Given current threats to the Human Rights Act, the Equality and Diversity Forum (EDF) sees an urgent need to advocate for respect for human rights in the UK, including those of minorities who are particularly likely to be the focus of popular and media hostility.
As part of an ongoing project to address this need, in July 2011 EDF held a Human Rights Learning Exchange to share learning with partners from the United States about ways to shift the terms of public debate about human rights overall and minority rights in particular.
At the Learning Exchange seminar on 20 July, colleagues from the Opportunity Agenda shared their views on how US experience might inform practice here:
Speakers included:
- Alan Jenkins, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Opportunity Agenda
- Amber Khan, a communications specialist with a focus on Muslim-American communities
- Juhu Thukral, Director of Law and Advocacy at The Opportunity Agenda who specialises in communicating about migration
Professor Francesca Klug, of the LSE Human Rights Futures Projects and Don Flynn, Director of the Migrants’ Rights Network gave responses before a plenary discussion with participants.
Click here for the report of the seminar ‘Human rights in the UK: the challenge of winning hearts and minds’, published in December 2011
Click here for presentation by Alan Jenkins
Click here for ‘Talking Human Rights in the United States. A Communications Toolkit’ by the Opportunity Agenda
Click here for ‘Public Opinion Research. How to Discuss Specific Social Justice Issues Within A Human Rights Framework’ by the Opportunity Agenda
Click here for ‘Real Solutions, American Values. A Winning Narrative on Immigration’, a messaging memo by the Opportunity Agenda
The Opportunity Agenda provided a series of case studies showing how the organisation has been successful in securing change:
- Click here for ‘Saving equal opportunity in Colorado’
- Click here for ‘Pursuing equity in health and health care’
- Click here for ‘Bringing opportunity to all neighborhoods’
- Click here for ‘Easing the path for immigrant integration’
- Click here for ‘Securing the right to a healthy environment’
The Opportunity Agenda is a not-for-profit organisation based in New York whose mission is to build the national will to expand opportunity in America. The Opportunity Agenda uses communications and media to build public support for expanding opportunity to more Americans and publishes research and toolkits on advancing support for human rights.
Click here for link to the Opportunity Agenda website
The Equality and Diversity Forum wishes to thank the Carnegie Corporation for supporting the Learning Exchange.
