STATEMENT ON WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY

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.”

Read More

King’s Day Statement.

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.

Read More

Human Rights Defender of the month: Dr. Zahara Nampewo

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.

Read More

Updates from April 2025

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.

Read More

Updates from March 2025

Hello Friends, March was a month of engagement and reflection on the urgent needs of human rights defenders (HRDs) across our region. As geopolitical dynamics shift and crises intensify, the threats facing HRDs have grown more complex—demanding coordinated responses and sustained solidarity.

Read More