Inter-American Civil Society Partnership Initiative Grants Awarded

The Selection Committee for the 2007-2008 Inter-American Civil Society Partnership Initiative has selected the grant recipients for this third year of Initiative funding to civil society organizations (CSOs) working on follow-up and implementation of Summits of the Americas commitments. 123 applications were received from CSOs based in 20 Member States, making it the highest number of applicants received since the Initiative’s inception, and signaling the growing interest and participation of civil society throughout the region in the Summits Process.

The Initiative, which receives generous support from the Open Society Institute, seeks to enhance the involvement of civil society in OAS activities and in the Summits of the Americas Process by awarding sub-grants of up to US$25,000 to CSOs working on follow-up to Summit commitments in the areas of democracy, human rights, and citizen participation. Projects are selected based on established criteria of relevance to OAS and Summit mandates, the background of the CSO presenting the project, as well as the quality and viability of the project design. Consideration is also given to achieving a balanced representation of geographic sub-regions and priority topics.

The following projects presented by civil society organizations were selected to receive funds as part of the 2007-2008 Inter-American Civil Society Partnership Initiative:

• Afro-Colombian Organizations Developing Strategies for Participation and the Implementation of Summits of the Americas Mandates to Fight Racial Discrimination
  Federación Nacional de Organizaciones No Gubernamentales para el Desarrollo de las Comunidades Afro-colombianas (AFROAMERICA XXI) – Colombia



• Strengthening Transparency and the Fight against Corruption in the Public Sector of Southeastern Mexico
  Asociación Ecológica Santo Tomas A.C. – Mexico



• Film (The Black Panties) to sensitize against Violence on Women and the Prevention of HIV /AIDS
  Association Femmes Soleil d'Haiti (AFASDA) – Haiti



• Active Democrqacy Workshop
  Corporación Participa – Chile



• Increasing the participation of Garifuna and other Afro-descendent organizations in the Inter-American System
  Global Rights - USA



• Community Work for Social Development
  Asociación Tierra Nueva – Paraguay



• Rural Women’s Citizen Action for the Right to a Life without Violence, in the Districts of Los Morochucos and María Parado de Bellido -- Ayacucho
  Movimiento Manuela Ramos – Peru



• Electoral Observation Project – 2008 Presidential Elections
  Participación Ciudadana – Dominican Republic

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