Posts Tagged ‘Human Rights Defenders’

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Call for applications for Columbia University’s Human Rights Advocates Program 2026–2027

September 19, 2025

Columbia University has officially opened the application process for the 2026–2027 Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP), a globally recognized initiative that supports human rights defenders from around the world.

The program provides a unique opportunity for experienced human rights advocates to enhance their knowledge, strengthen their networks, and build critical skills through academic and professional development in New York City.

A Legacy of Supporting Human Rights Defenders

Established in 1989, the Human Rights Advocates Program has a long-standing history of empowering frontline activists. Over the years, HRAP has become a vital platform for practitioners working in some of the most challenging and marginalized communities worldwide.

By leveraging the vast academic and institutional resources available at Columbia University and within New York City—home to a dense network of international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—HRAP provides advocates with a transformative experience that amplifies their voices and accelerates the impact of their work.

Program Structure and Opportunities

Participants in HRAP engage in a comprehensive program that combines academic study, skill-building workshops, mentoring, and networking. The curriculum is designed to be both rigorous and practical, offering a space for reflection and growth.

Advocates attend seminars specifically tailored to the challenges and strategies of the human rights field. They also have the opportunity to enroll in courses across Columbia University’s schools and departments, further enriching their understanding of legal, political, social, and economic issues related to their advocacy work.

One of the key features of the program is the series of workshops led by staff from leading human rights organizations. These sessions cover topics such as advocacy strategies, digital security, media engagement, organizational development, and fundraising. Participants also attend meetings with policymakers, funders, academics, and fellow advocates, fostering long-term professional relationships and collaborative opportunities. Mentoring is another cornerstone of the program, offering one-on-one guidance from experienced professionals who help participants refine their goals and campaign strategies.

Since its inception, more than 350 human rights advocates from over 100 countries have completed the program.

Application Process and Deadline

Applicants interested in joining the 2026–2027 cohort are encouraged to visit the official HRAP Admissions page for detailed information on eligibility criteria, application requirements, and program expectations.

The selection process is competitive and seeks individuals with a strong track record of human rights advocacy, demonstrated leadership potential, and a clear vision for how participation in HRAP will advance their work.

The deadline to apply is Monday, December 1, 2025. Late applications will not be considered, so prospective participants are advised to begin the process early to ensure all required materials are submitted on time.

Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP) 2026–2027: Applications Now Open

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OSCE review shows Malta is still struggling to adequately protect human rights defenders

September 18, 2025

Malta is still struggling to adequately protect human rights defenders, including journalists, according to a new OSCE review published on 2 September 2025.

While some progress has been noted, the report warns that legal pressure, rhetoric used and a lack of meaningful reforms continue to erode fundamental freedoms. The assessment by the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) follows a fact-finding mission to Malta in March 2023.

ODIHR noted “concerning instances of disparaging rhetoric and smearing remarks used by political actors, including politicians and other persons of authority” in relation to activists in various areas and journalists  Those working on corruption, migration, environmental issues, and sexual and reproductive rights were identified as frequent targets. Interviewees described harassment, threats and intimidation, often extending to their families.

Women activists reported sexist abuse, including being spat on or confronted physically.

Interviewees told ODIHR that their work was often portrayed as partisan political activity. The assessment also noted attempts to damage reputations, harm employment prospects and label defenders as enemies, traitors or political opponents.

The report connects this hostile environment to the 2021 public inquiry into journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, which found that state inaction and vilification of journalists fostered a “climate of impunity.” Two years later, ODIHR says many recommendations remain unfulfilled, particularly on media freedom and journalist safety.

The OSCE heard accounts of online trolling, social media threats, spoofing campaigns, threatening phone calls, and verbal abuse of family members.

ODIHR also found that Maltese journalists continue to receive threatening letters from local and international law firms, sometimes prompting article removals due to fear of high legal costs.

Although defamation was decriminalised in 2018, gaps in the law remain, and proposed anti-SLAPP reforms have been criticised as inadequate.

Freedom of expression and access to information also face obstacles. Journalists spoke of costly and lengthy efforts to secure public records, while whistle-blower protections are seen as weak due to fears of reprisals.

The report calls for a public review of Malta’s Freedom of Information Act, the release of a government-commissioned evaluation, and new legislative proposals to improve transparency and accountability.

