Next steps

Key explanation points

• Facilitators ask participants to brainstorm concrete ‘next steps’ that they will take, individually and organisationally, to implement key integrated security strategies.

• These next steps can be divided up into ‘internal’ actions (i.e. what individuals and organisations will do themselves) and ‘external’ actions (i.e. what international human rights organisations and donors can do to support participants’ security and well-being.
• This is also a consolidation of the Session 9: Recommendations process, where some key points from this discussion can be drawn into the brainstorm.

Facilitation notes

• This is an important process to begin closing the workshop, and to leave participants with a sense of clear commitment and focus on their security and well-being.
• Keep the ‘next steps’ actions specific and achievable.
• The brainstorm notes can be written up and sent out (securely) to participants if appropriate.

Adaptation notes

For some groups, the ‘next steps’ discussion may be focused specifically on their individual and organisational strategies. However, in some cases, a group of human rights defenders may want to use part of this brainstorming process to also develop key ‘advocacy’ points to take to international and regional actors (for example, at conferences or in individual advocacy meetings). In addition, this can also be used as a tool to discuss how to increase solidarity between human rights movements as a key integrated security strategy.

If Session 9: Recommendations is replaced with an alternate session, this Session can instead be used as a forum for a shorter discussion of recommendations.