On 19 October, with the support of ISHR, the Tanzanian Human Rights Defenders Coalition organised a one day event with defenders from all around the country to reflect on the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on human rights defenders and validate the civil society led draft on the promotion and protection of the rights of defenders in Tanzania.
On 19 October 2023, ISHR in collaboration with Defend Defenders and American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, launched two reports on the challenges faced by environmental human rights defenders in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Tanzania as well as the situation of women defenders seeking corporate accountability in Mozambique.
From rescuing vulnerable people drowning at sea to rescuing a planet which is suffocating and burning, human rights defenders are working to serve humanity. By contrast, governments and businesses which smear, criminalise and kill defenders are working to the detriment of us all, ISHR Director Phil Lynch has told the UN Human Rights Council.
No person should suffer violence or discrimination on any ground. Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the UN Independent Expert mandated to combat and protect against violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, presented his first report at the Human Rights Council this week. The report called on States to create a safe and enabling space for the work of LGBTI rights defenders.
ISHR's flagship Human Rights Defenders Advocacy Programme begins on Monday 11 June, with 14 inspiring human rights defenders from around the globe travelling to Geneva to learn about strategic engagement with the UN mechanisms for even greater impact on the ground.
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On the margins of the 60th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the African Commission), a panel including experts of the African Commission and human rights defenders raised awareness about the need to continue to provide greater protection of human rights defenders in Africa, given the significant regression of democracy on the continent.
