Global: OSI Call for Proposals on "Women's Rights and Multiple Discrimination"
The OSI Women’s Program seeks to increase successful advocacy campaigns, policy initiatives, strategic litigation, or action research that address different forms of women’s multiple discrimination. OSI is issuing a Call for Proposals on "Women's Rights and Multiple Discrimination".
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: WOMEN AND MULTIPLE DISCRIMINATION
The Women's Program of the Open Society Institute works to promote women's human rights and gender equality as central to building open societies.
The Women's Program serves as a resource and catalyst on gender issues for the Open Society Institute/Soros Foundations Network. Key themes for 2007 are:
o Defending the Rights of Women Facing Multiple Discrimination
o Promoting Women's Rights in Transitional Justice Contexts and Institutions
o New Voices and New Visions for 21st Century Women's Movements
Women and Multiple Discrimination
The Independent Expert on Minority Issues of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Gay McDougall, has stated that new and urgent attention must be given to the rights of women facing multiple forms of discrimination, exclusion, and violence. Amongst the most disadvantaged and vulnerable are women from minority communities, who face problems compounded by their uniquely disadvantaged positions in society. Such women face discrimination both because they belong to certain minority communities, and also because they are women.
In a statement marking International Women's Day 2006, Gay McDougall called for all actors at the community, national and international levels to rise to the challenge of improving the security, opportunities, and life chances of such women.--United Nations Press Release, March 7, 2006
Women's human rights advocates and policymakers increasingly recognize that women are not a homogenous group of rights holders. In order to protect, promote, and advance women's human rights, advocates and policymakers must take into account differences among women with respect to age, socio-economic status, racial/ethnic background, religion, national origin, citizenship status, health/HIV status, sexual orientation, and disability, among others.
The OSI Women's Program seeks to increase successful advocacy campaigns, policy initiatives, strategic litigation, or action research that address different forms of women's multiple discrimination. Global and local civil society, national governments, regional courts and institutions, and international institutions increasingly recognize women's rights through such international instruments as the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and regional mechanisms like the Maputo Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa to the African Charter on Human or Peoples' Rights or the European Union Gender Equality Directives. Other mechanisms, such as the Convention to Eliminate Racial Discrimination (CERD), occasionally address the rights of minority women. However, there are very few efforts that link these mechanisms to promote the rights of women facing multiple forms of discrimination. The Women's Program is particularly interested in supporting innovative initiatives that link women's rights strategies with other rights strategies, raising awareness about women's multiple discrimination. We invite proposals from groups operating at local, national, regional, continental, or international levels. The Women's Program will support organizations working in any of the following areas:
· fostering partnerships between women's rights organizations and other civil society groups working on anti-discrimination; · educating advocates, policymakers, lawyers, and judges about multiple discrimination; · providing training or targeted opportunities for women experiencing multiple discrimination to get involved in policy processes.
· investigating, documenting and exposing human rights abuses of women vulnerable to multiple forms of discrimination; · monitoring government institutions to ensure state compliance with, adherence to, and respect for international human rights law; · initiating pilot advocacy models that seek to expand human rights norms to encompass and better recognize multiple discrimination; · creating cutting-edge campaigns to influence public policy agendas and debates among stakeholders, including media campaigns; · shaping anti-discrimination and equal opportunity policies and promoting legal reform; · generating innovative advocacy strategies to ensure implementation, enforcement, and linkage of relevant international instruments (such as CEDAW, CERD, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, etc.), regional instruments (such as the Maputo Protocol, the EU Race Directive, etc.), or relevant national instruments in addressing women's multiple discrimination; · litigating landmark civil or criminal cases to prosecute violations of women's human rights to bring offenders to justice, and that would have resounding, high-profile impact regionally or globally; Organizations can apply for the following types of support:
· Think Tank Fund - for initiatives led by organizations that expose rights abuse, monitor government institutions, generate innovative or pilot advocacy strategies to inform public policy and shape legal reform, strategically engage and educate relevant stakeholders, and amplify the voices of women facing multiple forms of discrimination. The Women's Program will only fund academic research that is: a) policy-relevant or action-oriented research, and b) is through an institution or NGO. The Women's Program cannot fund individuals.
· South - South / East - East Exchange - for building the capacity of women's rights organizations defending the rights of women facing multiple discrimination via human rights training or exchange programs.
· Strategic Litigation Fund - for fostering legal action to litigate landmark civil or criminal cases to prosecute violations of women's human rights that would have resounding, high-profile impact regionally or globally, and which would expand upon existing jurisprudence.
I. Who can apply?
Preference is given to:
· organizations located in the countries where OSI is active (www.soros.org
· organizations that have a 5+ year track record and demonstrate sustainability.
II. Grant amount and funding period
Organizations can apply for a 1 year grant ranging from $25,000-$100,000. III. How to apply Proposals should be submitted in English by email (preferred), fax, or mail no later than May 15, 2007 to: Network Women's Program Open Society Institute
400 West 59th Street New York, NY 10019 USA Fax: +1-212-548-4616 Email: [email][email protected]
Emilie Neumann: Latin America and Multi-Regional: [email][email protected]