Joint statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council El Salvador's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights Watch us deliver our statement below CIVICUS and FESPAD welcome El Salvador’s engagement with the UPR process.

Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Watch us deliver our statement below:   Dear Madame President, Research findings by the CIVICUS Monitor show a serious and rapid decline in respect for civic freedoms in India, Lebanon, Iraq, Nicaragua, and Guinea (countries on current civic space watchlist) In India, protests against a discriminatory citizenship law have been met with excessive force and deadly violence by the authorities, with at least 50 killed, and hundreds injured.

Joint statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Our organizations express grave concern over the human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir, where the authorities imposed severe restrictions after a decision to revoke constitutional autonomy on 5 August 2019, including one of the world’s longest internet shutdowns, which the Indian Supreme Court has said violates the right to freedom of expression.

Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council during Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Watch our statement below   We thank the Special Rapporteur for her final report on Myanmar (see all reports), and the outstanding work the mandate has carried out despite the lack of access granted to the country.

Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Watch us deliver our statement below:   Volunteer Activists and CIVICUS note with concern the continued closure of civic space through restrictive laws, arbitrary detention and a crackdown on civil society.

Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council during Interactive Dialogue with the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi Watch us deliver our statement below: CIVICUS and independent Burundian civil society organisations welcome the important work of the Commission of Inquiry, and thank the Commission for its update, despite the government of Burundi’s continued refusal to grant access to the country.

Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council The meaningful participation of people in governance is essential for securing human rights, social stability and peace.

Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Watch us deliver our statement below:   The report on intersessional meetings on the 2030 Agenda concluded that the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be attained without stronger, inclusive and meaningful public participation in the development and monitoring of policies.

Joint Letter at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council: UN Human Rights Council should ensure enhanced monitoring of the human rights situation in Nicaragua We, the undersigned human rights organizations, call on the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to adopt a resolution during the 43rd session, renewing and further strengthening the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Nicaragua, as specifically requested by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Joint statement by Earthjustice, Greenpeace, AIDA, Amnesty Internationa, CIEL, CIVICUS, CRIN, Human Rights Watch, The Global Initiative We welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report which usefully identifies a wealth of governmental good practices in recognizing and implementing a right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Joint statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council by Amnesty International India, CIVCUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, FORUM-ASIA and FIDH As the UN Human Rights Council meets in Geneva to discuss human rights developments globally, we urge states to speak up against serious human rights violations being committed in India against peaceful protesters and other civilians.

Joint statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council CIVICUS, IMADR, International Service on Human Rights, Franciscans International, Human Rights Watch, Forum Asia, Minority rights group international We are deeply concerned by indicators of a significant backsliding on human rights in Sri Lanka, underscored by the government using their address to the Council this week to go back on the important commitments made by Sri Lanka through HRC resolution 30/1.

Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council CIVICUS and Eritrean partner organisations welcome the work of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea and thank you for your update.

The four-week human rights council will sit from 24 February to 20 March, and there are a number of critical human rights resolutions up for debate, and for the 47 Council members to address.

Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Watch statement delivered by youth climate activist, Paloma Costa: My name is Paloma Costa and I am from a region where the Amazon is threatened and human rights seem to mean nothing.

To: Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council Re: The UN Human Rights Council should extend the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan Excellencies, We, the undersigned national, regional, and international non-governmental organisations, write to call on your delegation to actively support the extension of the mandate of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (“the CoHR”) during the upco- ming 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council (“the Council” or “the HRC”), which will take place from 24 February-20 March 2020.

Open Letter: UN member states must highlight Laos’s severely restrictive civic space environment at its upcoming UN human rights review Your Excellency, As you will be aware, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) will face its third review under the UN’s UPR mechanism on 21 January 2020.

The UN’s highest official principally responsible for human rights, High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, should publicly denounce the Hong Kong Government for its systematic violations of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, and condemn the unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by police in Hong Kong.

On 6 November 2019, Fiji’s human rights record will be reviewed by UN member states as part of the 34th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

Joint statement on Maldives ahead of human rights review in 2020 Civil society groups CIVICUS and FORUM-ASIA have submitted information to the UN Human Rights Council on civic freedoms in the country ahead of its review in 2020.

CIVICUS makes joint UN Universal Periodic Review submissions on civil society space in Honduras, Malawi and Maldives CIVICUS and its partners have made joint and stand-alone UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submissions on 3 countries in advance of the 36th UPR session (May 2020).

