| Type | Non-profit NGO |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 2008 |
| Location | Belgium |
| Website | www.IPHRonline.org |
International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) is an international non-governmental human rights organization with its seat in Brussels, Belgium. It was established in the spring of 2008. It is a non-profit organization (registered with the Brussels Commercial Court as an association sans but lucratif, or ASBL).
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IPHR's main aim is to empower local civil society groups promoting human rights in different countries and help them make their concerns heard at the international level. Working together with other human rights NGOs, IPHR acts to advance the rights of vulnerable communities, who are subject to discrimination and human rights abuses in different parts of the world, through monitoring, reporting, awareness-raising, capacity-building and national and international advocacy.[1]
IPHR was created in the spring of 2008 by a team of human rights experts[2] who had previously worked together for the Vienna-based International Helsinki Federation.[3] IPHR's expertise was initially concentrated in Central Asia and other countries of the former Soviet Union. Recently, it has expanded its work to other regions of the world, including the Gulf countries and the Middle East.
IPHR assists human rights NGOs with project development and funding, international advocacy (before the EU, Council of Europe, OSCE, and United Nations), as well as research and publication activities. IPHR also implements projects aiming to advance the rights of vulnerable communities, such as women, children, migrants and minorities, who are subject to human rights abuses in different parts of the world. In 2010-2011, IPHR is implementing a project financed by a private foundation to assist human rights groups from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan with the preparation and distribution of publications, as well as the conduct of advocacy to raise international awareness, mobilize international support and promote international action to improve respect for the rights of vulnerable groups such as civic activists, journalists and others who challenge government policies; ethnic and religious minorities; people in prison and detention; and women and children.[4] This project has already resulted in the publication of many statements.[5]
In recent years, IPHR has co-issued, contributed to and/or been a signatory to a number of joint appeals with, inter alia, the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis,[6] Amnesty International,[7] and the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN).[8]
IPHR has three governing bodies: the General Meeting, the Board of Directors and the Director in charge of day-to-day management. The General Meeting is composed of all effective members. At least one meeting must be held annually to approve financial documents and appoint board members. The Board of Directors oversees the administration of the association and exercises all powers not expressly attributed to the General Meeting. It is composed of 3 to 9 members chosen among effective members; up to 1/3 of Board members may be outside directors.[9]
IPHR finances its activities and projects through grants (from private as well as public donors, such as the European Commission[10]) and fees.