Networking and advocacy strategies for human rights defenders from Central Asia and South Caucasus

On 19 and 20 March 2018, 27 competitively selected human rights defenders (HRDs) from South Caucasus and Central Asia (14 men and 13 women) gathered at the European Parliament premises in Brussels for the event ‘Networking and advocacy strategies for human rights defenders from Central Asia and South Caucasus’. The two-day event was jointly organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the European Parliament (EP). The event’s objective was to enable HRDs to better analyse and counter current and future challenges related to their human rights activities, while exploring tailored advocacy strategies through country-specific scenario building techniques. In addition, the event created a space for collaboration, networking and an exchange of experiences among HRDs as well as between HRDs and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and representatives of EU institutions.