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.
On 18 September 2025, the Réseau Nigérien des Défenseurs des Droits Humains, in partnership with ISHR, organised a workshop in Niamey on the establishment of a national mechanism for the protection of human rights defenders in Niger.
From 16 to 17 September 2025, the Réseau Nigérien des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (RNDDH), in partnership with ISHR, organised in Niamey a workshop on the dissemination of the law defining the rights and duties of human rights defenders in Niger.
On 3 May 2025, on the sidelines of the 83rd ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, ISHR co-sponsored a side event on the situation of human rights defenders in the Sahel, organised by the International Federation for Human Rights and the World Organisation against Torture.
The Road map for civil society engagement outlines a programme through which civil society organisations (CSOs) can maximise their impact while engaging with the African Commission for Human and Peoples' Rights through the State Reporting Procedure.
Developed for human rights defenders, the Road map provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities when engaging with the State reporting procedure of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
