Defending Human Rights: A Resource Book for Human

• To submit to governmental bodies and agencies
and organizations concerned with public affairs
criticism and proposals for improving their
functioning and to draw attention to any aspect
of their work that may impede the realization of
human rights;
• To make complaints about official policies and
acts relating to human rights and to have such
complaints reviewed;
• To offer and provide professionally qualified
legal assistance or other advice and assistance in
defence of human rights;
• To attend public hearings, proceedings and trials
in order to assess their compliance with national
law and international human rights obligations;
• To unhindered access to and communication
with non-govern-mental and intergovernmental
organizations;
• To benefit from an effective remedy;
• To the lawful exercise of the occupation or
profession of human rights defender;
• To effective protection under national law in
reacting against or opposing, through peaceful
means, acts or omissions attributable to the State
that result in violations of human rights;
• To solicit, receive and utilize resources for the
purpose of protecting human rights (including
the receipt of funds from abroad).
(E) Other comments
The Declaration is seen by some critics as an
unsatisfactory result, considering the time it has
taken member states to agree on a text and the fact
that it contains certain articles that still limit rights
of defenders.
This was the first mechanism to be created at
the international level to protect human rights
defenders in accordance with the rights enshrined
in the Declaration. Ms. Hina Jilani, a noted human
rights attorney from Pakistan, was appointed as
the first Special Representative. The Commission
on Human Rights’ successor body, the UN Human
Rights Council, decided to continue the mandate
for consecutive periods of three years in 2008
(resolution 7/8) and in 2011 (resolution 16/5). In
March 2008, Mrs. Margaret Sekaggya, a Ugandan
magistrate and former Chairperson of the Uganda
Human Rights Commission, was appointed to
the mandate, which at this point changed title to
become Special Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights defenders.
The Special Rapporteur undertakes activities in
complete independence of any State, is not a United
Nations staff member and does not receive a salary.
The Special Rapporteur’s mandate is to conduct the
following main activities:
• To seek, receive, examine and respond to
information on the situation of human rights
defenders;
• To establish cooperation and conduct dialogue
with Governments and other interested actors
on the promotion and effective implementation
of the Declaration;
• To recommend effective strategies better to
protect human rights defenders and follow up
on these recommendations;
• To integrate a gender perspective throughout
her work.
The Human Rights Council urged all Governments
to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur and to
provide all information requested. The Special
Rapporteur is requested to submit annual reports to
the Council and to the General Assembly.
The Mandate of the United Nations
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights
Defenders
In 2000, less than two years after the adoption of
the Declaration, the UN Commission on Human
Rights unanimously adopted resolution 2000/61
that called on the Secretary General to appoint a
Special Representative on human rights defenders.
(A) A broad approach to implementation of
the Declaration
The Special Rapporteur’s formal mandate is a
very broad one, requiring the identification of
strategies, priorities and activities to implement it.
The “protection” of human rights defenders is the
Special Rapporteur’s overriding concern. Protection
is understood to include the protection of defenders
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Defending Human Rights: A Resource Book for Human Rights Defenders | 2nd Edition