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April 2008
In March 2008, the Human Rights Council, with Resolution A/HRC/7/L.23,
decided to continue the mandate on the situation of human rights defenders for
a period of three years. The Human Rights Council appointed Margaret Sekaggya
as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. She takes up
her new functions as of 1 May 2008.
Mrs Sekaggya is a magistrate from Uganda and has been the Chairperson of the
Uganda Human Rights Commission since 1996. She is also a member of the United
Nations High Level Task Force on the Implementation of the Right to
Development. She is conversant with the work of the African Commission on Human
and Peoples’ Rights, the African Union, the African Peer Review Mechanism and
the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. She has also participated in the
drawing up of a Bill of Rights for the East African Community. She further has
experience on the human rights situation concerning groups like people affected
and infected with HIV/AIDS, the disabled, children, women and the elderly.
Mrs Sekaggya succeeds Hina Jilani (Pakistan) who was responsible for this
mandate since 2000.
For more information about the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights defenders, please consult the website of the Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/defenders/index.htm
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UN Human Rights Council Resolution A/HRC/7/L.23 of 25 March 2008 on Mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, is attached.
Included in Resolution:
"Emphasizing the important role that individuals and civil society institutions, including non-governmental organizations, groups and national human rights institutions, play in the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, ........
2. Decides to extend the Mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for a period of three years, and requests the Special Representative: ........
(e) To integrate a gender perspective throughout the work of his/her Mandate, paying particular attention to the situation of women human rights defenders........"
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http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/defenders/mandate.htm
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Special
Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders -
Mandate
Mandate
In its year
2000 session, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) asked the Secretary-General
to appoint a Special Representative on human rights defenders. The Commission’s
intention was to give support to implementation of the Declaration on human
rights defenders and also to gather information on the actual situation of
human rights defenders around the world. In August 2000, Ms. Hina Jilani was
named by the Secretary General as the first holder of this office.
The Special
Representative undertakes activities in complete independence of any State, is
not a United Nations staff member and does not receive a salary for the work
conducted. The Special Representative’s mandate (see resolution
E/CN.4/RES/2000/61 of 26 April 2000) stipulates that the Special
Representative’s main roles are to:
- seek,
receive, examine and respond to information on the situation and the
rights of anyone, acting individually or in association with others, to
promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms;
- establish
cooperation and conduct dialogue with governments and other interested
actors on the promotion and effective implementation of the Declaration;
- recommend
effective strategies better to protect human rights defenders and follow
up on these recommendations.
In its
resolution, the Commission on Human Rights urged all governments to cooperate
with and assist the Special Representative and to provide all information
requested. The Special Representative was asked to submit annual reports to the
Commission and to the General Assembly. The Commission’s year 2000 resolution
gave the mandate a 3 year life-span. In the Commission’s 2003 session, the
mandate was renewed for a further 3 years (see resolution E/CN.4/RES/2003/64).
The Special
Representative’s formal mandate is a very broad one and its holder is obliged
to identify strategies, priorities and activities to implement it. A
description of these is provided under the Special Representative’s ‘methods of
work page’.
The Special Representative
In August
2000, Ms. Hina Jilani was asked by Secretary General Kofi Annan to become the
first holder of the position of Special Representative of the Secretary General
on human rights defenders, in accordance with the provisions of Commission on
Human Rights resolution E/CN.4/RES/2000/61, of 26 April 2000. Ms. Jilani’s initial
remit of 3 years was renewed by a subsequent Commission resolution in April
2003 (E/CN.4/RES/2003/64).
Hina
Jilani
Hina Jilani
is an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and has been a human rights
defender for many years, working in particular in favour of the rights of
women, minorities and children. Ms. Jilani was a co-founder of the first
all-women law firm in Pakistan in 1980. She also founded Pakistan's first legal
aid center in 1986. She is based in Lahore,