HRH Network’s advisory team assembles in Oslo

From 1 to 4 March, the Human Rights House Network´s Advisory team, consisting of representatives from all established and emerging Human Rights Houses, was gathered at the Human Rights House in Oslo for intensive meetings, both internally, and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Members of Parliament, and others. (05-MAR-07)

This article is written by HRHF / Niels Jacob Harbitz.

In addition to the productive sessions of organisational business and strategising at full network level, left, the meeting also found time for regional planning meetings, and extensive exchange of recent human rights related developments and experiences. Once again, the Human Rights House Network identified exaggerated, authority imposed buraucracy as among the most disturbing means of harassing human rights organisations. From the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Uganda and elsewhere, the delegates to the meeting reported that ever more time and effort is taken away from what the organisations are supposed to do, in order to meet the authorities´ requirements, in turn in order to be allowed to continue to operate. From the Russian Federation, it has already been reported earlier this year that even resourceful international humanitarian and human rights agencies like Oxfam and Human Rights Watch could not meet the authorities´ requirements by the deadline, and have, thus, been requested to leave the country.

Human rights and arts
As part of the agenda, the delegates were shown two recently produced films, one a partly ironic, partly matter-of-fact report on the Belarusian authorities´ reaction to the spontaneous people´s protests following in the wake of the elections last year, the other a documentary on the training of tightrope walkers in the occupied Uyghur province of the People´s Republic of China. The meeting also discussed other ways to address human rights issues through the arts, and suggested to host concerts, memorizing the life of journalist and human rights defender Anna Politkovskaya, above right, who was murdered last year, in as many places as possible. Politkovskaya was herself educated a pianist, and works by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, left, himself an outspoken defender of human rights, are likely to feature as part of the concert programmes in the different cities these concerts will take place, particularly because 2007 marks the 100th nniversary of the composer´s death. The Rafto Human Rights House in Bergen, Grieg´s home town, is already involved in many of the events to take place there, and has contributed significantly to the production of material bringing such lesser known sides of Grieg to the fore.

Next stop Nairobi
Preliminary plans for the 2007 Network Meeting and Conference, this year to be hosted in Nairobi, were also presented to the delegates. Paul Opoku-Mensah, right, a reasearcher and expert on African civil societies, Associate Professor at Aalborg University and a long-standing associate of the Human Rights House Network spoke in favour of broadening the scope of the conference and, while keeping the focus on human rights defenders and organisations, discuss the sustainability of African civil societies as a whole. It was agreed to develop four approaches – structures, environment, values and impact – further. The conference will also coincide with the launch of the report from a currently ongoing joint documentation project, mapping trends and tendencies of the post-Moi human rights situation and setting those against the backdrop of how it used to be, prior to Kenya´s 2002 transition to democracy. Sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the project is implemented by the seven organisations on the interim board for the Human Rights House project in Nairobi.