Resources and Publications

Report by Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders

Many companies now realise that wherever they operate, their ultimate licence to operate comes not only from legal agreements with governments, but also from their acceptance by workers, consumers, and the communities that surround them or are impacted by them. It does not mean that every company has got it right; nor does it mean it is always the fault of companies. In many instances, governments keen to build infrastructure, attract investment, or develop the economy are willing to disregard the views of communities, the rights of workers, or of consumers.

The Front Line Defenders 2015 Annual Report, Human Rights Defenders, Lives in the Balance, examines in detail the deteriorating situation for human rights defenders (HRDs) around the world, in the period January – December 2014.