Summary

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, takes stock of the 25 years that have passed since the adoption of 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 (Declaration on Human Rights Defenders), and highlights examples of achievements and success stories that human rights defenders have shared with her. The report includes examples of accessing justice, changing laws, protecting the vulnerable and holding businesses to account. The report offers a change in focus from the violations committed against human rights defenders to their often uncredited successes.