Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains

What Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains does

The Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH) is a non-governmental, non-profit coalition founded approximately in 2008 and headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It functions as a coordination body for 29 member human rights organizations, providing collective advocacy, monitoring, and protection services for individual human rights defenders operating in Côte d'Ivoire and, increasingly, across West Africa. Its core service portfolio comprises defender training and capacity building (on physical and digital security, legal frameworks, and the Ivorian Law No. 2014-388), protection and rapid response to threats against defenders, monitoring and documentation of violations, advocacy with national (CNDH-CI), regional (African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, ROADDH), and international (UN OHCHR, UPR) mechanisms, and a portfolio of educational publications including the Guide des DDH and the DDH Infos Magazine. Specialized programs include the AfricanDefenders-coordinated Ubuntu Hub Cities relocation initiative and the Académie des Défenseurs des Droits Humains capacity-building platform (formalized in 2025 from the 2015 'Café des Droits de l'Homme'). CIDDH also coordinates GTLD-CI, a counter-disinformation working group partnered with NDI and funded by NED.

The organization's business model is exclusively grant-funded, with no commercial revenue stream. Major funders include AfricanDefenders, DefendDefenders, CSO LifeLine, Protection International, ProtectDefenders EU, Foundation for a Just Society, National Endowment for Democracy, OSIWA, Brot für die Welt, Irish Aid, and AEDH. There is no commercial pricing; services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries. Operations are lean — 5 employees with a single Abidjan office — and field activity extends across Ivorian cities (Abidjan, Duekoué, Yamoussoukro, Daloa, Toumodi, Abengourou) as well as regionally through co-execution with CBDDH (Burkina Faso) and the West African ROADDH network. GTM motion is community-led: convening and mobilizing the 29-member coalition and the broader defender ecosystem rather than traditional sales. CIDDH's documented influence includes contributing to the adoption of Ivorian ministerial order No. 972/MJDH/MEMD/MIS of November 10, 2021 establishing a national protection mechanism for defenders, and the 2024 launch of a regional FDDH movement.

Name

Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains

Legal name

Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains

Website

https://ci-ddh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CIDDH is a non-profit coalition of 29 Ivorian human rights organizations, founded circa 2008 in Abidjan, that protects and trains individual human rights defenders through advocacy, monitoring, and capacity-building funded by international donors across West Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Advocacy & Defender Protection Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Government Accountability, Ethics & Anti-Corruption Advocacy (BPAGAFAN), Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ)

Keywords

• Human rights advocacy
• Defender protection services
• Civil society coalition
• Capacity building training
• Rights monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Abidjan Cocody

HQ country

Côte d’Ivoire

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Project Funding: CIDDH operates as a non-profit coalition funded primarily through project grants and funding from international human rights organizations, foundations, and donors. Major funders include AfricanDefenders, DefendDefenders, CSO LifeLine, Protection International, ProtectDefenders EU, Foundation for a Just Society, National Endowment for Democracy, OSIWA, Brot für die Welt, and Irish Aid. Revenue is programmatic rather than commercial.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CIDDH is a coalition of 29 Ivorian human rights organizations that provides free protection, capacity-building, monitoring, and advocacy services to human rights defenders in Côte d'Ivoire. Its core offerings include physical and digital security training, legal awareness under Law No. 2014-388, emergency response for at-risk defenders, documentation of violations, and advocacy before the African Commission and UN mechanisms. The coalition also coordinates the Ubuntu Hub Cities relocation program and the Académie des Défenseurs des Droits Humains.

