HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY FUND - FY 2008 1ST AND 2ND

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000417 SIPDIS E.O. 12958; NA TAGS: PHUM PGOV OPRC KDEM KJUS CG SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY FUND - FY 2008 1ST AND 2ND QUARTER UPDATE ¶1. This message updates FY 2008 programming reported by the International Fund for Election Systems (IFES),the Carter Center, Journalists for Human Rights (JHR),Search for Common Ground (SFCG) and the American Bar Association's Africa Law Initiative (ABA-Africa) under grants from the Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF). Activities included education, training, capacity-building, radio programming and assistance to victims of sexual violence. ¶2. IFES conducted education, capacity-building, public information and mobilization activities under its Nexus for Executing Anti-Corruption Tasks (NEAT) project. IFES's citizen kiosks and legal information clinics counted large increases in participation. On January 23-25 it conducted a workshop in Kinshasa on Anti-Corruption Training of Trainers. It held Citizen Access Workshops in five provinces to discuss options for and channels of access to government. It developed a strategy paper to help guide post-workshop activities between civil society and elected officials. In March, it facilitated working group sessions in five provinces to discuss and implement ideas from the strategy paper. ¶3. Carter Center activities focused on child soldier issues and human rights training. Its officials participated in meetings of the Inter-ministerial Committee on International Treaties for discussions involving issues with child soldiers. In February and March, they developed a police training module addressing human rights which they conducted with MONUC April 17-21 in Lubumbashi. They currently are working on a special report on child soldiers in conflicts for publication in May. ¶4. JHR conducted seminars for journalists on human rights. After setting up their office in Kinshasa, JHR officials formally launched the program with a human rights seminar for 15 print, radio and television journalists February 27-29. During March, JHR conducted presentations on human rights issues at communications schools in Kinshasa. In late March, it organized a seminar with MONUC's Human Rights Division for journalists on gender, women's rights, and the media. ¶5. SFCG organized 24 public forums, produced 27 radio broadcasts and held 16 public listening sessions on democracy and good governance. SFCG established partnerships and points of contacts with radio broadcasters in Kinshasa and other provinces in January to share programming and provide information on the use of SFCG as a forum for dialogue on good governance issues. In February, SFCG produced programs in four languages, developed a comic strip and produced a leaflet on citizen participation in good governance. ¶6. ABA-Africa provided legal and support services to victims of sexual violence. Country Director Mathieu Ndongo arrived in Congo in late January. In February, he set up the head office in Goma and began hiring staff. In March, the North Kivu Bar Association authorized ABA-Africa to operate a part-time legal clinic at a Goma hospital for victims of sexual violence. Ndongo works there with another attorney and a psychologist to provide free assistance with medical reports, health care, counseling, filing cases, and representation with the office of the public prosecutor. BROCK