PBI organises international event on human rights defenders

Every year, leaders, human rights defenders, defenders of land and community rise up and struggle for their rights to be respected, including the rights to life, water, sustainable land use, for the protection of natural resources, and for the defence of their dignity, and because of this work they are targets of threats, attacks and even murder.

In 2017 at least 312 human rights defenders were killed, and this figure has been growing in recent years[1]. Michel Forst, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, has expressed his concern regarding this situation: “we are facing an alarming panorama for human rights defenders. Their situation has deteriorated around the world in spite of State obligations to guarantee their protection”[2].

This year is the 20th anniversary of the approval by the United Nations General Assembly of the Declaration on human rights defenders, which “provides for the support and protection of human rights defenders in the context of their work”[3]. In his last report, Michel Forst estimates that some 3,500 activists have been killed since the adoption of the declaration in 1998[4].

This year is also the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was signed on 10 December 1948 after the end of the Second World War, in the context of peace building and a return to hope for humanity.

“With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again. World leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere”[5].

Given the current growing tensions and setbacks for the respect of global human rights, it is important to remember these declarations and the commitments of UN member States to protect and promote human rights and the work of human rights defenders. It is worrying to hear speeches promoting hatred and intolerance being given space in public debates and being accepted by sectors of public opinion.

At the end of October this year a World Summit of human rights defenders was held in the city of Paris[6], where organisations that defend human rights launched a citizens’ call to demand that governments “put a stop to attacks, defamation and stigmatisation strategies” against human rights defenders and to “make protecting them a reality”[7].

Peace Brigades International also organised a meeting of defenders in Brussels in the month of September. A number of defenders accompanied by different PBI projects[8] met to exchange experiences and protection strategies, according to their needs. Different workshops were held on the work of defenders, to reflect on the last 20 years and to prepare strategies for the next 20 years.