Mission & Vision

Human rights, peace and democracy are the main areas of concern of the South Asia Forum for Human Rights(SAFHR). SAFHR, set up in 1990, is a regional public forum for the promotion of respect for universal values of human rights, the interdependence of rights and the indivisibility of rights.

 

In the strife torn region of South Asia, SAFHR is committed to the promotion of the inter linkages between human rights, peace and substantive democracy. SAFHR is a human rights organization with 'peace as value' as its cornerstone. Peace is understood as a space for the enjoyment of the rights of all peoples. It is not simply the absence of war or the management of crisis but a fundamental value to be integrated in all programmes for realizing peoples’ security - that is, security of food, shelter, health and livelihood in a non-hegemonic democratic regional order. It is this perspective which animates SAFHR’s flagship programme – Human Rights and Peace Studies Orientation Course.

 

SAFHR’s other programmes address some of the core concerns of the human rights and peace agenda –displacement of indigenous peoples and minorities, refugees and migrants, impunity, inter-state and intra-state conflicts and peace accords, militarization and the strengthening of peace constituencies in civil society.

 

What is SAFHR’s  programmatic vision?

• It is a regional public forum to generate new ideas and strategies and understand inter linkages of human rights, peace and democracy. SAFHR's regional dialogues have fostered alternative humanitarian perspectives on refugee and minority issues and identified standards and practices for protection of rights.
• Its peace audits seek to develop a framework of accountability of peace processes as assessed from stakeholders in the margins, i.e civil society and women’s groups, minorities, refugees, etc.
• These perspectives animate its Human Rights and Peace Studies Orientation Course and satellite training workshops with human rights and peace activists, researchers/ academics, media practitioners and policy makers.
• SAFHR works with two particular constituencies - women and the media- strengthening their peace and human rights building capacities.
• It works with human rights and peace activists in crisis situations to help in understanding, capacity building, networking and better strategizing. SAFHR has fostered civil society activism for a democratic peace in India's North-east and Kashmir, Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts and Nepal.
• SAFHR has pioneered innovative strategies like Trans border people to people 'political' dialogues, supporting initiatives like the Pakistan India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy.
• SAFHR’s programmes are structured around regional dialogues, peace audits, Human Rights Peace Studies Courses, training workshops, publications and advocacy campaigns.
• SAFHR works through a network of 40 partners and associates comprising civil society organisations committed to promoting human rights and peace.

 

Aims and Objectives of SAFHR

 

1. To promote respect for universal standards of human rights with emphasis on universality and interdependence of human rights.
2. To provide a public regional forum for exchange of ideas and concerns on human rights, peace and substantive democracy.
3. To expose human rights abuses in the region. Human rights are abused in dark places and the abused persons are forced into silence in their own country. By organizing regional dialogues, producing research and publications and undertaking advocacy campaigns, SAFHR will provide human rights NGOs and activists an opportunity to expose abuses.
4. SAFHR shall build a communication network of regional human rights and peace activists and NGOs and develop a publications programme on peace and human rights issues.
5. SAFHR shall undertake programmes and campaigns to generate awareness for the rights of the minorities, displaced persons and refugees and work for the reduction of statelessness. SAFHR shall campaign for ratification of un conventions and protocols for the protection of refugee, stateless persons and migrants by the states of the region.
6. Through such mechanisms as people to people dialogue, SAFHR shall strive to create inter-state and regional level peoples’ forums for intervention in situations of intra and inter-state conflicts, lobby with governments and South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) for creation of regional conventions and mechanisms to improve the quality and standards of human rights all over the region of South Asia.
7. Its Peace Studies and Human Rights Courses will develop an experimental model of peace education for the region founded on the bedrock of ‘peace as value’ and the interlinkages between human rights, peace and democracy.
8. SAFHR will focus on strengthening the peace building capacities of two particular constituencies – women and the media.