NATIONAL ACTION 4: Develop ‘early warning systems’ Practical guidance on the monitoring and analysing phases is elaborated in National Action 5.C. The alerting phase is discussed below. Once data are collected, and risks identified and analysed, the EWS should alert relevant stakeholders, chiefly those who can protect the HRDs at risk. This may include national, regional and international authorities. If deemed appropriate, the alert may be made public. Once actions have been taken to minimise the identified risk, it is important that the EWS follows up to verify if measures taken were actually effective. If agreements were reached between different parties, it is necessary to verify that these have been complied with.57 If the risk hasn’t completely subsided, the EWS could coordinate with competent authorities what new actions should be taken, or take new actions on its own. i. Responding to the alert In some cases (for example when the EWS is part of a protection mechanism within the NHRI), the NHRI may have the competence to respond to the risk. Responses may seek to dissuade, control, mitigate or eliminate the risk. Any action taken should be done in consultation and with the consent of the HRD at risk; with attention paid to the specific needs of the HRDs, their families, organisations and communities.58 If this is the case for your NHRI, you should carry out a prior assessment on how you can manage the risk,59 and ensure there is clear communication of what measures you can provide. This, so that HRDs can manage expectations and conduct their own security assessment.60 Some means of responding to risks faced by HRDs include: • Reporting on violations: As elaborated further in National Action 6, NHRIs can report on violations of HRDs, referring to specific cases or to the general context, to bring attention to their situation. Reports can serve advocacy or litigation campaigns at national, regional and international levels, and can include recommendations to authorities, aimed at achieving structural change. • Coordination: EWS can play a role in coordinating intervention by various entities to protect HRDs.61 For example, in cases of land conflicts, NHRIs can play a role in obtaining protection for affected communities, alerting national and international stakeholders of potential human rights violations, and contacting translators and culturally-sensitive mediators to facilitate communication and defuse tensions.62 Cooperation with security forces and justice operators (investigators, prosecutors) can also be valuable.63 • Independent investigations and access to justice: Some NHRIs also carry out independent investigations of violations suffered by HRDs and support victims in taking legal action.64 If appropriate, results from independent investigations can be shared with competent authorities in charge of prosecution.65 57 https://www.dpe.gob.ec/rc2018/10.%20Ejecucion_programatica/7%20Prevenir%20vulneraciones%20DDHH%20 a%20defensores%20y%20defensoras/Protocolo.pdf p.16 58 CIDH, Hacia una política integral de protección a personas defensoras de derechos humanos, OEA/Ser.L/V/II. Doc. 207/17, 29 de diciembre de 2017, párr. 265. 59 https://www.protectioninternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Best-Practices-and-Lessons-Learnt.pdf 60 https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/22/47 par.89 61 See, for example, the OSCE Focal point on HRDs: https://www.fidh.org/en/international-advocacy/other-regional-organisations/organization-for-security-and-cooperation-in-europe-osce/Focal-Point-on-Human-Rights 62 https://undocs.org/A/HRC/25/55 par.93, 94 63 https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/jsForm/?File=/en/iachr/media_center/preleases/2021/106.asp (p.24 of the guide) 64 https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/22/47 par.74 65 https://www.knchr.org/Portals/0/CivilAndPoliticalReports/Human%20Rights%20Defenders%20Policy%20and%20Action%20Plan_B5_L_22-1-18.pdf?ver=2018-06-06-191138-293 p.14 Policy Action I. 29