July 18, 2012 | Read Time: 1 minute
With a new $50-million program, the Ford Foundation is seeking to build human-rights organizations in far corners of the world.
The money will be awarded over five years to advocacy groups in non-Western countries in recognition that new voices on human rights are emerging around the globe.
“What today’s grants recognize is how powerful the idea of human rights has become in every corner of the world and how much growth there has been in recent years among rights organizations in the [Global] South,” Luis A. Ubiñas, Ford’s president, said in a statement. “We need to bring those southern-hemisphere voices into the global human-rights dialogue.”
The first seven winners were announced today in celebration of the 94th birthday of Nelson Mandela, the South African leader. They will receive $1-million each.
Winners include the Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development, in Bangkok; Justica Global, in Rio de Janeiro; Kenya Human Rights Commission, in Nairobi; and Legal Resources Centre, in Johannesburg.
