We began work in July 2007 with the UK Government on a four-year project to help civil society groups and local officials to better address human rights issues.
Fourteen territories dotted across the world’s oceans come under the sovereign jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. Civil society plays a growing role in promoting basic freedoms in these largely self-governing territories.
Challenge Fund
We have worked to establish a ‘challenge fund’ to help match funding requests from civil society for human rights trainings and awareness raising campaigns. We have helped to roll out a programme of training workshops using a structured curriculum.
Partnering with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, our work aims to boost advocacy skills among local civil society groups and increase wider understanding about international human rights law. Roundtable meetings bring local institutions, groups and individuals together to develop local action plans.
Training and support
A legislative drafting programme for government officials helps ensure that international human rights provisions are adopted in local legislation and practice.
Working with the Commonwealth Legal Education Association, we provide technical support to government offices in reviewing legislation so that appropriate new policies, processes and institutions can be put in place. Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena and its Dependencies (Ascension and Tristan da Cunha) and Turks and Caicos Islands are all covered by the project.
Primary funding for the project comes from UK’s Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office.