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	States need to strengthen protection measures for human rights defenders by Global Witness, FIDH, OMCT, ISHR, agencies   Mar. 2023   The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, has called on States to publicly recognise the great successes achieved by human rights defenders all over the world.   “All over the world the positive achievements of human rights defenders too often go unrecognised. Twenty-five years after States agreed on a Declaration to promote and protect the work of human rights defenders, their successes are ignored,” Lawlor said in a report presented to the 52nd Session of the Human Rights Council.   The report includes details of successes achieved by human rights defenders in a wide range of contexts, including changing laws, getting people released from prison, providing humanitarian aid, and exposing corruption. The report shows that for some human rights defenders just continuing their work under immense pressure is in itself an achievement.   “Human rights defenders are often victims of their own success, targeted because they confront powerful vested interests, because they expose corruption, because they refuse to accept injustice, because they challenge criminal gangs, because they talk about things governments want to hide, because they tell the truth, and because they make good things happen,” she said.   “States can and should do more to protect defenders. They can start by publicly celebrating the work of defenders in their own country, and in other countries. Twenty-five years on from the declaration, defenders are right to expect more support and protection than they currently receive.”   The report notes that successes achieved by HRDs rarely happen overnight but are often the result of long struggles requiring perseverance and the help of networks and other allies in a collective effort.   “Ignoring or underplaying the vital contribution of human rights defenders increases the risks to them and their work,” said Lawlor. “This anniversary year of the Declaration should be one of celebration and recognition of the successes of defenders, one of not just recommitting to help them, but of showing in practical terms what that help should be,” she said.   The report includes practical recommendations for States, based on consultations with human rights defenders, NGOs, academic experts and government officials, on how to better support the work of defenders and promote their achievements.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/03/un-expert-urges-states-recognise-successes-human-rights-defenders http://srdefenders.org/ http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/human-rights-defenders-show-remarkable-courage-face-attacks-and-killings   A deadly decade for land and environmental activists. (Global Witness)   Since 2012, Global Witness has been gathering data on the killings of land and environmental defenders. In that time, a grim picture has come into focus – with evidence suggesting that as the climate crisis intensifies, violence against those protecting their land and our planet remains persistent. Research has found that a total of 1,733 people have been killed over the past ten years, that’s one person killed every two days.   The report highlights that the control and use of land and territory is a central issue in countries where defenders are threatened. Much of the increasing killing, violence and repression is linked to territorial conflicts and the pursuit of economic growth based on the extraction of natural resources from the land.   Evidence also shows that the data on killings does not capture the true scale of the problem. In some countries, the situation facing defenders is hard to gauge – restrictions on a free press and a lack of independent monitoring in many countries often leads to underreporting. Land disputes and environmental damage can also be difficult to monitor in parts of the world affected by conflict.   Research has found that few perpetrators of killings are ever brought to justice due to the failures of governments to properly investigate these crimes. Many authorities ignore or actively impede investigations into these killings often due to alleged collusion between corporate and state interests.   A spokesperson for Global Witness said: "All over the world, Indigenous peoples, environmental activists and other land and environmental defenders risk their lives for the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. They play a crucial role as a first line of defence against ecological collapse, yet are under attack themselves facing violence, criminalisation and harassment perpetuated by repressive governments and companies prioritising profit over human and environmental harm."   "With democracies increasingly under attack globally and worsening climate and biodiversity crises, this report highlights the critical role of defenders in solving these problems and makes an urgent appeal for global efforts to protect and reduce attacks against them.”   The data found within the report shows that over half of the attacks over the 10-year period have taken place in Brazil, Colombia, and the Philippines. From the 2021 data specifically, Mexico was the country with the highest recorded number of killings and over three-quarters of the attacks recorded in 2021 took place in Latin America. The research has also highlighted that Indigenous communities in particular face a disproportionate level of attacks – nearly 40% - even though they make up only 5% of the world’s population.   