CASE STUDY Uju Agomogh, PRAWA, Nigeria – EU-NGO Forum on Human Rights, Brussels, 4-5 December 2012 Uju came to Brussels to take part in the EU-NGO Forum on Human Rights, which took place in December 2012. The theme of the forum was “Promoting universality: the role of Regional Human Rights mechanisms and their cooperation with civil society”. During the two day event the participants witnessed speeches by representatives of the EU institutions (including the EUSR on Human Rights, Stavros Lambrinisdis) as well as UN bodies (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay) and representatives of regional human rights mechanisms (Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, Commissioner Dupe Atoki). Participants of the forum were able to pose questions to the speakers in the plenary as well as in the margins of the meetings. Participants further took part in a number of seminars and workshops on subjects such as freedom of religion or belief, racism and xenophobia, the shrinking space for civil society, promoting universality and gender equality. Uju also took part in an advocacy meeting with the desk officer for Nigeria as well as the human rights desk officer for Africa from the European External Action Service to discuss the situation with regards to torture, the rehabilitation of victims and prison conditions in Nigeria. Ahead of the forum, alongside other IRCT members present in Brussels, Uju participated in a training session on EU advocacy provided by the IRCT Brussels office. The training included a brief description of the EU policy making system in Brussels and the bodies and mechanisms accessible to members on the ground; the training further presented a number of practical suggestions on how these bodies can be approached by members themselves. The IRCT Brussels office offered to assist Uju in contacting the human rights focal point at the EU delegation in Abuja, whom Uju met upon her return to Nigeria. The focal point has in turn placed Uju in touch with other heads of unit of the EU delegation to Nigeria and PRAWA remains in close contact with the delegation for the purposes of consultations and the potential for securing available funding. and third country NGOs. These events are usually a mix of plenary speeches, panel discussions, and workshop sessions, where the EU acts solely as an observer and facilitator of the dialogue. Members should contact their EU delegation to find out about any opportunities to participate in regional civil society seminars. EU-Russia Civil Society Forum www.eu-russia-csf.org The EU-Russia CSF is a platform for the cooperation and coordination of civil society organisations from Russia and the European Union. It aims to develop common positions on issues of concern to civil society as well as to influence EU-Russia relations on all levels of political dialogue. The EU-Russia CSF has a working group on human rights and the rule of law. Engaging with European Union foreign policy on the ground – an IRCT guide 11