Deadline: 13 June 2018
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders will submit a report to the 73rd Session of the General Assembly focused on the situation of human rights defenders in the world. This report will be complemented and informed by a comprehensive county-by-country analysis of their situation and it will update the 2006 report of the former Special Representative Hina Jilani (E/CN.4/2006/95/Add.5), titled ‘Compilation of developments in the area of human rights defenders’.

To this end, the Special Rapporteur has prepared a “Questionnaire on the situation of human rights defenders” for States, international organizations, National Human Rights Institutions and civil society organisations and human rights defenders. Please send your responses in Word-format to defenders@ohchr.org and reg istry@ohchr.org, using the email title: “Human Rights Defenders mandate: Submissions to the Questionnaire” and not exceeding 500 words per response.

If you are a Member or Honorary member of the ICCA Consortium, please also send your responses to the Consortium’s International Policy Coordinator, Holly Jonas.

Questionnaire for States, international organizations and National Human Rights Institutions in
English French Spanish

Questionnaire for civil society organisations and human rights defenders in
English French Spanish

Alert: In Gabon, Massaha community denounces the government’s attempts to circumvent Minister’s commitment to secure their sacred forest

The long-awaited Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework – just adopted in December 2022 – explicitly recognizes the territories and rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. This new international instrument further bolsters previous Gabonese government commitments to protect the sacred forest of the community of Massaha. However, the government has yet to follow through on these promises, leaving the community searching for answers amidst conflicting messages. The ICCA Consortium reiterates our solidarity with the Massaha community and calls on the government of Gabon to live up to its laudable commitments.  Read more ▸

A Rights-based Path for People and Planet

The fourth paper of the series by “Human Rights and Biodiversity Working Group” highlights what it takes to integrate a human rights-based approach in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and how it can be done during the UN Biodiversity Summit COP15. Read more ▸

Dialogue on Indigenous and community leadership in conservation: Enhancing North–South collaboration for the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

On December 6, Rights and Resources Imitative, the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership (CRP), and the ICCA Consortium—in partnership with the Canadian Research Chair in Human Rights, Health, and the Environment, Montreal International and the Christensen Fund—will co-host a pre-COP15 dialogue on Indigenous and community leadership in conservation. Read more ▸

Invitation to the virtual workshop on “rangelands and pastoralism: towards a global initiative for pastoralists’ territories of life”

ICCA Consortium, in collaboration with UNDP’s Global Support Initiative for ICCAs (GSI), the GEF Small Grants Programme, and the International Support Group for the IYRP, is pleased to announce a second virtual workshop on this topic. The overall aim of the workshop is to initiate a collaborative global initiative that is deeply supportive of pastoralists’ territories of life and their self-determined priorities and plans. Read more ▸

Dana+20 manifesto renews call to recognize and respect the rights of Mobile Peoples

The manifesto is a call to action for governments, conservationists, businesses, and other stakeholders and duty-bearers to recognize and respect the rights of Mobile Peoples and to deepen mutual understanding about the place of mobile ways of life in the future of our world. It was issued after a four-day meeting on the 20th anniversary of the Dana Declaration on Mobile Peoples and Conservation. Read more ▸