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Grants>>Description of 2002 Grants: Latin America & the Caribbean
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Regional Programs: Go to 2002 Annual Report |
Andean Region American Center for International Labor Solidarity $775,001 To implement a program to reinforce the capacity of labor unions to promote economic and political reform and build alliances with civil society at community and national levels. Instituto de Prensa y Sociedad (Press and Society Institute) $97,000 To continue its network to protect journalists in Peru, to expand its access to information and civic journalism initiatives domestically, and to continue promoting and developing an Andean network for journalists in Colombia and Venezuela. Argentina Center for International Private Enterprise $111,130 To support the Centro de Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth) in holding a series of focus-group meetings with business leaders, policymakers, and academics to develop a national business agenda. The agenda will be widely disseminated through the media and presented to the president and high-level policymakers in Argentina. Colombia Asociación de Grupos Juveniles LIBERTAD (LIBERTY Association for Youth Groups) $30,000 To improve the political representation of the Afro-Colombian community. The Association will strengthen and improve its outreach and grassroots base, educate local Afro-Colombian communities on their rights and the need for citizen participation, and establish a dialogue with local government officials. Center for International Private Enterprise $166,856 To support the Colombian Confederation of Chambers of Commerce (Confecámaras) in continuing work with the private and public sectors and civil society to reform key pieces of legislation, to host training workshops, and to disseminate a declaration of corporate governance principles. Confecámaras will also promote greater understanding of corporate governance through a multifaceted advocacy and education program. Federación Nacional de Concejos Municipales de Colombia (National Federation of Colombian Council Members) $70,000 To train local council representatives in techniques for ensuring citizen participation in the councils’ work. The Federation will provide in-house legal assistance to its constituents and technical assistance to council members in municipal management and citizen participation to strengthen the organization’s internal democratic structure and means of communication. Corporación Región (Regional Corporation) $41,000 To further support modernization and democratization of the administration of justice in Medellín. Corporación Región will strengthen its community-justice and peaceful-coexistence centers; work with judicial officials to promote broader reform of the justice system; connect mediators with each other and local justice officials; and work with regional law schools to provide law students with a course on international instruments for human rights and on areas where judges and justice of the peace are lacking. PLURAL - Corporación Centro de Estudios Constitucionales (Constitutional Studies Center) $70,000 To promote and improve the justices of the peace tribunal system. PLURAL will promote the tribunal system’s long-term sustainability by working with the national government to provide training and financial support to maintain the system, and by training local government officials and municipal police forces on the justices’ role. Universidad de los Andes (University of the Andes) $65,000 To monitor and publicize the ongoing work of the Colombian Congress. Project activities will include maintenance of a political database containing information on legislators, updating of a political database of candidates elected in the 2002 elections, follow-up discussion forums, and public outreach. Cuba Center for a Free Cuba $20,000 To provide emergency relief to political prisoners and their families, to former political prisoners, and to members and families of the prodemocracy movement that is under government attack in Cuba. Committee for Support of Independent Farmers’ Cooperatives in Cuba $60,000 To provide technical, organizational, and material assistance to the independent cooperative movement in Cuba. The Committee will also seek to support a wide sector of civil society groups in rural areas throughout Cuba, including independent women’s and youth groups. Comité Cubano pro Derechos Humanos (Cuban Committee for Human Rights) $65,000 To cover the operating costs and program activities of its Miami office. The Committee’s activities will include collaboration with the UN Human Rights Commission in its monitoring and investigation of human rights conditions in Cuba; publication and dissemination in Cuba and internationally of several human rights publications; and provision of humanitarian assistance to political dissidents and prisoners of conscience in Cuba. CubaNet $36,000 To support Cuban independent journalism in Cuba. Disidente Universal de Puerto Rico (Universal Dissident of Puerto Rico) $45,000 To continue publication of its monthly journal, El Disidente, which prints articles and editorials from activists living on the island, dissidents living in exile, and international news organizations. Federación Sindical de Plantas Eléctricas, Gas y Agua en Exilio (Federation of Electric, Gas, and Water Plant Workers in Exile) $55,000 To produce two reports: one on labor-rights violations in Cuba, and the other on health conditions for Cuban workers and work-related injuries. The reports will be presented to the