Notes from the regional meeting November 2023

Notes from the regional meeting

Place: Arkivet in Kristiansand.

Date: 04.11.23

January to November- highlights

We started the day with breakfast and a presentation about all the wonderful activism that has been done since our last general meeting in January. At the end of the third quartal the regional office has registered 114 activities in our region so far this year. You should all be very proud of this great accomplishment- Imagine how many people you have reached, how many signatures you have collected, and so on.

Courses we offer to activists and members

• Introduction course (both Norwegian and English): Learn about the organization, how we work and history of human rights.

• Strategic activism (both Norwegian and English): About how can plan activities strategically, so that you can influence politics and society in general.

• How to influence the organization (A Norwegian version be finished by the beginning of 2024. Time for translating to English is not set at this moment): Amnestys members decide what the organization will prioritize. The background for this course is that we have an understanding of that some activists don`t know about the real impact they can have on the organization. We therefore wanted to make a course to make you feel safe in your roles, and to make you prepared to send in proposals for the annual meeting.

Human rights education- some are for classrooms, and others are offered to groups

• Human Rights Dialogue (both Norwegian and English): Dialogue with different statements, questions for reflection, facts and stories.

• Refugees (Norwegian): New educational training that will be posted online this year. Similar structure as HRDi. More information in newsletter soon.

• Har du lyst?: Training in classroom on the topic "consent". The reason for doing it is that we have a problem with rape in our society. Victims and the offended are often under the age of 18. Therefore, we visit classroom at high schools to try to affect attitudes and start conversations.

• Write for Rights (both English and Norwegian): Annual campaign in November and December. You can read about this year’s campaign on these two links. There is a button on each of the pages that takes you to the English page:

• General page about the campaign and information about letter writing: Skriv for liv | Amnesty International Norge
• Action circular with information about this years candidates and suggestions for activism: Skriv for liv 2023 | Amnesty International Norge

The board

Tor Kåpvik from the board visited us. Here are some of the things the board does:

• Define the strategic directions for Amnesty
• Approve plans, strategies, and budgets
• Appoint the Secretary General
• Represent Amnesty in Norway internationally: Explain the international organization with the Global Assembly (GA) and how AiN is part of the global structure. Describe how the board works to advocate for our issues and how we adhere to internationally adopted decisions.

Information about the board with emails is available on the website: https://amnesty.no/for-aktivister/styret-i-amnesty

The members are the cornerstone of the organisation. We are a member-led organisation, which means that you have a lot of power if you want to use it.

Our most important member meeting and supreme body is the Annual General Meeting (AGM). All members of Amnesty can participate, and those who have been a member for at least 6 months before LM can vote.

There, the members decide together the most important things for the organization:

• which major human rights areas we will work on (especially in the strategy year - now it says freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination with several subsections).

• The budget and finances of the organization

• And last, but not least, you elect us to the board who represent you throughout the year. You also elect an election committee that makes a proposal on who should sit on the board, which they present to the national meeting. If there are no opposing candidates, those proposed by the election committee will be elected. You can also "bench", i.e. propose other candidates than those proposed by the election committee (the election committee will come soon and tell about its work) The board hires the general secretary, who hires the rest of the secretariat.

The Annual General Meeting 2023

The national meeting this year was in Tromsø .

Around 180 participated. Around half were young people.

The most important matters that were adopted:

• Lobbying for the introduction of a third legal gender category, promoted by the Amnesty group at Stavanger Katedralskole, An overwhelming majority voted in favor.
• Expand and strengthen the anti-racist work in Norway, Promoted by: Oda Nigist Wigstøl, Leader of the student council and active in the student group in Tromsø, An overwhelming majority voted in favour.

Annual General Meeting 2024

April 19- 21^st in Oslo (place is not decided yet).

The theme for the national meeting - and which we will also celebrate this weekend - is that Amnesty in Norway turns 60 this year. Here we will look back on 60 years of human rights work in Norway, but also point out the challenges we face in the coming years.

Amnesty in Norway's Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

Been prepared by the secretariat and adopted by the board - a selection of activists gave input during the preparation of the strategy the activism strategy that is being developed now looks at what goals we should have linked to diversity and inclusion for activism.

Comments from participants:

• That there should be a discussion group during the Annual General Meeting about this topic.
• That the lack of English resources can be exclude members that don`t speak Norwegian.
• Wish for brochures and resources in other languages than English and Norwegian.

Amnesty Norway`s climate plan

• Produce as little waste as possible and sort as much as possible. In addition, we avoid the unnecessary use of plastic and disposable items.
• Use as little energy as possible in all our operations.
• Clear purchasing requirements and an environmentally aware relationship with all types of procurement and shipping.
• Limited production of our own material, operate a large degree of reuse and have a clear purchasing awareness.
• Minimize the replacement of IT equipment and limit our energy use linked to the use of the internet.
• Not invest in fossil fuels and choose green banking and insurance providers when possible.
• Order and serve good food with the lowest possible climate footprint and produce the least possible food waste.
• Travel as climate-friendly as possible and have reduced our overall climate footprint from travel by 30% from the 2023 level every single year during the strategy period

Proposing a statue (vedtektsforslag) or motion (vedtaksforslag) to the Annual General meeting?

​Everything you need regarding putting forward a proposal to the AGM you will find here: https://amnesty.no/hvordan-fremme-et-forslag-til-landsmotet

All members can submit proposals to the AGM. This means that you alone or as a group can propose either changes in the organization or areas we will work on. The difference here is Amnesty's statutes, which are a form of agreement/law that contains basic rules for how the organization should be run, in comparison, general motion proposals can lay down guidelines for which issues Amnesty should work on on a day-to-day basis.

A statute (vedtekstforslag) is the organization's rules - an example could be: the documents for the national meeting must be sent out six weeks before the national meeting.

A resolution (vedtaksforslag) is a decision on a concrete matter or other guidelines for what Amnesty works with and how - an example could be: Amnesty will work to strengthen the rights of the indigenous population in Norway.

The deadline for proposing changes to Amnesty's statutes is three months before the national meeting, but for ordinary resolution proposals, which do not require changes to the statutes, the deadline is 6 weeks before the national meeting.

Last date for putting forward changes to the statutes/vedtektsforslag: 19 January

Last date for proposing a motion/vedtaksforslag: 8 March

How to send in a motion

• The first thing you should do is find out whether your idea fits into Amnesty's work. Look at the strategy or other relevant documents that you will find on the websites. If you are unsure, ask for help.
• On the website for the national meeting, you will find an article with all the information on how to submit a proposal, including a template that you must fill in and submit. There you enter your proposal and justify why you propose what you do.
• If you are unsure, we have an editorial committee you can contact. They are there to assist you with the preparation of your proposal.
• At the board meeting 5 weeks before the national meeting, the board looks at the proposal and gives its feedback.
• One month before the national meeting, the proposal is sent out with the board papers.
• At the national meeting, you present your proposal, or you can ask someone else to do it for you. The proposal is debated, and finally voted on.

Remember: spend time lobbying for your proposal. Talk to other members you know, go to regional meetings and other meeting places, talk about it at the national meeting and try to get people to support your proposal

Workshop

Participants discussed and reflected on whether they would like to send something in to the Annual General Meeting.

The board is updating some of Amnestys governing documents. They therefore asked for inputs on a couple of question:

• Should Amnestys statues include a possibility to exclude members? And what should it take to be excluded?

• The feedback from the participants was that they were skeptical to this. They were afraid that this could lead to discrimination. It seemed to be a all over agreement on that Amnesty would have to differ between whose who have done anything in the name of Amnesty, and those who have done something bad that has nothing to do with the organization. They were also wondering who would be the “judge” of who gets to me a member and not.

• Should we continue having working groups at the AGM, or should we open up for other solutions?

• Some participants said that it would be better to have smaller groups so that it would be easier for everyone to participate.

Digital meeting with Gro Davidsen from the election committee

Her email: [email protected]

Amnestys campaigns 2024

Amnesty prioritizes a few selected campaigns each year. This is based on in-depth political analyzes and discussions in the secretariat.

Choosing which campaigns we will work with is often linked to a number of factors, including the opportunity to influence, Amnesty's added value in a given case, topicality, to name some.

Overview of the plans so far:

• International abortion campaign.

The campaign will focus on Poland, the USA and Sierra Leone. Justyna Wydrzynska from the Abortion Dream Team in Poland is one of the cases we are campaigning for in Write for Rights 2023. Her appeal case will hopefully come up in the spring of 2024, so she is a natural person to follow as part of the campaign.

This will be the national focus on 8^th of March 2024.

• Pride:

We will probably see a greater focus on identity (gender identity): consultation third legal gender category

We work to ensure that Norway can -continue- to be a leading country, a good example, an inspiration for other countries Internationally, things are much worse. We have created space to talk about that in 2024. The campaign in 2023 was national. With good reasons. The message has now set in. Both the queer movement and the public agree with us: it's about safety, and ultimately freedom to be yourself and to mark it. It is a message that does not only apply within Norway's borders. Turkey: good example.

Will be the focus of Pride campaigns in Amnesty sections across Europe 2024. A solidarity action with queers is planned in Turkey in the spring of 2024. We will mobilize for this. "Safe with me/trygg hos meg" is relevant both in Norway and internationally!

We also wonder if it is time for an even higher sky above the work? The development in Turkey is an example/symptom of a more general trend. When the authorities go after the queer, it is often a sign that they are heading in a more authoritarian direction. We see this in many countries: perhaps we can highlight actions and examples from several countries, eg Hungary, the USA etc

This is about populism, polarisation, the authoritarian turn, incitement, hate crime, algorithms. We have felt it first hand In Oslo, Norway, many others have felt it first hand all over the world.

