Project
Cidadaniar Project
What is the Cidadaniar project?
Aiming at building critical thinking about the rule of law, the Cidadaniar project is an initiative by UNESCO and the , which seeks to disseminate and train young people, girls and women, migrants and refugees through various actions that can value a culture of legality, promote Education for Global Citizenship (EGC) and propose gender equality.
Objective
The project innovatively seeks to support populations in vulnerable situations, considering a specific audience – young people, girls and women, migrants and refugees – assisted by civil society organizations (CSOs) that work for social inclusion based on educational practices that enable the expansion of knowledge about the legal means, the expansion of notions about the rule of law, access to public institutions that care for well-being, human rights and the justice system, broadly boosting the concept of citizenship and promoting the strengthening of individuals and the community, as well as in the 2030 Agenda, leaving no one behind.
Initiatives
To develop teaching/learning materials as a basis for the training and qualifying professionals and beneficiaries from partner CSOs.
To gather CSOs committed to promoting the Rule of Law, Culture of Legality, EGC, gender equality, and public policy formulation.
To professionals and CSOs to learn their rights and duties and become protagonists of social transformation.
To make available information and knowledge content to CSOs, schools and other institutions that aim to educate to promote a systemic impact on Brazilian society.
Networking
UNESCO and INW have invited Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from five Brazilian cities to join the Cidadaniar project to create and articulate a network for promoting planned actions. The CSOs are strategic partners to enhance the intended social impact.
Where Do We Stand?
The project intends to benefit populations residing in selected cities and communities in its first phase. The motivation for choosing these locations follows two guidelines operating:
- in geographically diverse places – North, Northeast and Midwest regions; and
- in areas with significant social vulnerability.
Breves
Features: With approximately 104 thousand inhabitants, it is the most populous city in its region, sometimes called the Capital of Marajó. Its illiteracy rate is higher than in other regions of Brazil, whose average was from 9% to 10% in 2010 (IBGE). Its low economic development also affects the municipality’s per capita income.
(IBGE, 2010).
monthly earns 1/2 of the national minimum wage
Manaus
Features: It is the capital of Amazonas state. It is the most important economic centre in the Northern region of Brazil (IBGE, 2021). Its main challenges are violence, lack of basic sanitation, poor urban infrastructure, and environmental issues, including deforestation and pollution. 12th most violent city in Brazil.
(IBGE, 2021).
50.6 murders per 100 thousand inhabitants/year. (Seguridad, Justicia y Paz, Mexico, 2022).
Campo Grande
Features: It is the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul state, with approximately 916 thousand inhabitants and increasing levels of violence and unemployment. Its other challenge is low investment in health service areas.
are unemployed (PNAD ContÃnua, 2012).
From 0.1% to 10% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Recife
Features: It is the capital of Pernambuco state, with 14 other small cities surrounding its metropolitan region (IBGE). Poverty and extreme poverty broke a record in Pernambuco. The metropolitan area has the highest percentage of people in extreme poverty in Brazil (Boletim Desigualdade nas Metrópolis). Recife is the second most unequal capital, with a Gini index of 0.606 (Aracaju is the most unequal).
in Recife (> 1.6 million) and its metropolitan region
in Pernambuco state (1.8 million people) live on less than R$ 171 (around US$ 35) per month.
Sol Nascente
Features: Located in the Federal District, Sol Nascente is an administrative region with an expressive number of residencies. Among its challenges are a lack of basic infrastructure, basic sanitation, and restricted access to health - there is only one public health facility (Unidade Básica de Saúde – UBS).
(2022 Census).
Estrutural
Features: Also an administrative region located in the Federal District. It is one of the country's largest communities of garbage collectors and the 3rd most violent region in the Federal District. In addition, it faces a lack of basic infrastructure, poverty, and environmental contamination, resulting from the activity of nearby dumps. Its per capita income is R$ 548 (around US$ 112) monthly. (Administração Regional do SCIA e Estrutural, 2023).
33 deaths per group of 100 thousand inhabitants/year (Adm. Regional SCIA e Estrutural, 2023).
Why do we invest in a culture of legality through an approach to global citizenship education and gender equality?
The notion of a Culture of Legality deals with the importance of providing access to legal means for solving issues individuals and societies face.
Understanding the notions of the Rule of Law and Culture of Legality are fundamental to face the challenges to peace, freedom, justice, and human rights, resulting in the stability and well-being of societies worldwide.
Therefore, by promoting knowledge and information in these areas, fair paths are found to the social challenges faced by individuals and by society as a whole, contributing to the creation of social and cultural conditions for equal access to the justice system, as well as for the creation of a safe and rewarding environment for all, free of illegalities.
In this unprecedented context in Brazil, this initiative will promote an approach based on Global Citizenship Education (GCE) to promote a culture of legality and gender equality to its beneficiaries, aiming at offering opportunities and developing skills that enable them to understand their rights and obligations so that they can promote a better world and future for all.
From UNESCO's perspective, Global Citizenship Education equips people of all ages with values, knowledge and skills that simultaneously are based on and instil respect for human rights, social justice, diversity, gender equality and environmental sustainability, and empowering learners to become responsible global citizens.
UNESCO understands that women and men must enjoy equal opportunities, choices, capabilities, power, and knowledge as equal citizens. And it recognizes that empowering girls, boys, women and men with the knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills to tackle gender disparities is a precondition for building a sustainable future for all.
Therefore, by promoting knowledge and information in these areas, fair paths are found to the social challenges faced by individuals and society as a whole, contributing to the creation of social and cultural conditions for equal access to the justice system, as well as for the creation of a safe and rewarding environment for all, free of illegalities.
Target Audience
- Women: Gender inequality is a reality that poses many daily challenges for Brazilian women. Brazil has the 2nd highest gender inequality index in Latin America (World Economic Forum).
- Youth: Today, Brazil has the largest generation of young people in history. There are almost 50 million people aged between 15 and 29 years old, which makes up a quarter of the population. However, 54% of young Brazilians are neither working nor studying (Atlas das Juventudes, 2021).
- Migrants and Refugees: More than 60 thousand people are recognized as refugees in Brazil of more than 117 different nationalities (CONARE, 2021). Brazil has more than 14 million people who do not live in their city of birth (IBGE, 2010).
Our Time Line
- 27 April 2022: UNESCO and INW signed the cooperation agreement to implement the Cidadaniar project.
- October 2022: UNESCO and INW defined the initiatives of Cidadaniar Project: Cidadaniar Network, Cidadaniar Content, Cidadaniar Capacity-Building, and Cidadaniar Multipliers.
- March 2023: UNESCO and INW accomplished the first study of mapping the social CSOs of the project.
- April 2023: UNESCO and INW started preparing content and capacity-building training for professionals and beneficiaries from social organizations.
- Next steps: Formalizing the joining of social CSOs to the Cidadaniar Network. officially launching this network, and initializing the training sessions with managers of partner CSOs.
About Instituto Nelson Wilians (INW)
INW is a non-profit social organization that works to democratize opportunities and mitigate social inequalities founded by Dr Anne Williams in 2017. Today, INW operates throughout the national territory, headquartered in São Paulo (SP). The organization wants to empower people to exercise their citizenship fully, have their rights guaranteed, and be protagonists in transforming society and their lives. They work in a network with social organizations through programmes focused on Education and Law and have directly impacted more than 64 thousand people. Its target audiences are youth and women, historically one of Brazil's social groups most affected by inequality. INW is the social investment arm of Nelson Wilians Advogados (NWADV) and Nelson Wilians Group (NWGroup).
