Defending Human Rights Globally
Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) is an international human rights organization with the objective of promoting human rights for those areas where severe violations have victimized relatively large populations. Up until date millions of people continue to live in the margin of society lacking effective attention from the perspective of governments, development aid, human rights organizations and media authorities, in spite of mankind’s joint effort to build a detailed human rights legal framework, based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN 1948) and followed by covenants, treaties and implementation mechanisms.
| Global Human Rights Defence has the aim to specifically address those areas and populations of the world where severe and extensive human rights violations of certain ethnic and religious minorities have taken place for long periods, and where structural help and global attention of the international media have proven to be absent or insufficient. |
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GHRD officially was founded after the “The Hague 2003 International Conference on Human Rights” , which was subthemed “Human Rights of Refugees and Victims of Ethnic and Religious Violence” (The Hague, July 2003). This founding conference of GHRD was supported by a broad spectrum of over a 150 selected participants of (inter)national human rights organizations from over the world. The memorandum of association, which was agreed upon unanimously and signed by all participating parties, provides the structure of this international organization. |
Objectives
GHRD has formulated the following objectives in order to fulfill its mission
- Human Right Education: Providing H.R. education to our partners (in terms of liaison offices) in those countries where atrocities are being inflicted, is one of GHRD’s objectives. GHRD staff needs to be trained and educated on elementary human rights issues. The education provided by the headquarters in The Hague to the partners will result in the quality improvement of reports, research on cases, activities and information provision from the liaison offices. Both GHRD The Hague and the partners abroad have accepted cooperation in this area. At least one education module a year is needed to maintain the knowledge on human rights matters to required international standards.
- Human Rights Awareness: Developing, stimulating and enhancing human rights awareness in a national and international perspective is utmost necessary in the contribution towards the eradication of human rights violations. Awareness of international declarations and documentation considering human rights should be distributed through out and with help of our network. An internal business process model has to be developed to achieve this elementary point of focus. On national level three seminars will be organized each year to touch human rights topics. On international level one annual conference will be organized to review and refocus on the GHRD scope.
- Fight against violations of human rights: GHRD aims to fight against violations of human rights especially in those areas and populations where structural help or global attention of the world has not been given. To be able do so, GHRD needs to strengthen the international organization by setting up partnerships through liaison offices. With help of their already existing network and infrastructure it will feasible to address cases to international bodies like the European Union and the United Nations. Each year at least two new liaison offices have to be launched.
- Humanitarian Aid: Providing refugee centre assistance and humanitarian aid to those who lack elementary basics such as food, clothing, shelter and proper sanitary conditions is one of GHRD’s objectives, since its provided relief is vital in the boarder perspective of human rights promotion. This kind of support will be given by supporting and facilitating humanitarian aid programmes within the focus countries. Additional project financing is needed to achieve this goal. At least two humanitarian aid programmes per country will be started each year.
