Published on 14-09-2026, Last modified on 14-09-2026
HRRN Members’ Day “Who matters for research impact? Engaging key actors for human rights change”
HRRN (New) Members Day is a community- and capacity-building event, with ample opportunity for informal networking. The event is open to all Ghent University researchers and research officers interested in making a positive contribution to human rights.
Research that aims to have an impact on society inevitably involves engaging with people and groups who have different interests, levels of power, and relationships to the issues we study. Knowing who these actors are, understanding their positions, and engaging with them thoughtfully are therefore essential skills for researchers seeking societal impact.
From a human rights perspective, however, engagement with societal actors is about more than simply identifying the right people to involve in order to increase the reach or influence of a project. It is also about engaging in ways that are ethical, inclusive, non-extractive, respectful of people’s rights and knowledge, and conducive to realizing human rights.
For this edition of HRRN (New) Members’ Day, we welcome Prof. Mark Reed from Scotland’s Rural College, who will present an approach to mapping societal actors and developing engagement strategies that helps researchers reflect on how to foster human rights in both research processes and outputs. The presentation will be followed by an optional afternoon workshop, where participants can explore how to put this method into practice and learn from the practical experiences of network members and societal actors.
PROGRAMME
09h30-12h30 Morning Session
09h30 – 09h45 Informal networking with coffee, tea and snacks
09h45 – 10h00 Opening remarks
10h00 – 10h25 Presentation about the HRRN
10h25 – 10h45 Consultation on members’ interests, suggestions and feedback
10h45 – 11h00 Coffee Break
11h00 – 12h00 ‘Giving away power, structured methods for including marginalised voices in decisions that affect them’
Presentation by Prof. Mark Reed
12h00 – 12h30 Q&A
12h30-13h30 Informal Networking Lunch
13h30-15h30 Afternoon Session
13h30-13h45 Opening remarks and round of introductions
13h45-14h15 Panel conversation on lessons learnt from practice withElke Evrard and Cira Pallí-Asperó, from Justice Visions Team (Human Rights Centre) co-coordinators of RedressHub and Inès Al Share, coordinator of WeDecolonize (UCOS)
14h15-14h30 Q&A
14h30-15h30 The 3i analysis (interest, influence, impact) in practice
👉Register here
Morning Presentation by Prof. Mark Reed, Scotland’s Rural College
‘Giving away power, structured methods for including marginalised voices in decisions that affect them’
How do you identify whose voices need to be heard when you want your research to make a difference? In his talk Prof. Reed will examine how the legitimacy and outcomes of engagement, and who is impacted by research, depend on who is invited to the table. A common challenge for researchers is knowing whom to involve and how to prioritise engagement. Conventional tools, such as interest-influence matrices, tend to focus attention on those with the greatest influence and interest. But this can mean overlooking people and groups with limited influence whose rights may nevertheless be directly affected by the decisions informed by research. This is particularly important in human rights-related research and policy processes, where those most affected are often the least able to make their voices heard.
In his presentation, Prof. Mark Reed will introduce an approach that addresses this challenge by going beyond conventional stakeholder analysis. His 3i approach—interest, influence and impact—adds a third dimension to the analysis: who is likely to be affected by research and its outcomes? This helps researchers identify, prioritise and meaningfully include marginalised and less powerful groups alongside more influential actors. It also provides a basis for more empathic engagement and helps researchers reflect on and navigate power dynamics in collaborative settings. In this way, the approach can support research processes and outputs that contribute to human rights.
Optional Afternoon Workshop
From theory to practice: Mapping and engaging actors for human rights
The afternoon workshop will move from reflection to practice. It will begin with a panel conversation featuring experienced colleagues who will share lessons learned from engaging with societal actors in practice, alongside a societal actor who will offer their own perspective on what meaningful engagement looks like from the other side of the table.
Participants will then learn how to apply the 3i approach to a concrete case: advancing a human rights university. Working in groups, they will map the relevant actors, consider their interests, influence and potential impact, and explore strategies to navigate power dynamics and engagement meaningfully. This hands-on exercise will provide an opportunity to test the approach in practice, reflect on the skills that researchers need, and consider how the insights gained can inform participants’ own research and engagement strategies.