Over the past decades, the global human rights landscape has become increasingly complex and concerning. In this context, human rights defenders (HRDs), including National Human Rights Institutions, have played a critical role in addressing violations and promoting the protection of fundamental rights in line with their mandates.
In response to the growing challenges posed by shrinking civic space, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) convened its 13th International Conference under the theme: “Expanding civic space and promoting and protecting human rights defenders, with a specific focus on women: The role of National Human Rights Institutions.” The National Human Rights Commission in Lebanon, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT), participated in the conference, held from 10 to 12 October 2018 in Marrakech, Morocco, which culminated in the adoption of the Marrakech Declaration.
On this basis, the National Human Rights Commission in Lebanon, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT), initiated the development of a National Action Plan aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of human rights defenders in Lebanon. To ensure the effectiveness of this plan, the Commission undertook an assessment of the existing framework and identified gaps in the legal and institutional structures through a dedicated analytical study. The findings of this study informed the development of the National Action Plan.
Background
The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) held its 13th International Conference in Morocco, Marrakech from 10 to 12 October 2018. The conference marked several auspicious anniversaries: the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Principles by the United Nations General Assembly and the establishment of the global network of national human rights institutions (NHRIs), today known as GANHRI; and the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. The theme of the conference, ‘Expanding the civic space and promoting and protecting human rights defenders, with a specific focus on women: The role of national human rights institutions’, reflected a growing global concern: the shrinking of civic space in many countries, a trend that is characterized by a spike of attacks, intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders (HRDs). A key outcome of the conference was the Marrakech Declaration. The Declaration is a product of a dynamic discussion during the conference that involved sharing of lessons and good practices amongst NHRIs. It contains commitments undertaken by national human rights institutions (NHRIs) to expand civic space and promote and protect HRDs, with a specific focus on women HRDs. These commitments were clustered in three main areas: promotion; protection; and cooperation and partnerships. The resolutions so adopted are accompanied by several activities or action points so that the promotional, protection and cooperative objectives would be achieved in practice.
To foster the implementation of the Marrakech Declaration, NHRC-CPT has prepared and adopted this national action plan. It replicates the resolutions contained in the Marrakech Declaration, but further identifies actors that will undertake specific activities and, appoints timelines for achievement of the overall objectives of the Declaration.
This plan is based on the Global Action Plan to Support the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights Defenders and Civic Space, which serves as a reference document for the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), its members, and its four regional networks, and which constitutes an integral part of the framework for implementing GANHRI’s 2020–2022 Strategic Plan.
The Global Action Plan was designed to empower and support national human rights institutions, as they themselves require protection in their capacity as human rights defenders, and also to strengthen their role in promoting and protecting civic space and human rights defenders. This is consistent with Sustainable Development Goal target 16.10 and other relevant Sustainable Development Goal targets related to ensuring a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders.
RESOLUTIONS OF THE MARRAKECH DECLARATION
NHRH-CPT resolved the following under the Marrakech Declaration:
Promotion, NHRC-CPT Lebanon
a) Call on the Lebanese State to ratify outstanding international human rights instruments and ensure the effective implementation of those to which Lebanon is a party, in line with its constitutional and international obligations.
b) Provide legal and policy advice on draft and existing legislation, policies, and programmes to ensure compliance with Lebanon’s international human rights obligations, pursuant to Law No. 62/2016. In particular, any restrictions on fundamental freedoms, including the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association, and expression, must be prescribed by law, necessary and proportionate, non-arbitrary, and subject to due process guarantees. All legislation and policies must uphold equality and prohibit discrimination, including on the basis of sex and gender.
c) Contribute to the establishment and strengthening of a national protection framework for human rights defenders in Lebanon, ensuring a safe, enabling, accessible, and inclusive environment in which all rights are respected. This should be carried out in consultation with human rights defenders, civil society organisations, media actors, and relevant non-state stakeholders.
