On July 11, 2025, Mozambique marked a historic milestone for the protection of human rights with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) and the Mozambican Human Rights Defenders Network (RMDDH). This agreement formally establishes the country’s first-ever Human Rights Defenders Desk within the CNDH, launching a new chapter in institutional commitment to the protection of those who defend human dignity.
This achievement stems from a process initiated with support from the European Union under the BRIC project – Building Resilience, Inclusiveness and Capacity of Human Rights Defenders in Mozambique. In April 2024, a strategic training session brought together defenders, magistrates, and civil society actors to discuss the role of national institutions in protecting HRDs. The workshop resulted in a clear and urgent recommendation: to establish a permanent institutional mechanism — a dedicated “Desk” to protect defenders.
