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Strategic Objective
Promote and Protect Human Rights through Constructive Bilateral and Multilateral Engagement and Targeted Assistance
Strategic Objective
Overview
Secretary Kerry has said, “Human rights are quite simply the foundation for a free and an open society. And history shows us that countries whose policies respect and reflect these rights are far more likely to be more peaceful and more prosperous, far more effective at tapping the talents of their people, far more capable of being innovative and moving rapidly and innovatively in the marketplace, and they are better long-term partners.” The National Security Strategy affirms that our human rights policy is guided by the principle, enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that all people are “born free and equal in dignity and rights” and the fact that nations that embrace these values for their citizens are ultimately more successful than those that do not.
The United States works to promote and protect universal human rights worldwide, including an individual’s right to be free from slavery and involuntary servitude, to speak one’s own mind, to assemble without fear, to believe or not to believe in a religion, and to choose his or her own leaders. Those rights also include dignity, tolerance, and equality among all people, including ethnic and racial minorities; religious minorities; women; youth; indigenous persons; displaced persons; stateless persons; persons with disabilities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Internationally recognized labor rights are enshrined in the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
We are working with international partners to reverse the troubling trend of increasing restrictions on the freedoms of association and assembly, especially restrictions on civil society organizations, and to combat violence against religious minorities. We are broadening and diversifying multi-stakeholder initiatives that provide support for civil society organizations and human rights defenders, especially those under threat.
Through our partnerships with governments, civil society, human rights defenders, and the private sector, the State Department and USAID seek: the repeal or non-enforcement of discriminatory laws around the world; the adoption of inclusive, rights-respecting legal frameworks in societies in transition; enhanced respect for human rights and accountability within security forces, including the prevention of and response to gender-based violence; justice and accountability for gross human rights violations and atrocities; accountability for perpetrators of human trafficking, including forced labor, sex trafficking, and child soldiering, and protection of victims; and workers’ rights, including combating the worst forms of child labor and discrimination. We will continue our focus on advancing the ability of people worldwide to exercise freely their universal human rights through new technologies, safely, and without fear of retribution. We will also continue to work with civil society and business partners to promote responsible business conduct in ways that reinforce our human rights objectives.
Strategies for Achieving the Objective
Secretary Kerry has said, "Human rights are quite simply the foundation for a free and an open society. And history shows us that countries whose policies respect and reflect these rights are far more likely to be more peaceful and more prosperous, far more effective at tapping the talents of their people, far more capable of being innovative and moving rapidly and innovatively in the marketplace, and they are better long-term partners." The National Security Strategy affirms that our human rights policy is guided by the principle, enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that all people are "born free and equal in dignity and rights" and the fact that nations that embrace these values for their citizens are ultimately more successful than those that do not.
The United States works to promote and protect universal human rights worldwide, including an individual's right to be free from slavery and involuntary servitude, to speak one's own mind, to assemble without fear, to believe or not to believe in a religion, and to choose his or her own leaders. Those rights also include dignity, tolerance, and equality among all people; including ethnic and racial minorities, religious minorities, women, youth, indigenous persons, displaced persons, stateless persons, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Internationally-recognized labor rights are enshrined in the 1998 International Labor Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
The U.S. government is working with international partners to reverse the troubling trend of increasing restrictions on the freedoms of expression, association and assembly, civil society organizations, and violence against religious minorities. The U.S. government is broadening and diversifying multi-stakeholder initiatives that provide support for civil society organizations and human rights defenders, especially those under threat.
In September 2013, President Obama launched Stand with Civil Society, a global call to action to support, defend, and sustain civil society amid a rising tide of restrictions on its operations globally. Working in partnership with other governments, the philanthropic community, and multilateral initiatives, the U.S. government has focused on three lines of effort over the past year: (1) promoting laws, policies, and practices that foster a supportive environment for civil society in accordance with international norms; (2) coordinating multilateral, diplomatic pressure to push back against undue restrictions on civil society; and (3) identifying innovative ways of providing technical, financial, and logistical support to promote a transparent and vibrant civil society. The U.S. government is the largest supporter of civil society in the world, with more than $2.7 billion invested to strengthen civil society since 2010.
Through U.S. partnerships with governments, civil society, human rights defenders, and the private sector, the Department of State and USAID seek: (1) the repeal or non-enforcement of discriminatory laws around the world; (2) the adoption of inclusive, rights-respecting legal frameworks in societies in transition; (3) enhanced respect for human rights and accountability within security forces, including the prevention of and response to gender-based violence; (4) justice and accountability for gross human rights violations and atrocities; (5) accountability for perpetrators of human trafficking – including forced labor, sex trafficking, and child soldiering – and protection of victims; and (6) workers' rights, including combating the worst forms of child labor and discrimination. The U.S. government will continue its focus on advancing the ability of people worldwide to exercise freely their universal human rights through new technologies, safely, and without fear of retribution.
The U.S. government will also continue to work with civil society and business partners to promote responsible business conduct in ways that reinforce our human rights objectives.
Read Less...Progress Update
In 2014, universal human rights were challenged most starkly through the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist movement in Syria and Iraq. In Iraq, this ruthless terrorist group has directed a campaign of murder, kidnapping, and theft at people of all religions and ethnic groups. In Syria, a dictator’s use of indiscriminate violence against his own people has triggered the largest humanitarian catastrophe of this century. And there are many other places where a failure to respect human rights, combined with other factors, has produced hostilities that weaken nations and put civilians, including children, at grave risk.
And yet, we live at a time when democratic principles and respect for human rights have greater reach than at any previous time in history. This is due not simply to what governments have done, but to what people around the world have done to elevate, monitor, and enforce human rights standards—the individual human rights defenders and civil society organizations (CSOs) advocating for change in their own countries. The Department of State focused on supporting these defenders through its management of several rapid response mechanisms that make emergency assistance available to human rights defenders and civil society organizations under threat. Above the 80 percent target of human rights defenders and CSOs reported, they are able to carry out their work at some capacity after receiving assistance from these Rapid Response Funds.
USAID utilized a range of tools to support core human rights programs around the globe. USAID provided direct grants to local civil society and human rights defender organizations to monitor, document, promote and protect human rights in Cambodia, Cameroon, Kazakhstan, Mali, Ukraine, and Venezuela, among many other countries. In Mexico, U.S. assistance continues to work with the Mexican government to promote a human rights approach to public policies. In Ukraine, USAID is helping a leading human rights organization in monitoring and reporting on human rights cases, and preparing the country’s new human rights strategy. In Paraguay, USAID is supporting economic inclusion of marginalized indigenous communities. In Burundi, USAID is working with the National Independent Commission for Human Rights and supporting independent investigation and documentation efforts, key in holding human rights offenders accountable through future legal and/or international tribunals. Additional examples of support include human rights education in Kyrgyzstan, support to a national dialogue process and consensus-building around the Libyan constitution process, a regional effort to strengthen judicial independence and respect for human rights across Southern Africa, and an effort to support human rights documentation and independent journalists in the Central African Republic.
At the Clinton Global Initiative this year, President Obama announced two major deliverables with regards to the Stand with Civil Society Initiative, led by USAID:
1. Expanding the Legal Enabling Environment Program, implemented by International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, to further strengthen legal and regulatory environments for civil society by providing technical assistance, financial support to partner organizations, training, and expert research to mitigate restrictions on civil society.
2. Launching a groundbreaking initiative to support and connect civil society across the globe through Regional Civil Society Innovation Centers, in partnership with the Government of Sweden and the Aga Khan Development Network. Over the next two years, up to six networked Regional Civil Society Innovation Centers will be created worldwide. Through a new participatory process, USAID and Sida convened a co-creation workshop in early November 2014 to launch the initiative. This workshop was
attended by 45 thematically-, regionally-, and functionally-diverse CSOs, private funders, and academic institutions from around the world. The innovation center concept will be refined and tailored for each specific region in six regional co-design workshops between March and September 2015 with the goal of having at least one hub established by September 2015.
In FY 2014, the Department of State provided real-time information to contacts in Iraq, Syria, and the United States on locations of ISIL forces and captives, and Yezidi fighters. For civilians in northern Iraq, the Department facilitated humanitarian airdrops to besieged religious minorities. The Department’s gender-based violence (GBV) emergency response initiative provided emergency support to Yezidi women and girls who were victims of rape and torture by ISIL. The Department will continue rapid response assistance in the coming year. The Department is also enhancing the objectives in assistance plans for the prevention and accountability on human rights violations by partner nation security forces, and intends to reduce the percentage of Leahy vetting cases left in suspension. Furthermore, USAID is working with its partners to provide women and girls with access to safe and confidential assistance through efforts including: (1) training on the delivery of medical supplies to healthcare providers; (2) support to safe healing and learning spaces; (3) provision of psycho-social support; and (4) assisting highly vulnerable displaced women and children to secure access to safe and sustained shelter.
Multilaterally, the United States continued to work with countries from all regions to address urgent human rights concerns in the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). U.S. leadership helped to keep the Council at the forefront of international efforts to promote and protect human rights, by underscoring the critical role of civil society. This included the Council’s adoption of the second-ever UN resolution on violence and discrimination facing LGBT persons world-wide. Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay led the resolution, with the United States co-sponsoring and lobbying heavily. The HRC’s 15th resolution on Syria focused on torture and the situation in Syrian prisons, and reiterated the international community’s demand for unfettered humanitarian access in Syria. The United States co-sponsored resolutions on Yemen, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting our shared commitment to protecting human rights through assistance and enhanced dialogue. The Council extended the mandate of the Independent Expert on Sudan, through a resolution that criticized ongoing violations and abuses of human rights in Sudan.
