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At the 62nd Human Rights Council session, civil society organisations shared reflections on key outcomes and highlighted gaps in addressing crucial issues and situations.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has released a draft general recommendation on dismantling gender stereotypes. ISHR's comments call for explicit recognition of the heightened risks facing women human rights defenders.

Ahead of the 87th session of the African Commission, the NGO Forum took place from 7 to 9 May 2026 in Banjul (The Gambia). Human rights organisations from the five regions of Africa gathered to evaluate the state of human rights on the continent in light of the African Union (AU) theme of the year 2026: Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems in Africa.

During the NGO Forum preceding the 87th ordinary session, civil society organisations (CSOs) discussed the protection of the rights of women on the African continent.

The Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing presented his final report on his visit to Guatemala, with recommendations seeking to address decades of displacement, dispossession of land against Indigenous Peoples, and the criminalisation of defenders.

Ahead of International Women’s Day, ISHR and over 40 organisations supported a joint statement delivered by AWID calling for recognition of women and girls’ full dignity, equality and humanity, not just in words but in policies, in budgets, and implementation. Read the full statement below.

UN human rights mechanisms examined the situation in Guatemala regarding the right to adequate housing and racial discrimination, calling for an end to forced evictions against Indigenous communities and for the protection of land defenders, including Indigenous Peoples.

During the 38th Human Rights Council special session on the human rights situation in and around El Fasher, in the context of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, ISHR delivered a joint statement with Sudanese Women’s Rights Action, and the Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa.

The NGO Forum, ahead of the 85th ACHPR’s session in Banjul, held several panel discussions on the AU 2025 theme 'Reparations: Justice for Africans and People of African Descent' with different focuses, including the regional and UN standards on reparations, economic justice, as well as discrimination in Africa based on work and descent.

On 17 October 2025, ahead of the 85th ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, civil society organisations expressed their concerns about the continual shrinking of civic space.

Indigenous women human rights defenders (WHRDs) and women safeguarding land and community rights from across the globe gathered in Geneva from 22 to 26 September to take part in the Women Human Rights Advocacy Week (WHRD-AW) 2025.

Activists participating in the Women's Human Rights Defenders Advocacy Week responded to a call for submissions by the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders that sought to 'bring the voice of human rights defenders' to the Human Rights Council.