Funding Effective Human Rights Work: A Conversation between Monette Zard and Sara Hossain

Abstract

The question of how to fund human rights work, and the difficulties and dilemmas facing both human rights practitioners and donors have become more acute in recent years as the demand for funds has progressively outstripped the available supply. This reflective conversation between a donor and a human rights activist explores these themes, touching on many of the questions more fully discussed in the articles that follow. Monette Zard is an independent consultant providing strategic advice to foundations and NGOs and is a senior associate (non-resident) at the Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, DC. She has worked in the field of human rights law, research and advocacy for over 20 years, including serving as the Global Human Rights Program Officer at the Ford Foundation in New York from 2007−2012. Sara Hossain is a lawyer practising at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, a partner at the law firm of Dr Kamal Hossain and Associates (http://www.khossain.com), and is currently serving pro bono as Honorary Executive Director of the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) (http://www.blast.org.bd). She earlier ran the South Asia Programme at INTERIGHTS (the International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights) in London. Brian Phillips is an independent human rights consultant and the Reviews Editor of the Journal of Human Rights Practice.