ANNUAL REPORT

2019
 FIDH participates to the Gay Pride in Taïwan, October 2019.

ANNUAL REPORT
2019
 04 President’s Letter

06 The Congress

08 The Federation

09 192 Member Organisations

11 International Board

12 Priority Supporting Human Rights Defenders

18Priority Fostering an Environment Conducive to Democracy

and Freedom

26 Priority Promoting Women’s Rights

34Priority Fighting Discrimination and Violence Based on Sexual

Orientation and Gender Identity

38 Priority Promoting the Rights of Migrants

42Priority Fighting Impunity and Protecting

CONTENTS

Populations from the Most Serious Crimes

52Priority Promoting Respect for Human Rights

by Economic Players

60

Organisational Development

68 International Secretariat

69 Financial Report 2019

70 Acknowledgements

A gathering in solidarity to human rights defenders under arbitrary detention during the 40th FIDH World Congress in Taipei, October 2019.
 PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Dear friends,
Dear friends,
It is my pleasure to share with you FIDH’s Annual
Report for 2019.
2019 has been marked by popular uprisings occurring
in all regions of our world. Although seemingly
disparate and unconnected, these movements
have a common backdrop - the rejection of an
elitist socio-economic model which generates
inequalities, corruption, discrimination, abuses of
power and violations of human rights. In response,
the call is to build more resilient, more inclusive,
more respectful, and equitable societies in order
for communities and people to thrive.
These popular uprisings are expressions born
of lived experiences of exclusion. Generally not
structured around an ideology, or a political party,
they transcend existing political movements. They
provide a voice for those who have felt silenced and
excluded by systems of governance. We must pay
tribute here to the courage of people, from all origins,
all generations, regardless of their gender identity,
who have taken to the streets, in many cases, in
countries where the right to demonstrate or the
right to claim rights are contested and suppressed.
4 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
Human rights organizations around the world were,
in 2019, actively engaged in challenging this status
quo by using the courts and functioning institutions
of democracy; by denouncing violations of human
rights; by increasing public awareness through
the media; by using regional and international
mechanisms – all aimed at seeking redress,
enforcing decisions, and encouraging States to
guarantee the protection of their citizens.
Over the past year, as popular uprisings have
multiplied, repression against human rights
defenders has only increased, particularly in cases
where they have demanded social, economic or
environmental justice. Yet, these defenders are the
agents of change in and for our societies. They are
the observers, the whistleblowers and the watchdog
of human rights. Of all human rights for all, without
discrimination : civil and political rights as well as
economic, social and cultural rights.
However, due to the State capture of independent
regional and international investigative mechanisms
and judicial institutions, the ability of defenders
to protect human rights has been curtailed. The
political blockage within multilateral systems
(especially the UN Security Council), the weak
commitment to human rights and accountability
expressed by key powers, the closing space for
civil society groups across the global North and
South, attacks against established accountability
mechanisms, including the ICC, as well as the UN
Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies, and regional
human rights mechanisms, and the tendency to put
justice processes behind economic reconstruction
and diplomatic arrangements in the context of
conflict resolution are just some of the shifting
dynamics that have characterized 2019.
To address these and many other issues and
challenges, FIDH and its member and partner
organizations have used various means of action.
To give a few examples in figures for 2019: 282
urgent appeals were addressed to thousands
of stakeholders and decision-makers followed
by advocacy dialogue at national, regional and
international levels to end harassment of human
rights defenders. Both sessions of the African
Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
allowed a joint mobilization of FIDH with 14 member
organizations from Africa. In 2019, based on 17 fact-
findings reports following international investigation
missions, and on a significant number of policy
briefs, FIDH conducted about 45 rounds of advocacy
meetings before the EU and the UN allowing close
to 125 human rights defenders, men and women,
from 60 member or partner organizations, from
37 countries from all regions of the world, to be
in direct interaction with EU and UN officials at
diplomatic level to advocate for change towards
the respect, the protection and the fulfillment of
human rights. In 2019, FIDH was also engaged
in 102 strategic litigation proceedings relating to
violations committed in 45 countries. You will learn
much more on all of our actions in the report.
The 4 0 th FIDH Congress held in Taïwan in
October 2019, which addressed the overall theme
of universality of human rights, was a unique
opportunity to bring together close to 450 human
rights experts - including, but not only, FIDH member
organizations – from a wide range of countries
and contexts to network and discuss these global
threats to human rights at the national, regional and
international levels and the best ways to thwart these
attacks. Universality and indivisibility of human
rights which are at the core of FIDH’s mandate since
1922 are more than ever in our agenda as FIDH will
celebrate its Centenary in 2022.
At the Congress in Taipei on 24 October 2019, I
was elected as the new President of FIDH for the
next coming three years. My commitment to human
rights is rooted in the Botswana value of botho: the
conviction that one’s humanity is bound up with the
humanity of each and every person in the world, that
every person has the right to be treated with dignity.
This personal conviction is closely aligned to the
values of equality, solidarity, liberty and justice that
FIDH upholds every day in its work.
Let us work together – both citizens' movements
and civil society organizations - to consolidate the
three essential pillars of a global human rights-based
public order: the defense of universal human rights
standards; the protection of human rights defenders;
and the strengthening of independent institutions
which monitor the implementation of human rights.
This three-pronged approach will allow to guide us
achieving thriving societies in which the dignity of
every person is respected and upheld. Keep your
eyes open. Thank you for being with us.
Alice Mogwe,
President
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 019 — 5
 T HE C ONGRESS
40TH FIDH CONGRESS: OUR RIGHTS, OUR FI-
GHT, OUR FUTURE – RECLAIMING THE UNI-
VERSALITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS
FIDH holds its Congress every three years—a global
event which amplifies the voices of human rights
defenders the world over.
Universality of human rights implies that human
rights apply to all human beings – they concern all
of humanity. Almost 100 years since the creation
of FIDH (founded in 1922), and more than 70
since the adoption of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, the universality of human rights
has never been more compromised and called into
question. This is even the case in many democracies,
becoming a dangerous trend.
The 40th FIDH Congress, co-hosted by FIDH and its
member organization in Taiwan, Taiwan Association
for Human Rights (TAHR), was held in Taipei, Taiwan
from 21 to 25 October 2019. It was the first time the
Congress had been held in Asia.
Why Taiwan?
A democracy with a vibrant civil society, Taiwan
stands in stark counterpoint to many of its regional
neighbors. The country has made steady human
rights progress in recent years, notably with the
recognition of same-sex marriage. Taiwanese
civil society is thoroughly mobilized and has been
instrumental to these successes. It remains strongly
active to defend human rights defenders in mainland
China and Hong Kong, the recognition of indigenous
people’s rights, and the abolition of death penalty.
6 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
Opening session of the 40th FIDH World Congress in Taipei, with Taiwan indigenous community
representative Ms Seredew Tariyajan, October 2019.
The opening of the Congress illustrated these
contemporary challenges, notably benefiting from
interventions from Taiwan President, Ms Tsai Ing-
Wen, former death row convict and director of
general affairs for the Judicial Reform Foundation
Mr Cheng Hsing-tse, Taiwan indigenous community
representative Ms Seredew Tariyajan, International
Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Ms Fatou Bensouda,
and Human Rights in China Executive Director Ms
Sharon Hom.
A two-day public forum on “Reclaiming Universality:
challenges and solutions for the human rights
movement ” brought together close to 4 50
representatives of FIDH member and partner
organizations, local, and regional civil society, as
well as international experts, official representatives
of national and international authorities, donors and
members of the International Secretariat.
“I felt that the 2019 Forum & Congress was
extremely valuable for me as someone working in
human rights focused on issues and events in my
own country. The Forum gave me the opportunity
to expand my understanding of global human
rights issues, share my experience from my home
country and to make connections with human rights
defenders across the world. It made me feel part of
a global community and gave me a lot of inspiration
and drive for my work.”
Feedback from a participant
 Opening of 40th FIDH World Congress in Taipei, with former death row convict and director of general
With 12 round-table discussions and 11 “one speaker,
one story” pitches, which gathered some 70 speakers
from around the world, the Forum presented
solutions from local human rights organizations
to address attacks against the universality of human
rights and against the human rights movement in
its diversity, around three streams of discussions:
• Is the universality of human rights in decline?
Challenges and solutions to countering attacks
to the universal agenda;
• E xpanding our horizons: broadening human rights
reach and norms;
• Consolidating the roots of our movement: making
human rights a reality for all.
A variety of topics, challenges and best practices
were presented and discussed: Defending a human
rights-driven multilateralism through innovative
strategies; Surveillance, censorship, artificial
intelligence: Human rights in the digital era;
Democracies in crisis: Poverty, Extreme Right, Rule
of law, and human rights; strategic litigation as a tool
to uphold the universality of human rights; attacks
against human rights defenders increasingly seen as
new ‘terrorists’; Fighting against the death penalty:
Global solutions for abolition; Climate change,
environment, and human rights: Linkages and
responses; Combating discrimination: Challenges
and solutions for the LGBTI Movement; Changing the
narrative on refugees and migrants; Accountability
at the ICC: will the Court hold major powers into
account?; Communities and Indigenous peoples
affected by investment projects: How to fight back?
Women’s rights: Responding to threats to their
universality.
The discussions provided an oppor tunity to
update our analyses of the global, regional and
affairs for the Judicial Reform Foundation Mr Cheng Hsing-tse, October 2019
local geopolitical contexts, to share good practices
within our movement, and to identify strategies for
regaining the universality of human rights.
“The organization was excellent. The public Forum
was successful in the themes and
methodology, it allowed participants to go deeper in
the themes and had excellent
presenters.”
Feedback from a participant
The Forum was a unique moment to:
• connect: build new alliances, share experiences
with each other and other stakeholders, and
strengthen their resilience;
• learn: from new information, expert interventions,
new strategies and best practices on existing and
emerging topics; and
• solve: propose responses to the challenges facing
human rights defenders and civil society, and share
innovative tools and practices.
Following the two-day public Forum, the FIDH internal
Congress met to further strategic discussions at
the regional level and on thematic issues. They
resulted in the adoption of political positions through
27 resolutions on the protection of human rights
concerning specific countries, regions or themes.
The Congress also approved the membership of 16
organizations, bringing the number of members of
the Federation to 192 in 117 countries:
H u m a n R i g h t s c l u b ( H R C) ( A ze r b a i d j a n);
Observatoire Centrafricain des Droits de l’Homme
(OCDH) (Central African Republic); Solidarité
Fanm Ayisyèn (SOFA) (Haiti); Hungarian Helsinki
Committee (HHC) (Hungar y); Association of
Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) (India);
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 019 — 7
 Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) (Maldives);
Idheas, Litigio Estratégico en Derechos Humanos
(Mexico); Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and
Accountability (MATA) (Myanmar); Women Peace
Network (WPN) (Myanmar); Helsinki Foundation
for Human Rights (HFHR) (Poland); ALQST (Saudi
Arabia); Covenants Watch Taiwan (CWT) (Taiwan);
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) (Tailand);
Manushya Foundation (Thailand); Programa
Venezolano de Educación – Acción en Derechos
Humanos (PROVEA) (Venezuela); Mwatana for
Human Rights (Yemen).
“[The event] renewed the importance of an
internationalist approach to my work.”
Feedback from a participant
Lastly, the Congress elected a new FIDH International
Board (composed of representatives from member
organizations) with 10 new members, gender
balance and composed of eminent personalities
from all regions. Alice Mogwe, a renowned activist
from Botswana was elected to succeed Dimitris
Christopoulos (Greece) as FIDH President.
FIDH communicated through a Facebook event
page (13 posts in three languages during the five
T HE FEDER ATION
The International Board
• Comprises 22 volunteers from FIDH member
organisations. The Board is elected by the Congress
and consists of the President, the Treasurer, 15 Vice-
Presidents and 5 Secretaries-General;
• Determines FIDH’s main strategic goals and
orientations, according to the policy orientations set
by the Congress, and approves the annual accounts;
• Meets three times a year and reports to the
Congress.
The Executive Board
• Is composed of the President, the Treasurer, 5
Secretaries-General and 5 Deputy Secretaries-
General;
•Prepares and organises the meetings of the
International Board;
• Meets once a month and reports to the International
Board.
8 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
days of the Forum and Congress), which reached
more than 200,000 people and generated more than
5,000 reactions, comments and shares. Seventy
Tweets published across FIDH’s three official Twitter
accounts reached more than 250,000 people.
An article published on FIDH’s website presenting
the event in five languages (French, English, Spanish,
Farsi and Mandarin) received 8,000 visits. Thirty-
five journalists attended the Forum, including
journalists for local and national media such as the
Taipei Times, China Times, United Daily News and
Central News Agency. In addition, correspondents
for international media included Radio Free Asia,
Radio Television Hong Kong, Getty Images, and
Japan Broadcasting Corporation.
“I am convinced of the importance of the Congress
every three years. It demonstrates
in itself the universality of human rights. It is also an
important place of learning, of
training. And this is an important support for the
defenders who then return home in
their respective countries.”
Feedback from a participant
The International Secretariat
• Based in Paris, it is composed of a team of
professionals managed by a Chief Executive Officer
and a Deputy CEO, who sit as non-voting advisory
members of the International and Executive Boards.
The team is structured by regions, action priorities,
and delegations. The International Secretariat has
permanent delegations at the United Nations in New
York and Geneva, at the European Union in Brussels,
before the International Criminal Court in The Hague,
as well as a regional office in Tunis; and offices in
conjunction with member organisations in Conakry,
Abidjan, Bangui and Bamako. It also comprises a
Communications and Public Relations department,
and an Administrative and Finance Department.
• In permanent contact with the actors in the field, the
International Secretariat implements the decisions
of the FIDH policy-making bodies in conjunction with
the member organisations, chargés de mission, and
members of the International and Executive Boards.
 ORGANISATIONS
192 MEMBER
AFGHANISTAN, Armanshahr/Open Asia / ALBANIA, Albanian
Human Rights Group (AHRG) / ALGERIA, Collectif des
familles de disparu(e)s en Algérie (CFDA) / ALGERIA, Ligue
Algérienne de défense des droits de l’homme (LADDH) /
ANGOLA, Associação Justiça Paz e Democracia (AJPD) /
ARGENTINA, Centro De Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
/ ARGENTINA, Comité De Acción Jurídica (CAJ) /
ARGENTINA, Liga Argentina Por Los Derechos Del Hombre
(LADH) / ARMENIA, Civil Society Institute (CSI) / AUSTRIA,
Osterreichische Liga Fur Menschenrechte (OLFM) /
AZERBAIDJAN, Human Rights club (HRC) / BAHRAIN,
Bahrain Center For Human Rights (BCHR) / BAHRAIN,
Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) / BANGLADESH,
Odhikar / BELARUS, Human Rights Center Viasna /
BELGIUM, Liga Voor Menschenrechten (LVM) / BELGIUM,
Ligue Des Droits De L’Homme – Belgique / BOLIVIA,
Asamblea Permanente De Derechos Humanos De Bolivia
(APDHB) / BOTSWANA, The Botswana Centre For Human
Rights – Ditshwanelo / BRAZIL, Justiça Global (CJG) /
BRAZIL, Movimento Nacional De Direitos Humanos (MNDH)
/ BURKINA FASO, Mouvement Burkinabé Des Droits De
L’Homme Et Des Peuples (MBDHP) / BURUNDI, Ligue
Burundaise Des Droits De L’Homme (Iteka) / CAMBODIA,
Cambodian Human Rights And Development Association
(ADHOC) / CAMBODIA, Ligue Cambodgienne De Défense
Des Droits De L’Homme (LICADHO) / CAMEROON, Maison
Des Droits De L’Homme (MDH) / CANADA, Canadian Centre
for International Justice (CCIJ) / CANADA, Ligue Des Droits
Et Des Libertés Du Québec (LDL) / CENTRAL AFRICAN
REPUBLIC, Ligue Centrafricaine Des Droits De L’Homme
(LCDH) / CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, Observatoire
Centrafricain des Droits de l’Homme (OCDH) /CENTRAL
AFRICAN REPUBLIC, Observatoire Centrafricain des Droits
de l’Homme (OCDH) / CHAD, Association Tchadienne Pour
La Promotion Et La Défense Des Droits De L’Homme (ATPDH)
/ CHAD, Ligue Tchadienne Des Droits De L’Homme (LTDH)
/ CHILE, Corporacion De Promocion Y Defensa De Los
Derechos Del Pueblo (CODEPU) / CHILE, Observatorio
Cuidadano / CHINA, China Labour Bulletin (CLB) / CHINA,
Human Rights In China (HRIC) / CHINA (TIBET), International
Campaign For Tibet (ICT) / COLOMBIA, Comite Permanente
Por La Defensa De Los Derechos Humanos (CPDH) /
COLOMBIA, Corporacion Colectivo De Abogados José
Alvear Restrepo (CCAJAR) / COLOMBIA, Instituto
Latinoamericano De Servicios Legales Alternativos (ILSA)
/ COLOMBIA, Organización Femenina Popular (OFP) /
CONGO, Observatoire Congolais Des Droits De L’Homme
(OCDH) / CROATIA, Civic Committee For Human Rights
(CCHR) / CUBA, Comision Cubana De Derechos Humanos
Y Reconciliacion National (CCHDN) / CZECH REPUBLIC,
Human Rights League (HRL) - Liga Lidskych Prav /
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, Association Africaine
Des Droits De L’homme (ASADHO) / DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF CONGO, Groupe Lotus / DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF
CONGO, Ligue Des Électeurs (LE) / DJIBOUTI, Ligue
Djiboutienne Des Droits Humains (LDDH) / DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC, Comisión Nacional De Los Derechos Humanos
Inc (CNDHRD) / ECUADOR, Acción Ecológica / ECUADOR,
Comisión Ecuménica De Derechos Humanos (CEDHU) /
ECUADOR, Fundación Regional De Asesoria En Derechos
Humanos (INREDH) / EGYPT, Cairo Institute For Human
Rights Studies (CIHRS) / EGYPT, Egyptian Initiative for
Personal Rights (EIPR) / EGYPT, Human Rights Association
For The Assistance Of Prisoners (HRAAP) / EL SALVADOR,
Comision De Derechos Humanos Del Salvador (CDHES) /
ETHIOPIA, Human Rights Council (HRCO) / EUROPE,
Association Européenne Pour La Défense Des Droits De
L’Homme (AEDH) / FINLAND, Finnish League For Human
Rights (FLHR) – Ihmisoikeusliitto / FRANCE, Ligue Des
Droits De L’Homme (LDH) / FRANCE (FRENCH POLYNESIA),
Ligue Polynésienne Des Droits Humains (LPDH) / FRANCE
(NEW CALEDONIA), Ligue Des Droits Et Du Citoyen De
Nouvelle Calédonie (LDHNC) / GEORGIA, Human Rights
Center (HRIDC) / GERMANY, Internationale Liga Fur
Menschenrechte (ILMR) / GREECE, Hellenic League For
Human Rights (HLHR) / GUATEMALA, Centro De Acción
Legal En Derechos Humanos (CALDH) / GUINEA-BISSAU,
Liga Guineense Dos Direitos Humanos (LGDH) / GUINEA-
CONAKRY, Mêmes droits pour tous (MDT) / GUINEA-
CONAKRY, Organisation Guinéenne De Défense Des Droits
De L’Homme Et Du Citoyen (OGDH) / GULF, Gulf Center for
Human Rights (GCHR) / HAITI, Solidarite Fanm Ayisyèn
(SOFA) / HAITI, Centre Oecumenique Des Droits Humains
(CEDH) / HAITI, Réseau National De Défense Des Droits De
L’Homme (RNDDH) / HONDURAS, Centro De Investigación
Y Promoción De Los Derechos Humanos (CIPRODEH) /
HONDURAS, Comité de Familiares de Detenidos-
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 019 — 9

Desaparecidos en Honduras (COFADEH) / HUNGARY,
Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) / INDIA, Association
of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) / INDIA,
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) / INDIA,
People’s Watch / INDONESIA, KontraS / IRAN, Defenders
Of Human Rights Center In Iran (DHRC) / IRAN, Justice for
Iran (JFI) / IRAN, Ligue Pour La Défense Des Droits De
L’Homme En Iran (LDDHI) / IRELAND, Free Legal Advice
Centres Limited (FLAC) / IRELAND, Irish Council For Civil
Liberties (ICCL) / ISRAEL, Adalah / ISRAEL, Association
For Civil Rights In Israel (ACRI) / ISRAEL, B’tselem / ISRAEL,
Public Committee Against Torture In Israel (PCATI) / ITALY,
Lega Italiana Dei Diritti Dell’uomo (LIDU) / ITALY, Unione
Forense Per La Tutela Dei Diritti Dell’uomo (UFTDU) / IVORY
COAST, Ligue Ivoirienne Des Droits De L’homme (LIDHO) /
IVORY COAST, Mouvement Ivoirien Des Droits Humains
(MIDH) / JAPAN, Center For Prisoners’ Rights (CPR) /
JORDAN, Amman Center For Human Rights Studies (ACHRS)
/ KAZAKHSTAN, International Legal Initiative (ILI) /
KAZAKHSTAN, Kazakstan International Bureau for Human
Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR) / KENYA, Kenya Human
Rights Commission (KHRC) / KUWAIT, Human Line
Organisation (HLO) / KYRGYZSTAN, Human Rights
Movement (Bir Duino-Dyrgyzstan) / KYRGYZSTAN, Kylym
Shamy / KYRGYZSTAN, Legal Clinic Adilet / LAOS,
Mouvement Lao Pour Les Droits De L’Homme (MLDH) /
LATVIA, Latvian Human Rights Committee (LHRC) /
LEBANON, Centre Libanais des Droits Humains (CLDH) /
LEBANON, Palestinian Human Rights Organization (PHRO)
/ LIBERIA, Regional Watch For Human Rights (LWHR) /
LIBYA, Human Rights Association for Recording and
Documenting War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity /
LIBYA, Libyan League For Human Rights (LLH) / LITHUANIA,
Lithuanian Human Rights Association (LHRA) / MALAYSIA,
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) / MALDIVES, Maldivian
Democracy Network (MDN) /MALI, Association Malienne
Des Droits De L’Homme (AMDH) / MAURITANIA, Association
Mauritanienne Des Droits De L’Homme (AMDH) / MEXICO,
Comision Mexicana De Defensa Y Promocion De Los
Derechos Humanos (CMDPDH) / MEXICO, IDHEAS, Litigio
Estratégico en Derechos Humanos (IDHEAS) / MEXICO,
Liga Mexicana Por La Defensa De Los Derechos Humanos
(LIMEDDH) / MOLDOVA, Promo-LEX / MOROCCO,
Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM)
/ MOROCCO, Association Marocaine Des Droits Humains
(AMDH) / MOROCCO, Organisation Marocaine Des Droits
De L’Homme (OMDH) / MOZAMBIQUE, Liga Mocanbicana
Dos Direitos Humanos (LMDDH) / MYANMAR, Altsean
Burma / MYANMAR, Myanmar Alliance for Transparency
and Accountability (MATA) / MYANMAR, Women Peace
Network (WPN) / NICARAGUA, Centro Nicaraguense De
Derechos Humanos (CENIDH) / NIGER, Association
Nigerienne Pour La Défense Des Droits De L’Homme
(ANDDH) / NIGERIA, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) /
NORTHERN IRELAND, Committee On The Administration
Of Justice (CAJ) / NORWAY, Norwegian Helsinki Committee
(NHC) / PAKISTAN, Human Rights Commission Of Pakistan
10 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
(HRCP) / PALESTINE, Al Haq / PALESTINE, Al Mezan Center
for Human Rights (Al Mezan) / PALESTINE, Palestinian
Centre For Human Rights (PCHR) / PALESTINE, Ramallah
Centre For Human Rights Studies (RCHRS) / PANAMA,
Centro De Capacitación Social De Panamá (CCS) / PERU,
Asociacion Pro Derechos Humanos (APRODEH) / PERU,
Centro De Derechos Y Desarrollo (CEDAL) / PERU, Equidad
/ PHILIPPINES, Philippine Alliance Of Human Rights
Advocates (PAHRA) / POLAND, Helsinki Foundation for
Human Rights (HFHR) / POLAND, Polish Society of Anti-
Discrimination Law (PSAL) / PORTUGAL, Liga Portuguesa
dos Direitos Humanos - CIVITAS / ROMANIA, The League
For The Defense Of Human Rights (LADO) / RUSSIA, Anti-
Discrimination Center Memorial (ADC Memorial) / RUSSIA,
Citizens’ Watch (CW) / RUSSIA, Memorial HRC – Moscow
/ RWANDA, Association Rwandaise Pour La Défense Des
Droits De La Personne Et Des Libertés Publiques (ADL) /
RWANDA, Ligue Rwandaise Pour La Promotion Et La Défense
Des Droits De L’Homme (LIPRODHOR) / SAUDI ARABIA,
Alqst (Alqst) / SENEGAL, Ligue Sénégalaise des Droits
Humains (LSDH) / SENEGAL, Organisation Nationale Des
Droits De L’Homme (ONDH) / SENEGAL, Rencontre Africaine
Pour La Défense Des Droits De L’Homme (RADDHO) / SOUTH
AFRICA, Lawyers for human rights (LHR) / SOUTH KOREA,
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) /
SPAIN, Asociacion Pro Derechos Humanos De Espana
(APDHE) / SPAIN, Federacion De Asociaciones De Defensa
Y Promocion De Los Derecho (FDDHH) / SUDAN, African
Center For Justice And Peace Studies (ACJPS) / SUDAN,
Sudan Human Rights Monitor (SUHRM) / SWITZERLAND,
Ligue Suisse Des Droits De L’homme (LSDH) / SYRIA, Al
Marsad / SYRIA, Damascus Center For Human Rights
Studies (DCHRS) / SYRIA, Syrian Center for Media and
Freedom of Expression (SCM) / TAIWAN, Covenants Watch
Taiwan (CWT) / TAIWAN, Taiwan Association For Human
Rights (TAHR) / TAJIKISTAN, Tajik “Bureau on Human
Rights and Rule of Law” (BHR) / TANZANIA, The Legal And
Human Rights Centre (LHRC) / THAILAND, Internet Law
Reform Dialogue (iLaw) / THAILAND, Manushya Foundation
(Manushya) / THAILAND, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights
(TLHR) / THAILAND, Union For Civil Liberties (UCL) / THE
NETHERLANDS, Liga Voor De Rechten Van De Mens (LVRM)
/ TOGO, Ligue Togolaise Des Droits De L’Homme (LTDH) /
TUNISIA, Association Tunisienne Des Femmes Démocrates
(ATFD) / TUNISIA, Doustourna / TUNISIA, Forum tunisien
pour les droits économiques et sociaux (FTDES) / TUNISIA,
Ligue Tunisienne Des Droits De L’Homme (LTDH) / TURKEY,
Human Rights Foundation Of Turkey (HRFT) / TURKEY,
Insan Haklari Dernegi (IHD) Ankara / TURKEY, Insan Haklari
Dernegi (IHD) Diyabakir / UGANDA, Foundation For Human
Rights Initiative (FHRI) / UKRAINE, Center for Civil Liberties
(CLC) / UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Center For
Constitutional Rights (CCR) / UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Center For Justice & Accountability (CJA) / UZBEKISTAN,
Human Rights Society Of Uzbekistan (HRSU) / VENEZUELA,
Programa Venezolano de Educación – Acción en Derechos
Humanos (PROVEA) / VIETNAM, Comité Vietnam Pour La
Défense Des Droits De L’Homme (CVDDH) / YEMEN,
Mwatana (Mwatana) YEMEN, Sisters’ Arab Forum For
Human Rights (SAF) / ZIMBABWE, Zimbabwe Human Rights
Association (Zimrights)
INTERNATIONAL BOARD

