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Special Envoy for the Sahel Region Ambassador J. Peter Pham Travel to Burkina Faso

12/27/2020

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Special Envoy for the Sahel Region Ambassador J. Peter Pham Travel to Burkina Faso

12/27/2020 04:30 PM EST

Office of the Spokesperson

U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel Region Ambassador J. Peter Pham will travel to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso December 26 – 29, 2020. Ambassador Pham will lead the Presidential Delegation to attend the inauguration of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré on December 28. The delegation will include United States Ambassador to Burkina Faso Sandra E. Clark.

In addition to inauguration-related events, Ambassador Pham will participate in bilateral meetings with President Kaboré and other Government of Burkina Faso officials where he will reaffirm the strength of the U.S.-Burkina Faso partnership in advancing regional peace and security, foster economic development, and promote democracy and respect for human rights.

For further information, please contact AF-Press@state.gov.

Public Schedule – December 28, 2020

12/27/2020

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Public Schedule – December 28, 2020

12/27/2020 08:00 PM EST

Office of the Spokesperson

***THE DAILY PUBLIC SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

SECRETARY MICHAEL R. POMPEO

Secretary Pompeo has no public appointments.

DEPUTY SECRETARY STEPHEN E. BIEGUN

Deputy Secretary Biegun attends meetings and briefings, at the Department of State.

UNDER SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS DAVID HALE

Under Secretary Hale attends meetings and briefings, at the Department of State.

UNDER SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT KEITH KRACH

Under Secretary Krach attends meetings and briefings, at the Department of State.

Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Nino Scalia of Madison’s Notes Podcast

12/28/2020

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Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Nino Scalia of Madison’s Notes Podcast

12/28/2020 06:50 PM EST

Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

Via Teleconference

QUESTION: Hello and welcome back to Madison’s Notes. I’m your host, Nino Scalia, and we have with us today two very distinguished guests who truly need no introduction: Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, the chair of the U.S. Department of State’s Commission on Unalienable Rights.

Professor Glendon, Secretary Pompeo, welcome to Madison’s Notes.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Great, thank you. Good to be with you.

AMBASSADOR GLENDON: Thank you.

QUESTION: Secretary Pompeo, I’d like to begin with you, and I’d like to take us back to July 8th, 2019. On that day, you announced the establishment of the Department of State’s Commission on Unalienable Rights, and to my knowledge, this was unprecedented for a secretary of state to commission such a study of the principles informing our approach to human rights and foreign policy. So tell us, why did you choose to establish this commission?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Nino, I’d say two things. One was I had observed that the central understandings about human rights that had come to be widely adhered to over time, that regime was in crisis and I wanted to see if there were things that the United States couldn’t do to right that ship. And then second, I had seen that even in American foreign policy, it was a model that was – it was a bit of a mess because it wasn’t – the way the United States approached this problem set with respect to human rights had become unmoored from the American tradition and even a central understanding of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

And so I asked Professor Glendon and some others to join me in trying to identify the principles that made the American rights tradition distinctive and why they mattered, and then second, to place that in the context of the work that we do all around the world and help identify those principles that might begin to resolve this crisis in human rights that I had observed.

QUESTION: Sure. And this commission was not a monolith. Sitting on this commission were men and women representing a wide variety of religious and philosophical backgrounds, certainly with different political opinions.

Professor Glendon, as I mentioned, you served as chair of this commission, so I’m curious, what sort of effect did being able to draw from these different perspectives have on the process of drafting the report and on the final report itself?

AMBASSADOR GLENDON: As you may imagine, Nino, the commission’s diversity led to some pretty lively discussions. We are Democrats, Republicans, and Independents like myself. We were of different races, ethnic and religious backgrounds. And like other Americans, we have different views on the hot-button issues of the day. But we all shared one conviction, and that is that there is an urgent need for the United States to vigorously champion human rights in its foreign policy.

And in the end, those different perspectives enriched the report that I believe will advance that goal and even have – inspire other countries to do the same, especially liberal democracies that lately have had a tendency to subordinate human rights considerations to other interests.