d) Promote positive, rights-based narratives on the importance of human rights in Lebanese society, and on the legitimate and essential role of human rights defenders, particularly women human rights defenders. This includes leveraging innovative communication tools, digital platforms, and youth engagement, in line with the Commission’s mandate as an independent national institution.
e) Raise awareness of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, and ensure its wide dissemination among public authorities, civil society, and the general public.
f) Support Lebanese authorities in the implementation of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and related international standards. This includes advocating for the training of judges, administrative officials, law enforcement personnel, and security agencies on human rights norms, and ensuring that human rights defenders can safely and freely self-identify without fear of reprisals. Particular attention should be given to the situation of women human rights defenders.
g) Promote gender equality and develop targeted strategies to combat all forms of discrimination and violence against women human rights defenders in Lebanon, including through legal reform, policy advocacy, and awareness-raising.
h) Engage with private sector actors in Lebanon to raise awareness of their responsibility to respect human rights, including the rights of human rights defenders, and provide guidance on due diligence measures and accountability mechanisms in line with international standards.
Protection
a) Monitor and report on the state of civic space in Lebanon, both online and offline, through the systematic collection and analysis of disaggregated data, including gender-based data and statistics related to killings, arbitrary arrest and detention, fabricated charges, misuse of legislation, intimidation, and other forms of reprisals against human rights defenders, journalists, trade unionists, lawyers, students, and academics, in line with SDG indicator 16.10.1.
b) Identify and assess instances where laws, policies, or their implementation disproportionately restrict civic space or adversely impact human rights defenders, including through overbroad security measures, administrative practices, or judicial proceedings.
c) Establish and operationalise effective early warning and rapid response mechanisms within the NHRC-CPT, including designated focal points, to detect, assess, and respond to risks faced by human rights defenders. Particular attention should be given to groups at heightened risk, including women human rights defenders and those advocating for marginalized or vulnerable populations. These mechanisms should be equipped with the mandate, capacity, and expertise to initiate urgent protective actions.
d) Engage actively with international and regional human rights mechanisms, including United Nations special procedures and treaty bodies, in support of human rights defenders in Lebanon, and systematically monitor the follow-up and implementation of relevant recommendations.
e) Document and report cases of intimidation, threats, and reprisals against human rights defenders, including those targeting members or staff of the NHRC-CPT, and take all possible measures within the Commission’s mandate to ensure protection and accountability.
f) Ensure that international, regional, and national protection mechanisms available to human rights defenders are widely known, accessible, inclusive, and gender-sensitive, including for persons with disabilities and other at-risk groups.
g) Monitor all places of deprivation of liberty in Lebanon, in line with the mandate of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, including through regular and unannounced preventive visits, documentation of conditions of detention, and confidential interviews with detainees. Where appropriate, support access to legal assistance for persons deprived of their liberty, particularly in cases involving arbitrary detention or ill-treatment.
h) Promote access to justice for victims of violations of rights and fundamental freedoms, including human rights defenders, by engaging with judicial authorities, advocating for due process guarantees, and supporting legal and institutional reforms aimed at strengthening accountability and the rule of law in Lebanon.
Cooperation and Partnerships
a) Engage regularly and systematically with human rights defenders and civil society actors in Lebanon, ensuring their meaningful participation in the planning, implementation, and follow-up of the NHRC-CPT’s activities, in a manner that is gender-responsive, inclusive, and accessible to persons with disabilities.
b) Strengthen cooperation and partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders, including human rights organisations, media institutions, academic and research centres, business actors, and trade unions, to enhance the protection and promotion of human rights and civic space in Lebanon.
c) Collaborate with national institutions, including relevant public administrations and national statistics bodies, as well as with local, national, regional, and international intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, to improve data collection, policy coherence, and coordinated responses to human rights challenges.
d) Support the development and strengthening of national and regional networks of human rights defenders, in close coordination with civil society, with particular emphasis on supporting and empowering networks of women human rights defenders in Lebanon.
