Example: EU Guidelines and HRDs The EU Guidelines on HRDs say that EU Missions should adopt a proactive policy to support human rights defenders, including: • co-ordinating and sharing information on human rights defenders, including those at risk • maintaining contacts with human rights defenders, at EU missions and in their areas of work • appointing specific liaison officers • providing visible recognition to human rights defenders • attending and observing trials of human rights defenders Example: HRD engagement with Embassies in the Philippines “In the Philippines, many HRDs engage with a range of embassies. There is an annual forum whereby ambassadors carry out discussions with representatives of both civil society and the security forces. This is an opportunity for embassies to get to know and understand civil society’s demands better, and to see that civil society representatives are ‘reasonable’ people, capable of dialogue with all actors, contrary to what the government and media sometimes suggest. HRDs also organise regular diplomatic briefings and submit joint annual reports to embassies on the situation of human rights in the Philippines. HRDs are constantly building relationships with the embassies so that they can react when necessary. Through donations from embassies, HRDs were able to place large advertisements on private billboards on highways, raising awareness about torture in the Philippines”. Source: ISHR, HRD strategies to protect civil space. Resource • 3 ISHR, Protecting our space: Human rights defender strategies to protect civil society space. UN bodies located in the country and regionally In many countries in the region, UN bodies are influential international actors which have a mandate to promote and protect the rights of HRDs. NHRIs can engage with regional UN bodies and those located in the country on the protection of HRDs, including in urgent cases of HRDs at risk. This can complement work engaging UN human rights mechanisms, primarily based in Geneva. Within the UN system, OHCHR regional offices and country presences can provide a critical entry point for engagement, as well as for advocacy and protection support more broadly. OHCHR has regional offices in Bangkok for Southeast Asia and Suva for the Pacific. It has country offices in Cambodia and Seoul (on DPRK), and presences in Afghanistan (in the UN Peace Keeping Mission) and on Myanmar, as well as human rights advisors in ten further countries in the region. (For more information on OHCHR in Asia Pacific see: https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/asia-pacific-region.) Evidence shows that coordinated action across UN actors, along with systematic follow up, can have significant impact in supporting HRDs and protecting them from intimidation and reprisals. 18 Engaging with Regional and International Actors Toolkit