Research artwork shown at the UN World Summit for HRDs-October 2018

Human rights defenders from across all corners of the world gathered in Paris on the 29th-31st October for the Human Rights Defenders World Summit, to develop a plan of action for how to protect and promote the work of activists fighting for rights, 20 years on from the first UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

There were three days of discussions and strategy development spanning regional and global issues, environmental rights and women human rights defenders and the increasing attacks on human rights defenders everywhere.

The Summit discussed calls on governments, corporations, international financial institutions, donors and others, including the adoption of national governmental action plans, implementation of legislation to legally uphold the UN Declaration, protecting defenders as a priority in foreign policy and prioritizing the protection and work of women human rights defenders, LGBT+, indigenous rights defenders and other marginalized defenders.

Several members of CAHR staff attended the summit and brought a selection of pieces of the artwork produced for the research project-Navigating Risk and Managing Security. The works were seen by many hundreds of summit attendees and we received much praise for the art on display.