The U.S. State Department has announced a $1 million fund to support human rights activists worldwide. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the establishment of the Human Rights Defenders Fund Thursday at an event marking the 58th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This fund, to be administered by the State Department, will enable us to quickly disburse small grants to human rights defenders facing extraordinary needs due to government repression, Rice said. The funding will aid human rights activists in need of legal representation, medical treatment or with other short-term financial problems stemming from their activism. The fund will be replenished each year. Rice also announced new State Department principles for the treatment of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) by governments around the world. These core principles will guide our own treatment of NGOs and we will also use them to assess the action of other governments. At a time when NGOs are under increasing pressure in many countries, it is imperative that democratic governments work in concert to defend the vital role that NGOs play in building free societies, she said. The State Department has also established a Freedom Defenders Award to be presented to a foreign individual or NGO that has shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights and democracy. Rice said the initiatives announced by the department illustrate the administration s commitment to a human rights-oriented foreign policy. The work of freedom cannot be completed overnight, but it is urgent work that cannot be delayed, she said. We resolve to work with all free and democratic nations in defending the defenders of human dignity and democracy across the globe.
