“Human rights defender” is a term used to describe people who, individually or with others, take action to promote or protect human rights. Human rights defenders are identified above all by what they do, and the term can therefore best be explained by describing their actions and some of the contexts they work in.

Human rights defenders’ work is legal and legitimated by the civil society they represent.

Every day around the world hundreds of Human rights defenders are exposed to political violence due to their defense of the rights of others. Risking their own physical and mental integrity, they strive to bring an end to impunity of human rights violations and to promote social justice and peace.

In 1998 the United National General Assembly approved the “Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms” (Hereafter the “UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders”). In other words, fifty years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and after twenty years of negotiations on a draft declaration on human rights defenders, the United Nations finally recognized what is a reality: that thousands of people were promoting and contributing to the protection of human rights throughout the world. This is an inclusive Declaration that honours the amount and variety of people engaged in the promotion and protection of human rights.

Originally, the position of The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders was created "to seek, receive examine and respond to information on the situation and the rights of anyone, acting individually or in association with others, to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms." In 2008 it was substituted by the position of UN Special Reporter on Human Rights Defenders.

The European Union –EU- Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders (2004) not only have integrated the entire UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders but they also give specific recommendations to EU Member States –MS-.

Human rights defenders are legal and legitimated by international and national communities. PI subscribes to the definition of who is a human rights defender provided by the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and reiterated by the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders:

“Human rights defender is a term used to describe people who, individually or with others, act to promote or protect human rights. Human rights defenders are identified above all by what they do and it is through a description of their actions and of some of the contexts in which they work at the term can bes be explained” [1]

(See in the appendix at the end of the manual for more information on the UN Declaration on HRD and on the EU Guidelines on HRD)