In September and October, IDSN ran workshops designed to help members and affiliates understand the EU mechanisms and how to best engage with them.

IDSN organised the trainings to make EU human rights bodies and mechanisms more accessible to Dalit human rights defenders in IDSN’s network

Human rights and democracy are central to  the EU’s internal and external policies. However, the EU can be difficult to navigate, especially for those unfamiliar with the mechanisms.

IDSN’s EU consultant, Emma Achilli, delivered the training, explaining what member organisations could gain from interacting with the EU, and offering background on the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European External Action Service.

She detailed how IDSN’s member organisations could best engage with these bodies, and who to reach out to on a local level. The members and affiliates who chose to join the training are now aware of IDSN’s ways of working with the EU, the opportunities and the challenges.

Participants were very positive about the training, reporting that they felt increased confidence in engaging with the EU after the training. Participants also noted the next steps they were planning to take, to use the information learned at the training.

“I will suggest my organisation to set up a meeting with EU Embassy/Delegation in Bangladesh and place our concerns and areas for cooperation to them. Also, we will remain alert about any potential visits by MEP’s for further advocacy.” Representative of IDSN member in Bangladesh

Further trainings for members and affiliates will be run by IDSN on how to engage with the EU at a local and international level.