Civil society activists also described intimidation around protests, including court rulings against authorities for repeatedly removing banners and memorials related to Caruana Galizia.

ODIHR acknowledged political support for LGBTI rights, with NGOs in this sector receiving strong public backing and engagement from officials. Freedom of assembly was generally upheld, and some NGOs received benefits through tax incentives and secondments. Nonetheless, ODIHR concludes that Malta must urgently rebuild trust and ensure a safer environment for rights defenders.

Key recommendations include public recognition of their work, stronger police protection protocols, robust anti-SLAPP legislation, improved transparency measures, and genuine consultation on media reforms. “Baseless lawsuits, threats and smear campaigns not only endanger individuals but weaken democracy itself,” the report warns.

ODIHR said it is ready to support Malta in implementing reforms but emphasised that political commitment is vital.

https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2025-09-02/local-news/New-report-highlights-ongoing-risks-for-rights-advocates-in-Malta-6736272807

https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/136819/report_flags_unimplemented_recommendations_from_daphne_caruana_galizia_inquiry

OSCE Warns Malta: Journalists And Rights Defenders Still At Risk

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Seven International NGOs demand unconditional release of Indian HRD Umar Khalid

September 17, 2025

On 12 September, 2025 the seven rights groups described Khalid’s prolonged imprisonment as a “violation of his rights” and an instance of “selective persecution”, asserting that he was arrested on “politically motivated and spurious charges” on 13 September 2020.

Alongside Amnesty International, the signatories include: CIVICUS, FORUM-ASIA, Front Line Defenders. International Commission of Jurists, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

The statement expressed deep concern over the invocation of the anti-terror law UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and the repeated denial of bail to Khalid.

“These repeated bail denials combined with persistent delays, and the continued absence of trial proceedings, amount to a violation of his right to a fair trial, including speedy trial, guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which India is a state party, as well as under the Constitution of India,” the statement read.

The groups further highlighted the unequal application of bail standards, particularly in cases related to the 2020 Delhi riots and anti-CAA protests, saying:

“We are further concerned about the discriminatory application of bail standards in cases arising from the violence surrounding the CAA protests and more broadly in cases involving the UAPA. While similarly situated accused have been granted bail, Khalid continues to be denied relief. Such unequal treatment violates the principle of equality before the law and sets a deeply troubling precedent.”

The rights organizations also drew attention to the role of the Delhi Police and political leaders during the 2020 Delhi riots, where Khalid and other Muslim activists were implicated.

“Independent investigations, including by Amnesty International India, Human Rights Watch and Delhi Minorities Commission, have documented the role of the Delhi Police in human rights violations during the CAA protests and the ensuing violence,” the statement said.
“Police officers were recorded engaging in beatings, torture and other ill-treatment, and arbitrary arrests, and in some cases standing by as mobs attacked protesters.”

The statement noted that Indian courts have repeatedly criticized the police investigations, describing them as: “Very poor,” “callous,” and “fraught with multiple flaws,” with documented instances of fabricated cases and manipulated records.

It further condemned the role of senior political leaders, who were seen delivering inflammatory hate speeches, branding protesters as “traitors” or “anti-nationals”, and openly inciting violence.

“Despite the existence of video and documentary evidence, no meaningful accountability measures have been taken against implicated political figures or police officials,” the statement added.

The rights groups emphasized that Khalid’s prolonged detention is not an isolated incident, but part of a larger pattern of repression against those exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and association.

“Other students and human rights activists, including Gulfisha Fatima, Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi, Shifa-ur-Rehman and Meeran Haider, also remain in detention for their peaceful opposition to the CAA, while police officials and political leaders responsible for incitement or complicity in violence continue to enjoy impunity,” the groups noted.
“This selective prosecution erodes public trust in the justice system, entrenches impunity for state actors, and criminalises free expression.”

