Résultats de la recherche

In 2010, multibillionaire George Soros offered to donate $100 million to Human Rights Watch (HRW) – this would be both the largest donation ever received by HRW and the largest ever made by Soros. Soros, a long-time supporter of the organization, had set several stringent conditions to the offer extended via his Open Society Foundations. HRW had to commit to (1) increasing its international presence, (2) increasing the proportion of donations coming from outside the U.S. to fifty percent of total contributions within five years, (3) diversifying the geographic origin of board members, and (4) raising additional funds to match Soros’s donation. While Part A of the case focuses on the original offer, Part B is set in 2020 and summarizes what happened at HRW after it accepted the donation.

This two-part case deals with the events surrounding the monitoring by Human Rights Watch (HRW) of human rights violations targeting Rohingya Muslims in Burma in October 2012. The case focuses on HRW’s decision to publish a report of the situation and the impact of that report in Burma and abroad. While most human rights violation investigations are ‘business as usual’ for HRW, the situation presented in this case was different: the primary material for the investigation was satellite imagery, not the eyewitness reports typically used by HRW.

The case is designed to stimulate discussion of value creation by NGOs, the effect of technological development on NGO operations, and the development of new capabilities by NGOs. It also introduces students to human rights issues, a topic rarely discussed in business schools. Part A provides background to address questions concerning (1) whether or not HRW should report the violations and (2) how satellite imagery can provide sufficient evidence to raise awareness of a situation. Part B covers the impact of the report on the situation by looking at the response from the media, the United Nations, the United States, and the Government of Burma. The case also sheds light on the challenges faced by HRW in the fulfillment of its mission.