Strategic Planning for Housing and Land Rights
Defenders

Determining your Response

1.
Assess your

Ø
Strengths

Ø
Weaknesses

Ø
Opportunities

Ø
Threats

2.   Select a
Strategy

"A rights-based approach"

Setting a strategic plan:

What
is your purpose ?

What
are your goals ?

What
are your objectives ?

What
will be your activities ?

Levels of participation

Effective cooperation

Degrees of community participation

Leadership takes from

the
community base

People decide
with available information

Tokenism

Manipul-ation

More participation = more dignity

Make a strategic
accounting of:

The current situation
(strengths and weaknesses)

The probable future
(opportunities and threats)

Strengths

Weaknesses

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Opportunities

Threats

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

5

Determine the geographical scope of activity

Internationally

National level

Local

Choose activities that are:

S
M   A   R   T

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Rationalised/resources

Time bound

Distinguish &
prioritize

must do

could do

urgent

could wait

easy

difficult

economical

needs
additional resources

short term

long term

Mutually
supporting activities:

Media work

Legal
defense

Documentation

Budget
analysis

Public
information

Social
mobilization

Lobbying/law
reform

Human
rights education

Compensation
for victims

Enforcing
international obligations

Example 1:
an NGO SWOT analysis

Should we publish and
national ECR rights report this year?

Strengths

Weaknesses

§
International recognition ESC rights as indivisibile

§
NGO has links to base emphasize ESC rights importance, and
aid capacity to conduct research

§
Cooperative relations with some important HR institutions

§
Competent and enthusiastic NGO team

§
CESCR Concluding Observations

§
Current human rights culture marginalizes ESC rights

§
Little guidance/methodology available

§
Contentious relations with some human rights institutions

§
Need funds

§
Indifference/hostility

§
Insensitive media

Opportunities

Threats

§
Growing international awareness of ESC rights (e.g.,
OHCHR/UNDP)

§
No other ESCR rights reports

§
Basis for "critical dialogue" with officials and
other institutions

§
Service to other orgs., unions, professionals, etc.

§
Strengthen relationship with base

§
Enhance the NGO’s specialization

§
Basis for cooperation with UN system (e.g., CESCR, CRC,
CEDAW, etc.)

§
Demonstrate interdependence of rights

§
Demonstrate centrality of housing rights

§
Develop concept of "right to land"

§
Apply General Comments

§
Upcoming election campaign?

§
Work with media

§
Build collaboration with other orgs. by implementing a
division of labor

§
Present human rights community as a resource pool for good
governance, not just in the political sphere

§
Perceived competition from other orgs.

§
Competition by other orgs.

§
Political interests in official institutions

§
Upcoming election campaign?

§
General, official hostility toward human rights
organizations.

Example 2:

Setting the strategic plan

Purpose:
progressive realization of ESC rights

Goal:         awareness
raising, monitoring, legal defense

Desired results:

Number of trainees

Establishing a center

Documentation,

Obtain
compensation for victims

Activities:

Court cases,

Record the losses,

Training
in the neighborhood

Division of labor

Activities chart

Goal, desired outcome

ِActivity

Timing

Responsible Party

Task

Resources needed (human, material, other)

1.

2.

3.

Division of labor

Cooperation
within the organization and among

civil
society institutions

demonstrates
a common front and unified voice

Making  your  case

Moral argument

Numbers                          Legal
authority

As this HLRN toolkit demonstrates, enumerate
violations is only a part of the job of the housing and land rights monitor. There
are numerous possibilities also to pose solutions, which bring you together not
only with the community on a sustained basis, but also forms the basis of
fruitful cooperation with technicians in the field. Where the human rights
authority and argument take us, the practical solutions put translate them into
a better reality.