"Human rights defenders are under threat". The Sunflower Declaration was presented at a Nobel Peace Conference
The Sunflower Declaration was presented at the Nobel Peace Conference HUMAN RIGHTS HEROES August 31, 2023; it is a call to action to protect human rights defenders at risk, with concrete recommendations to governments, multilateral organizations, businesses, cities and universities. The Declaration was drafted together with the Nobel Peace Prize laureates 2022: Center for Civil Liberties, Memorial and Viasna (on behalf of Ales Bialiatski) and was signed by a number of Nobel Prize laureates, human rights organisations and individuals.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2022 was awarded to three human rights defenders: Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties. This year also mark the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration to Protect Human Rights Defenders and the 75th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.
"As we celebrate this important milestone, defenders of human rights are under threat in many parts of the world: Freedom of assembly and freedom of expression are under pressure from authoritarian regimes, and weaponization of the law, digital surveillance and hate campaigns are making the work of human rights defenders difficult. The people who are defending our common rights, need our support and protection," says the Nobel Peace Center website.
- Natalia Pinchuk is signing the Sunflower Declaration
The Sunflower Declaration will leverage the weight of the world’s attention and the Nobel Peace Prize to push for increased respect and support for the work of human rights defenders as a pathway to peace.
Nobel laureates, organisations, foundations, universites, human right defenders and individuals from around the world and from a diverse range of backgrounds, geographies and sectors have already signed the document. If you wish to sign, please send an email to post@nobelpeacecenter.org
