ADVOCACY
Is a political process consisting of actions designed to transform citizen or popular interests into rights; a process aimed at influencing decisions regarding policies and laws at national and international levels; actions designed to draw a community's attention to an issue and to direct policy makers to a solution.

GENOCIDE
The systematic killing of people because of their race or ethnicity.

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION
Is the training, dissemination, and information efforts aimed at the building of a universal culture of human rights through the imparting of knowledge and skills and the molding of attitudes which are directed to: the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity; the promotion of understanding, respect, gender equality, and friendship among all nations, indigenous people and racial, national, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups; the enabling of all persons to participate effectively in a free society; the furtherance of the activities of the United Nations for the Maintenance of Peace.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
People who are original or natural inhabitants of a country. Native Americans, for example, are the indigenous peoples of the United States.

INDIVISIBLE
Refers to the equal importance of each human rights law. A person cannot be denied a right because someone decides it is "less important" or "non-essential."

INTERDEPENDENT
Refers to the complementary framework of human rights law. For example, your ability to participate in your government is directly affected by your right to express yourself, to get an education, and even to obtain the necessities of life.

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOs)
Organizations formed by people outside of government. NGOs monitor the proceedings of human rights bodies such as the Commission on Human Rights at the UN and are the "watchdogs" of the human rights that fall within their mandate. Some are large and international; others may be small and local. NGOs play a major role in influencing UN policy, and many of them have official consultative status at the UN.

REFUGEES
A person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution.

SELF-DETERMINATION
Determination by the people of a territorial unit of their own political future coercion from powers outside that region.

TREATY
A formal agreement between states that defines and modifies their mutual duties and obligations. Used synonymously with convention and covenant.

WAR CRIMES
War crimes are those violations of the laws of war --or international humanitarian law (IHL)--that incur individual criminal responsibility. These crimes include willful killing; torture or inhuman treatment