On June 10, 2022, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, in the context of the Ninth Summit of the Americas, announced over $145 million across the hemisphere to provide support in the following priority areas:
- $67.9 million to promote gender equality;
- $26.9 million to address irregular migration and forced displacement;
- $31.5 million to support health and pandemic response;
- $17.3 million for projects supporting democratic governance;
- $1.6 million to promote digital access and address disinformation.
GENDER EQUALITY ($67.9 million)
Women as Agents of Change in the Americas ($30 million, Hivos, Fos Feminista, JASS, Education Internationale, Alinea International, MEDA) - To address challenges related to gender-based discrimination in social institutions across the region, which constrain women and girls’ empowerment including Indigenous women and girls, while creating barriers to gender equality and missed opportunities for economic development. These projects also seek to address the continued under-representation of women in positions of public leadership, challenges related to sexual and gender-based violence and barriers to women’s access to employment and control over resources.
Amazon Business Alliance in Peru ($10 million, Delegated Cooperation Agreement with USAID) – To provide communities in the Amazon with technical assistance towards reducing deforestation and land degradation while at the same time creating/scaling-up “green” businesses that promote the sustainable use of natural ecosystems and generate decent incomes, especially for women and Indigenous peoples.
Land and Livelihoods: Accompanying Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala and the Philippines ($7.3 million, HOPE International) – To enhance Indigenous peoples’, especially Indigenous women’s, resilience and sustainable economic well-being in the department of Quiche in Guatemala, and in the Philippines through promoting enhanced self-governance, enhanced resilient productivity of lands, and enhanced viability of small and medium land-based enterprises.
Strengthening the economic resilience of women entrepreneurs in Bolivia ($4.9 million, Développement International Desjardins) – To improve women entrepreneurs' access to management skills and financial services adapted to their needs to support their performance, their access to markets and their competitiveness.
Catalyzing Impact Investment for Development in Rural Colombia ($4.1 million, SVX Canada) – To establish an investment readiness program in Colombia to provide capital and capacity building support for impact businesses enterprises seeking to start or scale-up operations.
Rural Entrepreneurship for Women in Colombia ($3.1 million, Acumen) - To give access to enhanced financial investment instruments and empower women-led rural impact enterprises in vulnerable communities and conflict-affected regions of Colombia.
A Gender Transformative Ecosystem Approach to Women’s Economic Empowerment in Bolivia ($3.5 million, Center for Studies and International Cooperation) – To promote inclusive economic growth focusing on improved access to quality business development services for micro, small, and medium women-led enterprises (MSMEs), as well as on a better adapted policy environment that responds to the needs and interests of women-led MSMEs in Bolivia.
Opening Doors: More and Better Decent Work Opportunities for Domestic Workers in Peru ($3 million, International Labour Organization) – To improve the socio-economic conditions of women domestic workers by strengthening the implementation of gender-responsive national policies and regulatory frameworks within the National Care System of Peru, and to empower women domestic workers to claim and defend their rights as valued professionals within Peruvian society, with the support of women's organizations.
Budgeting for Equality: An Alliance for Public Management Planning with a Gender Perspective: ($1 million, UNWOMEN) – To support the Colombian government and local governments in expanding the implementation of a gender-responsive budget tracking system to ensure state resources are allocated and spent to achieve equality and women’s empowerment objectives. The project will also strengthen the capacity of women’s organizations to advocate for financing for gender equality.
Gender and Diversity Lab ($1 million, Inter-American Development Bank) – To support the production and dissemination of high-impact research that addresses inequalities faced by women and diverse populations. These populations include Indigenous Peoples, African descendants, persons with disabilities, and LGBTI persons in LAC. This will be implemented through the Gender and Diversity Lab and the Gender and Diversity Knowledge Initiative of the Inter-American Development Bank Group.
IRREGULAR MIGRATION AND FORCED DISPLACEMENT ($26.9 million)
Inter-American Development Bank Migration Support ($10 million, Inter-American Development Bank) – To support governments in the region hosting Venezuelan refugees and migrants to enhance the socio-economic integration of this population including in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador, with a focus on women, Indigenous populations and those with disabilities.
Sustainable Opportunities for Employment in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru ($6 million, Cuso International) – To help Venezuelan refugees and migrants and host community members secure employment opportunities, and to help improve the broader ecosystem for inclusive employment in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Technical Assistance for the Implementation of Policy and Programmatic Responses for the Socio-Economic Integration of Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia and Peru ($4 million, World Bank) – To support an inclusive response to the Venezuelan refugee and migrant situation through tailored technical assistance to the governments of Colombia and Peru.
Strengthening Institutional Capacity to Combat Human Trafficking, with a Focus on Corruption, Money Laundering and Transnational Organized Crime ($2.9 million, Justice Education Society of British Columbia) – To improve the technical skills of investigators and analysts as well as improving the capacity of prosecutors and the courts to deal with complex Trafficking in Persons (TIP) cases and technical evidence in Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama.
Supporting OAS Member States’ efforts to prevent, investigate and counter criminal activity linked to the exploitation of Venezuelan refugees and migrants ($2 million, OAS General Secretariat) – To strengthen the capacity of OAS member states Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago to prevent and investigate organized crime linked to the exploitation of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, particularly human trafficking and migrant smuggling. The program also seeks to strengthen border management in the beneficiary countries in order to increase detection of the irregular movement of goods and people.
Strengthening Trinidad and Tobago capacities to effectively prevent and counter online child sexual abuse and exploitation and related crimes ($2 million, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) – To enhance the capacity of Trinidad and Tobago to effectively identify, investigate, prosecute, adjudicate and prevent online child sexual exploitation and trafficking in persons facilitated by information and communications technologies.
HEALTH AND PANDEMIC RESPONSE ($31.5 million)
Rights from the Start ($10.9 million, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights) – To improve comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, including safe and legal abortions and post-abortion care for young women, especially adolescent girls, and help ensure the fulfillment of sexual and reproductive rights in targeted districts of Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana and Peru.
ELLA: Empowerment, Local Leadership & Accountability for Venezuelan & Host Community Adolescent Girls and Young Women ($9 million, Plan Canada) –To enhance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for Venezuelan refugee and migrant women and girls as well as host community members in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
EMPOWER: Empowered Adolescents for a promising future in Venezuela ($5 million, United Nations Population Fund) - To address high rates of unplanned pregnancies, gender-based violence, sexually transmitted infections and HIV among adolescent populations in Venezuela.
EQUAL: Enhancing Quality, Access and Logistics of Sexual, Reproductive health and Rights: ($2.25 million, United Nations Population Fund) – To increase access to SRHR services for Venezuelan refugees and migrants and their host community members in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.
Enabling and Empowering Young People through Rights-Based Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Delivery and Comprehensive Sexuality Education: ($2.5 million, International Planned Parenthood Federation) – To increase the total IPPF project value to $14.5 million. This project reaches approximately 140,325 people, primarily women and young girls with services in Latin America and Africa. This additional funding will allow an additional 60,000 young people to have access to comprehensive sexuality education to help protect them against sexual and gender based violence, unplanned pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. This amendment builds on an existing 3-year IPPF project that has demonstrated strong capacity to adapt and deliver results even during the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia, Togo, and Ghana.
Strategic Interventions to Build Momentum on Sexual and Reproductive Health ($900,000, Inter Pares) – To address barriers faced by women and girls in achieving their optimal level of sexual and reproductive health and asserting their sexual and reproductive rights in selected districts of Bangladesh, El Salvador, the Philippines and Sudan.
Venezuelan Health Professionals Strengthen Peru's Health System ($800,000, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) – To support the integration of qualified Venezuelan refugee and migrant health professionals into the Peruvian healthcare system through title recognition and supporting access to employment.
Strengthen the health sector response to violence against women and girls in the Americas, with a focus on vulnerable groups ($200,000, Pan American Health Organization) – To strengthen the health sector capacity to respond to violence against women and girls including women and girls from ethnic minority groups, migrant groups, and women and girls with disabilities in the Caribbean region.
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE ($17.3 million)
Strengthening Political Capacities for Gender Responsive Governance in Latin America ($4.9 million, ParlAmericas) – To foster a gender-responsive governance for women and marginalized groups in 19 Latin American countries through knowledge sharing activities and technical assistance that will strengthen capacities of parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, women’s advocates, and civil society to be in a stronger position to dismantle political, structural and legislative barriers to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Canadian Electoral Support Program in Latin America and the Caribbean ($3.2 million, OAS Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation) – To strengthen the institutional capacities of electoral bodies to achieve more effective and inclusive administration of electoral processes; and to reinforce the role of civil society, including women’s right organizations, in electoral processes and oversight.
Strengthening Political Capacities for Gender Responsive Governance in the Caribbean ($2.4 million, ParlAmericas) – To address the political, structural and legislative barriers to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Caribbean Community countries.
UNDEF Democracy Fund ($2 million, United Nations Democracy Fund) – To support action-oriented projects that can bring measurable and tangible improvements in democracy and human rights and strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes.
Countering Disinformation within Civic Education in Colombia and Chile ($190 000, CIVIX) – Additional funding to implement a counter-disinformation education program through formal civic education curricula targeting school-aged youth in Colombia and Chile.
OAS DECO for Election Observation Missions in LAC Region ($1.7 million, OAS, Department for Electoral Cooperation and Observation) – To contribute to enhancing the legitimacy and transparency of electoral processes in the region through support to Election Observation Missions carried out throughout the Americas. The project targets countries that invite the OAS-DECO to conduct observation missions by working with Electoral Management Bodies to organize and support electoral processes that are inclusive, transparent and free from violence or manipulation.
Strengthening the capacity of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Human Rights and promoting the rights of victims in the fight against human trafficking in Colombia ($1.1 million, Lawyers Without Borders Canada) – To fight against human trafficking and to promote respect for the rights of potential victims of human trafficking, in accordance with international standards; to adopt new practices in compliance with international standards for combatting human trafficking in Colombia by enhancing the Defensoría’s internal strategy to prevent the crime of human trafficking, improve access to justice and ensure the protection of victims.
Global Pluralism Monitor ($1 million, Global Centre for Pluralism) – To establish and expand a record of the implementation of 30+ country assessments in a range of contexts; develop partnerships in six regions to support stakeholders’ engagement; apply the findings; and bring the pluralism lens into the wider discourse on diversity and inclusion. The project will further test the applicability of the framework across a wider range of geographic, development, historical, and fragility contexts; expand the evidence-base at the country, regional, and global levels to inform and influence policies and practices; and strengthen and establish the necessary partnerships, structures and capacities for scaling.
Strengthening the Capacities of Women Political Leaders from the Venezuelan Interim Government ($626,895, Independent Diplomat) – To build the leadership capacities of Venezuelan women from the Venezuelan interim government and the opposition-led National Assembly to contribute more actively and effectively to high-level negotiations and advocacy.
Promoting Women’s Participation and Leadership in Venezuela’s Peacebuilding Efforts: ($261,672, Atlantic Council of the US, Inc) – To strengthen the leadership capacities of Venezuelan women leaders from the political opposition and civil society to collaborate and advance a more inclusive and diverse approach to rebuilding the country’s democratic institutions.
DIGITAL ACCESS AND DISINFORMATION ($1.6 million)
Towards an active civil society in the global cybercrime efforts: Cyberspace4All ($900,000, Chatham House) – To address the need to effectively fight cybercrime and contribute to crime prevention, with a particular focus on the relevant United Nations cybercrime negotiations. The project will increase knowledge amongst civil society organizations from around the world on key cybercrime concepts, issues and existing processes and establish a platform that facilitates their input into the UN treaty negotiations on cybercrime.
Advancing Digital Inclusion and Shaping Inclusive and Rights Respecting Cybernorms ($700,000, Global Partners Digital) – To support civil society groups to work with decision makers in their participation in multilateral discussions at the United Nations General Assembly. It will improve coordination and information sharing among interested stakeholders from the region, and will facilitate outreach and diplomatic coordination of Freedom Online Coalition governments in relevant forums and processes across Chile, Colombia and Mexico.