A/HRC/43/51 66. Local, regional, national and international NGOs should: (a) Reach out for support to the less prominent defenders active in conflict and post-conflict areas and in the context of humanitarian interventions, beyond visible human rights organizations and networks, and support leadership programmes, including for women defenders and defenders displaced as a result of conflict; (b) Ensure that partnerships with local and national defenders are equitable and designed in ways that recognize and mitigate the specific risks they face. This can entail conducting gender-sensitive risk assessments and developing security plans, security training and emergency response mechanisms and solutions, including relocation where appropriate. 67. Donors and funding partners should: (a) Ensure and maintain core support to defenders – individuals and organizations alike – whose operations can be affected by armed conflict or deliberate interferences and provide for budgets to cover protection measures, such as physical and digital security-related training and equipment, health and psychosocial wellbeing interventions, and legal advice and defence; (b) Ensure or maintain equal and steady support to human rights defenders active in areas affected by hostilities, in conflict-induced humanitarian crises and in post-conflict phases; (c) Support and facilitate meetings of defenders with international stakeholders, including relevant international NGOs, and opportunities for peer meetings and back the development of defenders’ networks. 68. The Secretary-General should develop a United Nations-wide strategy on human rights defenders in line with the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and secure the engagement of the United Nations, in particular the special envoys, the representatives of the Secretary-General, United Nations departments, specialized agencies and programmes, with defenders in humanitarian aid, peacebuilding and post-conflict development interventions. 69. Entities and mechanisms of the United Nations system should: (a) Ensure that attention is systematically paid to defenders in situations under review by the Security Council and in the mandates of peace operations and consider systematically including those responsible for violating defenders’ rights in sanctions lists; (b) Ensure systematic focus on the situation of defenders in State reviews by treaty bodies, activities of special procedure mandate holders and ad hoc investigation mechanisms such as commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions; (c) Strengthen opportunities for peer exchanges and staff training for United Nations staff on the principles of doing no harm and due diligence, digital safety and security when cooperating with defenders, in particular for OHCHR and ad hoc investigation mechanisms; (d) Follow up systematically on cases of reprisal in conflict and post-conflict contexts and pay greater attention to them, including in the context of elections for membership in the Human Rights Council and the sessions of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review; (e) Raise the awareness of States or de facto authorities on the protection due to defenders and their rights, including in contexts of emergency and armed conflict, and facilitate defenders’ access to both regional and international complaints human rights mechanisms; (f) Ensure that the forthcoming United Nations system-wide guidelines on community engagement in building and sustaining peace recognize the role of human rights defenders in peacebuilding and support their participation and involvement; 20

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