In the face of multiple human rights crisis in the region, as well as significant political changes, defenders spoke at the Human Rights Council’s 55th session about the realities they have faced, calling for greater action and new mechanisms, and noting that political expediency shouldn't trump the objective assessment of the need for Council action on country situations.
At a Human Rights Council general debate on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, Racismo MX and ISHR delivered a joint statement on systemic racism and the invisibility of Afro-descendants and Indigenous peoples in Mexico.
In the context of increased repression in Venezuela, UN officials, experts and States call for the respect for human rights defenders, the release of those arbitrarily detained, fair elections and the unconditional return of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The 55th UN Human Rights Council session will discuss the protection of human rights defenders, freedom of religion, human rights while countering terrorism, and rights to food and housing. It will also address grave human rights issues in countries like Sudan, Nicaragua, Venezuela, China, Syria, South Sudan, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Eritrea, and the Palestinian territories/Israel, amongst others.
At a public UN review of its record, China sought to downplay mountains of UN-vetted evidence of its generalised quashing of human rights within its borders, including atrocity crimes against Uyghurs.
This page compiles all recommendations issued by UN human rights bodies - including the UN Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups, the UN Treaty Bodies, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - on the human rights situation in China since 2018. Recommendations are sorted by topic and community affected.
On 21 November, ISHR celebrated the vital work of human rights defenders at a conference on 'The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Seventy-Five Years On: Achievements and Current Challenges.' A slightly shortened version of our speech is reproduced below.
Following substantial negotiations, UN Member States once again found common ground and reiterated their commitment to providing a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders in the Third Committee's adoption of this biennial resolution by consensus.
On Thursday 12 October 2023, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, presented her report on women human rights defenders (WHRDs) in conflict, post-conflict and crisis-affected settings to the General Assembly’s Third Committee. While she acknowledges the fundamental work of WHRDs in these contexts, the report highlights the vulnerability that comes with it.
The UN General Assembly’s principal human rights committee — the Third Committee — has kicked off its deliberations. This year’s session will run for 7 weeks from 28 September to 17 November 2023. The Committee will be chaired by Ambassador Alexander Marschik (Austria). We present the key issues on the agenda below.
