The Human Rights House Network (HRHN) is an international network of local Human Rights Houses (HRHs). Each HRH consists of 3-10 local human rights organisations.

Mandate

The Human Rights House Network’s mandate is to protect, strengthen and support human rights organisations locally, and unite them in an international network of Human Rights Houses. HRHN’s four strategic objectives are:

1) to strengthen human rights defenders and their work,

2) to facilitate establishment of sustainable institutions,

3) to generate political support for human rights defenders and NGOs, and

4) to promote and protect the rights to freedom of assembly, association and expression, and the right to be a human rights defender.

Programmes

To reach these four strategic objectives, HRHN has four programmes:

1. Networking and capacity building

Independent human rights organisations come together in a joint working place, a physical or a virtual Human Rights House, and unite with other Houses in the international Human Rights House Network. HRHN is a ‘bottom-up’ Network, thus, depending on the local needs and desires, the engagement of organisations varies from participation in joint programmes nationally or regionally to the competence and know-how sharing with the others.

2. Institution building

Each Human Rights House is independent and locally owned; the member organisations are equal and independent. Our aim is to secure a sustainable joint institution at the local level - a process which requires time and efforts due to both internal and external conditions.

3. Lobbying and advocacy

To generate political support for human rights, human rights defenders and NGOs alert each other when protection is at stake. HRHN utilises the joint website www.humanrightshouse.org, initiates campaigns and engages in advocacy work with different stakeholders and actors. The Network focuses on the defence and promotion of:

• Freedom of expression
• Freedom of association
• Freedom of assembly
• Right to be a human rights defender

4. Fundraising

HRHN fundraises for the establishment of local Human Rights Houses, development of joint activities and national and regional projects in the Network.

Secretariat

The Network’s secretariat is the Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) based in Oslo and in Geneva. HRHF works closely with the local HRHs on joint projects, and hence possesses unique competence and knowledge on the human rights situation in many of the member countries, as well as on the human rights defenders issue in general.

As a response to the Network’s wish to intensify advocacy work by using the UN human rights protection mechanisms, HRHF opened an office in Geneva at the end of 2008. The primary task of HRHF’s Geneva Office is to support HRHN members in their advocacy efforts but also to provide support to the Geneva-based NGOs willing to establishing a Human Rights House in Geneva.