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International Human Rights

 

The Challenge

 

The international community has enshrined certain fundamental rights in international law which all human beings enjoy by virtue of their human nature. A key subset of these protects the liberty and security of the person: due process, freedom from torture and the prohibition on arbitrary detention.

 

Although these human rights are codified in international covenants, regional treaties and domestic laws, they continue to be under threat from governments and non-state agents. Through our grant-making, we aim to protect these guarantees, to hold violators to account, and to protect and enable those who defend them.

     

    What we're doing

     

    In the International Human Rights Programme, we pursue three objectives:

    • to uphold and strengthen fundamental guarantees prescribed by international law relating to liberty and security of the person;
    • to end impunity for gross human rights violations by holding abusers to account and seeking victim redress; and
    • to equip human rights activists with the necessary tools and influence to effectively conduct their work.

    Please read the What we fund page for more information on our programme priorities and current grant information.

     

    Principles

     

    Three key principles underpin our approach to human rights grant-making.

     

    • First, our grants aim to deliver concrete systemic change beyond individual redress;
    • Second, grants reflect the reality of a multi-polar world. Human rights activism and advocacy must be focused in the jurisdictions where abuses occur and where influence can be exercised to stop them. Increasingly, this means countries in the Global South; and
    • Third, we prioritise innovative campaigns, including those that harness effective communication technologies to engage with target constituencies, document human rights abuses and assist with memorialising past violations.