Rights Initiatives works at the local, national, regional, and international levels to protect rights, document and combat violations—often against marginalized and stigmatized communities—and hold perpetrators accountable. We seek to advance rights agendas by strengthening civil society groups through a combination of core and project funding, networking and exchange, and peer learning opportunities. Through advocacy with relevant stakeholders and other donors, Rights Initiatives raises the profile of the work and issues with which its grantees are concerned.
The program’s priorities are grounded in the notion that until the most marginalized and vulnerable within society can exercise their rights and access justice, international human rights standards will not be realized. The program’s interventions are defined by the needs of the national and regional movements it supports, recognizing that progress in defining and exercising rights is not linear, takes time, and needs a combination of approaches.
Rights Initiatives focuses work in four thematic priority areas: