Programmes have been created in relation to the needs of non-governmental visitors to Geneva and human rights organisations in the field. In fifteen years, ISHR has thus become a privileged point of observation, critical information, training and liaison. The international context and the needs of organisations in the regions are developing rapidly and ISHR is seeking through a permanent process of evaluation to update its service and programmes to meet new needs. New initiatives are regularly taken with the concern of preserving the specificity of ISHR which resides in a link between the action of human rights organisations at grass roots level and the international world, in particular the United Nations. The International Service for Human Rights responds to the need to inform about and train in the use of procedures, to bridge the gap between the grass roots level and the intergovernmental system, between NGOs in the field and those working in the system, between theorists and activists, between human rights organisations working on social questions, development and refugees.
Organisations naturally prefer the facilities provided for users to be regular, or permanent.
Before launching a new initiative, ISHR tries to ensure that it will be able to continue the undertaking. The quarterly review, the Human Rights Monitor has been regularly published for ten years now. Regular consultations with partners is the philosophy of the organisation, but this is not enough. Social upheavals in recent years have led to a rapid growth in needs which vary more an more from region to region. It is therefore essential to set up a more intensive process of consultation to enable the organisation to review more systematically the foremost needs of the regions and proposals regarding the improvement of facilities.