• Consentlaw now: campaign in a “tin”

Sometime during 2024 or the beginning of 2025, the final bill for a new rape law will be submitted to the Norwegian Parliament.

It is very important that Amnesty is then ready to do our part to kick the ball into the goal after all the efforts we have put in to get a real consent provision in place for well over a decade.

In addition to an extensive lobbying campaign against the parties throughout the spring, we envisage preparing a “campaign in a tin”, which can be effectively retrieved when it is necessary. Here, it would be natural to ally ourselves with those activists who already have a pronounced commitment to and knowledge of the issue.

• Write for Rights:

We will of course also have our annual Write for Rights campaign next year.

• In addition:

No matter how we choose to make next year's plans, we know that the world is going to keep happening. In the past year, we have seen this all too clearly exemplified through the war in Ukraine, the demonstrations in Iran and most recently the war between Israel and Hamas. As a human rights organization, we must always be prepared to turn around quickly and act on what is happening. We will also focus on that for next year.

In addition, we will continue with an increased focus on individual stories and campaign for individuals. This must be a clear common thread through all campaigns and all communication work. We will also continue work on long-term cases in selected countries, Iran and Colombia, as well as continue to update the death penalty network with relevant information and action alternatives.

Guidelines Israel/ Palestine

We encourage activists to show solidarity with the victims of the conflict and are happy to organize and/or participate in solidarity events. It is crucial that Amnesty is clear and visible in this human rights crisis.

If Amnesty is to be visible in the event, we urge a clear emphasis on our message for a ceasefire and otherwise refer to the demands in the action: Stopp drapene på sivile NÅ! | Amnesty International Norge

Due to the polarized atmosphere surrounding the Israel/Palestine conflict at present, it is especially important that Amnesty can act as a reliable, independent, and impartial voice. Therefore, we request that any participation in events be cleared with the regional offices. Please contact the regional office in case where there is uncertainty about the positions of the organizer, considering the need to check with others at the secretariat.

All statements in the media regarding the matter on behalf of Amnesty should go through the secretariat.

Summary of answers to questions on Strategic Activism

How can we be more environmentally conscious activists?

• Have more campaigns on environmental issues: individuals or local communities that are impacted by climate change, e.g., jobs in fishing industry.
• Campaigning on Social Media instead of physical. (but far less engaging)
• Use environmentally friendly companies e.g., for ordering food or equipment.
• Use as much as possible public transport.
• Reuse of material: reuse of campaign material. Bring your own cup.
• Repair workshop for Amnesty material (use local Repair workshop e.g. Restarters Norway
• Meetings: digital meetings for persons that must travel long. (But be aware that digital meetings use a lot of energy); better time management.

Shall we have an alarm button?

• Good idea. Using SMS instead of Facebook is recommended. Share facts, way forward, how to respond via SMS.
• Be clearer if it is really urgent. Death penalty website: everything seems to be urgent.

Shall we have more gatherings between groups?

• Good idea: more gatherings with other groups in same location to get to know each other, share ideas for campaigns, support and help each other.
• Arendal group: meetings with groups consisting of younger activists.
• Agder group: meeting up with people from other faculties to get more engagement throughout the university.

How to keep activists engaged throughout their life?

• Bring your kids to Amnesty activities.
• Important to physically meet, not only via internet.
• Put more effort in engaging “normal” (i.e. non-active) Amnesty members
• Personal approach: ask ex-activists for help and support.

Feedback on campaigns:

• Italy: its not if it doesn’t last for more 10 seconds.
• Consent law: when you are in a relationship. When presenting the consent law: put in different categories. Difficult to investigate when in a relationship?

Aktivismestrategi:

• Libya, big conflict about resources due to climate change.
• Advertisement: print out things themselves?
• Re- usable cups and other material.
• Create own material.

Alarm- button- network

• Good idea for cases that are relevant right now.
• Feel like its hard to find demonstrations and so, hard to access info, alarm button would solve that.
• Meet up online to make international stunts. Network for youth activists.
• Whatsapp, facebook or text.

Meeting places in the organization

• Difficult to get in contact with the office sometimes. Text is better for urgent stuff. Collaboration between SMS and email.
• Those who are not a group doesn`t get a newsletter.

Keep activists at different ages

• Sounds interesting with alumni, but it is difficult to keep people engaged when they are moving around after studies.
• Hard to make it effective, but it is nice to have that connection/ wanna get feedback on something, etc. But the expectations from this group should be different than from other groups. Can “jump” in when they feel like it.
• Facebook group as a platform for this.
• Valuable for those who have been with amnesty for many years.
• Good idea. Share ideas with each other.