Product overview

The Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH) is a coalition of 29 member organizations dedicated to protecting and defending human rights defenders in Côte d'Ivoire. The organization offers a portfolio of services including training and capacity building on physical and digital security, protection and advocacy for defenders at risk, monitoring of human rights violations, and regional/international advocacy through African and UN mechanisms. Key programs include the Ubuntu Hub Cities initiative for defender relocation, the Human Rights Defenders Academy (formerly Café des Droits de l'Homme), and various publications including guides, bulletins, and newsletters. The organization operates with 16 years of experience and has completed 25 projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Formation et sensibilisation (Training and Awareness) Training programs for human rights defenders in Côte d'Ivoire covering physical security, digital security, legal protection frameworks (including Law No. 2014-388), and rights awareness. Delivered through in-person workshops across Abidjan, Duekoué, Yamoussoukro, Daloa, Toumodi, and Abengourou.
• Protection des Défenseurs des Droits Humains Direct protection services and emergency advocacy for at-risk human rights defenders in Côte d'Ivoire, including rapid response to attacks, legal support, and coordination with relocation mechanisms.
• Monitoring of Human Rights Violations Systematic documentation and monitoring of human rights violations and cases affecting defenders in Côte d'Ivoire, including during election crises and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Plaidoyer et Lobbying (Advocacy) Advocacy activities targeting African regional mechanisms (African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights) and UN mechanisms (Universal Periodic Review) for the protection of human rights defenders.
• Initiative Ubuntu Hub Cities Relocation program for high-risk human rights defenders within Africa, coordinated through the AfricanDefenders network to provide safer host locations across the continent.
• Académie des Défenseurs des Droits Humains Capacity-building academy for human rights defenders covering human rights principles, defenders' rights, and international human rights mechanisms.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lumière Synergie pour le Développement (LSD)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2024LSD partnered with CIDDH on BAD-funded projects related to environmental safeguards and resettlement policies, including joint research and community engagement on development impacts.
• Coalition Burkinabè des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CBDDH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2023CBDDH co-executes the regional FDDH protection project with CIDDH, including sessions in Grand-Bassam, and collaborative advocacy for women defenders in West Africa.
• UN Haut-Commissariat aux Droits de l'Homme - Bureau Régional pour l'Afrique de l'OuestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 August 2023UN OHCHR regional office partnered with the Ivorian Ministry of Justice to organize the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights workshop, where CIDDH participated.
• DefendDefenderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2023DefendDefenders co-organized the 2023 AfricanDefenders Convention in Bishoftu, Ethiopia. CIDDH participates in the Steering Committee and Ubuntu Hub Cities coordination.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2022NDI initiated the disinformation counter-program in Côte d'Ivoire and provides technical support to the GTLD-CI working group led by CIDDH. The partnership includes regional media workshops.
• International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2021ISHR provided technical and financial support for the development of the draft inter-ministerial order on protection mechanism for human rights defenders. The partnership includes advocacy support at the African Commission and UN Human Rights Council.
• Réseau Ouest Africain des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (ROADDH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2021ROADDH is the regional network partner for West African human rights defenders. CIDDH participates as a member and co-implements regional programs on FDDH protection, Hub Cities initiative, and defender advocacy with ROADDH.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network): Continental-level network of which CIDDH is an active participant in the Steering Committee. Directly comparable in mission (protecting human rights defenders across Africa) and CIDDH specifically contributes to the Ubuntu Hub Cities initiative under this network.
• DefendDefenders: East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network. Directly comparable in mandate (capacity building, protection, advocacy for HRDs) and has co-funded CIDDH programs, making it both a peer and a partner with overlapping programmatic focus.
• International Service for Human Rights (ISHR): Global organization supporting human rights defenders engaging with UN and African mechanisms. Directly comparable in advocacy at international human rights mechanisms, with which CIDDH has had mutual strategic partnerships for legislative advocacy.
• Coalition Burkinabè des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CBDDH): Coalition of human rights defenders in Burkina Faso with near-identical structure and mission to CIDDH. Directly comparable as a national coalition of HRD organizations and has co-implemented regional FDDH projects with CIDDH.
• Protection International: International organization specialized in the protection of human rights defenders. Directly comparable in training, protection, and advocacy services, and has actively funded CIDDH protection projects in Côte d'Ivoire.
• Réseau Ouest Africain des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (ROADDH): Regional West African network of which CIDDH is a member and co-implementer. Directly comparable as a coalition of human rights defender organizations operating across the same geography with similar protection, training, and advocacy mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Front Line Defenders: Established international organization with global mandate to protect human rights defenders. Comparable in core service (physical/digital security training, protection grants, advocacy) but operates at a larger scale and global scope rather than regionally concentrated.
• Conseil National des Droits de l'Homme de Côte d'Ivoire (CNDH-CI): National statutory human rights institution of Côte d'Ivoire. Related to CIDDH's work on the Ivorian protection law implementation and has partnered with CIDDH on consultation workshops, though it operates as a state-mandated body rather than an independent coalition.
• Amnesty International Côte d'Ivoire: Local presence of a major international human rights organization operating in Côte d'Ivoire. Comparable in human rights monitoring and advocacy mission but at much larger scale and with broader thematic scope beyond defender protection.

Regional players

• Ligue Ivoirienne des Droits de l'Homme (LIDHO): Ivorian human rights league operating in Côte d'Ivoire with a broader human rights mandate than CIDDH. Comparable as a domestic civil society actor but with a different focus on general human rights promotion rather than defender-specific protection.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ciddh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains