Workshop reports

Regional Workshop on Women and Minority Human Rights Defenders

Over 40 persons, from across the region (East and Horn of Africa) attended the three day regional workshop convened by the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) to discuss the experiences and challenges facing women and minority human rights defenders. The purpose of the workshop was to allow Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) and minority rights defenders (MRDs) to identify the challenges facing them and develop strategies to address these.  The workshop also provided an opportunity to expand the network as well as increase EHAHRDP’s sensitivity to gender issues in the implementation of its work in the region. The workshop was organized with support from the Finnish NGO Foundation for Human Rights (KIOS). Member countries of the East and Horn of Africa region have signed up to many international human rights treaties protecting
human rights and obliging the state to undertake its duties in upholding its citizen’s human rights.  There are also other non binding legal instruments that protect human rights defenders both internationally and regionally. These include the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders and the African Charter for Human and Peoples’ Rights. Report

Report of the Network's Strategic Planning Meeting

The report of the first Strategic Planning Meeting of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network held in April 2008 provides detailed proceedings and outcomes that will guide the work of the Network in the coming 2 years. The meeting brought together the Network’s designated country focal persons or their representatives and human rights defenders from Burundi and Rwanda in a bid to expand the Network. Each country provided account of the obstacles facing HRDs in a report that is included in the annex of the report.  
During the meeting, the discussions circled around the challenges of HRDs in the region, the evaluation of the Network’s performance and the Project’s ability to respond to the needs of HRDs. Further sessions were dedicated to the revision of the Plan of Action and development of future strategies for the Network to serve its members and fellow HRDs as best as possible.

English version

French version

Workshop for Kenyan Human Rights Defenders

EHAHRDP in association with its local partners in Nairobi, the Independent Medico Legal Unit (IMLU) organised a training workshop for Kenya human rights defenders from the 26th – 29th Novvember 2007 with support from International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), the Germany Embassy and the Ford Foundation under its mission to maximise the protection of defenders working in the sub-region and to enhance the awareness of human rights work through linkages with national, regional and international like-minded entities. The workshop brought together 40 human rights defenders from all over Kenya with the aim to:

1. Equip human rights defenders with skills in various fields that shall enable them to enhance the efficiency of their work and ensure better individual protection through improved personal capacities and familiarity of handling situations of crisis and threat.
2. Create a viable national coalition of HRDs in Kenya that will strengthen the voice of individual HRDs, provide protection in situations of immediate threat, be more efficient in lobbying policy and decision makers and mutually reinforce their work by efficient coordination and cooperation on national level.
3. Explore the potential of enhanced networking and collaboration between defenders, their national coalition and the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights for a better protection of human rights defenders and higher efficiency in human rights work.

Challenges like the lack of recognition of human rights defenders especially women human rights defenders and defenders protecting the rights of minority groups including sexual minorities; repeated arrests and harassments by government authorities; malicious prosecutions; and impunity and lack of redress on rights violations experienced by defenders constituted the need to hold a Human Rights Defenders Workshop seeking to maximise their protection in the current legal, political and social context in Kenya.
As a result of the deliberations among participants, the Kenya National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders was launched and it brings together eight regional and special interest networks from across the country.
The Nairobi Declaration calls upon all relevant stakeholders and most prominently the Government of Kenya to respect and promote the rights of human rights defenders as stipulated in the UN Declaration on human rights defenders and other international and regional instruments.
In its Plan of Action, the National Coalition spells out key strategies to respond to the difficult situations faced by Kenyan Human Rights Defenders.  EHAHRD-Net’s focal point IMLU was elected Chair of the National Coalition and the Declaration resolved a clear cohesion with the sub-regional EHAHRD-Net. Its Secretariat in Kampala will provide assistance in the formation and coordination of the coalition and believes in effective collaboration and mutual support in the protection of HRDs’ rights.

A report detaining proceedings and outcomes has been compiled and disseminated.