QUESTION: Let’s talk about whether or not we’ve seen other countries answer this call. In August of 2020, the commission’s final report was released. Secretary Pompeo, what impact has the commission’s report had so far? Have you seen evidence that other nations, perhaps especially other liberal democracies, are willing to more vigorously defend these unalienable rights?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, Nino, it’s still pretty early, but we’ve received lots of responses. I’ll characterize them maybe this way: First, we received a lot of feedback – you might even call it prebuttals – from some of the traditional organizations that fancy themselves the forebearers of the human rights tradition. They were very concerned about what we were doing. They were concerned that it would – the Trump administration that was engaged in this, I think.

And I’d urge everybody who gets a chance to hear this to go read the report. I think they will be heartened by what Professor Glendon said, the diversity of thought that went into this that actually seriously undertook a principled review of the American human rights tradition and how America must lead on this across the world.

And so the after-effects of the report coming out have been really remarkable. We’ve seen nations from Europe, from Africa, from Southeast Asia. Professor Glendon and I had the joy to travel to Indonesia now, goodness, a handful of weeks back and to watch them appreciate the work that we had done. And we can talk about this more: Every nation has its own tradition with respect to human rights. Every nation has a unique founding and creation. We honor that here, the sovereignty of every country, but what we set down were these markers, these things that are unalienable, as our founders described them, because they’re different from other rights. They’re the most fundamental rights. They’re the things that are natural rights, because every human being has dignity, and we’ve seen other nations take that and begin to place it in their human rights tradition. And I am hopeful that in the months and years ahead, the work that we did will provide a guide star, a North Star for them to consider their own nations’ human rights tradition and work alongside the United States to further that.

QUESTION: Wonderful. And Professor Glendon, you have experience as a diplomat yourself, having served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, and now you’ve been at the vanguard, so to speak, in sharing this report. Secretary Pompeo there mentioned your trip to Indonesia. And the Secretary is right that it is early, but what have you seen so far? What impact have you seen?

AMBASSADOR GLENDON: Well, there are a couple of very recent and particularly gratifying developments. One is that the world’s largest network of political parties, Centrist Democrat International – formerly the Christian Democrat International – has adopted a resolution commending the report, and it is currently organizing several events to showcase the report in various countries around the world in 2021. And in fact, we’ve just received a letter from the president of that organization saying that they unreservedly embrace our report.

Another potentially very important endorsement is from the world’s largest independent Muslim organization. This is a 90-million-member Indonesia-based group that supports religious freedom and condemns the use of religion as a pretext for violence. And as the Secretary mentioned, it sponsored a conference on the report in Jakarta where the Secretary and I had the chance to speak and exchange views with the movement’s leadership, and they too are interested in following up with further dialogue in 2021.

QUESTION: That’s tremendous. That’s tremendous. Descending now from unalienable rights generally to a specific unalienable right: Secretary Pompeo, you’ve made clear that defending religious freedom must remain at the core of American foreign policy. That’s your phrasing. Why has this been a priority of yours, and what successes do you point to?

SECRETARY POMPEO: We have at the State Department during my tenure prioritized this work because it is something that transcends any single nation, but in fact honors the sovereignty of these countries, but demands of them the simple task that they permit the people of their nation, their citizens, to practice their faith – or not to practice their faith, as they see fit.

If you get this part right, Nino, if you get religious freedom right across the world – something that frankly too many places don’t have today – if you get it right, these nations will be stronger. They’ll be better partners and allies for the United States. There will be less conflict. I believe this deeply. Our Founders understood that it should be placed in the First Amendment to our constitution, because it promotes not merely toleration for a diversity of faith and forms of worship, but welcomes persons of all faiths and citizens. This is a central understanding. We’ve created a wonderful forum at the State Department that we do annually now called the Religious Freedom Ministerial, where we bring in hundreds and hundreds of people – the largest human rights gatherings in the history of the State Department – from all faiths to come and talk about their country and how they can expand the capacity for their people to have religious freedom. This will benefit the United States and our national security, and I am very confident we’ll make the world a more prosperous, safer place.

QUESTION: And Professor Glendon, you’ve long written and spoken about the importance of religious freedom. What can you say about the importance of the United States defending this most fundamental right in our foreign policy, and what successes of this administration and Secretary Pompeo’s State Department stand out to you in this field?

AMBASSADOR GLENDON: Well, the first thing to point out is that for many years, religious freedom was often regularly ordinated to other interests in U.S. foreign policy despite clear direction from Congress in 1998 – a unanimous Congress, by the way – that religious freedom should have a special role in U.S. foreign policy. Secretary Pompeo’s measures, the ministerials leading to an international cooperative religious freedom alliance, are tremendously important because one country speaking alone doesn’t command as much attention as a unified position.

