Dear members

Human rights defenders are under attack in many parts of the world, primarily due to their daily work in advocating for human rights. With the rise of digital technologies, they are exposed to new online threats, such as online sexual and gender-based violence, smear campaigns, harassment and surveillance.  

We are pleased to invite you to the hybrid side event “Protecting Defenders Online”, which will be held on Tuesday 29 March at 15:00 CET in the margins of the 49th session of the Human Rights Council. The event is organised in the framework of the United States and European Union Trade and Technology Council (U.S.-EU TTC), in partnership with Access Now.

The event will feature representatives from the EU, the US, Costa Rica and the office of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders as well as prominent women human rights defenders. It will highlight threats faced by women human rights defenders online, best practices as well as recommendations for governments to counter these threats.

‘Protecting Defenders Online’ will be livestreamed on Access Now’s YouTube channel. More information can be found on the event website.

Please do not hesitate to share this invitation with your networks.