Defenders' voices on reforming the UN human rights system

In the face of the triple planetary environmental crisis, of conflict, genocide and apartheid, of the consolidation of authoritarian ideologies and narratives around the globe, and the erosion of the rule of law as well as the closing of civic space, never have we needed a robust international human rights system so badly.

But the UN human rights system is in crisis. As essential users and actors of the system, human rights defenders' views are valuable. The event provides a space to be hearing directly from them not only about why they need an effective, efficient, responsive UN human rights system to support their activism especially in the current context, but also about the ways in which the UN system needs to grow, evolve, adapt and reform itself to deal with the crisis of credibility and legitimacy it is currently facing.

Panelists:

• Laura Restrepo, Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners (CSPP) & FDSS, Colombia
• Mariama Jumie Bah , Human Rights Defenders Network Sierra Leone
• Elena Petrovska , LGBTI Equal Rights Association (ERA), Western Balkans/Turkey
• Douglas Javier Juárez Dávila, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Guatemala

Moderator: Pooja Patel, Deputy Director, ISHR