We now know that at least 321 human rights defenders, 103 aid workers and 64 journalists and media workers were killed around the world last year. In response, Open Briefing significantly increased its support to at-risk organisations and threatened activists during 2018.
We estimate that we directly strengthened the safety and resilience of 350 human rights defenders and humanitarians in more than 20 countries. We responded to 35 requests for support from 18 at-risk organisations. We trained 175 human rights defenders during 16 workshops and courses. And we published 15 reports, tools and other resources for the NGO community.
In 2018, we supported organisations protecting human rights, civilians in conflict, the environment, LGBTI rights and the right to privacy and others standing against corruption and genocide. We helped keep human rights defenders and humanitarians safe in Yemen, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Mali, Central African Republic, Ukraine and a dozen other countries. We also worked with several international funders and their grantees around the world.
The organisations we worked with in 2018 rated our support excellent (4.75 ★) and the activists we trained also rated our training excellent (4.55 ★).
Gus Hosein, the executive director of Privacy International, said of our assistance during 2018:
“Yes, they are skilled, competent and help you think in new ways; but expertise alone isn’t what creates change. Open Briefing built positive and engaging relationships between our staff, our leadership and themselves. We felt comfortable in engaging, asking questions, making mistakes and figuring things out together. I want this experience for every organisation. Thank you Open Briefing.”
Nick Martlew, the UK director of Crisis Action, said of our support:
“Without hesitation I recommend Open Briefing. The way they take time to understand your organisation, adapt to your needs, and provide insight and tailored guidance has been unfailingly impressive.”
The nature of our work protecting human rights defenders and humanitarians means that we operate largely behind the scenes. Nonetheless, our 2018 Impact Report hints at the considerable impact that Open Briefing is having; an impact way beyond what our size and budget would suggest possible.