New Tactics in Human Rights International Symposium
Final Report
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The New Tactics in Human Rights International Symposium was the first training meeting of its kind, bringing together human rights activists from a broad range of disciplines to focus not on a single issue or region but on a full range of tactical possibilities and possible solutions. About 450 human rights advocates from 89 countries, representing fields as diverse as domestic violence and sustainable development, gathered for four days in Ankara, Turkey.
The full schedule included five tactical workshop sessions, with a total of 35 tactical and strategic workshops, five plenary sessions for a broader look at effective strategies in human rights struggles, two regional caucus meetings and plenty of informal networking opportunities. Notable speakers included Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, Nobel Laureate Jody Williams of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Mary Lawlor of Front Line, Sofia Macher of the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and Kailash Satyarthi of the Global March Against Child Labor.
The training model used in the workshops built on the experience the New Tactics project had gained in five regional training workshops held from 2002 to 2004. Symposium presenters were asked to focus on a tactic and how they implemented it rather than the problem they were addressing. The objective was to give participants enough information to imagine applying each tactic in their own situations and persuade others to use it. Each tactical workshop included one featured tactic and two complementary tactics, which were similar to the featured tactic but had been used in very different situations and with different human rights issues. This approach highlighted the transferability of tactics from one situation to another.
A major goal for the Symposium was for it to serve as a springboard for further work based on the principles of the New Tactics project, including collaboration among diverse groups of human rights advocates and maximizing tactical flexibility. Symposium participants began laying the foundation for future cooperation before they even left Ankara. They gathered twice during the Symposium in regional caucuses, where they could build networks and make plans for collaboration, and made connections in workshops, over shared meals and at social events. Many participants have already told us about specific plans they have made for new networks and joint projects.
The challenge facing the New Tactics project now is to build on these successes by ensuring that the project’s partners have what they need to take greater ownership and initiative in the project, and working to ensure that the project’s tools and conceptual framework contribute to the effectiveness of human rights advocates as they take the next steps to implement ideas the project has sparked.
The New Tactics in Human Rights International Symposium was the first training meeting of its kind, bringing together human rights activists from a broad range of disciplines to focus not on a single issue or region but on a full range of tactical possibilities and possible solutions. About 450 human rights advocates from 89 countries, representing fields as diverse as domestic violence and sustainable development, gathered for four days in Ankara, Turkey.
The full schedule included five tactical workshop sessions, with a total of 35 tactical and strategic workshops, five plenary sessions for a broader look at effective strategies in human rights struggles, two regional caucus meetings and plenty of informal networking opportunities. Notable speakers included Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, Nobel Laureate Jody Williams of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Mary Lawlor of Front Line, Sofia Macher of the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and Kailash Satyarthi of the Global March Against Child Labor.
The training model used in the workshops built on the experience the New Tactics project had gained in five regional training workshops held from 2002 to 2004. Symposium presenters were asked to focus on a tactic and how they implemented it rather than the problem they were addressing. The objective was to give participants enough information to imagine applying each tactic in their own situations and persuade others to use it. Each tactical workshop included one featured tactic and two complementary tactics, which were similar to the featured tactic but had been used in very different situations and with different human rights issues. This approach highlighted the transferability of tactics from one situation to another.
A major goal for the Symposium was for it to serve as a springboard for further work based on the principles of the New Tactics project, including collaboration among diverse groups of human rights advocates and maximizing tactical flexibility. Symposium participants began laying the foundation for future cooperation before they even left Ankara. They gathered twice during the Symposium in regional caucuses, where they could build networks and make plans for collaboration, and made connections in workshops, over shared meals and at social events. Many participants have already told us about specific plans they have made for new networks and joint projects.
The challenge facing the New Tactics project now is to build on these successes by ensuring that the project’s partners have what they need to take greater ownership and initiative in the project, and working to ensure that the project’s tools and conceptual framework contribute to the effectiveness of human rights advocates as they take the next steps to implement ideas the project has sparked.
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