Barbara Klugman

By its very nature, standing up to corruption and corporate power means looking at the link between global North and global South players. EFE/Str Many of the world’s worst environmental and human rights abuses are driven by the exploitation of natural resources and corruption in the global political and economic system. When people talk about corruption, they frequently imagine money being passed in paper bags under the table and conversations in the shadows.

International human rights NGOs are increasingly locating staff and offices in the global South. A recent evaluation suggests that this can hinder—rather than help—the building of domestic human rights constituencies. EFE/Paolo Aguilar If domestic capacities and movement building are rightly prioritized over short-term gains, then NGOs in the global North that localize need to explore alternatives.

Local HIV activists are expanding human rights discourse into health advocacy, largely due to belief in the empowering impact of rights language, not expectations of legal change. HIV represents an unprecedented pandemic that is forcing civil society to innovate in order to meet the challenges. These actors have borrowed advocacy language and techniques from other sectors and regions, conducting the most vocal, widespread and innovative health advocacy to date.