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 11
 PRIORITY
SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
1/ ANALYSIS OF PL ANS, CHALLENGES AND
PROGRESS
Under the programs of the Observatory for Human
Rights Defenders (FIDH and the World Organisation
Against Torture (OMCT)) and the ProtectDefenders.eu
European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism
implemented by international civil society, FIDH
conducted activities in 2019 for the support and
protection of human rights defenders (HRDs) in more
than 90 countries and territories in all regions of the
world. HRDs continued to be particularly vulnerable
notably in totalitarian States, in countries governed
by authoritarian regimes, in “illiberal” democracies, in
conflict situations as well as in countries where human
rights activism is restricted or criminalized, where
human rights defenders continue to be stigmatized,
threatened and where they are openly attacked in
their public statements or on social networks. Attacks
against HRDs often remain unpunished while defending
human rights is increasingly perceived as a crime.
In 2019, FIDH supported about 500 HRDs confronted
with security risks and harassment. Defenders of
populations most exposed to harassment – women
(such as in Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Cambodia), LGBTI+
persons (such as in Poland, Russia, Ouganda, Kenya),
migrants (such as in Thailand, Italy), indigenous and
rural populations, supporters of land and environmental
rights (such as in Cambodia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru,
Uganda), workers and union leaders (such as in Thailand,
Cambodia) – are especially prone to repression.
Further, people fighting against impunity of State and
economic actors were subjected to particularly violent
attacks (Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras). In 2019,
many journalists and freedom of expression activists
were prosecuted or convicted for their statements on
social networks, in the media, or simply because of
the legitimate exercise of their freedom of expression.
Among them are a number of members of FIDH member
organizations (Egypt, Turkey, Venezuela).
Faced with all these issues, guaranteeing an enabling
environment for the defense of rights and freedoms
has become critical for the global human rights
movement. The rise of extremism, nationalism and
populism; the increasing number of social and land-
related conflicts based on economic issues; the use of
the media and new technologies as tools of repression
12 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
and propagation of slander against defenders (such
as in China, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Egypt, Hungary,
Iran, Israel-Palestine, Morocco, Philippines, Poland,
Thailand) have led to more attacks against HRDs:
assassinations, forced disappearances, torture,
ill-treatment, death threats, arrests, arbitrary
detention, slander campaigns, and repressive laws
and practices. Draconian laws continued to be used
to limit the ability of civil society, including NGOs and
human rights organizations, to operate.
In 2019, FIDH and its member organizations actively
mobilized and advocated to decision-makers to
respond to HRDs’ challenges in given countries. This
advocacy work is based on regular urgent alerts
allowing documentation of urgent situations in given
contexts and through specific in-depth documentation
following international fact-finding missions. In 2019,
three international fact-finding missions on the situation
of HRDs were conducted in Cambodia, Azerbaijan
and Venezuela. Several reports were also published
denouncing judicial harassments faced by lawyers and
women’s rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, in Iran with a
report titled Indefensible: Iran’s systematic criminalisation
of human rights defenders, and in Tajikistan with a report
titled Their last stand? How human rights defenders are
being squeezed out in Tajikistan. In the Philippines,
following the joint report entitled I’ll kill you along
with drug addicts, a national advocacy mission was
conducted to present it to the Commission on Human
Rights, the Philippine National Police, the Department
of Interior and Local Government, as well as diplomatic
representatives, and the media.
Two hundred and eighty-two urgent appeals were
addressed to thousands of stakeholders and decision-
makers followed by advocacy dialogue at national,
regional and international levels to end harassment
of HRDs. HRDs continued to be arbitrarily detained
and imprisoned for months or even years. Their
situation was especially worrisome and required
special attention in 2019 mainly in China, Hong Kong,
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, the
Russian Federation and Turkey. FIDH continued with
a long-term approach to support HRDs from members
organizations as well as outside the Federation, in
order to plead for their release when under arbitrary
detention. As a result of these actions, 124 human
rights defenders were released in 2019 (see below).
At UN level, FIDH organized international advocacy
rounds with HRDs in Geneva and in New York related to
the situation of HRDs, and also on civic space and the
use of counter-terrorism legislation to target dissenting
voices in different States and regions (Sudan, Cambodia,
China, Iran, Kashmir, Vietnam, Egypt, Saudi Arabia). This
was the case for Egypt, for instance, when prior to the
universal periodic review session of Egypt, the case of
Mr Ramy Shaath, detained for his human rights activities
in Egypt, was raised, as well as the broader situation of
HRDs and civic space in Egypt. This was also the case
for Cambodia. During the 42nd session of the Human
Rights Council, FIDH and its member organizations
conducted advocacy rounds with HRDs from Cambodia
in Geneva, by addressing oral statements to States
during the sessions; and by advocating throughout the
year on the basis of the findings of a fact-finding mission,
and joint NGO letters and urgent alerts. Concerns were
expressed on the persisting impunity over the killing of
HRD Kem Ley, over the restrictive Law on Trade Unions
and cases of harassment against union leaders, and
on the criminalization of journalists Uon Chhin and
Yeang Sothearin.
The ninth Inter-mechanism meeting (IMM) was
organized in September 2019 in Warsaw, at the invitation
of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights (ODIHR). Since 2008, the Observatory
has been organizing such “inter-mechanisms” meetings,
to facilitate interaction between intergovernmental
institutions equipped with mechanisms or tools
dedicated to the protection of HRDs. Participants
in inter-mechanism gatherings typically include the
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation
of HRDs, as well as regional counterparts at the
African, Inter-American, OSCE, Council of Europe and
European Union levels. Those meetings provide a
platform for participants to exchange on cross-cutting
issues affecting the protection of HRDs around the
world, and to provide a concerted response to the
main challenges faced by civil society. The ninth
meeting focused on the impact of national security and
counter-terrorism laws and policies on the protection
of HRDs, the issue of restrictions on – and reprisals
against – civil society participation in the work of
intergovernmental organizations, as well as the need
to support the legitimacy, achievements and positive
role of HRDs worldwide.
At European level, a number of advocacy rounds with
HRDs (from Belarus, Burundi, Bangladesh, Cambodia,
Colombia, DRC, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, Myanmar,
Philippines, Vietnam) were organized to the European
Union in Brussels in order to advocate on the human
rights concerns and recommendations to be addressed
by the targeted State’s authorities. On each of these
occasions, HRDs met with relevant stakeholders. These
meetings were supported by written submissions,
position papers, briefing notes and advocacy letters
that were produced in preparation for these activities.
Echoing FIDH’s advocacy work, eight resolutions were
adopted by the European Parliament for the protection
of HRDs in Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Emirates, Chechnya, Guatemala and Singapore.
In terms of emergency support, 99 HRDs and families
benefited from relocation grants allowing HRDs to
temporarily relocate in order to escape harassment
and threats. Twenty-three material support grants
were allocated in favor of 142 HRDs and six NGOs, and
five capacity-building and institutional support grants
were directed to NGOs working in or on the Gulf region,
Uganda, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Israel. These grants
were allocated to strengthen the protection of local
organizations confronted with contexts of hostility
for their human rights activities, allowing them to
maintain work and to strengthen HRDs’ capacity to
take action. Outreach missions took place to meet
HRDs working in Hong Kong and Nepal.
Faced with the use or instrumentalization of justice
to obstruct or criminalize the work of defenders, FIDH
deploys judicial observation missions throughout the
world. Such missions cover a variety of objectives: to
provide expert legal assistance in this type of case in
support of criminalized defenders; to provide solidarity
and international attention that can contribute to the
respect of the right to a fair trial; but also to help
shed light on procedural violations in order to elicit
a reaction from the authorities concerned and the
international community. In 2019, FIDH conducted
six trial observations. These observations gave rise
to publications detailing the violations of the right to
a fair trial found during the hearings.
Russia / Chechnya: Observation of the trial against
Oyub Titiyev, member of Memorial Human Rights Centre
Peru: Observation of the lawsuit against the community
of Las Bambas, involved in the defense of the right to land
Honduras: Observation of the trial for the assassination
of Berta Caceres, who was involved in the defense of
the right to land
Thailand: Observation of legal actions against migrant
workers defending their rights at the Thammakaset
company
Morocco: Two trial observations in the case against
journalist Omar Radi
Algeria: Two trial observations in the context of the
lawsuits brought against the leaders of the peaceful
protest movement “Hirak”.
In a context of increasing criminalization of HRDs
throughout the world, FIDH regularly mobilizes the
United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
(WGAD), as well as, when necessary, various national
or regional courts, through referrals or third-party
interventions on individual cases or on cross-cutting
issues relating to HRDs. In 2019, FIDH developed a
quasi-judicial action before the Colombian national
justice system, to challenge developments restricting
the scope of action of HRDs in the country (see below).
The protection of HRDs worldwide requires strong
and strategic partnerships and alliances. Under the
ProtectDefenders.eu Consortium, the European
Union Human Rights Defenders mechanism, FIDH
strengthened synergies with 11 other international
and regional partners on various aspects related to
the protection of HRDs.
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 13
 SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
2/ SPOTLIGHTS ON IMPACTS & SIGNIFICANT OUTCOMES

Objective 1 – Protect human rights defenders in situations of insecurity

Expected outcome 1.1: Defenders escape repression and are better protected

HIGHLIGHTS ON RELEASES OF HUMAN RIGHTS

DEFENDERS: A STRONG AND TIRELESS MOBILIZATION
In 2019, FIDH contributed to the release of 124 defenders who were arbitrarily detained and
were the subject of urgent alerts. This is a slight increase in the number of defenders released
compared to 2018. Twenty-three defenders also saw their judicial conditions improve, including
five who were prosecuted for exercising their freedom of expression.

This was possible thanks to a strong and tireless mobilization in all regions of the world:
in Africa (such as in Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo, Zimbabwe,
Ethiopia, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Mauritania, Djibouti, Niger, Republic of
Guinea, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya), in Europe and Central Asia (such as in Bulgaria, Turkey,
Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Croatia, Hungary, United Kingdom, Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan) in the MENA region (such as in Algeria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
Morocco / Western Sahara, United Arab Emirates, Occupied Palestinian Territory / Israel, Syria,
Iraq, Tunisia, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait), in the Americas (such as in Brazil, Guatemala,
Mexico, Honduras, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, Chile, Ecuador), and
in Asia (such as in Iran, China, Singapore, India, Thailand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam,
Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Maldives, Malaysia, Afghanistan).

Oyub Titiev, Chechen human rights defender, arrested by police on 9 January 2018 © Rashbrax

14 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 Expected outcome 1.2: Defenders and NGOs, especially the most vulnerable, strengthened
in their capacity to protect themselves from risk of repression

STRENGTHENING THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS

DEFENDERS IN THE MENA REGION
FIDH organized in Tunis a regional seminar in June 2019 bringing together about 25 women HRDs: Algerian
and Sudanese defenders, with defenders from countries facing or having faced similar challenges in Kenya,
Spain, Libya, Iraq, Iran and Tajikistan. This collaboration between women defenders has led to the emergence
of a common roadmap formulating recommendations for action to be taken to ensure the inclusion and
promotion of women’s rights at each stage of the transition, within the feminist movement, with other civil
society actors and in terms of participation of women in transitional bodies.

The roadmap is based on two pillars of actions:

- Strengthen the feminist movement by mobilizing young people to foster inter-generational transmission and
collaboration, and uniting work on freedom of association and protection of women defenders. Involvement
in the transition also entails anticipating the movement’s responses, setting up collective demands and
inter-association working groups.

- Strengthen relations with other civil society actors, by identifying allies (feminist men, professionals, students,
artists, etc.), raising awareness among human rights organizations about the need to promote women’s
equality from the start of the transition, and defending equality as a cross-cutting and non-negotiable value
in the relations with “democratic” political actors.

Demonstration during "Women's Rights Day" in Tunisia.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 15
 SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
Expected outcome 1.3: Decision-makers take more action to protect defenders

COLOMBIA: A PROCEEDING TO PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS

DEFENDERS (HRDS)
In 2019, FIDH filed an amicus curiae application before the Constitutional Court of Colombia to
challenge the legality of articles 100 and 104 of the draft statutory law on the administration
of justice in the Special Court for Peace. In the document presented, FIDH demonstrated the
incompatibility of Articles 100 and 104 of the draft law - excluding defenders from access
to judicial functions within the Special Court - with international human rights law. Both
paragraphs intentionally excluded from the enjoyment of an internationally recognized and
protected right, the right to equal access to public services, a category of persons subject to
special international protection, namely HRDs. The draft law articles banning defenders from
exercising functions in the Special Court for Peace were all the more incomprehensible as
the human rights struggle of many HRDs in Colombia have contributed to the peace-building
process.

In a Sate where HRDs are murdered, persecuted and threatened, FIDH demonstrated in this
amicus that it is a priority to ensure that the exercise of their rights is respected in all cases
and that they are not subjected to new forms of discrimination.

Demonstration during of trial for the assassination of Berta Caceres,indigenous leader, human right and environment activist, Honduras, 2019.

16 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 3/ RESULTS FRAMEWORK

Baseline values Targets Actual Targets Actual

(annual average Year 2 Year 2 Year 3 Year 3
Expected outcomes Outputs Outcome Indicators 2012-2016 unless (2018) (2018) (2019) (2019)
otherwise stated)

1.1. Defenders Emergency appeals, press releases, Released defenders, suppression of 68 defenders released 70, 40 116,38 70, 40 124,23
escape repression open letters to authorities, tweets, fact- charges, determination of innocence or per year and 40
finding and solidarity missions, judicial suppression of travel bans in the case of instances of improved
and are better
observation missions defenders not detained situations for non-
protected detained defenders

Relocation support Long-term and short-term relocation of 14 defenders 10 14 10 99

defenders relocated per year

1.2. Defenders and Training sessions including data storage, Defenders/member and partner 39 defenders per year 40 90 40 65
member and partner secure communication or computer organisations trained, implementing trained, implementing
security, legal or other mechanism for security measures or using protection security measures
organisations,
protection, exchange of experience mechanisms or using protection
especially the mechanisms
most vulnerable,
strengthened in the Support for legal cases, home and office Defenders/member and partner 49 instances of 35 19 35 23
means that they security, medical care organisations that benefit from material support per year
have to protect and human support for their protection
themselves from
risks of repression

1.3. Decision-makers Advocacy meetings, fact-finding missions, Decisions, statements, resolutions, 8 per year 8 9 8 8
take more action to appeals communications, guidelines and
references from intergovernmental bodies
protect defenders
to protect the rights of defenders

Proceedings, complaints initiated, legal Proceedings, court judgments or quasi- 1 every two years 1 1 1 1
actions before courts judicial decisions that contribute to fighting
impunity for perpetrators of violations of
defenders’ rights

Advocacy meetings, fact-finding missions, Actions, decisions or statements by States 5 per year 5 5 5 4
appeals, communications supporting protection of defenders

2.1. Defenders and Support for advocacy, material support Defenders/member and partner 3 subgrants per year 5 5 5 2
member and partner to strengthen NGO capacity, strategic organisations that benefit from material/
seminars, training human support for action
organisations have
additional means Subgrants (programme support) and joint Defenders/member and partner 5 subgrants per year 5 6 5 3
and are better programme funding distributed to NGOs/ organisations that benefit from support for
equipped to take members programmes of activities
action