So these measures have been a giant step toward delivering on the obligation imposed by Congress and toward restoring religious freedom to its proper place among other unalienable rights. And just in time, because gross violations of religious freedom are at their highest level in many years.

QUESTION: Secretary Pompeo, as was mentioned, you asked the commission to ground its work in part in the principles of the American founding. And this commitment to America’s founding principles is also readily apparent in your speeches. How do America’s founding principles inform her foreign policy today?

SECRETARY POMPEO: They’re what makes us unique. As I travel the world as the Secretary of State for the United States, it’s why leaders around the world want to see me. They appreciate that our country, the civilization founded here in the United States, our culture, our founding traditions are things that they want to grab a hold of, they want to aspire to them. Even with some countries that you might not think that are authoritarian regimes, they understand that this American experience teaches that while human rights is a never-ending struggle, it’s something that they want to hang onto and grasp.

So it’s really important that we don’t walk away from that and that leaders in America speak to our founding.

There is a counter-narrative that has been proposed by some here in the United States, not just recently but for a long time, about fatal flaws in our tradition and in our founding. I reject that wholeheartedly. We are an imperfect nation. That’s why our founders talked about moving towards a more perfect union. But make no mistake about it, this remains a nation that was founded on a set of principles that are unique and are wonderful and are blessed, and this Judeo-Christian tradition that America has we must hold on to, and we should speak about it as we engage with our counterparts around the world to help them understand our tradition and to help them find ways that they can help create an expansive space for human dignity in their countries as well.

QUESTION: You said there that we must hold on to this tradition. Unfortunately today, it seems that many Americans are no longer holding on to that tradition or, as you mentioned, maybe they just think this tradition was no good to begin with. So Secretary Pompeo, what are the risks both to America and to the world if Americans stray from or lose faith in our founding principles?

SECRETARY POMPEO: America has always been a beacon. President Reagan talked about it being that special place. It is the case that the United States is a nation that all countries look to. They want to see that we honor the commitments that we have made to our history and to our traditions so that they can do the same inside of their countries, and they can see that the path towards improvement for improving the lives of their own people is one that America has understood the capacity for our little communities, right – our PTA boards and our school boards, our little league teams, our churches all across America – those are the things that have made America this special place. They’re the things that both fundamentally protect our human rights in democratic states and human dignity.

If we walk away from those things, if we step away – and Professor Glendon operates a true mission field at America’s – in a – one of America’s elite educational institutions. These are places we must protect. We have to get back to this idea that America is this special place. It is the greatest nation in the history of civilization. And when we do that, nations around the world will want to be our friends, our trading partners, our security partners, all the things that protect and create prosperity here at home in America.

QUESTION: Professor Glendon, these unalienable rights are central to the American tradition, right? It’s right there in our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” And of course, this was a focal point of the commission’s work.

Professor Glendon, how do we know that these unalienable rights exist?

AMBASSADOR GLENDON: Interestingly, as you’ve mentioned, our Declaration of Independence declares that these unalienable rights are self-evident, but after two devastating world wars, the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights spoke rather of affirming faith in human rights. But underlying both of those approaches is a very old experience-based insight that goes all the way back to antiquity that if there are no rights that exist independently of the sovereign, then we are in a world where the strong do what they will and the weak and the vulnerable suffer the consequences.

QUESTION: Secretary Pompeo, we know that you’re busy, so we have just one final question for you: So many Americans today are anxious, anxious about our standing in the world, anxious about our domestic politics. You’ve served our country for almost your entire adult life – in the Army, as a congressman, director of the CIA, and now as Secretary of State. What would you say to these Americans who are so anxious about where our nation is today?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Look, I would remind them that America is a rambunctious place. It always has been. When I was a congressman, people would say it’s just – it’s nastier than it’s always been. I would remind them that no congressman had actually pulled a firearm on another congressman in a couple hundred years, so we should always be careful about characterizing today as the worst of all time. It’s a little too naive.

But the truth of the matter is Americans should be concerned about it and should use that concern to take effective action. Each of us has a responsibility to our families, to our local communities, all the places that truly make a difference, where you can go – any American citizen can go knit the small platoons together in the most important ways.

