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Helping human rights defenders strengthen their advocacy skills with the UN

Apply now to our Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme 2025!

Be inspired by good practice on how defenders and activists engage with the human rights systems

Build your advocacy skills with these resources and tools from ISHR and from around the web

Mitigate risk and reprisals when working with UN human rights mechanisms

Navigating the UN

An overview of the international human rights system

Explore how the UN can work for you

Navigating the UN

A short video introduction to the UN human rights system and why it's important for human rights defenders

Advocacy Roadmap

An overview of the UN and regional human rights tools you can use to address a particular human rights challenge or situation

Compare the tools

Understand the connections, strengths and weaknesses of each UN human rights mechanism

Test your knowledge

How much do you know about the UN human rights bodies? How would you use them in a real life scenario?

Navigating the UN

A short video introduction to the UN human rights system and why it's important for human rights defenders

Test your knowledge

How much do you know about the UN human rights bodies? How would you use them in a real life scenario?

Compare the tools

Understand the connections, strengths and weaknesses of each UN human rights mechanism

Advocacy Roadmap

An overview of the UN and regional human rights tools you can use to address a particular human rights challenge or situation

Learning Modules

Build your advocacy skills

To see our full collection of Learning Modules click here

ISHR Academy Introduction

Begin your learning journey: A quick start guide to getting the most out of the ISHR Academy

People sat around the council debating chamber

UN Human Rights Council

Understand the structure, purpose and mandate of the Human Rights Council and the opportunities for effective engagement

Special Procedures

Explore the purpose and mandates of the Special Procedures and how you can work with them to strengthen your advocacy

Treaty Bodies

Discover how the UN Treaty Bodies work and how you can use them to increase the impact of your advocacy

Universal Periodic Review

Find out about the Universal Periodic Review, the UN’s peer review process that monitors all human rights in all UN Member States through our brand new video! Full Learning Module coming soon

Person walking up to the UN building in Geneva

Accessing the UN

Learn how to access UN human rights mechanisms – when you need accreditation, when you don’t

ISHR Academy Introduction

Begin your learning journey: A quick start guide to getting the most out of the ISHR Academy

UN Human Rights Council

Understand the structure, purpose and mandate of the Human Rights Council and the opportunities for effective engagement

Special Procedures

Explore the purpose and mandates of the Special Procedures and how you can work with them to strengthen your advocacy

Treaty Bodies

Discover how the UN Treaty Bodies work and how you can use them to increase the impact of your advocacy

Universal Periodic Review

Find out about the Universal Periodic Review, the UN’s peer review process that monitors all human rights in all UN Member States through our brand new video! Full Learning Module coming soon

Accessing the UN

Learn how to access UN human rights mechanisms – when you need accreditation, when you don’t

Stories of Good Practice

Inspiring stories from around the world

Learn how human rights defenders have used the UN system for change

Putting LGBT Issues on the UN Agenda

Human rights defenders push for UN mechanisms to recognize and address human rights violations faced by LGBT persons

Venezuela - Creation of an Independent UN Fact-Finding Mission

Defenders engage the UN to push for the creation of a Fact-Finding Mission, which finds evidence of crimes against humanity

Saudi Arabia – Protecting Women Human Rights Defenders

Human rights defenders use the UN Human Rights mechanisms to seek the release of women human rights defenders and demand accountability for their torture.

Philippines - Protecting indigenous people’s rights from extractive industries

Human rights defenders push for UN Special Procedures to recognize and address human and land rights violations faced by indigenous Tuwali communities in the Philippines

Putting LGBT Issues on the UN Agenda

Human rights defenders push for UN mechanisms to recognize and address human rights violations faced by LGBT persons

Venezuela - Creation of an Independent UN Fact-Finding Mission

Defenders engage the UN to push for the creation of a Fact-Finding Mission, which finds evidence of crimes against humanity

Saudi Arabia – Protecting Women Human Rights Defenders

Human rights defenders use the UN Human Rights mechanisms to seek the release of women human rights defenders and demand accountability for their torture.

Philippines - Protecting indigenous people’s rights from extractive industries

Human rights defenders push for UN Special Procedures to recognize and address human and land rights violations faced by indigenous Tuwali communities in the Philippines

Support for You

Access resources, tools and information

Tools

Build your advocacy skills with these resources and tools from ISHR and from around the web

Security

Information about the risks and mitigation for reprisals when working with UN human rights mechanisms, as well as your general online safety

The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) is an independent, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights. We achieve this by supporting human rights defenders, strengthening human rights systems, and leading and participating in coalitions for human rights change.

This website was developed and built by Atticmedia with the generous support from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom and of the Canadian Government. The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of the authors and cannot be regarded as reflecting the views of the project sponsors.

Helping human rights defenders strengthen their advocacy skills with the UN

Navigating the UN

An overview of the international human rights system

Navigating the UN

Advocacy Roadmap

Compare the tools

Test your knowledge

Navigating the UN

Test your knowledge

Compare the tools

Advocacy Roadmap

Learning Modules

Build your advocacy skills

ISHR Academy Introduction

UN Human Rights Council

Special Procedures

Treaty Bodies

Universal Periodic Review

Accessing the UN

ISHR Academy Introduction

UN Human Rights Council

Special Procedures

Treaty Bodies

Universal Periodic Review

Accessing the UN

Stories of Good Practice

Inspiring stories from around the world

Putting LGBT Issues on the UN Agenda

Venezuela - Creation of an Independent UN Fact-Finding Mission

Saudi Arabia – Protecting Women Human Rights Defenders

Philippines - Protecting indigenous people’s rights from extractive industries

Putting LGBT Issues on the UN Agenda

Venezuela - Creation of an Independent UN Fact-Finding Mission

Saudi Arabia – Protecting Women Human Rights Defenders

Philippines - Protecting indigenous people’s rights from extractive industries

Support for You

Access resources, tools and information

Tools

Security

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