Analysis, Risk Monitoring & Mitigation
Regarding the Results Framework, the high number of relocations of
HRDs (99) is due to internal relocations in Bangladesh.
Given the fact that the protection of HRDs is very much dependent
on the evolution of political contexts that are volatile, there are risks
of delays in the implementation of activities. In order to mitigate
such risk, efforts are devoted to anticipation and prioritization. Most
of the planned missions were conducted (in Cambodia, Azerbaijan
and Venezuela) and the planned reports were published except
for Azerbaijan, Palestine, Cambodia, and Turkey. The delay in the
Azerbaijan report was due to the eruption of Moscow protests in
August 2019, which resulted in close to 3000 arrests, and warranted
the prompt attention of FIDH. FIDH responded with a publication of
a report on the Moscow protests (see priority 2) but pushed back the
work on the Azerbaijan report. The delay for the report on Turkey was
due to a slow inception phase related to the new program officially
starting in Februray 2019 devoted to HRDs at risk in Turkey under
the umbrella of the ProtectDefenders.eu Consortium. However, FIDH
conducted a mapping exercise in 2019 in order to assess the scope of
such a report (due in 2020). Some outreach missions were postponed
for either security reasons (Iraq) or reasons related to the political
context (elections in Sri Lanka), or simply because of lack of resources
(Romania).
Checking the accuracy and relevance of all applications received
in cases where the applying HRDs/NGOs were unknown to FIDH’s
network was a major challenge. This required additional efforts to
check their eligibility and verify their situations. This combined with
increased needs for follow-up require additional capacity within the
Secretariat for a dedicated sub-granting officer in the future.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 17
 PRIORITY
FOSTERING AN ENVIRONMENT
CONDUCIVE TO DEMOCRACY AND
FREEDOM
1/ ANALYSIS OF PL ANS, CHALLENGES AND
PROGRESS
As checks and balances – which are meant to ensure
democratic oversight and accountability for public
action – have been progressively undermined, human
rights standards have been lowered and the space
for civil society has been dramatically shrinking.
States have become increasingly defiant to their own
international human rights commitments and appear
reluctant to confront each other on their rule of law
and human rights record, not only in the context of
electoral processes that have remained source of
tensions or extreme violence in many States, but
also in the context of repression of dissidents and
crackdown on freedom of expression, freedom of
demonstration and freedom of assembly, targeting
media, students, activists, and political opposition.
The threats to the Rule of Law and the related
shrinking space for civil society were addressed
under different angles and different means of action
in 2019, as FIDH adapted its approach to different
situations.
In the Americas, FIDH continued to denounce the
abusive practices of authoritarian States in the
region and to highlight the alarming situation of
the rule of law in situations such as Guatemala,
Nicaragua, Venezuela. A report from FIDH and
Guatemalan coalition Convergencia por los Derechos
Humanos, Guatemala: Justice and Rule of Law at a
Crossroads, analyses the outlook for justice and
rule of law in Guatemala in light of the expiration of
the mandate of the Commission against Impunity
in Guatemala while this UN-backed investigative
body has, in partnership with the Public Ministry,
contributed to significant progress in the fight
against corruption and impunity in the country over
the past twelve years, earning wide public support
and international recognition.
18 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
In Asia, FIDH continued to monitor situations
where the most serious human rights violations
were committed (e.g. the Philippines, Thailand,
Cambodia, Kashmir, Bangladesh) and where there
were backsliding of democracy (e.g. the Maldives).
The situation for civil society and HRDs in Kashmir
continued to be extremely difficult and thus required
international organizations to support their advocacy
and public awareness efforts. FIDH has become a
well-respected voice on the situation in Kashmir,
resulting in media coverage, and invitations to speak
at events and conferences jointly with its India
based member organizations in Indian-administered
Jammu and Kashmir. FIDH published a briefing
note on the situation of human rights in the region
in March 2019, co-organized and spoke on a panel
discussion on the human rights situation in Jammu
and Kashmir, held on the sidelines of the UN Human
Rights Council session in June 2019, and organized
an advocacy round in Brussels and Geneva with
Khurram Parvez of the Associations of Parents
of Disappeared Persons (APDP – FIDH member
since October 2019), during which participants met
with relevant stakeholders at the EU and UN. In
September 2019, FIDH also published a briefing note
providing an update on the human rights situation
in Jammu and Kashmir following the revocation
of the State’s special status in August and the
ensuing communications blockade and other human
rights violations. In China, as 2019 marked the 30th
anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre on 4
June, FIDH and its member organizations have taken
a prominent role to raise in key international fora,
including during the EU-China human rights dialogue
in Brussels in April, the issue of the heightened
repression of ethnic minorities (particularly in Tibet
and Xinjiang) and civil society. In the Maldives,
FIDH was able to build the capacity of its member
organization, Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN),
to submit a concise and targeted report for the
third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the State,
that will be held in May 2020 in Geneva. The report
 A brutal detention of a teenager by the National Guard of Russia during a peaceful rally on August 10, 2019.
assesses the extent to which the government of the
Maldives has addressed key human rights issues
since the second UPR cycle, which began in May
2015, and offers recommendations for the third UPR
cycle. Despite FIDH communication and efforts,
MDN eventually had its registration revoked by the
Maldivian authorities at the end of the year.
In Western Europe, EuroMed Rights and FIDH
conducted a trial observation mission to the
trial of pro-independence Catalan leaders, in
February 2019, at the Spanish Supreme Court.
The sensitive nature of the case and the judicial
proceedings carried out have led EuroMed Rights
and FIDH to send a trial observation mission to
ensure the proper conduct of the process, in line
with international standards on the right for a fair
trial. FIDH continued in 2019 to gather relevant
information to feed ongoing (and potential future)
processes regarding the Rule of Law, human rights
and the shrinking civic space in Hungary and in
Poland. It especially aimed to pressure the EU and
member States to monitor the situation in these
countries and hold their governments accountable
for violating the EU’s founding principles, through
political dialogue, infringement proceedings and
via the procedure laid down in Article 7 TEU. FIDH
and its member organizations organized numerous
advocacy meetings with EU officials and member
State representatives to urge them to take forward
the article 7 TEU procedure against Hungary and
Poland and to extend its scope so as to include
challenges faced by civil society. Several European
Parliament resolutions reflected FIDH’s calls in
relation to shrinking civic space in Hungary. The
EU Council took further steps towards holding the
Hungarian government accountable for violating
EU principles by moving forward with the procedure
laid down in Art 7 TEU, launching an infringement
procedure. Further steps were also taken by the
EU Commission and The Court of Justice of the
European Union towards ruling over inconsistency
of Hungarian LexNGO with EU law.
© Vlad Dokshin / Novaya Gazeta
2019 was also marked by the repression of
peaceful protests and the crackdown on freedom
of expression and assembly.
In Zimbabwe, FIDH and the Zimbabwe Human Rights
Association (ZimRights) alerted the international
community about the crackdown perpetrated by
security forces against demonstrators, who had
been legitimately expressing their discontent over
the dire socio-economic crisis in the country. In
this context, the European Parliament adopted
on 14 February 2019 a resolution which strongly
condemned the violence and excessive use of
force and called for a return to a peaceful national
dialogue. During the preparatory phase before
the adoption of the resolution, FIDH relayed the
recommendations by ZimRights concerning human
rights violations by security forces, including torture,
the harassment and criminalization of civil society
actors, the need for immediate and unconditional
release of all political prisoners, and the need for an
inclusive national dialogue. These recommendations
were also made by the European Parliament, which
also importantly called for prompt and impartial
investigations into all allegations of excessive use
of force by police and state officials.
In Nicaragua, protests calling for reforms to
the social security system have been met with
intensif ying governmental repression, with
thousands of victims. The country has plunged
into a serious crisis in which human rights are
trampled upon. FIDH demanded the release of
political prisoners and the reinstatement of legal
status for human rights organizations, including
its member organization, Centro Nicaraguense
de Derechos Humanos (CENIDH). FIDH also
organized a demonstration in front of the Embassy
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 19
 FOSTERING AN ENVIRONMENT
CONDUCIVE TO DEMOCRACY AND
FREEDOM
of Nicaragua in Brussels in February in order to
protest against the repression of the State. FIDH
joint advocacy to the UN in New York and Geneva
led to the adoption of a resolution on the situation
in Nicaragua at the March session of the Human
Rights Council.
In Russia, FIDH authored a report titled “Brutal
Repression of Protests in Moscow: a Complete
Account of Violations” in response to the summer
2019 peaceful protests where close to 3000
individuals were arbitrarily detained and dozens
tried on fabricated rioting charges.
In Africa, whether in crises, conflicts, or fragile
political transitions, FIDH continued advocating
to inter- governmental organizations for an
environment conducive to democracy and
freedom, especially the UN Security Council
(such as for the renewal of the MONUSCO in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), see below),
the Human Rights Council and the African Union.
Considering the repeated attacks against the
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
(ACHPR), FIDH, together with its partners and
member organizations, continued to lobby during
the 64th and the 65th sessions of the ACHPR for the
preservation of the independence of the ACHPR, in
accordance with its mandate for the enhancement
and the protection of human rights as defined by
the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
FIDH drafted several resolutions and delivered
several oral statements prepared with its member
organizations, notably on upholding respect for
human rights and the rule of law during democratic
transitions (focus on Algeria, Democratic Republic
of Congo, Sudan and Tunisia), on the abolition
of the death penalty and in supporting Egyptian
civil society in denouncing the serious violations
committed in Egypt, hosting the 64 th session.
FIDH supported the petition of the NGO Forum
against the poor treatment accorded to civil society
organizations during the preparation of the 64th
session.
20 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
In several countries, a fragile process of political
transition has begun, which is prompting civil society
organizations to redefine their strategies, messages
and forms of interaction with the authorities, to
ensure that the “dividends” of political transitions
extend sustainably to human rights protection
issues.
In DRC, following the election of the new President,
Félix Tshisekedi, on 20 January2019, an FIDH
delegation, along with the Association Africaine des
Droits de l’Homme (ASADHO), Ligue des Electeurs,
and Groupe Lotus, carried out mid-March a high
level political mission to meet with the President
of DRC and to present a roadmap for human
rights. The roadmap described in a report entitled
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Five priorities for
a State that respects human rights, has five priorities:
fight for justice and against impunity; respect for
fundamental rights and the promotion of an internal
policy dialogue; women’s rights and building an
egalitarian society; structural reforms to ensure
the rule of law and democracy; strengthening
cooperation with the international community and
human rights protection mechanisms. Member
organizations subsequently presented the roadmap
to the Security Council, with the support of the FIDH
delegation in New York, and to the European Union,
and UN, through the delegations in Geneva and
Brussels, for it to feed the respective institutions’
mobilization on the State. A concrete result of these
actions was the signing of a presidential decree
ordering the release of 574 political prisoners. This
mission and the roadmap made it possible to position
FIDH and its members as leading interlocutors on
the measures and reforms to be undertaken for
the establishment of the Rule of Law in DRC. FIDH
and its DRC member organizations continue their
efforts to ensure that the new Congolese authorities
implement the roadmap that promotes protection
and respect of human rights.
In Morocco, on 4 June 2019, King Mohammed VI
pardoned 60 protesters jailed for the mass Hirak
Rif protests in 2016 and 47 for the Hirak Jerada
protests in 2017. The royal pardon was granted on
the grounds that they did not commit violence or
grave acts during those events. The Hirak protests,
triggered by the tragic death of fish vendor Mohcine
Fikri in 2016, highlighted the deprivation and neglect
Zimbabwe: Riot police monitor a group of citizens arrested after violence on the sidelines of a demonstration.
of Morocco’s marginalized regions, calling for basic
economic and social rights. The repression of these
social movements by the authorities was particularly
violent. During a mission in Morocco in February 2019,
FIDH systematically raised the release of protesters
with the Moroccan authorities, and engaged them
on the fundamental issues of economic and social
rights underpinning the protest movements.
On 24 March 2019, after almost five years of
repressive military rule, Thailand returned to the
polls amid uncertainty over the possibility of
restoring democracy and human rights in the country
through a democratically elected government. FIDH
engaged the political parties contesting the election,
surveyed their commitments on key human rights
issues and published a report More shadows than
lights to provide a benchmarks that can be used
to monitor policies and actions implemented by
Thailand’s political parties and their adherence
to their stated human rights commitments. The
report also allowed FIDH to establish itself as a
legitimate and credible interlocutor for any future
engagement with Thailand’s political parties and
elected members of Parliament. In June 2019,
Siraphop Kornaroot, a writer and blogger arbitrarily
detained for almost five years under Thailand’s
draconian lèse-majesté law, was finally released.
FIDH and its partner organization Thai Lawyers
for Human Rights (TLHR) notably brought his case
before the attention of the United Nations Working
Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) concluding
that his detention resulted from his peaceful exercise
of the right to freedom of expression, was thus
arbitrary, and called on the Thai government to
immediately release him.
The wave of demonstrations that began in Algeria
on 22 February 2019 was an historic opportunity to
move towards a democratic transition. To discuss
challenges arising for human rights organizations
and defenders in the political transition processes,
FIDH organized a meeting in Paris in July 2019
© Jekesai NJIKIZANA
between Algerian HRDs and renowned figures of
the Tunisian transition to share their experience
and lessons learned. Algerian HRDs also met with
representatives of the Algerian diaspora in France
active in the ongoing protest movement, and
various journalists, to reinforce the international
visibility of the movement in Algeria. In memory
of the victims of violations of individual freedoms
in Tunisia, mainly in the post-Ben Ali era, FIDH,
with its member organizations and partners the
Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates
(ATFD), Ligue Tunisienne pour la Défense des Droits
de l’Homme (LTDH), and Association Tunisienne de
Défense des Libertés Individuelles (ATDLI) launched
in March 2019 a book devoted to this issue, calling
for the protection of individual freedoms at a time
troubled by the upcoming elections. The event
was attended by 60 journalists and 150 people,
contributing to enhancing the visibility of this
issue. The book has been serving FIDH’s advocacy
campaign aiming to mobilize Tunisian Members of
Parliament in support of a draft law on individual
freedoms. Acknowledging the peaceful 2018-2019
revolution and the defiance of the Sudanese people
in their quest for freedom, peace, and justice, and
saluting the peaceful methods that protesters
adopted since December 2018, FIDH organized in
December 2019 a strategic workshop in Nairobi with
its Sudanese member organizations, African Centre
For Justice And Peace Studies (ACJPS) and Sudan
Human Rights Monitor (SUHRIM) on the political
transition in Sudan. The renewed context offered
an opportunity to contribute to bringing Sudanese
civil society together, defining priorities for joint
action, and to carrying out targeted advocacy to
strengthen respect for human rights and the Rule
of Law in Sudan. A joint strategic action plan will
be finalized in 2020.
Following coordinated activities to denounce anti-
democratic initiatives for the Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) of China, FIDH and its member
organizations have been feeding information to
States, the OHCHR and Special Procedures on the
human rights situation in China and contributed
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 21
 FOSTERING AN ENVIRONMENT
CONDUCIVE TO DEMOCRACY AND
FREEDOM
to joint targeted advocacy at the Human Rights
Council and directed at key stakeholders, in order
to ensure scrutiny at the international level of
the human rights violations committed by the
State apparatus and successfully contributing to
several public statements condemning the Chinese
authorities. FIDH also advocated against a China-
led resolution which aimed to weaken international
human rights standards by prioritizing development
over the human rights approach. The initiative
passed, although with a large increase of no votes
in comparison to previous Chinese initiatives. FIDH
and its members also submitted several shadow
reports for the UPR of Cambodia, Nicaragua, Iran,
Laos, Vietnam, Egypt and Yemen.
On the front of the fight against terrorism while
respecting human rights, at the global level,
FIDH along with OMCT, under the umbrella of the
Observatory for the Protection of human rights
defenders, started in 2019 to document extensively
at national and international levels, the misuse
of counter-terrorism measures against HRDs
worldwide, reaching out to information through
respective networks of local human rights member
organizations on the ground. This followed on from
FIDH’s report entitled The UN counter-terrorism
complex: bureaucracy, political influence and civil
liberties, published in 2017, which was the first
research on the UN counter-terrorism architecture
from a human rights perspective by a human
rights NGO. A new report is planned to be launched
in 2020. Following the re-election of President
Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria and the arrest of
suspected members of Boko Haram in the Chadian
capital, FIDH with the Ligue Tchadienne des Droits
de l’Homme (LTDH) conducted a fact-finding mission
to Lake Chad in February 2019 to inquire about
the resurgence of Boko Haram in the region, the
consequences for civilian populations and the anti-
terrorist measures taken by the Chadian authorities
against these threats. A briefing note was drafted
22 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
for advocacy purposes in 2019 and a report will be
published in 2020.
On the death penalty, FIDH and its member
organizations contributed to the 7th World Congress
Against the Death Penalty, organized in Brussels by
Together Against the Death Penalty (Ensemble contre
la peine de mort, ECPM) in partnership with the World
Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP). FIDH
is an active member of WCADP’s steering committee
since its creation in 2002 and, together with its
member organizations, advocates for the universal
abolition of the death penalty. FIDH and its member
organizations from Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus,
Botswana, Indonesia, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan,
Senegal, Thailand, Uganda and Sudan actively
participated to the Congress. FIDH organized and
facilitated two panels: on Belarus (the only European
country that violates human rights at all stages
of judicial proceeding when applying the death
penalty) and on Pakistan (one of the world’s top
executioners which continues to impose the death
penalty for 33 crimes). A panel discussion “Why the
death penalty continues to be applied in Belarus? ”
was organized in partnership with Belarussian
FIDH member organization Viasna, the Council of
Europe and ECPM . The discussion, enriched by the
viewpoints of relatives of executed convicts whose
rights as victims’ family members were violated,
provided the Congress with a new perspective. With
regard to Pakistan, FIDH highlighted the ongoing
use of the death penalty and its impacts on the
poorest and most vulnerable communities during
a side event at the World Congress Against the
Death Penalty in Brussels, entitled “Pakistan: how
to get back on the road to abolition”. The side event
presented the preliminary findings of a mission
FIDH and its member organization, the Human
Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) conducted
to Pakistan in November 2018.
 2/ IMPACTS AND SIGNIFICANT OUTCOMES

Objective 1 – Counter Authoritarianism

Expected outcome 1.1: Member and partner organisations with enhanced capacity to act for freedoms
and democratic principles

CAPACITIES OF MEMBER AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

STRENGTHENED DURING ACHPR SESSIONS
ACHPR sessions 64 and 65 allowed a joint mobilization between FIDH’s International Secretariat,
14 member organizations, and members from the International Board. For many participants,
these sessions were an opportunity to “learn by doing”. As an example, the Tunisian member
representatives participating in the 65th session with the support of FIDH were sensitized to the
work of the ACHPR in terms of its promotional and protective mandates, and participated in the
NGO Forum where they were able to observe presentations on the human rights situations in
Africa by other civil society organizations. They also participated in thematic discussions and side
events as an arena for networking, and attended an introductory session to the African Human
Rights System which gave them insight on how to pursue advocacy and litigate at the ACHPR.
Finally, they attended the first week of the ordinary session of the ACHPR that introduced them
to the workings of the ACHPR, and allowed them to observe oral statements by civil society, and
state responses and thematic panel discussions by the ACHPR.

Expected outcome 1.2: Authorities obstructed in their freedom-destroying, arbitrary and anti-
democratic initiatives

EGYPT: A FIRM CONDEMNATION OF THE BRUTAL REPRESSION

OF PACIFIST ANTI-GOVERNMENTAL PROTESTERS
Protests erupted throughout Egypt on the evening of 20 September 2019, in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and
Mahalla. These protests were sparked by allegations of corruption involving President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi and high-ranking army officials, in a rare act of defiance to the military junta that has been ruling
the country since the 2013 coup. The following evening, protesters gathered again in several cities and
were met by police officers firing live ammunition and rubber bullets, according to witnesses. High
profile activists, journalists, HRDs, lawyers, and university professors have subsequently been targeted
by enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrests and detention, and some of them subjected to torture.

Echoing FIDH’s advocacy at the EU level, the European Parliament firmly condemned in an urgent
resolution of October 2019 the brutal repression of human rights in Egypt against pacifist anti-
government protesters.
Prior to the UPR session on Egypt at the UN, FIDH organized advocacy rounds for the case of Mr Ramy
Shaath, detained for his human rights activities in Egypt. More general issues were also discussed
during the advocacy round such as the situation of HRDs and civic space in Egypt, rights of prisoners,
the absence of fair trial guarantees, arbitrary detention and excessive use of pre-trial detention, and
the use of counter-terrorism legislations to target dissenting voices.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 23
 FOSTERING AN ENVIRONMENT
CONDUCIVE TO DEMOCRACY AND
FREEDOM

Objective 3 – Promote the Universal abolition of the Death Penalty

Expected outcome 3.1: Progress towards universal abolition of the death penalty

PUNISHED FOR BEING V ULNER A BLE: HOW

PAKISTAN EXECUTES THE POOREST AND THE MOST
MARGINALIZED
Following a joint fact-finding FIDH-HRCP mission conducted in Pakistan in November
2018, a report entitled “Punished For Being Vulnerable : How Pakistan executes the poorest
and the most marginalized in society” documented the criminal justice system in Pakistan
with concrete policy recommendations related to the judicial system, the capacities
of defense lawyers, and the scope of the application of the death penalty, which could
drastically reduce the number of death penalty cases and convictions, if bolstered by
strong and sustained advocacy initiatives. Launched on the occasion of the World Day
against the Death Penalty, on 10 October, in partnership with the World Coalition against
the Death Penalty, the publication was well received and will provide substance for FIDH
and HRCP to continue advocating on these issues in the coming years.

Activists from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) carry placards during a demonstration
to mark International Day Against the Death Penalty in Islamabad on 10 October 2015. © AAMIR QURESHI / AFP

24 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 3/ RESULTS FRAMEWORK

Baseline values Targets Actual Targets Actual

(annual average Year 2 Year 2 Year 3 Year 3
Expected outcomes Outputs Outcome Indicators 2012-2016 unless (2018) (2018) (2019) (2019)
otherwise stated)

1.1. Member Training, exchanges, strategic discussions Subsequent actions taken by participants: 4 instances per year 4 1 4 7
and partner and joint projects with member and partner activities, press releases, follow-up meetings,
organisations on the means to be used to advocacy, reports, coalitions formed and
organisations with
protect rights support (equipment/programmes) provided
enhanced capacity to member and partner organisations to act
to act for freedoms for freedoms and democratic principles
and democratic
principles Advocacy meetings with national authorities, Specific information made public on New indicator, 2017 3 1 3 4
press releases, coalitions formed, missions freedom-destroying, arbitrary and anti- data will become
and reports, advisory support democratic initiatives by authorities baseline

1.2. Authorities Advocacy meetings with national authorities, Authorities that refrain from taking action on 4 instances per year 1 0 1 0
obstructed in their press releases, coalitions formed, missions or abandon freedom-destroying laws
and reports, advisory support
freedom-destroying,
arbitrary and Press releases, open letters to authorities, Prisoners of conscience supported or 0 in preceding years 1 0 1 682
anti-democratic tweets, fact-finding and solidarity missions, released (measurement
initiatives judicial observation missions, public unavailable)
campaigns, advocacy meetings with national
authorities

Advocacy meetings with national authorities,
regional and international intergovernmental
institutions, oral/written interventions before
institutions, referrals to human rights bodies,
press releases, coalitions formed, reports,
advisory support
Positions, statements, decisions of third 10 instances in the 4 7 4 7
States, intergovernmental bodies and past four years
human rights mechanisms that condemn
and sanction attacks on the Rule of law
and fundamental freedoms or that sanction
disrespect for open and multi-party electoral
processes

2.1. Authorities Exchanges and strategic discussions with Subsequent actions taken by participants: 1 action per year 1 0 1 2
with a heightened member and partner organisations activities, press releases, follow-up meetings,
advocacy, reports, coalitions formed
awareness of the
importance of Proceedings, complaints initiated, legal Investigations, proceedings and judgements 3 procedures initiated 1 2 1 0
fighting terrorism actions before courts, information/ of judicial or quasi-judicial mechanisms in 2015
while respecting communications submitted against elements of terrorist groups or
human rights against States that violate human rights in
the context of the fight against terrorism

Advocacy meetings with national, regional
and international intergovernmental
institutions, oral/written interventions before
institutions, referral to human rights bodies,
press releases, coalitions formed, reports,
advisory support
Positions, statements, decisions of third 1 instance in 2 2 2 1
States, intergovernmental bodies or human preceding years
rights mechanisms and national justice
systems that call for respect for human
rights in the fight against terrorism

3.1. Progress Exchanges and strategic discussions with Subsequent actions taken by participants: 2 actions per year 2 2 2 1
towards universal member and partner organisations activities, press releases, follow-up meetings,
advocacy, reports, coalitions formed
abolition of the death
penalty
Advocacy meetings, reports Enhanced spaces for dialogue with national New indicator, 2018 1 1 2
authorities on the death penalty data will become
baseline

Advocacy meetings with national authorities, Political and legislative progress at the 3 instances per year 1 0 1 0
press releases, fact-finding missions, reports, national level to foster moratoria and
public campaigns abolition of the death penalty

Advocacy meetings with international and
regional intergovernmental institutions, oral/
written interventions before institutions,
referral to human rights bodies, press
releases, fact-finding missions, reports,
participation in working groups
Encouraging steps at international and 2 instances per year 1 2 1 1
regional level: pressure by international
communities on third States, including
international inquiries, declarations of
intergovernmental or regional bodies;
adoption of the resolution of the UN GA on
the moratorium, steps taken to establish a
Protocol on abolition of the death penalty
in Africa, ratification of the second optional
protocol to the ICCPR.

Analysis, Risk Monitoring and Mitigation
Two actions planned for 2019 were impacted by security conditions. In DRC, the
fact-finding mission to the Kasaï provinces to assess the judicial and human
rights situation since the accession to power of Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi took
place in September, but the international consultant who was to lead it and write
the report was unable to attend because FIDH was unable to obtain sufficient
security guarantees for his participation. This had an impact on the mission
team’s drafting capacity and the initial report could not be produced and was
replaced by a situation note. While in Bangladesh, the FIDH Asia Desk Director
was refused entry to Bangladesh and deported back to Thailand while he was
entering the country for a mission on the impact of impunity on accountability. It
gave rise to a need to reevaluate security conditions in Bangladesh, for both FIDH
staff and potential stakeholders that FIDH delegates would meet with. Further
in-depth security evaluation will need to be undertaken in 2020.
2019 activities that were not initially planned to respond to new threats (such
as in Kashmir or the Maldives) or to seize opportunities in a change of context
(such as in Algeria). In Kashmir, the activities undertaken were very successful
and effective, on one hand in raising awareness of the situation in the region
and on the other, in placing FIDH as an expert and leading voice on this issue.
Although this work needs to be built upon and expanded in coming years, the
activities conducted so far have allowed FIDH to identify where it can be useful
and what needs to be done. These activities have also contributed to a strong
working relationship with new member APDP. In Maldives, MDN became a new
member organization of FIDH at the Congress in Taiwan in October 2019, while,
at around the same time, the organization has been dissolved by the Maldivian
government and most of its current staff members have fled the country. While
no major activities for the Maldives are envisioned in 2020, the key objective
will be to ensure MDN receives the necessary support to continue to be relevant
and operate.

