
HRC59: ISHR calls for adoption of human rights defenders protection law in Madagascar
On 2 July 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted Madagascar’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Report, as part of its 59th session.
As part of the UPR process, a review of Guinea human rights record is scheduled to take place in January 2020. As a prelude, NGOS, State delegations and the NHRI gathered for the pre-session organized on 10 December 2019. This pre-session offered civil society a platform to directly advocate to State delegations ahead of the UPR session and facilitated the possibility for diplomatic delegations to ascertain information on Guinea’s human rights record.
Lately Guinea has been known for shrinking civil society space by restricting its right to freedom of assembly. It was recently the case when the government forbade demonstration by the opposition against the amendment of the Constitution which would allow the current President to run for another term.
During the pre-session, several human rights organisations emphasised the lack of implementation of international and regional conventions at the national level, the need to address human rights issues around illegal mining and to review the law on environmental associations as well as the restrictions and threats most civil society actors face when conducting their work.
While recognising the effort made by the government towards gender equality, civil society organisations called on the government to enforce it in regards to elected officials.
Finally, ISHR submitted a briefing paper in collaboration with Coordination of Organizations for the Defense of Human Rights (CODDH), on the situation of human rights defenders in Guinea. The submission is intended to assist States and other stakeholders in formulating questions and making recommendations to the Guinean government during the UPR.
Key recommendations that should be made to Guinea at the UPR include:
Contact: Adélaïde Etong Kame, Africa Advocacy Consultant, [email protected]
Photo: UN Photo/Evan Schneider
On 2 July 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted Madagascar’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Report, as part of its 59th session.
Sixteen activists completed the Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme in Geneva to strengthen their advocacy skills. During the programme, they called for reforms to the UN human rights system, and helped secure the renewal of the expert mandate on sexual orientation and gender identity.
On 1 July 2025, during the 59th session of the Human Rights Council, the Universal Periodic Review of Angola was adopted. The statement delivered by ISHR, in partnership with Kutakesa, highlighted the recent adoption of legislation jeopardising the freedom of assembly and association and imposing risks on the work of human rights defenders in Angola.