Getting Down to Business and Human Rights

“Because of what we have learned this week with Global Rights, we will be able to fight more strongly for our rights.”

These feisty words were spoken by Dr. Jennifer Spiff from the Women Initiative for Transparency and Social Justice Organization in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.  She was one of 12 civil society members from nine African nations who participated in our recent workshop on business and human rights in London. 

 

Participants discuss civil society's critical role in working with governments
and corporations to protect human rights

I knew from the agenda that this was going to be unlike any workshop I’ve ever attended. For one of the first times, our workshop brought together three key constituencies – civil society, government and corporations – to discuss the many elements that make up the intersection of business and human rights.

We primarily focused on two important international mechanisms that when followed, protect communities from dangerous human rights violations: The UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (GPs) and The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs).

For three day we had civil society, governments and businesses – all with different perspectives – exchanging ideas, suggestions and remedies to protect human rights. It was evident that despite diverse backgrounds, everyone at our workshop had a common goal: to ensure human rights are protected when natural resource extraction takes place.

What also became clear was that civil society has an important role in ensuring that state and business entities fulfill their responsibility to protect human rights.

For example, as we worked on the content of the GPs, participants agreed that civil society can play a critical role in holding governments and businesses accountable for their responsibilities to protect human rights.  By including human rights discussions early in negotiations and assessments with extractive industries and governments, civil society can ensure that the GPs are followed, and communities’ rights are not violated.

The same goes for the Voluntary Principles.  In our discussions with representatives from civil society, government and businesses, we agreed that civil society can keep pressure on governments and companies to improve their security practices and seek solutions to better protect human rights.  Through persistent advocacy and relationship building, civil society must be leaders in protecting their communities.

Flavia Milano, Global Rights' Natural Resources and Human
Rights Initiave Director with Michel Yobue from Cote D'Ivoire

I congratulate my colleague Flavia Milano for organizing such an invigorating three day discussion and for creating the space that facilitated these important conversations.  I would like to also thank the Ford Foundation making this conference possible.


Our colleagues from Africa learned not just from the presenters, but also from each other as they shared their own experiences, challenges and successes. The presenters, representing NGOs, government and corporations shared their knowledge and experience, but, I believe, gained a deeper understanding of how civil society works on these issues and how they can be more supportive of their efforts.

As I noted at the beginning, these three days were filled with energy, passion and commitment to continue the work and to make progress in securing a better world where government, business and civil society can work together to uphold human rights for all.


Susan

Posted by Susan M. Farnsworth

Moving Forward: Protecting Women's Rights

This week our Maghreb Regional Director Stephanie Willman Bordat was quoted in a USA Today article entitled “Arab Spring reforms still leaving women out in the cold.” Stephanie put it more starkly – that women are not just out in the cold, but their rights are slipping backwards in the region.  That deeply concerns me because violence against women persists when the rights of women are denied or not recognized. 

Legal Assistance Training Workshop with our partners Association des
jeunes avocats de Khemisset and La Voix de la femme Amazigh.

Globally, one out of three women will be beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, with rates of abuse reaching 70% in some countries.

At Global Rights, working to end violence against women (VAW) is one of our top priorities.   Through legal empowerment and human rights education, we provide women with the tools to protect themselves and their families from violence.  

When I read the article I thought back to Zahira’s story.  Zahira was a shy, young woman Stephanie and her team met in Morocco a decade ago.  At that time, Zahira had to convince her very reluctant father to allow her to travel to one or our grassroots legal education trainings.  Now Zahira runs her own women’s rights organizations in Morocco.   

There are so many Zahiras of the world who, when given the opportunity and tools, thrive.  They inspire Global Rights to continue providing innovative tools such as the strategic use of marriage contacts to promote equitable rights to new brides in Morocco and Tunisia.  They inspire us to work with our partners throughout Morocco to build a national movement to adopt a violence against women act, which would be the first-ever VAW law in the Middle East if passed.

