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.
Civil society spoke of the ongoing human rights crisis in Venezuela this week at the Council making evident that, despite Venezuela’s best efforts to denounce the Fact-Finding Mission, the Mission’s work and that of OHCHR are absolutely essential to victims of violations.
During the General Debate Item 5, ISHR and Association Stop Violences delivered a joint statement highlighting the case of reprisals against woman human rights defender Vanessa Mendoza Cortes in Andorra, following her participation in CEDAW in 2019.
On 22 and 23 March 2023, the Human Rights Council held a general debate on human rights situations requiring the Council’s attention. States and NGOs spoke, and the High Commissioner spoke on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. They drew the Council’s attention to a number of country situations of concern. ISHR delivered a statement, highlighting the human rights situation in four countries: Burkina Faso, Colombia, El Salvador, and Saudi Arabia.