The seven international organizations demand:

The immediate and unconditional release of Umar Khalid

The equal application of bail standards

An end to the discriminatory treatment of human rights defenders

Accountability for police officers and political leaders implicated in incitement and violence

The repeal of the UAPA.

https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/india-umar-khalids-five-year-imprisonment-without-trial-exemplifies-derailment-of-justice/

https://thehindustangazette.com/latest-news/selective-persecution-seven-international-rights-groups-demand-unconditional-release-of-umar-khalid-39661

Posted in Amnesty international, FIDH, Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, ICJ, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
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The History of Writers Defending Human Rights in the USSR, e.g. the poet Lina Kostenko

September 16, 2025

On 14 September 2025 Ilya V Ganpantsura wrote in Countercurrents:

In the USSR, writers often became defenders of human rights. They were people of various ages and backgrounds, yet their works exposed injustice and reflected personal courage to speak the truth — for which many paid with exile and labor camps. Why did the authorities fear writers so much? And why should they be honored today?

One such figure was the Soviet-Ukrainian writer and poet Lina Kostenko, who, through her works and personal stance, inspired resistance, standing proudly for freedom and against the oppressive system, despite multiple attempts to push her out of cultural and literary life. Her novel Notes of a Ukrainian Madman, written in the 1970s, was long banned and circulated only through underground self-publishing (samizdat). Through this work, Kostenko protested the totalitarian regime and shed light on the lives of those who could not live in good conscience under Soviet rule. The novel symbolized the fight for the right to be oneself.

Lina Kostenko was part of the “Sixtiers” (Shistdesyatnyky) movement, a generation that opposed Soviet propaganda stereotypes, aimed to restore historical memory, protect national culture, and resist ideological control in Ukraine. As a writer and poet, Kostenko not only used her works to critique the totalitarian regime but also supported the core values of the movement: personal freedom, the right to cultural expression, and the condemnation of repression.

“We are warriors. Not idlers. Not slackers.
And our cause is righteous and holy.
For while others fight for whatever,
We fight for independence.
That’s why it’s so hard for us.”
“A human seemingly cannot fly…
But has wings.
Has wings!”

Her contribution to the cultural revival of Ukraine and the preservation of free speech values is immeasurable. Today, Lina Kostenko still resides in Ukraine. In 1987, she was awarded the Shevchenko National Prize for her novel Marusia Churai.

One of Lina Kostenko’s close friends and fellow Sixtiers was the poet, translator, and dissident Vasyl Stus. They actively supported each other in their fight against censorship during the most difficult times of repression.

Stus openly criticized the Soviet regime for human rights violations, which led to his repeated persecution. In 1972, he was arrested and sentenced for “anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda.” Despite the harsh conditions of his imprisonment, he continued to write, and his works were distributed through samizdat, inspiring many to resist oppression.

After five years in a Mordovian labor camp and two years in exile in the Magadan region, Stus returned to Kyiv in September 1979. There, he resumed his human rights activities, supporting “prisoners of conscience” with the help of Western organizations. In 1978, he was made an honorary member of the English PEN Club. However, in early 1980, he was arrested again. Vasyl Stus died in a maximum-security labor camp in 1985. His life and works became symbols of the relentless struggle for freedom and human dignity under totalitarianism.

The stories of Lina Kostenko and Vasyl Stus remind us that words can be powerful weapons in the fight for truth and dignity. Their courage, dedication to the ideals of freedom, and love for Ukrainian culture prove that even under the harshest conditions, there is always room for bravery and resistance. Today, as issues of freedom of speech and cultural identity remain pressing, their legacy continues to inspire us to remember that truth is a value worth fighting for.

https://countercurrents.org/2025/09/the-historical-tragedy-of-writers-defending-human-rights-in-the-ussr/

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Brian Dooley awarded the University of Oslo’s Human Rights Award 2025

September 16, 2025

Brian J. Dooley is an Irish human rights activist and author. He is Senior Advisor at Washington DC–based NGO Human Rights First. In October 2023 he was made an Honorary Professor of Practice at the Mitchell Institute, Queen’s University Belfast. He is a visiting scholar at University College, London (UCL). He is a prominent human rights voice on Twitter (@dooley_dooley).

From April 2020 to March 2023 he was Senior Advisor to Mary Lawlor, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. He is as an advisory board member of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, and was a visiting scholar at John Jay College, City University of New York from 2022 to 2023, and at Fordham University Law School in New York from 2019 to 2020.

He receives the award for having dedicated his career to advocating human rights and bringing greater global attention to less visible issues. Congratulations with a big DISCLAIMER : I am a good friend and admirer of Brian [see posts: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/tag/brian-dooley/] and he has represented Human Rights First on the MEA Jury for years.