Changes in the political context have required FIDH to reconsider some planned The indicator from the Result Framework on the release of prisoners of conscience
activities in order to remain as relevant as possible. These adaptations have is understood as covering political opponents or protesters who are not human
been facilitated by flexible and core funding, which allowed FIDH to integrate in rights defenders.
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 25
 PRIORITY
PROMOTING WOMEN’S RIGHTS
1/ ANALYSIS OF PL ANS, CHALLENGES AND
PROGRESS
In 2019, FIDH continued to promote women’s rights
in countries where serious violations of women’s
rights prevail, continuing with its member and partner
activities and mobilization engaged in the past, and
in accordance with the objectives established under
FIDH’s priority on women’s rights in its Multi-Year
Strategic Plan.
Throughout 2019, FIDH continued to support its
member organizations and partners to strengthen
their collective capacities to act through the creation
of safe spaces for reflection between feminists and
the sharing of experiences between human rights
organizations and women’s rights organizations.
In the MENA region, in order to strengthen the
participation of women’s rights defenders in the
transition process, FIDH organized in Tunis a regional
seminar in June 2019 bringing together about 25
women HRDs: Algerian and Sudanese defenders,
with defenders from countries facing or having faced
similar challenges in Kenya, Spain, Libya, Iraq, Iran
and Tajikistan. This collaboration between women
defenders has led to the emergence of a common
roadmap formulating recommendations for action
to be taken to ensure the inclusion and promotion
of women’s rights at each stage of the transition,
within the feminist movement, with other civil society
actors and in terms of participation of women in
transitional bodies.
In Côte d’Ivoire, 14 civil society organizations,
including FIDH member organizations, the Ivorian
League for Human Rights (LIDHO) and the Ivorian
Human Rights Movement (MIDH), and women’s
rights organizations such as Organisation Femme
en Action de Côte d’Ivoire (OFACI) as well as women’s
rights experts from the region (Senegal, Tunisia,
Guinea) exchanged experiences and mobilized in
Yamoussoukro in 2019 around strategies to fight
against sexual violence perpetrated both in the
context of electoral violence and in peacetime, and to
provide complete support to survivors. Following this
26 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
workshop, a civil society Network of Actions against
Sexual Violence was created with a roadmap and
an advocacy strategy aiming at combatting sexual
violence and its consequences (see below).
At the end of 2019, FIDH published a collection of
articles on the Impact of Litigation on Combating
Sexual Violence and its Consequences in Africa.
This compendium, written by lawyers, experts and
activists, from several countries (Senegal, South
Africa, Tunisia, Sudan, Kenya, Guinea, Liberia) gives
priority to sharing experiences with litigation, at
different levels, carried out for, and by, the victims
of sexual violence and to present the effects and
challenges of this form of action and make some
tangible recommendations. These litigation actions,
several of which have been carried out by FIDH,
its members and partners, may lead to victories
through emblematic convictions, a freeing of the
victims’ voices or even legislative changes. The
case of Meriem Ben Mohamed is emblematic in this
regard. Along with the report, a short interview video,
viewed 80 000 times on Twitter and Facebook, was
produced where she describes the impact the trial
had on her life.
On the other hand, litigation actions are defeated
when political will is lacking, when the judiciary is
not equipped with sufficient means, or when the
legal framework remains unsuitable. The report
demonstrates, in particular, how the political
settlements of several African conflicts have
enshrined widespread impunity, without any
convictions having been handed down, even though
sexual violence had been organized and committed
on a large scale.
In order to denounce sexual and gender-based
violence (SGBV), FIDH and its member organizations
also carried out or consolidated joint documentation
on violence against women and girls, in particular
sexual and gender based violence, in various
countries. In Bangladesh, FIDH along with its Bengali
 Female inmates at a sewing workshop at Phra Nakon Si Ayutthaya Provincial Prison on 21 November 2013. © William Davies / AFP
member organisation ODHIKAR and its member
organisation from Indonesia, KontraS, conducted
in 2019 a fact-finding mission on living conditions
of Rohingya refugee women and girls in Cox’s
Bazar refugee camps. The mission focused on the
inequalities suffered by women in the camps in
their host country. The investigation highlighted
the violations of women’s rights caused by the
emergence of polygamy in Rohingya communities
and the reinforcement of harmful practices, the
violence inflicted on them, including domestic
violence, and the lack of access to services and
resources in UNHCR-led humanitarian settings. In
Kenya, in 2019, FIDH and its member organization
in Kenya, the Kenya Human Rights Commission
(KHRC) continued the joint documentation efforts
of 2017/2018 post-electoral sexual violence, with an
expected publication for 2020. As direct progress
linked to the investigative work and related national
advocacy, a county government in Kenya adopted
at the end of 2019 a policy to combat sexual and
gender-based violence (see below).
Based on 2015 figures, Thailand had the world’s
highest incarceration rate for women. Thai prisons
suffer from chronic overcrowding and women are
disproportionately affected by the authorities’ failure
to respect international minimum standards for the
treatment of prisoners. Between April and August
2018, FIDH and its member organization Union for
Civil Liberties (UCL) were granted access to nine
‘model prisons’ for women to observe conditions and
gather preliminary information. The results of this
investigation are presented in a report entitled Flawed
Models Implementation of international standards in
Thailand’s ‘model’ prisons for women, disseminated
at the end of 2019 through social networks with the
support of an infographic.
F i g h t i n g a g a i n s t i m p u n i t y, e s t a b l i s h i n g
responsibilities, and defending victims’ rights to
truth, justice and reparation is also at the core of
FIDH and its members’ action.
In Sudan, in December 2019, FIDH, the African Center
for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) and the Sudan
Human Rights Monitor (SUHRIM) held a workshop
in Nairobi for the launch of the report entitled Will
There Be Justice For Darfur? Persisting impunity in the
face of political change on the lack of accountability
and the need for justice and reparation for victims
of atrocities, including crimes of sexual violence. At
international level, echoing the concerns expressed
and the information provided by FIDH and its member
organizations in Sudan, the 2019 United Nations
Human Rights Council resolution on Sudan renewed
the mandate of the Independent Expert for another
year, highlighted efforts of national investigation
into human rights violations and the importance of
accountability. It also emphasized women’s rights and
encouraged their participation in peace processes.
FIDH coordinated or supported a large number of
joint NGO activities aimed at the Human Rights
Council in 2019 (five letters, three side events, four
briefings, and four advocacy rounds with HRDs) to
address the rapidly changing national context and
accompany local HRD efforts to ensure greater
respect of human rights in Sudan. During its fact-
finding mission among Sudanese refugees in Eastern
Chad in 2018, FIDH also collected the testimony of
a woman victim of sexual violence, on the basis of
which, together with the International Commission of
Jurists and ACJPS, it transmitted a communication
to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’
Rights against the Government of Sudan.
Following the joint documentation work conducted
by FIDH, in collaboration with the Kinyat Organisation
for Documentation, based in Dohuk (Iraqi Kurdistan),
in 2017 and 2018 on the sexual violence against
Yazidi women in Iraq and Syria that amounted
to crimes against humanity and genocide, FIDH
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 27
 PROMOTING WOMEN’S RIGHTS
activated criminal accountability mechanisms in
2019. Legal representation by FIDH’s Litigation
Action Group (LAG) lawyers has been provided to
these women in the context of international crimes
investigations underway in France and Germany
targeting “foreign ISIS fighters”. In February 2019,
LAG lawyers went to Calgary, Canada, to assist four
Yazidi survivors during their auditions by French
investigators in the framework of the preliminary
investigation opened in 2016. In October 2019, the
French War crimes unit announced the opening of
the first judicial investigation in France targeting a
French suspect, Sabri Essid, following incriminatory
evidence shared by two Yazidi survivors represented
by LAG lawyers who were able to become civil party
in the proceedings.
At international level, progress in establishing
responsibilities in the area of sexual and gender-
based crimes was made on the case of Ntaganda
accused of 13 counts of war crimes, including rape
and sexual slavery of civilians before the ICC (see
below). FIDH’s member organizations have long called
for an increased focus on accountability for sexual
and gender-based crimes, both in the cases at the
ICC and at the national level within the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC).
In Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali and Central African
Republic (CAR), FIDH and its member organizations
also support hundreds of victims of serious human
rights violations before national courts, including
women victims of SGBV. In 2019, little progress was
made and some States took deliberate actions to
deny access to justice to the victims (amnesties for
example). However, legal representations of victims
continued to be guaranteed and four missions were
conducted in Côte d’Ivoire (two), Guinea (one) and
28 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
CAR (one) to advocate for the recognition of victims’
rights. During the missions, such as in Côte d’Ivoire,
FIDH and its member organizations met with dozens
of women victims of SGBV to provide information on
the evolution of the proceedings, to consult them
on the legal strategy to be adopted, and seek their
views. According to their wishes, FIDH initiated new
proceedings to request the nullity of the amnesty
measures and took action to lodge complaints before
regional jurisdictions.
In Mexico, several workshops were conducted with
victims, mainly women, in supporting the rights to
truth, justice and reparation for victims of extra-
judicial killings and enforced disappearances.
Gendered violence is rooted in discriminatory laws
and practices. To achieve equality, FIDH and its
members and partners use a variety of leverages,
including advocacy and campaigning. In 2019, FIDH
continued monitoring the draft law adopted by the
Tunisian Council of Ministers on 23 November 2018,
aiming to achieve equality in inheritance between
women and men. The first of its kind in the region, this
draft law has rekindled a virulent debate in countries
where the inheritance of men continues to be twice
that of women. This draft law is the outcome of the
fierce fight of Tunisian feminist and human rights
organizations for more than three decades and has
led to a public debate on equality in inheritance which
questions discrimination against women and unequal
social relationships. It largely exceeds the Tunisian
context since the experience of the Tunisian civil
society fighting for women’s rights and equality can
benefit human rights activists in Algeria, Morocco,
Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine. On 8 March 2019,
International Women’s Rights Day, FIDH launched
a campaign highlighting the severe discrimination
against women in Saudi Arabia and the appalling
situation of women’s rights defenders. It also fed
the media debate about the situation of women in
Saudi Arabia, and the crackdown on the women’s
rights activists.
While FIDH’s member organizations and partners
are advocating for the recognition by States and
the international human rights system of sexual
and reproductive rights (SRR), including the right
to free, safe and legal abortion, as basic human
rights, growing pressure from States, including the
United States, has led to setbacks in 2019. In April,
the Security Council of the United Nations adopted
a resolution to strengthen the fight against sexual
violence in conflict, which was largely gutted. Any
mention of “sexual and reproductive health”, which
implied the possibility of abortion in case of rape in
a conflict situation, was removed following pressure
from the United States. In response to these attacks,
FIDH continued combating the impact that the
current backsliding has on women’s sexual and
reproductive rights, challenging restrictive laws and
policies through advocacy to national authorities
and international organizations. This was the case
for Poland with international advocacy meetings
on the margins of the 41st session of the Human
Rights Council in Geneva with the presentation of
the report of the UN Working Group on Discrimination
against Women on women’s rights and women right
defenders, with FIDH’s member organisation PSAL
from Poland, in partnership with Human Rights Watch
and their Polish partner Autonomia Foundation.
This is also the case for DRC, for which FIDH, along
with La ligue des Electeurs (LE), Groupe Lotus and
Association Africaine de Défense des Droits de
l’Homme (ASADHO), submitted an alternative report
to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on violations
of women’s rights in DRC, including of sexual and
reproductive rights.
A group of citizens demonstrate for the right to abortion in Chile.
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 29
 PROMOTING WOMEN’S RIGHTS
2/ IMPACTS AND SIGNIFICANT OUTCOMES

Objective 1 – Fighting Violence against Women

Expected outcome 1.1. Member and partner organizations supported to build their capacity to act

CÔTE D’IVOIRE: CREATION OF A NATIONAL

CIVIL SOCIETY NETWORK TO COMBAT SEXUAL
VIOLENCE AND SUPPORT SURVIVORS
In October 2019, within the framework of the joint program with FIDH member organizations,
the Ivorian League for Human Rights (LIDHO) and the Ivorian Human Rights Movement
(MIDH), a civil society Network of Actions against Sexual Violence (Réseau d’actions
contre les violences sexuelles – RAVS) was created following a workshop held in
Yamoussoukro with more than ten Ivorian human rights organizations and organizations
specialized in the defense of women’s rights such as Organisation Femme en Action
de Côte d’Ivoire (OFACI) and Association des Femmes Juristes de Côte d’Ivoire (AFJCI),
experts of the FIDH International Secretariat, representatives of national authorities and
international women’s rights experts and feminists from FIDH member organizations in
Guinea, Senegal and Tunisia. The Network was formally constituted and endowed with
legal personality. It aims to ensure better coordination among national and local actors
contributing to the fight against sexual violence, especially in terms of gender-sensitive
data collection and consolidating the advocacy strategy of Ivorian civil society in this
area. A user-friendly handbook was drafted on how to interact and support survivors
of sexual violence, in line with best practices. The Network has focal points deployed
in various regions of the country in charge of collecting information on sexual and
gender-based violence. The collected information will be completed by an international
fact-finding mission of investigation, to be held in 2020 by FIDH and its member and
partner organizations.

30 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 Expected outcome 1.2: Greater normative protection of women from violence

A COUNTY GOVERNMENT IN KENYA ADOPTS A POLICY

TO COMBAT SGBV
At the end of 2019, Migori County government, located in the far West of Kenya, adopted a policy to combat SGBV.
This policy provides a framework for the implementation of concrete measures in the prevention and response
to SGBV, aiming to eliminate SGBV in the county. It makes it possible, for instance, to apply a specific legislative
framework to combat such violence, improve victims’ access to care services, and promote the establishment of
a mechanism to coordinate the authorities’ response in this area.

This progress is directly linked to the investigative work carried out in Migori by FIDH and its member organization
in Kenya, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), on sexual crimes committed during and after the 2017
national elections. The surveys carried out among survivors of SGBV during the electioneering period have indeed
highlighted the prevalence of these crimes targeting women in particular and the gaps in prevention of and response
to this violence.

Based on FIDH’s research work, an advocacy campaign has been carried out since 2018 to raise awareness among
the authorities about SGBV and its serious consequences on survivors. Discussions that have been undertaken have
also aimed to urge the authorities to take measures to prevent and fight against the recurrence of this phenomenon
and to providing protection and support to the victims. The work carried out contributed to the development of this
policy. In the course of 2019, KHRC met with members of the Migori County Assembly to discuss the situation of
survivors and the draft policy on combating SGBV.

Expected outcome 1.3: Progress in establishing responsibilities for violence against women and in victims’ right to reparation

DRC: ICC SENTENCES BOSCO NTAGANDA TO 30 YEARS FOR WAR

CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
On 7 November 2019, a panel of trial judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) unanimously sentenced Bosco
Ntaganda to a total of 30 years of imprisonment, the highest penalty to ever be handed down by the Court. FIDH and several
of its member organizations, ASADHO, Groupe Lotus and the Ligue des Electeurs, documented the crimes committed in
the Ituri region, in the north-eastern DRC, and submitted material to the ICC, leading to Ntaganda’s prosecution.

Earlier in 2019, on 8 July, Ntaganda was found guilty of 13 counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against
humanity, committed in the 2002-2003 Ituri conflict, in the DRC, the highest amount of charges any defendant before
the ICC has been convicted of Ntaganda held a senior position when the alleged crimes were committed, as deputy
chief of staff and commander of military operations of the Forces patriotiques pour la libération du Congo (FPLC),
and led troops in brutal atrocities against civilian populations.

Both the judgment and the sentencing are currently under appeal. If the decision is upheld by the Appeal Chamber,
it will be the first final ICC conviction for sexual violence.

This case, regardless of the upcoming appeals decision, is key in the recognition of rape and sexual slavery as war
crimes, including when committed within the ranks of the same armed group.

What makes this case a landmark for the prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes in international law is the Judgment
of the Appeals Chamber rendered in June 2017 which found that the Court had jurisdiction over alleged war crimes of rape
and sexual slavery committed against child soldiers within Ntaganda’s own troops. The ICC hence clarified the interpretation
that must be given to these crimes, ensuring that acts of sexual violence committed within the same armed groups fall under
the protection of the Statute and should not be limited by the status of the victims. The Chamber reached that decision
through a progressive, although debated, analysis of International Humanitarian Law and its purpose.

This case is also important as it contributes to the recognition of sexual violence against men and boys and thus
contributes to the development of an emerging jurisprudence related to sexual and gender-based violence where
both men and women are taken into account.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 31
 PROMOTING WOMEN’S RIGHTS
Objective 2 – Fighting against Gender Discrimination

Expected outcome 2.1: Decision-makers become more engaged in the fight against discrimination
against women

DECISIONS MAKERS ARE TRAINED AND SENSITIZED

TO FIGHT DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN IN AFRICA
FIDH and its member organizations in Africa continued to support the African Commission
on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) in disseminating the Guidelines on Combating Sexual
Violence and its Consequences to African Union Member States, AU organs and institutions,
lawyers, civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders. In 2019, FIDH and its member
organization in Kenya, the Kenya Human Rights Commission, participated in December in an
awareness-raising workshop organized by ACHPR, in Dakar, on concrete ways of implementing,
at national level, the provisions contained in the Guidelines.

Objective 3 – Promote and Protect Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Expected outcome 3.1: Sexual and reproductive rights are better protected in law and in practice

CHILE: A NEED TO CONTINUE TO PROTECT SEXUAL AND

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
The 2017 legislative progress made in Chile, with the Law 21.030 authorizing abortion in specific
circumstances, has faced offset in practice by actual or attempted retrograde measures often at the
initiative of anti-choice groups and religious movements.

FIDH and and its member organization in Chile, Observatorio Ciudadano, updated the 2018 report on
abortion issuing a series of recommendations to protect the sexual and reproductive rights of Chilean
women and girls and on the conscientious objection clause, to submit in 2019 an alternative report to
the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural rights with a focus on practical obstacles to access
sexual and reproductive rights for women and girls in Chile. Sexual and reproductive rights was further
taken into account in the 2019 list of issues for the agenda of the Committee of Civil and Political rights
concerning Chile, thanks to the joint efforts of FIDH and Observatorio Ciudadano.

32 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 3/ RESULTS FRAMEWORK

Baseline values Targets Actual Targets Actual

(annual average Year 2 Year 1 Year 3 Year 3
Expected outcomes Outputs Outcome Indicators 2012-2016 unless (2018) (2018) (2019) (2019)
otherwise stated)

1.1. Member Exchanges and strategic discussions Subsequent actions taken by participants: 4 actions per year 2 3 4 4
and partner between member and partner organisations activities, press releases, follow-up meetings,
and the FIDH on action; workshops, advocacy, reports, coalitions formed, new
organisations
seminars, support to members and partners methodology adopted/produced
supported to build
their capacity to act

1.2. Greater Strategic networking, advocacy and Resolutions, adoption of guidelines, 1 instance in 2016 1 1 1 1
normative protection advocacy meetings, measures or guidance commitments, bills and laws against violence
proposed, advisory services, positions papers against women at national, regional or
of women from
international level and improvements in their
violence implementation

1.3. Progress Advocacy meetings, appeals, referral to Decisions of treaty monitoring bodies or 1 decision every two 1 1 1 0
in establishing regional or international human rights bodies, human rights mechanisms establishing the years
position papers, fact-findings missions and responsibility of States
responsibilities in
reports, quasi-judicial proceedings initiated
the area of violence
against women and Advocacy meetings, judicial and quasi- Investigations, proceedings and judgements 1 case initiated per 1 2 2 2
in victims’ right to judicial proceedings and complaints initiated, against perpetrators of violence against year
reparation legal actions before courts, support to women
victims (legal support, psychosocial support,
support during the hearings)

Outreach missions to victims, collection of Participation of victims in proceedings, 1 instance every two 1 1 1 1
testimony, support to victims, complaints assistance to participating victims, years
lodged or proceedings initiated reparations ordered and their implementation

Reports, recommendations, meetings
between civil society and national bodies,
advocacy campaigns
Government or national bodies that take 1 instance per year 1 1 1 1
violence against women into account or better
into account in the penal policy: e.g. decrees,
guidelines, recommendations, circulars,
specific appointments, national plans

2.1. Decision- Advocacy meetings with intergovernmental Decisions and recommendations of 1 instance per year 1 1 1 1
makers become institutions, oral/written interventions intergovernmental bodies or human rights
before institutions, press releases, mechanisms that call upon States to fight
more engaged in
coalitions formed, fact-finding missions and discrimination
the fight against reports, advisory support, position papers,
discrimination recommendations
against women
Advocacy meetings and missions Enhanced spaces for dialogue between 0 in preceding years 1 1 1 1
national authorities and NGOs on fighting (measurement
discrimination against women unavailable)

Reports, recommendations, meetings Resolutions, adoption of guidelines, 1 instance per year 1 1 1 1

between civil society and national bodies, commitments, bills and laws against
advocacy campaigns discrimination against women adopted at
national, regional or international level and
improvements in their implementation

3.1. Sexual and Advocacy meetings and missions Enhanced spaces for dialogue between New indicator, 2017 2 2 2 "2
reproductive rights national authorities and NGOs on the sexual will become baseline
and reproductive rights
are better protected
in law and in practice Reports, recommendations, meetings Improvements to existing legislation and its 0 instance in 1 1 1 1
between civil society and national bodies, implementation for sexual and reproductive preceding years
advocacy campaigns rights or withdrawal, suspension, or non-
implementation of initiatives that work
against sexual and reproductive rights

Advocacy meetings with national authorities, Positions, statements, decisions and New indicator, 2017 1 1 1 1
regional and international intergovernmental recommendations of intergovernmental will become baseline
institutions, oral/written interventions before bodies or human rights mechanisms that
institutions, referral to human rights bodies, call upon States to improve sexual and
press releases, coalitions formed, fact-finding reproductive rights
missions and reports, advisory support,
position papers, recommendations

Analysis, Risk Monitoring and Mitigation
The risk of delays in the publication of reports
(Sudan, Thailand, Kenya, handbook note on SRR
and conscientious objection) has been mitigated
by periodic analysis and evaluation, with concerned
member organizations, of the relevance, including in
terms of timing, of its action taking into consideration
the best time to launch the report and the need to
provide additional updated inputs in order to remain
as relevant as possible.
Concerning documentation of sexual and gender-
based violence, the challenge of identifying by
intermediaries relevant cases for interviews has
been mitigated through more time for preparation
of investigation missions in order to provide clear
explanation of the expectations of the mission to the
intermediaries. This joint documentation work also
enabled sharing of experience and good practices in
terms of documenting violations of women’s rights
(methodology, interviews, collecting, securing and
analyzing data, drafting reports, etc.). In 2020, a
training of trainers on documentation of sexual and
gender-based violence will be developed and such
training will be conducted at local level.
The difficulties in reaching some target indicators
from the Results Framework could be addressed
through the review in a critical manner of some
indicators (planned for the next phase of the
MSP). For instance, some indicators are extremely
ambitious such as “a decision of treaty monitoring
bodies or human rights mechanisms establishing the
responsibility of States in the area of violence against
women and in victims’ right to reparation”. Some
information requiring information from national level
may be difficult to collect such as for “Government
or national bodies that take violence against women
into account or better into account in the penal policy:
e.g. decrees, guidelines, recommendations, circulars,
specific appointments, national plans”. Some may
allow large interpretation such as “Enhanced spaces
for dialogue between national authorities and NGOs
on the sexual and reproductive rights”, - which can
also be achieved trough regional and international
treaty bodies’ dialogue.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 33
 PRIORITY
FIGHTING DISCRIMINATION AND
VIOLENCE BASED ON SEXUAL
ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY
1/ ANALYSIS OF PL ANS, CHALLENGES AND
PROGRESS
In all parts of the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and intersex people (LGBTI+) are victims
of serious human rights violations: stigmatisation
and violence, even murder, discrimination, and
criminalisation. Besides personal attacks, they
suffer from differences in treatment and legal status,
especially in relation to family, employment and
freedom of association. Defenders of LGBTI+ rights
are particularly exposed. The protection of HRDs
defending the rights of LGBTI+ persons continued
to be a priority in 2019 (see priority 1). Twenty
urgent appeals were published by the Observatory
on attacks against HRDs of LGBTI+ rights. FIDH
participated along with its member organization
the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) in the
2019 Human Rights Defenders awards ceremony
held in Nairobi at the Residence of the French
Ambassador, under the umbrella of the Defenders
Coalition, which is the National Coalition of Human
Rights Defenders in Kenya. One of the awards was
given to a LGBTI+ rights activist.
In 2019, FIDH continued to engage decision-makers
through enhanced spaces of dialogue in the fight
against violence and discrimination against LGBTI+
persons, in line with its Multi-Year Strategic Plan,
mainly in Poland and in Russia.
In Poland, the conservative discourse promoted
by the ruling party has provided fertile ground for
discrimination and violence against LGBTI+ people
and organizations working on LGBTI+ rights. As
a consequence, attacks against LGBTI+ people
and organizations have multiplied over the past
few years and LGBTI+ rights organizations have
seen their space shrinking. FIDH continued with its
Polish member organization, the Polish Society of
Antidiscrimination Law (PSAL) advocating in the
capitals of the Member States of the EU, and before
the EU, the UN, the Council of Europe against the
anti-LGBTI+ rhetoric from the State of Poland, as well
as against attacks on civil society organizations and
individuals advocating for LGBTI+ rights. The joint
advocacy efforts called for action to be taken at
both multilateral level, before the EU and the UN (see
34 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
below) and at bilateral level. In September 2019, FIDH
with its member organisations PSAL and the Finnish
League for Human Rights (FLHR), with the Finnish
Embassy in Poland, co-hosted an international expert
round-table in Warsaw on the sexual and reproductive
human rights of women and the rights of LGBTI+
persons in the context of a Rule of Law backsliding
and a shrinking civil society space in Poland. A
focus was also visibility, especially before the Polish
general elections which took place in October 2019,
in order to raise awareness among decision-makers,
at EU, UN and Member State level, and with media
and general public about LGBTI+ rights in Poland.
Regarding Russia, FIDH and IREX Europe hosted seven
LGBTI+-rights activists and journalists from Russia
to draw the world’s attention to the crackdown of the
regime on the LGBTI+ community. During a round-table
in November 2019, they discussed with representatives
of the French government, civil society, media and the
LGBTI+ diaspora in France, recent developments in
the field of LGBTI+ rights in Russia, including forced
migration of LGBTI+ individuals, fleeing repression,
to Europe. The participants explored new ways of
covering these issues in media to ensure that LGBTI+
rights are respected.
Furthermore, FIDH continued to follow up its
involvement to engage the responsibility of States
for violence and discrimination against LGBTI+
persons via third-party interventions in ongoing
proceedings. Two third-party interventions were
submitted in 2019 before the European Court
of Human Rights (ECfHR), in alliance with more
specialized LGBTI+ rights organizations (see below).
During FIDH’s 40th Congress in Taipei, the issue
of discriminations based on sexual and gender-
based orientation was specifically discussed with
member organizations, lawyers, professors and
LGBTI+ activists in a context where the universality
of human rights is frequently questioned, especially
when it comes to advocating for the rights of LGBTI+
persons. LGBTI+ rights were front and center in
Taiwan in 2019 with the historical legalization of
marriage equality in May. FIDH’s Congress event was
timed to coincide with Taiwan Pride. FIDH marched
together in the parade, lending its support to the
local LGBTI+ community.
 A civil action by a group of pro LGBTI activists at Nevskii prospekt, St. Petersburg. © David Frenkel

2/ IMPACTS AND SIGNIFICANT OUTCOMES

Objective 1 – Fight against discriminatory laws and policies

Expected outcome 1.2: Decision-makers become more engaged in the fight against violence and
discrimination against LGBTI+ persons

A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

CALLING UPON STATES TO PROTECT THE
RIGHTS OF LGBTI PERSONS
In December 2019, the European Parliament adopted a Resolution on public
discrimination and hate speech against LGBTI+ people (2019/2933(RSP). This
resolution reflects FIDH and PSAL’s input and is the result of joint continuous
advocacy efforts in the capitals and mainly before the EU and the new European
Parliament which was sensitized to the issue since May.

