To: Member States of the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee
10 October 2022
GA 77: Sign on to Cross-regional joint statement on reprisals at the 77th session of the General Assembly Third Committee
On 19 October 2022, Ireland will present a cross-regional joint statement on reprisals during the General Discussion under item 68 (a, b, c, d) at the Third Committee of the General Assembly.
By joining the statement, you will affirm your commitment to rights to freedom of expression and association; show solidarity with human rights defenders, civil society actors and victims of violations worldwide; demonstrate your commitment to dialogue, cooperation and the institutional integrity of the UN; and contribute to ensuring that UN bodies and processes are informed by, and respond effectively to, the needs of communities on the ground.
The joint statement condemns any act of intimidation or reprisal, online or offline, against individuals and groups who cooperate, seek to cooperate, or have cooperated with the UN. Furthermore, it calls on States to take proactive steps to address reprisals, including those on digital platforms. It also encourages all States to promote a safe and enabling environment for civil society in their countries, including online, to promote cooperation with the UN, and support the work of the ASG for Human Rights. Finally, the joint statement also calls on the UN to ensure it is doing all it can to facilitate a safe environment, including a coordinated response across the UN system, and improving its efforts to data collection, analysis and documentation of cases.
Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights at the community, national, regional and international levels, to exercise freedoms of expression and association, the right to public participation and the right to communicate freely with intergovernmental organization, without reprisal. We urge your delegation to show your commitment to ensuring that all civil society organisations and human rights defenders can engage with the UN without fear of intimidation and reprisal and sign on to the joint statement.
Sincerely,
1. African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS)
2. Alkarama, Switzerland
3. Amnesty International
4. ARTICLE 19
5. Articulate Foundation
6. Baha’i International Community
7. CARE International
8. Centro de Justicia y Paz – Cepaz
9. Centro para los Defensores y la Justicia (CDJ)
10. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
11. DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
12. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
13. FIDH – International Federation for Human Rights
14. Front Line Defenders
15. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
16. Human Rights In China (HRIC)
17. Human Rights House Foundation
18. Human Rights Watch
19. International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
20. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
21. Karapatan Alliance Philippines
22. MENA Rights Group 23. Outright International
24. UNPO – Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation
25. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
