Our impact
Our reports and accounts
Impact Report 2020
Highlights
2010
Alliance for Lawyers at Risk established. Working with PBI UK Patron Sir Henry Brooke CMG, PBI UK Director Susi Bascon launches the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk at the offices of Simmons & Simmons, building further links between PBI UK and high-profile legal figures, UK government officials, academics, and NGO representatives.
2011
Environmental rights defenders conference. PBI UK hold ‘A Dangerous Business’, a conference on the human cost of advocating against environmental degradation and land rights violations’. We sought to discuss and debate key issues of concern around the impact of large scale extractive, agribusiness and infrastructure projects on rural communities and those who advocate on their behalf. We explored why violations continue to occur, and what can be done to address the gaps in policy, legislation, and enforcement to ensure that defenders receive better protection.
2012
Women human rights defenders conference. PBI UK hold ‘Empowering and protecting change-makers’, a conference to further recognition of the work of women human rights defenders, and explore how to strengthen and safeguard their work. We welcomed women human rights defenders from Afghanistan, Colombia, Iran, Kenya, Mexico and Nepal as well as professionals working in the fields of human rights, government, law and academia, including representatives of the European Union and United Nations.
2013
New e-learning platform for defenders in Mexico. Funding from the EU allows PBI UK to develop a series of digital tools to help Mexican defenders strengthen their capacities in documentation, advocacy, profile-raising and media relations.
Honouring defenders of the rule of law. PBI UK and the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk hold a gala event, celebrating the courage and tenacity of rule of law defenders and highlighting the challenges they face when they speak out.
2015
Digital tools for women human rights defenders. EU funding allows PBI to launch new digital tools that help women human rights defenders build their movements. Piloted in Mexico, these tools were later adapted them to different political and cultural contexts for use by defenders worldwide.
Recommendations for a UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. PBI UK calls on the government to build on its commitment to support defenders who face repression and discrimination when promoting the rights of communities affected by natural resource extraction and other large-scale industrial projects. The briefing makes the case for supporting defenders by advocating for stronger guarantees and safeguards for their work.
2016
PBI celebrate 35 years of solidarity with human rights defenders. We hold a conference celebrating defenders’ contributions to democracy and the rule of law. Keynote speaker Michel Forst, the UN Special Rapporteur, was joined by HRDs, high-level government representatives, staff from international NGOs, as well as legal experts and donors. Here, we launch our film ‘Invisible Mandelas’
Business and human rights in the spotlight. The Colombian President’s visit to the UK provides an opportunity to highlight the need to support lawyers and environmental rights defenders in the country. PBI UK Director Susi Bascon and Colombian lawyer Reinaldo Villalba attend a formal event with President Santos as part of his official State visit to the UK. Our legal network write to President Santos to express concerns for lawyers at risk.
2017
Five speaking tours. In order to bring attention to key human rights concerns across our projects, PBI UK organised advocacy tours for five defenders. During these tours, defenders met with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Human Rights, and the Law Society, along with a variety of meetings with different INGOs, solidarity groups, academic institutions, members of the legal community, funders and journalists. These tours successfully brought attention to specific human rights concerns, raising awareness and strengthening their support networks.
Peace and reconciliation in Colombia (Olgo Silva - June 2017)
Land, ethno-territorial rights, in Honduras (Aurelio Arzu - September 2017)
Business and human rights in Mexico (Marcos Leyva and Rosalindo Dionicio - October 2017)
Transitional justice in Nepal (Dipendra Jha - March and December 2017)
2018
Toolbox for defenders working on business and human rights. PBI UK and Simmons & Simmons launch the first online resource for rural communities and lawyers dealing with corporate human rights violations. Comprising a range of legal fact sheets designed to inform and assist defenders in their struggles to uphold the rule of law in the face of corporate aggression, the Toolbox draws on international law and has universal application.
Shoulder to Shoulder with Human Rights Defenders. We launch a new campaign emphasising the role of defenders in the creation of peaceful and democratic societies.
First annual Sir Henry Brooke Awards for Human Rights Defenders. In memory of beloved Patron Sir Henry Brooke CMG, Lady Arden DBE presents the first Awards at the UK Supreme Court, honouring the work of exceptional human rights defenders Daniel Prado and Naomi Barasa. The Awards are presented annually to human rights defenders who encapsulate the qualities Sir Henry most admired and reflected in his own life: selflessness, courage, and commitment to seeking justice for the oppressed and the marginalised.
Global community of human rights defenders nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. PBI UK lead the groundbreaking campaign to secure a nomination for human rights defenders across the world, marking the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. The nomination was supported by over 200 civil society and human rights organisations, and 4,000 individuals, across the world
“We need to move away from the celebration of individual achievements and recognise that community and collective action is integral to the defence of human rights. Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize in the name of this global community would represent a powerful endorsement of this vision, and a powerful impetus for change.” - Susi Bascon, PBI UK Director
2019
The Right to Defend: Portraits of Resilience, Hope and Solidarity. PBI UK launch a series of interviews, films, photographs, and case studies documenting the work of over 100 grassroots human rights defenders from Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Nepal and Kenya.We launched THE DEFENDERS online platform, which spotlights defenders who risk it all to fight for what is right. We also produced four short films:
Media Freedom in Honduras: follows acclaimed independent journalist Dina Meza, and discusses the importance of press and media freedom
The Defenders: introduces defenders who put their lives on the line for the causes they believe in, and provides an insight into the role of PBI in their lives
La Búsqueda – The Search: gives a voice to the mothers of the disappeared in Ayotzinapa, and meets activists and lawyers supporting the families of the over 40,000 people missing in Mexico.
SOMOS: tells the story of Arcoiris, an organisation that has faced mounting attacks, public abuse and relentless stigmatisation for their work promoting the rights of LGBT+ Hondurans.
Contribution to UK Government policy paper. PBI UK assists in the development of a new policy, outlining the importance of defenders. The document has been made available online in all six UN languages, and sent to all posts in the UK diplomatic network for use in their work with HRDs. Following the publication of this paper, the FCO and DFID have pledged to continue to reach out to human rights networks, NGOs and human rights defenders.
2020
Supporting defenders through the COVID-19 pandemic. PBI UK launches a series of initiatives to support and defend human rights defenders through the pandemic. This includes our first virtual speaker tour for Colombian defender Danilo Rueda, who met virtually with members of the Colombian Caravana, the UK Foreign Office, and a group of MPs to discuss transitional justice in Colombia, COVID-19 restrictions, and the threats faced by Danilo and his colleagues on a daily basis. As a result of the meeting, ten parliamentary questions were tabled on the issues discussed, a record for a PBI speaker tour.
Webinar series brings our network together for defenders. PBI UK launch a series of six webinars exploring issues including women’s rights in the pandemic, environmental protections, and responses to state violence in Kenya. The webinars provided an opportunity for defenders to speak directly to people around the world and share their stories, building a global network that stands in solidarity.
New opportunities to raise vital funds. The pandemic drastically changed the funding landscape, meaning charities like PBI UK needed to find new opportunities to raise money. In 2020, PBI UK took part in nationwide fundraising drives such as the 2.6 Challenge, ran an emergency appeal to support emerging needs on the ground, and launched new digital fundraising campaigns that included the raffle of an original Picasso linocut.
2021
The Day of the Endangered Lawyer. In recognition of the privileges that lawyers in the UK enjoy, PBI UK invited a selection of representatives from the legal and political sectors to reflect on the importance of the rule of law, what it means to be a lawyer in a rapidly changing world, and how to mobilise the resources of the international legal community to support lawyers at risk.
On the Human Rights Frontline: a new report. Together with Amnesty International and other leading human rights organisations, PBI UK launched a report and campaign around the situation of at-risk HRDs around the world, calling on the UK government to help by developing a new cross-departmental, gender-responsive HRD strategy that prioritises support and protection for defenders.