In response to the annual call for inputs from the UN Secretary-General, ISHR has submitted 120 cases of intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders engaging with the UN from 29 countries.
This is a compilation of publicly available information on how the liquidity crisis and budget cuts related to the UN80 Initiative are affecting the work of UN human rights mechanisms since 2024, including their ability to fulfil their mandates and deliver tangible improvements for individuals and communities.
The Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing presented his final report on his visit to Guatemala, with recommendations seeking to address decades of displacement, dispossession of land against Indigenous Peoples, and the criminalisation of defenders.
Ahead of the Human Rights Council’s 61st session, ISHR and partners review Guatemala’s human rights situation, including the 2026 judicial renewal process, Indigenous rights, and access to land.
The 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council (23 February – 31 March) will discuss the protection of human rights defenders, freedom of religion, human rights while countering terrorism, and the rights to food and housing. It will also address grave human rights issues in contexts including Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Venezuela, China, Syria, South Sudan, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory/Israel, amongst others. Here’s an overview of some of the key issues on the agenda.
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.
UN human rights mechanisms examined the situation in Guatemala regarding the right to adequate housing and racial discrimination, calling for an end to forced evictions against Indigenous communities and for the protection of land defenders, including Indigenous Peoples.
From 24-26 November, the 14th Forum on Business and Human Rights took place in Geneva. ISHR participated in various activities together with human rights defenders working on corporate accountability.
In light of the UN’s liquidity crisis since 2024, ISHR compares when UN Member States are paying their assessed contributions to the UN’s regular budget over the period 2019-2025.
Indigenous women human rights defenders (WHRDs) and women safeguarding land and community rights from across the globe gathered in Geneva from 22 to 26 September to take part in the Women Human Rights Advocacy Week (WHRD-AW) 2025.
