A strategic approach to advocacy work is crucial for all human rights defenders that aim to influence public policy.
The current Internet Governance ecosystem is not only complex, it presents a mixed picture with regard to participation and interests. There is a growing number of civil society actors advocating for human rights in the digital age. But there are also increasingly geopolitically motivated state actors and well-resourced international corporations who shape a more politicised and securitised Internet Governance system. Additionally, resources for effective engagement for advocacy work are limited and some spaces are not open to multistakeholder engagement - making strategic approaches even more crucial.
To effectively engage in these spaces, human rights defenders need to be aware of the ecosystem they operate in, the actors involved and the barriers they face - and develop strategies to overcome these.
The workshop aims to strengthen strategic advocacy for human rights online in relevant internet governance debates. It aims to offer an opportunity for human rights defenders of all stakeholder groups to share lessons learned about their advocacy work, map barriers they are facing and jointly develop strategic approaches to overcome these. Advancing strategic engagement strategic engagement skills is likely to also benefit new voices of human rights defenders with limited resources to participate meaningfully.
Speakers provisionally confirmed:
Cunningham, Laura
Ojo, Edetaen
Varon Ferraz, Joana
Vermeer, Lisa
