Updates

Stop Attacks on Women’s Rights Advocates and NGO Workers in Pakistan

Take Action Now!: Send an appeal letter to the Pakistani authorities demanding that they protect human rights defenders by bringing the perpetrators to justice and making these kinds of attacks a criminal offense. Please join Urgent Action Fund and our partners in Pakistan in asking the Pakistani government to protect women’s human rights defenders, prevent future violence and guarantee and promote women’s right to equality. Since October 2012, at least

Urgent Action Fund is Hiring!

Thank you for your interest in being a part of the Urgent Action Fund team. We are currently hiring for the following position: Operations Coordinator Please send all inquiries to employment@urgentactionfund.org. Urgent Action Fund is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its hiring practices and, in order to build the strongest possible workforce, actively seeks a diverse applicant pool. Please check this page periodically for future employment

The Power of Social Media in Kyrgyzstan

Farida is a leading social media activist in Kyrgyzstan who runs a popular blog speaking out for sexual rights and against violence against women. Through her blog, Farida has become an important voice for young women in Kyrgyzstan who have traditionally been excluded from discussing these issues in public. Women in Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia, are traditionally expected to marry early and not participate in political debate. Although

Applications for the 2013 Global Change Leaders program now open

Applications for the 2013 Global Change Leaders program are now open. The application deadline is December 3, 2012. Sponsored by the International Centre for Women’s Leadership, The Global Change Leaders program is a seven-week course targeted at emerging women leaders from the global south who are interested in development. Women who have at least two years of demonstrated leadership experience and a passion for their work as demonstrated through their

Board Member Paulette Meyer honored by The Center for Community Change

We are thrilled to announce that Urgent Action Fund Board Member Paulette Meyer and her husband David Friedman were honored as 2012’s “Champions in Community Leadership” for their role in the social justice movement over the past thirty years. On Thursday September 20, 2012, the Center for Community Change presented Paulette and David with the honor in Washington D.C. at the 8th Annual Change Champion Awards. Held annually since 2005,

Join us on September 28 – Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion

The Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion originated in Latin America and the Caribbean where women’s groups have been mobilizing around September 28 for the last two decades to demand that their governments decriminalize abortion and ensure access to safe and affordable abortion services. Read more about the video and the campaign at Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) and see where you can join

Nepal Action Alert – former Urgent Action Fund grantees under threat

After providing shelter and protection to a survivor of domestic violence, two former UAF grantee organizations (WOREC and Mitini Nepal) are facing threats and harassment by both police and the survivor’s family members. Police have now accused the two organizations of hiding the woman from her family and have unlawfully forced their way into the offices of the organizations. Staff members have also received threatening phone calls and house

Farida – The Power of Solidarity

Farida is a social media activist and runs a popular blog speaking out for sexual rights and topics important to youth in Kyrgyzstan. Her outspoken stance on women’s rights caused her to face physical and verbal threats in her community. As a result Farida sought UAF support. In 2011, a local organization working with Farida, the Kloop Media Public Foundation requested funds to evacuate Farida to a safer location. A

Former Board Chair Sunila Abeysekera Speaks at UN Human Rights Council

To read about Sunila Abeysekera speaking at the first ever UN Human Rights Council panel discussion on women human rights defenders in June 2012 click here.

Explore the world of women’s human rights: Annual Report 2011

Check out the courageous work of our grantees, Urgent Action Fund’s accomplishments and the challenges that women’s human rights activists continue to face.