Canada calls on Honduras to strengthen its Protection Mechanism for human rights defenders at UPR intervention at the UN in Geneva
Video still of Canada presenting during the UPR of Honduras, November 7, 2025.
On November 7, Canada commented on the protection needs of human rights defenders in Honduras during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Honduras at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The UN has explained: “The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique mechanism of the Human Rights Council that calls for each UN Member State to undergo a peer review of its human rights records every 4.5 years.”
Speaking on behalf of Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, Joseph Flores Ayala stated:
“Canada recommends that Honduras fully implement the National Protection Mechanism by establishing robust accountability measures for state authorities who fail to provide adequate protection to human rights defenders, including Indigenous rights defenders, environmental rights defenders, and journalists.”
The video of that intervention starts at the 01:47:23 mark here.
The text of the full intervention by Canada can be read below.
We note that interventions were also made by Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Cameroon, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, and Berta Otilia Oliva Guifarro, Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH), during this review.
Video still (starting at the 50:51 mark) of Berta Oliva from COFADEH.
At this time, PBI-Canada draws attention to two situations that relate to Canada’s intervention at the United Nations Human Rights Council:
1. The Municipal Committee in Tocoa
On November 3, just a few days before the intervention by Canada at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Criterio.hn published an open letter signed by several organizations including Bufete Justicia para los Pueblos and the Comité Municipal de Defensa de los Bienes Comunes y Públicos de Tocoa that states:
“Two years after the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted Precautionary Measure No. 137-23 in favor of members of the Municipal Committee for the Defense of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa and the Justice for the Peoples Law Firm in Honduras, the State of Honduras has not complied with the effective implementation, comprehensive and collective measures. … The murder of Juan López, a renowned human rights and environmental defender and beneficiary of this measure at the time of his death in September 2024, shows the tragic consequences of the lack of a comprehensive state response.”
Photo: PBI-Honduras and PBI-Canada visited Tocoa and Guapinol on October 30, 2024.
2. Mabel Robledo in Nueva Armenia
On the same day as Canada’s intervention at the UN, Criterio.hn reported: “On November 7, the deadline granted by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Corte IDH) to the State of Honduras for reporting on the provisional measures adopted to protect the life, integrity, and personal safety of Mabel Robledo, a Garifuna leader, expires.”
For more context on this, please see our article: PBI-Canada notes international court’s ruling that Honduras provide protection measures for Mabel Robledo, report by November 7 (October 29, 2025).
Photo: PBI-Honduras and PBI-Canada with Mabel Robledo in Nueva Armenia on Garifuna territory in Honduras, October 31, 2024.
We continue to follow this.
Intervention by Canada at the UPR for Honduras
Thank you, Mister President.
Canada thanks Honduras for its participation in the Universal Periodic Review. We welcome the positive steps taken by Honduras toward eliminating violence against women and girls, supporting survivors of intimate partner violence, promoting safe and dignified human mobility, and the reintegration of returnees.
Canada recommends that Honduras:
- Fully implement the National Protection Mechanism by establishing robust accountability measures for state authorities who fail to provide adequate protection to human rights defenders, including Indigenous rights defenders, environmental rights defenders, and journalists.
- Strengthen enforcement of Article 118-A of the Penal Code, which defines and penalizes femicide, by improving prevention, investigation, and prosecution of gender-based violence.
- Enhance the independence and integrity of the justice system by establishing a transparent judicial appointment process in line with the UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary.
Advance questions
- What concrete measures is Honduras implementing to demilitarize its prison system and broader public security structures, in accordance with international human rights standards and recommendations from treaty bodies, including the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture?
- Could Honduras elaborate on efforts to strengthen the National Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders, particularly regarding its independence, effectiveness, and accessibility for those working in high-risk areas such as land, environmental, and Indigenous rights?
