ACCOUNTABILITY AND EARMARKING

Because this event is a very public one, there is a lot of interest in the management of the funds raised. Any misappropriation or misdirection of funds in the projects which is made public through the media may have a detrimental effect not only on AI Norway, but on AI in general. It may also jeopardise the possibility of being the beneficiary of another Telethon in the future.

The 1999 funds were already earmarked for the international Amnesty movement. 80% was allocated for the programmes of the International Secretariat in London and goes out to a range of different activities worldwide. 20% of the funds were earmarked for a Human Rights Education (HRE) programme to be administered by AI Norway. Implementation of both programmes started in 2000 and runs for ten years. This means that by the end of 2004 we were half way through the programmes.

THE REAP PROGRAMME

The education programme was named Rights-Education-Action Programme (REAP) to indicate the process of HRE. The administration consists of one person who sits in the Amnesty office in Oslo. The main characteristics or criteria of the programme are:

·         The projects must be in line with AI's overall goals and objectives and with the international HRE priorities, but must address local needs and aims and be integrated in other AI work.

·         The projects must specify their target groups and HR themes/focus and must avoid duplication of HRE through cooperation with other NGOs.

·         The projects should prioritise capacity building for HRE and target "multipliers", i.e. people who through their work or position in society teach or influence many more.

·         The REAP decision-making body is an international Steering Group composed of representatives from the International Secretariat, the International Executive Committee and AI Norway. The Steering Group members visit the projects regularly.

·         A project is initiated by a decision of the Steering Group to invite a structure or section to submit an application, often following an initial visit of the REAP administration.

·         Each project involves direct cooperation between AI Norway and another AI structure that is registered locally as a legal entity.

THE REAP PROJECTS

There are ongoing projects in the following countries at the moment. All of them train AI members as "multipliers", who in turn train other "multipliers" and/or teach HRE to specific target groups. The starting point for all of them is the UDHR and the main HR treaties and conventions. Some project holders emphasise the international aspect of HR in particular, because their national HRE tends to concentrate on national issues only, but most of the projects focus on specific rights or themes. On the other hand, most of them now work on women's rights in particular as a result of the integration of HRE in the global Stop Violence against Women (SVAW) campaign.

The countries  are:

Poland: targeting teachers, students/pupils and journalists, focusing on racism and xenophobia, with "tolerance" as the main theme. AI Poland's project is in its first year of the second three-year period

Morocco: targets teachers, students, NGOs and prison officials, focusing on women's and children's rights. AI Morocco is just finalising their first three-year period and is now applying for a second phase.

In    India: targets students/youths, AI members and officials of the subordinate judiciary and focusing on women's rights and fair trial rights. AI India has implemented two one-year projects and may apply for a three-year programme

Th  Thailand: targeting teachers, students and AI members, and focusing on women's rights within the context of the SVAW campaign. AI Thailand started their three-year project in 2004.

    Turkey : targeting teachers and religious leaders and focusing on women's rights. AI Turkey just started the implementation of their three-year project this year.

Isr   Israel: targeting teachers, students/pupils and NGOs, focusing on women's and children's rights in particular. AI Israel has initiated a three-year project in 2004, after a successful pilot in 2003.

Slo Slovenia: targeting teachers, students/youth and trainers in police schools, focusing on women's and children's rights. AI Slovenia also implemented a pilot in 2003 and embarked upon a three-year project in 2004.

Ru   Russia: (administered by AI Norway, for lack of AI structure in Russia), targeting teachers, focusing on HR and democracy. The project runs for two years from 2004.

So  South Africa: targeting teachers, students/youth, NGOs/CBOs and focusing on women's rights linked to HIV/AIDS. AI South Africa implemented  two one-year projects in 2002 and 2003, and 2004 was the first year of their three-year REAP programme.

    Maldova : AI Moldova is presently submitting an application for a three-year programme. If the Steering Group approves it, implementation will start late in 2005.

THE REAP NETWORK

The REAP administration is trying to develop an exchange network between the REAP countries, and a first one-day workshop was held in Morocco in connection with the global HRE Forum for Amnesty's HRE coordinators. The network has developed guidelines for exchange visits, and in October 2005, the first exchange visit occurred, when the REAP coordinator from AI Israel paid a week's visit to AI Slovenia, to observe HRE work "on the ground" and exchange ideas and experience with AI Slovenia. Next year, REAP has plans for more such visits.'