I have enormous confidence in America. As I have traveled in these now two and a half years-plus as America’s Secretary of State, I’ve watched – when I land, I’ve watched these leaders around the world want to understand what’s going on in America, to – they appreciate what’s going on in America, they look to us to lead, and we must get it right here at home to do that. We have to return to the central understandings that have made America so special. And when we do that, and I am very confident that we will, I’m confident that the tradition on which this nation was founded will carry us forward and we will continue to be a beacon to those that – who are oppressed and those living difficult lives around the world for years and years to come.

QUESTION: Well, Secretary Pompeo, you’ve done wonderful work so far. I know there is still work to be done. So cognizant of your time, we’ll draw to a close here.

Our guests today have been Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mary Ann Glendon, the chair of the U.S. Department of State’s Commission on Unalienable Rights. Professor Glendon, Secretary Pompeo, thank you so much for joining us today on Madison’s Notes.

AMBASSADOR GLENDON: Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Nino, thank you. Mary Ann, thank you, too. So long.

Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Nino Scalia of Madison’s Notes Podcast

12/28/2020

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Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Nino Scalia of Madison’s Notes Podcast

12/28/2020 06:50 PM EST

Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

Via Teleconference

Professor Glendon, Secretary Pompeo, welcome to Madison’s Notes.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Great, thank you. Good to be with you.

AMBASSADOR GLENDON: Thank you.

So it’s really important that we don’t walk away from that and that leaders in America speak to our founding.

Professor Glendon, how do we know that these unalienable rights exist?

QUESTION: Well, Secretary Pompeo, you’ve done wonderful work so far. I know there is still work to be done. So cognizant of your time, we’ll draw to a close here.

AMBASSADOR GLENDON: Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Nino, thank you. Mary Ann, thank you, too. So long.

Public Schedule – December 29, 2020

12/28/2020

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Public Schedule – December 29, 2020

12/28/2020 08:00 PM EST

Office of the Spokesperson

***THE DAILY PUBLIC SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

SECRETARY MICHAEL R. POMPEO

Secretary Pompeo has no public appointments.

DEPUTY SECRETARY STEPHEN E. BIEGUN

Deputy Secretary Biegun attends meetings and briefings, at the Department of State.

UNDER SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS DAVID HALE

Under Secretary Hale attends meetings and briefings, at the Department of State.

UNDER SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT KEITH KRACH

Under Secretary Krach attends meetings and briefings, at the Department of State.

Protecting U.S. Investors from Financing Communist Chinese Military Companies

12/28/2020

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Protecting U.S. Investors from Financing Communist Chinese Military Companies

12/28/2020 09:06 PM EST

Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

President Trump took decisive action last month to protect American investors and pension holders from funding Communist Chinese military companies (CCMCs) through Executive Order (13959) Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments that Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies. The Trump Administration is coordinating closely to counter the threat these companies present to the economy and national security of the United States.

Today, the Treasury Department noted that Executive Order 13959 prohibits the ownership of any CCMC shares by exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index funds, as well as any of their 50 percent or greater majority-owned subsidiaries that have been publicly listed by the Treasury or Defense Departments. This ensures U.S. capital does not contribute to the development and modernization of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) military, intelligence, and security services.

The Executive Order applies to all transactions by U.S. persons, including individuals, institutional investors, pension funds, university endowments, banks, bond issuers, venture capital firms, private equity firms, index firms, and other U.S. entities, including those operating overseas. This should allay concerns that U.S. investors might unknowingly support CCMCs via direct, indirect, or other passive investments including those linked to educational, ETFs, venture funds, private equity, Real Estate Investment Trusts, commodities, endowments, pensions, or any other investment funds tracking bonds, loans, lease lines, debt or equity indices that include securities of CCMCs or subsidiaries publicly listed by the U.S. government.

Beginning on January 11, 2021, U.S. investors will no longer be able to transact in publicly traded or private market debt or equity securities, or any securities that are derivative thereof, regardless of the percentage ownership of CCMCs, with full divestment required by November 11, 2021.

Additional Resources:

Protecting U.S. Investors from Financing Communist Chinese Military Companies

12/28/2020

You are subscribed to Secretary's Remarks for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

Protecting U.S. Investors from Financing Communist Chinese Military Companies

12/28/2020 09:06 PM EST

Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

Additional Resources:

On the Silencing and Prosecution of PRC Citizen Journalist Zhang Zhan

12/29/2020

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On the Silencing and Prosecution of PRC Citizen Journalist Zhang Zhan

12/29/2020 11:59 AM EST

Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

The United States strongly condemns the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) sham prosecution and conviction of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan on December 28. We call on the PRC government to release her immediately and unconditionally. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has shown once again it will do whatever it takes to silence those who question the Party’s official line, even regarding crucial public health information.