Human Rights Defenders working in areas of conflict

Recognising the challenges faced by human rights defenders particularly in the Eastern and Northern parts of Uganda, EHAHRDP organised a workshop between the 25th and 27th of June 2007 to address their plight.
The workshop under the theme “Working in Areas of Conflict” took place at the Sunset Hotel in Gulu, Northern Uganda, and was attended by at least 18 participants drawn from leading human rights organisations in those parts of the country.
The main objectives of this workshop were;

• To train human rights defenders on existing instruments for their protection, and thereby enhance their knowledge on procedures in case of violations;
• To train human rights defenders in security tactics appropriate under such adverse working conditions; and
• To collect views on human rights defenders’ needs for better protection and support, in order to communicate recommendations to relevant stakeholders for further action.

Participants were drawn from the districts of; Amuria, Gulu, Kitgum, Pader, Katakwi, Kumi, Kaabong, Lira, Moroto and Soroti, which have had a long history of conflict.

A report entitled Working in Areas of Conflict - A Workshop for Human Rights Defenders was compiled detailing proceedings and presentations made on issues such as security of human rights defenders, available protection mechanisms and advocacy tools available in the defense of human rights.

Journalist Conference for the East and Horn of Africa

The Journalists’ Conference for the East and Horn of Africa funded by the Finnish NGO Foundation for Human Rights (KIOS) was held from the 27th to 29th of November 2006 in Entebbe, Uganda. It attracted 34 participants from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Somaliland, Sudan including South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. EHAHRDP was able to win resource persons from Amnesty International, Article 19 (UK), Front Line (Ireland), Peace Brigades International – European Office (Belgium), and the Human Rights House Foundation/Network (Norway), among others.
The conference was organized to achieve the following objectives:

• Create and deepen awareness among journalists about human rights work especially in situations of armed conflict;
• Sensitise the journalists on political, legal and psycho-social challenges faced by HRDs on the frontline;
• Use the joint presence of journalists and HRDs to devise a strategy for cooperation and mutual support;
• Establish synergetic linkages between HRDs, their representatives and media houses and devise plans for regular exchange of information;
• Train journalists on existing instruments of HRD protection and thereby enhance their knowledge on procedures in case of their violation;
• Conceptualise plans on how to use media in advancing human rights and enhancing HRDs’ protection.

Presentations and discussions were held on the following topics:

• Risk Assessment and Security Management for HRDs
• International and Regional Instruments for Human Rights Defenders
• Ethics and Standards of Journalistic Reporting
• Media Work and Campaign Strategies for Human Rights Defenders

The report Journalists at the Frontline of Human Rights Defence provides summaries of the presentations and subsequent dicussions.

Human Rights Defenders Conference for the East and Horn of Africa

The conference organised by EHAHRDP and Amnesty International and entitled “Human Rights Defenders Conference for the East and Horn of Africa”  brought together more than 50 delegates from the sub-region of the East and Horn of Africa in November 2005.

The objectives of the conference were stated as;

• To examine the challenges HRDs are facing in East and Horn of Africa
• To provide training on regional and international instruments for protection
• To provide specialized trauma counseling and coping strategies for human rights  defenders, particularly those working under threat in a situation of armed conflict
• To provide training on risk assessment and security management
• To establish regional plans and networks for action to enhance the protection of human rights defenders and raise their profile

Participants were educated on their rights and trained in existing protection mechanisms and security tactics. Discussions evolved around developing a strategy of improved protection for human rights defenders which formed the basis for the creation of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network. Presentations and proceedings can be found in the report Defending the Defenders - A Human Rights Defenders Conference.

 

Resources

A resource book for human rights defenders entitled “Defending Human Rights: A Resource Book for Human Rights Defenders” was published in June 2007. The book features various articles relevant for the work and better protection of human rights defenders and is to constitute a reference manual for HRDs in their human rights work. Resource Book