Activist Guide to the Declaration +25

The Declaration+25 was launched in June 2024. It is grounded in international law and supplements the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. Together, they set the standards to take into account when protecting the right to defend rights and those who exercise it.

The Activist Guide to the Declaration +25 provides an introduction to the Declaration +25. It seeks to facilitate a deeper understanding of the Declaration +25 and encourage its use and promotion. The guide provides the background elements that led to the development of the Declaration +25. It also gives a snapshot of what is in the Declaration +25 and then delves into how the Declaration +25 can be used.

We hope it will encourage further exploration and implementation of the Declaration +25 and the international human rights law upon which it is based, and that it will be a resource in building on and amplifying those standards. Our aim is that the Declaration +25 becomes a key advocacy resource we all use and refer to, thus making it increasingly influential. 

This guide is intended for all human rights defenders, activists, civil society representatives, community leaders, human rights organisations, lawyers, jurists, policy makers and public officials, national equality bodies, service providers, academics, family and friends of defenders and human rights institutions. It is intended for anyone who is promoting or protecting the rights of defenders, anyone who is exercising the right to defend human rights, anyone who is seeking justice and accountability, or working towards a more free, fair, just, peaceful, and sustainable world.