Lying is a feature, not a bug of authoritarian regimes. The CCP restricted and manipulated information about the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan from the start and brutally silenced other brave truth-tellers, such as Dr. Li Wenliang, Chen Qiushi, and Fang Bin. Because of the CCP’s gross malfeasance, the rest of the world relied heavily on uncensored reports from citizen journalists like Zhang to understand the true situation in Wuhan after the CCP-imposed strict media controls were enforced and a controllable outbreak turned into a deadly global pandemic. Her hasty trial, to which foreign observers were denied access, shows how fearful the CCP is of Chinese citizens who speak the truth.

The PRC government’s fear of transparency and its ongoing repression of fundamental freedoms are a sign of weakness, not strength, and a threat to all of us. The United States will always support the right of Chinese citizens to express themselves freely and peacefully.

On the Silencing and Prosecution of PRC Citizen Journalist Zhang Zhan

12/29/2020

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On the Silencing and Prosecution of PRC Citizen Journalist Zhang Zhan

12/29/2020 11:59 AM EST

Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

Public Schedule – December 30, 2020

12/29/2020

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Public Schedule – December 30, 2020

12/29/2020 08:00 PM EST

Office of the Spokesperson

***THE DAILY PUBLIC SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

SECRETARY MICHAEL R. POMPEO

Secretary Pompeo has no public appointments.

DEPUTY SECRETARY STEPHEN E. BIEGUN

Deputy Secretary Biegun attends meetings and briefings, at the Department of State.

UNDER SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS DAVID HALE

Under Secretary Hale attends meetings and briefings, at the Department of State.

UNDER SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT KEITH KRACH

Under Secretary Krach attends meetings and briefings, at the Department of State.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL-MILITARY AFFAIRS R. CLARKE COOPER

3:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Cooper meets with Bahraini Ambassador to the United States Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa, in McLean, Virginia.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

DRL FY2020: Global Equality Fund Programs in East Asia

12/30/2020

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DRL FY2020: Global Equality Fund Programs in East Asia

12/30/2020 09:51 AM EST

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

United States Department of State
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL)
Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO):
DRL FY2020: Global Equality Fund Programs in East Asia

This is the announcement of funding opportunity number SFOP0007516

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.345

Type of Solicitation: Open Solicitation

Application Deadline: 11:59 PM ET on Friday, February 26, 2021

Funding Floor: $750,000

Funding Ceiling: $1,000,000

Anticipated Number of Awards: 1

Type of Award: Grant

Period of Performance (example 12-18 months, 2 -5 years): 24-48 months

Anticipated Time to Award (pending availability of funds): 2-8 months

A. Project Description

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) invites civil society organizations (CSOs) to submit applications for projects that provide lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) communities with the tools to empower local movements and communities, prevent, mitigate, and recover from violence, discrimination, stigma, and human rights abuses, promote full social inclusion, or address critical issues of justice in the East Asia and Pacific region, with a particular focus on Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and/or Vietnam.

Successful proposals will be funded by the resources of the Global Equality Fund, a public-private partnership including the governments of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Uruguay and the United States, as well as the Arcus Foundation, the John D. Evans Foundation, FRI: the Norwegian Organization for Sexual and Gender Diversity, the M·A·C AIDS Fund, Deloitte LLP, the Royal Bank of Canada, Hilton, Bloomberg LP, Thomson Reuters Foundation TrustLaw Initiative, Human Rights Campaign, and Out Leadership.

The overall goal of this program is to advance the human rights of persons who face discrimination, violence, or abuse on account of their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics in the East Asia and Pacific region, with a particular focus on Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and/or Vietnam. DRL encourages proposals for regional or single country programs. Regional programming should be conducted in multiple target countries, as appropriate and safe to do so.

DRL welcomes proposals that support exchange and collaboration among LGBTI CSOs and activists in the target countries specified, particularly between CSOs and activists from countries with different rights protecting environments for LGBTI individuals in order to support the growth of nascent and heavily repressed LGBTI movements.

