For more than 40 years Amnesty International (AI) members have been campaigning to protect and promote human rights. This manual aims to pass on the experience of these campaigners in an accessible format. We hope it will become a well-thumbed reference book for all those campaigning for human rights.

Although the manual stresses that all parts of AI's work, such as fundraising, campaigning and organization, should be integrated, the book has been divided up into self-contained sections. This will, we hope, make it easier to use and enable activists to photocopy or refer to particular sections as the need arises.

This manual has been written primarily for AI campaigners. However, it should prove useful for all those involved in the movement and perhaps for some people in other campaigning organizations. It is an external document which can be given to people outside AI.

The book has been designed to be relevant for those in small as well as large AI Sections, and for newcomers to campaigning as well as veterans. Crucially, it is not a blueprint for action. Rather, it is a guide. Some techniques may apply to particular campaigns or Sections, some may not. However, many of the guiding principles - such as the need to prepare a strategy in advance and evaluate any action -- are universally applicable.

The Amnesty International Campaigning Manual is the product of a special project at the International Secretariat (IS) carried out by Patrick Earle. Special thanks go to him for preparing, organizing and writing the manual. Thanks also go to the authors of the US Section's Campaigning Manual for Groups, to the Dutch and UK Sections for providing materials, and to the Australian, Polish, South Korean and many other AI structures that offered advice or examples of their work. The Campaigning Program at the IS had overall responsibility for the project.

For more information

AI's campaigning is constantly developing and evolving. Its diversity and flexibility help make it effective. Therefore this manual can never be definitive. To find out about any current policy or to obtain advice about campaigning methods or particular actions, consult the appropriate body of AI.

If there is an AI Section or coordinating structure in your country, contact the Section office or the appropriate coordinator. If they cannot answer your question, they will forward it to the IS in London.

If there is no one to contact in your country, contact the IS directly at:

Amnesty International,
Campaigning Program,
International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street,
London WC1X 0DW, United Kingdom
Tel: 020 7413 5500
Fax: 020 7956 1157
e-mail: amnestyis@amnesty.org