At the G8 meeting on 11 April in London, delegates adopted a Declaration on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Paragraph 7 of the Declaration was a result of PBI's engagement with the Government's Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) team, both at our October 2012 conference on Women Human Rights Defenders, and in subsequent consultation meetings with the PSVI team, together with GAPS and Amnesty UK:
In June 2011 the UN Human Rights Council endorsed "Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations 'Protect, Respect and Remedy' Framework" proposed by UN Special Representative John Ruggie. Key features of this document are the duty of states to protect the human rights of those in contact with businesses; the corporate responsibility towards respecting human rights throughout their activities; and the need to ensure access to remedies when abuses take place.
On International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2012, PBI reaffirms its solidarity with human rights defenders around the world, and its commitment to the promotion of human rights and the protection of those who struggle in the face of threats to nonviolently uphold the rights of their communities.
The courage, strength, perseverance and resilience of these brave women and men continues to humble and inspire all of us – volunteers and staff – at PBI.
The work of women human rights defenders (WHRD) is crucial to building long-term sustainable and stable futures within their countries, but they face a heightened risk of violence on account of being both women and change-makers.
PBI UK’s conference on 24 October 2012 brought together WHRDs from Afghanistan, Colombia, Iran, Kenya, Mexico and Nepal with professionals working in the fields of human rights, government, law and academia, including representatives of the European Union and United Nations.
Judith Maldonado of the Luis Carlos Pérez Lawyers' Collective (CCALCP) and the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective (CCAJAR) have been recognised for their “untiring, persistent and brave” work, in the first National Award for the Defence of Human Rights in Colombia, organised by the Inter-Agency Dialogue on Colombia (DIAL).
In early August 2012, PBI facilitated a meeting between the UK Ambassador to Mexico, Judith Macgregor, and Father Solalinde Guerra, who runs a migrants’ shelter, Hermanos en el Camino, to talk about migrant rights and the threats that Father Solalinde has been receiving as a result of his work.
We also facilitated a roundtable with other human rights defenders and journalists based in Oaxaca: Alba Cruz (Código-DH) spoke about impunity and the failures of the justice system in Oaxaca; Pedro Matías (journalist from Proceso magazine) spoke of the dangers facing journalists in Oaxaca; Nora Martínez (Barca-DH) spoke about the lack of protection of HRDs in Oaxaca and about the “invisible human rights defenders” in the communities of Oaxaca; Marco Leyva (from the human rights organisation Educa) spoke about the risks facing those who speak out about human rights abuses related to the exploitation of natural resources.
All of us at PBI UK are delighted that our patron and long-time supporter Sir Henry Brooke was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the Queen's birthday honours.
The honour was awarded for Sir Henry's work for justice reform in Albania.
We congratulate him on this achievement and take the opportunity to express our profound gratitude for all his work and support to PBI over the years.
Alejandro Cerezo Contreras, member of the Cerezo Committee and coordinator of Urgent Action for Human Rights Defenders (ACUDDEH for its initials in Spanish), has been awarded the 2012 Aachen Peace Prize. The award recognises Alejandro’s work for human rights and the achievements of the Cerezo Committee.
Conference report October 2011
When subsistence farming and indigenous communities around the world find their human rights threatened by the interests of large-scale extractive, agribusiness and infrastructure projects, it is often human rights defenders (HRDs) who work to ensure their communities’ rights are protected. They often pay a high price for taking such a stand, falling victim to repressive tactics by state and non-state actors designed to silence dissent and advance business ventures.
Sir Henry Brooke and the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk invite you to a special forum:
incorporating the launch of the report Criminalisation of Human Rights Defenders
On Tuesday, 29 May, at 5.30pm at Matrix Chambers
Speakers:
Reverend José Pilar Alvarez (Association for the Protection of Las Granadillas Mountain, Guatemala)
Richard Hermer QC (Matrix Chambers)
Stephen Hockman QC (6 Pump Court Chambers, Client Earth trustee)
Chair: Sir Henry Brooke
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