Grantee name: Conectas Human Rights

Mission: Conectas Human Rights is an international non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, founded in São Paulo, Brazil in October 2001, with the following mission: to promote the realization of human rights and consolidation of the Rule of Law, especially in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Accordingly, Conectas develops programs that aim at strengthening activists and academics in the southern hemisphere and increasing their interaction with the United Nations and among them. In Brazil, and in the region, Conectas promotes strategic and public interest litigation.

Conectas was accorded Consultative Status with the UN in January 2006, and Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in May 2009.

The International Human Rights Colloquium is a capacity-building and peer-learning conference convened for a week each year.  A wide range of Global South activists, scholars, lawyers, and other interested parties gather to hear about the latest developments in the field, make connections with colleagues from around the world, and take away vital lessons from each other’s experience.

In the last 10 years, the Colloquium has played host to more than 600 attendees from over 40 countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. More than 150 academics and resource people have served as presenters and contributors to the Colloquia, enriching the gatherings with a diversity of perspectives and experiences.

Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Website: www.conectas.org

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/conectasdh

Channel Grants: Channel has made two grants to support the participation of five women’s rights activists from the Global South in the International Human Rights Colloquium organized by Conectas Human Rights in São Paulo, Brazil. In 2010, the Colloquium focused on “Regional and International Human Rights Systems: Challenges for Civil Society Participation.” The annual event (October 9-16, 2010) celebrated its 10th Anniversary and gathered 42 human rights activists from 28 countries in the Global South, besides 29 speakers and observers. (2010)

In 2011, the topic of the 11th Annual Colloquium (Nov. 5-12, 2011) is “Implementation at the National Level of the Decisions of the Regional and International Human Rights Systems.” (2011)