DefendDefenders’ oral statements at HRC59
16 June 2025
Oral statements delivered during the 59th session of the UN
Oral statements delivered during the 59th session of the UN
In a joint letter released ahead of the UN Human
Since August 2024, and under the leadership of Hassan Shire, Executive Director of DefendDefenders and Chairperson of AfricanDefenders, two missions have been deployed to Somalia to evaluate the current landscape for human rights defenders (HRDs), 10 years after the launch of the report titled Between the Rock and the Hard Place.
Today, we join the rest of the world in commemorating World Press Freedom Day 2025 under the theme “Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media.”
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NGO Forum preceeding the 83rd ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to provide an update on the status of democracy, rule of law and human rights in East and Horn of Africaa over the last six months for the period October 2024 to May 2025.
We are pleased to convey our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for health and happiness to Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander, Sovereign of the Netherlands, and Queen Máxima on the occasion of the Dutch national unity celebrations and King’s Day.
Dr. Zahara Nampewo is a prominent Ugandan human rights lawyer, academic, and gender justice advocate with over two decades of experience in legal education, public interest litigation, and social justice. She currently serves as the Deputy Principal at the School of Law, Makerere University, and has been the Treasurer on the Board of DefendDefenders since 2019. Widely regarded as a thought leader across Africa, Dr. Nampewo is known for her expertise in academia, gender equality, access to justice, and governance.
Hello Friends,
In the just concluded 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council Session (HRC58), our advocacy efforts focused on the extension of the mandate of the existing investigative mechanism, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS). During the session,the CHRSS presented its report. On the 2 April, a strong resolution in line with civil society expectations was passed at the initiative of core group (UK, Norway, Albania, Ireland. It enables the CHRSS to pursue its work for at least one year as South Sudan is facing a risk of relapse into chaos. Indeed, the country has been on the brink of relapse into large-scale civil war. Heavy fighting in several parts of the country and escalating tensions in Juba are threatening to nullify the 2018 revitalised peace agreement.
The UN Human Rights Council’s (HRC) 58th session (HRC58, 24 February-4 April 2025) saw the adoption of over 30 resolutions, many of which addressed country crises.
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