Women like Zahira inspire us to provide practical legal education to the next generation of women lawyers in Afghanistan and to train paralegals in Bundibugyo, Uganda who assist women facing domestic violence and land disputes. In Northern Nigeria, they inspire us to train a cadre of paralegals to handled cases from child sexual assault to alimony/child support.

Together we can build powerful partnerships with men and women around the world to continue moving forward to promote and protect women’s rights.

- Susan

P.S.  You may be interested in reading the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) recently released strategy to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) globally.  We applaud that it clearly states that the advancement of women and girls is at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy. 

Posted by Susan M. Farnsworth

Coming Up! Diving into the UN’s Business and Human Rights Framework

I have a feeling it’s going to be an extraordinary week. 


Flavia Milano, Global Rights' NRHRI  Director,
with our partners in Tchimbouissi, Congo.

On October 8, 2012, Global Rights’ Natural Resources and Human Rights Initiative is bringing together past and current partner organizations from resource-rich countries in Africa such as Republic of Congo, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Cote D'Ivoire and Uganda. 

I say extraordinary because there is a fascinating conversation that is taking shape between civil society organizations (CSOs), governments and corporations based on a new framework that the United Nations (UN) adopted in 2011 called the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (GPs).

This human rights and business framework highlights that while states have obligations to protect, respect, and remedy human rights violations, businesses also have responsibilities to respect and remedy human rights.  If businesses embrace these principles, they commit to:

• Develop a high level public statement clearly explaining the company’s policy and declaring it will serve as a roadmap for its behavior;
• Conduct human rights impact assessments to understand their human rights footprint;
• Integrate their human rights policies throughout the company, making sure all employees are aware of their human rights responsibilities; and,
• Track performance through “monitoring and auditing processes.”

The conversation that is taking place and that we want to deepen this October is about the integral role CSOs play in building demand in the developing world for business implementation of the principles and how to go about doing that. 

Human Rights CSOs are key to this process because they know their communities; know local and international law; and know how best to explain to stakeholders the importance of protecting human rights.  But they can only serve as catalysts for change if they have a full understanding of this business and human rights framework. 

At the conference, we seek to provide a solid knowledge base of the principles to our CSO partners.  Our partners will have the opportunity to interact and exchange information with a broad range of peer CSO, government and business experts.  Some of the topics are: 

• Due Diligence and Corporate Social Responsibility – What do Civil Society Organizations need to know on human rights and due diligence?  Presented by the International Corporate Responsibility Roundtable.
• How can Civil Society Organizations obtain and share information on Business and Human Rights?  Presented by Business and Human Rights Resource Center.
• Regulatory gaps and opportunities within national legal systems.  Accountability and challenges.  Presented by Amnesty International.

To add to the conversation, our partners will also hear about lessons learned from other CSOs on the implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs).  The VPs provide guidance to companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations that ensures respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. 

As you can see, it’s going to be a full few days.  I will be with Flavia Milano, Director of our NRHRI.  Be sure to follow us on Twitter for my updates from London. 

We gratefully acknowledge the Ford Foundation for making this conference possible.


Susan

Posted by Susan M. Farnsworth

 

Frontline Justice

What leapt to my mind as I was talking to Mary Wyckoff, Global Rights’ Director of Programs, about our Paralegal Training Workshop in Kampala, Uganda in July was the name of our blog:  Frontline Justice.

I was struck by the “frontline” role that paralegals play in Africa.  With limited numbers of lawyers in many African countries, and fewer still outside of urban areas, community-based paralegals lead the charge in filling the justice gap. 

We see it ourselves every day from our paralegal trainings and mentorships in Morocco, Northern Nigeria and Uganda.

Paralegals not only fill the justice gap, but they also help resolve conflicts – large and small – throughout Africa.  They help people solve family conflicts.  Paralegals assist individuals, especially women and children, seek protection from violence.  They help people navigate confusing criminal justice systems.  They help resolve conflicts over land and natural resources.  They help people access health care and education.  The list goes on and on. 

