Comissão Arns

What Comissão Arns does

Comissão Arns (legal name: Comissão de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns) is a Brazilian non-profit civil society organization founded in January 2019 in São Paulo and named after Cardinal Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns, a notable figure in the resistance to Brazil's military dictatorship. The organization is composed of jurists, intellectuals, journalists, activists, and volunteers who work voluntarily and non-partisanly in defense of human rights, particularly against violations committed by State agents against discriminated populations including Black, indigenous, LGBTQIA+, women, youth, and communities in extreme poverty. Its core activities include issuing public notes, participating in legal proceedings as amicus curiae before the Supreme Federal Court (STF), submitting complaints to international bodies (UN Human Rights Council, OAS), and coordinating advocacy campaigns through a network of thousands of human rights defenders across Brazil.

The organization does not develop or sell technology products; its value proposition rests entirely on the legal, academic, and journalistic credentials of its members and on its institutional access to domestic and international human rights mechanisms. It operates with a small paid staff of approximately 10-15 people (executive secretary, digital media, web development, press consultancy through kubix Estratégia e Comunicação) while the vast majority of its members contribute pro bono. Revenue is derived solely from voluntary contributions, and specific financial figures are not publicly disclosed. Notable operational milestones include 80+ public notes since 2019, participation in STF amicus curiae cases on the Lei da Anistia, joint complaints to the UN on indigenous rights, and receipt of the Prêmio Innovare 2023 for actions in defense of democracy.

Name

Comissão Arns

Legal name

Comissão de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns

Website

https://comissaoarns.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Comissão Arns is a Brazilian non-profit civil society organization founded in 2019 in São Paulo that defends human rights through a volunteer network of jurists, academics, and activists. It serves victims of state violence, indigenous peoples, Black, LGBTQIA+, and youth populations across Brazil.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Human rights advocacy
• Civil society organization
• Public interest litigation
• Social justice advocacy
• Human rights defense

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Voluntary contributions and civil society support: As a non-profit civil society organization, Comissão Arns operates through voluntary contributions from its members and supporters. The organization does not charge for services and relies on the commitment of jurists, intellectuals, journalists, and activists who contribute their time and expertise pro bono.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Comissão Arns is a nonprofit civil society organization that provides human rights advocacy services in Brazil. Its core offering consists of public advocacy through public notes and manifestos, legal advocacy via participation as amicus curiae before the Supreme Federal Court, international advocacy through submissions to UN and OAS human rights bodies, and coordination with a national network of human rights defenders. The organization works on issues including structural racism, police lethality, indigenous rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, child and adolescent protection, and democracy defense.

Product overview

Comissão Arns (Comissão de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns) is a civil society organization focused on human rights defense, not a technology product company. The organization publishes annual reports, public notes, blog articles, and maintains a website to advocate for human rights in Brazil. It does not offer commercial technology products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Advocacy (Amicus Curiae Participation)
• International Human Rights Advocacy
• Public Notes and Manifestos

Quantifiable outcome

• 86.3% of police violence victims are Black - Commission documents and denounces these statistics
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UN Human Rights CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2020Comissão Arns participates in international human rights advocacy through the UN Human Rights Council, submitting complaints about indigenous rights violations in Brazil. Collaborated with Davi Kopenawa Yanomami's testimony at the 43rd Session in Geneva.
• Socio-environmental Institute (ISA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Partnered with the Socio-environmental Institute to bring Yanomami leader Davi Kopenawa's testimony to the UN Human Rights Council regarding violations of indigenous rights.
• Conectas Direitos HumanoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Collaborated with Conectas to submit joint complaints to the UN Human Rights Council regarding the situation of indigenous peoples in Brazil.
• BNDESminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted the seminar 'Democracy and Human Rights: Companies Together for a More Equal Brazil' with BNDES, FGV Law School, and other partners in December 2025.
• Instituto EthosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Instituto Ethos for the seminar on corporate commitment to human rights and democracy in Brazil.
• FGV Direito SPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with Getulio Vargas Foundation Law School in São Paulo, where several commission members teach and which serves as a venue for events and joint initiatives.
• CNBB (National Conference of Bishops of Brazil)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong partnership with CNBB on joint public notes regarding labor rights, indigenous rights, and democratic values. Issued joint statements supporting each other's positions on social justice issues.
• Fundo Brasil de Direitos HumanosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConselho (Board) member of Fundo Brasil de Direitos Humanos, a Brazilian human rights fund that supports civil society organizations.
• kubix Estratégia e ComunicaçãominorOthersPress consultancy firm providing communication and media relations support to the commission.
• Bharati FilmesminorOthersProduction company responsible for annual report production.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT): Brazilian Catholic pastoral organization defending rural workers, indigenous peoples, and Quilombola communities; a peer that shares Comissão Arns's structural focus on state violence against marginalized populations in Brazil.
• Movimento Negro Unificado (MNU): Brazilian Black civil rights movement focused on anti-racism and confronting police lethality against Black Brazilians; a peer that intersects directly with Comissão Arns's documented 86.3% Black-victim police-violence statistic and shared advocacy themes.
• Instituto Ethos: Brazilian organization promoting corporate social responsibility and human rights in business; partnered with Comissão Arns on seminars linking corporate conduct to democratic and human rights outcomes.
• Instituto Socioambiental (ISA): Brazilian NGO working on indigenous rights and environmental defense; partnered with Comissão Arns to bring Yanomami leader Davi Kopenawa's testimony before the UN Human Rights Council.
• Artigo 19: Brazilian affiliate of the international Artigo 19 organization, focused on freedom of expression, digital rights, and access to information; a peer in civil society human rights advocacy using legal and public campaigning tools.
• Fundo Brasil de Direitos Humanos: Brazilian human rights fund that supports civil society organizations; Comissão Arns sits on its board, making it both a funder-ally and a structural peer in the Brazilian human rights ecosystem.
• Conectas Direitos Humanos: Brazilian human rights NGO focused on international advocacy and accountability; a direct operational peer that has collaborated with Comissão Arns on joint UN HRC complaints regarding indigenous peoples.

Regional players

• Centro de Estudos Legais e Sociais (CELS): Argentina-based human rights and social justice organization with a comparable model of strategic litigation, public advocacy, and amicus participation; a regional peer addressing similar state-violence and discrimination themes.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch (Brazil): Global human rights organization with active Brazil coverage on police violence, indigenous rights, and democracy; broader incumbent with greater funding but less domestic legal-proceeding engagement than Comissão Arns.
• Amnesty International Brasil: Brazilian section of the global human rights movement; broader incumbent with overlapping mandates on police lethality, indigenous rights, and discrimination, though operating through a global advocacy framework rather than a domestic volunteer commission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/comissaoarns
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXoQgPFtQcaExQ8hzLgexrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ComissaoArns
• Instagraminstagram.com/comissaoarns

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Comissão Arns