Civil Society/NGOs

Amnesty International is an independent nongovernmental organization founded in London, England, in 1961. It has more than three million supporters, members, and activists in over 150 countries who campaign to end violations of the human rights embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Nonprofit organization established in Limón, Costa Rica, in 1992. Its mission is to educate society by promoting the cultural, economic, political, and social development of Afro-Costa Rican women and populations through educational seminars and meetings to encourage reporting of racial discrimination.

Nonprofit nongovernmental organization founded in Switzerland in 1992. It was established to combat torture and human rights violations by establishing a system for the inspection of places of detention worldwide and creating international mechanisms for preventing torture.

Nonprofit association founded in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1994. Its purpose is to improve the standard of living and promote the human rights of Dominicans of Haitian descent, migrants, and impoverished populations, and to prevent racial and gender discrimination.

Nonprofit nongovernmental organization founded in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1936. Its mission is to provide comprehensive support and assistance to women as the foundation of the family and Venezuelan society, through volunteer work and national and international partnerships.

Nongovernmental, interfaith, and feminist organization founded in 1944, headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil. It is dedicated to promoting women's rights related to sexuality and reproduction through capacity-building projects, public outreach, and participation in religious and social movements.

Nonprofit association founded in Lima, Peru, in 2006. It works through regional networks and coordinates with government authorities and approximately 300 national and international organizations to support initiatives against the disappearance, exploitation, and trafficking of persons.

Nonprofit civil society organization established in Lima, Peru, in 1979. Its mission is to promote and protect women's human rights through coordination of national, regional, and international women's movements, developing strategies for research, training, advisory and legal services.

Nonprofit, nongovernmental organization formally established in Costa Rica in 1981. Its objectives are to help women advance in culture, family, work, education, health, and sports, pursuing enhanced quality of life and the eradication of all forms of discrimination against women and girls.

Regional nongovernmental organization founded in 1991 to bring about the full exercise of human rights in the Americas and the Caribbean. A central component of its work is the defense of human rights before the Inter-American Commission and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Established in 1990 as a regional network of the Coalition against Trafficking in Women. Its purpose is to prevent and report cases of trafficking in persons, especially women and children. It is made up of national networks in 19 countries of the region and affiliated groups.

Independent nongovernmental organization founded in Lima, Peru, in 1982. It carries out projects in the Andean region to improve respect for human rights, strengthen democratic institutions and the administration of justice, and promote the rights of women and indigenous peoples.

Independent nonprofit, nonsectarian regional nongovernmental organization founded in San José, Costa Rica, in 1978. Its work is based on defense of the Universal Declaration and the human rights covenants adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It enjoys consultative status with the UN.

Nongovernmental organization founded in Mexico in 1989 for the promotion, respect, defense, and legal observance of human rights in Mexico. It works on the development and amendment of human rights legislation and the promotion of programs that build awareness and respect for human rights.

Nongovernmental organization established in Lima, Peru, in 1989. Its mission is to work from a gender perspective to build true democracies, free of discrimination. It has national committees in 11 Latin American countries and consultative status with the UN ECOSOC since 1995.

Group of nongovernmental organizations involved in the defense, promotion, and education of human rights in Peru. It has held special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 1998. Its activities are closely linked to the inter-American human rights system.

Independent, nonprofit nongovernmental organization founded in Quito, Ecuador, in 1989. Its main purpose is to develop projects that question discrimination and inequality affecting women and to transform society and culture. Funded by UNIFEM, UNESCO, Norwegian People's Aid, and Oxfam GB.

Equality Now is an international human rights organization that works to protect and promote the rights of all women and girls around the world. Its campaigns focus on four key areas: Legal Equality, Ending Sexual Violence, Ending Harmful Practices, and Ending Sexual Exploitation, using an intersectional approach.

Nonprofit organization founded in Mexico City in 1996. Its purpose is to promote women's rights through projects that help bring about gender equity, providing advisory services to state governments on the preparation of budgets and public policy with a gender perspective.

Nonprofit organization founded in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2003. Its purpose is to promote equality between women and men through advocacy, networking, and the development of political and social leadership skills, fostering an institutional forum to influence public policy and the administration of justice.

Nonprofit organization founded in Lima, Peru, in 1988. Its mission is to promote the defense and recognition of women's human rights, especially sexual and reproductive rights, through oversight and public involvement in cases of violence and discrimination based on ethnicity, class, and gender.

Nonprofit organization founded in Paris, France, in 1922. Its objective is to promote the human rights set forth in the Universal Declaration. It fights impunity for human rights violations through international fact-finding missions, legal support, and material assistance to human rights defenders.

Nonprofit nongovernmental organization recognized as a consultative organ of the Specialized Meeting of Women of MERCOSUR. Its mission is to contribute to the cultural, social, and economic development of the women of the region, in a democratic framework with respect for individual political affiliations.

Nonprofit civil society association founded in Santiago, Chile, in 1987. Its mission is to promote the human rights of women and foster equality between men and women through training, publishing, public policy advocacy, and education campaigns on globalization, political participation, and human rights.

Nonprofit organization founded in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1990. Its purpose is to promote women's participation in democratic processes, increase women's access to political systems in the countries of the Hemisphere, and conduct activities pertaining to gender equality and human rights for women.

Nongovernmental organization founded in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1988. Its mission is to fight racism and sexism and to promote and instill respect for women, in particular Afro-Brazilian women, and for the Afro-Brazilian community in general.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an independent international nongovernmental organization active in the defense and protection of human rights since 1978. It has a team of more than 275 professionals around the globe, conducting fact-finding, reporting, and targeted campaigns in partnership with local groups.

Nongovernmental organization established in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1999. Its activities include promotion and protection of human rights, human rights education, citizen security, the rule of law and democratic institutions, institution-building, and children's rights.

Nonprofit nongovernmental organization founded in the city of Rosario, Argentina, in 1994. Its programs focus on protecting and promoting women's and children's rights and raising awareness of said rights with a view to combating violence and discrimination.

Feminist nongovernmental organization established in Lima, Peru, in 1980. Its mission is to contribute to human development and the consolidation of democracy based on gender equity, by empowering women. It promotes sexual and reproductive rights and efforts to combat violence against women.

Nonprofit organization founded in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in 1984. It reviews policies, programs, and legislation relating to women to ensure the continued fulfillment of governmental obligations on women's human rights and fundamental freedoms, in accordance with international conventions.

Civil society organization established in the United Kingdom in 1989. It advocates for the reform of penal and prison systems globally, assisting nongovernmental organizations and individuals through the exchange of information and good practices. PRI has consultative status with the UN ECOSOC.

Nonprofit organization founded in Sweden in 1919. Its purpose is to promote the human rights of children. It develops social mobilization and training programs through coordinated efforts of states, civil society, and the international community. The regional office for Latin America was established in Lima, Peru, in 1984.

U.S. nongovernmental organization founded in 1974, whose objective is the promotion of human rights, democracy, and equitable economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean. It serves as a key resource and spokesman for Latin American nongovernmental organizations active in this area.

Nonprofit organization founded in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, in 1997. It works to facilitate and enable the participation of Haitian women in all aspects of social life, by promoting social and economic development and a democratic society that respects women's human rights.