The process of democratization in the Global “South” (among
developing countries) has increased citizen expectations for the respect
of fundamental human rights.
Civil society organizations, from the South, need to develop a more
powerful collective voice, by overcoming three main challenges:
- the isolation of human rights practitioners from the South who rely
greatly on the learning and experiences of institutions from the “North”
are not always applicable to the context and conditions in developing
countries;
- the fragmentation of the human rights movement along regional and
thematic lines, as a result of which, the promotion of the rights of
women and indigenous people are, at times, not seen as a priority;
- the divide between the academic world and the practitioners, which
hinders ability of groups from the South to consolidate their influence
and build a sustainable movement.
With the support of UNDEF since April 2007, “Conectas Human Rights”,
a trans-regional human rights NGO, headquartered in Brazil, has been
developing a two year initiative aimed at increasing the impact of human
rights activists and scholars working in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
With its mission to literally “connect” groups throughout
the South, Conectas has rolled out a set of activities based on a 3
level strategy: capacity-building, knowledge development and joint advocacy.
The project has been successfully investing in two main activities:
a) the International human rights Colloquium
b) the international journal on human rights entitled “SUR”
The Colloquium is the starting point, offering intensive training and
open space for sharing experiences and best practices among participants.
The Colloquium also brings together academics and practitioners who
get to know each other and often develop common initiatives. The SUR
Journal benefits from this exchange and reflects innovative practices
developed inside and outside the Colloquium. In the same way, the networks
formed by the participants create the conditions for continuing and
developing the exchanges into joint advocacy activities.
a) the International human rights Colloquium
1. Objectives
The objective of the international human rights Colloquium is to encourage
human rights activists to take on a growing role in the promotion of
human rights through a set of capacity-building activities including:
- the exchange of comparative experiences and expertise
- information sharing on the latest developments in the field
- professional skills acquisition
- learning how to navigate the UN system for advancing human rights
protection
- laying the foundation for future collaborations and alliances.
2. Activities
The November 2007 Colloquium on the theme “Strengthening human
rights in the South” brought together, 56 participants from 27
countries, 24 speakers and 20 volunteers.
The Colloquium is different from other human rights courses because
it combines capacity-building through lectures and readings with peer-learning
through the exchange of experiences among participants, speakers and
organizers.
2.1. Methodology
The one week event is the result of a year-long preparation. For the
first time in 2007, a questionnaire was sent to the 2006 participants,
including questions regarding the concrete use of the knowledge gained
at the Colloquium.
2.2. Selection of participants
The call for application was launched electronically in July 2007 to
members of Conectas. Out of 370 applications, 60 participants were selected.
The profile of the participants is that of a human rights practitioner
with 2 to 5 years work experience in a reputable organization from a
country in the South, who is in a position to achieve a multiplier effect
at home. Conectas seeks applications from women, encourages racial diversity
and gives priority to ethnic minorities and other under-represented
communities.
2.3. Preparatory readings
During the month preceding the Colloquium, participants are asked to
analyze a thematic issue and draft a note which will contribute to the
presentation of the speaker.
2.4. Program
The one-week program combined lectures by experts with intensive peer-learning
activities – working groups on human rights litigation, workshops
on planning and fundraising, field visits to NGOs based in Sao Paulo
and a free exchange of ideas through the “Open Space Forum”
in the afternoons.
The 5 main issues addressed by the program were:
- The participation of Southern NGOs in the international arena, in
particular regarding the UN Human Rights Council
- Using Law for social change
- The introduction of recent instruments of human rights protection
- The organization of an advocacy campaign
- The acquisition of professional skills and know-how to ensure the
sustainability of civil society organizations in the South.
2.5. Innovations
The 2007 Colloquium introduced 2 new methodologies:
- The regional presentations by participants on the main human rights
issues in their regions
- The Human Rights Council simulation for which participants were divided
into 3 groups, pretending to represent Member States, NGOs, UN Secretariat
and accredited observers. Participants have appreciated this simulation,
underlining that “the living experience of a debate in the human
rights council teaches more than a speech on the topic”.
2.6. Collective political action
Encouraged to undertake a collective initiative, participants sent an
open statement in support of the process of democracy restoration in
Pakistan to Permanent Missions in Geneva, to the President of the Human
Rights Council, to media and human rights networks.
b) the “SUR”- International Journal on Human Rights
1. Objective
The SUR Journal was launched in 2004 to provide a communication channel
for academics and activists dedicated to the promotion and defense of
human rights, with special emphasis on specific problems of the Global
South. It was created to give voice to authors from the South and to
provide an intellectual arena where Northern and Southern perspectives
could be critically analyzed and debated.
2. The SUR Journal is published in three languages – Portuguese,
English and Spanish – to allow for an internationalization of
Southern voices, as authors writing in their own languages can be read
by colleagues in other regions.
It is published twice a year in print and online (www.surjournal.org)
and distributed to over 100 countries.
Articles are peer-reviewed by at least 2 international authorities on
the subject after initial short-listing of contributions by the editorial
staff.
3. Improving the content of the journal
The second issue of 2007 was the first experience of partnership with
another organization for the edition of a special issue. Together with
the International Center for Transitional Justice, Conectas launched
a call for papers on transitional justice for SUR Journal issue number
7, released in December 2007.
4. The SUR Journal is a critical tool to continue creating a community
of academics and activists from the global South which endeavor to foster
ways of collaborations among people in the South.
With the goal of enhancing the feeling of community, a new section has
been created introducing human rights centers in the Global South with
a short presentation of their background, teaching activities, publications
and research topics. In addition, interviews with activists or academics
were published.
5. Editorial Partnership
Since 2007, Conectas prioritized the creation of strong links of collaboration
with the most important human rights master programs in the Global South.
Topics for future editorial collaborations and special issues of the
Journal have been identified.
Aiming at sustaining these two major activities, Conectas has been
successfully hosting and managing 2 virtual networks, Human Rights Dialogue
for Colloquia Alumni and Sur Human Rights University Network for researchers,
which currently comprise more than 500 members.
Conectas has been continuing to feed and facilitate the networks through
the creation of an internet portal (www.conectasur.org) in three languages.
