Leading NGOs urge States to reject proposals from Russia, Cuba and Pakistan to weaken civil society protections

25 September 2013

RE: Amendmentsproposed by Cuba, Pakistan and the Russian Federation to:
Draft resolution A/HRC/24/L.24 on “Civil society space - Creating andmaintaining, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment”, and
Draft resolution A/HRC/24/L.17 on “Cooperation with the United Nations, itsrepresentatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights”

Excellencies,

Civil society hasan important and legitimate role to play in the promotion and protection ofhuman rights and should not be subject to intimidation or reprisals for playingthis role.

It is in thiscontext that the undersigned NGOs urge your government to support the twoabovementioned resolutions and to reject amendments tabled by Cuba, Pakistanand the Russian Federation.

Draft L.24 on civilsociety space provides a crucial opportunity for the Human Rights Council toaddress the challenges facing States in their efforts to ensure space for civilsociety through the convening of a panel discussion in 2014.

Draft L.17, betterknown as the resolution on reprisals, presents a long overdue response to theissue of reprisals and intimidation against those who cooperate with the UNhuman rights system through, inter alia, the creation of a UN wide focal pointand a call on States to ensure protection of the right to access andcommunicate with international bodies in national legislation.

These resolutionsare essential to efforts to promote and protect civil society space, and tomove beyond rhetoric in addressing the issue of reprisals and intimidationagainst those who cooperate with the UN human rights system.

The proposedamendments run counter to the spirit and purpose of these important resolutionsand would significantly weaken both the normative and institutional elements ofthe texts.

The amendments inquestion have been tabled by governments that have a history of failure tosupport and protect the work of civil society and human rights defenders. Weurge you to demonstrate your government’s respect for the role of civil societyand commitment to the work of human rights defenders, by rejecting theamendments and supporting the texts as tabled.

Yours sincerely,

Phil Lynch

Director -International Service for Human Rights

On behalf of:

African Center forDemocracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS)

African DemocracyForum

AmnestyInternational

Asian Forum forHuman Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

Cairo Institute ofHuman Rights Studies (CIHRS)

Canadian HIV/AIDSLegal Network

Centre for Civiland Political Rights (CCPR-Centre)

Civicus WorldAlliance for Citizen Participation

Conectas DireitosHumanos

Commonwealth HumanRights Initiative (CHRI)

East and Horn ofAfrica Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP)

Egyptian Initiativefor Personal Rights (EIPR)

Human Rights HouseFoundation (HRHF)

Human Rights Watch

InternationalCommission of Jurists (ICJ)

InternationalRehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)

InternationalService for Human Rights (ISHR)

West African HumanRights Defenders Network (WAHRDN)

World OrganisationAgainst Torture (OMCT)