The Solidarity Center is an independent, global
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
and
democracy
Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
organization within the
AFL–CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...
family of organizations and constituency groups. It is one of the core grantees of the
National Endowment for Democracy
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization in the United States founded in 1983 with the stated aim of advancing democracy worldwide and counter communism, communist influence abroad, by prom ...
.
Its stated mission is to help build a global labor movement by helping workers realize their power to achieve fairness and avoid exploitation in the economy, and to build healthy, stable democracies around the world through effective, independent and democratic unions.
History
The AFL-CIO established the Solidarity Center in 1997. The Solidarity Center was created through the consolidation of four labor institutes: the
American Institute for Free Labor Development, the Asian-American Free Labor Institute, the African-American Labor Institute, and the Free Trade Union Institute.
Harry Kamberis, a former member of the Asian-American Free Labor Institute, served as the organization's first director.
By 1998, the Solidarity Center had opened field offices in multiple countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Operating in approximately 20 to 28 countries by the turn of the century, it focused on promoting core labor rights and assisting unions.
These activities were primarily funded by U.S. government grants, including those administered through the National Endowment for Democracy.
Funding
More than 96 percent of its funding comes from the United States federal government, mostly through U.S. Aid for International Development (
USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance.
Established in 19 ...
) and the
National Endowment for Democracy
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization in the United States founded in 1983 with the stated aim of advancing democracy worldwide and counter communism, communist influence abroad, by prom ...
.
The NED distributes grants to four institutes, two associated with economic interests and two with political interests. The Solidary Center is associated with labor.
The Solidarity Center receives funding from private foundations as well.
Field offices
The Solidarity Center's main offices are in Washington, D.C. The organization has field offices in roughly 28 countries and programs in approximately 60 countries.
[Solidarity Center,]
Who We Are"
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References
Further reading
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{{Authority control
AFL-CIO
International development agencies
Organizations established in 1997
Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.
National Endowment for Democracy