In terms of supporting and promoting LGBT civil society abroad, USAID released the LGBT Vision for Action –Promoting and supporting the inclusion of LGBT individuals; and laid out the key principles and promising approaches through which USAID will promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons worldwide. Through the Human Rights Grants Program, USAID also provided support to missions and LGBT civil society in Cambodia, Cameroon, Ecuador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kosovo, Mali, Nicaragua, Nepal, Senegal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Technical assistance included on-the-ground support for program implementation, site visits, and training. Significant progress was made in Asia where USAID and the UN Development Programme jointly implemented the “Being LGBT in Asia” initiative which convened national dialogues and produced country reports on the socioeconomic status of LGBT persons in the region. In Nicaragua, with the USAID|PrevenSIDA program’s support, LGBT organizations succeeded in securing policies and ordinances that ensure LGBT inclusive access to health care, education, and employment. USAID supported a democratic leadership training conference for the LGBT community in Serbia and Peru, where a transgender woman participant was later elected to a municipal office. USAID further strengthened LGBT entrepreneur coalitions in Mexico and Colombia and sponsored a study by the Williams Institute which found inclusion of LGBT people in emerging economies is positively associated with a country’s economic development. In the coming year, USAID will continue to expand its programs and increase financial and technical assistance to field missions and LGBT civil society abroad.
On the atrocity prevention, the Department and USAID are working to promote transitional justice and accountability. The Department and USAID are working with the interagency Atrocities Prevention Board (APB) to develop and enhance tools, training, and programming. The Department and USAID with the APB are also developing and implementing the Department’s diplomatic engagement strategy to increase cooperation with foreign partners and international organizations on atrocity prevention through promoting justice and accountability, both as a broad policy and as country specific initiatives in places where there is the greatest need and opportunity for impact.
The publication of the 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report and the development of action plans for each country help focus the Department of State’s efforts to encourage foreign governments to combat human trafficking in the upcoming year. These action plans help strategically prioritize foreign government efforts to combat human trafficking and support U.S. diplomatic engagement on the issue.
Additionally, the findings of the annual Trafficking in Persons Report guide the Department’s foreign assistance funding priorities for anti-trafficking programs, which generally target countries ranked as Tier 3, Tier 2 Watch List, and Tier 2 in the annual Report, and also countries where there is a demonstrable need for resources and where there is political will to address the problems and deficiencies identified in the Report. During FY 2014, the Department funded 41 new and continuation projects worth a little more than $18 million. With the addition of these grants and cooperative agreements, as of the end of FY 2014, the Department oversaw 98 anti-trafficking projects worth approximately $59.7 million in 71 countries. Direct results yielded from these foreign assistance programs include: (1) strengthened prosecution efforts via foreign government-developed and implemented anti-trafficking legislation, and training criminal justice officials; (2) increased protection measures and provision of comprehensive services to victims of trafficking, including vocational and livelihood training; and (3) the advancement of key prevention measures through increased awareness-raising activities. In the upcoming year, the Department will continue to support these types of anti-trafficking programs.
Since 2001, USAID has programmed approximately $16.5 million annually to combat trafficking in over 68 countries and regional missions. In addition, USAID reinvigorated and refocused its counter-trafficking (C-TIP) efforts with the launch of its C-TIP Policy which outlines concrete, measurable Agency-wide programming objectives. These objectives include integrating C-TIP activities across development sectors, investing in rigorous C-TIP research, increasing investments in conflict and crisis-affected areas and countries with global strategic importance and significant trafficking problems, and enhancing institutional accountability within USAID to address trafficking.
Results of USAID C-TIP programming include an increased emphasis on C-TIP within the context of development programs across sectors, such as education, economic growth, health, human rights, and humanitarian assistance; greater awareness and prevention of trafficking worldwide; the provision of direct services to trafficking victims and populations vulnerable to trafficking; the rescue and rehabilitation of children exploited by armed groups; improved C-TIP legal frameworks; strengthened knowledge of C-TIP through training of law enforcement personnel; increased arrests, prosecutions, and convictions of traffickers; enhanced knowledge of trafficking trends, lessons learned and best practices through research; and improved institutional awareness and accountability within USAID to combat trafficking.
USAID implements most of its work promoting and protecting human rights through the provision of technical expertise and programming resources. Technical experts in freedoms of association, assembly, expression, rights of indigenous populations, human trafficking, transitional justice and labor rights, focus on improving international and local policies and practices that enhance a rights-respecting environment and build local capacity.
