EU Parliament-NHRIs Roundtable on EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders 

12 May 2022, 13:00-14:30 CEST – Online event on Zoom 

The European Parliament – led by MEP Hannah Neumann – supported by GANHRI is hosting a consultation with National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) on the review of the EU Human Rights Defenders Guidelines. The online consultation will take place online, on 12 May 2022 from 13:00-14:30 CEST.  

The EU Human Rights Defenders Guidelines, adopted in 2014, establish the EU’s approach to supporting and protecting human rights defenders in non-EU countries.   

The European Parliament is in the process of reviewing how the EU Human Rights Defenders Guidelines are being implemented and assess their impact on human rights defenders and their protection. This review process will be guided by a report which will be prepared by the EU Parliament’s Sub-Committee on Human Rights, based on consultations with stakeholders.  

The objective of the consultation with NHRIs is to discuss and document experiences and good practices on the implementation of the EU Guidelines, from the perspective of NHRIs. 

The consultation with NHRIs will involve two levels: a questionnaire addressed to all GANHRI members, and a live, online consultation, on 12 May.  

The outcomes of the consultation with NHRIs will inform the development of the report of the European Parliament’s Sub-Committee on Human Rights, and thereby the review process of the Guidelines, by the European Parliament.  

NHRIs’ input to this process will be critical – especially given your mandate, experiences and strong commitment in supporting and protecting human rights defenders so they can work in safety, free from threats and harassment. Your input will be highly relevant as you are human rights defenders yourselves, at time requiring protection.   

GANHRI is pleased to support this process in partnership with the European Parliament as part of its newly released Global Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders and Civic Space, following up on the 2018 Marrakech Declaration.  

We encourage you to save the date for the consultation and to send us your responses to the questionnaire below– these will greatly help us shape the agenda of the roundtable.  

Submissions to the questionnaire – which is available in English, French and Spanish – are welcome. 

Questionnaire NHRIs in EN/FR/SP

The online consultation will be held online on Zoom. Simultaneous interpretation in English, French and Spanish will be provided.