In September 2019, FIDH and its member organization PSAL jointly participated in
a high-level conference hosted by the EU Council Finnish Presidency on LGBTI+
rights, allowing the enhancement of space for dialogue with the authorities,
following the 2018 report on Poland All Downhill From Here.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 35
 FIGHTING DISCRIMINATION AND
VIOLENCE BASED ON SEXUAL
ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY
Objective 2 – Fight against violence, discrimination and stigmatisation

Expected outcome 2.1: Engaging the responsibility of States for violence and discrimination against
LGBTI+ persons

LITIGATION BEFORE THE ECTHR IN CASES REGARDING

LGBTI+ RIGHTS IN POLAND
FIDH submitted two third-party interventions to the ECtHR in pending cases regarding LGBTI+
rights in Poland, both from 2010, in cooperation with member organization, PSAL, and other
international and local partners.

1) A .D.-K. & others v. Poland, with the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe), Network of European LGBTIQ+
Families Associations (NELFA), European Commission on Sexual Orientation Law (ECSOL)
and PSAL;

2) X . v. Poland and A.S. v. Poland, with Amnesty International, ILGA-Europe, NELFA ,

International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH) (in case
brought by PSAL).

FIDH participates to the Gay Pride in Taïwan, October 2019.

36 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 3/ RESULTS FRAMEWORK

Baseline values Targets Actual Actual Targets Actual

(annual average Year 2 Year 2 Year 3 Year 3 Ye a r 4
Expected outcomes Outputs Outcome Indicators 2012-2016 unless (2018) (2018) (2019) (2019) (2020)
otherwise stated)

1.1. Member and Exchanges and strategic discussions Subsequent actions taken by 2 actions per year 1 0 1 1 0
partner organisations with member and partner participants: activities, press releases,
organisations, material support to follow-up meetings, advocacy, reports,
supported to build
NGOs coalitions formed
their capacity to act

1.2. Decision-makers Training and material support to
become more NGOs, communication campaigns,
advocacy meetings with authorities
engaged in the fight
against violence and
discrimination against
LGBTI persons Advocacy meetings and campaigns,
alerts, appeals, information/
advice provided, position papers,
recommendations, reports, meetings
with national bodies
Enhanced spaces for dialogue 1 instance per year 1 0 1 1 1
between NGOs and the authorities or
international and regional institutions
on the protection of the rights of
LGBTI persons
Commitments, bills and laws against 1 instance per year 1 0 1 0 0
violence and discrimination, positive
laws reducing inequality towards
LGBTI persons and withdrawal,
suspension or non-adoption of bills,
non-implementation of initiatives that
run counter to the rights of LGBTI
persons

Advocacy meetings with national
authorities, regional and international
intergovernmental institutions,
oral/written interventions before
institutions, position papers, fact-
finding missions
Positions, statements and decisions 1 instance per year 1 1 1 2 1
of intergovernmental bodies and third
States condemning violence and
discrimination against LGBTI persons
or calling upon States to protect the
rights of LGBTI persons

2.1. Engaging the Advocacy meetings, appeals, referral Decisions of treaty monitoring 3 decisions over four 1 1 1 2 1
responsibility of to international / regional / national bodies and judicial and quasi- years
human rights bodies, position papers, judicial mechanisms that sanction
States for violence
fact-finding missions and reports, responsibility of the State in violence
and discrimination judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings and discrimination against LGBTI
against LGBTI initiated, amicus curiae persons
persons

2.2. Heightened Strategic networking, participation Enhanced spaces for dialogue 1 instance per year 1 0 1 1 0
awareness of in meetings, inter-associative between NGOs, other organisations
mobilisation and social groups on the protection
social groups on
of the rights of LGBTI persons and
the protection of joint actions
the rights of LGBTI
persons Initiation or participation in social Posts, views and interactions on New indicator, 2017 1 0 1 0 0
media campaigns social media on the rights of LGBTI will become baseline
persons circulated in social networks

Analysis, Risk Monitoring and Mitigation

In 2019, the strategic priority was mainstreamed throughout the desks, resulting in an impactful though limited number of activities (and therefore
risks), without necessarily having to develop a specific program.

Regarding the indicator of the Results Framework, some indicators were interpretated to broaden the scope in order to be more realistic in terms of
achievement. This is the case for “decisions of treaty monitoring bodies and judicial and quasi-judicial mechanisms that sanction responsibility of
the State in violence and discrimination against LGBTI persons”. It is very rare to have a decision within one year. It takes a long time. The indicator
has been considered as reached when “at least 1 new third-party intervention is declared admissible by a national/regional court”.

With the support of Evan Wolfson, attorney and gay rights advocate, a workshop was organized mid-May at the International Secretariat of FIDH on
how best to address this priority adopted at the 2016 FIDH Congress in South Africa, based on FIDH’s added value, notably: networking capacity
between generalist human rights NGOs that are part of FIDH network and specialised LGBTI+ NGOs; support to LGBTI+ defenders at risk; litigation
to address discrimination based on sexual orientation.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 37
 PRIORITY
PROMOTING THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS
1/ ANALYSIS OF PL ANS, CHALLENGES AND
PROGRESS
In the context of the rise of extreme right-wing
populist movements, the defence of migrants’
rights is increasingly equated with support for illegal
immigration. In 2019, FIDH along with its partner the
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), under
the umbrella of the Observatory of human rights
defenders, continued to be mobilised in favour of the
legitimacy of the fight of HRDs protecting migrants
(see below).
A fact-finding mission was conducted in 2019, in
Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh regarding
the situation of Rohingya migrants, with a focus on
women. As sexual violence inflicted by the army in
Myanmar has been widely documented, the mission
focused on the inequalities suffered by women in
the camps in their host country. It also adresses the
lack of access to services and resources in UNHCR-
led humanitarian settings for migrants, especially
women migrants.
Over the course of 2019, FIDH also continued to
denounce through different means of action the
failure of European migration policy and called on
the EU to overhaul its approach in order to protect
human rights, notably in relation to externalization of
EU borders, especially outsourcing responsibility for
migration management to non-EU countries with poor
human rights records and no legislative frameworks
in place for refugee protection through bilateral
and multilateral agreements. This area of work was
approached from a number of angles:
- through a focus on EU Member States: A shadow
report was jointly submitted by FIDH and its Italian
member organization, Unione Forense per La Tutela
dei Diritti dell’Umani (UFTDU), for the Italy UPR
(UPR 34th) on recent legislative developments
regarding migrants’ rights, immigration and migrants
HRDs. The Observatory for the Protection of Human
Rights Defenders issued urgent appeals calling for
38 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
intervention and expressed concerns about the
increasing harassment and criminalization against
human rights defenders working on migration issues
in Europe (Italy, France, Greece...)
- At EU level, in February 2019, a joint letter was
submitted to the Belgian Ministers before the Justice
and Home Affairs Council (made up of justice and
home affairs ministers from all the EU member
states) took place on EU migration policies in order
to express serious concerns about the crisis in the
Mediterranean and to call for action. This was a
joint advocacy effort in alliance with international
NGOs : 11.11.11, CNCD-11.11.11, Oxfam-Solidariteit,
Caritas International, Artsen Zonder Grenzen, Orbit
vzw, Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, Amnesty
International, Jesuit Refugee Service, Beweging.
net, Mouvement Ouvrier Chrétien, and FIDH.
- Through quasi-judicial proceedings: FIDH together
with its Belgian member organization, la Ligue des
droits humains (LDH), filed a third party intervention
in a migration/ECtHR case on humanitarian visas
(see below). As the case is likely to have impacts on
Dublin-style European regulations on migration, but
also more broadly on the issues of extraterritorial
obligations in other areas, FIDH together with LDH
have been at the heart of several pleadings.
In terms of strategic litigation, FIDH continued to
follow up pending cases, filed with more specialized
organizations on migration such as Groupe
d’information et de soutien des immigré.e.s (GISTI)
in the case of JB v. Greece before the European
Court of Human Rights. . On the French side of the
left to die case, in which 72 passengers who left the
Libyan coast on board a small rubber boat were left
to drift for 14 days in NATO’s maritime surveillance
area despite several distress signals and repeated
interactions (case followed by the FIDH Litigation
Action Group since 2013), FIDH filed a brief to the
 MWRN staff, 14 migrant workers from Myanmar, and Mr. Andy Hall at the MWRN office in Samut Sakhon in July 2018.
© Migrant Workers Rights Network

attention of the Investigation Chamber of the Paris
Court of Appeal on its decision to refuse to file a civil
action for two survivors of the boat.
Furthermore, a side event on migrants’ rights took
place during the 2019 FIDH 40th Congress in Taiwan
and a resolution was adopted to express concerns
for the situation of migrants in the United States of
America, Mexico and Central America especially
given recent policies and measures adopted by the
States on migration and asylum, militarization and
externalization of borders; and recalling that since
September 2018 five migrant children from Guatemala
and one from El Salvador have died whilst in the
custody of the United States.

2/ IMPACTS AND SIGNIFICANT OUTCOMES

Objective 1 – Support Laws and Policies that Protect the Rights of Migrants

Expected outcome 1.2: States, intergovernmental bodies, transnational agencies and companies are
more aware of the rights of migrants

THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS JEOPARDIZED IN ITALY:

CONCERNS RAISED AT THE UN
FIDH and its member organization UFTDU submitted in April 2019 a joint report to
the third universal periodic review before the UN Human Rights Council. This report
addressed the legislative measures that jeopardize the rights of migrants and asylum
seekers; violations of the non-refoulement principle under international human rights
and refugee law; restrictive policies of the Italian government restricting entry of irregular
migrants into Italian territory; and criminalization of NGOs and defenders of the rights of
migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. It put forward suggestions for recommendations
that may be addressed to the Italian government in the context of this review.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 39
 PROMOTING THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS
Expected outcome 1.3: Engaging the responsibility of the perpetrators of violations of the
rights of migrants

BELGIUM’S REFUSAL TO GRANT HUMANITARIAN VISAS

TO A SYRIAN FAMILY: MATTER BROUGHT BEFORE THE
EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
In 2016, a Syrian family tried to survive bombs and crossfire in Aleppo. Forced into exile, the couple
managed to apply for visas at the Belgian Embassy in Beirut, but the Belgian government refused to
grant them visas. The family filed an appeal before the Aliens Litigation Council and won their case.
Belgium, however, persisted in its refusal to grant visas to the family. The family ended up turning to
the European Court of Human Rights. Eleven Member States and five NGOs have intervened in the
proceedings and the case has been brought to the Grand Chamber.

A demonstration of concerned citizens took place before the European Court of Human Rights during
the hearing in Strasbourg on 24 April 2019.

Objective 2 – Promote the Rights of Migrant Workers

Expected outcome 2.1: Decision-makers more mobilized for protection of the rights of migrant workers

THAILAND: THAMMAKASET WATCH

In 2019, FIDH supported around 20 migrant workers and activists involved in the
Thammakaset cases by issuing several urgent appeals, press releases, co-signing a letter to
the prime minister of Thailand and creating a dedicated webpage to follow the defamation
suits filed by the company Thammakaset Ltd against former workers, journalists, and
activists for raising awareness regarding the alleged labor rights violations. It started
in 2016 when 14 Myanmar migrant workers filed a lawsuit against the Thai corporation
for forced labor, restrictions on movement, passport confiscation, and unlawful salary
reductions. On 15 January 2019, the Supreme Court of Thailand upheld the immediate
payment of USD 54,000 for the past wages of the 14 migrant workers. Thammakaset
had appealed the court’s verdict, but on 30 May 2019, the Court of Appeals upheld the
Court’s decision not to accept Thammakaset’s appeal and this judgment is final.

Thammakaset Watch continues to give details of the judicial harassment suffered by

each of the defenders and is regularly updated on the FIDH website according to the
evolution of trials.

40 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 3/ RESULTS FRAMEWORK

Baseline values Targets Actual Targets Actual

(annual average Year 2 Year 2 Year 3 Year 3
Expected outcomes Outputs Outcome Indicators 2012-2016 unless (2018) (2018) (2019) (2019)
otherwise stated)

1.1. Member and Training, exchanges and strategic Subsequent actions taken by participants: 1 action per year 1 2 1 1
partner organisations discussions with member and partners activities, press releases, follow-up meetings,
organisations advocacy, reports, coalitions formed
supported to build
their capacity to act

1.2. States, Advocacy meetings, communications, Recommendations, ratifications, 3 instances per year 1 0 1 1
intergovernmental position papers, fact-finding missions and commitments, statements and decisions
reports, participation in meetings organised of States, intergovernmental bodies,
bodies, transnational
by the authorities transnational agencies and companies in
agencies and support of the rights of migrants
companies made
more aware of the
rights of migrants

1.3. Engaging the Complaints submitted, judicial or quasi- Investigations, proceedings and judgments 1 case every two 2 1 2 2
responsibility of judicial proceedings initiated and followed of judicial or quasi-judicial mechanisms years
up, support to victims, fact-finding reports, related to violations of migrants’ rights or
the perpetrators of
communications that sanction public or private perpetrators of
violations of the violations of migrants’ rights
rights of migrants
Judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings initiated Quasi-judicial decisions that establish 0 0 0 1 0
and followed up, support to victims, fact- responsibility of States and/or interstate
finding reports, communications agencies for violations of migrants' rights

2.1. Decision-makers Training for member and partner Subsequent actions taken by participants New indicator, 2017 1 2 1 0
more mobilised for organisations, support distributed to NGOs for the protection of the rights of migrant will become baseline
workers, including with respect to private
protection of the
companies: activities, press releases, follow-
rights of migrant up meetings, advocacy, reports, coalitions
workers formed, methodology developed

Strategic networking, advocacy campaigns
and meetings, measures or guidance
proposed, advisory services, position papers
Encouraging step (e.g. declarations, requests 2 instances per year 1 1 1 1
for FIDH's support, advice, invitation to
FIDH and NGOs to participate in discussion,
parliamentary communications, resolutions)
taken by States, national authorities,
influential or intergovernmental bodies, in
favour of migrants' rights

Strategic networking, advocacy campaigns Commitments, laws and policies of national 1 instance every two 1 0 1 0
and meetings with national authorities, authorities (countries of origin, transit years
measures or guidance proposed, advisory countries and host countries) that foster the
services, position papers rights of migrant workers, whether or not
they are considered legal

Strategic networking, advocacy campaigns Statements and decisions of 1 instance in past 0 0 1 0

and meetings with IGO representatives, intergovernmental agencies that promote the four years
measures or guidance proposed, advisory rights of migrant workers and their families
services, position papers

Analysis, Risk Monitoring and Mitigation

The major risk faced in this area of work during 2019 was - as in 2018 - an absence of sufficient resources to implement activities, reducing progress towards the
intended outcomes. In 2019, in order to mitigate such a risk, FIDH sought to continue its work in this area by demonstrating its added value (mainly in terms of
advocacy and quasi-judicial proceedings), by networking and by mainstreaming this priority with a focus on Europe and Asia and through the work of other desks,
particularly Western Europe desk, Asia desk, the Human Rights Defenders desk, and the Department of advocacy before the EU and the UN to raise awareness of
States and intergovernmental bodies on the rights of migrants.

No results were reached for engaging the responsibility of the perpetrators of violations of the rights of migrants. For the latter, this can be explained with the fact
that proceedings that were followed were still pending in 2019.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 41
 PRIORITY
FIGHTING IMPUNITY AND PROTECTING
POPULATIONS FROM THE MOST
SERIOUS CRIMES
1/ ANALYSIS OF PL ANS, CHALLENGES AND
PROGRESS
Throughout 2019, FIDH has been actively engaged
in supporting access to justice for victims of serious
international crimes and human rights violations
at multiple levels and fora. The ability of victims to
activate national justice tools in the country where
the crimes have been committed is a priority but too
often it proves impossible for victims to have access
to national courts. Consequently, the activation
of other extra-national, regional or international
mechanisms has to be explored. FIDH’s mandate
to fight against impunity, and for accountability and
justice is enshrined in the defence, support and
progressive enforcement of victims’ rights, and it is
their experiences, needs and rights that drive FIDH’s
activities in this respect. All activities continue to
be implemented in close collaboration with member
organizations, who are critical in identifying the
issues that need to be addressed, in providing access
to information FIDH would otherwise not obtain
and in ensuring that FIDH’s work is relevant, long-
term and enshrined in and based on local contexts.
Building on its work and progress made in previous
years, FIDH continued to follow its “complementarity
based” approach to support victims in criminal
proceedings before national jurisdictions in the
countries where the crimes are committed, through
litigation in Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire,
Guinea and Mali; before regional mechanisms to
hold States responsible for their failure to abide by
human rights obligations; and in collaboration with
and before international mechanisms and courts,
such as the International, Impartial and Independent
42 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
Mechanism for Syria (IIIM) and the International
Criminal Court (ICC). FIDH highlighted situations
of impunity through press releases, open letters
and interventions in a wide range of situations,
including Sudan, Ukraine, Georgia, Syria, Iraq,
Bangladesh, Libya, Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia,
Afghanistan, Myanmar.
The documentation of serious international crimes,
aiming to establish facts and responsibilities
regarding the most serious crimes continues to
play a vital role in FIDH’s efforts. FIDH seeks to build
capacity of its members, and carry out documentation
missions with a view to raise awareness and to
initiate judicial proceedings. Throughout 2019 FIDH
facilitated documentation of crimes committed
against the Yezidi community in Syria and Iraq
which led to litigation efforts and the opening of a
judicial investigation targeting a French ISIS fighter
for genocide and crimes against humanity, followed
closely by the issuance of an international arrest
warrant. FIDH’s work on Syria continued to focus
on documentation with a view to establishing the
criminal responsibility of individual perpetrators,
including through filing criminal complaints in
France, together with member organization, SCM.
Following a documentation mission on corruption to
Guatemala, FIDH published a report entitled “Justice
and Rule of Law at a Crossroads”, and a briefing note
“Guatemala must avoid a decade of setbacks for
justice” which analyse the outlook for justice and
rule of law in Guatemala, in light of the expiration of
the mandate of the Commission against Impunity in
Guatemala. Based on mission findings, the report
identifies a high risk of backtracking on the advances
made with regard to justice and even the potential
collapse of Guatemalan institutional frameworks. In
Mexico, FIDH and Comisión Mexicana de Defensa
y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CMDPDH)
launched in June 2019 the Virtual Memorial for the
Fallen Student, an augmented reality experience
designed to raise awareness about crimes against
humanity committed in Mexico, particularly over the
past decade. The interactive memorial pays tribute
to victims of violence through a unique experience
which comes to life for the viewer in real time. The
impact of such awareness raising campaign allowed
to reach out students and young people, with about
140 000 visits on FIDH website and more than 650
000 people reached through social media (facebook
and twitter). Following a fact–finding mission to
Bangladesh, FIDH published a report entitled
“Vanished without a trace: The enforced disappearance
of opposition and dissent in Bangladesh”, documenting
how Bangladeshi authorities are systematically
using enforced disappearances to silence political
dissidents. FIDH’s findings suggest that these
crimes amount to crimes against humanity (see
below).
Strategic litigation as crucial mode of action in
support of victims’ access to justice continued
throughout 2019 targeting individual perpetrators
as well as corporate actors. In September 2019,
FIDH, together with members in Sudan and other
organizations, filed a criminal complaint against BNP
Parisbas for alleged complicity in crimes against
humanity, torture and genocide that took place in
Sudan, as well as financial crimes. This complaint
marks the first attempt to hold the French bank
criminally responsible for alleged complicity in
international crimes committed in Sudan, and in
Darfur in particular. FIDH expects that the complaint
will lead to the opening of a criminal investigation
so as to highlight the links between financial flows
and the perpetration of mass atrocities (see priority
7). FIDH’s work on accountability for crimes against
humanity and other serious crimes in Mexico
continued throughout 2019, and included the first
complaint filed, in February 2019, before the Inter-
American Commission on Human Rights for acts
Drissa Traoré, General Secretary of FIDH, speaking at the 18th annual session of the ICC
Assembly of States Parties to the Rome statute, The Hague.
of corruption, torture and enforced disappearance
against the State of Mexico (see below). In Côte
d’Ivoire, FIDH and its member organizations filed
a submission in April 2019 to the Administrative
Chamber of the Supreme Court to challenge the
amnesty order adopted by President Quattara
in April 2018, which risks resulting in complete
impunity for perpetrators of international crimes
committed in the post-electoral crisis. FIDH and
lawyers from its Litigation Action Group (LAG) are
also representing victims in proceedings ongoing in
CAR, Mali and Guinea. In Mali, following advocacy
by FIDH and members, as well as litigation, the
mandate of the anti-terrorist specialized unit was
extended to expressly include international crimes,
following advocacy carried out by AMDH and FIDH
(see below).
In January 2019, FIDH continued supporting access
to justice for victims of the most serious international
crimes in Europe, together with partners REDRESS
and European Center for Constitutional and Human
Rights (ECCHR), on the basis of extraterritorial or
universal jurisdiction. In circumstances where
neither local authorities nor international courts are
able to address such crimes, this often represents
the last resort for victims in order to obtain access
to justice. Throughout 2019, FIDH, together with
its partners, carried out research missions to
examine legal and practical arrangements in
place in support of victims in Belgium, France,
Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, with a view
to publishing a comprehensive report in 2020. The
research and advocacy work carried out in the
margins of the project also supports FIDH’s efforts
to seek accountability through relevant litigation
activities of the Litigation Action Group (LAG).
Throughout 2019, FIDH advocated with States and
other stakeholders to ensure that victims’ rights are
included and strengthened in a new multilateral
treaty for the domestic prosecution of international
crimes, the Mutual Legal Assistance Initiative, under
negotiation in 2019.
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 43
 FIGHTING IMPUNITY AND PROTECTING
POPULATIONS FROM THE MOST
SERIOUS CRIMES
At the ICC, FIDH continued to facilitate meetings
and exchanges with Court officials for members
from CAR, Palestine, Guinea, Mexico, Colombia,
Burundi, Ukraine and Côte d’Ivoire. FIDH submitted
a communication based on 23 cases of extra-
judicial executions to the Office of the Prosecutor
(OTP) in regards to the ICC’s ongoing preliminary
examination on Colombia, asking the Prosecutor
to take a position asserting the need for the
Colombian President to endorse the Statutory
Law of the Special Jurisdictions for Peace (JEP)
and to refrain from promoting officers linked to
acts that are under preliminary examination. In
Mexico, FIDH filed two Article 15 communications
with the ICC, one specifically in regards to crimes
committed in Coahuila, and one more general
communication based on cases identified by the
Mexican Ombudsman. Furthermore, FIDH insisted
that the State’s persistent obstruction of genuine
investigations and prosecution of members of
security forces suspected of serious crimes should
trigger the Court’s jurisdiction (see below).
Several ICC decisions in 2019 underlined serious
concerns FIDH started to raise in previous years,
and which came to prominence with the acquittal of
Bemba in 2018: first, the acquittal of Gbagbo and Ble
Goude in January 2019 (currently on appeal), followed
by a decision of a Pre-Trial Chamber denying the
opening of an investigation into crimes committed
in and related to the conflict in Afghanistan (since
overturned). FIDH intervened on two occasions in
response to the Pre-Trial Chamber’s decision, arguing
in support of the opening of an investigation into the
Afghanistan situation (see below). Overall concerns
regarding the ICC’s continued shortcomings in the
delivery of its mandate led FIDH and other civil
society organizations and stakeholders to call
44 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
for a comprehensive assessment of the ICC and
Rome Statute’s performance. This was established
in December 2019 during the Assembly of States
Parties meeting (see below).
On 13-14 May 2019, FIDH organized a round-table
convening around 30 participants to discuss the
implementation and adequacy of the ICC Guidelines
Governing the Relations between the Court and
Intermediaries five years after their adoption.
The participants comprised representatives from
FIDH member organizations from countries where
the ICC is conducting preliminary examinations
(Guinea-Conakry, Palestine, and Afghanistan) or
investigations (Georgia, Libya, Côte d’Ivoire, Central
African Republic, Sudan, Kenya, Burundi, Mali),
and who interacted with the Court’s organs in their
respective situations including as intermediaries.
The group referred to as intermediaries are
representatives of civil society organizations, human
rights defenders, activists, victims’ representatives,
among others, that the ICC relies on in undertaking
its tasks. This group facilitates the ICC’s work and
plays a significant role in overcoming the ICC’s
security, linguistic, cultural and resource limitations.
At the same time, without proper regulation, unclarity
over roles and responsibilities on both sides are
likely to occur, which in turn might compromise the
security of intermediaries or persons they interact
with and the confidentiality of their tasks. The round-
table reflected on the participants knowledge of the
governing framework, highlighted key considerations
for current and future intermediaries and identified
recommendations to the ICC. FIDH raised some of
these recommendations in the annual ICC-NGO

roundtable and in a side event on the same topic at
the 18th session of the Assembly of States Parties.
A key conclusion to these discussions is the need
for the ICC to conduct a review of this framework
and its implementation, which was envisioned in
the guidelines to take place five years after their
adoption, but has not yet been carried out.
Regarding the strengthening of the mechanisms
of justice, in March 2019, FIDH’s advocacy for a
stronger commitment of the EU on international
justice succeeded when the mandate of the EU’s
special representative for human rights was
extended to expressly include international justice.
International advocacy continued at EU, African
Union (AU) and UN levels, targeting Sudan, Yemen,
Palestine, Myanmar, Mali, DRC, and Burundi
regarding the protection of civilian populations
during conflict. On 19 December 2019, the United
Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2502
extending the mandate of MONUSCO by one year
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the
protection of civilians and the strengthening of state
institutions as priorities of the new mandate (see
below). On many occasions, in 2019, FIDH has also
mobilized regional and international bodies to defend
and advance the rule of law and to fight against
impunity, especially when national blockages exist.
In this way, and at the UN Human Rights Council,
FIDH has successfully advocated for the renewal
of the Commission of inquiry on Burundi, for the
renewing of the mandate of the Commission on
Relatives of victims made a human chain in front of the press club in Dhaka demanding an
end to enforced disappearance, killing and abduction on International Human Rights Day, December 2014.
(Photo by Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/NurPhoto)
Human Rights in South Sudan and to renew the
mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen.
FIDH also coordinated or supported a large number
of joint NGO activities aimed at the HRC in 2019
(five letters, three side events, four briefings, four
advocacy rounds with HRDs) to address the rapidly
changing national context and accompany local
HRDs efforts to ensure greater respect of human
rights in Sudan. As a result, the 2019 HRC resolution
on Sudan renewed the mandate of the Independent
Expert for another year echoing the concerns
expressed and the information provided by FIDH
and its member organization. FIDH and its member
organisation, Human Rights Centre “Viasna”,
successfully carried out targeted advocacy for
the extension of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate
until Belarus shows willingness to cooperate and
to implement reforms that would prevent mass
violations that formed the basis for its creation.
FIDH also advocated for the adoption by the HRC
of a resolution on the Human rights situation in the
Philippines, a rare new country specific mechanism
of the UN institution.
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 45
 FIGHTING IMPUNITY AND PROTECTING
POPULATIONS FROM THE MOST
SERIOUS CRIMES
2/ IMPACTS AND SIGNIFICANT OUTCOMES

Objective 1 – Document the most serious crimes

Expected outcome 1.1: Establishing the facts and responsibilities regarding the most serious crimes

HIGHLIGHTING ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES IN BANGLADESH

In April 2019, FIDH published a report Vanished Without a Trace: The Enforced Disappearance of Opposition and Dissent in
Bangladesh based on interviews with victims of enforced disappearances that occurred between 2012 and 2017, their family
members, eyewitnesses, and information from other civil society organizations, the report illustrates how Bangladesh’s
government has used enforced disappearances to silence members of the political opposition and dissenting voices.
Detailing how State actors, including military and police, worked in tandem to make people disappear, the report also
argues that enforced disappearances in Bangladesh constitute crimes against humanity, and calls on the International
community to take all necessary measures to ensure that the government fulfills the right of victims to truth, justice, and
reparation.

