URI-Africa Partners with Pan African Human Rights Defenders Network

29 July 2018

URI-Africa to safeguard human dignity in partnership with the Pan African Human Rights Defenders Network

Mussie and Joseph Bikanda of DefendDefenders.png

Greetings of peace and blessing from URI-Africa.

I am happy to inform you that URI-Africa is going to foster a working partnership with the Pan African Human Rights Defenders Network to safeguard human rights and dignity in Africa.

During my meeting with Mr. Joseph Bikanda, Coordinator of DefendDefenders (the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project), we came to an agreement to establish an official working partnership between URI-Africa and DefendDefenders. The two organizations agree to work together to defend and to uphold human rights and dignity as stipulated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

DefendDefenders is the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project working to strengthen the work of human rights defenders throughout the region by reducing their vulnerability to the risk of persecution and by enhancing their capacity to effectively defend human rights. DefendDefenders works in Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia (together with Somaliland), South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Following extensive field research in the region, DefendDefenders was established as a regional NGO based in the Republic of Uganda in 2005. Their mission is to maximize the protection of human rights defenders working in the sub-region and to enhance the awareness of human rights work through linkages with national, regional and international like-minded entities.

DefendDefenders holds consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as well as observer status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

May Peace and Human Rights Prevail on Earth.