Global Witness is calling for companies and governments to be held to account for violence against land and environmental defenders - the people who stand on the frontline of the climate crisis. Urgent action is needed at regional, national, and international levels to end the violence and injustice that they face. http://bit.ly/3Rp1SQs   http://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/decade-defiance/   Nov. 2022   Human rights defenders urge States to advance the international treaty on corporate accountability - International Service for Human Rights   In 2021, 200 human rights defenders were killed across the world. Latin America accounts for 75% of these killings. ‘The Illusion of Abundance was made to honour the memory of these environmental land defenders who lost their lives to protect nature,’ affirmed the directors of this documentary film that narrates the story of three women human rights defenders fighting for dignity and justice.   Their quest for corporate accountability brought them to Geneva, where ISHR accompanied them during the negotiations at the United Nations Palais des Nations on the elaboration of an international legally binding treaty that seeks to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations.   “Transnational corporations take advantage of legal gaps, weak rules and insufficient international cooperation to profit from abuses in the Global South. The window into the lives of these three women and their communities shows how far corporations are willing to go and how badly EU due diligence legislation is needed,” said Maria Arena, a member of the European Union Parliament during the screening of the film in Brussels.   If the levels of impunity for human rights abuses by corporations in the EU are concerning, the situation at the global level is alarming, where businesses escape accountability through different jurisdictions, legal personalities and tax havens.   The EU Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive is set to pass through the Parliament this year, which is already the scenario of unequal lobbying battles between civil society coalitions and business associations that try to weaken future legislation.   At the international level, for more than seven years, civil society organisations from all regions of the world have committed enormous time and resources to push for a binding treaty on business and human rights. Last week, in Geneva, the eighth yearly negotiations took place. ISHR joined the sessions with concerns about the slow pace of progress on consultations and consensus building that Ecuador, as proponent and leader of the process, agreed to push forward and did not fulfill, including basic steps such as circulating updated drafts of the negotiated text.   ‘While we’re moving closer to a Treaty, this year we saw a messy process and a divisive attempt to water down the Treaty in a non-transparent manner. This approach tried to sideline the hard work by many States across the world. The third revised draft of the Treaty is the result of eight years of negotiations, the Chair cannot simply ignore the contributions of States and civil society,’ said Garry Walsh, Policy and Advocacy advisor at Trocaire in Ireland.   At an event co-organised by ISHR at the UN Palais des Nations, Carolina, protagonist of the film, Brazilian journalist and human rights defender, and international lawyer Danilo Chammas, brought us the perspective from Minas Gerais, where in 2019 a waste dam from the mining giant VALE collapsed.   ‘Being a human rights lawyer for more than 20 years, I have experienced a number of cases of violations by corporations that result in shameful impunity. We are at the beginning of a value chain that involves many international companies. It is time to create strong international legislation to prevent such harm and provide effective access to justice for victims,’ Danilo stated.   (BBC News: The Brumadinho dam contained waste from an iron ore mine but gave way, unleashing a sea of mud which engulfed a staff canteen, offices and farms, leading to the deaths of 270 people.. Brazil's worst industrial accident sent millions of tons of toxic waste gushing into the surrounding area, destroying the rural village of Corrego do Feijao.. In November 2015, a mining dam operated by Vale's subsidiary, Samarco, collapsed in the town of Mariana, just 120km (74 miles) away in the same state of Minas Gerais, killing 19 people and devastating two nearby villages).   Carolina reminded those in the room that ‘we are making our part in this global fight for corporate justice. We ask you UN Delegates to do your part to ensure that what happened in Brumadinho never happens again anywhere.’   The 8th year of negotiations did not meaningfully advance the process for the fulfillment of the rights the Brazilian defenders have been seeking. Andres Zaragoza (ISHR) underlined the links between the admirable work of human rights defenders where abuses happen and the long-term path of reforming international human rights law to ensure that businesses are held accountable for the abuses they commit.   http://ishr.ch/latest-updates/the-illusion-of-abundance-human-rights-defenders-urge-states-to-advance-the-international-treaty-on-corporate-accountability/ http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/big-issues/binding-treaty/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/wg-trans-corp/igwg-on-tnc   Sep. 2022   COVID-19: How the global crisis has affected human rights defenders. (FIDH, World Organisation Against Torture)   As governments around the world have taken extraordinary measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some have misused them to undermine human rights work and fundamental freedoms. