Special account is taken of those who have demonstrated an active record of combating human rights violations by courageous and innovative means.

The selection of the winning candidates is made by the Jury of the Martin Ennals Foundation. The announcement of the nominees is made around mid March and that of the laureates is made in early May. The proceedings of the Jury of the MEA are confidential and no correspondence about the selection procedure will be accepted.

Anybody can nominate any individual or organisation by filling out the appropriate form. Neither individuals nor organisations may nominate themselves or act as referee for themselves. Three referees are needed for a valid nomination and these persons must have agreed to act as such. 

Definition of ‘Human Rights Defenders’: “For the purpose of selecting candidates for the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, the Jury consider an eligible human rights defender (HRD) to be one who risks or suffers victimisation, harassment or disadvantage for exercising the rights expressed in the International Bill of Rights, and who, in conformity with these instruments, promotes and protects the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others, individually or in groups.”

No posthumous award is given (except when a candidate has already passed the first round).

The candidate should not use or advocate violence.

The nominations form asks for basic personal information on the candidate. Additional information (such as a CV) can be sent as a separate document to info@martinennalsaward.org. In this regard, other support material (such as press clippings, audio or video files) will be appreciated and should be sent as attachments or links to the above email address. Any hard copy documentation sent to the Secretariat (Martin Ennals Foundation, c/o OMCT, P.O. Box 21, 1211 Geneva 8, Switzerland) should be copies as none will be returned.

The MEF and the NGOs on the Jury may request further information and documentation concerning candidates.

For more informations:

2United Nations, New York — UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality, a grantmaking fund initiated by Spain and dedicated to advancing women’s rights and gender equality, announced today its second Call for Proposals, inviting women’s organizations and government agencies to apply for grants to support women’s political and economic empowerment. In recognition of the recent developments in the Arab States region, which have created additional opportunities for supporting efforts to improve the life conditions of women and girls, the first phase of the Fund’s 2011–2012 call will immediately focus on proposals that seek to empower women and their communities in this region.

The Fund has set aside USD 16 million for its 2011–2012 grantmaking cycle, with USD 4 million projected for grants in the Arab States and more if contributions during this grantmaking cycle increase. Grants will start at USD 200,000 for initiatives that make tangible improvements in the lives of women and girls. The Fund will accept proposals from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the occupied Palestinian territory, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Applicants may download the Call for Proposals and Grant Application at http://www.unwomen.org/fge/application-guidelines/. The first set of grants will be announced in December 2011.

In 2012, the Fund will complete the second grant cycle by inviting grant proposals from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The Fund is one of the leading grantmaking funds on gender equality in the world. Created in 2009 with an initial contribution of USD 65 million (EUR 50 million) from the Government of Spain, it now has expanded with contributions from Norway and Mexico.

To continue to significantly advance gender equality and women’s rights through grantmaking of this scale, UN Women calls on UN Member States, the private sector, and individuals to contribute to this vital source of funding for women and gender equality advocates by contacting the Fund at fund.genderequality[at]unwomen.org.

 

For additional information, visit http://www.unwomen.org/fge/.

Source: http://www.unwomen.org/2011/10/fund-for-gender-equality-kicks-off-new-call-for-proposals/