Our Strategy and Goals 2023-2030

Today, we stand before a historic choice. We can act to defend democracy, human rights, justice, and the rule of law or we can stand aside and allow authoritarianism to advance further and further, subjugating ever more people.

We choose to act, and the time to act is now.

One-pager: Civil Rights Defenders’ strategy for 2023-2030

Civil Rights Defenders’ vision, mission, core values, and brand, together with our strategic goals, define the strategic direction of our organisation 2023-2030.​

➤ One-pager: Read Civil Rights Defenders’ strategy 2023-2030 in one page here.

➤ Full-length: Read Civil Rights Defenders’ strategy 2023-2030 in full-length here.

Strategic goals and objectives

Building on our theory of change, our strategic goals are our ambitions for the duration of the 2023-2030 strategy period. Each of the four strategic goals reflect the four output areas in our theory of change, which are security, capacity, engagement, and accountability. Each goal also contains objectives which describe more specifically what we aim to have achieved by the end of the strategy period.

Security: Human rights defenders are secure

  • Civil Rights Defenders has the capacity and resources to minimise security risks and mitigate the effects of human rights violations.
  • Partners have the capacity and resources to minimise security risks and mitigate the effects of human rights violations.

Capacity: Human rights defenders have the capacity to defend human rights and democracy

  • Civil Rights Defenders provides innovative, flexible, and defender centric partner support.
  • Civil Rights Defenders is a resilient and sustainable organisation fit for purpose.
  • Civil Rights Defenders is focused on using tools, methods, and technologies that are innovative, cutting edge, or data driven.

Engagement: Stakeholders in society take action for human rights and democracy

  • Civil Rights Defenders and partners expand decision makers’ narrative in favour of human rights and democracy.
  • Civil Rights Defenders has engagement driven working methods and creates clear pathways to action for stakeholders to get involved.
  • Civil Rights Defenders is highly respected as a defender centric human rights organisation, specifically for our work in the areas of security, capacity, and accountability.

Accountability: Duty bearers are held accountable

  • Civil Rights Defenders develops clear and efficient tools and methods to hold duty bearers to account.
  • Duty bearers responsible for human rights are held accountable by Civil Rights Defenders or our partners.
  • There is a strong international/regional framework for the advancement of human rights.
  • Those affected by human rights violations have access to justice.