Partners
States and business are both main duty bearers and in many cases violators of human rights at the same time. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense, to engage with willing actors to develop their capacity to improve human rights protection and prevent human rights violations.
We work with:
- State actors - such as national human rights institutions, ministries, security forces and other state authorities
- International and regional organisations - e.g. the UN and EU
- Financial actors - multinational companies and financial institutions
- Non-state actors - such as civil society organisations (CSOs), non-state universities and legal clinics, ethnic or religious leaders and informal justice actors.
Partnership approach
Working closely with partners within states and businesses in a context where human rights violations are taking place is clearly challenging and full of dilemmas. In most cases it takes years to pave the way for positive changes and it requires a blend of diplomatic relations and critical approach. First and foremost, such relationships build on trust.
This of course means, that we must constantly asses and evaluate our partnerships and the context we operate in. And we have clear guidelines and principles on when and how we must exit a partnership, if the conditions are not right.
Local approach
We know that local ownership is key to spur sustainable change. That is why we work in equal partnerships with local actors to achieve results. Our local staff and partners has in-depth knowledge about the political system and the human rights situation where we work.