ANNUAL REPORT 2011 - Theme: Consultation Responses - The Arab Spring – a New Beginning

Sep 19, 2026

2011 annual report presents DIHR’s consultation responses and human rights agenda across domestic and international work. It highlights themes such as consultation responses, equal opportunities regardless of gender, and cross-border research, alongside outcomes in China, West Africa, Afghanistan, Rwanda and Ethiopia. The report explains strategic strengthening of DIHR during 2011, including increased funding for independence from 2012, and discusses financial losses identified in earlier international projects. It also covers Denmark’s first Universal Periodic Review process and subsequent national human rights mapping.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages40

Reading Time14 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

2011 Became a Turning Point

Independence: A Strength

International Activities and Results

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Theme: Consultation Responses

ANNUAL REPORT 2011 THEME: CONSULTATION RESPONSES THE ARAB SPRING – A NEW BEGINNING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES REGARDLESS OF GENDER CROSS-BORDER RESEARCH CONTENTS 12 06 22 33 01 04 06 08 09 10 11 12 14 16 18 21 22 24 26 28 30 32 33 34 36 37 Preface 133 recommendations to Denmark The Arab Spring – a new beginning Human rights spreading in West Africa Human Rights on the agenda of Public Meeting ‘Product labelling’ of public services Pressure for an improved justice system in Rwanda Equal opportunities regardless of gender Human rights on the timetable Theme: Why are inmates not allowed to attend religious services? Theme: Concern about the age of criminal responsibility Businesses are important human rights actors Ready to fight for rights in Bangladesh and Turkmenistan A new Danish website dedicated to the Disability Convention Cross-border research The Danish authorities follow DIHR’s recommendations on stateless persons Discrimination is a problem in Denmark New guidelines on counter-terrorism Help to children who live with HIV in Ethiopia Fruitful cooperation between government agencies and civil society Synergies of Danish human rights research Financial highlights 2011 BECAME A TURNING POINT At the beginning of 2011 DIHR was entrusted with the tasks of furthering and monitoring the implementation of the Disability Convention and acting as the national equality body on gender issues in Denmark. The Institute received a grant of DKK 10m for these activities. The new incumbent government after the general election in Denmark in September 2011 put focus on human rights and decided to include the strengthening of DIHR in its government platform. The Institute will therefore be a fully independent institution as from 2012, and the appropriation for the Institute for 2012 will be increased by DKK 10m. We consider the strengthening of DIHR a recognition of our strategic development in recent years. We have refined our working methods. We have clarified our role. And we have tried to better rank our actions according to priority. We are therefore happy that both the former and the current Governments have strengthened the Institute in their individual ways. Unfortunately, 2011 was also the year in which we discovered hidden financial losses on international projects in the period 1997- 2008. Financial losses on selected projects of DKK 3. 2m had not been accounted for in the financial statements of the relevant years. That should never have happened. However, by being efficient and making dedicated efforts in By Jonas Christoffersen, Executive Director 2011 we managed to settle nearly all old debts. We must continue to work intensively with our internal procedures and control to have a transparent financial system. It was a serious matter, but we are ready to move on. The international activities of the Institute yielded good results in 2011. Our projects in China, West Africa, Afghanistan, Rwanda and Ethiopia were praised in independent evaluations. We have made efforts to improve the conditions of marginalised children with HIV in Ethiopia, and we have contributed to improving the access to justice for poor people in Rwanda, to strengthening civil society in West Africa and to reducing violence against women in the Herat Province of Afghanistan. And not least, we have provided training for authorities and individuals to empower them to promote human rights in their individual regions. These are just a few examples of our extensive international commitment. If we turn our eyes towards domestic issues, 2011 will be remembered for being the year of the first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Denmark. Denmark had to answer questions asked by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) within all aspects of human rights. The Institute played an active role in the process before, during and after the meetings at the United Nations. We

FAQs

What major strategic changes occurred for DIHR during 2011?

In 2011, DIHR received a grant and the government decided to strengthen the institute, including increasing the budget for 2012 so DIHR would become fully independent from 2012.

Which international regions and topics are highlighted in the 2011 report?

The report cites projects in China, West Africa, Afghanistan, Rwanda and Ethiopia, including work on justice access, reducing violence, and improving conditions for marginalized children with HIV.

How did the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) shape Denmark’s human rights work in 2011?

The UPR required Denmark to answer questions to the UN Human Rights Council, and it revealed the lack of a systematic overview, leading to initiation of a large human rights mapping to be disclosed in the next status report.

Sep 19, 2026

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