"To promote information flow and build the corporate image of FHRI"

Comprehensive access to knowledge and information is widely recognised as an imperative prerequisite for effective human rights education and advocacy. The function of the information and documentation centre is to provide greater access to information for the broadest user-ship that can be reached. Through various strategies under the CID, FHRI penetrates the public forum to frame, present and influence concerns about FHRI, its work and point of view on topical issues. Effective Public relations also form a considerable part of the CID whose overall objective is: To promote information flow and build the corporate image of FHRI. The Communication and Information Division has three activity areas: The Information Center, Public Affairs Unit, and Documentation Unit.

1. The Information Center

Objective: To promote access to and exchange of information internally, nationally and internationally.

Over the years FHRI has received a variety of literature on the subject of human rights and democracy. The rapidly growing collection has over 4,000 book titles, periodicals, reports, newspapers, audio and visual documents, documentary films and recorded workshop reports and a variety of consultancy papers. Much of this acquisition is sustained by donations from bodies advocating for human rights and through an exchange programme with several organisations around the world.

In this three year programme, the Information Centre has continued to stock information materials on human rights and related subjects. The Centre attracts a diverse readership of students from higher institutions of learning; government officials; members of the judiciary; researchers and members of staff who broaden their understanding of various aspects of human rights as it continues to grow. The Centre is open from 9:00 am to 12.45 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m; Monday to Friday. The Centre charges a nominal fee to its users that attract all users at all times from the public regardless of their status. The centre regularly sends out a current awareness list to interested parties which inform them on the latest materials.

2. Public Affairs Unit

Objective: To promote FHRI’s profile and services rendered.

Public Relations an integral part of the FHRI program is critical in promoting FHRI’s corporate image. Through its informal and formal communication channels FHRI’s Public Relations Strategy creates and reinforces close ties with different programs to support the direction of FHRI and its programmes, broaden public understanding of FHRI activities, increase public involvement in FHRI’s activities, gauge public opinion about FHRI relevance, goals and impact of its activities and create regular interaction with related civil society and the media.

3. The Documentation Unit

Objective: To inform the democratization process in Uganda.

FHRI publications serve to inform, sensitise, educate and engage a wider audience on the current thinking on emerging issues in the social justice movement and on internationally recognised human rights standards through the use of press releases, periodicals, reports, books, brochures, and posters.

While the Human Rights Defender Magazine is replete with in-depth, timely, substantive articles on human rights and democratization using a thematic approach, the Human Rights Reports not only create awareness on violations occurring in a particular sector of society, but are also used as approaches in gauging impact and benchmarking human rights progress.

The Documentation Unit oversees the publication of FHRI core publications that include: the Human Rights Defender, Annual Report, the Brochure, the Thematic Human Rights Reports and Annual Country Human Rights Reports.

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