Human rights house foundation and the HRH-network : evaluation report

Abstract

Human Rights House Foundation (HRH-F) was created with a mandate to help establishing Human Rights Houses in other cities. In 1994 four Human Rights Houses (Oslo, Moscow, Warsaw, and Ljubljana) created a network for Human Rights Houses with the HRH-F in Oslo as its secretariat. While establishing new HRH and elaborate the network has always been part of the mandate of the HRH-F, it is only the last 6 years this has been its prime goal. Since the creation of the network in 1994 one HRH has quit the network (Ljubljana), while two newly established Human Rights Houses have joined the network (Open Word in London and Rafto in Bergen). In addition, HRH-F together with a few HR based NGOs in Sarajevo established a new Human Rights House there in 1998; a house that became member of the network at its creation. Thus, in January 2006 the network consisted of 6 existing Human Rights Houses. Adding up to these 6 houses are the 8 Human Rights Houses presented by the HRH-F in January 2006 as emerging Human Rights Houses (Baku, Bogota, Istanbul, Kampala, Minsk, Nairobi, Tirana, Zagreb). To improve collaboration between HR NGOs within the Human Rights Houses (both existing and emerging) but also having in mind that HRH-F has not finalised any new Human Rights House since 1998, this evaluation was decided undertaken. Thus, the main goals of the evaluation have been to find strengths and weaknesses with the Human Rights House as a concept, and with the networking between the different associated NGOs. In addition, and as important, has it been to find reasons for the difficulties in finalising new Human Rights Houses and look into the priorities of work at the secretariat. In short, the evaluation should answer what the added value of establishing Human Rights Houses is, what the secretariat can contribute with and how its work can be made more efficient.