Hand in hand with Honduran civil society ahead of review at UN Human Rights Council

Five years after it was first scrutinized, the State of Honduras will again face the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the UN Human Rights Council on 8th May. This review will examine the current human rights situation at national level and look into the progress made  with respect to over a hundred recommendations adopted 2010. Meanwhile, national and international civil society organizations, including FIAN International, work together to raise their voice against human rights violations in the country.

More than fifty civil society organizations (CSOs) devoted to the promotion and defense of human rights have come together in the ‘Plataforma EPU’ (‘UPR Platform’) to strengthen their work vis-à-vis the UPR. Their aim is to ensure that previous recommendations are monitored, and that new ones are made to contribute to the realization of Honduran people’s human rights. The widespread impunity for human rights violations, and the increasing criminalization and attacks against human rights defenders are among the foremost concerns, members of the platform stress.

This situation particularly affects individuals and communities – including indigenous, Afro-descendent and peasant communities – defending their access to land and natural resources in the context of megaprojects and the expansion of monocultures, which are carried out without their free, prior and informed consent. Women’s rights are also a major cause of concern in Honduras, with a total of 636 women killed in 2013 alone – one woman every 13 hours, according to the Observatory of Violence-Honduras.

In its role as a member of the UPR Platform, FIAN Honduras, together with the Women’s Rights Centre and Judges for Democracy, participated in a delegation to various European countries in late March to raise awareness of the human rights situation in Honduras.

Furthermore, hand in hand with other partners, such as CIFCA and ACT Alliance EU, FIAN International sections across Europe have supported the delegation in establishing a dialogue with European ministries of foreign affairs and other relevant institutions and via public events and actions. Themes addressed have included widespread impunity, as well as the involvement of the World Bank in cases of land grabbing, including through funding of the Dinant corporation, responsible for human rights violations in the Bajo Aguán Valley.

Lobby and advocacy work in Central American and European countries will continue next month and FIAN International will keep supporting these efforts in the lead-up to the UPR on 8 May, as well as subsequent monitoring and follow-up activities.