International Labor Organization and distributed to human rights and labor groups throughout the world. The Federation will also train Cuban workers in workers’ rights and distribute information inside Cuba on international labor laws and international unions’ activities. Information Bureau on Human Rights Movement in Cuba $65,000 To cover the operating costs and program activities of its Miami office. The Bureau will maintain regular contact with Cuban groups to collect news on conditions in Cuba and dissidents’ activities; share information with a network of international organizations, journalists, and human rights groups; and publish and disseminate its newsletter. The Bureau will also coordinate a series of activities for a coalition of dissident human rights groups in exile and inside Cuba. International Republican Institute $350,000 To support the Cuban Democratic Directorate in assisting in the prodemocracy movement of key individuals in Cuba. The Directorio will disseminate information and educational material to the prodemocracy movement within Cuba, and distribute information about the movement outside the island. National Democratic Institute for International Affairs $50,000 To work with the Varela Project leader, Oswaldo Payá, and his allies outside Cuba in building international, multiparty support for the Varela Project. Revista Encuentro de la Cultura Cubana (Encounter Journal of Cuban Culture) $95,000 To publish four issues of its journal, Encuentro, and to launch a new initiative, “Connections.” The initiative will link Cubans and non-Cubans via the Internet for discussions on topics related to Cuban culture and history. Ecuador Colegio de Periodistas de Pichincha (Journalist’s Association of Pichincha) $32,000 To conduct a series of workshops to train journalists to cover the national elections and post-election events. The Association also plans to work with two other principal press groups with a national presence in Ecuador-the Union of Journalists of Ecuador and the Association of Foreign Press-to build institutional capacity through a national resource center and network. Pontificía Universidad Católica del Ecuador (Catholic University of Ecuador) $70,000 To increase civilian capacity to manage and oversee security and defense policy. The Catholic University will develop the expertise of civilians in issues of security and defense, provide advice and analysis to congress and political parties on defense policy and administration, and host a series of civil-military dialogues chaired by various international speakers that can highlight examples of civil-military reform in other countries. Radio Ondas Azuayas (Radio Waves Azuayas) $20,000 To train local community journalists. Radio Waves Azuayas will conduct a series of workshops to train local journalists, particularly those from community radio stations in Azuayas province, in reporting on elections and following up with elected officials after elections. Radio Waves Azuayas will develop a model of effective civic programming to share with other stations in the country. Guatemala International Republican Institute $299,999 To enable its Guatemala office to provide political parties with technical assistance in organization, communications, ethics, conflict resolution, political investigation, and instruments for political investigation. IRI-Guatemala will also coordinate fora for political leaders to analyze political, economic, and social problems, with a primary focus on creating policy recommendations and solutions. Finally, IRI-Guatemala will continue working with Guatemalan youth in its leadership-training initiative. Mexico Acción Popular de Integración Social (Popular Action for Social Integration) $43,000 To monitor the federal congress and sixteen state legislatures on gender-equity issues. Results of the monitoring activities will be distributed through the group’s newsletter, Agenda Afirmativa, and through the network Consorcio por la Equidad, a consortium of women’s groups. American University $70,000 To promote the development of local capacity in Mexican universities in the area of human rights education and protection. American University and Universidad Iberoamericana will work to consolidate and expand human rights programs in Mexican law schools by establishing a Web site and listserv for human rights materials; developing a curriculum on human rights training for use in Mexican law schools; meeting with faculty deans, heads of federal agencies, and congress to promote the incorporation of human rights curricula in private and public universities; and establishing human rights clinics and service programs in the universities. The subgrantee, Universidad Iberoamericana, will also train civil society organizations in human rights law and its application in the Mexican legal system. Alianza Cívica (Civic Alliance) $63,000 To monitor the electoral process in state elections in Coahuila and Guerrero, and to conduct a comparative study of state electoral commissions and state electoral laws. The study will form the basis of a platform to improve electoral laws and administration at the state level. The Alliance will then conduct public fora for local activists, state legislators, and electoral officials to discuss the study’s findings and the platform. Fundación Información y Democracia (Information and Democracy Foundation) $70,000 To conduct training for federal and state legislators, judges, journalists, and civil society activists on the legal, political, and ethical aspects of access to public information in twelve Mexican states. Additionally, the Foundation will organize and award a National Journalism Prize for 2002. International Republican Institute $160,000 2000 REPROGRAMMED To work with Asociación Nacional Cívica Feminina (National Women’s Civic Association) to continue to monitor and report on the policymaking and conduct of elected officials in Mexico with regards to women’s issues; to continue the growth of its grassroots civic activist groups; and to inaugurate a Civic Leadership Training Program, designed to empower women to be effective leaders of civil society and nongovernmental networks. Nicaragua International Republican Institute $200,000 To empower the grassroots committees of IRI’s local counterpart, Hagamos Democracia (Let’s Make Democracy), to better communicate with their elected officials. Both organizations will also continue to inform citizens about legislative developments, publicize the work of Hagamos Democracia and its committees, and publish weekly updates in Nicaragua’s largest distribution daily newspaper, La Prensa. Finally, IRI will help Hagamos Democracia increase its use of the Internet to disseminate its mission and programmatic developments in its work with the National Assembly. Peru Comisión Andina de Juristas (Andean Commission of Jurists) $45,000 To support the second phase of its anticorruption initiative focused on the judiciary. The Commission will expand its research on corruption and how to address it, and will develop practical means for involving civil society in monitoring the judiciary. The Commission will also train staff members of civic monitoring groups on functions of the judiciary, so that the groups can collectively act as a watchdog over the judiciary. Instituto de Defensa Legal (Legal Defense Institute) $59,000 To continue supporting its local leadership training school in three Peruvian states. The Institute will train local leaders to develop advocacy action plans and monitor elected officials with regards to campaign promises, and will assist its graduates in developing local campaigns to foster development of a more informed citizenry. International Republican Institute $299,999 To work on strengthening political parties in areas of communications, fundraising, and accounting proceedures. Instituto de Estudios Estratégicos y Políticos (Political and Strategic Studies Institute) $89,000 To promote democratic civil-military relations. The Institute will conduct seminars to train civilian members of congress, the defense ministry, and political parties in military and strategic issues. It will also conduct a series of six classes for mid-career officers from each branch of the military, on democracy and human rights, and will work with congress and the civilian defense ministry to assist in the re-organization and redefinition of civilian defense and security institutions and policy. Finally, NED support will cover the costs of three roundtables between civilians and military officers. Venezuela Acción Campesina (Rural Action) $35,000* To train monitors to work in ten states to collect information on the effects of Venezuela’s land-redistribution law. The data will serve as the basis for a public-information campaign. Acción Campesina will work with representatives of the National Assembly to communicate objective information about local disputes and conflicts generated by the law. At the end of the project, Acción Campesina will convene a national forum to discuss the law and propose ways to reduce rural conflict. American Center for International Labor Solidarity $116,001* To support the Venezuelan trade movement, represented by the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers, in developing a program to extend organization, training, and representation to the informal sector. Asociación Civil Consorcio Justicia - Occidente (Justice Consortium - West) $11,000* To work in the state of Táchira to train communities and local justices of the peace in conflict resolution and mediation techniques. In addition, Consorcio Justicia will work with local governments and communities to improve communication and collaboration at the local level. Asociación Civil Asamblea de Educación (Education Assembly) $57,000* To monitor and distribute information on education-policy issues. The Education Assembly will convene regular policy forums and press conferences to discuss education policy and proposals and will work with the National Assembly to discuss draft legislation and reforms. Last, the Education Assembly will train local community leaders in eight states and Caracas to strengthen its national parent-teachers’ network. Asociación Civil Justicia Alternativa (Alternative Justice Association) $10,000* To promote local conflict-mediation in Aragua state by conducting workshops to train newly elected justices of the peace, local citizens, and local government officials in conflict resolution, political leadership, democratic values, and the institutions and processes of the political system. Asociación Civil Consorcio Justicia (Justice Consortium) $84,000 To promote local justice. Consorcio Justicia will conduct a ten-state program to educate communities on local justice issues, help organize justice-of-the-peace elections, and train locally elected justices. Center for International Private Enterprise $90,561 To collaborate with the Business Center for Conciliation and Arbitration (CEDCA), a Venezuelan nonprofit group, to launch a public-awareness campaign, and to offer a series of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) training modules. Center for International Private Enterprise $66,266 To support the Center for the Dissemination of Economic