freedoms. Furthermore, they committed to fulfilling their obligations as set forth in the international declarations and agreements in this field, including, inter alia, the International Covenants on Human Rights, which comprises the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).9 3. The present Guidelines do not set new standards for a specific group of individuals but, rather, reaffirm the rights set out in international human rights instruments and OSCE commitments, which are instrumental for the exercise of the right to defend human rights. They aim at providing guidance on measures that participating States can take to ensure compliance with their obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the rights that human rights defenders are entitled to, and to ensure that human rights defenders can freely exercise their right to defend human rights. Who is a human rights defender? 4. Article 1 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders reaffirms that “[e]veryone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”. Moreover, both the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council have reaffirmed the important role of human rights defenders at the local, national, regional and international levels.10 5. In accordance with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the term “human rights defender” is understood to include anyone who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights, regardless of their profession or other status. 6. The key characteristic that defines human rights defenders is not who they are but what they do and the principles they stand for. Some human rights defenders work for the protection of all human rights; others work on specific human rights issues or the human rights of a particular group, for example, women’s rights, the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, the 9  See Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, Helsinki 1975, “Questions Relating to Security in Europe, 1.(a) Declaration on Principles Guiding Relations between Participating States”, principle VII. All OSCE participating States, except the Holy See, have ratified the ICCPR and almost all of them – apart from Andorra, the Holy See and the USA – also the ICESCR. In addition, all participating States are parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). Most of them have also ratified several of the other international core human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Furthermore, the 47 participating States that are also members of the Council of Europe are also bound by the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). Participating States that are signatories to the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR) are obliged to refrain from acts which would defeat the object and purpose of the treaty. 10  See UNGA Resolution, “Promotion of the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: protecting women human rights defenders”, UN Doc. A/RES/68/181, adopted on 18 December 2013, preambular para. 6; and UN Human Rights Council Resolution, “Protecting human rights defenders”, UN Doc. A/HRC/RES/22/6, adopted on 21 March 2013, preambular para. 8. 24 Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders