Cels

The Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) is Argentina's leading human rights organization.

Since its creation in 1979, in the midst of Argentina's military dictatorship, CELS has strived to eradicate the nation's systemic human rights violations by investigating, documenting, denouncing, and litigating in favor of fundamental rights and accountability. With Argentina's return to democracy in 1983, CELS also began working to strengthen the state's capacity to protect human rights, weighing in on the design and implementation of public policies while maintaining the critical distance necessary to act as a watchdog. CELS's institutional strength and staying power is due to its active board and members' assembly, its regular renewal of the executive director, and its dedication to the professional development of its staff.

With thirty years experience in Argentina, CELS is becoming an important reference in human rights on a regional and international level.



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Transparency Report
Form Transparencia CELS 2011.pdf

Goals:

The Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) is a non-governmental organization that has been working since 1979 to promote and protect human rights, and to strengthen the democratic system in Argentina.

Objectives:

The institutional objectives focus on:

• Reporting human rights violations

• Influencing the design of public policies based on respect for fundamental rights

• Promoting legal and institutional reforms to improve the quality of democratic institutions

• Expanding the exercise of rights for the most vulnerable sectors of society

Programs:

Memory and Fight against Impunity
Institutional Violence and Citizens Security
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR)
Democratic Justice
Penal Justice and Detention Conditions
Mental Health
Democratizing the Armed Forces

Incorporation number:

556

Inspecting institution:

Inspeccion General de Justicia

Year founded:

1979

Staff:

Volunteers:

Voices from the South in the Global Human Rights Agenda

Autor: CELS & Conectas

The Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) from Argentina and Conectas Human Rights from Brazil will co-host an international seminar in New York on March 23rd to discuss strategies and key issues around addressing past and present human rights violations. This high-level event will also provide an opportunity to discuss innovative ways of South/South and North/South collaboration among civil society groups.

Forged primarily during the struggle against arbitrary rule, and strengthened throughout the democratization process, civil society organizations in the Global South have become key players in denouncing abuses, holding governments more accountable, and proposing alternative policies to alleviate major social problems. More recently, some of these organizations have begun to play a growing role in the international arena, monitoring the human rights foreign policy of their own countries and advocating for more responsible and rights-respecting international engagement.

Year:

2009

Assets:

Total Assets: 3 047 923,31 ARS

Liabilities:

Total Liabilities: 201 885,21 ARS

Income:

Total Income: 3 621 719,79 ARS

Expenditure:

Total Expenses: 3 658 989,45 ARS

Attachment	Size
Balance Cels 2009.pdf	265 KB

Address:

Piedras 547

Locality:

Capital Federal

Zip/Postal Code:

1070

Telephone:

(54 11) 4334-4200

Fax:

(54 11) 4334-4200

E-mail:

vwigodzky@cels.org.ar

Website:

http://www.cels.org.ar

Board of Directors:

Horacio Verbitsky, Laura Jordán de Conte, Eduardo Basualdo, Patricia Valdez, David Blaustein, Carmen A. Lapacó, Fanny Bendersky, Lilia Ferreira, Matilde Mellibovsky, Victorio Paulón, Sofía Tiscornia, Carlos Acuña, Damián Loreti.