A New Beginning - Sectoral Innovations for a Proactive, Progressive and Influential Human Rights Civil Society
Human Rights House Zagreb ·Croatia
About this project
<p><em><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", sans-serif">The New Beginning - Sectoral Innovations for Proactive, Progressive and Influential Human Rights Civil Society</span></span></em><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", sans-serif"> project aims to establish sustainable and innovative models for effective protection and promotion of human rights through: <strong>institutional and legal advocacy, support for victims of human rights violations, public communication and mobilization of citizens</strong>. It aims to <strong><u>increase the social and political influence of human rights organizations</u></strong> in response to declining human rights standards in Croatia, deteriorating socio-economic situation and the institutional inertia in finding rights-based solutions to today's complex political and socio-economic challenges. The project responds to the most significant structural challenges human rights organizations face. Those challenges affect the entire civil sector and negatively affect the capacity for<strong> institutional and legal advocacy, legal aid, public communication and mobilization of citizens for human rights issues.</strong> Project’s sectoral innovation is based on partnership, participation and lessons learned, as well as on an objective view of the sectoral challenges and problems followed by a joint strategy definition and formulation of concrete steps to overcome them. The innovation aims to establish a<u> long-term structural CSOs cooperation to strengthen their sustainability and influence, encourage synergies and interconnections of advocacy and direct work with vulnerable groups and communities. </u>This project will build the capacity of human rights organizations and find <strong><u>innovative solutions</u></strong> to <u>strengthen their advocacy and legal support for victims</u>, to <u>support their work with citizens and local communities</u> thus creating the necessary preconditions for <strong><u>changing the paradigm from reactive to proactive</u></strong> - from defense of human rights to active advocacy for their expansion and promotion.</span></span></p>
Bilateral cooperation results
The contribution of the Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) from Oslo is significant in strengthening the coordination and advocacy efforts for human rights within the project. Key contributions include: Expertise and Experience: HRHF brings over 25 years of experience in fostering and strengthening national advocacy coalitions of civil society organizations (CSOs) working on human rights. This expertise is essential for the establishment and effective functioning of the informal coordination for international and European advocacy. Strategic Support: With offices in Oslo, Geneva (covering the United Nations), and Brussels (covering the Council of Europe and the EU), HRHF provides comprehensive support and insights for leveraging international and European advocacy mechanisms. This enables better planning and execution of advocacy opportunities within institutions such as the UN, Council of Europe, EU, and OSCE. Capacity Building and Collaboration: HRHF supports KLJP Zagreb in organizing the work of the coordination, including drafting advocacy plans, implementation strategies, and improving communication channels. Their involvement ensures a structured and impactful approach to advocacy. Sustained Engagement: Beyond the project's duration, HRHF will continue to collaborate with KLJP Zagreb to support advocacy activities, ensuring long-term impact and sustainability of the coordination's work. In summary, HRHF's experience, resources, and commitment significantly enhance the quality of advocacy coordination, contributing to systemic improvements in human rights advocacy at national, European, and international levels.
Project partners
- Human Rights House Foundation Donor project partner· Norway
- Centre for Peace Studies Project partner· Croatia
- Youth Initiative for Human Rights Project partner· Croatia
- Center for Peace, Non-violence and Human Rights Osijek Project partner· Croatia