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Mission statement

Aims and Objectives of SAFHR

1. To promote respect for universal standards of human rights with emphasis on universality and interdependence of human rights.
    

2. To provide a public regional forum for exchange of ideas and concerns on human rights, peace and substantive democracy.
    

3. To expose human rights abuses in the region. Human rights are abused in dark places and the abused persons are forced into silence in their own country. By organizing regional dialogues, producing research and publications and undertaking advocacy campaigns, SAFHR will provide human rights NGOs and activists an opportunity to expose abuses.
    

4. SAFHR shall build a communication network of regional human rights and peace activists and NGOs and develop a publications programme on peace and human rights issues.
    

5. SAFHR shall undertake programmes and campaigns to generate awareness for the rights of the minorities, displaced persons and refugees and work for the reduction of statelessness. SAFHR shall campaign for ratification of un conventions and protocols for the protection of refugee, stateless persons and migrants by the states of the region.
    

6. Through such mechanisms as people to people dialogue, SAFHR shall strive to create inter-state and regional level peoples’ forums for intervention in situations of intra and inter-state conflicts, lobby with governments and South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) for creation of regional conventions and mechanisms to improve the quality and standards of human rights all over the region of South Asia.
    

7. Its Peace Studies and Human Rights Courses will develop an experimental model of peace education for the region founded on the bedrock of ‘peace as value’ and the interlinkages between human rights, peace and democracy.
    

8. SAFHR will focus on strengthening the peace building capacities of two particular constituencies – women and the media.

Adopted by the founding body of South Asia Forum for Human Rights on 19 February  1993, Kathmandu, Nepal.