Cedric Gelissen Photography
ISHR provides solidarity and support to defenders working in highly restrictive or repressive environments, and undertakes lobbying, advocacy and litigation to promote both State and non-State accountability for widespread and systematic threats, attacks, restrictions and reprisals against defenders.
For many human rights defenders, international and regional human rights laws and mechanisms have the potential to protect and amplify their work and impact on the ground. Indeed, for many defenders working in restrictive or repressive national contexts – such as China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela – regional and international mechanisms may be among the only platforms available to demand justice, push for accountability, and contribute to positive change.
Civil society and diplomatic allies can also use such mechanisms to increase international pressure for change, such as the release of arbitrarily detained defenders, the repeal of restrictive laws and policies, or accountability for acts of intimidation and reprisals against defenders.
Through this programme, ISHR provides solidarity and support to defenders working in highly restrictive or repressive environments, and undertakes lobbying, advocacy and litigation to ensure that defenders are safe and free and to promote both State and non-State accountability for widespread and systematic threats, attacks, restrictions and reprisals against defenders.
Read our latest news on international accountability.
In a statement at an interactive dialogue on the annual report of the High Commissioner, ISHR Executive Director Phil Lynch called on States to support the work of defenders and to pay their UN dues.
ISHR joins organisations from across Latin America and beyond in condemning the adoption of a 'Foreign Agents' law in El Salvador that seriously threatens independent civil society in the country.
On the occasion of the 37th annual meeting of the chairpersons of the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies, civil society organisations made a joint call to preserve this ‘essential part of the UN’s human rights ecosystem’.
In a shrinking funding space, the Declaration +25 serves as a key advocacy tool to reaffirm States’ obligation to ensure an enabling environment for civil society - including access to the resources.
The ECOSOC Committee on NGOs concluded its 2025 resumed session amidst serious threats to effective civil society engagement at the UN. The call for concrete progress continues to grow.
The 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council (16 June to 9 July 2025) will consider issues including civil society space, climate change, sexual orientation and gender identity, violence and discrimination against women and girls, poverty, peaceful assembly and association, and freedom of expression, among others. It will also present an opportunity to address grave human rights situations including in Afghanistan, Belarus, China, Eritrea, Israel and oPt, Sudan, Syria and Venezuela, among many others. Here’s an overview of some of the key issues on the agenda.