At this frontline vantage point, paralegals can also often see underlying problems brewing in a community.  In this way paralegals can serve as an early warning and early prevention system to help mitigate a bigger conflict from occurring.  

At the end of our workshop, more than fifty organizations from twenty African countries called on governments to acknowledge the critically important role that paralegals play.  In the Kampala Declaration on Community Paralegals, our partners urged governments to do three things: recognize the role community paralegals play in providing primary justice services, invest more in paralegal efforts, and protect the independence of paralegals. 

We know if governments more actively support paralegals, the return on the investment for their countries will be great. 

I want to thank USAID for their support, and Namati and Open Society Justice Initiative for being such dynamic and forward-thinking co-sponsors of the workshop with Global Rights.  I especially want to thank the eighty-plus paralegals who actively participated in the workshop last month.  But, more importantly, I want to thank them for engaging every day in their communities at the frontline of justice. 

Susan

Posted by Susan M. Farnsworth

Our Commitment to Afghanistan

I keep hearing it over and over:  "Global Rights' program is so well respected here in Afghanistan." 

I am in Kabul to celebrate Global Rights' ten year anniversary in Afghanistan.  Saturday I walked into our event to be welcomed by a sea of young men and women in caps and gowns.  They were graduating from our Young Lawyers in Training (YLTP) and Family Law Clinical Training (FLC) programs from Al Biruni, Nangarhar and Kabul Universities in Law and Shar'ia.  Their excitement was contagious. 

Female YLTP & FLC Graduates

Joining the students were many of our current and former Legal Fellows and our partner organizations (NGOs and government ministries)  where our Fellows are placed. Participating partners included  Justice for All, Afghan Women's Network, the Ministry of Justice and many more. 

We were  honored that many of the law school deans and faculty joined us, as well as government ministers, members of Parliament, judges and prosecutors, our Human Rights Legal Practitioners who help train our students, leading human and women's rights advocates and our strong US and international supporters.  All in all there were 800 people who celebrated our 10th Anniversary with us!

More than 2,000 young people have graduated from YLTP and FLC over the ten years.  To date, we have placed 236 Legal Fellows (138 females and 98 males).  The Legal Advice Bureau has assisted 3,700 individuals. 

The statistics are impressive, but our work has such a ripple effect.   What I heard from our distinguished speakers again and again is how important rule of law is to a stable Afghanistan.  They highlighted Global Rights role in that critical process. Our work provides the next generation of lawyers with practical legal education that addresses human rights and the established  Legal Advice Bureaus provide legal assistance for the most poor and marginalized, especially women. 

Global Rights' Board Chair, J. Stuart Lemle; U.S. BG Dixie
Morrow; Global Rights Afghanistan Director, Justine Mbabazi;
& Global Rights' partner, Suraya Pakzad

As Brigadier General Dixie Morrow, the U.S. Deputy Coordinating Director for Rule of Law and Law Enforcement, said, "It is the principles that Global Rights and its partners teach and demonstrate that bring us together.  Program graduates use their knowledge to bring transparency, consistency, integrity and fairness to the justice system.  Treating everyone -- men and women, rich and poor, from all regions and every ethnic group, from the most powerful to the humblest -- with respect for their rights is the essence of a commitment to justice and human rights."  

Dr. Obaidullah Obaid, Minister of Higher Education

The Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Obaidullah Obaid, stressed the need for young people in Afghanistan to learn about human rights as part of their education.  He commended Global Rights and our university partners for teaching the importance of human rights as part of our curriculum.

I wish I could convey all of the inspiring words that were spoken on Saturday.  Despite the violence that continues to plague parts of the country,  the day's event filled us all with hope for the future of Afghanistan and the courage to continue Global Rights'  work. 

