News Archive
Page 14 of 134 (1332 articles)
Joint submission ahead of Ethiopia’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
CIVICUS is a global alliance of civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society around the world. Founded in 1993, CIVICUS has members in more than 180 countries throughout the world. The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (DefendDefenders) is a regional CSO registered and based […]
Reflections on the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council
The 55th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC55) set a new record as the longest session in the history of the UN’s top human rights body. This year will continue on the same pace, as the 56th (June-July 2024) and 57th (September-October 2024) sessions will add nine weeks to this total. The […]
South Sudan: international human rights scrutiny will cover 2024 elections
By adopting a resolution entitled “Advancing human rights in South Sudan,” the UN Human Rights Council ensured that international scrutiny of South Sudan’s human rights situation will cover the country’s first-ever national elections, which are set to take place in December 2024. With this resolution, which DefendDefenders welcomes, the UN’s top human rights body extended […]
Updates from March 2024
Hello friends, March is also fondly known as the women’s month all over the world. While we are obliged to affirm and validate women’s efforts throughout the year, the month of March is our annual reminder of this obligation, and we do take it seriously here at DefendDefenders. So, on 8 March, we launched our […]
Human Rights Defender of the month: Leon Ntakiyiruta
As a child, Leon wanted to be a magistrate – whom he saw as agents of justice. Born in 1983 in Burundi’s Southern province, he came of age at a time of great social and political upheaval in the East African country. In 1993 when Leon was barely 10, Burundi was besieged by a civil war that would last for the next 12 years until 2005, characterized by indiscriminate violence and gross human rights abuses in which over 300,000 people are estimated to have died.
Joint Statement in Support of Progress toward a Crimes Against Humanity Treaty
The undersigned organizations and individuals — with representation from multiple geographic regions — express our support for a global convention on crimes against humanity, and urge states to utilize the 2024 April Resumed Session of the UN’s Sixth Committee to express strong support for a procedure to be adopted at the 79th Session of the […]
Call for Applications: SAFETAG Junior Auditors Training
DefendDefenders call for applications for Uganda SAFETAG Junior Auditors Training April 2024 DefendDefenders will be conducting a five (5) days in-person SAFETAG training for Ugandan participants. The training will focus on the process and tools of conducting digital security audits based on the SAFETAG framework (www.safetag.org ). The SAFETAG framework is specifically designed to offer […]
Updates from February 2024
Hello friends, February has been activity-heavy for us at DefendDefenders. In a bid to keep our human rights defender (HRD)-networks and coalitions energised and well-coordinated for the diverse threats that continue to undermine civic space on the continent, this month, we set off for a series of HRD-engagements in the Sahel and West-Africa. In Dakar, […]
Human Rights Defender of the month: Aida Musa
In August 2011, Aida crossed into Uganda, pregnant, and barely able to communicate in another language other than Arabic. The transition was a difficult one, she says: “It was my first-time outside Sudan, and yet I did not know any other language. The first months were very difficult.” In 2012, still struggling to find her footing in Kampala, Aida was introduced to DefendDefenders, where she was introduced to the organisation’s resource center, and assured, it (the center) would be at her disposal whenever she needed to use it.
DefendDefenders’ oral statements at HRC55
Oral statements delivered during the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council (26 February-5 April 2024) Item 2: Enhanced interactive dialogue on Eritrea (28 February 2024) Mr. President, Mr. Special Rapporteur, dear experts and stakeholders, This is an important debate. We welcome its enhanced format and encourage further high-level attention at both UN and […]