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Response to resolution on Cambodia CIVICUS welcomes the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Cambodia in a resolution which was passed by consensus today.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Response to resolution on Sudan CIVICUS welcomes the resolution on Sudan passed by the Human Rights Council this afternoon.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Response to resolution on reprisals CIVICUS welcomes the new resolution on reprisals, passed by the Human Rights Council this afternoon, which detailed trends and patterns in reprisals and identified the increased risk for those most marginalized.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Response to resolution on Burundi CIVICUS and members welcome the renewal of the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Statement on the situation of human rights in Sudan CIVICUS and the Sudanese Development Initiative are encouraged by the agreement reached between the Forces for Freedom and Change and the Transitional Military Council on 5 July 2019.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Joint statement during interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Cambodia CIVICUS and the Cambodian Center for Human Rights welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report.

ARABIC 42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Free Saudi WHRDs Coalition* praise the significant joint statement which was delivered  by Australia on behalf of a cross-regional group States expressing their concern over the persecution and intimidation of activists, including women human rights defenders, as well as in relation to reports of torture, extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearances, unfair trials, arbitrary detention and impunity.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Joint statement on Ethiopia's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights Mr President, CIVICUS and Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) welcome the government of Ethiopia’s engagement with the UPR process and particularly for accepting 131 out of 327 UPR recommendations.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Joint statement on Qatar's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights CIVICUS and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights note that since its 2nd UPR cycle in 2014, Qatar acceded to the ICCPR and the ICESCR as a major step towards realizing human rights in the country.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Joint statement on Equatorial Guinea's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights Mr President, EG Justice, Centro de Estudios e Iniciativas para el Desarrollo, ONG – Cooperación y Desarrollo, and CIVICUS welcome the government of Equatorial Guinea’s engagement with the UPR process and particularly for accepting 202 of 221 UPR recommendations.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Joint statement on Nicaragua's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights Red Local and CIVICUS welcome the government of Nicaragua's engagement with the UPR process.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Joint Statement: 20 NGOs express support for the Coordination Committee’s process to strengthen the work of the Special Procedures We deliver this statement on behalf of 20 NGOs.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Statement during Adoption of the UPR report of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire Mr President, CIVICUS welcomes the government of Côte d’Ivoire’s engagement with the UPR process.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Statement during interactive dialogue with the Assistant Secretary General on Reprisals We thank the Assistant Secretary General for presenting this essential report which shows that acts of reprisals are not aberrative, but rather are calculated steps taken to prevent human rights defenders from exposing human rights violations.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Countries of concern Civic space restrictions often precede wider human rights abuses.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Statement during Adoption of the Universal Periodic Review report of the Democratic Republic of Congo The Ligue des Droits de la personne dans la région des Grands Lacs (LDGL) and CIVICUS welcome the government of DRC's engagement with the UPR process.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Interactive Dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi CIVICUS and independent Burundian civil society organisations welcome the important work of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, and specifically this report which provides critical oversight of the human rights situation in the country.

ARABIC NGOs: Alarming trend of intimidation and reprisals on UN premises must be addressed urgently Joint Letter On August 23, 2019, 23 NGOs wrote to the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights (ASG), the President of the Human Rights Council (HRC), and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, to raise concerns over an alarming pattern of intimidation and reprisals faced by members of civil society during sessions of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Bodies.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council -Statement on report of Working Group on Arbitrary Detention CIVICUS thanks the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention for their report.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council -Interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Nicaragua -Joint statement from CIVICUS & RedLad It has been more than a year since the crisis began in Nicaragua, and violence and repression continue unabated.

42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council -General Debate on the oral update by the High Commissioner CIVICUS thanks the High Commissioner for your oral update, and especially the attention given to the risks faced by those exercising their rights to participation and freedom of peaceful assembly.

The forty-second Session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place from 9 to 27 September.

As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet prepares to present her report on Nicaragua on September 10th, in compliance with the March 21st Human Rights Council resolution “Promotion and protection of human rights in Nicaragua” (A/HRC/40/L.

All UN member states have their human rights records reviewed every 4.

Joint statement at the end of the 41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council By renewing the mandate of the Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), the Council has sent a clear message that violence and discrimination against people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities cannot be tolerated.

41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council Interactive dialogue on Sudan CIVICUS notes the efforts that have been made by the Sudanese authorities and Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) towards establishment of an OHCHR country office in Sudan in line with resolution 39/22 of the Human Rights Council.

41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council Interactive dialogue on the Democratic Republic of the Congo CIVICUS welcomes some positive first steps with regards to civic space taken by President Felix Tshisekedi during his first six months in office, including his commitment to release more than 500 political prisoners.

41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council -Interactive dialogue on the report from the High Commissioner on Nicaragua -Joint statement from CIVICUS & Red Local We note that the government of Nicaragua has yet to comply with some of the agreements reached with the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy during negotiations earlier this year.

Over 1300 civil society organisations from across the globe call for the renewal of the mandate of the Independent Expert on violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.