For more on the University of Oslo Human Rights Award and its laureates see: https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/41A114AE-182E-4EB3-8823-4A5AA6EEEF28

Dooley has written numerous reports on human rights defenders and human rights issues based on research in countries including Bahrain, Egypt, China (Hong Kong), Hungary, Kenya, Lebanon, Northern Ireland, Palestine, Ukraine, the USA (Guantanamo), and the United Arab Emirates.  His efforts have played a crucial role in exposing human rights violations, and he has actively supported justice in conflict areas, including Ukraine and Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the Award, Brian Dooley said: “This is such a great honour for me, and I’m very grateful to the University of Oslo for recognising my work.  I’ve been very lucky over decades that my work with Amnesty International, with The Gulf Centre for Human Rights, with Mary Lawlor – the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders – and with Human Rights First has enabled me to meet and work with Human Rights Defenders working in some of the most difficult places in the world.  Too often great work by local activists in wars or revolutions, or those living under oppression, goes unseen and unreported.  This award helps bring attention to this work, and to those who do it.”

Brian will receive his Award during the Oslo Peace Days this coming December.

https://www.qub.ac.uk/Research/GRI/mitchell-institute/news/15092025-ProfessorBrianDooleyAward.html

https://www.uio.no/english/about/news-and-events/news/2025/uios-human-rights-award-2025.html

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Only 9% of companies assessed by Forrest 500 committed to not tolerate attacks on defenders

September 15, 2025

On 8 September 2025, a report “Defending forests shouldn’t cost lives: Forest 500 assesses corporate zero tolerance policies,” links world’s top banks to social & environmental harms from mining

… Global Canopy’s annual Forest 500 assessment looks at six human rights criteria closely associated with preventing deforestation. Three indicators are interconnected with deforestation as violations of these rights frequently happen around the point of forest loss. They are: Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC); zero tolerance for threats and violence against forest, land and human rights defenders; and customary rights to land, resources and territory.

Among them, zero tolerance is least likely to be addressed by companies: only 9% of the 500 companies assessed have a public commitment in place for at least one forest risk commodity. By comparison, 37% of companies have committed to FPIC, and 24% have commitments to respect the customary rights of IPLCs to land, resources and territory.

… Only 47 Forest 500 companies have commitments for zero tolerance. Companies in the palm oil (18%) and cocoa (14%) supply chains are more likely to have commitments. Commitments are scarce in the beef (10%), soy (11%) and timber (6%) sectors, although these industries are linked to abuses in Latin America. According to BHRRC, 40% of attacks against human rights defenders over the last decade took place in Latin America, with Brazil recording the highest number of killings worldwide.

… Only six of the Forest 500 companies publish evidence of due diligence and progress reporting on eradicating violence and threats f

The report focuses on financing for companies mining critical minerals used in the global energy transition, including lithium, nickel, graphite and cobalt. Nearly 70% of these transition mineral mines overlap with Indigenous lands and roughly an equal amount is in regions of high biodiversity.

“Our findings shed light on the central role that financial institutions play in enabling this new wave of destruction as companies rush to expand mining operations as rapidly as possible,” Steph Dowlen, forests and finance campaigner for the Rainforest Action Network, told Mongabay by email. “While this extraction for raw minerals falls under a ‘green’, ‘clean’ or ‘renewable’ banner, it’s still extraction and the mining sector remains high-risk, dominated by companies with egregious track records on rights, the environment and corporate accountability.”

The report assessed environmental, social and governance policy scores of 30 major financial institutions and found an average score of only 22%. Vanguard and CITIC scored the lowest, each with just 3%. The assessment found that many financial institutions lacked policies to prevent financing issues, including pollution, Indigenous rights abuses or deforestation.

Of all institutions assessed, 80% lacked policies on human rights defenders and none had safeguards for Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation. Many institutions (60%) lacked grievance mechanisms, which allow communities that have been negatively impacted by mining activities to seek justice. Also, 60% of institutions had no policies on tax transparency, which is key to preventing companies from shifting profits abroad and ensuring that mining revenues remain in the resource-rich countries.

