1. FACILITATING STAKEHOLDER WIDE REACH ~ STRONG IMPACT
SEO Rountable meeting
Presented by Alyeksandr Dashdeleg, NHRC, Mongolia
23-24 June, 2014

2. KEY STAKEHOLDERS Government (national, provincial, local) Ministers
Parliament
Civil service
Non-governmental organizations
Human rights generalists
Specialists in particular issues
Trade unions, business and professional associations
Academics
Religious and community leaders
Media, including opinion leaders,

3. HUMAN RIGHTS & MEDIA
The Commission includes the cooperation work with media in its strategic plan and reflects and implements the objectives of raising public awareness of human rights and advocacy activities through the media. Social media has a strong influence on disseminating information on human-rights based approach to the general public by broad way . Multi-media campaign messages reach about 50-70% of all people.
Similar to journalists, human rights researchers cannot cover all places at once.
Social media continue to play their role in the encouragement and creation of human rights.
According to the Article , of the Law on National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia, the Commission has a mandate to “increase public awareness about the laws or international treaties relating to human rights and to promote human rights education activities”.

4. Media can be reliable sources to protect human rights

5. CASE….
1. Public observed how civil servants built pedestrian walk side in the street. And they demand from the city council to take into consideration that there is a tree in the middle of special marked sidewalk for persons with visual disabilities. (2013)
Another case : Journalists took picture of a girl who has to walk 18 km every day even winter season to go to the school through mountain way in Darvi, Khovd province . Right to education of children and its related issues already submitted to the Ministry and relevant authorities. (Feb 2014)

6. CASE
Nonetheless there are still many topics to address. It is regretful that sometimes a media can reveal the confidential and privacy information of both victims and perpetrators. When there was a case of boy who was a victim of domestic violence and stabbed by his father, media showed appearance of victims, and perpetrators’ full name, home address, work address and his relatives in the media without conceal. Also, due to information flow of the media, criminal suspects can be understood as a perpetrator before any trial or their personal life would be uncovered. We handled 5 complaints last year and issued demands and recommendations to the relevant media websites and newspapers. For instance, there was a case that a media disseminated the detailed information of the victim of sexual violence, meeting point of LGBT community, national origin of transgender girls and their relatives, even their photographs used without any consent.

7. Establishing closest stakeholder
First reach & send a letter to ask work with us
Take daily TV time
Human Rights Journalist club
Specialize them
Hire focal point at the Commission
Educate media organizations’ owners as well
Work together
In 2011, the NHRCM sent a proposal letter on cooperation to the almost all the media organizations. Only a few of the them reacted with a positive response. Most of them said we are commercial so “that documentary and training programmes will cost and we can only give you 10-20% discount”. In 2012, Mongolian National broadcasting public television agreed on broadcasting the human rights programme, however, they stopped broadcasting it after one year. It was not easy to work with them.
In recent years, we observed that there was a need for journalists to get specialized in a specific field and therefore we started to unite the journalists who wanted to specialize in field of human rights. With support of UNDP project, the Commission organized a human rights training for 22 journalists. However, directors of the press media tend not to let their journalists to participate in these training by saying that they lack of human resources to run their business if their staff attend such trainings.
It was hopeless to broadcast a human rights programme on jockeys through a television owned by the race horse trainer and to publish news related to human rights violations by mining activities on newspaper financed by the mining companies.
Therefore, the Commission established “Human Rights Journalists” Club from mass media consisting of 12 journalists in 2012 and conducting its activities regularly up to date. These journalists are working effectively and everyone’s commitment can make difference.

8. Contribution of Media in Human rights promotion
Human rights advocates and journalists are linked and share the same heritage
Wide reach: Brings information on human rights to the biggest number of people and in the quickest manner
Strong impact: Reaches to peoples from all walks of life, especially those whose rights are violated

9. Our key activities working with media
Recruited staff member
Established “Journalists club” since 2011
Press conference once a month
Web site, Twitter, Facebook
Training for media people
Public lectures
Publish informative bulletin
Human Rights Journal
Handbooks
Photo exhibition
Human Rights Open day
Information centre
TV messages
TV interview, newspaper article
Competition, Media campaign
Signed MoU with Federation of Journalists
Monthly meeting
Send them training, workshop in abroad
Advertise activities/attract/call
Sharing opinions, ideas
Approved internal procedure
Create Friendship
The Commission is running the public awareness raising activities in the following forms: Communication network
Disseminating relevant information via press media on regular basis
Updating the website of the Commission regularly (
Running the Commission’s social network
Engaging with its Human Rights Journalists’ Club
Producing and publishing the Information page on human rights quarterly
Publishing the Human Rights Journal
Producing brochures, compilation and books on human rights issues
Organizing events and activities which are public inclusive (e.g. photo exhibition, public lectures and human rights day campaign etc.,)
Running the Information Center publicly
Running its Training room (including e-learning platform:
The Commission has taken the following measures in order to avoid any potential conflicts with the media:
Adopted and observing the internal code of conduct on communication with press media
Adopted the Procedure on the function of its website and social network
Organizing in-house training for its staff based on their needs and requests
Involving the journalists in human rights training and ensuring the transparent, friendly, open communication with them etc.,

10. Main role of SEO Collaborate with media organizations
Continue using alternative media e.g. newsletters, streamers, placards, flyers, wall news,
Demand for better media coverage on human rights issues
Point right person who gives interview
Induction to interviewer in which emerging issues
Training staff how to follow the procedure/regulation
Manage appointment between journalists and commissioners
Executive Director’s duty to communicate with media
Choose a focal point regarding the human rights issues/ depending on which rights are related
Create framework for interview topics (historical development, progress at national level, basic understanding, information that harmonizes with the national tradition and custom related to human rights and attitude change, the Commission’s activities in human rights fields etc.)
Almost every day, Executive Director faces with questions mentioned above in short time demanding rapid response.
According to our organization’s internal rules (NHRCM’s procedure on media communication and other rules), Executive Director is coordinator and general manager. In other words, the Executive Director acts as a bridge between the Commissioners and the Secretariat.
To point the rights person who will be interviewed, we prioritise interviewees as Commissioners, Executive Director and officers. However, obstacles rise due to short-numbered staff or absence of the person due to missions, annual or sick leave and day offs.

11. Using mass media to promote human rights
Please see this graphic of disseminating human rights issues as well as the activities of the Commission to the general public via press media (in last 7 years)

12. POSSIBLE ATTITUDES OF STAKEHOLDERS
Raises awareness on human rights
Has the ability to mobilize people to recognize and protect human rights, and bring perpetrators to justice
Help monitor and improve human rights in their communities
Supportive

13. Facing obstacles
When media ask to take interview, Commission or officers do not have enough information regarding any human rights violations, emerging issues or under the lodging complaint and some of them have lack of oratory skills.
Not ready or unreadiness. Even though the officers have an experience in their specialized human rights, they lack of update surveys and datas.
Workload. This is one of the problems for the Commission with a short-numbered staff and it is hard to find an officer to give an interview when everyone is so busy.
Sometimes some human rights defenders or researchers have negative understanding about the media.
“Uninvited guests”. When you are totally concentrated on your task, besides having complainants, you would see journalists coming with their cameramen without notice. They all demand your opinion and expression on specific human rights issues on that time.
Some journalists are really eager to know and request the detailed information on complaint, investigation and cases in process.

14. NEGATIVE ATTITUDES OF STAKEHOLDERS
Supportive but not 100% supporters
Many journalists have little or no idea at all on human rights
Females are significantly more likely to be accessing social media (72%), when compared to males (59%)
Social media is increasingly helpful to not only monitor emerging human rights emergencies, but also to uncover incorrect information.

15. Ways to address negative attitudes
To specialize the staff in specific topics and to be convertible (To support to become a human rights expert)
To maintain staff to work stable
To establish the organizational information archive
To maintain staff to have an ability to speak and report whenever and to whomever in scope of his/her specialized human rights field
To internally indoctrinate that awareness raising and promotion of its activities are crucial and effective
To make friendly deal with media (When a journalist arrived in the office, they already left his/her contact details. After that, they are giving opportunity to us to know that they are coming and their planned interview topic, issue or information 2-3 hours before. And we prepare and choose the focal point based on their notice.)

16. Future plan to work with media
Expand the community of journalists who are willing to specialize in human rights field
Intensify training and information for media people
Enhance participation and commitment of journalists to deliver human rights issues to public and to decision-makers
Cooperate with media institutions to support the public to be empowered
Organize specific activities regarding human rights defenders
Prepare various information tool kit for the media
Inform effectively, not just spread the words. Use PR tactics until decisions are made timely. Mongolian media organizations are speaking out for horse jockeys’ condition and how their rights are being violated and supporting human rights defenders. Their serial photographs and articles in the press are still influencing the authorities.

17. BAYARLAA.