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In March 2013, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the protection of human rights defenders. It establishes principles and standards for States to create an enabling environment for human rights defenders. One year after its adoption, the Human Rights House Network calls upon States to implement this resolution.

In many parts of the Balkans, Caucasus and Eastern Europe human rights defenders face threats and violence, slander and intimidations, and are the targets of new laws restricting their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, and simply to work to defend human rights.

Members of the Human Rights House Network (HRHN) express their concern to learn that the European Union is aiming at further reducing the ordinary budget of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The NGOs call upon the European Union to support the work of the Office, by increasing its ordinary budget as a way to strengthen the impact of its work and cooperation by all States.

Members of the Human Rights House Network (HRHN) express their concern to learn that the European Union is aiming at further reducing the ordinary budget of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The NGOs call upon the European Union to support the work of the Office, by increasing its ordinary budget as a way to strengthen the impact of its work and cooperation by all States.

Three front line environmental rights activists-Bill McKibben, Nnimmo Bassey and Pablo Solon – have addressed an open letter to governments and their negotiators, stressing that to really address climate change, UNFCCC-COP18 should decide to leave under the soil more two-third of the fossil reserves, writes Allvoices

Internet blog Towleroad has recently published an interview with Ugandan gay activist Frank Mugisha about the on-going debate on the “kill the gays” bill.

Joseph Kabila meets with M23 rebel group in Uganda, after regional summit called on them to end their offensive.

Coming from a country where an equivalent of one Exxon Valdez volume of crude oil is spewed into our environment yearly, it is inescapably clear that the petroleum sector is a very polluting one. It is obvious that there cannot be this level of ecological impunity without human rights being considerably trampled on, said the 2012 Rafto Prize laureate Nnimmo Bassey in his keynote address at the Rafto Conference on 3 November.

The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group are holding preliminary peace talks in Norway that are expected to set the stage for formal talks in Cuba next month. However, there are already signs of some disagreement, with the government saying it will not stop military operations against the rebels during the talks and FARC saying it is willing to discuss the issue any time.