Redefining the Risk Approach

Designing and implementing a human rights defender-centric approach to protection

We are proud to publish “Redefining the Risk Approach”, a publication about the Risk Analysis and Protection Plan Principles, otherwise known as the “Risk Approach Recommendations”.

The Risk Analysis and Protection Plan Principles are 21 concrete statements, which outline the most essential and foundational concepts behind implementing the risk approach for protection —from conducting a situated risk approach to building an effective protection plan.

These principles are meant to guide government officials —particularly those tasked with adopting public policy or involved in State protection mechanisms— as well as inform human rights defenders and organisations, providing them with a concrete reference of what they should expect from the State.

“Redefining the Risk Approach” is currently available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Arabic. If you would like to translate this publication and the Risk Analysis and Protection Plan Principles into another language, please let us know so that we can collaborate.

Ground-breaking Methodology with Room for Improvement

In 2005, researchers from Protection International first conceptualised the idea of applying the risk approach for human rights defenders (HRDs) and, subsequently, elaborated the first manual on this topic. Since then, the risk approach has become a cornerstone of protection strategies for HRDs all over the world. It is repeatedly used and considered by HRDs, the United Nations General Assembly, UN Special Rapporteurs, the Inter-American Commission and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, regional human rights organizations, as well as constitutional courts in various countries.

However, its simplicity, applicability, and indiscriminate use have also allowed for shortcomings and limitations. For example, conducting a risk analysis has become an objective in itself, as opposed to what it should be, which is merely a step towards creating an actual protection plan. In other words, in many situations a diagnosis is made, but no treatment is given.

In addition, some Protection Mechanisms provide HRDs with a “quantification of their level of risk” using arbitrary figures calculated within spreadsheets. This falsely reduces the complexity of reality into one-dimensional numbers that subsequently determine the action or inaction of the State. This lack of contextualisation, together with the absence of a gender and intersectional approach, have been flagged as some of the most pressing shortcomings of current risk analyses conducted by Protection Mechanisms that use the risk approach.

Redefining the Risk Approach in 2021 and Beyond

In celebration of the 15th anniversary of the first thematic manual, we wanted to take the opportunity to reflect critically on how this method has been applied in practice until now. Upon PI’s invitation, over 65 human rights defenders and experts from different countries and regions came together to craft a list of principles for “Redefining the Risk Approach”.

Human Rights advocates from topical NGOs, UN agencies, donors, academia and state protection mechanisms came together to agree on how to create risk analyses and protection plans that are empowering, situated, intersectional, and, ultimately, human rights defender-centric.

The ultimate goal was to produce a set of agreed-upon principles about risk analyses and protection plans for HRDs to be used as a reference and benchmark by HRDs, State and government officials, civil society, and all other key stakeholders contributing to the protection of HRDs. These principles are just the beginning, and over the coming years we will continue to research and develop new initiatives for ensuring the more effective adoption of these statements in practice as well as continually improving upon the statements themselves.

We highly encourage the human rights community to interpret these principles as ideal yet extremely achievable goals for any country they may be operating in. Advocating for these principles means advocating for inclusive, reasoned, and rights-based approach to protecting those that put their lives and well-being on the line for a better world for us all.