva ©Ben Buckland for ISHR
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.
Rose Trajano is the secretary-general of the Philippine Alliance for Human Rights Advocate (PAHRA) and a prominent human rights advocate in the Philippines, who tirelessly campaigns for the protection and recognition of human rights defenders in her country.
Cleopatra Kambugu, a transgender activist and grants administrator at UHAI EASHRI in Uganda, successfully campaigned for transgender rights, becoming Uganda’s first recognised trans citizen in 2021.
Andrew Makoni, a lawyer in Zimbabwe, works with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights to defend freedom of expression and assembly, highlighting challenges as Zimbabwe approached key elections in 2018. Andrew also participated in an ISHR training in 2016.
Ximena Ramos Pedrueza Ceballos, a lawyer at the Mexican Centre for Environmental Law, defends environmental rights through litigation and advocacy amid increasing threats to activists.
Otgonbaatar Tsedendemberel, co-founder of the LGBT Center of Mongolia, has been a pivotal figure in advancing LGBTI rights through education, advocacy, and strategic use of UN mechanisms to influence government policy.
Donald Hernandez Palma spoke at the UN and underscored the severe risks faced by Honduran environmental defenders due to unchecked corporate power and a climate of impunity and corruption.
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.
Camara Salimata SY is the vice-president of Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (AFCF - Association of female family heads) in Mauritania. She champions women's rights through advocacy, education, and legal reforms, focusing on national and international frameworks like CEDAW.
Francisco Javier, a human rights defender from Honduras, advocates for environmental and land rights, focusing on the protection of Indigenous territories and resources.
Natasha Latif is a human rights lawyer from Singapore, advocating for women's rights in Afghanistan through her organisation, SAHR.
Victor Nanklan Touré is the president of ONG Club Union Africaine Côte d'Ivoire which is mainly working on statelessness and land issues.
Aych McArdle, a New Zealand human rights defender, focuses on enhancing LGBTI inclusivity in schools and advocating for broader protections under the nation's Human Rights Act.