The report helped draw renewed attention on the issue of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh. The report was covered
in local media and FIDH was later invited to speak about this topic on Al Jazeera. The report later gained renewed media
attention, notably following newsworthy events such as protests organized by family members of disappeared people
in Bangladesh.

Objective 2 – Support access to justice for victims

Expected outcome 2.1: Engaging criminal responsibility of the perpetrators of the most serious crimes

WEST AFRICA : SUPPORT TO VICTIMS OF GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS

VIOLATIONS
In Côte d’Ivoire, FIDH and its member organizations Ligue Ivoirienne des Droits de l'Homme (LIDHO) and Mouvement
Ivoirien des Droits Humains (MIDH) filed a submission on behalf of 165 victims represented by LAG lawyers in April
2019 to the Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court. The submission challenges the amnesty order adopted
by President Quattara in August 2018, which risks resulting in complete impunity for perpetrators of international
crimes committed in the post-electoral crisis. In Central African Republic, the Special Criminal Court had not
started to fully investigate and prosecute serious international crimes in 2019. As a result, emblematic cases were
prosecuted before ordinary domestic courts, leading in particular to a significant trial which took place in January
2020 where LAG lawyers represented and assisted 74 victims in proceedings in the case of Bangassou (an attack
led by anti-Balaka militias on the village of Bangassou, notably against a UN compound and the village’s mosque).
The trial led to convictions and sentencing of 23 perpetrators.

46 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 CONTINUED SUPPORT TO SYRIAN CIVIL SOCIETY
AND VICTIMS IN SEARCH OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The LAG, in close collaboration with SCM, has continued to document violations committed
by a non-State actor, Jaysh-al-Islam in Syria's Eastern Ghouta with a view to initiating
litigation in European countries. In June 2019, FIDH and SCM filed a criminal complaint in
France that targets the group believed to be responsible for the disappearance of Razan
Zaitouneh and three of her associates in December 2013 as well as for widespread torture
in detention. The "Douma 4" case, as it has become to be known, is emblematic of the
impossible situation faced by human rights defender in Syria, targeted for their activism
by both the regime and non-State groups. This complaint is the result of FIDH and SCM's
joint strategy to contribute to the fight against impunity for grave violations in Syria since
March 2011 and specifically the need to ensure that these procedures are inclusive, targeting
all perpetrators and all crimes.

BEFORE THE ICC: SUPPORTING VICTIMS OF CRIMES

COMMITTED IN AND IN RELATION TO AFGHANISTAN
ACCESS JUSTICE
In the situation in Afghanistan, FIDH and member organizations Armanshahr/OPEN
ASIA, and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) welcomed the prospects of an ICC
investigation of the crimes allegedly committed in Afghanistan and on the territory of
other ICC member States (Romania, Lithuania and Poland) linked to the Afghanistan
armed conflict. To date, the alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes remain
largely unpunished. In April 2019, the Prosecutor’s request for judicial authorization
to commence such investigation was rejected by a Pre-Trial Chamber and its decision
to do so raised novel and complex questions both legally and factually. Significantly,
the decision was contrary to the views of victims who made submissions to the Court
overwhelmingly in support of the Prosecutor investigating the situation in Afghanistan.

Given FIDH and its member organizations’ expertise in the Afghanistan situation and
FIDH’s long engagement in promoting victims’ rights, including the right to access
prompt and impartial justice, the organizations engaged with proceedings before the
ICC in support of judicial review of the decision. The organizations requested and were
granted permission twice to make amicus curiae observations that would assist judges
in their determination of these questions. The first submission addressed victims’ views
on the situation of impunity in Afghanistan in supporting an appellate review of the denial
of an investigation and the right of victims to challenge said decision independently.
Once the matter was before the Appeals Chamber, FIDH led the drafting of a second
submission which provided in-depth legal analysis of key Rome Statute provisions.

FIDH facilitated the attendance of representatives of its Afghan partner and member
organizations to the appeals hearing which took place from 4-6 December 2019. The
decision was reversed in March 2020 and the investigation was authorized.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 47
 BEFORE THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION: FOCUS ON
MEXICO
In February 2019, FIDH, Familias Unidas en la Búsqueda y Localización de Personas Desaparecidas
de Piedras Negras, IDHEAS, and Litigio Estratégico en Derechos Humanos submitted a strategic
litigation complaint to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for acts of corruption,
torture and enforced disappearance in Coahuila between 2009 and 2016. It is a novel and strategic
complaint as it highlights acts of corruption that enabled the Zetas, a drug cartel, to take over the
role of local authorities, including law enforcement in Coahuila state between 2009 and 2012. The
complaint presents 20 emblematic cases that occurred in Coahuila between 2009 and 2016. It
includes victims of the Allende massacre, people illegally cremated in the Piedras Negras detention
center controlled by the Zetas drug cartel, disappeared persons who were arrested by the Coahuila
police and then handed over to that cartel, as well as people tortured and disappeared by the special
forces of Coahuila.

Objective 3 – Strengthen Justice Mechanisms

Expected outcome 3.1: Mechanisms to fight impunity created or strengthened

Spotlight on the performance of the ICC and the Rome Statute system
FIDH has long supported the ICC as a central agent in the fight against impunity at the international level.
Notwithstanding its significant contributions in the delivery of justice to date, the Court’s overall performance
has been subject to increasing criticism from a variety of stakeholders, including civil society. Some of the
criticism against the Court relates to its lengthy preliminary examinations, perceived selectivity or politicization of
investigations and/or cases, limited field presence and distance from victims and affected communities. Recent
judicial decisions further brought into question the Court’s consistency in its legal reasoning and the adequacy
of investigations and prosecutorial decisions.

The 40th FIDH Congress had the honor to welcome Dr Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court, to take part to the debates on the crises of multilateralism.

FIDH and other civil society organizations called for an assessment of the Court’s performance carried out by
independent experts for the purpose of strengthening the Court and enabling it to carry out its mandate to the
fullest extent. A discussion on the establishment of an ‘Independent Expert Review’ (IER) was taken up by ICC
member States in mid-2019, with a view of establishing it through a resolution adopted in the 18th session of the
Assembly of States Parties to the ICC (2019). FIDH ensured that its member organizations were kept informed of
discussions among States Parties leading up to the establishment of the IER through issuing briefing notes in
English, French and Spanish. Further, FIDH promoted - through commenting on the draft resolution and advocacy
with States Parties - an assessment that is purposeful, victim-centered, and inclusive of civil society organizations.
The establishment of the IER was a priority to FIDH in the 18th session of the ASP, with recommendations made
to States Parties and the organization of a side-event highlighting civil society’s priorities and expectations from
the IER.

The ASP adopted the resolution establishing the IER and appointing nine experts to carry it out in the course
of 2020. The resolution mandated the experts to consult a range of stakeholders, including civil society, and to
assess a number of issues, including issues affecting victims’ interest in particular.

48 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
Extending the mandate of the Anti-terrorism Specialised Unit
in Mali
On 29 May 2019, the Council of Ministers adopted a bill amending the Code of Criminal Procedure and
extending the jurisdiction of the Specialised Unit for Combating Terrorism and Transnational Crime to
the investigation and prosecution of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. This bill follows
several years of advocacy by FIDH and AMDH, as well as its civil society partners, and should strengthen
the justice system's capacity to prosecute the alleged perpetrators of the most serious crimes committed
in Mali since the 2012 crisis, which was very difficult as long as the magistrates in charge of investigating
these cases did not have specific means, both materially and in terms of security. Since the adoption of
the Loi d’entente nationale in July 2019, which granted amnesty to all suspects of crimes perpetrated
in 2012-2013 except those charged for international crimes and sexual crimes, the extension of the
jurisdiction of this specialized unit is the only hope for victims to see effective prosecutions happening
over the crimes committed during that period. This expected decision must now be translated into action,
through the relaunching of judicial proceedings that have so far been unsuccessful.

Darfur refugees, Djabal camp, FIDH investigation mission in Eastern Chad. © Karel Prinsloo

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 49
 FIGHTING IMPUNITY AND PROTECTING
POPULATIONS FROM THE MOST
SERIOUS CRIMES
Objective 4 - Support the protection of populations in situations of conflict and crisis

Expected outcome 4.1: Populations in situations of conflict and crisis better protected

DRC/MONUSCO: ONE MORE YEAR TO BETTER PROTECT CIVILIANS

AND FIGHT IMPUNITY BEFORE CONSIDERING WITHDRAWAL
On 19 December 2019, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2502 extending the
mandate of MONUSCO by one year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the protection
of civilians and the strengthening of state institutions as priorities of the new mandate, echoing FIDH’s
recommendations based on a report issued in December 2019 on the phasing out of MONUSCO to
ensure that the planned withdrawal of the MONUSCO troops is based on the application of the clauses
safeguarding the protection of human rights. In 2019, as every year, FIDH and its member organizations in
the DRC, the League of Electors, the Lotus Group and the African Association of Human Rights (ASADHO),
conducted several advocacy activities with the United Nations Security Council for the renewal of the
MONUSCO mandate, including two advocacy missions to New York and the publication of an analysis
report on the renewal of the mandate. Community reconciliation, strengthening regional cooperation
and returning ex-combatants to peaceful civilian life are at the heart of the MONUSCO mandate, as
demanded by FIDH and its member organizations. In their plea, the latter insisted that measures to
ease community tensions and establish the truth be considered, as well as strengthening regional
cooperation in the protection of civilians and the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes.
FIDH and its members also called for a non-military approach in the reintegration of ex-combatants
and the protection of civilians.

DRC : PERPETRATORS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

UNDER SANCTIONS
Regarding the protection of populations in conflict and crisis situations, the EU Council
conclusions on the Democratic Republic of the Congo adopted 9 December 2019 maintain
12 Congolese individuals on the list of targeted sanctions (asset freeze and visa bans)
concerning the DRC. FIDH and its member organizations led a series of advocacy meetings
before EU actors to contribute to this decision as the sanctioned individuals were involved
in planning, directing, or committing acts that constitute serious human rights violations
or abuses in DRC. One year after the elections, these individuals remain in the position
to influence political decisions and potentially contribute to human rights violations in
the country. These restrictive measures should be renewed until 12 December 2020.

50 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 3/ RESULTS FRAMEWORK

Baseline values Targets Actual Targets Actual

(annual average Year 2 Year 2 Year 3 Target 3
Expected outcomes Outputs Outcome Indicators 2012-2016 unless (2018) (2018) (2019) (2019)
otherwise stated)

1.1. Establishing Training sessions, exchanges and strategic Subsequent actions taken by members 3 over past four years 1 3 3 3
the facts and discussions with member and partner and partners organisations: methodology,
organisations activities, press releases, follow-up meetings,
responsibilities
advocacy reports, coalitions formed,
regarding the most documentation
serious crimes
Missions of investigation Testimony and investigative reports 4 reports per year 4 6 4 2
produced on the most serious crimes and
their perpetrators

2.1. Engaging Exchanges and strategic discussion with member Litigations strategies and litigations actions 1 per year 1 4 1 3
criminal and partner organisations, training sessions initiated
responsibility of the
Proceedings, complaints initiated, legal actions Investigations, proceedings and judgements 7 instances per year 5 4 5 2
perpetrators of the before national courts of national justice systems against
most serious crimes perpetrators of the most serious crimes

Proceedings, complaints initiated, legal actions Investigations, proceedings and judgements New indicator, 2017 2 2 2 7
before national courts, based on extraterritorial of national justice systems on the basis data will become
jurisdiction of extraterritorial jurisdiction against baseline
perpetrators of the most serious crimes

Proceedings, complaints initiated, legal actions Investigations, proceedings and judgements 6 instances in past 1 1 1 0
before mixed courts of mixed jurisdictions depending on four years
recommendations of victims and NGOs

Complaints initiated, communications submitted, Preliminary examinations, investigations, 3 instances per year 3 5 3 3
advocacy meetings/visits before the ICC prosecutions at the ICC according to the
recommendations of victims and NGOs

3.1. Mechanisms Advocacy meetings, reports National laws and institutions set up or 3 instances over past 1 0 1 0
to fight impunity strengthened to intensify the fight against four years
impunity of the most serious crimes
created or
strengthened Advocacy meetings, reports, support and advice Adoption of improved procedures and New indicator, 2018 0 0 0
provided mechanisms of national, regional and data will become
internationalised jurisdictions in the fight baseline
against impunity of the most serious crimes

Advocacy meetings, reports Statements and decisions conducive 5 instances over past 1 1 1 1
to the establishment of jurisdictions or four years
mechanisms to fight impunity for the most
serious crimes

Advocacy meetings, communications submitted,
complaints, reports
Statements, positions, declarations, 3 instances over past 1 1 1 1
decisions and resolutions by four years
intergovernmental bodies and human rights
mechanisms that contribute to and reinforce
the fight against impunity

Meeting with representatives of States Decisions of States that reinforce the 5 decisions over past 1 2 1 3
Parties, participation in the States Parties integrity and the universality of the ICC, as four years
Assembly, advocacy meetings, position well as its action in favour of victims
papers, contributions to ICC working groups,
contributions to discussion by ICC ASP, parallel
events organised

4.1. Populations in Advocacy meetings, reports "Dialogue engaged with national authorities New indicator, 2018 1 1 1
situations of conflict on the situation of human rights in situations data will become
of conflict and crisis baseline
and crisis better
protected Advocacy meetings, communications submitted, Positions, statements, decisions of regional 3 decisions in past 1 2 1 1
reports intergovernmental bodies and human rights four years
mechanisms for the protection of human
rights within the framework of conflict and
crisis resolution

Advocacy meetings, reports Security Council resolutions on conflict and 1 resolution in past 1 1 1 1
crisis resolution that integrates protection of four years
human rights

Analysis, Risk Monitoring and Mitigation

The lack of political will and the tendency to put justice processes behind economic reconstruction, security and diplomatic arrangements in the context of conflict
resolution are primary risks relating to FIDH’s litigation and justice work. Hence, this year, fewer new proceedings were triggered at national level against perpetrators
of the most serious crimes. In Mali as in Guinea, the trials in which FIDH is involved as a civil party representing victims, and which should become emblematic
moments in the fight against impunity, demonstrating the will and capacity of the national justice system to deal with the most serious crimes and contributing to
put an end to the cycle of violence, are frozen due to a lack of political will and to the short-term calculation of the authorities who favor national “reconciliation” over
justice, truth and reparation. In such cases, FIDH must focus its action on national and international advocacy in order to get the proceedings restarted. However,
the vote of the law of national agreement in Mali in 2019 and the ongoing political crisis in Guinea do not allow to be optimistic.

All justice mechanisms, whether national, extra-national or international, judicial or quasi-judicial, raise specific challenges that need to be overcome to ensure their
accessibility and effectiveness. Hence, the need to initiate and develop strategic and innovative litigation. The development of extraterritorial jurisdiction cases –
particularly in relation to crimes perpetrated in Syria, in Europe and towards jurisdictions of the South where this mechanism has been insufficiently explored – as
well as litigation before national courts in the countries of perpetration of crimes in West Africa and Latin America or development of litigation efforts before regional
mechanisms in Africa to challenge State responsibility, correspond to crucial needs expressed by FIDH’s member organizations, in support of victims, where they
aim to play a central role in devising, initiating and following these legal proceedings.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 51
 PRIORITY
PROMOTING RESPECT FOR HUM AN
RIGHTS BY ECONOMIC PL AYERS
1/ ANALYSIS OF PL ANS, CHALLENGES AND
PROGRESS
Massive infrastructural projects and investments
lead to violations of human and environmental rights
and, in more fragile regions, aggravate conflicts
at the local level. Damage to the environment
directly threatens the right to life, health, water,
development, housing, work, and culture and the
rights of indigenous people.
In 2019, FIDH continued to suppor t member
organizations and partners to document and seek
redress for corporate abuses and to find solutions for
affected communities. Support continued to be given
to FIDH member organizations and partner NGOs
through documentation of human rights violations
by economic players such as extractive companies,
mainly using the “Community-Based Human Rights
Impact Assessment” (COBHRIA) method. This
methodology, created by the Institute for Peace
and Democracy and of which FIDH, together with
OXFAM, has become one the strongest promoters,
involves affected communities in the documentation
process. An international workshop on exchange of
experiences on the COBHRIA method was organized
together with Oxfam in Guatemala in July 2019, one
of the first in Latin America, with the participation
of organizations which have undertaken COBHRIA
studies in the past from Bolivia, Brazil, Canada,
Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, United States,
Guatemala, Honduras, México, Peru and Salvador
(see impact below). In Asia, during the OECD Watch
Global Gathering in Bangkok, a session on Chinese
investments in Thailand, was co-organized, in June
2019, with MiningWatch Canada and OECD Watch,
entitled “How do we use the OECD guidelines as an
entry points to address harmful investments by China
abroad?”. Following FIDH’s 2018 report on Chinese
investments in Latin America, a specific session
entitled “Repression Made in China” was held during
FIDH Global Congress in Taipei, in October 2019, in
relation to the Belt and Road Initiative. The Congress
in Taipei was also an occasion to hold a cross-
regional strategic workshop among FIDH member
organizations working or interested to work on
Business and Human Rights. The workshop helped
52 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
define the priorities of FIDH in this area for the next
three years and led to the creation of a permanent
Working Group of FIDH members which meets every
three months with the objective of fostering cross-
regional exchange and peer learning.
In terms of documentation, an international fact-
finding mission using the COBHRIA methodology
started in May 2019 (still in progress) in Uganda
together with the Ugandan member organization,
Foundation For Human Rights Initiative (FHRI).
The study focuses on the violations committed by
a consortium of French and Chinese companies
involved in oil extraction in the Albertine region.
Synergies were developed with other organizations
working in the same area.
Following the 2011 COBHRIA study devoted to
human rights impacts in the Brazilian mining
and steel industry, FIDH, jointly with its partner
organizations in Brazil, Justiça nos Trilhos and
Associação Comunitária dos Moradores de Piquiá
(ACMP), issued a follow-up report in 2019 using the
COBHRIA method, entitled “Piquiá Stood Up For Their
Rights: Assessing the fulfillment of recommendations
to address human rights violations of the mining
and steel industry in Acailândia, Brazil”. The report
provides an assessment revealing the lack of
implementation of the 2011 recommendations
formulated to responsible actors, both public and
private actors, including Vale S.A, the main iron
supplier and transporting company of the pig iron
produced by steel mills. It also encourages the
progress achieved by the community in the fight
for accountability and redress. The case of Piquiá
is emblematic of the dramatic consequences of a
development model that places economic interests
over human rights, and should be an incentive to
innovate an alternative that enables full enjoyment
of human rights for all.
In Armenia, FIDH and Civil Society Institute Armenia
(CSI) conducted a joint fact-finding mission to the
Amulsar region in April 2019, shedding light on

