Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) play a crucial role in advancing economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights for everyone. Despite their vital contribution, they encounter many challenges, including severe restrictions on civic space, widespread attempts to deny the universality of human rights, not to mention grave human rights violations such as arbitrary detention, criminalization, torture, enforced disappearances, and killings. These threats are all too often intensified in conflict situations and by the use of new technologies for surveillance.

Addressing the protection needs of HRDs in all their dimensions is crucial, especially in the current context of shrinking civic space and rising extremism, populism, and nationalism. These trends have significantly eroded democratic values and increased the risks faced by HRDs. In this challenging environment, it is essential to focus on the protection of HRDs and the sustainability of the wider civil society context to which they belong, including for young HRDs, so that they can carry on their vital work.

Against this background, as a way to commemorate International Human Rights Day and International Human Rights Defenders Day, and also marking the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the EU Guidelines on HRDs, OHCHR’s Regional Office for Europe and the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), in partnership with the EU HRD Mechanism - ProtectDefenders.eu and the Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN), will host on 9 December 2024 in the European Parliament in Brussels a spotlight event on HRDs.

Follow the event on 9 December, 3:00 PM, online right here.