Strengthening Protection for Human Rights Defenders

Arranged by the Ford Foundation/Front Line Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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 Dear friends, 

• Welcome to you all. This issue – human rights defenders – is of vital importance to me, personally and in principle. A question of core values. I thank you for all the input and inspiration you give the Ministry through your work.

• I will start my intervention with the words of Kofi Annan: “When the rights of human rights defenders are violated, all our rights are put in jeopardy – and all of us are made less safe.” 

• We all know that in many parts of the world, defending human rights is one of the most dangerous things you can do. I rarely open a newspaper without reading about and being reminded of the threats and attacks on human rights defenders around the world. Their stories often make shocking news. So let me extend a warm welcome to all of you who have come here to find ways of developing a more systematic approach to their protection. 

• In my work as Foreign Minister, I have had the privilege of meeting many human rights defenders and activists. And I have seen what they – and you – are able to accomplish. The challenges. I am impressed by their extraordinary personal dedication to the cause of human rights – and their strength to persevere in spite of personal risk. 

• So, I would like to pay tribute to all the organisations and individuals dedicated to this cause who are here today.

• Your urgent interventions, your presence at trials, your field missions and training of defenders help to make them safer, to bring their stories to light. We rely on your analyses and first-hand information, your access to these stories about the daily hardships and hard-fought victories of defenders in the field.

• That is why this seminar is so important. For in order to improve our response, we depend on your input and cooperation. 

• Human rights defenders play an irreplaceable role in protecting victims, exposing abuses and demanding justice. Their idealism and persistence have many times changed the course of history.

• Human rights defenders have shown us that oppressive regimes seeking to bully people into silence cannot succeed. They may intimidate many, but there will always be voices that dare to speak out. 

• In some cases, human rights defenders have been forced to flee their country.

• For example, when the Iranian human rights defender, the lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei fled to Oslo this summer, he made it clear that his greatest hope is that he will be able to go back and continue his work as a lawyer in Iran. The desire to help others has always been his driving force, and deprived of the ability to work on behalf of his clients, he feels he has lost everything. Now – yesterday in fact – his family has come to Norway to join him.

• The work of human rights defenders often affects their families as well. Let me mention the prominent Chinese lawyer and human rights defender Gao Zhisheng as an example. He had been missing for more than a year when he suddenly returned for a short period in April this year.

• He surprised everybody by announcing his decision to give up this work of defending the most vulnerable groups in China. “I don’t have the capacity to persevere,” he said, referring to how greatly his work has affected his family, and how they have been harassed for years. No one has heard from him since April.

• The working conditions for human rights lawyers in China have deteriorated during the last year. On Monday this week, during an official visit to Beijing, I met a group of committed Chinese lawyers to get their first-hand information about the situation, about their mission. And I could compare this with the information I was given during my visit two years ago.

• We need human rights defenders who speak out for basic rights and influence their governments. Without a culture of human rights, democracy is undermined. The rule of law is weakened. We need lawyers who defend the marginalised and vulnerable and who challenge impunity. We need human rights defenders who defy cultural norms and attitudes regarding gender and sexuality. We need journalists who make us aware of abuses, reveal injustices and publish stories that challenge us.

• The realities on the ground are alarming, as we see from your reports. Defenders are harassed, arrested, tortured and killed. Individuals and groups are targeted simply for being human rights advocates. Targeted for raising their voices, being visible, raising their profile.

• We are witnessing increasing obstacles to freedom of expression, and seeing violent repression of peaceful dissent. Legislation is being adopted to restrict the independence of human rights defenders. Advocates for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender persons are being persecuted. Just to mention one issue.

• The work of human rights defenders is being jeopardised by violence. In my previous position as Secretary General for the Norwegian Red Cross, I witnessed the abuses committed against human rights defenders in times of conflict.

• This critical situation compels us to search for new ways to protect these brave individuals. The UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders reminds us that it is the responsibility of states not only to address human rights violations, but also to protect the individuals and groups who bring these violations to light. It is our obligation to ensure that human rights defenders can work without fear. We are working closely with civil society to this end. There are no “quick fix” solutions in this work.

• As a member of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, Norway is strongly committed to championing the human rights defenders agenda. The resolution adopted by the Council in March on the protection of human rights defenders is an important step forward in this respect.

• Despite the difficult climate during the negotiations, the result is a set of practical recommendations for states on how to strengthen the protection of these individuals. We encourage you to use it as a practical tool in your advocacy work.

• Furthermore, Norway has systematically raised the issue of human rights defenders in the Universal Periodic Review Process (which included Norway last year). The commitments made by – and the recommendations given to – states through the UPR are tools human rights defenders should use systematically to hold states to account. Issues they have to look into.

• As Foreign Minister, I raise the issue of human rights defenders as often as I can (as does the Norwegian Prime Minister in connection with his visits and talks), and as I did when I brought it up in my meetings with the Chinese Foreign Minister and the Chinese Vice President in Beijing this week.

• When I met the Syrian Foreign Minister in March, I spoke out clearly on the situation for human rights defenders in his country. In Russia, I have often met journalists and defenders, and I regularly raise concerns about their situation when I meet Foreign Minister Lavrov.

• We must have the courage to address violations against specific human rights defenders in specific situations and countries in order to succeed. I believe the establishment of a UN special procedure for human rights defenders has been crucial in this regard. It provides an important structure.

• I would like to thank Hina Jilani for her extraordinary contribution to the cause of human rights defenders during the eight years as Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders.

• I know that some states are increasingly reluctant to accept country visits by the current Special Rapporteur (Margaret Sekaggya from Uganda). This major obstacle to carrying out the mandate effectively is a serious problem that must be addressed in a systematic way.  

• As I already said at the beginning of my remarks, we are now issuing guidelines on human rights defenders for our embassies – to enhance our efforts at the bilateral level. The guidelines set out a variety of actions that will enable our embassies to support and protect human rights defenders – including establishing regular contact with human rights defenders, recognising their work in public and monitoring and reporting on their situation. Direct contacts. The embassies should also make recommendations to the Ministry when they see a need for actions on the Ministry’s part, such as demarches and public statements in cases where human rights defenders are at serious risk.

• I encourage you to use our embassies, meet their staff, share your concerns and give them your input. Norway will continue to speak out in support of human rights defenders at all levels and to take a leading role on this issue internationally. And we know that public recognition and support can transform a situation of vulnerability into empowerment.

• Your endeavours are vital, and you have my full support. I wish you fruitful and stimulating discussions over the next days. I look forward to their outcome. We are, so to speak, on the receiving line of your output.