ISHR's interactive map for national protection instruments for human right defenders
Check out our updated world map on legislative protection, which collates developments in national legal instruments related to defenders and compares existing and draft instruments with the standards set by the Model Law.
Human rights defenders do vital work in advancing the enjoyment of all human rights by their communities. The right to defend human rights needs to be protected, which is why ISHR advocates for the strengthening of legal frameworks at the national level, including through the implementation of laws that recognise the rights of defenders and establish strong and concrete protections for them and their work.
As part of this mission, we developed an interactive map that collates national efforts around the world to protect human rights defenders. This includes laws, policies, protection mechanisms and guidelines for the protection of defenders, among others.
The map is intended to complement existing resources on human rights defenders’ protection, while also providing an analysis on how protective and respectful of the rights of defenders these instruments are. For each instrument, we have prepared a short summary of its legal status, a general summary of the key elements as well as a more detailed comparison table vs our Model Law for the recognition and protection of Human Rights Defenders, which provides authoritative guidance to States on how to implement the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders at the national level.
We hope that activists, policymakers and other stakeholders find our interactive map a useful tool in their efforts to foster progress in legal protections for human rights defenders.
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.