Proposed programming should be led by or have strong support from and participation by local LGBTI organizations and communities. DRL encourages proposals from CSOs operating in the communities in which they propose programming, as well as from CSOs based outside of these communities that have the knowledge, experience, and community support to lead programming there.

DRL invites organizations to submit proposals that respond to the Global Equality Fund’s strategic framework, which includes, but are not limited to the following areas:

Freedom from Violence: LGBTI individuals, organizations and communities are safe and secure from all forms of violence, including threats, intimidation, harassment, abuse, sexual violence, and psychological or physical harm.

Objectives may include, but are not limited to: increased capacity to document and advocate against violence and other violations of human rights targeting LGBTI persons, as well as investigation processes (or lack thereof); documentation of violence against transgender and gender diverse people; increased and proactive engagement from national and local authorities, including police and other law enforcement agencies, to prevent, mitigate, or respond to violence targeting LGBTI persons; improved accountability in cases of police abuse of transgender persons; increased protection, safety, and support for LGBTI persons and their advocates at risk of violence or who have experienced violence, including hate crimes and sexual violence; ending practices of nonconsensual medical interventions against intersex persons; and, establishment of or support for broad-based advocacy coalitions.

Access to Justice: Civil society works to ensure that equal protection under the law is extended to the LGBTI community through improved jurisprudence on the human rights of LGBTI people, and that the rule of law is fairly and consistently implemented and enforced to affirm and include LGBTI people.

Objectives may include, but are not limited to: improved capacity of judicial officials, lawyers and CSOs to leverage existing domestic and international, including regional, legal frameworks and institutional support to protect the human rights of LGBTI persons; strengthened democratic norms around equal participation in institutions and respect for minority rights; provision of complementary legal strategies and strategic litigation to strengthen the success and longevity of judgments; improved redress for grievances for LGBTI persons; and, increased access to secure and competent legal services.

Empowered & Inclusive Movements & Organizations: The LGBTI community –alongside other grassroots human rights movements –secure their fundamental rights of freedom of expression and assembly.

Objectives may include, but are not limited to: increased ability to publicly and collectively express, communicate, and defend the common interests of LGBTI communities at domestic and regional levels; improved organizational capacity of LGBTI-led civil society organizations; increased shared strategies and understanding within LGBTI communities; increased engagement and collaboration between LGBTI individuals and non-LGBTI organizations to promote the human rights of LGBTI people at domestic and regional levels; improved outreach and communication with broader human rights movements, allied communities and other key stakeholders; strengthened movements and leadership that reflect the diversity of the community, particularly transgender and intersex communities; direct support to local, LGBTI-led human rights groups; direct support to lesbian and queer women’s leadership and meaningful participation in human rights practice and discourse; increased development and use of evidence-based strategies; strengthened well-being practices for all stakeholders; strengthened communication and messaging capability, including comprehensive communication strategies and campaign planning; and, strong and strategic financial and organizational management.

Social Inclusion: The human dignity of LGBTI persons is affirmed and protected, and the community is included in economic and human development as equal members of society in line with guidance such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.

Objectives may include, but are not limited to: increased attention to the specific needs of LGBTI people experiencing poverty and exclusion; increased acceptance and tolerance of LGBTI persons from family members, community leaders and broader society; support for the economic and social rights of LGBTI persons; improved representation of LGBTI people in government institutions and policy-making bodies; increased respectful and accurate media (social and traditional) reporting to increase awareness of the human rights of LGBTI persons; support for and improvement in visibility and empowerment of marginalized LGBTI community members, including transgender, intersex and gender diverse communities; improved inclusion of LGBTI needs in critical services, particularly health care; inclusion of LGBTI people in public policy research, decision-making, and implementation; utilization of strategies to counter shrinking democratic spaces; and increased positive engagement with faith and business communities.

Other objectives which support the broad goals reflected above may also be considered.

Additionally, strong proposals are guided by the following cross-cutting values:

COVID-19 Response: We all seek to understand the ways in which COVID-19 is impacting the human rights of people globally, and in particular the rights of the world’s most vulnerable people. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has brought new challenges for LGBTI people and those living with marginalized identities, to include LGBTI older persons, persons with disabilities, and ethnic and racial minorities, who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Proposals should share concerns and provide information about plans to address the impact of the pandemic. Proposals can take a creative and flexible approach to addressing programming in the evolving situation.

