Since 1988, the Norwegian Human Rights Fund (NHRF) has been working under the mandate to promote human rights internationally. We do this by providing direct economic support to grassroots organisations working in the frontline of defense for the protection and promotion of the rights of marginalised and vulnerable groups. Our support reaches across the vast field of human rights issues directly and through the interconnectedness of most human rights.

Central to the promotion of human rights work is the security, protection, and adequate working conditions for grantee organisations and human rights defenders (HRDs); a requisite for them to be able to carry out their work. The NHRF has always emphasized the importance of security and protection on an individual and organisational level and will continue to maintain this focus as a core element of our strategy. Our current strategic efforts in this area lead us to support organisations and innovative initiatives that work to increase the ability to of HRDs to safeguard their own security and to connect local human rights defenders with national and international networks to gain more visibility, amplify their work, and increase their influence.

These guidelines are also a part of our strategic efforts to increase security and protection for grantees and HRDs, and as the human rights field continues to evolve and shift, so must we in order to maintain our ground, stay proactive, and respond wisely and purposefully. Therefore, we have taken the opportunity with new key partners with expertise in this area and with lessons learned since the previous version was published, to revise and update the NHRF Guidelines on security and protection for grantees in the field.