Vision, Mission and Beliefs

Introduction

At a minimum, human rights are a safety net for all of us – at home, at school, at work, in the places in which we have friendships and networks and in society as a whole. They can help guard against excessive state power or in some cases against individuals exercising inappropriate control over our lives and failing to treat us respectfully, be mindful of our dignity, or give us a ‘fair deal’. But they are also a set of guiding principles which can help us go beyond the minimum standards of decency and create a fairer, more tolerant society in which everyone has an equal chance to flourish as human beings, and play a full part in making decisions about and contributing towards their community.

Our vision:

We want a society that has become stronger because all human beings are equally valued, can participate fully and are treated with fairness, dignity and respect.

Our mission:

To bring human rights to life by producing and shaping human rights tools, public policy and practices that empower people to improve their own lives and the lives of others.

Our beliefs:

• As human beings we are all born with human rights.
• The whole of society will be stronger if we are empowered to realise our own human rights and able to defend those of others.
• Human rights are a set of important principles that can be used in practical ways to create a fairer more decent society.
• The value of human rights for individuals and society will only be fully realised if they are embraced as a full set of interdependent rights, spanning civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.

We strive to put our beliefs into practice through our operating principles.

We work with a wide range of partners (especially others in the voluntary and community sectors).