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders - a partnership between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) - documents and analyses in a new report the numerous impacts of those measures on human rights defenders and their essential work.   The Covid-19 pandemic has caused broad consequences for civil society organisations and human rights defenders across the world. In this global report, the Observatory highlights several trends of repression that targeted human rights defenders over the past two years.   The report documents and analyses instrumentalisation of COVID-19 by some governments to suppress non-violent human rights activism and reinforce surveillance measures.   Gerald Staberock, Secretary General of the OMCT, added: "Far from supporting civil society as actors who help those most in need, some States have leveraged the pandemic to further suffocate critical voices and challenge the right to defend rights."   Exceptional situations of reduced movement (lockdowns, quarantines and travel bans), and access restriction to public spaces have given rise to authoritarian abuses in several places, directly targeting human rights defenders, dissidents, independent journalists and defenders of the land and the environment.   Many were arrested and harassed in court for criticising their government’s response to COVID-19. Many trials of arbitrarily detained human rights defenders were postponed indefinitely, despite their health conditions and the high risk of contracting the virus in detention. Furthermore, violence against human rights defenders has increased due to a lack or pausing of protection measures.   Far from being limited in time, some measures passed under the guise of the pandemic at local levels could have long-term effects on the activity of human rights defenders. Through this report, the Observatory alerts the international community and states on the need to strengthen protection measures for defenders, and preserve their capacity to act in times of crisis.   http://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/covid-19-global-crisis-human-rights-defenders http://srdefenders.org/ http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2023/01/11/mary-lawlor-states-must-recognise-that-human-rights-defenders-are-not-the-enemy/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/civic-space/declaration-human-rights-defenders http://ishr.ch/our-priorities/topics/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2022/10/un-censures-42-nations-retaliating-human-rights-activists-journalists/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5147-cooperation-united-nations-its-representatives-and-mechanisms Visit the related web page
	How a Rights-Based Economy can help us overcome the challenges of our time by Ohene Ampofo-Anti, Alina Saba CESR, UN Research Institute for Social Development   Sep. 2022   The multiple crises triggered by climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, unjust economic systems and the conflict in Ukraine has reignited discussions on transforming the current economic system into one that works for both people and the planet.   It is evident that the current neoliberal economic system deprives people of their human rights, fails to deliver social protection and public services to those who need them most, and is having a devastating effect on the well-being of the planet. The move towards a human rights-based economy is essential for building a new eco-social contract.   The world is facing several intersecting crises: a global public health crisis because of Covid-19; an escalating climate catastrophe; a socio-economic crisis as evidenced by growing wealth and income inequality; and most recently, a peace and security crisis due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.   At the same time, the human impacts of failed austerity measures in many countries and spiraling sovereign debt are intensifying, as illustrated by the current crisis in Sri Lanka.   These crises expose fundamental flaws in following the status quo at local, regional and global levels. Now, more than ever, it is evident that the grand schemes of the neoliberal economy such as deregulation, public private partnerships (PPP), austerity and labour flexibilization have been abject failures.   The Covid-19 pandemic and rising food prices are predicted to push almost 263 million people into poverty and the debt repayments of the poorest countries will total a staggering USD 43 billion next year. Meanwhile, billionaire wealth has skyrocketed.   As a result, ever widening circles of people are experiencing the urgency of establishing a new social contract rooted in respect for the well-being of humanity and the planet.   We propose that one possible path toward a renewed social contract is a Rights-Based Economy(RBE). This is an economy designed to guarantee the material, social and environmental conditions necessary for all people to live with dignity on a flourishing planet.   What do human rights bring to the discussion?   RBE departs from the long-held premise that the purpose of the economy should be to extract, consume and accumulate more wealth in the hands of the few at the expense of the many. Instead, RBE creates enabling conditions for both humans and the planet to flourish alongside each other.   RBE consists of five key pillars:   Guaranteeing dignity and well-being for all, at all stages of life.   Ensuring that every person has access to the goods and services necessary to thrive, such as housing, healthcare, food and water.   Pursuing substantive equality while dismantling intersecting inequalities and systems of oppression.   