His Excellency Stefano Dejak, Ambassador of Italy to Uganda, paid a courtesy call to the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) and Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) at Human Rights House in Kampala this morning, where he was welcomed by the Director of EHAHRDP’s Board, Mr Livingstone Sewanyana, Executive Director of FHRI, and Mr Hassan Shire, Executive Director of EHAHRDP and Chairperson of the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network, as well as staff members of both organisations.

The Ambassador expressed his appreciation for the work of EHAHRDP in promoting and protecting the rights of human rights defenders throughout the East and Horn of Africa sub-region. “Human rights defenders are essential partners in promoting democracy and good governance,” said H.E. Mr Dejak. “We see individuals and organisations giving their all to build fairer societies and at times facing threats as a result of their courageous work. EHAHRDP gives them the support they need to carry on.”

Based in Kampala since 2005, EHAHRDP is the secretariat of a network of human rights defenders from Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia (and Somaliland), South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Through its three main programmes of Protection and Security, Capacity-Building, and Advocacy and Research, EHAHRDP seeks to strengthen the work of human rights defenders by reducing their vulnerability to the risk of persecution and by enhancing their capacity to effectively defend human rights.

The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) is an independent, non-governmental, non-partisan and not-for-profit human rights organization that seeks to enhance the knowledge, respect and observance of human rights, promote exchange of information and best practices through training, education, research, legislative advocacy, and strategic partnerships in Uganda. FHRI continues to advocate for a human rights friendly legislative and policy framework and human rights practices in order to improve the operating environment of human rights defenders in Uganda.

For more information on the work of EHAHRDP, please visit www.defenddefenders.org and follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/humanrightsdefendersproject and Twitter @EHAHRDP.

For media enquiries, please contact: Mr Hassan Shire, Executive Director: +256 772 753 753, [email protected] and [email protected] Ms Rachel Nicholson, Advocacy Officer: +256 778 921 274 or [email protected]