Mr. Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic states.
Human rights defenders and a vibrant civil society are indispensable to human rights, democracy and the rule of law. We thank the Special Rapporteur for her first report to the General Assembly and welcome her defender-centred, participatory and intersectional approach.
We are deeply concerned by the reported deterioration in the environment for defending human rights. Defenders face criminalization, restrictive laws, surveillance, digital attacks, disinformation, reprisals and violence, while reduced funding is weakening both their work and their protection. Some defenders face heightened and intersecting risks and discrimination. That is the case inter alia for Indigenous, environmental, LGBTIQ+, youth and women’s rights defenders as well as defenders living in displacement.
We urge all States to publicly recognize the legitimate role of human rights defenders and to create a safe and enabling environment in which they can work freely, safely and effectively, both online and offline. This requires reviewing laws and practices that unduly restrict their work, investigating attacks and reprisals, ensuring meaningful participation and sustainable funding, and providing holistic protection that includes digital security and mental health and psychosocial support.
We are particularly concerned that exile no longer necessarily provides safety, as transnational repression, including digital surveillance and online harassment, increasingly follows defenders across borders. Madame Special Rapporteur, how can States, the United Nations and technology companies cooperate more effectively to prevent and respond to transnational and technology-facilitated attacks against human rights defenders, while ensuring that protection measures are designed with defenders themselves?
Thank you.