Information (CEDICE) in working with several Venezuelan NGOs and business sector to develop a broad-based consensus in Venezuela. CEDICE will also address the problem of the growing informal sector in Colombia, through a series of workshops and fora, jointly developed with Venezuelan civil society groups. Center for International Private Enterprise $116,525* To support the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers and the Citizens Assembly in jointly producing a policy paper and developing a series of national and regional workshops on economic policy and the organization of the informal sector. Centro al Servicio de la Acción Popular (Center for Popular Action Service) $63,000 To monitor social expenditures, the impact of poverty-alleviation programs, and social development and change in Venezuela, and to publish its findings in a report for national and international distribution. The Center will work with the Venezuelan Congress to improve delivery of poverty-alleviation programs to the most needy. Fundación Justicia de Paz del Estado Monagas (Justice of the Peace Foundation of Monagas) $11,000* To promote dialogue among local political actors in the state of Monagas. Fundación Justicia de Paz will establish roundtables in thirty-two communities and will engage in a broad public-education campaign in which it will distribute information to the communities about techniques for political dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts. Instituto de Prensa y Sociedad (Press and Society Institute) $25,000 To co-organize a forum, with its Venezuela-based affiliate, for media owners, editors, journalists, and leaders of international media-advocacy groups to reflect on the state of freedom of expression and journalism in Venezuela. The forum participants will propose recommendations for resolving issues of self-censorship, journalistic protection, and media professionalization. International Republican Institute $299,999 To train national and local branches of existing and newly created political parties in Venezuela, both on a one-to-one basis and through group sessions. Training topics include party structure, management, and organization; internal and external party communications; effective constituent relations; membership and volunteer recruitment; candidate/leadership development; and coalition building. Momento de la Gente (The People’s Moment) $64,000 To work with the National Assembly to provide policy input on key pieces of legislation pertinent to civil liberties. Momento will also work with and help organize local elected officials to improve their ability to oversee public budgets and advocate for decentralization. National Democratic Institute for International Affairs $50,000 To conduct focus groups to detail popular perceptions of political parties and present the results to political party leaders. NDI will use this information to encourage parties to fully embrace the need for reform, and shape renewal strategies. Latin America Regional Center for International Private Enterprise $141,596 To support the National Economic Research Center of Guatemala in its work with the private sector in Central America. CIPE will work to broaden business agendas to identify and advocate essential reforms beyond the scope of competitiveness. A media strategy will be implemented and a public presentation of each business agenda will be made, to raise awareness and support among policymakers and the public. Center for International Private Enterprise $115,661 To collaborate with the Political Science Institute, the Center for the Dissemination of Economic Information in Venezuela, and the Ecuadorean Economic Policy Institute to compile and edit articles pertaining to a range of social and political issues, and to publish the articles in a quarterly journal throughout Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru. National Democratic Institute for International Affairs $150,018 To continue support for the party-reform projects of the 2002 participants of the Political Leadership Program, through the sponsorship of three expert-trainer visits to Bolivia and Colombia. The Political Leadership Program is a program sponsored by NDI to help young and emerging political leaders to develop the skills to lead more modern and responsive political parties and to address the issue of party renewal. National Democratic Institute for International Affairs $300,000 To strengthen the capabilities of emerging political leaders to promote modern, transparent, and responsive political parties. NDI will invite new participants from the parties with which the Institute is currently working in Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico to its political leadership program in Wasington, DC. Seguridad Estratégica Regional (SER) en 2000 (Regional Strategic Security in 2000) $90,000 To promote a network of civilians (RESDAL) working on issues of security and defense in the region. SER will continue fostering communication among civilian organizations working on security and defense, and will promote collaborative research projects among individuals from different countries. RESDAL will host a series of discussions on issues in military policy and civil-military relations through its listserv; sponsor a two-day conference and a cross-border research project to develop a methodology to study and monitor military budgets and expenditures; and develop an online course to train young civilians in security and defense issues. *Indicates funding source other than annual congressional appropriation |
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