Public launch of CAHR's Human Rights Defender Hub

The newly established Human Rights Defender Hub at the Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR), University of York, is pleased to announce the participation of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders at the official launch of the Hub.

Michel Forst, the Special Rapporteur will be giving a keynote speech on the situation of human rights defenders and the context and scope of his work. Other panelists include Andrew Anderson, the Deputy Director of Frontline Defenders, who will be speaking about the shrinking space for civil society and the role of academic research in the protection and promotion of human rights defenders worldwide. Other key panelists include Alice Nah and a human rights defender, from CAHR who will be speaking on research priorities. The panel will be chaired by Julie Broome from the Sigrid RausingTrust.

The discussion will end at 19.30 followed by complimentary drinks.

The Human Rights Defender Hub is an important new initiative which will confirm CAHR's reputation as a leading actor working to support HRDs through training and research, and its ability to respond to global developments affecting human rights work.

The purpose of the Hub is to facilitate dialogue, collaboration, and reflection amongst scholars, practitioners, and defenders. To this aim we are producing a Working Paper Series on Human Rights Defenders, facilitating the formation of an international research network on HRDs and organizing workshops and seminars.

Since 2007, CAHR has developed a range of activities to assist the protection and build the capacity of front-line human rights defenders. It has hosted over 60 defenders from all over the globe on Protective Fellowships; launched a new online training programme to support defenders in-country; and worked with others to develop a research agenda on human rights defenders. The Hub seeks both to integrate these activities, and to significantly increase the research capacity of CAHR in this field.