2009 marks Al-Haq's thirtieth year promoting and protecting human rights and the rule of law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). When Al-Haq embarked on this mission in 1979, it was one of the first organisations of its kind in the region. At that time, thirteen years into Israel's belligerent occupation of the OPT, the notion of human rights was still novel, even internationally, as the two Human Rights Covenants had only come into force two years previous. Al-Haq struggled at first to demonstrate the utility of legal methods in confronting the Occupying Power’s use of the tools of law in substantiating its annexation and colonisation of Palestinian land.

Over the past thirty years, Al-Haq has struggled earnestly in the field to effectively collect and record incidents of human rights abuses which support strong legal analyses. The organisation’s resolute work ethic, deep sense of professionalism, and commitment to maintaining an independent human rights perspective free from political bias have helped to place accountability for the systematic humans rights abuses suffered by the Palestinian people at the forefront of their struggle for dignity and the right to self-determination.

Throughout an eventful and often trying 30 years working towards the full recognition of and respect for human rights in the OPT, Al-Haq and others in the region have experienced many practical challenges and strategic transformations as human rights have continued to evolve in the Arab region and especially as new challenges have arisen in the context of the internal Palestinian human rights situation. Over the last thirty years, many organizations have fused already existing advocacy channels with innovative, creative, and provocative strategies and tactics for publicising and addressing human rights abuses. On the occasion of its thirtieth anniversary, Al-Haq would like to critically engage the human rights movement's past so as to re-energise proven methods and explore new opportunities for human rights advocacy at this crucial period for Palestinian human rights. Thus, Al-Haq will host a conference to bring together human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, academics and organisations from across the globe to share in this critical reflection and to foster a constructive dialogue on successful and innovative human rights strategies.

The goal of this conference is to cultivate an in-depth analysis of the current methods in the field of human rights through a dialogue of institutional and individual experiences. In particular, this conference aims to provide an opportunity for the human rights advocacy community to reflect on the many changes in the theoretical, political, and legal landscape of human rights work over the past thirty years. By providing a forum for analysing these broader changes in the nature and strategies of human rights work and their impact, it is the hope that all involved will gain insight and new tools for successfully advancing the human rights of the Palestinian people.

Al-Haq is privileged to count itself among a wide and ever expanding network of human rights actors and advocates within Palestine, the Arab region, and around the globe which are working tirelessly for the rights of the Palestinian people and other disenfranchised peoples everywhere. This conference also hopes to forge channels of communication and strengthen ties between these human rights organisations and communities by facilitating a meeting of its members to share experiences, learn from one another, and plan for future cooperative advocacy as we collectively strive to ensure that the rights and protections enshrined in international human rights and humanitarian law make the crucial transition from words on paper to lasting realities on the ground. Ultimately, we intend to be able to develop new and dynamic strategies and concepts in order to grow and push forward in the field of human rights and justice.