the hazards which would be caused by the mining
industry, including the Amulsar project. The mining
project clearly prioritizes profit, with utter disregard
for human rights and the environment. FIDH believes
that any government decision on Amulsar, or on
investment projects more generally, should be based
on proper human rights due diligence and not only
on an environmental risk assessment, as required
by the UNGPs and OECD Guidelines on multinational
companies. Moreover, it should take into account
the social impacts of the project on all affected
communities. During the mission FIDH and CSI met
with several authorities and with other organizations
working on the impacts of the Amulsar project.
Preliminary findings of the mission have been shared
with Armenian and European authorities involved
in the project and following the mission FIDH has
advocated for the revision of the decision to pursue
the project jointly with Armenian lead environmental
organizations (Ecolur, Environmental Front). CSI
was invited by the European Commission to share
the observation made during the mission and the
findings on Amulsar project during the NGO Forum
in Brussels in December 2019.
As part of the approach to foster companies and
investors to be more engaged in protecting human
rights and the environment, enhanced spaces for
multi-stakeholder dialogue between local human
rights CSO members and partners and companies,
investors or national and international institutions
are promoted. Thanks to its work in partnership
with La Banque Postale Asset Management, FIDH
has developed a specific methodology to measure
and monitor the human rights performance of
commercial enterprises (equity) and States (bonds).
The residents celebrate a success after a demonstration of 30 hours in front
of the entry of a steel factory. © Marcelo Cruz
In 2019, 120 companies have been assessed and 60
companies have been integrated in the portfolio of
the investment fund ‘SRI Human Rights’ managed
by LBPAM. A report entitled EU Member States under
the Spotlight was launched in 2019. This work has
enabled FIDH to engage in dialogue and directly
influence investors on the basis of its analysis
to encourage them to take into consideration the
extra-financial impacts of companies. In 2020,
FIDH will launch a new version of the study on
EU Member States performances vis à vis human
rights. The report aims to guide investors’ decisions
in purchase of State’ bonds on the basis of human
rights considerations.
When appropriate, on the basis of its documentation
and exper tise and together with its member
organizations, FIDH advocates also directly with
companies for the respect of human rights in their
supply chains and for the improvement of their
behaviors and practices.
This advocacy approach has proven to be positive
in the case of Brazil following a direct dialogue in
May 2019 with Vale and Vale Foundation with the
participation of representatives from ACMP, Justiça
nos Trilhos, FIDH and Usina that contributed to the
relocation of 312 families from the Piquiá de Baixo
community. This was amplified with significant
local and regional media coverage, and efforts of
advocacy combining international advocacy, national
advocacy meetings with public authorities of the
State of Maranhao in Sao Luiz, and autonomous
advocacy by Justiça nos Trilhos and ACMP. In
December 2019, the UN Special rapporteur on toxic
wastes visited the Piquiá community and explicitly
mentioned this case in his final and public report
during his visit, echoing FIDH’s calls for redress
where he firmly condemned Brazil’s "tragic path
of dismantling already weakened institutions that
were set up to protect people and the environment".
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 53
 PROMOTING RESPECT FOR HUM AN
RIGHTS BY ECONOMIC PL AYERS
As a result of the advocacy meetings, funds were
liberated by the Caixa Económica a month later and
the construction of the new neighborhood was thus
reactivated, starting with the construction of the
foundations of the houses. Further advocacy will
be needed to ensure the continuity and finalization
of the construction, given the considerable budget
cuts of the social housing programs financing the
relocation, by the current government of Brazil.
Together with the State’s duty to protect, respect
and fulfill human rights, the responsibility to respect
human rights is a global standard of expected
conduct for all business enterprises, wherever
they operate. FIDH however strongly advocates
for the reinforcement of the normative framework
regulating business conduct at global, European
and national level. In 2019, multi-actor advocacy
involving local CSOs was carried out at several levels
and in various venues: UN, OECD (in partnership with
OECD Watch), EU and at the French level. FIDH and
its member organizations have actively engaged in
the 5th session of the United Nations open-ended
intergovernmental working group (IGWG) for the
negotiations on the draft UN Treaty on Business and
Human Rights by providing an analysis and concrete
text proposals. The chair of the IGWG published a
revised draft of the binding instrument in July 2019,
this version integrated several recommendations
by FIDH including language on conflict affected
areas, gender, and HRDs. FIDH lead and participated
in a number of round-tables and coalitions aimed
at achieving binding human rights regulations on
businesses (Treaty Alliance Facilitation Group,
EU Coalition for the Treaty, ETO Consortium, the
Feminist Group for the Binding Treaty). At EU level,
as an active member of the Steering Committee of
the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ),
FIDH aimed to make human rights due diligence
(HRDD) mandatory at EU level (see below) and
to improve the implementation of UNGPs by EU
Member States and EU companies.
In addition, FIDH, through its Delegation before the EU,
continued working to strengthen the consideration of
human rights in the context of trade and investment
agreements that the EU negotiates and concludes
54 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
with third countries, mainly with Cambodia, Vietnam
and South Korea (see below). Throughout 2019,
FIDH continued to raise concerns over serious and
systematic violations of the human rights principles
enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights in Cambodia and to advocate,
along with its member organizations in Cambodia,
Ligue Cambodgienne de Défense des Droits de
l'Homme (LICADHO) and Cambodian Human Rights
and Development Association (ADHOC), to the
EU’s procedure for the withdrawal of Cambodia’s
Everything But Arms (EBA) trade preferences.
In June 2019, FIDH submitted a contribution to
the Commission initiative "Towards the future
Generalised Scheme of Preference Regulation
granting trade advantages to developing countries"
to raise concerns about the impact assessment
launched by the Commission on the reform of the
GSP regulations and notified the Scrutiny board.
On Vietnam, FIDH and its Vietnamese member
organization, Vietnam Committee on Human Rights,
filed a complaint to the European Ombudswoman,
which challenges the EU's disregard of its human
rights obligations in developing an investment
treaty with Vietnam, notably in failing to provide a
recourse mechanism for affected communities of
the treaty, should they be negatively affected by it.
Alongside its work on reinforcing norms and on
documentation, FIDH is trying to help victims of
human rights and environmental violations obtain
compensation for damages deriving from non-
compliant economic activities. FIDH assists the
victims in initiating judicial and extra-judicial
strategic litigation related to the responsibility of
various actors (businesses and the State) in order
to obtain compensation for violations stemming
from these activities. In 2019, FIDH supported local
organizations in Nigeria and international partners
in a case before the OECD National Contact Point
in Italy to demand that the Italian oil company Eni
meet its due diligence obligations in Nigeria in the
Aggah community. This action was successfully
concluded, thanks to mediation by the NCP, with the

signing of an agreement between the company and
the communities that is now in the implementation
phase. Moreover, The European Court of Human
Rights adopted a decision of 24 January 2019 asking
the Italian government to immediately adopt all the
necessary measures needed to stop and prevent
pollution in the area of Taranto created by ILVA. The
decision referred to one of the recommendations
of a report, published in April 2018 by FIDH and
its member organization Unione Forense per La
Tutela dei Diritti dell'Uomo (UFTDU) and partner
organizations HRIC and Peacelink (Italy) on the
case of ILVA and the serious human rights violations
linked to its behavior.
In 2019, FIDH continued to challenge the impunity
of European companies supplying surveillance
equipment to repressive regimes, or even fueling
conflicts and facilitating the commission of grave
human rights violations, a topic on which FIDH has
been active for several years through documentation,
litigation, advocacy and visibility in the media. FIDH
advocated for many years towards the adoption of
enhanced due diligence by companies in the context
of conflict areas or occupation and for redress for
international crimes to which companies have
contributed to or that are directly linked to their
operations. FIDH currently has three litigation cases
pending before French courts for serious violations
of international law committed by companies. In
particular, FIDH, through its Litigation Action Group
(LAG) and its member organization in France, the
Ligue des droits de l'Homme (LDH), has since 2011
and 2012 been engaged in two distinct criminal
proceedings against the companies Amesys and
Qosmos for complicity in international crimes
stemming from the sale of surveillance equipment
to Libya and Syria, allegedly used for the repression
of opponents and HRDs. In the Amesys case, FIDH
and its LAG are accompanying seven Libyan victims
who are acting as civil parties and were able to testify
before the investigating judge. Both proceedings are
still pending before the French war crimes unit. In
2019 FIDH, LDH, and the partner Project for Expedite
Justice (PEJ) supported nine Sudanese victims in
filing a complaint for complicity in torture, crimes
against humanity and genocide against BNP Paribas
for the support it provided to the regime of Omar El
Béchir in Sudan in the years 2002 – 2008 (see below).
Residents search for survivors in the ruins of a building after a bombing in Yemen.
FIDH was also active in opposing the sale of arms
and surveillance material by French companies to
countries like Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates where French-made arms are
used in the commission of grave and systematic
human rights violations and international crimes.
Human rights have taken an increasing importance
in the dialogue between France and Egypt. The
French President Macron publicly spoke of the
human rights situation in Egypt for the first time
during the joint press conference held in Cairo
with Egyptian President Sisi in January 2019. This
is a direct outcome of our efforts over the past
years to demonstrate the potential participation of
French surveillance equipment in the unprecedented
repression of all forms of dissidence orchestrated
by the Egyptian regime. FIDH advocated for the
French Parliament to play a greater role and to
counterbalance the executive’s position to make
sure that human rights are at the heart of export
licenses on arms and surveillance equipment.
Awareness-raising compaigns with the Ligue
des droits de l'Homme (LDH) were organized
through “ciné-débats” in France and postcards
sent to parliamentarians. FIDH also continued its
mobilization on the situation in Yemen. The FIDH
was one of the first organizations to highlight the
role of France in these sale of arms and surveillance
material, responsible for the death of civilians,
through an investigation report published in April
2018. In 2019, FIDH continued this mobilization,
notably by hosting and organizing in July a press
conference launching the 2018 report of its Yemeni
member organization Mwatana for Human Rights,
the only organization to permanently document
alleged human rights abuses by all parties to the
current conflict in Yemen. Mwatana is headed by
Radhya Al-Mutawakel, human rights defender and
the Yemeni co-founder and chairperson of Mwatana
for Human Rights. In 2019, Time magazine chose
al-Mutawakel as one of the 100 most influential
people in the world.
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 55
 PROMOTING RESPECT FOR HUM AN
RIGHTS BY ECONOMIC PL AYERS
2/ IMPACTS AND SIGNIFICANT OUTCOMES

Objective 1 – To promote economic players’ accountability

Expected outcome 1.1: Member and partner organisations supported in documenting human rights
violations by economic actors

COBHRIA AS A TOOL FOR CAPACITY BUILDING BUT

NETWORKING
On 25-26 July 2019, FIDH together with PODER and Oxfam organized the first Latin
American Seminar on COBHRIA in Antigua, Guatemala. With the participation of
organizations which have already used the COBHRIA tool in the past from Bolivia, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, United States, Guatemala, Honduras,
Mexico, Peru and Salvador, this gathering aimed to provide a space for i) experience
sharing and learning of the strategies that have worked or not in the different countries
and cases, ii) collectively identifying the challenges in implementing the methodology,
iii) strengthening the capacity of the organizations by connecting them to allies in the
region, and iv) identifying opportunities for collective action to strengthen and promote
the COBHRIA methodology and the sharing of experiences. Six FIDH member and partner
organizations and several partner organizations of Oxfam and PODER were able to
benefit from FIDH's as well as each other’s expertise on the challenges and successes
in the implementation of the COBHRIA methodology and the follow-up. As a result of
the seminar, a community of practice on COBHRIA was created and concrete follow-up
actions planned.

56 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 Expected outcome 1.3: Companies and investors more engaged in protecting human rights and the
environment

FRENCH COMPANIES DISENGAGE FROM PRO-

ANNEXATION JERUSALEM LIGHT RAIL PROJECT
FIDH in coalition with French member organization LDH, Palestinian member organization
Al-Haq and French partners Confédération française démocratique du travail (CFDT),
Solidaires, Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS) and Plateforme des ONG
Françaises pour la Palestine highlighted the participation of three French companies in
the Jerusalem light-rail construction, which aims to connect West Jerusalem to the Israeli
settlements in the Palestinian territory of East Jerusalem, in violation of international law.
Intensive advocacy efforts in 2018 and in 2019 around the 2018 joint report The Jerusalem
Light Rail System: How French Companies Contribute to the Israeli Colonization of the Occupied
Palestinian Territory resulted in the disengagement from the tramway project by the three
French companies targeted by the report. After Systra in 2018, Alston (in May 2019) and
Egis (in November 2019) disengaged in the construction of the Jerusalem light rail. This
significant impact of this report and the related advocacy has been possible thanks to the
work of the coalition, with the involvement of human rights and international solidarity
NGOs as well as trade unions.

FIDH Palestinian member organization Al-Haq received the 2019 Human Rights and
Business Award in November 2019 at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human
Rights in Geneva. Al-Haq’s work has been instrumental in unveiling corporate-related
abuses of human rights and violations of humanitarian law.

Expected outcome 1.4: A normative environment more favorable to the protection of human rights by
States, companies and international organizations

TOWARDS A EUROPEAN LEGISLATION ON HUMAN

RIGHTS DUE DILIGENCE
As an active member of the Steering Committee of the European Coalition for Corporate
Justice (ECCJ), FIDH aimed to make human rights due diligence (HRDD) mandatory
at EU level and to improvethe implementation of the UN Guiding Principles from EU
Member States and from EU companies. The Coalition has been working to secure
the adoption of binding EU-level norms on due diligence, particularly in the conflict
minerals and timber sectors and on non-financial reporting. As part of the advocacy
strategy (in order to establish strong contacts with new members at the European
Parliament leading the work on HRDD at the European Parliament), FIDH has also
worked at national level with Member States of the EU for the adoption national
legislation on due diligence such as Italy and the Netherlands. In Italy, FIDH and its
member organization UFTDU published in 2019 a joint report on the “Italian Legislative
Decree No. 231/2001: a model for mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence legislation” as
an example for a future HRDD legislation at EU level. This report was folllowed up by
a seminar on HRDD in Milan in November 2019 and has been cited by the study on
HRDD practices in the EU produced by the British Institute for Comparative Law and
commissioned by the European Commission in view of a future legislative process.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 57
 Expected outcome 1.5: Trade and investment agreements that take protection of human rights better
into account

IMPROVING RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS THROUGH THE

EU-KOREA TRADE AGREEMENT
On July 5, 2019, the EU triggered the second phase of an arbitration procedure under the EU-
Korea trade agreement - in place since 2011 - by requesting a panel to address persistent labor
rights concerns in Korea. “Trade needs (...) to go hand in hand with workers’ rights” said EU
Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström following Korea’s failure to provide solutions to the
issues raised once again during the latest round of consultations. FIDH, as vice-chair of the EU
Domestic Advisory Group (DAG), which includes environment, labor, business organizations and
other relevant stakeholders, has requested since 2016 the European Commission to initiate the
formal consultations process provided for in the EU-Korea Trade Agreement concerning violations
of labor rights.

Objective 2. To support access to means of recourse/redress

Expected outcome 2.1: Responsibilities shouldered by companies in relation

to human rights violations

CALLING FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO BNP PARIBAS

DEALINGS IN SUDAN
Nine Sudanese victims along with FIDH and the Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH), with the support
of the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), Sudan Human Rights Monitor and Project
Expedite Justice, filed a criminal complaint on 26 September 2019 targeting French bank BNP Paribas
for alleged complicity in crimes against humanity, torture, and genocide that took place in Sudan, as well
as financial crimes. This complaint marked the first attempt to hold the bank criminally responsible for
alleged complicity in international crimes committed in Sudan.

Described as Sudan’s “de facto central bank”, BNP Paribas (BNPP) has admitted acting as the Sudanese
government’s primary foreign bank from 2002 to 2008. During this period, the government – through its
military and security forces and Janjaweed militias – committed widespread human rights violations
against Sudanese civilians. Non-Arab tribes in Darfur as well as residents of other marginalized areas
inside Sudan were the primary targets of mass murder, forced displacement, brutal sexual violence,
detention, torture, and other forms of inhuman treatment. These crimes have largely gone unpunished.

A press conference held at FIDH’s headquarters with one of the Sudanese victims allowed to publicly
communicate about the case and to reiterate how financing repressive regimes – and thereby allegedly
assisting or facilitating the commission of human rights violations – may open the door to potential corporate
criminal liability. It was widely covered by international, French and local media such as l'Agence France
Presse, Associated Press, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, Voice of America, Le Monde, Jeune Afrique,
Libération, l'Obs Les Echos, Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye, Dabanga and on Radio France, RFI, France 24.

58 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
 3/ RESULTS FRAMEWORK

Baseline values Targets Actual Target Actual

(annual average Year 2 Year 2 Year 3 Year 3
Expected outcomes Outputs Outcome Indicators 2012-2016 unless (2018) (2018) (2019) (2019)
otherwise stated)

1.1. Member and Training sessions for members and Subsequent actions taken by participants: 3 instances in past 1 3 3 5
partner organisations partners, support and guidance, manuals activities, press releases, follow-up meetings, four years
advocacy, reports, coalitions formed, data
supported in
collection, methodology developed, surveys,
documenting human information sharing on human rights
rights violations by violations
economic actors
Joint missions of investigation, reports Joint FIDH-civil society organisation reports 5 reports in past four 1 3 3 3
on negative impacts of companies' activities years
in the fields of human rights and the
environment

1.2. Member and Advocacy meetings, exchanges and Subsequent actions taken by member and 3 instances in past 4 1 1 1
partner organisations strategic discussions with relevant partner organisations for the protection and four years
stakeholders on the means to be used to promotion of economic, social and cultural
with enhanced capacity
promote and protect rights rights: activities, press releases, follow-up
to act for the protection meetings, advocacy, reports, coalitions
and promotion of formed
economic, social and
cultural rights

1.3. Companies Advocacy with businesses (e.g. Enhanced spaces for dialogue between 10 meetings in past 2 7 1 7
and investors more roundtables, meeting requests, missions, companies and human rights organisations four years
communications)
engaged in protecting
human rights and the Advocacy with businesses (e.g. Positive responses implemented and 2 instances in past 1 1 1 2
environment roundtables, meeting requests, missions, engagement by companies: consolidation four years
communications) of their due diligence policies, cessation
of activities which generate violations of
human rights and the environment and/or
abandonment of investment projects that
bring about violations of human rights and
the environment

1.4. A normative Advocacy meetings and missions Progress in favour of an international treaty 1 instance in past 1 4 4 6
environment more on companies and human rights four years
favourable to
Advocacy meetings and missions, appeals, Statements and decisions of 3 instances per year 2 6 6 5
the protection of communications, position papers, fact- intergovernmental bodies calling upon States
human rights by finding missions and reports and companies to protect human rights
States, companies
and international Advocacy meetings, appeals, Commitments, bills and laws at the national, 1 instance per year 1 1 1 1
organisations communications, position papers, fact- regional and international level to foster
finding missions and reports respect for human rights by companies

1.5. Trade and Advocacy meetings, appeals,
investment agreements communications, position papers, fact-
finding missions and reports
that take protection of
human rights better
into account Advocacy meetings, appeals,
communications, position papers, fact-
finding missions and reports
Statements and decisions by 2 instances per year 3 2 2 2
intergovernmental bodies to foster protection
of human rights within the framework of
trade and investment agreements
Impact studies on human rights conducted 0 in preceding years 1 0 0 0
ahead of trade and investment agreements

2.1. Responsibilities Proceedings, complaints, legal actions Progress in investigations, judicial 2 instances in past 1 2 2 2
shouldered by before courts initiated and followed up, proceedings and judgments by national and four years
support to victims, communications international jurisdictions against companies
companies in relation to
and heads of companies (including civil or
human rights violations criminal proceedings)

Complaints submitted, quasi-judicial Proceedings and decisions of quasi-judicial 2 instances in 1 1 1 2

proceedings initiated and followed up, bodies on the responsibility of States when preceding years
support to victims, communications it comes to human rights violations by
companies or by their economic policy

Advocacy meetings, appeals, Effective mediation proceedings for victims 0 instances in 1 0 0 0

communications, position papers, fact- of the activities of companies preceding years
finding missions and reports (measurement
unavailable)

Analysis, Risk Monitoring & Mitigation
Despite systematic security briefings before
departure for international fact-finding missions, all
security risks can not be prevented. In February 2019,
the security apparatus prevented an FIDH delegation
from conducting in acceptable conditions a planned
fact-finding mission on the violations of economic
and social rights, particularly of women, raised by
recent protest movements in three marginalized,
remote regions in Morocco (Jerada, Zagora and the
Rif). This confirmed the sensitivity of such issues
and the Moroccan authorities' will to prevent any
attempt to unveil serious human rights violations
in the field. Lessons learned in terms of security
protocols have been drawn and integrated into
future planning.
In 2019, a monitoring and evaluation exercise
specifically devoted to this priority was conducted
with the help of external consultants, to collect
feedback from FIDH member organizations on
the achievement of outcomes and on measures
that allow FIDH to foster changes, in the wake of
weakened multilateralism and the consolidation
of new global powers. Conclusions from the
evaluations included:
- Documentation activity and local advocacy
is more effective with strong leadership and
ownership by the local member organization
in the field and when FIDH provides continuous
support in the long term. This enhances concrete
change at the local level and peer learning at
the regional level.
- To achieve change, especially in complex cases,
several strategies need to be combined at the
local and international levels and require the
action of different actors, from dialogue to
strategic advocacy to strategic litigation. These
strategies need to be constantly adapted to
the context.
- T here is a need to be innovative when it
comes to judicial strategies, especially for
the accountability of economic actors. where
companies benefit from a lack of accountability.
- As many organizations are developing work in the
area of business and human rights, it is important
not to duplicate their work, but rather to work in
synergy or coalition to multiply the impact of our
respective work. FIDH thus continues to develop
alliances and joint work both with other human
rights groups working on these issues but also
with environmental groups, universities etc.
- Member organizations need better networking
and sharing of experiences and expertise at
regional and cross-regional levels. This allows
for the development of more effective synergies
and advocacy.
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 59
 ORGANISATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

fundraising challenges, and has been postponed to

2020; it will include an anti-corruption policy.

A two-day retreat for all FIDH staff was organized

1. Style: FIDH’s values, brand and culture
with an external consultant in June 2019. The first
day focused on team building and on identifying
1.1 The core values of FIDH’s International Secretariat
emblematic successes to stimulate reflection on
(IS) defined and integrated into its day-to-day work
the specificity of FIDH and its identity. The second
day was dedicated to application of a theory of
Following the implementation of a charter based
change model to FIDH’s work. Since the retreat,
on seven working values in 2018, the priority for
this approach has been systematically taken into
2019 has been the appropriation and operational
account in the development of new programs.
application of these values. During the annual
staff appraisal process in early 2019, staff were
1.2 Redevelopment and deployment of FIDH’s
evaluated (by themselves and by their managers)
institutional communication strategy to best reflect
on their application of FIDH’s working values, and
its identity and its mandate
areas for improvement were identified.
The development of institutional communication
FIDH staff with management responsibilities
requires, in particular, the adaptation of
(heads of desk) participated in a management
communication tools to the updated visual identity
training workshop in mid 2019, as part of ongoing
implemented in 2019. The activities carried out in
efforts to strengthen FIDH’s management culture.
2019 were in response to two objectives: revision
of tools and language, and promotion of a holistic
Workshops were organized in March 2019 with
approach to key areas of action.
the staff based at FIDH headquarters. These
workshops were the occasion for discussion of the
An internal reflection process within the IS,
level of integration of these values and on areas
supported by a communication agency, led to the
for improvement. These exchanges revealed a
production of new wording and visuals presenting
desire to engage in a more in-depth reflection on
the FIDH identity. It was presented and validated
issues related to gender, equality and diversity.
by the International Board in March 2019. In 2020,
A working group was therefore set up to develop
it will be available in different communication tools
internal skills on these issues (through training in
(leaflet, letterhead, email signatures etc. as well as
particular), and to ensure that these principles are
on the website).
applied at all levels both internally and externally
(in labor relations, but also in FIDH's activities,
With this same agency and on the basis of the work
communication, documents and human resources
carried out, the IS team produced a visual identity
processes).
and messaging with a particularly strong impact
for the FIDH Congress, a key moment for the FIDH
The finalization of a code of conduct was not
both internally and externally.
able to be completed in 2019 due to competing
A detailed mapping and inventory of the website
priorities, notably organization of the Congress and
by the Communication Department and an
external consultant has been initiated and the
recommendations should be delivered in 2020.

60 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
A monthly enewsletter presenting FIDH's key
actions and impacts was created in 2019 in three
languages (French, English and Spanish). It has
34,000 subscribers, its opening rate is 20.39% and
its monthly subscription growth rate is 0.31.
This new enewsletter is in line with the updated
visual identity and and makes it possible to share
with the whole network the important activities
carried out by FIDH.

In 2019 priority was given to development of

transversal communication around two priority
areas: business and human rights, and human
rights defenders. Throughout the year, work was
carried out to raise media awareness of FIDH's
positions and actions on this first theme, which
Twitter (French): 37,100 followers (+3,100 new
was punctuated by flagship actions during
followers compared to 2018); 2,093,200 people
the publication of reports (e.g. on Brazil and
reached; 8,600 retweets (+68% compared to 2018);
the violations resulting from the actions of the
7,606 likes (+8% compared to 2018).
mining and steel industries in the municipality of
Açailândia) and in the framework of legal actions
Twitter (English) 39,700 followers (+3,700 new
or judicial observations (concerning violations
followers); 2,889,900 people reached; 5,737
committed by companies, particularly in Sudan,
retweets; 11,665 likes (+332% compared to 2018).
Peru and Palestine). A revamped campaign for the
release of arbitrarily detained defenders will be
Twitter (Spanish) 14,600 followers (+ 916 new
launched in March 2020.
followers); 1,145,200 people reached; 4,750
retweets; 6,900 likes.
The establishment of a working group on the
commemoration of FIDH's centenary in 2022 was
approved in November 2019 by the International
Board and its work will start in 2020 with the aim 2. Structure: FIDH’s internal organization and
of making this event visible and sending strong functioning
political messages outlining the Federation's
orientations in the face of new challenges. 2.1 The links and interaction, including governance
This centenary will coincide with the next FIDH roles and responsibilities, between FIDH’s International
Congress which will take place in Paris (as decided Secretariat and its member organizations reviewed
by the IB in June 2020). and reinforced

Digital communication: some figures
FIDH website: 808,880 users (number of unique
people on the site); 2,069,184 sessions (number
of visits to the site); and 2,551,022 page views. On
average, there are 2.56 sessions per user.
Compared to 2018, the number of users is lower
(-100,000) but the number of sessions is increasing
(+100,000) and so is the number of page views
(+100,000).
Facebook: 208,360 fans (+360 compared to
2018); 136,000 commitments (likes, comments
and shares), a 43% increase compared to 2018;
2,900,000 views of publications (down in line with
fewer publications in 2019).
The preparation as well as the holding of the
Congress was the key moment in 2019 to consider
this interaction.
Added value and needs of member organizations
In preparation for the FIDH Triennial Congress
and in view of the Federation's centenary in
2022, a questionnaire was sent to member
organizations. It emerged that although FIDH’s
member organizations are very diverse (in terms of
structure, financial capacity, and means of action)
the vast majority of them consider that the added
value of FIDH consists of:
• Solidarity and support to defenders and NGOs;
• Advocacy with international and regional
intergovernmental organizations, and with
European countries;
• Strong expertise and relevant human rights
protection actions.

