The 9th of December 2018 marks 20 years since global leaders adopted the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. This was a major victory for the human rights movement as the international community finally gave due recognition to those brave individuals who devote their lives to fighting for all of our rights. Unfortunately, twenty years after its adoption, our assessment shows huge gaps in the implementation of the Declaration. In all types of political systems, democratic and otherwise across the world, the settings in which human rights defenders work is becoming more contested and volatile. CSOs are sending a collective call to states, government representatives, international organizations and non-state actors to recognize HRDs as important actors in nation building processes, respect their rights, support their work and protect them at all times. Read more here.
Source: CIVICUS