Feedback On April 11-12, 2024, a meeting of experts who developed a Supplement to the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders was held in Bangkok. This meeting is part of the Declaration +25 project, led by the International Human Rights Service (ISHR) with the participation and support of the world’s leading human rights organizations and regional partners.
2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (the full title of the document is the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, 1998).
The adoption of the Declaration was a turning point in the history of human rights, as it recognized the extreme importance and legality of human rights activities, as well as the need to protect human rights defenders. The Declaration explains how the rights enshrined in the main human rights instruments, including the right to freedom of expression, association, and assembly, apply to human rights defenders. The Declaration sets out the specific obligations and responsibilities of States in relation to the protection of human rights.
However, there were gaps in the Declaration from the very beginning: for example, it does not contain specific provisions directly related to the stigmatization or criminalization of human rights defenders; it does not fully articulate the obligations of the State, in particular the obligation to investigate threats and attacks against human rights defenders and bring those responsible to justice; it does not mention the obligation of States to protect or support human rights defenders outside their territory. Besides, over the past 25 years, human rights defenders have faced new risks and challenges, new groups have joined human rights activities (LGBT+, anti-corruption fighters, etc.).
In 2018, the World Summit of Human Rights Defenders was held in Paris, where it was decided to develop and deepen the norms contained in the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders with the widest participation. The practical implementation of this decision is the project “Declaration +25” – the development of a Supplement to the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. The project Secretariat includes 17 international and regional organizations involved in the protection of human rights defenders and ensuring diversity and regional representation. The draft text of the Supplement was compiled by experts in international law, taking into account the views of human rights defenders expressed during regional consultations. The final revision of the text of the Supplement was carried out during the expert meeting in Bangkok on April 11-12, 2024. The text of the “Declaration +25” will subsequently be presented to the international community within the framework of the UN mechanisms.
