KIOS Partners’ Regional Conference held in Kampala

The KIOS Partners’ regional conference jointly organised by EHAHRDP and the Finnish NGO Foundation for Human Rights (KIOS) brought together KIOS partners from six focus countries in Eastern Africa: Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The two-day conference held on 4th and 5th May 2011 at Fairway Hotel in Kampala provided an opportunity for the partners to increase their knowledge and skills in human rights advocacy and on protection mechanisms for human rights defenders. The conference also involved sharing of experience, best practices and reflection on innovative strategies to advance human rights as a major pillar for development.

EHAHRDP and KIOS’ conference in Kampala. Photo: KIOS

At the end of the conference, a number of issues and recommendations were raised by participants to include sharing of experience and disclosure of creative coping mechanisms by HRDs when faced with violations and how better HRDs can use the media in their advocacy work. Security training was deemed necessary in human rights work, as well as the monitoring and documentation of human rights violations to track what is happening periodically in each organisation.