Strengthening Human Rights Worldwide
Overview
The goal of this work is to strengthen fresh voices to make the human rights movement more responsive to the needs of the poor and marginalized with a special emphasis on the Global South.
The Challenge
Much has been done in the last five decades to build one of the most successful movements of our time: the human rights movement, which has helped to establish universal principles governing how states should treat citizens and non-citizens and help challenge dictators and authoritarian rulers across the world.
In addition, the last two decades have seen a major increase in human rights organizations at the grassroots level in countries worldwide. However, as the world changes, so, too, do the demands of the poor and marginalized communities that lack fundamental human rights and advocates. Today’s key human rights organizations are often under-resourced and unable to respond to this changing landscape. What is needed is a broader, stronger, revitalized movement.
What We're Doing
We support efforts to create an effective and sustainable infrastructure of organizations, institutions and mechanisms, particularly those based in the Global South, through which human rights are enforced at the global, regional and national levels. This includes reinforcing existing accountability mechanisms through litigation and other advocacy, expanding individual and group access to these mechanisms, and strengthening national human rights organizations that work on behalf of those who are oppressed and excluded.
Our aim is to renew the global human rights field and reinforce its relevancy and legitimacy by:
- Increasing the diversity of perspectives at a global level
- Establishing a new generation of digital human rights organizations
- Ensuring issues affecting the most marginalized are central to the global human rights agenda
- Boosting advocacy work in emerging states considered important regional and global players
- Monitoring human rights positions in traditional forums and other multilateral and regional bodies to ensure that new thinking and changing needs are considered
Learn more about how our strategies and approaches shape our grant making.
From the Newsroom
- 2011: Furthering Our Commitment The foundation looks back on a year of social change
- Beyond Conventions: A Ford Forum on Human Rights The third and final event in a series of 75th anniversary forums on critical social justice issues will take place on September 20
- Luis Ubiñas Opens Beyond Conventions Forum Ford Foundation president welcomes attendees of the human rights event to mark our 75th anniversary
- Maya Harris Welcomes Attendees to the Beyond Conventions Forum Ford’s vice president for Democracy, Rights and Justice discusses the future of human rights at the start of the third and final 75th anniversary foundation forum
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