ABSTRACT

Human rights defenders (HRD) are facing shrinking spaces. The United Nations Human Rights Council (Council) is one of these potentially shrinking spaces. At the Council, there exists significant contestation over HRD and their role in human rights protection. Resolutions on HRD are facing contestation including lengthy debates and record-setting numbers of amendments by opponents of HRD initiatives. This paper uses theories of contestation from international relations to examine how Member States both advocate for and against HRD at the Council. Case study analysis including participant observation and elite-level interviews are used to examine strategies used by Member States. The paper finds that both advocates and proponents use a multitude of strategies aimed at defending or defeating the validity and application of HRD resolutions. This type of contestation matters for HRD because it eventually impacts the ability of defenders to promote and protect human rights on the ground.

摘要

人权捍卫者 (HRD) 正面临着不断缩小的空间。联合国人权理事会（理事会）是这些可能缩小的空间之一。在理事会，对 HRD 及其在人权保护中的作用存在重大争议。关于 HRD 的决议正面临争议，包括长时间的辩论和 HRD 倡议的反对者提出的创纪录数量的修正案。本文使用来自国际关系的争论理论来研究会员国如何在理事会上支持和反对 HRD。包括参与观察和精英级别访谈在内的案例研究分析用于检查会员国使用的策略。该论文发现，倡导者和支持者都使用多种策略来捍卫或反对 HRD 决议的有效性和应用。