Background

In line with the Human Rights Council's request to study trends, developments and challenges concerning human rights defenders (A/HRC/RES/16/5), the Special Rapporteur will focus her next thematic report on the situation of human rights defenders who, because of their geographic isolation, experience particular difficulties.

It is widely recognized that human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas are vital to the realization and enjoyment of human rights. Such areas can frequently only count on a weak presence of the state, are often neglected by human rights monitoring agencies, have fewer civil society support structures in place and receive less media attention. Human rights defenders in these areas also play a key role in ensuring the functioning and legitimacy of public institutions, processes and the rule of law.

An environment in which human rights defenders can work safely is one of the pre-conditions for a healthy democracy. The Special Rapporteur has received continuous and increasing reports of the difficulties experienced by human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas in accessing support and resources which should be readily available to them, threatening their work and their safety. They are also frequently excluded from meaningful consultation in matters which have a significant impact on their lives and livelihoods.

She notes with concern that human rights defenders who work out of the national or international spotlight are often attacked, threatened, sidelined or undermined for their work peacefully promoting the rights of others. These attacks are invariably under-reported. Yet despite very challenging circumstances, some have achieved notable success in their work.

The Special Rapporteur has identified remote and isolated defenders as a priority in her work, as outlined in her 2020 report the General Assembly (A/75/165), including through communications sent to governments and other actors, and meetings and consultations with human rights defenders in remote and isolated spaces.

Objectives

Specific objectives of the report

• Assess the nature of risks, threats and attacks against human rights defenders who work in remote or isolated contexts. Particular emphasis will be given to:

  o the nature, extent and source of risks for human rights defenders working from these contexts;
  o trends and patterns of difficulties faced by such human rights defenders in different regions of the world, including lack of opportunities, lack of access to resources, lack of meaningful consultation and lack of digital connectivity;
  o the gender-specific obstacles faced by women human rights defenders working in remote and isolated contexts.

• Identify and explore effective preventive and protection measures for human rights defenders working in remote or isolated contexts, including collective and self-organised protection, and lessons learnt from them. Discuss practical ways to improve their implementation and dissemination;
• Highlight successes achieved by human rights defenders working in remote and isolated spaces;
• Provide a platform for dialogue between stakeholders to share experiences and knowledge across regions;
• Share examples of useful steps taken by States, UN entities, businesses, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and human rights defenders.

Methods of work

In order to achieve the specific objectives of the report, different activities and outputs are planned. In particular:

• A questionnaire distributed to relevant stakeholders including UN Member States, international and regional organizations, national human rights institutions, civil society and human rights defenders. This will have the aim of identifying current trends in threats to human rights defenders working in remote or isolate spaces, as well as good practices and lessons learnt.
• All contributions received in Word accessible formats will be published on OHCHR’s website.
• Analysis of communications and press releases concerning human rights defenders working in remote and isolated spaces sent by the mandate to States and other relevant stakeholders;
• Consultations with human rights defenders to collect testimonies and identify common experiences;
• On-line expert meetings to assist the Special Rapporteur in the identification of recommendations to the different stakeholders involved in the protection of human rights defenders working in remote and isolated spaces and on good practices and lessons learnt to support them;
• The aforementioned consultations and expert meetings will be held under Chatham House Rule (participants are free to utilize the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s) or of any other participant, may be revealed).

Key questions and types of input/comments sought

Please provide information on the following issues/topics

To States

Human rights defenders are persons, who individually or in association with others, work peacefully to promote and protect universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

1. How does your Government support and protect human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas? Please provide specific examples, where possible.
2. Have there been any cases of human rights defenders in remote or isolated areas physically attacked, including killed, in your country between 1 May 2020 and 30 June 2024? What action has been taken to bring the perpetrators to justice? Please provide details of cases, if possible.
3. Have cases of attacks, intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas been investigated and prosecuted? Please provide details of cases if available.
4. Could you please share good practices (evidence-based) that have proved effective in protecting human right defenders working in remote or isolated areas?
5. Has your government adopted any specific policies or practices to ensure that human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas are adequately involved in policy and legislative decisions, including but not limited to consultations on draft laws?
6. Do remote or grassroots human rights defenders and civil society organisations have access to protection networks and mechanisms on equal basis to those working in capitals or other metropolitan centres?
7. How has your Government publicized and celebrated the work of human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas in your country?
8. For governments with Human Rights Defender Guidelines for their diplomatic missions, please comment on how your staff ensure outreach to, inclusion of and consultation with human rights defenders based in remote or isolated areas. Please give specific examples.

To businesses/international financial institutions/donors

Human rights defenders are persons, who individually or in association with others, work peacefully to promote and protect universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

1. Does your business/IFI/foundation identify and assess risks for human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas as part of your due diligence processes?
2. What steps has your business/IFI/foundation taken to mitigate risks for human rights defenders in these contexts? Please provide specific examples.
3. How do you ensure that human rights defenders in remote or isolated areas can participate in consultations with your business/IFI/foundation in the course of your due diligence processes? How do you mitigate the risk of retaliation that they may face for doing so. Please provide specific examples.
4. Have there been any cases of human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas related to any of your projects or enterprises who were physically attacked, including killed, between 1 May 2020 and 30 June 2024? What actions did you take in response to these attacks?
5. Could you please share good practices (evidence-based) that have proved effective in mitigating risks for human right defenders working in remote or isolated areas?
6. How has your business/IFI publicized and celebrated the work of human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas and better including them in decision-making?

To CSOs and human rights defenders

Human rights defenders are persons, who individually or in association with others, work peacefully to promote and protect universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

1. Does the Government of the country in which you work support and protect human rights defenders working in remote and isolated areas? Please provide specific examples, where possible.
2. Have there been any cases of human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas physically attacked, including killed, in your country between 1 May 2020 and 30 June 2024? What action has been taken to bring the perpetrators to justice? Please provide details of cases, where possible.
3. Have cases of attacks, intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas been investigated and prosecuted? Please provide details of cases if available.
4. Could you please share good practices (evidence-based) that have proved effective in protecting human right defenders working in remote or isolated areas?
5. Has the Government of the country in which you work adopted specific policies, practical or legislative measures to ensure that defenders working in remote and isolated areas are able to engage meaningfully on an equal footing with other parts of civil society, in consultations on policy and legislative initiatives? If that’s not the case, what kind of measures would be impactful in this regard?
6. Have defenders working in remote or isolated areas in your country experienced any difficulties in accessing digital communication, financial resources, consultations and decision-making domestically or internationally, due to being geographically less connected?
7. How has your Government publicized and celebrated the work of human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas? Please provide specific examples, where possible.
8. What more could your Government do to help protect and include human rights defenders working in remote or isolated areas?

How inputs will be used?

All submissions received in Word/PDF accessible formats will be published on OHCHR's website.