Derechos Humanos / Human Rights

On 19 June 2024, the Declaration+25 was launched to supplement the original UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted 25 years ago. The Declaration has been pivotal in affirming the right to defend human rights and outlining the responsibilities of states and society to support and protect human rights defenders. Despite its influence, implementation has been inconsistent. In response, 18 human rights organizations consulted over 700 defenders and experts to identify areas for improvement.

The Declaration+25, grounded in international law and defenders’ lived experiences, aims to ensure more robust protection for human rights defenders now and in the future.

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Please, HELP this Act take the next step

The Resolve Tibet Act has been passed by the House of Representatives, which is a huge step forward for a bill that aims to bring China back to the negotiating table with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration.

The bill will clarify American policy, telling China that the dispute with China is not resolved. It also refutes Beijing's false claim that Tibet has historically belonged to China and states that the PRC has failed to meet the expectations of the United States to engage in meaningful dialogue with Tibetans.

It’s not often that China is called to account for its human rights record. One of those rare opportunities is coming up in just a few days.

The Chinese government’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council is scheduled for Jan. 23 in Geneva. The UPR takes place just once every five years, and it gives countries around the world the chance to raise concerns and demand answers from Beijing about its human rights violations.

Our ICT staff will be traveling to the UPR to help hold China accountable. But we want to carry your voices with us. Please sign our petition today urging UN Human Rights Council member states to raise Tibetans’ human rights at China’s Universal Periodic Review.

The human rights situation in Tibet is urgent:

Issued on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 2023.

Individuals and Institutions may endorse
this declaration by filling out the form
at the foot of the text you may find
by clicking HERE

Global reports on the state of democracy and human rights indicate that democracy is threatened and authoritarianism is on the rise. Civic space and freedoms are fiercely and increasingly restricted in many countries. In addition, democratic backsliding or a decline in the quality of democracy is occurring in newer as well as long-established democracies across all regions.

In this situation, the United Nations needs to do more to strengthen human rights and democracy. The undersigned organizations and individuals thus call for the creation of a new mandate by the UN’s Human Rights Council: a UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy (UNRoD).

Protecting human rights is a fundamental pillar of the UN and democracy is one of its core values. The opening words of the UN Charter, “We the Peoples,” imply support for democracy. They underscore the central democratic principle that public authority must derive from the will of the people.

A democratic society offers the best conditions for guaranteeing human rights for all, in particular minorities and excluded groups. At the same time, full implementation of human rights is a foundation of a democratic society. The UN needs to recognize the nexus between democracy and human rights and help further strengthen democratic governance. A UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy will serve this purpose.