NHRC-CPT Lebanon commits to undertake the following actions in support of the implementation of the Marrakech Declaration:
Building on its mandate under Law No. 62/2016 and in line with the Paris Principles, the National Human Rights Commission in Lebanon, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT), commits to advancing the protection of civic space and human rights defenders through a comprehensive approach encompassing promotion, protection, and cooperation.
The NHRC-CPT will continue to advocate for the ratification and effective implementation of international human rights instruments, while providing independent legal and policy advice to ensure that national laws and practices comply with Lebanon’s international obligations. It will promote an enabling legal and institutional environment that safeguards fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association, and ensures non-discrimination, particularly on the basis of sex and gender.
In its protection role, the Commission will strengthen its monitoring of civic space, including through the systematic documentation of violations and reprisals against human rights defenders and other actors. It will work to establish early warning and response mechanisms, enhance engagement with international human rights systems, and reinforce its preventive mandate through regular monitoring of places of detention and support for access to justice.
The NHRC-CPT will also deepen its cooperation with human rights defenders, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders, ensuring their meaningful participation in its work. It will expand partnerships with national, regional, and international actors, including media, academia, and the private sector, and support the development of networks of human rights defenders, with particular attention to women human rights defenders.
Through these actions, the NHRC-CPT reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the protection of human rights defenders in Lebanon and contributing to the effective implementation of the Marrakech Declaration in a manner that is inclusive, gender-responsive, and grounded in international human rights standards.
The NHRC-CPT will also deepen its cooperation with human rights defenders, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders, ensuring their meaningful participation in its work. It will expand partnerships with national, regional, and international actors, including media, academia, and the private sector, and support the development of networks of human rights defenders, with particular attention to women human rights defenders.
Through these actions, the NHRC-CPT reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the protection of human rights defenders in Lebanon and contributing to the effective implementation of the Marrakech Declaration in a manner that is inclusive, gender-responsive, and grounded in international human rights standards.
| Objective | Action | Timeline |
| PART I: Promoting the expansion of civic space and rights of women human right defenders | ||
| Advocate for the ratification and effective implementation of international human rights instruments for the protection of human rights defenders in Lebanon |
|
Short-term |
| Assess the needs of HRDs in the implementation of the Marrakech Declaration |
|
Medium-term |
| Conduct periodic, including annual, reviews of the extent to which Lebanese authorities implement the recommendations issued by the NHRC-CPT concerning the protection of human rights defenders. |
|
Long-term |
| Conduct country studies to map the national protection systems for HRDs for identification of gaps |
|
Medium-term |
| Support human rights organisations in Lebanon in designing and implementing sensitisation and awareness-raising campaigns on issues related to human rights defenders, including by identifying and promoting annual thematic priorities aligned with emerging risks and national human rights concerns. |
|
Long-term |
| Promote gender equality in Lebanon by developing and implementing targeted strategies to combat all forms of discrimination, violence, and marginalisation faced by women human rights defenders |
|
Medium-term |
| Part II: Protection of Human Rights Defenders | ||
| Advocate with Lebanese authorities and relevant stakeholders for the formal recognition of HRDs |
|
Long-term |
| Strengthen the NHRC-CPT’s complaints handling mechanisms to ensure timely, confidential, and effective responses to cases involving human rights defenders at risk |
|
Medium-term |
| Building the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to engage with relevant stakeholders, including NHRC-CPT |
|
Long-term |
| Part III: Cooperation and Partnerships | ||
| Create a coordinating mechanism for stakeholders on HRDs |
|
Medium-term |
| Advocate with the Lebanese Government and Parliament for increased, sustainable, and adequate budgetary allocations to the NHRC-CPT and other independent national commissions |
|
Medium-term |
| Actively participate in international and regional human rights processes, including State reporting procedures, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and relevant mechanisms within the League of Arab States, to provide independent inputs on the implementation of the Marrakech Declaration in Lebanon. |
|
Long-term |
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