The Subcommittee on International Human Rights met to study the current situation of defenders of human rights and democracy around the world. Witnesses included Mozn Hassan (Nazra for Feminist Studies), Omaid Sharifi (ArtLords), Odette McCarthy and Gerardo Ducos (Equitas), Ghazaal Habibyar and Abdoulaye Bah (Resilient Societies), and Hillel Neuer (UN Watch).
Mozn Hassan argued that democracy cannot be strengthened without investing in women and human rights defenders, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, where they mediate conflicts and lead survival initiatives but are underrepresented in global policy. She recommended that Canada invest in global networks like Demos Kratos, support flexible movement-led funding, elevate defenders' narratives, and bridge local to global decision-making, emphasizing that resources include access and legitimacy, not just money.
Omaid Sharifi described how the Taliban erased ArtLords' murals after taking Kabul, and warned that authoritarian regimes share tools and coordinate across borders faster than democracies. He urged Canada to expand long-term flexible funding modelled on the Equality Fund, build a rapid response capacity for defenders under threat deployable in days, and create spaces where artists and activists collaborate with policymakers as equals.
Odette McCarthy and Gerardo Ducos presented data showing that defenders facing threats deepened their community engagement rather than retreating, but 60% turned to trusted peers for protection and nearly half never used formal channels. They recommended resourcing peer networks and psychological support, supporting human rights education, and making gender equality a cornerstone of Canada's foreign policy, with multi-year funding for civil society networks.
Ghazaal Habibyar, speaking from her experience as a former Afghan cabinet member, described the acute personal risks, dismantling of civic spaces, and dangers of documenting abuse faced by women human rights defenders under gender apartheid. She urged Canada to sustain support for the Afghan women's case under CEDAW and to strengthen protection, documentation, and pathways for continued civic engagement for women defenders globally.
Abdoulaye Bah, a Malian human rights defender in exile, said that with minimal support, exiled defenders can become powerful agents of change in Canada. He recommended structured investments in programs that value lived experience, facilitate professional integration and recognition of foreign credentials, and build pathways to human rights and advocacy sectors, arguing that investing in defenders in exile is investing in democracy's resilience.
Hillel Neuer highlighted five themes from the Geneva Summit: transnational repression, political prisoners, assault on religious freedom, assault on women's rights, and assault on journalists. He criticized Canada for joining consensus to nominate Iran to a UN committee and for electing China, Cuba, and other authoritarian regimes to the UN Committee on NGOs, calling this a betrayal of human rights and urging Canada to speak out and impose real costs on oppressors.
In response to a member's question, Neuer elaborated that Canada could have taken the floor against Iran's nomination as the United States did, and that cleaning up who sits on UN human rights bodies, ending earmarked funding from dictatorships to UN rapporteurs, and establishing accountability for UN officials who embrace repressive regimes are concrete steps for reform. He also argued that UNRWA is "rotten to the core" with Hamas leaders heading its education system, and that Canada cannot pretend not to know.
A member noted that Canada does not support Iran for UN positions, and another asked how overlapping identities intensify risks for defenders. Bah explained that in Mali, LGBT rights organizations operate under cover of humanitarian work due to societal hostility, while Habibyar said that in Afghanistan, women face added repression, including being transferred to men's jails and sexually violated. Bah also said that in Canada, defenders benefit from consortium-based work but face barriers in recognition of foreign credentials and building new professional networks.
On funding cuts, Ducos said that reductions stifle the capacity of defenders to implement local actions, with even $1,500 cuts creating a void, while McCarthy noted that cuts did not stop work but limited it, and urged Canada to reverse the trend instead of following it. Sharifi added that the system of development aid is broken, with short-term projects of six months to a year, and that the moment offers an opportunity to rebuild with indigenous solutions and rapid, flexible support.
On Canada's leadership, McCarthy said Canada can do more by increasing contributions to international cooperation, being explicit in its international policy about how human rights will shape it, and rethinking engagement for economic reasons, as human rights and trade go hand in hand. Habibyar urged Canada to use middle powers to save civic spaces and build coalitions, becoming a voice for the voiceless to reclaim its leadership position.
In closing, Sharifi said that what human rights defenders need most is hope—somebody in the global north standing up for the values they have lost their lives for—and that resources and funding are next steps. Bah added that Canada risks losing its leadership if it stops funding projects like those of Lawyers Without Borders and Equitas, which build capacity for access to justice and human rights education.
AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.