Operating a Temporary Restaurant to Raise Funds and Awareness
In the spring of 2009, five students from Utrecht, the Netherlands, operated a temporary, volunteer run restaurant, The Cultural Cookery, to raise money for three selected development projects. Using their own time and effort to create PR, attain donations for foods, other sponsorships, and gain access to free space, these students raised EUR 8,000 in just two weeks time.
Building a coalition of all human rights organizations in a country to speak with one voice against abuses
In the 1980s and early 1990s Peru suffered great political violence and brutal human rights violations. Security organizations and government officials harshly criticized the neutral defense of human rights (holding state and non-state actors equally accountable for their actions). The government accusations seemed to resonate with many Peruvian citizens. To gain greater credibility and to seek protection, the human rights groups throughout the country came together in a united organization called the Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDDHH). Together they helped victims of human rights violations, influenced legislation related to human rights, and generated both national and international pressure on many human rights issues. This coordinating body represents a unique ability to work together and the potential power created by coalitions.
Creating a database tool that protects human rights information from confiscation
Human rights groups can now use Internet technology in order to help collect, organise, safeguard and disseminate information about human rights violations. The Martus Human Rights Bulletin System is a database tool that addresses the specific technological needs of the human rights community by dramatically improving their ability to manage information and document abuses.
Using a Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) tool to inform and assess external policy measures
The Humanist Committee on Human Rights (HOM) is developing a Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) tool to assist governments and other policy-making bodies in the systematic translation of general objectives into priorities and action on human rights and democratic development. As part of any planning process, the HRIA contains eight levels of procedural implementation that allow stakeholders to assess and forecast the impact of policy, programs and projects on human rights situations and apply retrospective analysis on existing practices.
Adopting international human rights conventions at the local level to improve women's rights
Creating an online cultural repository of ancient texts
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Using technology to share information on environmental hazards
Environmental Defense created www.scorecard.org in 1998 to inform people about the level of pollution in their area and to encourage them to lobby the offending industries and their elected representatives to put a stop to it. The organization uses highly innovative technology to retrieve information from 300 scientific and governmental databases. With this information, Scorecard reviews and categorizes the information about harmful environmental hazards such as air pollutants, toxic chemicals released into the environment, potential land contamination and more. Scorecard then posts the information on its website. It shows the location of the pollution, its source, when it was discovered, what (if any) government guidelines or restrictions apply to the clean-up process and how far along that clean-up process is.
Creating a convenient delivery system for legal aid - the Inland Counties Online Network
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Creating a Human Rights City / Community
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Supporting non-governmental organizations in their use of international mechanisms to press government for change
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