Addressing historical legacies of oppression and the drivers of structural inequality to create greater equity in opportunities and outcomes.   Tackling power imbalances in the economy.   Fundamentally shifting power from corporations to communities and rewriting the rules that have made the playing field so uneven and created massive obstacles to social mobility.   Working in harmony with nature, not exploiting it.   Pursuing a developmental pathway which values the intrinsic worth of nature and nurtures respect for the earth’s natural systems, learning from indigenous knowledge and practices.   Democratizing and decolonizing the global economy   Radically transforming institutions and systems of global economic governance to overturn asymmetries between the global North and the global South in accessing and controlling resources.   What distinguishes RBE from other alternative economic models is that it draws upon—and is shaped by—the standards and principles outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other treaties.   These international declarations and treaties enshrine widely agreed upon values such as dignity, equity and justice. They also set out binding obligations that governments and other powerful actors must comply with to give effect to these values. Understood holistically, they set out a redistributive agenda that has the potential to be transformative.   To recognize public goods such as health, water and education as rights acknowledges that they are a prerequisite for human dignity.   Consequently, access to them cannot be left to the whims of the market or to the arbitrary choices of government actors. Governments must take concrete steps to guarantee these goods using the maximum available resources. This entails the equitable generation, allocation and expenditure of fiscal resources.   Increasingly, human rights actors are clarifying how these standards should be implemented. For example, the Center for Economic and Social Rights recently published the Principles for Human Rights in Fiscal Policy, offering guidance for how to create a new fiscal contract that is human-rights centered.   This human rights framework also includes extraterritorial obligations, which require states to cooperate internationally and refrain from actions that could threaten the rights of those living outside of their territory.   Drawing on these standards and principles, RBE could overhaul the neocolonial global economic system, especially pertaining to tax and debt, and replace it with a system that transforms power imbalances between the global North and South.   The global economy is interconnected through transnational companies, financial policies and trade deals in ways that reproduce historical racial oppression rooted in the legacies of colonialism, slavery and apartheid despite their formal abolition.   A recent groundbreaking statement issued by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination demonstrates how these dynamics have also fueled vaccine inequity. Decolonizing the global economy is crucial for creating an equitable, just, safe and healthy planet for all.   These are just some of the ways RBE could facilitate a new social contract by demanding accountability from governments to catalyze greater action for the redistribution of resources and power, enabling human dignity and planetary flourishing.   How RBE intersects with other alternative economic models   RBE seeks to complement other progressive alternative models. For example, it learns from and aligns with many aspects of buen vivir, stressing the need to work in harmony with nature instead of exploiting it, recognizing the intrinsic worth of the environment and aiming to decolonize and democratize the economy, both locally and globally.   RBE also aligns with many feminist demands, including calls to rebuild the social organization of care and dismantle all forms of patriarchal domination in the economy, from ensuring substantive gender equality to establishing gender-responsive, universal and comprehensive social protection schemes which are radically redistributive in nature.   As former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has stated, “a human rights-based economy is inevitably a feminist economy.”   Lastly, RBE embraces key premises of degrowth, namely that GDP is not a proxy for well-being and that there is not a causal relationship between commodity production and social outcomes.   A call for action, solidarity and mobilization   RBE and the calls to craft a new eco-social contract both point to the urgency of transforming the current economic system. UN leaders have repeatedly reiterated the urgency of this task, with the Secretary-General calling for a new social contract rooted in human rights and the need for an overhaul of the global financial system.   The task ahead of us now is to build momentum and power, and to replace the neoliberal economic narrative of market efficiency with new narratives and visions of our own. To move ahead, we must simultaneously break down silos and bridge the social movements working on issues of human rights, climate change, gender equality, tax justice and social justice.   It is only through our solidarity and mobilization that we can establish a Rights-Based Economy towards a social contract that can meet the social, economic and environmental challenges of our time.   http://www.unrisd.org/en/library/blog-posts/how-a-rights-based-economy-can-help-us-overcome-the-social-economic-and-environmental-challenges-of- http://www.unrisd.org/en/library/blog-posts/inequality-is-a-barrier-to-social-justice-here-is-how-it-can-be-overcome Visit the related web page
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