“Due to the significant overlap with transition minerals and Indigenous Territories, and high-biodiversity areas, there is an immediate need for governments, financial institutions and mining companies to stop and listen,” Dowlen said. “Indigenous Peoples and local communities have been raising the alarm for a long time but continue to face disproportionate harm as well as violence and intimidation for defending their rights and their lands.”

BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase declined to comment on the report. None of the other institutions mentioned in this piece responded to Mongabay’s emails.

Report links world’s top banks to social & environmental harms from mining

https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/forest-500-report-finds-only-9-of-companies-assessed-have-a-public-commitment-to-not-tolerate-attacks-on-defenders/

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Tomorrow (16/9/25) in Geneva: Packed with Courage – stories of human rights defenders banned from travelling

September 15, 2025

Listen to the stories of four human rights defenders who have been banned from travelling by their own governments simply for trying to cooperate with the United Nations. Can you guess which suitcase belongs to whom?

Location: Geneva, Switzerland Date: 16 September 2025, 10:00AM – 5:00PM CEST

Some States use travel bans as reprisals against human rights defenders who cooperate with the United Nations. These acts of retaliation are designed to isolate, intimidate, and silence them.  

A travel ban may be less visible than a prison cell, but its impact is deeply damaging. It restricts defenders from attending UN meetings, carrying out their work, reuniting with family or seeking international protection.   

Travel bans take many forms, including cancelling or confiscating passports, detaining defenders attempting to exit a country, denying defenders the right to leave or enter back into their own countries, and placing defenders on terrorist lists.   

Through this exhibition, we unpack the stories of four human rights defenders who have been barred from entering or leaving in their own countries under arbitrary travel bans. These are not just about State reprisals against activists, they are stories of people whose lives have been disrupted, whose voices have been silenced, and whose basic freedoms have been trampled. They are also stories of resilience and perseverance in seeking positive social change.

Their voices defend human rights. Travel bans silence them: #EndReprisals!

Their voices defend human rights. Travel bans silence them: #EndReprisals!

https://ishr.ch/events/packed-with-courage-stories-of-human-rights-defenders-banned-from-travelling

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International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances: Syrian HRDs take a stand

September 2, 2025

To illustrate how international days can influence actions by NGOs, here an example from Syria:

The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances (30 August) the Platform of Families of Missing and Enforcedly Disappeared Persons in North and East Syria organized a solidarity stand in Qamishlo.

The event took place today under the slogan, “Our doors are still open, waiting for their return,” in front of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Qamishlo, Jazira Canton, with participation from relatives of the missing, activists, and human rights defenders.

Participants carried banners with messages in Kurdish, Arabic, and English, including: “A mother is still waiting at the window,” “Absence is a weight heavier than iron,” “No peace and no future without knowing the fate of the missing,” “Knowing the fate is the beginning of holding perpetrators accountable,” and “Our voices will not be silenced; we will continue demanding our loved ones.”

Abbas Ali Mousa, coordinator of the Platform of Families of Missing Persons in North and East Syria, told ANHA agency that the number of families affiliated with the platform ranges between 600 and 700.

Mousa explained that the event was held in solidarity with victims of enforced disappearances and their families, reaffirming their legitimate right to know the fate of their loved ones and emphasizing the necessity of establishing truth and justice.

Ilham Ahmed, the mother of journalist Farhad Hamo, who has been missing by ISIS mercenaries for 11 years, said: “I know nothing about my son or his fate.”

Ahmed added: “Despite repeatedly appealing to human rights organizations and relevant bodies, we have received no response or clarification.” She called on human rights organizations and groups working with abductees to reveal the fate of her son and all missing persons.

https://hawarnews.com/en/solidarity-stand-ahead-of-international-day-of-the-victims-of-enforced-disappearances

also: https://www.coe.int/be/web/commissioner/-/enforced-disappearance-inflicts-profound-suffering-on-victims

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Project Galileo 10th anniversary : Protecting Human Rights Defenders Online

August 21, 2025

Project Galileo celebrated its 10th anniversary with two distinguished panels hosted by the NED (National Endowment for Democracy).

These conversations highlight the future of the Internet and Internet freedom. The panels explored recent U.S. State Department efforts on Internet freedom; the role the private sector plays in helping effectuate the U.S. vision of Internet freedom with efforts like Project Galileo; the current challenges associated with authoritarian government’s influence on Internet standards, governance, and international development.

