Washington, D.C. – American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish international development and human rights organization, applauds U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the State Department on the release of the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014. This report helps guide U.S. government and foreign policy assistance and also underscores threats to human dignity all over the world. The information in this report works to educate and inform global citizens in how they can advance human rights.
“This report not only helps to enlighten individuals, organizations and governments around the world, but also functions as an annual reminder that the U.S. remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting dignity and human rights for all,” said Ruth Messinger, president of AJWS. “Much like the work of AJWS, the human rights report covers everything from the current statelessness crisis in the Dominican Republic, to persecution of the Rohingya in Burma and the ongoing discrimination against LGBT people in Uganda. It is clear that both AJWS and the State Department firmly believe that the realization of human rights is the essential first step to creating just societies.”
Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, AJWS pursues lasting change by providing grants in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and by mobilizing our community in the U.S. to advocate for global justice. Working together, we strive to build a more just and equitable world. Since our founding, AJWS has provided more than $230 million to grassroots and global social justice organizations in the developing world to effect change on critical human rights issues. In 2013 alone, we granted $39 million to 530 groups. Across the U.S. and on Capitol Hill, armed with insights and figures from reports like these, AJWS mobilizes the American Jewish community and other supporters to engage in campaigns, lobby Congress and advocate for laws and policies that promote human rights in the developing world.
American Jewish World Service is the first and only Jewish organization dedicated solely to ending poverty and promoting human rights in the developing world. Through philanthropy and advocacy, AJWS has addressed some of the gravest global problems of our time—genocide, AIDS, violence against women and girls, hatred of LGBT people, and the horrific consequences of natural and human-made disasters.
As one of the top ten human rights funders globally, AJWS will continue to work in tandem with the U.S. government and State Department to strive to end poverty and promote human rights in the developing world. This is no easy task, but thanks to resources like the human rights report, our organization has the knowledge, passion and innovation to make a difference.
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If you are a member of the press and wish to obtain information about our work or speak to a member of our global team on deadline, please contact Tanyanika Davis, Director of Media Relations, at tdavis@ajws.org.
