A/HRC/16/44
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
20 December 2010
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Sixteenth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya
Summary
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret
Sekaggya, presents her third report to the Human Rights Council, submitted pursuant to
Council resolution 7/8.
In chapter II of the report, the Special Rapporteur provides an account of her
activities during the reporting year. She draws the attention of Member States to the 246
communications sent under the mandate during the past year. More detailed information on
these communications is contained in addendum 1 to the present report.
In chapter III, the Special Rapporteur focuses on the situation of women human
rights defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues, the risks and
violations that they face and the perpetrators involved. After a section on the legal
framework and the approach of the mandate to the challenges faced by these defenders, the
Special Rapporteur analyses the risks and violations reported to the mandate. She further
provides an overview of the gender-sensitivity of the protection mechanisms in place as
well as on the strategies that these defenders use to keep themselves safe.
In chapter III, the Special Rapporteur outlines her conclusions and recommendations
to member States, national human rights institutions, regional protection mechanisms and
national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
GE.10-17870