Search Past Conversations

Learn from the experiences of human rights defenders by browsing and searching our previous New Tactics Conversations. You can search for a particular topic or geographic region and find human rights defenders you can connect with. Or, see the entire list of topics on one page.

Front Line Watchdogs: Monitoring accountability for human rights

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Thank you for your participation in our dialogue on Front Line Watchdogs: Monitoring accountability for human rights. Front line watchdogs come in all shapes and sizes. They can be seen in courtrooms ensuring fair trials, accompanying threatened human rights defenders, holding vigil outside police stations to prevent torture, protecting election ballot results, testing for discrimination, monitoring development aid projects, investigating toxic waste from companies, etc., etc. 

Turning the Tables: Transforming conflicts related to resource extraction

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In this dialogue, participants discussed the ways in which communities dealing with resource extraction can anticipate and prevent conflicts with commercial and governmental actors while empowering themselves in an increasingly globalized environment.  The goals of the dialogue were to evaluate tactics with which we turn the tables and shift the power back to the communities, and ensure that resource extraction benefits the community.

Joining Forces: Engaging men as allies in gender-sensitive peacebuilding

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Thank you for joining the International Fellowship of Reconciliation's Women Peacemakers Program (IFOR/WPP) and New Tactics for this dialogue. In this dialogue, participants discussed the concept and practicalities of engaging men as gender-sensitive male allies in the peacemaking process. In thinking about overcoming violence and building peaceful communities, working with men and concepts of masculinity can help to challenge destructive, violent mindsets and institutions.

Corporate Accountability Beyond Borders: Exploring home states’ efforts to protect against business-related human rights abuses

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Thank you for joining ESCR-Net and the New Tactics online community for a dialogue on Corporate Accountability Beyond Borders. While governments are the primary duty-bearers for upholding human rights, businesses can have disproportionate impacts on all human rights, in all economic sectors, everywhere—supporting or undercutting domestic government actions.

Improving Access to Health: Activating in the intellectual property and health nexus

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Thank you for joining Christopher Wong, New York Law School Fellow, students from his Intellectual Property & Activism class and an amazing group of practitioners in the field for this dialogue on Improving Access to Health. Intellectual property (IP) laws have a significant impact upon global welfare.  In particular, IP law, as it relates to healthcare, is a substantial factor in determining the accessibility of essential medicines, treatments, and medical literature by those in need.  For example, patents on pharmaceuticals can lead to prices that are unaffordable by affected populations in developing countries, while copyright law may contribute to the inability of affected populations to access treatment information for basic ailments.

Participatory Research for Action

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Thank you for joining the New Tactics online community for a dialogue on Participatory Research for Action. Participatory action research is research which involves all relevant parties in actively examining together current action (which they experience as problematic) in order to change and improve it.  Those to be helped by the research process, determine the purposes and outcomes of their own inquiry. (Wadsworth, Y. 1998)

Domesticating International Human Rights Law

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Thank you for joining the New Tactics online community for a dialogue on Domesticating International Human Rights Law. Human rights are inherent, universal and indivisible, and have found expressions in various international and regional human rights instruments. National constitutions of various countries have adopted these human rights standards. Yet human rights violations are common practice in many parts of the world. Local human rights groups and practitioners have done tremendous work in translating/adopting these human rights standards/principles in their day to day work. They have found novel and innovative ways of translating international human rights standards into practical and meaningful things for local people.

Self-Care for Activists: Sustaining Your Most Valuable Resource

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Human rights work is a powerful and fulfilling vocation. And it is equally hugely challenging for human rights practitioners.  These practitioners are often exposed to distressing situations directly and indirectly. From those working directly with survivors of human rights abuses to those working indirectly on human rights abuse issues, the need for taking care of one’s self is extremely important.  We all know that the work is precious and valuable, and yes, we need to be strong, healthy and balanced to do it well -- but we take care of ourselves first and foremost because we are valuable.

Empowering Citizens to Fight Corruption

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Thank you for joining Shaazka Beyerle and the New Tactics online community for this dialogue on Empowering Citizens to Fight Corruption. This dialogue explored how campaigns have empowered and mobilized citizens to counter corruption in their communities. Citizens working together are gaining powerful results. This is a space to learn about and share experiences in these kinds of campaigns as well as share your ideas, resources, and stories.

Staying Safe: Security Resources for Human Rights Defenders

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In this dialogue, practitioners that work with human rights defenders developing security strategies discussed how human rights defenders and organizations can improve their safety and security while working in the field under oppressive conditions and under the watchful eye of states and adversaries. Specifically, the participants discussed and shared tactics, strategies and resources on how human rights defenders can create effective security protocols to protect themselves against physical threats and secure their data in the field or office.

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