EHAHRDP Network – Defending Defenders
- The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) seeks to strengthen the work of human rights defenders (HRDs) throughout the region by reducing their vulnerability to the risk of persecution and by enhancing their capacity to effectively defend human rights.
- EHAHRDP focuses its work on Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia (together with Somaliland), Sudan (together with South Sudan), Tanzania and Uganda. As of 2008 it also includes Rwanda and Burundi into its scope given their recent adhesion to the East African Community.
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Capacity Building; Advocacy; Staff; Current members; Partners; Jobs; Links;
Key documents; Johannesburg Declaration; Declaration on Human Rights Defenders;
- Physical address: Human Rights House, Plot 1853, Lulume Rd., Nsambya, Uganda;
- Postal address: P.O. Box 70356, Kampala, Uganda;
About /organisational structure: The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project is designed to strengthen the work of HRDs in the region by reducing their vulnerability to the risk of persecution and by enhancing their capacity to effectively defend human rights.
Its work focuses on Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Somaliland, Sudan including Southern Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
EHAHRDP jointly organised the Human Rights Defenders Conference for the East and Horn of Africa with Amnesty International Africa Regional Office and the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University, Canada, in Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel, Entebbe which took place from 31 October to 04 November 2005. More than 60 frontline human rights defenders from the region and beyond gathered at this event to discuss improved methods of protection for human rights defenders “HRDs” in their respective countries. As a result of this conference, the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (EHAHRD-Net) was launched. Today the Network counts more than 50 non-governmental organisations as members working for the protection of human rights throughout the region. The Network is guided by a Plan of Action spelling out priorities of intervention for the coming years.
EHAHRDP is the implementing unit of the Network and officially registered as an Non-Governmental Organisation under Ugandan law.
The organisational structure of the Network reflects its democratic and flexible working mode with a clear line of responsibilities and powers.The Network’s General Assembly is constituted by all Network members who are either full members, associate members or honorary members. The Advisory Council, chaired by the Network’s Chairperson Hassan Shire Sheikh, functions as the policy organ of the Network and advises the implementation unit, EHAHRDP. It is formed by 16 members, i.e. ex officio members who are also members of the EHAHRDP Board of Directors and the country focal persons who have been elected by the country teams of the General Assembly to represent their respective countries and territories and the relevant issues arising in regard to the work of human rights defender.