2021 was a year of regenerating so much of what was lost, put on hold or forgotten the year before with the Covid-19 pandemic. Priorities and plans have shifted and PBI, along with so many other organisations, has been reflecting on and adjusting our work to ensure that the protection we provide to human rights defenders (HRDs) across the world remains relevant and responds to their urgent needs.
“A picture is worth a thousand words” is an adage that we all know and it is one example of
PBI Kenya, together with other PBI entities and the members of the Social Justice Centres Working Group held a virtual speaker tour between 20th November to 10th Dec 2021. The speaker tour addressed the following issues with the UN officials, foreign governments, international NGOs, and fellow HRDs from other countries: violations of freedom of peaceful assembly, extrajudicial killings, the 2022 general elections and the safety of HRDs.
40 years ago, in 1981, a group of international activists came together to create a movement for peace, solidarity and non-violent action. While our core mission remains the same, we have adapted our tactics to ensure defenders are protected despite the rapidly changing global context and ever-evolving risks and threats they face. 40 years on, PBI remains convinced of the vital role HRDs play in strengthening democracy, upholding the rule of law, and protecting our shared environment. Together, through their protection, we can create a more peaceful and just world.
PBI Kenya began the year on a high note, by continuing to supporting the work of the HRDs of the Social Justice Centres in Kenya through a new project titled ‘Raising the voice, visibility and effectiveness of the human rights movement in Kenya’. This follows after the successful completion of the pilot project ‘Increased capacities, stronger networks’. Both are supported with German Federal Foreign Office’s funds by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Funding Programme zivik.
During November and December PBI organised a ‘Virtual Speaker Tour’, comprising of webinars, media engagement and meetings with the international community. The virtual nature of the Speaker Tour was necessitated by the global Covid-19 pandemic, which made international travel problematic.
On September 30, Peace Brigades International-Switzerland Advocacy Coordinator Kim-Mai Vu presented on the human rights situation in Kenya during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) general debate at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
She stated:
“We welcome the important contributions to the UPR of Kenya.
On 17 August, representatives from PBI Kenya and the Social Justice Centres Working Group had a meeting with Peace Cop Kenya to discuss the security concerns of communities, community dialogues, and the relationship between the police and community members in Nairobi’s urban settlements. Read this article, courtesy of PBI Canada, for more information.
The article “UK Lockdown in Perspective: Kenya and Honduras”, by Georgina Pressdee for the UK Country Group of PBI, addresses lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya, Honduras, and the United Kingdom.
Read the full article here.
‘Increased capacities, stronger networks - a pilot project in supporting Social Justice Center Working Group’s members in Nairobi’s urban settlements’ is a project supported with German Federal Foreign Office’s funds by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Funding Programme zivik. This project, that will run from April to December 2020, will build on the results of the Ushirikiano Mwema kwa Usalama project.