ENERGIES 2050, together with Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF France) and FIACAT, is organising a webinar on 24 March 2026 at 14:00 GMT+1 dedicated to the challenges of protecting human rights defenders, as part of their shared commitment within Francophone civil society and their contributions to the work of the COING of the OIF. The webinar will be held in French.
This webinar forms part of the work of Commission B of the COING (Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations) of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), of which the partner organisations are members. Commission B of the COING focuses on issues related to peace, democracy and human rights.
Created in 2005 and established by the Charter of La Francophonie, the COING is a platform for dialogue and cooperation that brings together Francophone civil society organisations accredited to the OIF. Structured around five thematic commissions, it contributes to promoting reflections and proposals on global issues, in connection with the actions and programmes of La Francophonie.
This webinar aims to highlight the challenges faced by human rights defenders in many contexts around the world.
Human rights defenders play a key role in protecting fundamental freedoms, promoting the rule of law and defending the environment. Yet they often face pressure, threats and significant risks in carrying out their activities.
This webinar will bring together expert analyses, field testimonies and collective reflections in order to identify concrete avenues for action aimed at strengthening the protection, security and impact of these essential actors of civil society.
ENERGIES 2050 has long been engaged in promoting governance, citizen participation and the defence of fundamental rights in the context of environmental and societal transitions, particularly with regard to climate justice and the recognition of the rights of Indigenous peoples. It contributes to these reflections by fostering dialogue between civil society actors, institutions and local communities.
ENERGIES 2050, which has been working for several years alongside organisations representing Indigenous peoples in different regions of the world and is actively committed to climate justice and the recognition of their rights, has invited its partner ADELIPO (Action de Développement pour la promotion des droits humains et la gestion de l’Intérêt des Pygmées Originaires de la République démocratique du Congo) to take part in the webinar. Justin Masumbuko Shamutwa, founder and general coordinator of the organisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, will share a testimony on the situation of Pygmy Indigenous peoples and the challenges they face, particularly in terms of recognition of their rights and protection of their territories, while also addressing the consequences of the conflict currently affecting eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in the areas where these communities live near the border with Rwanda.
The discussion will bring together several international speakers engaged in the defence of human rights, including:
- Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders
- Flora Stevens, Head of the Protection Unit at AEDH
- Justin Masumbuko Shamutwa, Founder and General Coordinator of ADELIPO (DRC)
- Anitha Gateretse, Coordinator of ACAT Burundi
- Me Zuhaier Mardini, Lawyer and Founder of ASF Middle East
- Stéphane POUFFARY, Director General of ENERGIES 2050
Moderation: Guillaume Colin, Executive Director of FIACAT
Through this initiative, the partner organisations aim to open a space for dialogue and collective reflection in order to better understand the realities faced by human rights defenders and to identify concrete actions to strengthen their protection and their capacity to act.
