Implementation Guidelines for Regional Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders • It excludes HRDs from the preparation and facilitation of the event. HRDs are treated as people to be “taught” and not on equal footing with facilitators. • Excludes certain HRDs, whether because of their identities, the causes they defend, their political affiliation or the type of work they do. • It places unrealistic expectations on HRDs, such as the fact that they should all be martyrs or it uses discourses portraying them as heroes or superhuman. • It focuses exclusively on negative subjects (risks, threats, impunity) that may inspire fear and reluctance. • It ignores the collective dimension of human rights work and the need for collective protection. • Engagement is difficult and non-continuous. • There is a focus on reactive rather than preventive protection. • It is conceived as a “to-do” list. • It only focuses on high risks and immediate security concerns. • It is regarded as an end in itself. Alternatively, capacity strengthening is empowering when:47 • It takes into account the lived experiences of HRDs and the context of their work. • It is inclusive to HRDs in all of their diversity and treats them as equals. • The discourse and narrative does not plate unrealistic expectations and burdens on HRDs. It also mentions positive and inspiring aspects aimed at encouraging them. • It takes into account the community and collective dimension of human rights and human rights work is • There is continued engagement and there are permanent secure online and offline spaces for sharing good practices and lessons learned. • It focuses on what HRDs can do, not what they should not or cannot do. • It provides tools for preventive protection and protection from different kinds and levels of risks. • It is treated as a means to an end, not an end in itself, that is, it is a continuing process. E. Make key resources available in local languages Access to information is an essential element for the creation of a safe and enabling environment for HRDs.48 On the one hand, it allows HRDs to know their rights and obtain the information that is necessary for them to carry out their work (e.g. resolutions and laws, government documents, reports from human rights organisations); on the other, it allows society at large to get to know their rights and those of HRDs, as well as the responsibilities of the government with regards to them. This can help manage expectations regarding the roles and responsibilities of HRDs, as well as help with public scrutiny regarding the human rights record of the government. Particularly in countries where more than one language is spoken nationwide, translating key documents into languages spoken in your country can be a simple but highly impactful way to support HRDs. This could include documents such as the UN HRD Declaration, other UN resolutions related to HRDs, recommendations, concluding observations and reports of international human rights organisations. When a report is relevant to a certain population or area of your country, documents available in local languages become all the more important. 26 47 https://www.protectioninternational.org/sites/default/files/2017-Roundtable-report-EN.pdf p.10 48 A/HRC/32/20