The Observatory on Public Policies for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

The FOCUS Observatory on Public Policies for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders is an online platform aimed at monitoring, analysing and promoting good practice in policy developments that governments and other state authorities adopt for protecting human rights defenders and their right to defend human rights on a global level.

Map of public policies

Click on any of the highlighted countries below to browse by location.

Key Elements

Who are human rights defenders? Why is it important to protect them? What is the role of the states in protecting them? In this section, we review all key elements linked to protection policies for human rights defenders.

PI publications

Protection International has been working on public policies since 2007. Over the years, we have gathered our expertise and good practices in research publications, practical tools and reports.

Browse

Browse through the database of document by region, or refine your search by country, type of document and author in the database section.

Latest additions

Colectivo de abogados José Alvear Restrepo (Cajar)
2024
Bogotá-Washington DC., March 18, 2024. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has issued a historic ruling in which it recognizes...
US Foreign Relations Committee
2024
January 31, 2024 WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and author of...
Protection International
2023
Olivier Ndoole is a human rights defender, but also a defender of defenders. He specializes in environmental and land rights....
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
2023
TEGUCIGALPA / GENEVA (31 October 2023) The legal and judicial system in Honduras has failed to ensure justice and accountability...
Protection International
2023
On the 4th of March 2018, governments, NGOs, academia and other stakeholders from the Latin American and Caribbean region signed...
ESPACIO_OSC
2023
17 May 2023, (9:30-18:00 hrs CST) The main objective of the International Seminar on Protection Policies for Human Rights Defenders...
Protection International
2023
On the 12th of December 2022, the Congolese National Assembly approved a draft national law on human rights defenders. This...
International Service for Human Rights
2023
On 19 October, with the support of ISHR, the Tanzanian Human Rights Defenders Coalition organised a one day event with...