Gender Analysis: Per the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 and subsequent U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security, it is a U.S. government-wide priority to expand and apply gender analysis, as appropriate, to improve the design and implementation of U.S. government-funded programs. DRL encourages organizations to tailor projects to ensure perspectives based on religion, disability, race, ethnicity, actual or perceived biological sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity and/or expression are meaningfully considered and included in the program budget, design, and implementation. Projects should have strong support from and participation by women, gender diverse, transgender and intersex individuals, and should develop the leadership and build the capacity of these communities.

Locally-led LGBTI-Organizations: “Nothing about us without us.” Projects should be led by or have strong support from and participation by local LGBTI organizations and communities. They should substantively involve local organizations, focus on activities at the local and community level, and make grants or sub-grants to local organizations where possible. Proposals should include sub-granting mechanisms to local LGBTI-led organizations for up to 30% of the proposed budget.

Organizational Development and Capacity: With the aim of creating and broadening access to marginalized populations, projects should focus on increased capacity of local or regional organizations to develop and implement strategic plans, work plans, budgets, communication strategies, risk assessments, security plans and increased capacity of organizations to mobilize community members and build constituencies. Successful proposals must provide appropriate resources and support for the psychosocial health of the staff and direct beneficiaries. Accordingly, please provide a section in your activities and budget to reflect these resources and support (i.e., activities can range from access to educational materials and training opportunities to counseling services to other contextually relevant support).

All programs should aim to have impact that leads to reforms and should have the potential for sustainability beyond DRL resources.  DRL’s preference is to avoid duplicating past efforts by supporting new and creative approaches.  This does not exclude from consideration projects that improve upon or expand existing successful projects in a new and complementary way.  Programs should seek to include groups that can bring perspectives based on their religion, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation and gender identity.  Programs should be demand-driven and locally led to the extent possible.  DRL requires all programs to be non-discriminatory and expects implementers to include strategies for integration of individuals/organizations regardless of religion, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation and gender identity.

Where appropriate, competitive proposals may include:

Opportunities for beneficiaries to apply their new knowledge and skills in practical efforts;
Solicitation of feedback and suggestions from beneficiaries when developing activities in order to strengthen the sustainability of programs and participant ownership of project outcomes;
Input from participants on sustainability plans and systematic review of the plans throughout the life of the project, with adjustments made as necessary;
Inclusion of vulnerable populations;
Joint identification and definition of key concepts with relevant stakeholders and stakeholder input into project activities;
Systematic follow up with beneficiaries at specific intervals after the completion of activities to track how beneficiaries are retaining new knowledge as well as applying their new skills.

Activities that are not typically allowed include, but are not limited to:

The provision of humanitarian assistance;
English language instruction;
Development of high-tech computer or communications software and/or hardware;
Purely academic exchanges or fellowships;
External exchanges or fellowships lasting longer than six months;
Off-shore activities that are not clearly linked to in-country initiatives and impact or are not necessary per security concerns;
Theoretical explorations of human rights or democracy issues, including projects aimed primarily at research and evaluation that do not incorporate training or capacity-building for local civil society;
Micro-loans or similar small business development initiatives;
Initiatives directed towards a diaspora community rather than current residents of targeted countries.

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

B. Federal Award Information

Primary organizations can submit one application in response to the NOFO.

The U.S. government may (a) reject any or all applications, (b) accept other than the lowest cost application, (c) accept more than one application, and (d) waive irregularities in applications received.

The U.S. government may make award(s) on the basis of initial applications received, without discussions or negotiations. Therefore, each initial application should contain the applicant’s best terms from a cost and technical standpoint. The U.S. government reserves the right (though it is under no obligation to do so), however, to enter into discussions with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications, additional detail, or to suggest refinements in the project description, budget, or other aspects of an application.

DRL anticipates awarding either a grant or cooperative agreement depending on the needs and risk factors of the program. The final determination on award mechanism will be made by the Grants Officer. The distinction between grants and cooperative agreements revolves around the existence of “substantial involvement.” Cooperative agreements require greater Federal government participation in the project.

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Sunday, 3 January 2021

U.S. Department of State Weekly Digest Bulletin

Hangouts

U.S. Department of State Weekly Digest Bulletin

U.S. Department of State <usstatebpa@public.govdelivery.com>

A. Project Description

B. Federal Award Information

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U.S. Department of State usstatebpa@public.govdelivery.com