Grants and Contributions

This project, implemented by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), supports Indigenous representatives in strengthening their advocacy skills and participation in international decision-making processes. Through the Indigenous Fellowship Program (IFP) and the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples (UNVFIP), Indigenous leaders receive training, mentorship, and financial support to engage effectively with UN human rights mechanisms.
Key impacts include:
1. Training & Leadership Development – 90 Indigenous representatives, including women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTIQ+ individuals, will enhance their advocacy and leadership skills.
2. Global Representation – At least 160 Indigenous representatives will participate in UN forums such as the UN Human Rights Council and Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
3. Stronger Networks – The project will establish an Indigenous alumni network to share knowledge and experiences globally.
4. Online Resource Hub – A digital platform will be created for training materials, case studies, and toolkits to support long-term advocacy efforts.

By promoting Indigenous voices in international decision-making, the project strengthens their ability to advocate for their rights, hold states accountable, and influence policies that impact Indigenous communities worldwide. This initiative aligns with Canada’s commitment to democracy, inclusion, and human rights.

This initiative will help to improve the capacity of parliaments to be effective actors of change in addressing key democratic challenges through their functions of representation, lawmaking, and oversight. While the immediate beneficiaries of the initiative are parliamentary actors, the project aims to strengthen the relationship between parliaments and civil society organizations, national governments, and other stakeholders, to support societies’ democratic resilience and the fulfilment of human rights.

This project aims to strengthen democracy by increasing the public participation of citizens, including among women and the most marginalized and vulnerable, through supporting free and fair elections in host countries. The project will foster the participation of Canadians from diverse backgrounds to observe elections and participate in electoral reforms around the world. Project activities include: (1) outreach and maintenance of a Canadian electoral roster, including recruitment and selection of a qualified, diverse and gender-balanced group of observers, specifically among Indigenous Canadian societies and racialized communities; (2) training, briefing and debriefing of a diverse community of observers, with an emphasis on women, Indigenous Canadians and racialized societies; and (3) participation to international electoral observation discussions, workshops and activities.

This project aims to strengthen education systems around the world in support of addressing violent pasts and preventing genocide. It seeks to address the rise of antisemitism, racism, hate crime and other forms of discrimination globally. It will be focused on preventing antisemitism, genocide, and violent extremism through education on hate speech and genocide, and through a series of intercultural dialogues..

The Global Media Defence Fund will upscale international efforts to protect, train and support journalists under threat of attack. It will focus on: supporting journalists’ access to legal services and prosecution of those who target journalists for their work, judicial follow up, reinforcing legal advice provided to media workers, strategic litigation of cases and supporting relevant investigative journalism.
It will also support governments and other institutions to develop national frameworks, action plans and legislation relevant to the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity.