The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders will carry out an official visit to the Marshall Islands, scheduled from 7 to 19 September 2026.
During the visit, the Special Rapporteur will meet government officials, human rights defenders, including environmental HRDs, civil society representatives, journalists and human rights lawyers, as well as representatives of the international community and other relevant stakeholders.
The purpose of the visit is to assess, in the spirit of co-operation and dialogue, the situation of human rights defenders in the country, identifying both positive developments and ongoing challenges, and to analyse how the principles and commitments outlined in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders are being upheld by the relevant authorities.
The Special Rapporteur will present her report on the visit to the Human Rights Council at its 64th session in March 2027. The report will set out and analyse the information she has received in the framework of the visit and will make recommendations to a number of actors, including the Government of the Marshall Islands.
Call for submissions
In preparation for the visit, the Special Rapporteur is calling on human rights defenders and other interested parties to submit information in response to the questions below.
Please feel free to provide inputs to any of the questions and to share this call for submissions with anyone who may be interested in contributing. You do not need to answer all the questions.
Inputs can be sent by email, in Word or PDF file to hrc-sr-defenders@un.org in English and should not exceed 2000 words. Email subject line: Marshall Islands Country Visit – Input
The deadline for submissions is 7 August 2026.
1. General context for defending human rights in the Marshall Islands:
- What national laws, policies or customary governance systems affect the work of individuals, groups, and communities defending human rights?
- How are these laws, policies and customary practices implemented in practice?
- Please share examples of policies and good practices by State institutions, traditional authorities or other actors that support those defending human rights?
- What are the main challenges, barriers, types of interference or restrictions that human rights defenders face in their work in the country?
- What recommendations would you propose on how to effectively address these challenges?
2. Specific issues of concern:
- Who are the individuals, groups or communities currently defending human rights in the Marshall Islands?
- Which human rights issues are they working on?
- Do you consider that advocacy related to the legacy of nuclear testing, climate change and the protection of Marshallese lands, culture and identity forms part of a broader human rights movement in the Marshall Islands? Why or why not?
3. Stakeholder engagement:
- Which organizations, groups or individuals would you recommend the Special Rapporteur to meet in the context of her visit?
- Which authorities and traditional leaders, councils or customary authorities would be relevant for the Special Rapporteur to meet while she is in the Marshall Islands?
- Bearing in mind that her time in the country will be limited, which areas recommend the Special Rapporteur to visit, including in rural areas outside major cities and islands?
Please also let us know if there are any other issues, specific questions or recommendations that you would like the Special Rapporteur to look into or raise with a particular authority while in the country.
OHCHR
