Andrea Bolaños Vargas has been appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. At a time of rising repression against feminist movements and women activists, her mandate matters more than ever.
A Colombian national and political science graduate, Andrea Bolaños Vargas brings extensive experience in the field of human rights. She has served prominently as a researcher and advisor to UN agencies, regional bodies, and international, regional, and local civil society organizations across Latin America. Her work focuses specifically on critical issues related to migration, gender, and the comprehensive protection of human rights.
Bolaños Vargas will be the fifth UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders since the creation of this mandate in 2000. Previous rapporteurs include: Hina Jilani (Pakistan, 2000-2008); Margaret Sekaggya (Uganda, 2008-2014); Michel Forst (France, 2014-2020); and Mary Lawlor (Ireland, 2020-2026).
The global landscape of human rights is currently defined by a dangerous paradox. While progressive legal frameworks exist on paper, the reality on the ground is increasingly characterized by impunity and democratic regression. Across the African continent and the world, civic space is shrinking, and legitimate dissent is being heavily criminalized. We are witnessing a “judicial coup” in many nations, where the instruments of law—such as vague anti-terrorism and cybercrime bills—are weaponized against the very women who are fighting to protect our communities.
This mandate is particularly crucial for Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs). Women who defend human rights face a unique and severe dual threat: they are attacked for their activism and targeted because of their gender. They routinely face state-sanctioned violence, sexual assault, and vicious smear campaigns designed to dismiss them as “culturally deviant” and strip them of their community support. In this climate of heightened, gender-based repression, the role of the UN Special Rapporteur is not just symbolic; it must be a vital shield against impunity for WHRDs.
“The appointment of Andrea Bolaños Vargas comes at a critical juncture for civil society in Africa and globally,” said AGUEH Dossi Sekonnou Gloria, RFLD Africa Director. “Women Human Rights Defenders are facing unprecedented attacks, not just for the causes they champion, but simply for being women who dare to speak out and challenge patriarchal systems. We look forward to working closely with her mandate to ensure that the voices of grassroots feminist activists are fiercely protected and amplified on the international stage.”
The Network of Women Leaders for Development (RFLD) operates on the frontline of protecting these women. We do not simply observe; we intervene. By providing emergency sanctuary, legal defense, and bridging the gap between grassroots feminist activism and high-level international justice mechanisms, we see firsthand the immense courage it takes for women to speak truth to power today.
As an organization holding Observer Status at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), RFLD proudly serves on the ACHPR Support Group to the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and Focal Point on Reprisals in Africa. In this capacity, our mandate includes promoting and monitoring the effective implementation of the Guidelines on Freedom of Association and Assembly in Africa—freedoms that are disproportionately denied to women’s rights groups.
RFLD also takes this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to the outgoing UN Special Rapporteur, Mary Lawlor, for her tireless leadership and unwavering commitment to human rights defenders throughout her six-year mandate.
Because we understand the critical weight of these protective frameworks for WHRDs, RFLD warmly welcomes the appointment of Andrea Bolaños Vargas. We stand ready to collaborate with her office to ensure that evidence of gender-specific violations is brought to light, and that the women who dare to defend our fundamental freedoms are themselves fiercely defended.
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it only bends towards justice when we actively pull it. Today, Women Human Rights Defenders have a new, critical voice to help us pull.
