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During Egypt's UPR adoption at HRC59, Nora Noralla delivered a joint statement on behalf of ISHR, Cairo 52 and Middle East Democracy Center. Watch and read the full statement below.

At the Human Rights Council, Belgium delivered a statement on behalf of over 60 States that 'pays tribute to the numerous achievements and meaningful progress made by women and girls human rights defenders, and emphasises the continued need for their voices to be heard and supported'.

The 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council (16 June to 9 July 2025) will consider issues including civil society space, climate change, sexual orientation and gender identity, violence and discrimination against women and girls, poverty, peaceful assembly and association, and freedom of expression, among others. It will also present an opportunity to address grave human rights situations including in Afghanistan, Belarus, China, Eritrea, Israel and oPt, Sudan, Syria and Venezuela, among many others. Here’s an overview of some of the key issues on the agenda.

During the 83rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the Republic of Zimbabwe presented its 16th Periodic Report, covering the period 2019 to 2023, which highlighted several institutional and legislative reforms.

On 8 May 2025, during the 83rd ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), ISHR delivered a statement under Item 5, which focused on the activity report of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. The statement reaffirmed ISHR’s strong commitment to the protection and empowerment of defenders across Africa.

On 4 May 2025, on the sidelines of the 83rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul, ISHR officially launched its new report on the situation of human rights defenders in the African island states: Cape Verde, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Seychelles.

From 28 to 30 April 2025, participants in the NGO Forum held in Banjul, The Gambia, discussed key human rights and democracy issues affecting the continent, as well as the work of defenders. Participants contributed to the adoption of resolutions and recommendations, with a focus on reparations and transitional justice.

During enlightening panel discussions held from 28 to 30 April 2025 at the NGO Forum ahead of the 83rd session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), insightful speakers gathered to address the role of women in transitional justice and reparations from slavery and the colonial era.

During the session of the NGO Forum preceding the 83rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), a panel focused on the enduring impact of colonial-era laws on vulnerable populations across Africa.

Our new report sheds light on the lived realities of defenders in six often-overlooked countries: Cape Verde, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, and Seychelles. One thing is clear: human rights defenders in these countries are active, courageous, and committed to building more inclusive and just societies.

Echoing calls by Afghan and international advocates and activists, a cross-regional coalition of States has urged the Human Rights Council to establish a mechanism to investigate grave human rights violations in Afghanistan.

In a statement during the Human Rights Council's 58th session, Sri Lankan environmental defender Melani Gunathilaka spoke of the human rights impacts that debt-driven economic policies have had in Sri Lanka.