The 1st “On The Right Track” (OTRT) Cross-Regional Meeting – which has been celebrated this 2024 in Belgrade- is the milestone that marks the end of the second stage, sets the tone for the third stage and materialises the process of convergence between the movements from both regions: Latin America and Europe.

The 1st OTRT Cross-Regional Meeting in Belgrade has taken place between March 11th and 13th. This is an historical turning point, the first meeting between feminist funds and grassroots organizations from Latin America and Europe in Belgrade, Serbia. Convened by 20 women’s funds and more than 45 partner organizations from both continents, it has gathered over 100 participants with a clear intention: defending democracy and Human Rights together.

We are creating new narratives to promote Human Rights, re-connecting with local knowledge

The interregional democratic alliance “On The Right Track” (OTRT) was formed in order to strengthen social movements and organisations working in defence of human rights and democracy in response to the advance of anti-rights, conservative and extreme right-wing movements. Four years later, this alliance is still growing and creating new forms of articulation of social movements throughout Latin America and Europe:

• The 2nd OTRT Forum in Chile has been carried out. In the second encounter (October 2023) we defined a strategy that is interweaving the action of four working groups: Anti-racism, Research, Communication and Advocacy.

• A European meeting was held in Sofia (Bulgaria) in May 2023, in which the Latin American coordination team participated.

• In 2023 we have also created TRACK, a virtual community for women’s, feminist and LGTBIQNB+ organisations from both regions to continue working on this path.

Listen to Latin American activist voices from the II Forum:

We really celebrate the main achievements from the second stage, which are summarised below.

GRANTS AND SUPPORT

During the second phase, 251 grants were awarded to 118 groups in Latin America and 119 in Europe. The WFs prioritised the security and care of the groups, adapting to regional contexts such as the war in Ukraine and migratory flows in Latin America.

EXCHANGE AND LEARNING SPACES

Regional meetings were organised in Chile and Bulgaria and an interregional meeting in Serbia, providing innovative opportunities for learning and networking. These meetings were highly valued by participants for their safe and collaborative atmosphere.

WORKING GROUPS IN LATIN AMERICA

The working groups on communication, research, partnership and anti-racism proved to be effective in developing joint strategies and strengthening alliances between participants.

CONTRIBUTION TO SAFETY AND CARE

WFs have significantly increased their focus on the safety and well-being of groups and activists, offering everything from digital security training to emergency grants for legal services and mental and physical health support.

EVALUATION’S FEEDBACK

The second phase of OTRT has proven to be an effective model of interregional cooperation, with significant achievements in strengthening feminist and human rights movements on both continents. According to the final evaluation, this flexible approach and the creation of safe spaces for dialogue and learning have been crucial to the success of the initiative.