Who We Are
Visto International aims to promote concepts and practices of sustainable development and human rights across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region), and its diaspora communities, especially in Europe. Visto seeks to deepen the interaction and exchange of experiences and knowledge in these fields between developed and MENA states. This includes providing training in the development, humanitarian and human rights fields to young researchers, journalists, humanitarian workers, human rights defenders, refugees and the public. In addition, Visto supports, sponsors and publishes research papers and in-depth articles addressing the region’s problems and looking into ways for dealing with these issues on short-, medium- and long-term, in order to present them to decision makers, civil society organisations, and the concerned. Furthermore, Visto International launches programmes and projects relating to development and human rights, with the end goal of contributing to strong institutionalism and progress in the targeted communities.
Visto International envisions inclusive societies in the MENA region and within its diaspora communities where values of human rights and justice are embedded in culture and behaviour, and where the 2030 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are successfully met, including reduced inequalities, whether social status, religious belief, political opinion-, or gender-based.
Visto International’s Logo
Visto International’s logo embodies the main goals the Organisation seeks to achieve. The main colour is taken from the 2030 UN’s 17th SDG, aimed at promoting peace, justice and strong institutions. This is Visto International’s top desired goal. The O letter at the end of Visto indicates the ‘human element’, which makes up the most significant component in creating development and in being an end-goal of development itself. Hence, we chose it to be made up of six colours, representing six SDGs, upon which our work is predicated. These are:
SDG #5: To achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
SDG #8: To promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
SDG #10: To reduce inequalities within and among countries.
SDG #13: To take urgent action to tackle climate change and its impacts.
Mission
Cooperating and coordinating with the relative bodies and organisations, Visto International seeks to develop and improve the level of human knowledge and practices relating to human rights and to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, Visto International seeks to promote the role of human resources in achieving these goals, including by:
- Spreading human rights values, raising awareness of global humanitarian, human rights, social, economic and political issues of common interest to all peoples, in addition to promoting rule-of-law practices, strong institutions and inclusive societies.
- Improving researchers and activists’ skills in the above-mentioned areas, specifying their needs, supporting and training them, eventually producing world-class research papers and articles with recommendations relevant to the MENA region and its diaspora communities.
- Communicating the results of studies to policy makers and civil society more broadly, and also engaging in advocacy and networking with the various actors to help reform decision- and policy-making in line with SDGs.
- Deepening the interaction and exchange of experiences as well as the implementation of human rights and development projects by coordinating between human rights groups and developed countries on the one hand and with MENA states on the other.
Strategies
We Work on:
- Raising awareness, by conducting and publishing in-depth articles and studies, encouraging the widest exchange of human rights knowledge, translating the papers submitted to us and publishing it in both Arabic and English using social media platforms and modern circulation tools, and submitting proposals to international bodies regarding MENA (and its diaspora) research needs and requirements for improvements.
- Promoting development, by organizing training workshops, conferences and summer/winter schools in the fields of development, human rights, peacebuilding, gender equality and climate change, providing consulting services, and setting up projects and programs related to SDGs.
- Advocacy, by networking with other local and international actors, including UN bodies and agencies, presenting the outcomes of the articles and projects we work on to decision makers and concerned individuals, establishing database and communications platforms to support the exchange of views and knowledge-sharing by experts, researchers, activists, and policy makers, organizing campaigns, and enhancing the media’s role in coverage that helps protect human rights and provide news with a sense of humanity and morality.
Where We Work
We work through a network of volunteer members and workers across the MENA region and Europe. The Organization’s activities primarily address and target the countries of MENA, and migrants and refugees from MENA in their host countries, especially in Europe. Visto International also works extensively in European countries with the end-goal of deepening cooperation and connections with MENA countries in support of human rights and development goals.
Funding & Grants
