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During the Human Rights Council's debate on the High Commissioner's report detailing the horrific violations and abuses by warring parties in Sudan, ISHR supported Sudanese woman defender Tahani Abbas to engage with the HRC. Read the full joint statement and key messages below.
Civil society organisations demand a swift, decisive action and a comprehensive investigation into the crisis in South Kordofan, Sudan, highlighting the urgent need for global intervention.
Civil society is deeply concerned about reports of shrinking civic space, attacks on freedom of expression, rising militarisation, and ongoing communication disruptions in Sudan, threatening the work of women human rights defenders and women’s rights groups. Read ISHR's and other NGOs' calls to action in the joint letter below.
Nine NGOs delivered a joint statement on the UN Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Sudan established by the Human Rights Council at its 54th session, calling the FFM to prioritise gender justice and inclusion of women, including women defenders.
Despite spirited opposition from Khartoum and its allies, the UN Human Rights Council voted to establish a mechanism tasked with investigating human rights violations in Sudan.
On 3 October 2023, a joint statement was delivered by ISHR on behalf of a group of Sudanese, regional and international organisations during the informal on the draft resolution 'Responding to the Human Rights and Humanitarian Crisis Caused by the Ongoing Armed Conflict in the Sudan'. The organisations called on States to support the establishment of an independent and international Fact Finding Mission on Sudan during the ongoing 54th Council session.
At the 54th session of the Human Rights Council, during the debate on Sudan, Nahlla Yousif, woman human rights defender from Darfur, delivered a joint statement on behalf of ISHR, Sudanese Women Rights Action, Future for Enlightenment and Development Organization and WHRDMENA Coalition.
During the enhanced interactive dialogue on 19 June 2023 with the High Commissioner and the designated Expert on Sudan, ISHR, Sudanese Women Rights Action (SURWA), and WHRDMENA Coalition delivered a joint statement drawing attention to the deteriorating situation in Sudan.
Civil society organisations and groups urge the international community to take action responding to the ongoing war in Sudan and ensure protection of refugees and internally displaced persons including women and women human rights defenders.
Today, the UN Human Rights Council held the 36th Special Session on the human rights impact of the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Sudanese women human rights defenders and women’s groups, supported by ISHR, urged the international community to effectively respond to the devastating humanitarian crisis and the impacts on women and girls including women human rights defenders (WHRDs), and urged the Council to establish an international investigation mechanism with sufficient resources including to investigate the threats and reprisals against WHRDs for their work, and to document sexual and gender-based violence.
On 3 May, ISHR delivered a statement on the situation of human rights in Africa, with a particular focus on the necessity to implement adopted defenders’ protection laws, the violations faced by women defenders in Sudan as well as the rejected applications for observer status of NGOs working on LGBTIQ rights in Africa.
On 3 March 2023, the High Commissioner for Human Rights delivered an oral update on the situation of human rights in Sudan to the Human Rights Council. During the interactive dialogue that followed, ISHR delivered a joint statement highlighting the grave situation faced by women and women human rights defenders in Sudan.
