Latest updates

UN report sheds light on procedural shortcomings in criminal proceedings against African and Afrodescendants.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)'s report on reparatory justice recognises that reparations are necessary to dismantle systemic racism.

In the context of the presentation of a UN report on reparations, ISHR and Coalizão Negra por Direitos (CND) issued a joint statement urging States to fully implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA), the UN’s blueprint to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance globally.

On 3 October 2025, Ireland and Uruguay delivered a cross-regional statement on reprisals on behalf of 70 States and the European Union during a General Debate at the Third Committee of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

During HRC60 Item 10 Technical assistance and capacity-building for Yemen in the field of human rights, Yemeni woman human rights defender Abha Abdullah Baawedan delivered a joint statement on behalf of ISHR, the Justice4Yemen Pact Coalition, and DT Institute.

The public session of the 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR, or African Commission) will be held in Banjul, The Gambia, from 21 to 30 October 2025. The public session will be preceded by the NGO Forum, which will also be held in Banjul from 17 to 19 October 2025.

Our new case study shows how human rights defenders, mobilising to demand accountability for Africans and people of African descent and confronting systemic racism and police violence in the US and worldwide, have achieved tangible impact at the UN. Discover how their coordinated efforts raised awareness and generated significant recognition within the UN.

The UN General Assembly’s principal human rights committee—the Third Committee—has kicked off its deliberations. This year’s session will run for 7 weeks from 3 October to 21 November 2025. The Committee will be chaired by the Permanent Representative of Thailand. We present some key issues on the agenda below.

On 18 September 2025, the Réseau Nigérien des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (RNDDH), in partnership with the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), organised an advocacy workshop in Niamey on the establishment of a national mechanism for the protection of human rights defenders in Niger.

From 16 to 17 September 2025, the Réseau Nigérien des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (RNDDH), in partnership with the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), organised in Niamey a workshop on the dissemination of the law defining the rights and duties of human rights defenders in Niger.

The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) of Mali has developed a manual on the protection of human rights defenders to facilitate implementation of its protection mandate.

From 3 to 4 July 2025, with financial support from the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) of Mali organised a training workshop for human rights defenders on the legal framework and the national mechanism for their protection.