Ann Eveleth
The European Union Foundation for Human Rights will continue to fund civil society projects, legal advice offices and precedent-setting legal cases until September 2003 in terms of a recent “in principle” agreement between the EU and the South African government, EU ambassador Michael Laidler said this week.
The foundation recently secured R33- million from the EU to continue its work until September 2000, bringing its funding contribution since 1996 to R98-million. This money was in addition to direct EU funding which has been channelled to civil society through the Transitional National Development Trust.
Laidler said he expected the foundation’s annual budget to rise in terms of a recent agreement reached between the EU and the South African government during their annual consultations two weeks ago.
He added that the EU was pleased with the work of the foundation “partly because it is in the hands of South Africans”, and was considering replicating this “unique” body in other countries, such as Nigeria.
Foundation chair Louise Asmal said the EU normally funds civil society projects directly, but South Africa’s “strong non- governmental sector had pushed for the creation of a local body because they didn’t want to be dictated to by Brussels”.
The foundation’s board and staff are predominantly South Africans, including human rights commissioner Jody Kollapen and special tribunal Judge Dumisa Ntsebeza. The bulk of the funds are directed to locally driven projects, she added.
While the extension agreement is “subject to the usual bureaucratic hoops”, Laidler said he did not expect the ongoing trade fraas between the EU and South Africa to derail the foundation’s future.
Foundation director Nicolas Marcoux – the foundation’s only European member – said the additional funds expected from the EU after September 2000 could see the foundation engaging in “more formal partnerships” with local bodies like the Human Rights Commission, which may receive direct funding from the foundation. The foundation may also expand its work to include regional Southern African human rights work. But Marcoux added this would not detract from the foundation’s traditional target areas, including monitoring public institutions; building the capacity of civil society organisations; socio-economic rights projects; training civil servants, including police and immigration officers, in human rights issues; and public human rights education.
Marcoux said the foundation has provided partial funding for several precedent- setting court cases, including Pan Africanist Congress MP Patricia de Lille’s case testing the immunities and privileges of MPs, as well as litigation involving constitutional principles such as socio- economic rights, fair administrative action, discrimination, HIV/Aids and the rights of prisoners. The foundation has also funded projects to monitor and mediate in farm worker eviction cases, and provides free legal assistance to poor rural South Africans through 35 advice offices.
The foundation launched the country’s first human rights helpline on December 1 as part of its human rights awareness campaign, Rights Africa, and provided imput to various pieces of legislation, including the controversial Equality Act.
ENDS
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