7th session of the UN Human Rights Council: Statement by the International Coalition on Women Human Rights Defenders on the Review of the Mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders

Statement on the Review of the Mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders

Oral Intervention by the International Coalition on Women Human Rights Defenders

14 March 2008

Mr. President,

The International Coalition on Women Human Rights Defenders, comprised of 18 international, regional and national women’s rights and human rights organisations, strongly supports the renewal of the mandate of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders.

As a Special Representative of the Secretary General, the mandate holder has access to the highest levels of the UN and to governments, and is therefore uniquely placed to play an essential role in supporting and protecting human rights defenders. The successful collaborations of the mandate with UN agencies, representatives of governments, and members of civil society since 2000 has resulted in the increased visibility of human rights situations concerning human rights defenders and their work. . It has also improved the protection provided to them and as a consequence helped to make the voices of victims heard. Our organisations and many others have come to rely on the mandate as one of the most responsive and effective means to assist defenders at risk, with tangible outcomes, such as the release of defenders from prison or the curtailment of attacks against them.

We would like to congratulate the current and founding Special Representative, Hina Jilani for her comprehensive work on violations related to defence of all human rights for all, and for her work on women human rights defenders “who are at risk to certain forms of violence and restrictions because they are women, and because of the controversial issues they advocate for”. Her courageous and thoughtful work inspired the launching of the International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders in 2005, which has evolved into the current coalition, influencing policy on women human rights defenders, providing timely and systematic interventions for their protection, and helping to sustain their activism.

2008 marks the 10th anniversary of the Human Rights Defenders Declaration, and the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On this occasion we urge the Human Rights Council to affirm the renewal of the mandate of the Special Representative, including its commitment to effectively integrate human rights of women as well as include a gender perspective in its work.

Thank you Mr. President.

Amnesty International (AI), Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum Asia), Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Centre for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL), Front Line, Information Monitor (Inform), International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), ISIS-Women's International Cross-Cultural Exchange (ISIS-WICCE), The Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defence of Women's Rights (CLADEM), Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, Human Rights First, International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), MADRE (an international women’s human rights organisation), Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Rights (UAF), Women’s Initiative for Gender Justice (WIGJ).