Protection International
Acronym: PI
General Information
Identification Code: 245353549856-62
Website: [object Object]
Entity Form: AISBL
Registration Category: Non-governmental organisations, platforms and networks and similar
Registration Date: 5/5/2023
Last Update: 4/25/2024
EP Accredited Number: 0
Mission & Interests
Goals: Born as PBI European Office in 1998 and becoming Protection International in 2007, our teams across Latin America, Central Africa, Europe and South East Asia strive to give long-term accompaniment to human rights defenders (HRDs) at risk. Our objective is to empower HRDs in ensuring their own security, rather than fostering a reliance on external actors and emergency interventions.
Next to its direct work with defenders, PI seeks to contribute to the advancement of legal and policy avenues for the protection of HRDs.
We aspire to a world in which fundamental HRs and fundamental freedoms are universally recognized and respected, where everyone has the right to defend these rights and freedoms without fear of threats or attack. Our goal is to increase the agency of HRDs to enjoy the Right to Defend Human Rights (RDHR).
Interests Represented: Does not represent commercial interests
Interests:
- External relations
- Foreign affairs and security policy
- Humanitarian aid and civil protection
- International co-operation and development
- Justice and fundamental rights
Levels of Interest:
- global
Activities
Main EU Legislative Proposals: - ProtectDefenders.eu, EU mechanism
- EU Action Plan on Human Rights & Democracy
- EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders (2008)
- EU guidance note on Human Rights Defenders for EU missions
- European Commission Programming exercises
- EU Human Rights Guidelines on safe drinking water and sanitation (adopted in June 2019)
- EU relations with ASEAN, African Union, Latin America
- EU-third countries Human Rights dialogues
- FAC, COHOM, COAFR, COLAC, COASI meetings
- AFET, LIBE, DEVE, INTA committees and DROI sub-committee in the EP
- EP urgency resolutions on the situation of human rights
- European Parliament Annual Reports on Human Rights
- EP Sakharov Prize
Communication Activities: Through our policy, advocacy and communication work and activities, we raise awareness about the risks faced by human rights defenders and about the importance to hold authorities accountable at the local, national and international, notably towards the European Union and the United Nations. More generally speaking, PI advocates to shift the focus of the debate away from adopting – or not – legislation framing the existence of state mechanisms to protect groups of HRDs at risk towards a broader and more comprehensive approach, which delivers proactive actions to address the root causes of insecurity, structural violence and repression against HRDs. Our efforts in advocating for sound public policies for the protection of human rights defenders notably include interaction with existing European protection mechanisms such as ProtectDefenders.eu.
More concretely, in terms of advocacy, policy implementation & public relations, we developed and are developing the following kind of activities:
• Drafting and publication of key policy briefings and reports, advocacy document and letters, key advocacy recommendations and background information shared with the relevant EU policy and decision-makers;
• Drafting and sending of specific inputs to relevant policy-makers ahead of key EU summits, meetings and initiatives, as well as policy and legislative processes, such as for instance sending inputs to political groups and the EP secretariat ahead of EP urgent resolutions on the situation of human rights;
• Organizing and attending civil society coordination meetings to propose key topics and policy recommendations on several issues linked to our mandate;
• Organization of advocacy and awareness raising tours in Brussels and European capitals for human rights defenders coming from several third countries and contexts where PI has a presence.
• PI facilitates the organization of bilateral meetings between human rights defenders in visits to Brussels and relevant EU policy and decision makers, as well as between local human rights defenders and groups and EU Delegations on the ground, where PI has a presence.
• PI organizes bilateral meetings with relevant EU policy and decision-makers to follow up on the different policies/initiatives and processes PI is following and is aiming to influence.
• Thanks to our membership to several European networks such as the Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN), the European network for Central Africa (EurAc) or EU-LAT, the European network working on EU and Latin America relations, PI has a prominent presence in EU related advocacy, starting with 2000 when PI played a key role - together with other Brussels-based orgs - in pushing for an update of the European Union Guidelines on HRDs.
In terms of public relations and communication activities, we voice our mandate on the right to defend human rights (RDHR) through some of the following kind of activities:
• PI’s 2020-2022 online campaign #StayWithDefenders, highlighting the importance for HRDs to be recognized and supported in times of COVID19.
• PI contributes to ProtectDefenders.eu monthly digest with inputs on the different situation addressed in the newsletter
• PI contributes to ongoin campaign at ProtectDefenders.eu for the facilitation of preventive visa and travel arrangemetns to EU MSs for HRDs at very high risk
• Ongoing monitoring of EU and international human rights-related developments online, via website and social media presence
Inter-institutional or Unofficial Groupings: N/A
Head Office
Address: 11, Rue de la LinièreSaint-Gilles
Post Code: 1060
City: Brussels
Country: BELGIUM
Phone: [object Object]
EU Office
Address: 11, Rue de la LinièreSaint-Gilles
Post Code: 1060
City: Brussels
Country: BELGIUM
Phone: [object Object]
Financial Data
New Organisation: false
Closed Year: [object Object]
Current Year: [object Object]
Membership Information
Members10 Percent: 0
Members25 Percent: 3
Members50 Percent: 3
Members75 Percent: 0
Members: 6
Members F T E: 2.25
Structure
Structure Type: Structure
Is Member Of: - ProtectDefenders.eu
- EU Team Europe for Democracy
- Fundamental Rights Platform (by FRA)
- Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN)
- European network for Central Africa (EurAc)
- EU-LAT (European network working on EU and Latin America relations)
- Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum
- Together.eu Platform
- Zero Tolerance Initiative
- Coalition for Human Rights in Development
- Alliance for Land, Indigenous and Environmental Defenders
- AidWatch by CONCORD
- OIDHACO - Oficina Internacional de los Derechos Humanos Acción Colombia
Organisation Members: See below.