In this strategic priority area, Defenders Coalition positions herself as a thought and collaborative leader towards (re)formulation and or enforcement of appropriate policies, laws, institutions and cultural norms that touch on the safety, security and well-being of HRDs. We thus seek to contribute to securing a conducive operating environment for HRDs, and in which respect for human rights is accorded to all.

The strategy strives to achieve a conducive legal and policy environment for HRDs in Kenya, including through coordinating and harmonizing our advocacy interventions with those undertaken by our partners. In addition, we also initiate and carry out advocacy around specific cases of HRDs that have been identified in conjunction with Protection Department  as being in need of complementary measures that go beyond immediate protection responses. The programme approach include:

a) Advocacy on policy and legislation“

NCHRD-K conducts advocacy at the national and county levels by engaging with individual lawmakers and law-making bodies to gain support for the development of policy and legal framework conducive to the protection of rights of HRDs in Kenya.

b) Networking and partnerships“

A key aspect of Defenders Coalition’s advocacy is the creation of networks and linkages with stakeholders and other actors. This approach has enabled the Coalition to improve knowledge-sharing and increase skill-expertise, with a positive impact on the ability to influence actors who are in a position to effect changes in the situation of HRDs. Coalition’s national and county networks, for example, enable it to cover the whole country, and monitor developments in the situation of HRDs and feed that information in advocacy strategies in real time.

c) Media and communication

Media is an important tool for reaching and sensitising the public on current affairs, and for mobilisation. Defenders Coalition spreads its messages to communities and HRDs at the national and county level through vernacular and community based radio stations. Coalition also plans to roll out regional and international TV and radio interviews to highlight the status of HRDs in Kenya. The Coalitionhas also embraced advances in communication technology to reach wider audiences through its website (www.defenderscoalition.org) and social media.