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Our regional programmes operate in Africa, the Commonwealth, Central and Eastern Europe and South Asia, through which we
provide technical advice and assistance to strengthen capacity and develop jurisprudence in each region. Programmes are
developed in consultation with lawyers, judges, NGOs and others and generally combine casework, education and training,
institutional development and provision of resources. Through them we aim to provide expert advice and assistance to those
defending human rights through law, to strengthen capacity in the use of human rights law, to improve the functioning and
use of existing mechanisms and to develop positive human rights case law in each region and internationally.
Africa
In Africa, INTERIGHTS works with lawyers and NGOs to improve the enforcement of human rights under the national constitutions of Africa. We emphasise networks sharing resources and information on legal protection of rights around the continent, particularly across barriers created by differences in legal system and language, develop training programmes for magistrates, the primary point of contact of millions of Africans, and cooperate on strategic litigation programmes on such key issues as the implementation of economic and social rights. At the regional level, we support the efforts of the African Commission for Human and Peoples' Rights to develop an effective individual complaints system and assist individuals and NGOs to utilise this procedure by filing and pursuing well-argued complaints. An important focus over the next few years will be working with lawyers, NGOs and others to prepare for the African Court on Human Rights, ensuring that proposed procedures and principles draw on the experience of other such bodies around the world
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Europe
INTERIGHTS' programme in the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe emphasises the availability of recourse for human rights violations through the European Court of Human Rights, providing advice on the practice of the system and intervening in strategic cases. The programme prioritises training programmes for legal practitioners and the provision of high quality material on human rights law and jurisprudence in local languages. Strategic litigation programmes focusing on well-defined issues encourage sharing of information and expertise within the region. Access to justice, particularly through legal aid schemes and alternative methods of legal support for the most disadvantaged is a key concern
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South Asia
In South Asia, our programme focuses especially on the use of human rights law at domestic level under the constitutions of the region, since few of the countries allow access to international mechanisms. A major Judicial Colloquium held in Bangalore at the end of 1998 helped define strategies to enhance domestic application of human rights in the region; follow-up activities include a series of colloquia and training sessions for judiciary at regional and sub-regional levels. The issue of access to justice emerged as of primary importance, and will be a focus of our work over the next few years, as will support for public interest litigation on certain key issues such a prisoners' rights
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The Commonwealth
INTERIGHTS' Commonwealth programme was established to further the goals, set out by the 1991 Harare Declaration, of human rights, democracy, rule of law, social justice and good governance. It does this throughout the Commonwealth and beyond by promoting and disseminating the increasing amount of human rights jurisprudence to be found in the 54 jurisdictions. Through this activity it provides a valuable practical resource for jurists and activists, and supports them in their work in seeking redress for victims. In particular, the programme encourages the application of international and regional human rights standards and principles in domestic courts combined with the cross-fertilisation of comparative jurisprudence.
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