Athili Sapriina in Washington, D.C. with Columbia University's Human Rights Advocacy Program, November 2011
By Athili Sapriina
The first week of November was special; the HRAP participants went at Washington DC to meet with exciting organizations and individuals. Fourteen human rights advocates along with Stephanie and Sam from the Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) of Columbia University took the three-hour journey by train on October 31. Immediately upon checking into the hotel and we were off to the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights that afternoon.
Marselha Gonçalves Margerin is advocacy director at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights (RFK Center) she is a member of The Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) advisory council. We also met with Anna Triponel of PILPG in NY and she is the director of the NY Office. The RFK Center has interest in indigenous peoples issues, having worked in Mexico in the past. They have worked on the right to education for indigenous peoples in the Americas, as well as a study done on untouchability of Dalits in India.
On November 1, I had three appointments. The first was the Fund for Global Human Rights. We were met by Jerusha Burnham, Grant Administrator/Program Associate. The fund supports oganizations working on indigenous land rights, women’s rights, and the issue of forced labor. Next we went to the Enough Project, an organization that focuses on Africa and specializes in advocating for policy changes.
Later in the day, we met with Human Rights First, an organization whose office was at Capitol Hill, right next to the Supreme Court. The organization’s niche is encouraging the United States Government to take definitive positions on human rights. Four advocates met with Quinn OKeefe, Director of the Human Rights Defenders Program, which is primarily led by lawyers and works on business and human rights, refugee protection, fighting religious discrimination, etc.
On November 2, I met with Mary Wyckoff, Director of Access to Justice of Global Rights. Here I have been able to find a linkage with Nagas because Ms. Megan of Global Rights was aware that the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), a global pro bono law firm, was involved in the Naga issue. She linked me up with Ruben Carranza, Director, Reparative Justice Program at the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and we have plans to meet.
We then went to the Academy for Educational Development, which is now known as FHI360. We met with Anne O’Toole Salina, program director for peace building and conflict mitigation at the Center for Civil Society and Governance and Riley Abbott, program officer of the Capable Partners Program. FHI360 helps organizational developmental capacity through training on grants management. It works closely with USAID on conflict assessments.
The next day, all fourteen advocates went to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and learned about their programs from Theodore Feifer. We then met with representatives from the Advocacy Project, a fellows program for representatives of grassroots organizations. It works with organizations based in marginalized communities, including India, Nepal, Africa, Guatemala, etc.
The last meeting was held at the World Bank Inspection Panel, which was formed primarily due to tremendous advocacy work by indigenous peoples around the world. The panel strives to work independent of the World Bank; however, less than 80 cases have been taken up by the panel, which they attribute to lack of awareness of such a mechanism. I met with Peter L. Lallas, executive secretary briefly and spent a larger amount of time with Dilek Barlas, Deputy Executive Secretary of The Inspection Panel.
The exposure I got in DC to support organizations for human rights work was truly eye opening. I hope to be able to keep contact with the people I met there in the hopes that we can help each other in our common missions.