Regional

AfroAmerica XXI (AAXXI)
$105,548
To work with Afro-descendant leaders in Honduras, Panama and Venezuela. AAXXI will establish leadership schools exclusively for Afro-descendant elected officials and community leaders in the three target countries. AAXXI will also work with Afro-descendant legislators in the three countries to initiate the formation of a legislative body modeled after the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus.

American Center for International Labor Solidarity
$200,000

To support freedom of association in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. ACILS will continue to assist workers in these countries in building new unions, representing workers and negotiating collective bargaining agreements. Additionally, ACILS will continue to focus on promoting leadership among traditionally under-represented workers.

American Center for International Labor Solidarity
$400,000
To promote participation of marginalized worker groups in unions, workplaces and public policy arenas in Brazil and the Americas. Working in Brazil, the Solidarity Center will build the capacity of under-represented groups to effectively advocate their interests, and promote public policies that address their concerns. The Solidarity Center will then promote networking and exchanges between Latin American unions and the Brazilian labor movement on approaches to building mass-based constituencies and advocating for marginalized workers.

American Center for International Labor Solidarity
$639,991
To strengthen unions’ capacity to involve workers at their workplaces and in broader economic and political arenas in the Andean region. Tailoring its activities to the realities of each Andean country, the Solidarity Center will support basic organizing, collective bargaining and public policy advocacy to cope with the changes of economic modernization and public sector reform.

American Center for International Labor Solidarity
$329,247
To strengthen unions’ internal democratic mechanisms and the ability of trade unions to organize and represent workers. ACILS will work with unions in the telecommunications, print media, and mining/metal sectors across the region to exchange concerns and experiences. ACILS will also assist union efforts to strengthen their membership base and engage in collective bargaining.

American University
$170,000
To strengthen human rights legal education in Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua. In Venezuela and Bolivia, American University will continue working with universities to institutionalize human rights education, train human rights practitioners, and invite them to participate in its Inter-American Moot Court Competition and the Summer Academy on Human Rights in Washington, D.C. The Academy will also implement a pilot project in Nicaragua, assessing opportunities to develop partnerships with local law schools.

American University
$94,965
To defend freedom of expression in Latin America through the use of strategic litigation. The American University Freedom of Expression Program will work with Diego Portales University in Chile to litigate two cases before the Inter-American System on Human Rights. AU will also establish new impact litigation units in Argentina and Guatemala and will present its Best Practices Report in Argentina and Chile.

Asociación Civil SER en el 2000 (Civil Association SER in 2000 or SER)
$116,000
To promote the capacity of civilians in the area of security and defense. SER will continue the research and training activities of its regional network of NGOs, academics, and state institutions in Latin America working in the field of civil-military relations, defense, and security. SER and the regional network will produce case studies of the defense budgeting process in Uruguay and El Salvador and a report on the defense ministries in Argentina and Brazil.

Centro Global para el Desarrollo y la Democracia (Global Center for Development and Democracy
or CGDD)
$67,872
To facilitate a pluralistic regional forum with former presidents, leaders of business, labor and civil society to define a new regional agenda to address the issues of democracy, economic growth and social inclusion. Through preliminary meetings and a regional forum, CGDD will facilitate the drafting of a new social agenda for the Hemisphere, and will seek the support and consensus of key figures in Latin America, including former heads of state, prominent scholars, labor and private sector leaders, among others.

Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)
$150,000
To promote and defend human rights in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. CEJIL will present and litigate paradigmatic cases before the Inter-American System for Human Rights (IAS); train local human rights organizations and government officials on the use of the IAS and international law; and strengthen the IAS by increasing the involvement of NGOs. Through these activities, CEJIL hopes to compel these governments to implement judicial reforms to comply with international human rights standards.

Center for International Private Enterprise
$200,332
To identify and share best country practices derived from CIPE-sponsored efforts throughout the region. Through a regional conference and publications, CIPE will help its partners define the most effective democratic, market-oriented reforms and devise strategies with a lasting impact on the institutional framework of their respective countries.

Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (Center for Legal and Social Studies or CELS)
$95,000
To strengthen the capacity of human rights organizations and raise awareness of human rights violations in the interior of Argentina and in Paraguay. CELS will offer an annual litigation and advocacy course and targeted technical assistance to human rights legal clinics in Paraguay and three provinces in Argentina. Two Paraguayan human rights defenders will participate in a month-long internship at CELS and four human rights activists from Latin America will attend CELS’ litigation and advocacy course.

Comisión Andina de Juristas (Andean Commission of Jurists or CAJ)
$114,816
To increase the transparency and accountability of the judicial systems in Peru and Bolivia. Building on its previous projects, CAJ will consolidate its judicial accountability initiative in Peru, and will transfer its methodology and know-how to a local partner in Bolivia, the Red de Participación y Justicia. Through financial and technical assistance, CAJ will help establish local judicial accountability committees and foster the disclosure of judicial rulings and decisions.

Consorcio Justicia, Inc. (Justice Consortium, Inc)
$110,050
To spearhead the formation of a Latin American democracy network. The Justice Consortium will contact Latin American participants from past World movement for Democracy assemblies and reach out to new members in order to develop a network of committed democracy activists, practitioners, and scholars. Consorcio will coordinate the activities of the network’s provisional steering committee and organize a meeting for more than 50 civil society leaders in Panama in February 2008.

Corporación Participa (Participate Corporation or Participa)
$99,993
To work with Poder Ciudadano in Argentina and Acción Ciudadana in Guatemala to design and implement a methodological tool, the Regional Index of Congressional Transparency, that will allow comparative analysis of the levels of congressional transparency in Argentina, Chile and Guatemala. The Index will enable representatives and civil society organizations to set a standard for the legislatures in the region regarding transparency, access to information and citizen participation.

Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF)
$80,000
To strengthen its Equal Access to Justice initiative and provide litigation, advocacy and organizational assistance to local human rights organizations in Bolivia, Guatemala and Peru. DPLF will conduct assessment trips to each country and organize a workshop on a relevant human rights issue for each target country. B y the end of this project, DPLF will be poised to offer substantial technical assistance to its local Bolivian, Guatemalan and Peruvian counterparts.

International Republican Institute
$482,533
To train elected officials, their management teams and local civil society groups to improve governance in Bolivia and Colombia. This program will train government officials on implementing good governance policies, will strengthen the ability of civil society groups to demand government accountability and establish mechanisms to participate in government decision-making processes, and will build upon existing state and municipal associations to sustain, institutionalize and disseminate good governance best practices.

Instituto Prensa y Sociedad-Perú (Institute of Press and Society or IPYS)
$109,407
To protect journalists and freedom of expression in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. IPYS’s “Alert Network” enables journalists to report threats or attacks, which IPYS then investigates and publicizes, and provides legal assistance. Using its network of media monitors throughout Latin America, IPYS will serve as the Latin America coordinator for the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX).

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
$183,530
To strengthen political parties in Bolivia, Mexico and Peru by providing young, reform-minded political party leaders with leadership skills and practical strategies for advancing reform and modernization efforts. Through a leadership development seminar and individualized follow-on projects, NDI’s Political Leadership Program works to strengthen the capabilities of emerging political leaders to promote modern, transparent and responsive political parties.

Trust for the Americas
$83,210
To coordinate training workshops and provide tailored technical assistance to Central American organizations involved in the Regional Network to Promote Freedom of Expression and Access to Information. The Trust will work with its partners in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The Trust will use this year to consolidate the Network by encouraging cohesiveness and consensus-building among the member organizations throughout the hemisphere.