Working Groups

How to establish a new working group
Members who are interested in establishing a new Working Group are kindly requested to submit an A-4 providing information on:

  • The type of working group they want to establish and the topic, including how this differs from the current working group offering
  • An outline of the activities they envisage to organise; 
  • The names of two or three persons who will run the working group from preferably different universities;
  • The names of five of more persons who are interested in joining the working group as members.

The request can be sent to the NNHRR Secretariat. The NNHRR Steering Committee will decide if the topic is fitting and if there is no overlap.

How to become a member of a working group
If you would like to join of a working group as a member, please take in mind the following requirements/procedure:

  • you are a member of the NNHRR;
  • please contact the coordinator(s) of the working group (see at the working group pages).

In case of any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the NNHRR Secretariat.


Guidelines for Working Groups

Activities
Working groups are expected to organise at least one activity per year, in addition to their participation in the annual Toogdag program. Activities involving both PhD Members and Senior Members are especially encouraged, as are events including members from various institutions within the Network. Although Working Groups can involve scholars from outside the Netherlands when relevant, costs permitting, the event itself must always be held in the Netherlands. Working Group chairs should use the form attached to these guidelines to propose events to the Academic Coordinator and meet with the Academic Coordinator at least once per year to discuss the Working Group’s plans and any support required. Via consultation with the Academic Coordinator, Working Group chairs are invited to join one Steering Committee meeting per year to update the Steering Committee on the activities of the Working Group.

Budget
The Steering Committee has allocated a budget of €4,000 to each Working Group per academic year. This amount is intended to be used for the organisation of academic events, such as workshops and conferences, and the costs involved such as room hire, catering, travel and accommodation of speakers, etc. Some of this budget may also be used for meetings of the Working Group members and chairs. Any increase in this budget must be approved by the Steering Committee.

Management of Working Groups
Working Group coordinators are responsible for the management of Working Groups in accordance with these Guidelines and should be in regular communication with the Academic Coordinator. Working Groups should have two to three coordinators at any given time in order to ensure continuity of the Working Group and share the burden of its operation. When a coordinator wishes to step down, they should put a call out to the Working Group membership for a new coordinator. Existing coordinators may decide between them how new coordinators are appointed.

Toogdag 
A special time slot will be reserved for Working Groups during the Toogdag each year. Working Groups and their members will have the opportunity to showcase their research and outline their activities to the Network community. The exact format will depend on the Toogdag program but will usually involve organising a panel discussion with panel participants drawn from the Working Group membership base.

Outreach and membership
To join a Working Group, NNHRR members must email the coordinators of the Working Group with a request to join. When new members join the network, they will be presented with the option to join the Working Groups. Working Groups may request for a membership drive to be advertised in the NNHRR newsletter.

Accessing funds
To access their allocated budget, a reimbursement form must be submitted by the Chairs of the working groups to the Academic Coordinator (you can request the form from nnhrr@asser.nl), supported by invoices and/or receipts. The request will be assessed and approved by the Academic Coordinator in consultation with the Chair of the Steering Committee. All funding will be reimbursed against receipts. When air and rail travel are involved, boarding passes and tickets must be presented.

Event promotion
Working Group events should be promoted in consultation with the Academic Coordinator in the NNHRR newsletter, as a news item on the NNHRR website and on the @NNHRResearch Twitter account. Working Groups are responsible for the dissemination of their events as well as for managing registrations, with the Network Secretariat playing a subsidiary role in this regard.

Reporting
A report must be presented to the Academic Coordinator by the organisers after each activity to be published in the Human Rights Here blog, subject to editorial oversight. For an example of such reporting, see here.