Objectives
Fund scope
Although Georgia has made significant reforms to uphold the rule of law, human rights, and democracy over the past decade, constant challenges persist that include polarization, setbacks in human rights and democratic reforms, and difficulties in judicial independence, transparency, and accountability. Minorities and disadvantaged groups face ongoing barriers in realizing their rights - an issue compounded by shrinking civic space caused by restrictive legislation. This has led to a noticeable decline in fundamental rights and rule of law. Georgia also faces significant hurdles in effectively implementing UN human rights treaties and EU benchmarks.
JP Human Rights for All seeks to address these human rights challenges to advance civil, political, economic, and social rights with a special focus on vulnerable people. This is done through a three-fold approach.
- Support to civil society organizations and human rights defenders on oversight missions, data-driven advocacy efforts and in managing oversight mechanisms, inclusive of human rights institutions, to ensure accountability of duty-bearers through effective monitoring systems.
- Empower rights-holders, including persons with disabilities and minorities, to effectively claim their rights and advocate for positive change within their communities.
- Support evaluations of the human rights situation in-country to advocate with relevant duty-bearers for substantial improvements in policy framework quality, drafting legislation, and supporting policymaking processes so all align with international standards.
The underlying theme that runs through all aspects of the Joint Programme is to facilitate Georgia’s adherence to international human rights commitments (that stem from both UN and regional mechanisms) especially in the context of the Georgian people’s declared aspiration for European Union integration.
Theory of change and strategic framework
Joint Programme stakeholders draw on the following theory of change: If the harmonization of the human rights regulatory framework and its implementation is supported, if monitoring mechanisms for human rights and data-driven advocacy by civil society organizations and human rights defenders are strengthened, and if the knowledge and capacity of rights-holders and duty-bearers on human rights standards are enhanced, then the human rights legislative framework and policy documents will align with international standards and enforcement and implementation mechanisms will be strengthened, eventually contributing to the enjoyment of human rights for all, particularly those in vulnerable situations.
As outlined above under the Fund scope, to operationalize the Theory of Change, the Joint Programme will implement a series of targeted activities and strategic interventions. These include providing support to CSOs and human rights defenders in conducting robust, data-driven monitoring and advocacy efforts, while mitigating challenges posed by restrictive laws through adaptive strategies and capacity-building. The programme will support the national human rights institution in supervising and protecting human rights. Additionally, the programme will actively engage disadvantaged groups in project activities, ensuring their voices inform legislative and policy reforms. The programme will advocate for improvements in human rights assessments and policy frameworks, promoting alignment with international standards through engagement with relevant stakeholders and duty-bearers.