Program areas at PBI-USA
COLOMBIA PROJECT: By 2022, The project accompanied 13 organizations, 2 HRDs and 1 displaced community in resistance. The project's teams are based in Bogotá, Barrancabermeja and Apartadó. The teams carried out 298 accompaniments and international observation activities (corresponding to 585 days of presence next to the defenders), as well as 82 visits to the headquarters of the organizations. The contact with organizations, to analyse their risks and think about protection strategies, has been very fluid, with more than 191 meetings. It should be noted that 31,2% of the accompaniments were to women human rights defenders, 44,6% to men, and 24,2% were accompaniments to mixed groups. From the area of Support for the Reconstruction of the Social Tissue (ARTS), 137 days of workshops were held with organizations and collectives in defense of human rights. The main themes of the workshops were psychosocial support, self-care strategies and digital security, all of them worked from a gender perspective.
MEXICO PROJECT: With ten international volunteers and seven hired staff in the country, PBI has a coordination office based in Mexico City. In Chihuahua and across other Mexican states, PBI accompanied defenders working on impunity, women's rights, strengthening of indigenous rights and protection of the environment. The year 2022 has been a year with staff changes on the office in Mexico and with fundraising challenges. Over the year the Northern Team has developed work in Ciudad Juárez, as well as the South Team, around the main strategic areas set for the country. The team, temporarily installed in Mexico City, has resumed face-to-face accompaniment in the state of Puebla and other states in the south of the country as Morelos, Michoacán, Guerrero and State of Mexico. The CDMX Coordination Office has mostly maintained advocacy activities.
GUATEMALA PROJECT: A team of an average of 7,5 international volunteers per month accompanied 240 human rights defenders working on environment and land rights, impunity and globalization. The project provided 216 accompaniments, conducted 33 visits and meetings with human rights defenders to provide moral support and practical advice on their protection needs, and facilitated 13 workshops on protection strategies for 316 human rights defenders. Volunteers are based in Guatemala City and travel to other areas of the country.
PBI NICARAGUA IN COSTA RICA: PBI office in Costa Rica had 2 consultants working from San José, and provided follow up to the work around exiled organizations coming from Nicaragua. Main focus were the issues around migration and human rights, and capacity development for groups who supported the civil society sectors affected by State repression in Nicaragua. The main focus was on accompanying the internal processes of several organizations and empower its members, keeping spaces for their human rights labour. The activities carried out were mostly online workshops designed to support Human Rights Defenders, both to the collectives living in exile and to defenders who remain in Nicaragua.
PBI INDONESIA: In 2022 the Indonesia office followed up on the program of the previous year and built upon the safety and protection work with Environmental Defenders. The work on peacebuilding-based forums for youth was also followed up. Some on-site, hybrid, and online trainings were also organized.
PBI HONDURAS: Ten international volunteers directly accompanied HRDs working on land and environmental rights, indigenous rights, women's rights, rights to freedom of expression and LGBT rights. The Project directly carried out constant physical presence activities, as well as requested security and protection workshops in Tegulcigalpa as in several other departments. The project also carried out regular meetings with national authorities and with the International Community. PBI in Honduras also conducted meetings with national and international organizations.
INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT (ISEC): In 2022, ISEC provided ongoing coordination and support to the global organization oversaw strategic planning and development, ensured that PBI met its external legal, financial and compliance obligations, and coordinated global communications, fundraising and advocacy strategies.