Global Human Rights Defence’s Post

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) as the Secretariat of the Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI), in partnership with the Law and Society Trust, will launch the ANNI Report - Sri Lanka Chapter on 30th May in Colombo. Click the QR links to watch it live. Join us for an in-depth discussion on Sri Lanka's performance in addressing and mitigating challenges during the reporting period of 2021-2022, a crucial time of post-pandemic response and recovery. This event will feature key insights from the report and provide a platform for dialogue on the progress and areas for improvement in the nation's human rights landscape. The ANNI Report 2023 is a biennial report on the performance and establishment of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in Asia. Sakuntala Kadirgamar Farzana Haniffa #lawandsocietytrust #forumasia #ANNI #humanrights #humanrightdefenders #repressivelaws #lawreforms #SriLanka #lk

📢 Call for Contributions 📢 HuMENA For Human Rights and Civic Engagement is seeking contributors to write about various topics related to the Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (FoPA) in #Lebanon and #Tunisia. Contributors are invited to address these topics from the perspective of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly (or) examine their influence on it. 📝 Topics include, but are not limited to: • Women's Rights • LGBTQI+ • Urbanism • Intersectionality • Technology • Activism • Climate Justice • Art • Digital Surveillance and Repression • Social Movements • Security and Policing 📝 Contribution Details: • Word Count: 2,500 - 3,500 words • Language: Arabic or English 📌 How to submit: Contributors are invited to submit a concise abstract (subject, methodology, and outline), at most 400 words, to FoPA@humena.org. If approved, we will contact you. Previous Writing Examples: Kindly provide examples of your previous writing when submitting your idea. Submissions must be sent before May 28, 2024. Full details at: https://lnkd.in/e4wRR9xB --

In 2023, members of the Women’s Dialogue Space (WDS) in the Somali Regional State (SRS) of Ethiopia formally registered ‘Ugaaso’ as an independent civil society organisation in Ethiopia and adopted its current name, which translates as a feminine form of the title given to traditional leaders in Somali culture. Ugaaso-WDS aims to improve women’s participation in decision-making and has the overarching objective of challenging the patriarchal norms and structures that undermine women’s public and political roles in the SRS. This paper aims to showcase some of the innovations and lessons emerging from Ugaaso-WDS, highlighting the strategies that have helped it gain traction to advance women’s political representation and participation. Download here: https://buff.ly/47PmKKt

Democracy is a system of government in which laws, policies, leadership, and major undertakings of a state or other polity are directly or indirectly decided by the “people,” a group historically constituted by only a minority of the population. On this International Day of Democracy, UNYSA Bangladesh- Rajshahi Division, reaffirms our commitment to empowering young voices in Bangladesh's democratic process. Today, we celebrate the power of youth participation in shaping our nation's future. Join us in promoting and celebrating this day! #DemocracyDay #UNYSAB_Rajshahi_Division

The Feminist Movement Role in Promoting Human Rights in Yemen The policy paper launched by Qarar Foundation for Media and Development, in partnership with the Peace Path Initiative Foundation (PTI), Elbarlament, TOBE Foundation for Rights and Liberties , with funding from the European Union (EU), on “The Feminist Movement Role in Promoting Human Rights in Yemen" , The importance of the study : highlighting the feminist movement role in Yemen and its ability to influence the promotion of human rights. understanding the role played by the feminist movement in Yemen in promoting human rights and the extent of its influence in fulfilling this role. To read the paper: https://lnkd.in/dhs9djUA Peace Track Initiative مبادرة مسار السلام elbarlament.org مــؤســسة أكــون To Be للـحقـوق للحـريـــات مؤسسة قرار - Qarar Foundation

🧷 In a recent article for Pakistan Observer Dr Muhammad Shahzad Ashfaq examines the role of social media in an otherwise controlled setting, fostering a powerful platform for dispersal of news, information, and varied point of views while simultaneously serving as a hotbed for anonymity and digital violence. Ashfaq addresses the potential consequences of misuse of social media in the form of misinformation, bandwagons of hatred, mob violence, and targeted assaults. He urges the endorsement of peace through digital literacy programs to alleviate root causes, emphasizing on promoting interfaith dialogue and cultural exchanges to resolve the disparities. He summarizes the challenges of undertaking such a task and calls upon public figures to mobilize the movement to eradicate the vices prevailing in social media, galvanizing society towards inclusivity and peace. To read the full article, click on the link below 👇 https://lnkd.in/dKaKTvmc His profile: could not find. The writer is Post-Doctorate (Peace Education), International Islamic University, Islamabad. #Pakistan #PakistanObserver

It is great to see "The Impact of the United Nations Human Rights Treaties on the Domestic Level: Twenty Years On" published as an open access book by Brill. This book is dedicated to the memory of late Professor Christof Heyns. I am proud to have contributed to this leading study with a chapter on Turkey co-authored with Professor Başak Çalı and İlayda Eskitaşçıoğlu, PhD. Our chapter sheds light on the human rights developments of Turkey in the last twenty years 👇 https://lnkd.in/dZZ8_wjG

Another step in the Arab regional consultations on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action after 30 years of implementation with Civil Society organisations and women's groups. Watch this space for their upcoming Outcome Document!

Various media organizations in Afghanistan, including the Human Rights Watch and Media Organization, have expressed concerns that the Doha Conference did not invite genuine civil society activists. Instead, some individuals who claimed to represent civil society were invited from other countries, which is alarming as they cannot adequately represent the thousands of human rights and media activists in Afghanistan.  Suppose the international community wants to collaborate with real activists from Afghan civil society. In that case, it must listen to the voices of those working alongside the Islamic Emirate throughout the country. The individuals invited to the Doha Conference in the name of civil society were not representative of Afghanistan's civil society. Inviting representatives from other countries as civil society activists on behalf of Afghanistan could be detrimental to the operations of real civil society in the country. Therefore, we urge the international community to invite genuine activists of Afghan civil society to such meetings to ensure that the voices of the Afghan people are accurately represented.

17/10/2024 I was honoured to be part of the panel to speak about Artistic Freedom at the Public Symposium organized by PEN at Goethe Zentrum Kampala. Some of the insights I shared is the fact that women have been silent for decades because of patriarchal systems and structures in our societies, self censorship and the fact that they always tied in the domestic arena, giving birth to children, taking care of their homes, children and husbands. Women were not allowed to speak or express themselves in public which is embedded in the African culture. Well, the Universal declaration of human rights and Uganda's constitution article 29 guarantees everyone the freedom of expression but the question is, how free are we to express ourselves in the face of censorship, social systems and structures. Credit to FEMRITE - Uganda women writers Association which has created space and an enabling environment for women to write, share and publish their stories and opportunities like regional residencies for Women to get out of the domestic arena to write and express themselves. There is need to create more spaces and a more favourable, safe and enabling environment for women to express themselves. Furthermore, Women should break out of the good box and express themselves beyond all barriers. Also government should consider supporting the arts just as it supports other sectors. Kudos to PEN for always supporting freedom of expression and Literary arts 🎉💯