Across 2019 and 2020 ISHR will work in Mongolia, Nepal and the Philippines on projects towards the recognition and protection of the rights of human rights defenders in national law.
This work builds on the regional consultation held by ISHR in Manila, Philippines in January 2018. Representatives from several countries within Asia participated in the consultation, including Indonesia, India, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Taiwan and Sri Lanka.
Through this project, in collaboration with Frontline Defenders, ISHR seeks to increase the recognition and protection of human rights defenders in Mongolia, Nepal and the Philippines, through capacity development and targeted advocacy for the development and amendment of laws, policies and regulations that protect the rights of human rights defenders; and through increasing public awareness of and support for HRDs and their work.
The project will be primarily composed of three kinds of activities:
The project builds on ISHR’s long-term program on Legal Protection of Human Rights Defenders.
We are grateful to the United Nations Democracy Fund for supporting this work:
At a time of financial strife and ongoing reform for the organisation, States have adopted a 2026 budget cutting 117 jobs at the UN’s Human Rights Office. The final budget endorses proposed cuts that disproportionately target human rights, imperilling the UN’s ability to investigate grave abuses, and advance human rights globally.
ISHR and 37 human rights organisations in Latin America issued a joint statement condemning the United States military attack against Venezuela and expressing concern about the serious human rights situation in the country. Any solution to the crisis facing the country must be democratic, peaceful and negotiated, centred on respect for human rights, and prioritising the participation and decision-making power of Venezuelan society over its future.
In a landmark ruling against Burundi, the UN Committee against Torture has set a precedent on the protection of lawyers and human rights defenders engaging with UN mechanisms, affirming that reprisals for cooperating with the UN violate the Convention Against Torture.
