GENEVA – The Marshall Islands has long demonstrated a commitment not only to human rights, but also to the people and organisations that defend them, a UN expert* said today.
“Marshallese people have acted collectively across generations not only to end their own suffering, but also to prevent others around the world from enduring similar harms,” said Andrea Bolaños Vargas, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, in a statement at the conclusion of her official visit to the country.
“A distinctive feature of the work of human rights defenders in the Marshall Islands is their ability to focus their efforts on grassroots communities, engaging them to work together on collectively improving their own conditions,” the expert said.
Confronted with unimaginable challenges that have profoundly affected and at times threatened their physical and cultural survival, human rights defenders have mobilised internationally to seek recognition of the harms caused by the nuclear legacy and climate change, including their lasting impacts on their right to health, land, food, and traditional customs and culture.
“The psychological, emotional and mental health consequences of this intergenerational harm, compounded by the exhaustion experienced by human rights defenders whose claims have often been insufficiently acknowledged and addressed, have had a profound impact on their ability to defend their rights in the country,” said Bolaños Vargas.
The Marshall Islands has an active civil society working to defend the rights of women, children and youth and persons with disabilities, expose corruption, and promote the rights to health, education and a healthy environment.
“While the Government is generally open and supportive to human rights work, some obstacles to the exercise of the right to promote, defend and protect human rights remain,” the Special Rapporteur said.
“Human rights defenders cannot fully exercise this right and carry out their important work without adequate resources, funding, information and capacity,” said Bolaños Vargas. These challenges are particularly acute in the outer atolls, where geographic isolation, transportation barriers and limited access to services exacerbate them.
Transportation, funding and communication, particularly in the outer atolls, are among the main challenges faced by defenders of persons with disabilities, often leading to emotional and physical exhaustion.
“I am also concerned about the targeting through threats and harassment of women and organisations working to protect and promote women’s rights and assisting victims of violence against women”, said the Special Rapporteur. “Despite good cooperation with the Government, women human rights defenders remain exposed to risks, including due to cultural and gender-related barriers.”
“I also received very concerning information about reprisals against defenders exposing corruption practices.”
The Special Rapporteur encountered significant difficulties in identifying human rights defenders openly working on LGBTIQ+ rights. “Prevailing social attitudes and widespread prejudice against LGBTIQ+ persons appear to limit the visibility of, and space available for, individuals and organisations defending their rights,” Bolaños Vargas said.
The Special Rapporteur stressed that ensuring access to truth, justice and reparation, through transparency, participation, accountability and effective remedies, remains essential both for addressing the continuing impacts of the nuclear legacy and creating a safe and enabling environment in which Marshallese people can continue defending their rights and pursuing justice across generations.
“Defenders promoting the rights of victims of the nuclear legacy cannot achieve their work without full disclosure of information related to the nuclear testing,” she said.
The Special Rapporteur will present her report to the Human Rights Council in March 2027.
