Handbook for Human Rights Organizations


Center for Civil Society International ([email protected])
Fri, 27 Jan 1995 17:16:52 -0800 (PST)


--------------------Forwarded Message------------------------
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 19:40:54 -0500
Reply-To: [email protected]

Announcing:

              Human Rights Institution-Building

          A Handbook on Establishing and Sustaining
                 Human Rights Organizations

                       available from
                     The Fund for Peace

The Handbook is a compilation and analysis of the experiences of
rights activists and others throughout the world on a variety of
human rights institution-building issues. Specifically, it is
intended to help activists seriously thinking about starting a new
human rights group, as well as new organizations already in
existence and older organizations which are finding that they now
need to address organizational concerns. Although it is impossible
to anticipate every institutional pitfall that may beset a human
rights group, careful planning can play a key role in preventing
organizational paralysis. The purpose of the Handbook, then, is to
help groups anticipate institutional problems and develop
structures and procedures that will help prevent them.

During the course of over a year, the Human Rights Program of The
Fund for Peace personally interviewed a broad range of human rights
organizations from throughout the world to survey their start-up
process, organizational structures, and advice for overcoming
various obstacles encountered in the initial phases of their
operations. In addition, the Program mailed a detailed
questionnaire in four languages to some 600 human rights groups
around the globe. The responses, along with relevant practical
information derived from a number of existing written sources on
institution-building, were synthesized to form the Handbook. We
hope that the finished product reflects in some fashion the
collective wisdom that we were privileged to assemble.

                      TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Getting Started
        Developing a Core Group
        Determining Mandate
        Writing Organizational Bylaws

Creating Organizational Structure
        Opening an Office
        Defining Internal Roles and Relationships
        Recruiting
        Establishing Methodical Procedures

Consolidating and Sustaining Human Rights Organizations
        Organizational Health
        Credibility
        Public Relations and the Media
        Generating Resources
        Evaluation
        Networking and Coalition Building
        Relating to International Human Rights NGOs
        Organizational Expansion

Looking Forward

Appendices
        Handbook Questionaire
        Basic Bibliography on Fact-Finding
        Human Rights Training and Education Programs
        Sample Bylaws
        Sample Press Release
        Sources of Funding Information

Available January, 1994 in English
Available Spring 1994 in French, Spanish, Arabic, and Amharic

==================================================================
The Fund for Peace Human Rights Program provides technical and
financial assistance to groups working to protect and promote human
rights, to date limited to the countries in the Horn of Africa
(Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan, Somaliland, and Somalia). The
program organizes skill-building workshops, and collects and
produces written materials on organizational issues of importance
to human rights groups, particularly in the early stages of their
development. The program's training efforts have focused on human
rights education and advocacy, and the elements of human rights
institution-building.
=================================================================

Inquiries about publications should be directed to:

Horn of Africa Program
The Fund for Peace
823 United Nations Plaza, Suite 717
New York, New York 10017
Telephone: 212 661-5900
Fax: 212 661-5904
Email: [email protected]
                [email protected]



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