Annual Report Amnesty International 2012 Canadian Section (English Speaking) Annual Report 2012
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Florin Zamfirescu/Amnesty International ANNUAL REPORT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 2012 CANADIAN SECTION (ENGLISH SPEAKING) ANNUAL REPORT 2012 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’s mISSION Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights. Our vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. In pursuit of this vision, Amnesty International’s mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of these rights. Amnesty International seeks to expose human rights abuses accurately and quickly. We systematically and independently investigate the facts of individual cases and patterns of human rights abuses. These findings are publicized, and members, supporters and staff then mobilize persistent public pressure on governments, armed political groups, companies and others to prevent and stop these violations. Amnesty International promotes public awareness and understanding of the full range of human rights, and we work with a global community of organizations to ensure broad support and respect for all human rights. Amnesty International is governed by our members. We are independent of all governments, political persuasions and religious creeds. We are funded by our members and donors, and neither seek nor accept funds from governments. CONTENTS Letter from the President ..................................................................................................5 Letter from the Executive Director and the Secretary General ............................................6 Executive Committee report ..............................................................................................8 Branch at a glance .........................................................................................................10 Goals of the 2010-16 Branch plan of Amnesty International Canada (ES): 1. Protecting people’s freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination ..........11 2. Defending people from violence by state and non-state actors ...............................14 3. Defending unprotected people on the move ...........................................................23 4. Empowering people living in poverty ......................................................................25 5. Cross-cutting themes.............................................................................................27 6. Membership activism ............................................................................................28 7. Fundraising ...........................................................................................................33 8. Working globally ....................................................................................................35 9. Communications and marketing / Integrating organization ......................................37 10. Evaluation and impact .........................................................................................39 International Council Meeting 2011 ................................................................................40 Amnesty’s global head promotes Human Rights Agenda for Canada ...............................40 Financial report and statements .....................................................................................42 APPENDICES: Implementation of AGM 2010 decisions .........................................................................46 Executive Committee ......................................................................................................47 Fieldworkers ..................................................................................................................47 Coordinators ..................................................................................................................47 Branch staff ...................................................................................................................49 On December 10, 2011—International Human Rights Day—Niagara Falls was illuminated in Amnesty International yellow to mark Amnesty’s 50th anniversary year. The event was part of Amnesty’s global Shine a Light campaign. Activists at Niagara Falls held special lanterns highlighting specific human rights cases. 4 Amnesty International Canadian Section (English Speaking) 2012 Annual Report © Susanne Ure/Amnesty International LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear colleagues and friends, 2011 was Amnesty International’s 50th year, and more than any other year that I have been a member, it reminded me of the power and importance of the human rights movement. The uprisings that swept across the Middle East and North Africa surely captured all of us with their moments of unforgettable courage and unspeakable suffering. They embodied the dignity and freedom that we work for and the violence and oppression that we fight against. Then there was Occupy, a people’s movement that spread to over 80 countries in less than one month. Many of us supported these struggles. Of course, there was also so much else to do. This report testifies to the range of incredible work our passionate members, talented staff, generous Sarah Beamish donors and valued partners did together this past year, from sending over 35,000 letters President through our biggest Write for Rights event yet, to cycling 3,000 km in Argentina to raise funds, to speaking out about injustices across Canada and around the world. It is work to celebrate and be proud of. A lot of important things happened inside Amnesty too. At the global level, we approved a series of major changes to our finances, governance and operations—decisions made possible by years of hard work by people across the organization, including several leaders in our Branch. We received a report from Dame Anne Owers about key challenges for our international governance and management, and began implementing her important recommendations. We also made key strides with our planned growth in the global South, including opening an office in Brazil. At the Branch level, we saw growth in several membership programs, and continued our important leadership development and membership revitalization work. We also created the Gender Mainstreaming Steering Committee, which had a very active first year. We finished a successful three-year partnership with our colleagues in Amnesty Mexico. We were nominated for a national award for excellence in financial reporting. And, in what was a highlight for many of us, we held a wonderful joint Annual General Meeting in Montreal with our friends from the francophone branch, where we were joined by the incredible Zimbabwean activist Jenni Williams. Many new challenges arose in 2011, and as always we faced them with persistence, hope, anger, solidarity, and a belief that we can and must do better. Together we now move forward. Sarah Beamish President Amnesty International Canadian Section 5 (English Speaking) 2012 Annual Report LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND THE SECRETARY GENERAL In June 2011, Alex, along with an Amnesty International team, travelled to an isolated part of Côte d’Ivoire, to look into rumoured recent massacres. No one had yet been there to investigate. No reporters. No UN agencies or aid groups. No diplomats or government officials. No one. Alex wrote of this experience: Before arriving in the small villages where the killings had taken place we made a courtesy call to the chief of the largest nearby village, and met Chief Raphael. We made our introductions and then with a warm smile he remarked “Amnesty Alex Neve Secretary General International, I was wondering when you would get here.” His teasing words were not made in any spirit of “what took you so long,” rather he was saying to us, “Good, now we are together, let’s get to work.” And we did. That sentiment—of being together and doing the work—captures not just this past year of hu- man rights research and action, but the half century of growth of Amnesty International that we celebrated throughout 2011. And what a year it has been, particularly across the Middle East and North Africa. As 2011 began, no one could have imagined the power that was to be unleashed as millions of voices Bob Goodfellow Executive Director joined together in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and elsewhere. Almost imme- diately we were reminded that human rights aspirations are so often met with swift and brutal crackdowns. The unending killings in Syria—including hundreds of children—are a wrenching and outrageous reminder of that. Amnesty International stood and will continue to stand with people in both the euphoria and the terror of what has unfolded across that region. Many other corners of our world have preoc- cupied us this year as well. ■ Côte d’Ivoire began the year with a defiant president, Laurent Gbagbo, allowing his militias to wreak havoc throughout the country; but ended with him awaiting trial at the Interna- tional Criminal Court in The Hague. ■ Other tragedies in such places as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan received little attention from the world, but Amnesty was watching. ■ The harsh and ongoing plight of the people of Gaza and the situation in Zimbabwe often seemed forgotten this year, but Amnesty did not forget. ■ The extreme peril faced by Indigenous peoples in Colombia and the need to ensure accountability for decades of human rights violations