Dear Manfred [Nowak – Secretary General of the Global Campus], dear Ole [von Uexküll – Executive Director of Right Livelihood], dear guests and colleagues, it is a real pleasure to be here in this charming Monastery of San Nicolò in Lido and open the fourth edition of the conference on the Global State of Human Rights.  

I thank the organizers, the Global Campus of Human Rights and the Right Livelihood Foundation for their kind invitation and for a carefully curated programme with so many distinguished speakers and brave human rights defenders.

I am still new in my job as European Union Special Representative for Human Rights and this is the first time I am attending this event. But my predecessor spoke highly about the Global Campus and the annual discussions organized here in Venice. I am looking forward to working with the Global Campus throughout my mandate and make this conference a staple in my calendar.

Speaking about the state of human rights can be a very depressing exercise. Crises and human rights violations loom large far and close – in Ukraine, in Gaza, in the Sahel, in Myanmar, in Afghanistan and in so many other parts of the world. Yet, at the same time, it is also uplifting to talk about real life stories of people defending human rights and standing up for them in all parts of the world, often at a high personal cost. It is a proof that human rights are alive and that they do matter to people from all walks of life in all parts of the world. 

Therefore, I am very happy that the uniting topic of this year’s conference are human rights defenders and how to support their work. Without them, without people claiming human rights for themselves and for others, human rights would be but abstract legal concepts on a piece of paper.

Supporting human rights defenders is a priority topic of my mandate as Special Representative for Human Rights. Since my appointment, I have already engaged on several individual cases of jailed or persecuted human rights defenders and I will pursue this line of action with vigor throughout my mandate. 

We are living through difficult times. Not only are human rights violated, autocrats feel no longer the need to hide their attack on human rights and human dignity. They feel no longer ashamed of rights violations. Often, they even boast about trampling on human rights. Everywhere you look, the universality and indivisibility of human rights is increasingly challenged. Accountability for violations has become an exception. The multilateral system and the norms and laws that underpin it are flouted and undermined just when we need the system the most. We are backsliding on the Sustainable Development Goals. The global resurgence of authoritarianism, shrinking civic spaces, growing intolerance, economic hardships, social inequalities and escalating disinformation campaigns are among the many challenges that pose a grave threat to the kind of world that we strive for and for what we represent.

Human rights defenders are at the forefront of many of these battles. They are at the frontlines of the fight for environmental justice, for economic and social rights, for inclusive societies and democratic processes; they combat corruption; they stand up for rights of LGBTIQ+ persons and rise against discrimination, so-called “traditional values” and anti-gender rhetoric. 

Human rights is a work in progress, everywhere. Unfortunately, human rights is not always a peaceful work in progress. Too often, it is a risky and even life threatening endeavor. The Front Line Defenders documented more than 400 targeted killings of human rights defenders in 2022 but the real toll is likely much higher. Women human rights defenders in particular fight an uphill battle. Threats and harassments against women human rights defenders are on the rise, primarily driven by governments and authorities, according to the latest report on the state of women human rights defenders by Kvinna till Kvinna [a Swedish NGO]. In this survey, 75 percent of women’s rights and queer rights activist said that they and/or their organisations had been threatened or harassed, 25 percent of them received death threats, and in almost 60 percent of these cases, their own governments were behind the threats.

The European Union cannot and will not stand aside as human rights are trampled on and those who defend them attacked and even killed. We have been the major global force for human rights. I daresay that the world count on us. We are by far the world’s biggest donor. We provide an unparalleled funding worth €1.5 billion (2021-2027) for the promotion of human rights and democracy across the world. Our development aid delivers on the realization of economic, social and cultural rights across the world. Our legislation shapes global standards. Human rights are in the DNA of the European integration project.

We are clear and serious about our support to human rights defenders. It is one of the priorities in our EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy. The EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders steer the work of our Delegations and Member States embassies across the world. The European Union raises specific cases of human rights defenders at risk in all its Human Rights Dialogues; we have currently more than 60 of them. In several weeks, for example, I will be co-chairing the Human Rights Dialogues with Brazil and with Colombia, where the situation of defenders will be at the core of our bilateral discussions.  

Our emergency support to embattled human rights defenders across the world is crucial. Our flagship initiative, ProtectDefenders.eu, is a flexible mechanism helping human rights defenders at risk through emergency grants, temporary relocation, legal or medical support. Since its creation in 2015, this mechanism has supported more than 70,000 human rights defenders at risk. In 2023 alone, we extended support to over 7,000 high-risk defenders, families, organizations, and communities, addressing threats and repression in more than 100 countries. In 2024 so far, the mechanism has supported 2,500 human rights defenders.

Our human rights protection toolbox is evolving. There are new challenges and threats. For instance, human rights defenders are facing a high number of online threats. This is why we have recently released, together with the United States, a guidance for online platforms with clear recommendations on how digital platforms should improve protection of human rights defenders. In coming months, we will engage with online platforms asking them to take action and establish protection measures for human rights defenders targeted online.

In closing, let me congratulate the Global Campus of Human Rights for building a vibrant global community of people passionate about human rights, nurturing new generations of human rights practitioners, advocates and academics.

The North-South Prize of the Council of Europe recently awarded to the Global Campus (alongside Ms Amina Bouayach of Morocco) is a recognition of your outstanding work. The European Union is proud to have been a founding partner and the main donor of the Global Campus since its inception more than 20 years ago.

I am looking forward to be part of a full day of discussions on how to empower those defending human rights and how to best tackle the dramatic human rights backsliding that we witness today.   

Thank you.