“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”, Article 1, The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

The Foundation believes that being a citizen in any state involves rights and responsibilities. All our work is underpinned by the promotion of human and civil rights.

The Pears Foundation invests in four main areas. Click on the links to see some examples of our work :

COMMUNITY & YOUNG PEOPLE
The Foundation seeks to act as a catalyst to empower individuals, particularly young people, to become confident and active members of their community and country, by promoting positive identity based on social action, contribution and volunteering.

We also support the most vulnerable groups in society, including young people, the elderly and the disabled, to enable them to live independent lives. We also fund advocacy and policy work in these areas.

GENOCIDE EDUCATION, PREVENTION AND ADVOCACY
The term ‘genocide’ was first used by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jewish lawyer, and adopted by the United Nations following the Holocaust. Click here to read the UN Convention on Prevention of Genocide, 1948.

The Pears Foundation is the largest private funder of Holocaust Education in the UK.

The Foundation supports programmes and organisations that educate about the underlying causes, symptoms and effects of genocide; that advocate for rights and justice for victims and survivors; and that inspire people to act to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity. We are the founding supporter of the UK ‘Protect Darfur’ campaign.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Our International Development work reflects the approach in other areas of our portfolio – aiming to create sustained change through education and the promotion of human and civil rights. We believe that sustainable development should be predicated on these rights without which the term ‘democracy’ loses its meaning.

ISRAEL
The Foundation works to strengthen Israel’s democracy through the promotion of civil rights for all of Israel’s citizens as enshrined in Israel’s Declaration of Independence.

The Foundation also promotes and supports the application of Israel’s academic expertise to the challenges of the developing world.