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(Geneva, September 20, 2018) – On September 19, 2018, Assistant UN Secretary-General (ASG) Andrew Gilmour presented the annual report on reprisals against individuals who cooperate with the UN as part of an interactive dialogue with the Human Rights Council (

“Over the course of 2017, the Arab region has once again been the scene of the most serious human rights violations. While there are still no credible peace processes underway in the countries with open armed conflicts such as Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen, most other countries in the region are, to varying degrees, witnessing rising tensions with their neighbours. Coupled with foreign military intervention, this situation has wreaked havoc on the safeguard of the most fundamental human rights across the region.”

On March 8, 2018, the Alkarama Foundation marked International Women’s Day by celebrating the important work of women human rights defenders across the Arab world while also speaking up for the thousands of women across the region who have fallen victim to severe human rights violations in recent years.

On September 20, 2017, Andrew Gilmour, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, presented to the Human Rights Council the annual report of the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) on the subject of reprisals against persons who cooperated with the UN.

Alkarama is appalled by the decision of the Economic and Social Council not to grant us the consultative status, following a draft resolution introduced by the United Arab Emirates over “alleged ties to terrorism”. This is at odds with the positive recommendation of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organisations taken in May 2017, after a long vetting process.

Geneva, 13 March 2017 – The continuous rise of human rights violations, including in the name of counterterrorism, and the systematic crackdown on dissenting voices by Arab governments seriously undermine the rights of their citizens, Alkarama said today in launching its Annual Report 2016. The 117-page document reviews the human rights situation in 20 countries, highlighting the most pressing issues and formulating recommendations.

As of this year, the Alkarama Foundation forgoes its annual Alkarama Award ceremony for Human Rights Defenders in the Arab World to take more concrete action in their support, in the hope to achieve greater impact in the protection and promotion of human rights in the Arab World, and taking into consideration the hurdles specific to the region. This new format will include an international advocacy campaign, as well as direct legal, moral and financial support.

29 June 2016
Your Excellency,
We, the undersigned 244 civil society organizations, spanning across all regions of the world, call on your delegation to stand in solidarity with civil society by supporting the draft resolution on the protection of civil society space, to be considered for adoption at the 32nd session of the Human Rights Council (on 30 June or 1 July). We urge you to cosponsor the draft resolution, reject all amendments, and vote in favour of the resolution if a vote is called.

Human rights stand, alongside development and peace and security, as one of three pillars of the UN's work. Human rights defenders, being essential actors in the promotion and protection of human rights and the prevention of violations, should be at the core of this work. Despite this, in all regions of the world, human rights defenders face unacceptable restrictions and risks – from defamation to criminalisation, and from arbitrary detention to torture.

As the world celebrates Press Freedom Day, many journalists and bloggers in the Arab world are paying a heavy price for their commitment to provide citizens in their countries and around the World with independent and thorough information.

Because reporting impartially on their acts and policies is seen by States in the region as a threat to their stability or sometimes simply as an insult to those in power, journalists and bloggers are targeted. Judicial harassment, arbitrary and secret detentions, torture, executions ...