The discussions also touched on the role policy plays, both in the United States and globally, in efforts to protect the Internet; what the U.S. and other rights-respecting nations stand to lose if the open Internet is diminished; and how all stakeholders (private sector, civil society, governments) can work together to protect and advance the free and open Internet.

Moderator

  • Alissa Starzak, Head of Policy, Cloudflare

Panelists

  • Jennifer Brody, Deputy Director of Policy and Advocacy for Technology and Democracy, Freedom House
  • Emily Skahill, Cyber Operations Planner, Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC), Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  • Adrien Ogée, Chief Operations Officer, CyberPeace Institute

https://cloudflare.tv/event/project-galileo-presents-protecting-human-rights-defenders-online/Ya01peZn

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19 August: World Humanitarian Day honours human rights defenders

August 20, 2025
A group of people gather around a statue.

“Today, I want to recognise the many human rights defenders who risk their lives around the world, and the courage and dedication of all my UN Human Rights staff,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk in his video message for World Humanitarian Day. “The sacrifice of our colleagues strengthens our resolve to continue their essential work.”

Twenty-two years ago, a devastating attack struck the United Nations headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq. The bombing claimed the lives of 22 UN staff members and left more than a hundred others injured. It was a day that profoundly shook the humanitarian community and continues to resonate decades later.

In Geneva, Switzerland, colleagues, families, and friends gathered at the UN Human Rights headquarters to pay tribute — not only to those killed in Baghdad but to all humanitarian workers who have lost their lives in service across the globe.

Each year, 19 August is observed as World Humanitarian Day, a moment to recognize those who dedicate themselves to alleviating human suffering, and to remember the victims of humanitarian crises worldwide.

This year’s ceremony included a reading of the names of the 22 UN staff members who perished in the 2003 Baghdad attack, along with colleagues killed in Afghanistan, Haiti, and Rwanda, followed by a minute of silence. Flowers were later placed at the memorial to Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq at the time, who also died in the bombing.

Nada Al-Nashif, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights and a survivor of the Canal Hotel bombing, reflected on her experience when she was UNDP Country Director in Iraq during the commemoration in Geneva.

“We were caught up in a feverish excitement at the thought of what could be achieved, the endless possibilities of support, advice, assistance,” she said. “Even as we took daily risks and coped with the unrelenting pressure of delivering, we were sustained by a certain innocence — the belief that the big blue UN flag was our protection, its folds sufficiently strong to make us untouchable.”…

“Over two decades later, it is a humbling story of recovery that I am proud to tell; a journey of individual and collective resilience, a re-dedication to our cause, the cause of global justice and dignity, guided by an extraordinary commitment to service and the deep awareness that as humans, we are one.”

The event also highlighted the grave risks humanitarian workers face today, including targeted attacks that have led to deaths, injuries, abductions, and detentions. With 2024 marking the deadliest year on record for humanitarian personnel, concerns are growing that 2025 could prove even worse.

From Afghanistan to Sudan, from Gaza to Venezuela, humanitarian and human rights workers continue their missions under severe risks and limited access. With nearly 60 armed conflicts ongoing around the globe, the scale and complexity of crises are growing, and so are their human rights implications.

At the ceremony through prerecorded videos, staff from Haiti and Sudan remarked on the importance of humanitarian work.

Abdelgadir Mohammed, a Human Rights Analyst with UN Human Rights in Sudan, highlighted that the escalation of conflict in March and April 2025 has triggered a sharp rise in human rights violations, including ethnically targeted attacks and widespread sexual and gender-based violence, particularly in Darfur.

“I believe that human rights save lives,” he said. “I believe that human rights monitoring and reporting plays a critical role in protecting affected populations.”

Marie Sancia Dossier, a Protection Officer for UN Human Rights in Haiti, noted that as of 2025, nearly 85 percent of the capital’s metropolitan area is under the control of armed gangs, whose influence continues to expand across the country.

“Our motivation is an act of rebuilding and strengthening social cohesion, the rule of law and respect for human rights,” she said. “We are not only implementers. Together with institutions and civil society, we are co-builders of resilience, justice and social transformation. Our aim is to see a country where rights are respected, where institutions serve citizens, and where every person, regardless of their situation, can live in safety and dignity.” 

https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2025/08/honouring-lives-lost-service-humanity

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