1. Learning with the ISHR Academy

The ISHR Academy is designed so that you can learn in bite-sized chunks (identifying specific information you need at a particular moment in time), or through continuous learning (starting a module at the beginning and working through to the end).

Every section is easily shareable: you can send links to your colleagues and networks, and also download the content of modules and particular exercises to use in your own training programmes.

In the ISHR Academy, you’ll find learning modules (see Learn), stories from defenders who’ve engaged with the UN (see Stories), a database of resources that will support your advocacy (see Tools), and information on security concerns (see Security).

The ISHR Academy aims to meet the needs of a wide variety of actors by taking different approaches:

• Providing information on the basics of human rights mechanisms for those who are new to the topic
• Identifying the opportunities for human rights defenders to engage – the obvious ones, as well as more innovative ideas
• Sharing practical tips, examples of real situations and ideas of how to advocate across different mechanisms at the same time, to help hone the advocacy of more experienced advocates

We’re continuously strengthening and expanding this tool, and we’d love to hear from you on how we can make the ISHR Academy as useful as possible to human rights defenders. You can provide feedback to us here and at the end of every module.

In the next section, you'll find a a glossary to help demystify the language and terminology of advocacy with the UN mechanisms