I want to express my deepest thank you to all of those who participated in our 10th Anniversary celebration, our dedicated staff and to all who have supported us over the years.  We are grateful and proud of what we have done together and what is possible in the future.


- Susan

Posted by Susan M. Farnsworth

Impact in Burundi

Wow. It is always good to hear that Global Rights is having an impact. So I was particularly pleased when we received an email from Steven Goldberg a volunteer with the International Senior Lawyers Project who co-facilitated our Strategic Litigation workshop in Burundi last week. Here is a bit of what he wrote about the impact of our training:

"I wanted to give you a brief update from Burundi, at least from my perspective.

This is obviously an extraordinarily ambitious program. You are educating people about international law, you are getting them to think about how to apply principles underlying that body of law in their own countries to specific legal problems, and how to do that strategically.

The trainers you've chosen -- all African -- are terrific. Knowledgeable, experienced, and totally committed to this work.

...The skills part of the training has been useful on several levels. It has made people think about the practicalities of doing this work: When working with communities, how do legal issues get defined, how does the lawyer avoid letting his or her own biases define the work as opposed to the people he's representing, who is the client when dealing with groups of people, how do you create trust with your clients to facilitate disclosure of the facts you need to litigate, how can the work be done in such a way that empowers the client. These are not necessarily issues and skills people think about as they train to become lawyers, and then practice law but really are important whether you are doing divorces or large impact cases.

Steven Goldberg at the Strategic Litigation workshop

We've also tried to do this part of the training in a way that gets the participants actively involved, and that's been a success. People have been actively involved, willing to participate in role-plays, filled with questions and comments. We've had to be flexible about how to do this. But my sense from the participants is that they are enjoying the training and finding it valuable.

...Now being home, the impact of this experience on me has been significant -- apart from the training and cases. The participants in the workshop were amazing people: so committed, bright, willing to take significant risks challenging their various governments in cases challenging human rights violations.

I left Africa this time with a sense of perspective that change takes time. I also have optimism about the future given the amazing people I met.

Thanks so much for this experience."

- Steven Goldberg, Attorney at Law

I am glad to know that our USAID-funded program is helping to build lasting legal skills that will have long-term impact on strengthening participation in rule of law.  Click here to read more about our strategic litigation workshop. 


- Susan


Posted by Susan M. Farnsworth

"Your Country Needs You”: A General’s Words of Encouragement in Afghanistan

“As a judge I can say, you are the kind of people I would like to see representing someone in the court,” U.S. Brigadier General Dixie Morrow said to 30 of our Legal Fellows in Kabul.

“I know one of the things this program will train you to do is to provide defense services to the people of Afghanistan who need you the most. I have lived my life to serve the public in my country and I am hopeful you will do the same.  Your country needs you."

Global Rights Legal Fellows with BG Morrow

This Global Rights’ training session was special. It’s not every day that a female Brigadier General addresses our Legal Fellows. The U.S. Embassy’s Acting Coordinating Director of Rule of Law and Law Enforcement Brigadier General Dixie Morrow recently shared her legal and public service career with 30 of our Fellows during a training on research in the law.

She discussed the importance of criminal defense and the value of public service.  She then asked the Fellows to tell her about their experiences working at local Afghan organizations.

Some of the Legal Fellows shared their proudest achievements – for example providing legal assistance to women, redrafting bylaws, and helping rural farmers understand their rights. Brigadier General Morrow was impressed by what these young men and women were doing to improve the Afghan justice sector for their fellow citizens fresh out of school.  

We want to thank BG Morrow for taking time out of her busy day to learn more about the good work our Legal Fellows are doing and share her words of encouragement.  We need to continue investing in Afghanistan’s next generation.  Our Legal Fellowship Program gives recent law graduates confidence and skills to support and strengthen justice in their country.  I am confident that one of them one day will be Afghanistan’s General Morrow.


- Susan

If you want to help support our amazing Legal Fellows and their work, you can make a tax deductible contribution here.


Posted by Susan M. Farnsworth