Human Rights in South Africa

The Foundation for Human Rights is one of the primary indigenous grant-makers to the Human Rights sector in South Africa. Established in 1996 through a cooperation agreement between the European Union and the South African government, the Foundation receives funds primarily from the European Union as well as other donors such as DCI, Mott Foundation and Care International.
The Foundation supports civil society organisations and public institutions to promote and facilitate increased awareness, respect, protection and fulfilment of the rights contained in the Constitution. The Foundation uses a rights-based approach in addressing poverty and inequality. This means that its grantees should adopt an approach which ensures that priority be given
to the most vulnerable groups in society, especially the poor, through participation, accountability, non-discrimination and direct linkages to the rights as set out in the Constitution.
The aim of the Foundation is to address the historical legacy of Apartheid, support the transformation of South Africa and to build a human rights culture, using the Constitution of South Africa as a tool. The members of the Supervisory Board of the Foundation are
all prominent South Africans, and include representatives of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
and the European Union. The Board independently shapes the goals, strategies and direction of its programmes and makes
decisions on grant-making.
The staff is comprised of South Africans with extensive experience in the development sector. The characteristics outlined above enhance the capacity of the Foundation to design a programme which prioritises and addresses the major human rights issues and needs in South Africa. The agenda and work plans are developed through consultative processes with civil society. The Foundation is known for supporting bold initiatives dealing with complex and controversial issues.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD) is launching a new 3 year programme in partnership with the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR). The programme’s aim is to increase access to justice and strengthen civil society.
The programme will support civil society organizations to strengthen their human rights focus and targets the most vulnerable groups in society.