Amnestys utredningsarbete Underlag till styrelsemöte 1-2 juni 2007

Till: Styrelsen
Från: ICM-delegationen/Lisa Moraeus
Datum: 2 juni 2007


Underlag angående Amnestys utredningsarbete

Bakgrund
Amnesty Paraguay menar att Amnestys utredningsarbete har för lite resurser. Paraguay vill göra det lättare för alla strukturer och sektioner att hjälpa IS med utredningsarbetet – de som inte har råd att ge pengar kan istället hjälpa till att utreda i samarbete med IS.

Det finns fortfarande stora brister i flera utredningsteam på IS. Underbemmaning leder till att de knappt har möjlighet att svara på brev från samordnare och sektioner. Det här är ett område som vi kanske bör prioritera i vårt eget ICM-arbete.

Fråga att diskutera

Bör vi diskutera med Amnesty Paraguay och om möjligt göra ett tillägg till deras resolution? Ett sådant tillägg skulle bland annat kunna beröra utvärdering av landprogammen (CAP).


Bifogas:
Resolution från Amnesty Paraguay angående utredningsarbetet.

Accountability - AI Paraguay Optimizing Research

The International Council:

RECOGNIZES that AI's research work will be strengthened if all the bodies that make up the international movement commit themselves to devoting greater human, financial and material resources to the IS research teams;

REQUESTS the IEC to decide what is required to ensure that the human, financial and material resources available to IS research teams are optimized, by establishing policies that are designed to ensure fair distribution of the number of researchers by country or region and an appropriate balance between research on crisis and pre-crisis countries and research on other countries.

ALSO REQUESTS s ections and structures to contribute to AI's research work within a decentralized research framework by contributing resources (in cash, through activity at section or structure level and/or by way of support in kind to the international movement) or the findings of research they have conducted, in accordance with international movement guidelines, on their own countries as well as, depending on their capacities, other countries.

AND FURTHER REQUESTS the Secretary General to establish, through the IS, training tools for researchers from sections and structures so that they can acquire the skills that would allow them to work closely with IS research teams on specific issues on the human rights agenda and facilitate better management of information concerning any such abuses.


Explanatory note

Research and campaigning are the motors that drive AI forward. Nevertheless, AI's research work is under threat owing to the shortage of human, financial and material resources at its disposal with which to address the innumerable situations throughout the world where human rights are being violated. The ability of the IS research teams and the whole international movement to take action is outstripped by the ever-growing number of cases and reports of serious human rights abuses that require an effective and immediate response. In some instances, financial constraints have prevented adequate field research or media work from being done. Those financial constraints have weakened AI's work and influence when confronted with human rights crises.

In 2003, ICM Decision 17 and the ISP sought to correct the weaknesses that stem from the inadequacy of resources in some countries as well as from human rights crises. The 2003 ICM also established the idea of “less centralized approaches to research”, based on the Research Review and supported by Decision 17 of the ICM. The idea was for the IS’s new allies (sections and structures and other NGOs) to be able to contribute the findings of research they had carried out themselves to be used by the whole international movement. AI Paraguay believes that this is possible as long as training and support is being provided by the IS on a permanent basis.

In Morelos, during his opening speech at the 2005 ICM, the Chair of the IEC asked the international movement to make additional contributions to the global international budget in order to fulfil the ISP.

Subsequently, the IEC asked the Secretary General to draw up, in addition to a fully funded ISOP2, a series of projects focused on areas where, if additional funds become available, significant
success could be achieved in delivery of the ISP goals. Lastly, the IEC approved work (in addition to a balanced budget ISOP2, AI Index: POL 50/001/2006) referred to as “the Major Projects” for OP2.

One of these major projects is to “guarantee quality research” (Goal 8 of the ISP):

Goal 8 of the ISP Guarantee quality research
Project goals An integrated strategic research agenda, with balanced research coverage, will be developed across the movement
A plan of action for developing further policies, procedures and mechanisms to ensure research coordination, quality and coherence of AI’s message will be implemented across the movement
Capacity for sections to engage in research will increase
Capacity for the IS to manage research by sections will increase.
Quality of research by sections and the IS will improve

AI Paraguay is aware that this project cannot be fully implemented if supplementary funds are not given directly to the IS or the IMT. Nevertheless, it is also aware that it is impossible for small sections and structures, given their financial constraints, to make a monetary contribution but that at the same time it would be unfair for the large sections to absorb the costs of this project on their own. Therefore,
in order to overcome any inequality, some small sections and structures could contribute by allocating people or work teams to provide effective support with the tasks being carried out by IS research teams.

AI Paraguay is therefore absolutely convinced that AI's research work would be strengthened if the international movement, through the IEC, drew up an action strategy that is designed to optimize the human, financial and material resources available to AI for carrying out research and encouraged all sections and structures to collaborate in it by jointly investing greater human, financial and material resources in IS research teams and those sections and structures that have the necessary capacities.

Lastly, the investment of resources and the willingness of each section or structure to commit themselves in whatever way they can (in cash, through activity at section or structure level and/or by way of support in kind to the international movement) would greatly facilitate the research AI undertakes because it would be optimized through having a greater number of actors and work tools geared towards achieving a common end. In this way, the research documents produced would increase in quality and quantity and a genuine appropriate balance would be achieved between research on crisis and pre-crisis countries and research on other countries, thereby leading to the maintenance of AI's effectiveness, efficiency and reputation. All of this would have a beneficial effect on the credibility of AI sections and structures in the countries on which research was being undertaken, whether or not the country in question was in a state of actual or imminent crisis.

PrepCom note
While most of the content is already being implemented and perhaps requires broader circulation, the request for additional resources for research cannot be considered in isolation nor determined by the ICM.
PrepCom recommends that instead of being treated as a resolutions this issue be a part of a discussion session that also takes into account WOOC and Strategic Coverage as a package of research related concerns in the movement. The resulting Chair’s Statement would identify a shared understanding of these issues.