HRC58: Including defenders in the defenders’ protection mechanism in Côte d’Ivoire

In 2014, Côte d’Ivoire became the first country in Africa to adopt a human rights defenders protection law, a major advancement. However, full implementation of the law through, in particular, the full operationalisation of the national human rights defenders protection mechanism, remained a work in progress. In particular, the lack of inclusion of human rights defenders in their own protection mechanism remains an issue. As such, ISHR and the CIDDH welcomed the Ivorian authorities’ intention to commit to the inclusion of human rights defenders in the national human rights defenders protection mechanism and stand ready to collaborate with the government to ensure it becomes a reality.  

Moreover, the statement drew attention to ordinance n° 2024-368 on the organisation of civil society. This ordinance, which has already moved to the plenary stage at the National Assembly and will become law once adopted, contains measures that are restrictive to freedom of association and to the principle of autonomy of civil society organisations, notably measures regarding the dissolution of civil society organisations and the prosecution of leaders of civil society organisations. 

Finally, the CIDDH and ISHR called on Côte d’Ivoire to: 

• integrate human rights defenders in the makeup of the national human rights defenders protection mechanism
• ensure a legal framework for civil society that guarantees freedoms of association and assembly, in line with the human rights defenders protection act and with Côte d’Ivoire’s international human rights commitments, notably in light of ordinance n°2024-368
• establish a permanent, inclusive national body made of all relevant civil society stakeholders to track the implementation of UPR and treaty bodies’ recommendations made to the State. 

Watch the full statement below.