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 61
 ORGANISATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
civil society organizations facing de-listing or lack
of legal recognition in their countries; international
justice; and business and human rights. These
sessions provided an opportunity to share good
practices and draw up strategies for action.

2.2 Internal communication tools and processes

reviewed, and new tools and processes implemented
to strengthen and facilitate communication internal
to the Federation.

Following the Congress and under the impetus

of the new President, it was decided to set up a
working group (which will be effective in March
2020) with the following objectives:
• Strengthen communication among member
organizations, and between the members and the
SI;
• Reinforce joint action-projects between the SI and
Members also expressed their needs, which can be
members;
grouped as follows:
• Ensure governance in interaction with members.
• Capacity building;
• Strategic exchanges, particularly in the context of
Among the issues at stake are the necessary
restrictions on freedoms;
deployment of tools and the implementation
• A strong and supportive network.
of centralized network management in order to
ensure more regular, uniform and transversal
These elements were confirmed during the
structuring of our interaction. Recommendations
exchanges with members at the Congress itself.
and an action plan will be presented to the IB in
November 2020.
Review of the situation of members
Since the end of the Congress in 2019, many
The 2019 Congress voted in favor of the admission
initiatives have been undertaken to meet the
of 16 new organizations from 14 countries -
need for interaction and they will expand in 2020.
five of which were countries for which FIDH did
Examples include regional or thematic exchange
not yet have members, thus confirming FIDH's
groups with member organizations and the IB,
attractiveness to local NGOs and the increased
Whatsapp groups, a campaign for the release of
representation of FIDH at the global level. The
defenders launched with member organizations,
list of associations is included in the dedicated
and cross-cutting thematic webinars.
chapter of this report. Eight organizations left FIDH
at the 2019 Congress.
As detailed above, the new monthly enewsletter is
an important communication tool for the network.
A program promoting exchanges of experience
between members
2.3 International Secretariat structure reviewed and
adapted to best support its strategy
The Forum's program was designed to mix
different styles of sessions to ensure an interactive
Four main areas were developed in 2019 around
dialogue between participants: an opening plenary,
the following objectives: creating more synergy
panel sessions, smaller debates, pitch sessions
between teams, and adapting our deployment
to discuss a concrete solution. Speakers for the
methods outside of FIDH headquarters.
different events were chosen to ensure equal
gender representation and to highlight the diversity
At the end of 2019, FIDH's representation in New
of experience both geographically and by area of
York was suspended following the departure of
expertise.
the person who headed this office and FIDH's
budgetary constraints. Advocacy work continues
During the Internal Congress, cross-cutting
geographic and thematic meetings brought
together member organizations on a range of
topics, including: women human rights defenders;

62 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
with our interlocutors and mechanisms related to
the General Assembly and the Security Council. A
reflection is underway to evaluate the human and
financial means necessary for the delegation’s
reopening in sustainable conditions.
Also at the end of 2019, a reflection was conducted
on the necessary adjustments and even the
examination of an operational disengagement
of FIDH in some countries where until then joint
programs with member organizations had been
deployed, particularly in Guinea and Central
African Republic. Political blockages that hamper
the initial mission of FIDH and its members in the
fight against impunity have been compounded by
difficulties in obtaining the renewal of dedicated
funds that require a review of the mechanisms in
place. A consultation process with the members is
expected to lead to the closure of the joint office
in Bangui in June 2020 and in Conakry in October
2020. If FIDH withdraws as an operator in these
two countries, it will devote itself to the strategic
partnership with its member organizations in
accordance with the FIDH statutes. At a more
strictly organizational level, these elements are
part of a more general analysis on the conditions
of these deployments and on the modalities of a
necessary decentralization of the International
Secretariat to be as close as possible to the field
and the members.
One of the objectives pursued in 2019 has been
to strengthen interdepartmental interaction
and communication within departments. For
example, weekly exchange meetings have
been institutionalized between the Program
and Advocacy departments and also with the
Communication Department, thus creating new
dynamics and synergies.
Finally, priority was given to the deployment of the
Fundraising team (see section 3.2).
2.4 Human resources policies and practices - including
in relation to recruitment, training, equality and non-
discrimination, and well-being and development -
reviewed, updated and implemented.
In addition to the June 2019 all-staff retreat and
the management training as mentioned above, a
number of training sessions have been carried out
in 2019. In-house training was carried out, such
as training on the project cycle, intervention logic
and logical frameworks. Beyond capacity building,
these trainings are also very important in terms of
team cohesion and reinforcement.
The general security policy has been validated by
the International Board and security plans have
been updated for the Central African and Guinea
offices. Two three-day training sessions on Hostile
Environment Awareness Training were organized
in 2019 for staff involved in missions.
The International Secretariat has continued
to encourage internal mobility as a means for
staff to develop their experience. This enabled
two employees in 2019 to move: one from one
department to another, and another within the
same department but into a cross-functional role.
In addition, there are now several opportunities
for staff to express themselves and ensure better
information sharing: a meeting of the entire
Secretariat every three weeks, co-chaired by a
director and a staff member, a monthly meeting
with staff representatives on issues related to
labor law, and shared minutes of Management
Committee meetings. The management, as part
of a transparent approach, is very attentive to
the staff's requests and remains attentive to any
requests or concerns that may be formulated.
The Human Resources Manual was updated
and finalized in 2019 in order to optimize the
management of human resources. After being
shared with staff delegates, it was presented to all
staff during a working session.
Evaluation of a potential software system for
management of staff leave and absences began
in 2019. This process will be pursued following the
arrival of a new Director of Human Resources in
early 2020.
As regards legal obligations on teleworking, the
rules set in 2018 remained in force. A reflection in
connection with the Covid-19 pandemic will allow
the processes to be adjusted in 2020.
During the year, FIDH continued to strengthen its
work on data protection in compliance with the
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), in
particular with the support of lawyers specialized
in the field providing pro bono support to FIDH.
However, FIDH will have to mobilize more on
the subject in 2020. The Deputy CEO has been
appointed to monitor this issue and coordinate the
actions of the different departments.
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 63
 ORGANISATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
2.5 Updated planning, monitoring and evaluation
tools and processes fully implemented, appropriated
and evaluated by International Secretariat staff.
In 2019, ownership of the programming, monitoring
and evaluation process and tools was one of the
priorities of the Department of Operations (DOP),
which since the Congress has been renamed the
"Department of Programs". This ownership has
been achieved through the following measures.
In January 2019, two days were devoted by each
team to 2018 reporting, evaluation of activities,
results and lessons learned in 2018, and 2019
programming.
During the first quarter, an internal planning
tool was created listing planned activities and
deadlines. This tool was used for regular follow-
up discussions with teams and updates during the
year.
Strategic notes were produced by offices within the
Operations Department, followed by consultation
with Operations Directors and members of the
International Board to ensure overall consistency
with the Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) and
the activities of the other offices, confirming their
relevance to the external context and the needs of
members.
The two-day strategic retreat in June 2019 with
all International Secretariat staff on the theory
of change, facilitated by external experts, further
contributed to the strengthening of FIDH’s Planning,
monitoring and evaluation (PME) capacities.
64 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
Throughout the year, the Operations Department
and the Fundraising Department continued to
collaborate to develop the PME skills of the
operational teams, with ongoing support provided
for development of new programs. In addition, an
initial one-day training session for approximately
20 people from the International Secretariat was
held in September 2019. This training covered
the project cycle, intervention logic and logical
frameworks. Particularly appreciated by the teams
for the development of new project proposals, this
training will be replicated in the future.
2.6 Financial policies and procedures reviewed,
updated and implemented
An audit of the means of payment was carried out,
with an analysis of the consistency between the
tools used, the nature of the payments to be made,
the volumes of the flows concerned, any blockages
and the complexity of setting up any new systems.
As a result, certain solutions remain adapted
to FIDH's activity, and automation of means of
payment (particularly for international transfers)
would not be advantageous. However, it is clear
that FIDH needs to focus its efforts in 2020
on automating processing related to human
resources.
FIDH's procedures manual has been completely
reviewed and updated in 2019, with in particular
the clarification of the procedure for committing
expenses, the simplification of procedures for
approving payments, and the creation of a user's
guide to accounting tools for decentralized offices
and delegations.
Updating the manual is a first step towards greater
standardization of procedures at FIDH. In 2020,
the Finance Department will be responsible for
ensuring that it is properly understood internally,
notably through field visits by the Finance team for
training of offices abroad.
During the year the Finance Department carried
out a comparison of other NGOs' practices on
various issues, in order to inform its decision-
making. This benchmark enabled FIDH to define a
clearer position on the implementation of certain
tools (time sheets, allocation of shared costs,
management software) and their alignment with
the priorities of the Finance Department.
3. Strategy: FIDH’s global and departmental
strategies
3.1 Review and confirmation of FIDH’s vision, mission
and identity, including its role and specificity as an
international federation
In 2019, the challenge was to provide input for the
mid-term review of FIDH’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan
(MYSP) (2017-2022) which should be completed in
2020 in order to take into account the changing
context, the impact of its actions, the new issues
raised by member organizations, new players
and FIDH’s financial resources. The following key
activities were undertaken.
The 2019 Congress focused on the universality
of human rights and on new themes such as
“surveillance, censorship, and artificial intelligence",
"climate change, environment and human rights".
The exchanges and reflections that have taken
place will be used by the IS and the IB to adjust
strategy with priority on Climate.
The Congress was also a moment of reflection on
the interaction with member organizations (see
part 2.2) followed by the setting up of a Task Force
dedicated to this issue.
With financial support from Coordination Sud,
an external consultancy was implemented to
accompany FIDH in the mid-term adaptation of its
MYSP. While FIDH has engaged in many reflections
over the last two years, the objective here is to
adjust the areas where FIDH is more efficient
and to evaluate the scope of its means of action
according to the priorities of the MYSP. Within the
framework of this study, the consultants are relying
on the numerous documents produced over the
last few years, interviews with staff and members
of the IB. After a diagnostic phase, which took
longer than originally planned and will be presented
to the EB and the staff in March 2020, working
groups will be set up, composed of representatives
of the staff, IB and member organizations for
analysis and production of recommendations to
adapt FIDH’s strategy to new human rights issues,
new actors, new themes, and the limited financial
context of FIDH. These recommendations should
be presented to the IB in November 2020.
Systematic use of theory of change thinking in the
development of programs (section 2.5) and work
on FIDH’s identity (section 1.2) also contributed to
this larger reflection.
3.2 Evaluation and revision of FIDH’s fundraising
strategy, including definition and pursuit of budget
growth and diversity targets
Diversifying funding, especially securing more
core/flexible funding, will take time, but 2019
enabled the Fundraising team to install the
necessary building blocks to identify and attract a
wider array of funders and donors.
The internal pipeline and donor management tool
was harmonized between Fundraising, Finance
and the Department of Operations (DOP). Bi-
weekly meetings were held with the Department of
Operations to track progress on program proposal
submissions and core funding. A centralized
spreadsheet has enabled better coordination
on funder management, including more precise
income to target projections.
In partnership with DOP, the Fundraising Department
agreed a project cycle management process in
order to improve decision-making, to strengthen
proposal development, funder management and
reporting. Fundraising is now routinely consulted
at the inception of proposal development to assist
with project logic/logical framework development,
and provides input to decision-making on whether
to pursue (or not) funder calls. The Fundraising
Department manages a monitoring and evaluation
tool that includes the grants pipeline, reporting
deadlines, closed-won grants management and
closed-lost analysis.
In pursuit of a capacity-building objective, the
Fundraising Department queried staff about
their training needs in relation to fundraising. A
workshop was organized with the Department
of Operations on Project Logic and Designing a
Logframe, and other training topics were identified
for 2020, including storytelling, budget design, and
relationship-building with funders.
During 2019 the Fundraising Department
launched a project to acquire new donor relations
management software, which will increase capacity
and efficiency and comply with the data protection
rules in force. This process, which involves several
stages of analysis and preparation, will end in
2020 with the implementation of the new software.
Salesforce was selected in late 2019. The process
to build the database has enabled the Fundraising
team to conceive and improve where needed
important processes and protocols in funder and
donor relationship management.
To respond to the aim of identifying more flexible
sources of funding, prospect research was
conducted on potential funders and donors across
Europe, US, Asia and Africa, and program funding
proposals were submitted to new prospects in
these regions. New thematic funding secured from
the Freedom Fund and Sage Fund.
FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 65
 ORGANISATIONAL
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In June 2019, the Fundraising Department hosted
a cocktail party for its Europe-based funders; this
was the first time many of those funders had visited
FIDH's Paris headquarters. The individual giving
program was enhanced with the development
of a new communications suite (e.g. new
donation form, letter template, thank you cards),
identification of a new online giving platform,
increased personal contact and improvements in
donation management. The mailing to individual
donors at year-end 2019 produced the best results
since 2013. In addition, one of FIDH’s long-term
donors made a significant investment in the human
rights defenders program.
Progress on individual giving was made possible
by the creating of a new fundraising role: a
Fundraising Officer post, focused on individual
giving, process and tools as well as events.
Internationally, a fundraising visit to New York
in April 2019 allowed FIDH to meet with existing
and prospective funders. Partnerships with The
Conduit Club and Thompson Reuters Foundation
were secured to position FIDH in the UK market.
To strengthen FIDH’s fundraising communication
capacity, a case for support was drafted in
early 2019 in line with the new visual identity.
This process has enabled FIDH to sharpen its
storytelling and communicate with greater impact
to external audiences. It is being updated with
the support of a pitch consultant provided by The
Oak Foundation. A brochure specifically targeting
prospective corporate partners was developed and
released in late 2019.
66 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
The corporate fundraising strategy will be reviewed
in 2020, particularly in the context of the Covid-19
pandemic, and will be closely tied to FIDH's
centenary fundraising efforts.
3.3 Evaluation and revision of FIDH’s external
communication strategy, including in relation to
media visibility, public mobilisation and stakeholder
engagement
FIDH's communication is divided between, on
the one hand, the development of institutional
communication in order to make FIDH as an
institution more visible (see part 1.2) and, on
the other hand, support and visibility to the
actions carried out by the Operations and
International Advocacy departments. In 2019, the
Communication Department worked closely with
the Operations Department to prioritize activities
that would give rise to visibility, taking into account
the need to relay the activities carried out and
respond to current events. It is often a question
of making choices between the different activities
to be highlighted. This is sometimes complicated
because FIDH's current tools, especially its website,
need to be reviewed and cannot always meet the
visibility needs of the different offices or member
organizations. This is why one of the priorities in
the next two years will be the overhaul of the FIDH
website.
The strategy to focus on flagship positions
and publications has borne fruit, as has the
diversification of support tools (video productions,
computer graphics, dedicated website, drawings,
strong messages...).
Some flagship online campaigns
Augmented reality on crimes against humanity in
Mexico: This innovative communication campaign
has been developed to make visible the crimes
against humanity committed in Mexico in
recent years, especially in the last decade. This
communication action aimed to raise awareness,
with a priority focus on young people and
adolescents.
The results: Facebook: 581,820 people reached and
10,519 interactions; Twitter: 64,066 impressions,
28,700 reproductions.
SOS Nicaragua, from representation to terror: In
February 2019, FIDH launched a campaign to
demand the release of detained political prisoners,
and the reinstatement of banned human rights
NGOs.
The results: Twitter: More than 1,200 retweets and
more than 1,250 likes; Facebook: 67,503 people
reached and 9,799 Interactions.
Assad's Syria: how he plans to transform the country
from 2011: FIDH published on its website a video
accompanied by an article (in French and English)
on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the
revolution in Syria.
The results: more than 2,000 visits on the website;
Facebook: the French version was the most viewed
video since the creation of the FIDH Facebook
page with more than 1 million people reached, and
more than 47,000 interactions.
Tunisia: violence against women: FIDH published
a report analyzing the impact of nine litigation
actions against sexual violence committed in
several African countries. To accompany the
release of the report, FIDH produced a video
interview on the case of Meriem Ben Mohamed
and the legal actions carried out by FIDH and its
member organizations that led to the conviction of
police officers. This video, subtitled in French and
English, was published on the FIDH website, the
Youtube account, the Facebook page and Twitter.
Results: Facebook: 68,000 minutes viewed.
The Facebook ad was refused for "political and
electoral" reasons (see below). On Twitter: 31,000
impressions, 140 retweets, 200 like.
Guinea: The Facebook page made for the 10th
anniversary of the September 28th massacre was
seen by 180,618 people.
Facebook's increasingly restrictive ranking
and filtering algorithms reduce the visibility of
Facebook page postings every year. All pages
and publications are now competing to "earn their
place" in Facebook's news feed. This evolution has
led to a sharp decrease in the "organic" or natural
reach of the pages. From the end of 2018, many
publications sponsored by FIDH have not been
approved by Facebook.
Some press highlights
There was strong coverage in local media of
reports or press releases by FIDH and its members
(e.g. reports from Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand,
Zimbabwe, Guatemala...).
FIDH's actions or positions on issues related to
the fight against impunity and/or FIDH's litigation
activities had a particularly significant impact
(Mali, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Guinea...).
The mobilization of the press regarding FIDH’s
actions on Yemen, the DRC and on the issue
of French arms sales to Egypt was particularly
positive.
Digital survival kit
Online activity exposes the defenders of our
Federation - as well as all citizens around the world
- to real dangers and violations of their rights.
Faced with this context, FIDH has decided to look
into solutions to counter these digital weapons
and protect human rights defenders. This is why,
in 2019, FIDH launched a project called "Digital
Survival Kit". The kit includes a set of basic tools and
recommendations to protect privacy, circumvent
internet censorship and secure sensitive data and
communications. The kit includes:
• A digital survival guide to learn basic protection
techniques that do not require advanced
computer skills;
• A protective "Faraday Cage" case that blocks
the electromagnetic field and makes equipment
untraceable;
• A webcam cover to prevent spying;
• A password card that allows users to create
secure passwords;
• A USB key with various open-source software to
surf anonymously, bypass Internet censorship,
and encrypt data and communications.
This digital survival kit was presented at the 40th
FIDH Congress in Taipei, which brought together
nearly 450 participants.

External evaluation
In 2019, SIDA, FIDH's financial, strategic and historical partner, commissioned Ernst & Young to conduct an
external review of FIDH's internal management, as well as the reliability of its internal control procedures.
The auditors worked at the headquarters in Paris and at the FIDH office in Tunis. The following areas
of expertise were examined: management and organization, risk management, anti-corruption, audit,
expenditure commitment, financial management, transfer of funds to third-party beneficiaries, financing
and reserves. Out of the seven fields analyzed, six were assessed as having a low level of risk. Certain
aspects related to financial management (segregation of rights and integration of budget modules in the
accounting software) require optimization actions but without demonstrating a failure of internal control
procedures.
The particularly positive results of this review are the result of coordinated action since 2014 to strengthen
FIDH’s internal management and give it the foundations to continue to develop in a sustainable manner.
The final report underlined the commitment and interest shown by FIDH to continue to consolidate: "We
perceived the representatives at FIDH to receive our recommendations with a high degree of interest and
appreciation. The organization seemed eager and willing to implement the recommendations presented in
the different sections, in order to further strengthen its internal control systems".

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 67
 INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Deputy CEO

68 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
Board of Directors

International Administrative & Human Ressources

Program Communication Fundraising
Advocacy Finance & Technical
Department Department Department
Department Department Department

Africa Globalisation & Human Delegation to the Budget & reporting

Press Relations Development Human Ressources
desk Rights desk European Union

Americas Human Rights Delegation to the Accounting

Digital Individual Giving Information
desk Defenders desk UN in Geneva
Technology
Asia International Justice Delegation to the Publications Program
desk desk UN in New York Development General services
&
Eastern Europe & Delegation to Partnerships
Central Asia desk the ICC

Middle East & North Women Rights

Africa desk desk

Western Europe
desk
FINANCIAL REPORT 2019

TOTAL EXPENSES PER PRIORITY AMOUNT 2018 % AMOUNT 2019 %

SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS 724 041 8.6% 854 471 10,2%
FOSTERING AN ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE TO DEMOCRACY 1 483 900 17.7% 2 067 603 24,6%
AND FREEDOMS
PROMOTING WOMEN’S RIGHTS 171 499 2.0% 194 609 2,3%
FIGHTING DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE BASED ON SEXUAL 13 112 0.2% 14 979 0,2%
ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY
PROMOTING THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS 57 507 0.7% 0 0,0%
FIGHTING IMPUNITY AND PROTECTING POPULATIONS FROM 2 523 002 30.1% 1 512 526 18,0%
THE MOST SERIOUS CRIMES
PROMOTING RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY ECONOMIC 167 939 2.0% 379 674 4,5%
PLAYERS
FIDH NETWORK 1 080 722 12.9% 1 158 605 13,8%
EXTERNAL NETWORK / OUTREACH 573 688 6.8% 535 666 6,4%
LOGISTICS 241 558 2.9% 151 470 1,8%
FUNDRAISING AND ADMIN. COSTS 1 164 035 13.9% 1 253 353 14,9%
OTHER EXPENSES 188 003 2.2% 270 089 3,2%

TOTAL EXPENSES 8 389 005 100% 8 393 046 100%

INCOME 2018 % 2019 %

MEMBERSHIP FEES AND CONTRIBUTIONS 123 380 1.4% 92 503 1,2%

EARMARKED GRANTS AND DONATIONS 5 459 447 63.0% 5 502 999 69,5%
NON-EARMARKED GRANTS AND DONATIONS 2 439 647 28.2% 1 645 058 20,8%

OTHER INCOME 456 563 5.3% 524 469 6,6%

FINANCIAL AND EXTRAORDINARY INCOME 181 622 2.1% 154 939 2%

TOTAL INCOME 8 660 659 100% 7 919 969 100%

FI DH A NNUA L REP O RT 2 0 19 — 69
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Our Supporters
FIDH thanks all of its donors and supporters, as
well as the investors in its ethical fund, SRI Human
Rights (formerly Libertés & Solidarité).
During 2019, FIDH was particularly grateful to the
support of the following institutions, foundations
and corporations:
International and national institutions
The European Commission; Swedish International
Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); Agence
Française de Développement (AFD); Ministry for
Foreign Affairs of Finland; Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Norway; Ministry for Europe and Foreign
Affairs of France; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands; Irish Aid; Mairie de
Paris; Organisation international de la Francophonie
(OIF); Belgium Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and
Development Cooperation; Embassy of Switzerland
in Thailand; Embassy of France in Mali.
Foundations, associations and other institutions
Open Society Foundations; Oak Foundation; Bread
for the World; an anonymous foundation; MacArthur
Foundation; SAGE Fund; Pan American Development
Fund; Fondation de France; Fondation Nicolas
Puech; Fondation Yo et Anne Marie Hamoud; Fonds
de renforcement institutionnel et organisationnel
(Coordination Sud); Heinrich Böll Stiftung; Trust
Africa.
70 — F I D H ANNUAL RE PORT 2 0 1 9
Corporate supporters
La Banque Postale Asset Management (LBPAM).
Supporters of the Congress & Forum
Special thanks to the partners who supported FIDH’s
40th Congress & Forum in Taipei:
th e E u r o p e a n C o m m i s s i o n; O p e n S o c i e t y
Foundations; Taiwan Foundation for Democracy;
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands; Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
of France; Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency (Sida); Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Norway; Hua Nan Bank; National Human
Rights Museum of Taiwan; Oak Foundation; Bread
for the World; Irish Aid; Agence Française de
Développement; Foundation for Women’s Rights;
the British Office in Taipei; the Delegation of the
EU in Taipei; the Belgian Office, Taipei; Canadian
Trade Office in Taipei; the Trade Council of Denmark,
Taipei; the Representative Office of Italy in Taipei;
the Luxembourg Representative Office in Taipei;
the Netherlands Office Taipei; the Representative
Office of Spain in Taipei; the Representative Office
of Sweden in Taipei; the Representative Office of
Switzerland in Taipei; the American Institute in
Taiwan; Heinrich Böll Stiftung; Taipei City Hall; New
Taipei; Chunghwa Telecom.
FIDH would also like to thank:
• its interpretors, translators and other volunteers;
• a s well as all the individuals, national and
international non-governmental organisations and
intergovernmental organisations who responded
to its requests for support.
 FIDH is an international human rights NGO federating

192 organisations from 117 countries

Algeria, a police cordon during a demonstration by the Hirak movement.

FIDH
17, passage de la Main d’Or
75011 Paris - France
Phone: +33 (0)1 43 55 25 18
Facebook.com/FIDH.HumanRights/
Twitter: @fidh_en /@fidh_fr /@fidh_es
www.fidh.org