A Seat At The Table- Crafting efficient narratives at the UN on human rights & people defending them
Channel: ISHRGlobal
Date: 2021-07-05

The stories and narratives that are told about human rights defenders at the UN have a major impact on how they are understood and supported on the ground. Between September 2020 and April 2021, ISHR explored perceptions and views that diplomats working at the UN have about human rights and people who defend them. Our objective was to understand the messages that best increase support for human rights defenders and to craft more effective human rights narratives particularly as they relate to people who defend human rights. 

On 30 June 2021, we launched the new practitioners' guide "A Seat At The Table"! We hope that the guide will be helpful for anyone working within or engaging with the UN system to promote and protect human rights, whether they be advocates with organisations, diplomats or frontline community activists and leaders. 

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to narrative and messaging work. Shifting narratives takes time and is an ongoing effort. Please contact our team with any feedback or ideas, as our efforts to refine and sharpen our strategic messaging is ongoing.