Implementation Guidelines for Regional Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders of HRDs that are most at risk, therefore it is important that they are engaged and consulted in actions seeking to protect them, so those actions are both responsive and effective. You should incorporate human rights-based consultation practices and approaches and ensure that these do not unintentionally discriminate or isolate some HRDs. An intersectional approach is also necessary, given the multidimensional violations against HRDs, specifically women, indigenous, and marginalized communities. iii. Security All actions taken in the implementation of these Guidelines must prioritise the security of the specific HRD or group of HRDs. We propose that in implementing this Guide, users adopt a ‘do no harm’ approach and prioritise the safety of the victim into account to the best extent possible. This includes ensuring confidentiality and communication security whenever you receive sensitive information from a HRD, as well as information on threats faced by an HRD. It is not uncommon for HRDs to be surveilled by government agencies as well as non-State actors, so secure communication should be maintained.6 Educational resources (such as the “security in-a-box guidelines”)7 should be available (and in relevant languages) so that both your staff and external HRDs know, adopt and implement appropriate digital security practices. iv. Collective protection Protection of HRDs has traditionally focused on the individual aspect of security; namely, how to guarantee the safety and integrity of a specific HRD (e.g. with bodyguards or relocation). However, the individual approach to protection has its limitations, such as generating conflicts within organizations and communities due to the prioritization of some defenders over others.8 Collective protection aims at strengthening social movements and creating an enabling environment for HRDs to defend human rights. It is deeply interlinked to the specificities of the local contexts, of the groups or communities and to their internal capacities to resist. Security of defenders is often inherently linked to the security of their communities and of their territories and can only be fully achieved in the context of a holistic approach. This approach includes the deepening of democracy, the fight against impunity, the reduction of economic inequalities, and the search for social and environmental justice. Collective protection also implies building collective power by rooting protection strategies in territory, cultural practices, ancestral knowledge and community life of defenders, by supporting the creation and activation of protection networks and safe spaces. Your approach to protection should consider the interrelatedness of all different aspects of the life of an HRD that may be impacted because of their work (physical, emotional, financial, interpersonal, professional, etc), and take actions to deal with them as a whole.9 This resource on holistic security10 by the Center for Victims of Torture, Tactical Technology Collective and Front Line Defenders provides useful guidance. 6 https://undocs.org/A/HRC/31/55 par. 59 7 https://securityinabox.org/en/ 8 Lolita Chavez/Marusia Lopez (2021): https://www.jass-fghr.org/collective-protection-to-defend-territory-defense-of-territory-to-protect-life?source=share-jass See also: https://justassociates.org/en/resources/mch-6-rethinking-protection-power-movements 10 9 https://holistic-security.tacticaltech.org/media/sections/chapterpdfs/original/HS_Complete_HiRes.pdf 10 https://holistic-security.tacticaltech.org/media/sections/chapterpdfs/original/HS_Complete_HiRes.pdf