Site search

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.

In line with its mandate to advocate for the protection of human rights defenders before international and regional mechanisms, ISHR presented the situation of defenders' protection on the continent.

Insecurity and violent extremism, particularly in Africa's Sahel region, are prompting States to adopt counter-terrorism measures. However, in many cases, these measures are also used to restrict rights and criminalise the the work of defenders.

ISHR drew attention to the dire human rights situation in the Sahel, Guinea, Madagascar, and Palestine, in particular in relation to the situation of human rights defenders.

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.

ISHR analysed how UN Member States voted at the General Assembly Fifth Committee over the past seven years (2018-2024) on initiatives that seek to defund Human Rights Council (HRC) resolutions establishing investigative mechanisms on specific countries. None of these initiatives have so far been successful.

The public session of the 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR, or African Commission) will be held in Banjul, The Gambia, from 21 to 30 October 2025. The public session will be preceded by the NGO Forum, which will also be held in Banjul from 17 to 19 October 2025.

The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) of Mali has developed a manual on the protection of human rights defenders to facilitate implementation of its protection mandate.

From 3 to 4 July, ISHR supported the National Human Rights Commission of Mali in organising a workshop for human rights defenders on the legal framework and the national mechanism for their protection.

On 8 May 2025, during the 83rd ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), ISHR delivered a statement under Item 5, which focused on the activity report of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. The statement reaffirmed ISHR’s strong commitment to the protection and empowerment of defenders across Africa.