Portugal: Example of Direct Government Assistance to Defenders173 A variety of organizations can be granted the status of social partners and thus receive state support, tax exemptions, and other benefits. This recognition implies a second registration with concerned public departments (which often automatically gives the association the status of “ public utility legal person” ), although registration is never a prerequisite for operation of non-governmental groups. Migrant associations are entitled to state support pursuant to co-operation protocols established with the Office of the High Commissioner for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue. These protocols are concluded upon request and involve the funding of activities developed by the requesting association (up to 70 per cent of the total amount). Support is also granted through activities aimed at improving the skills of members of such associations, including decision-makers, workers, and volunteers (namely training courses and follow-up to project implementation). Furthermore, associations can be given technical support, namely legal or other advice and the provision of documentation and other materials. Similar support is given to women’ s associations (by the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality), youth associations (by the Portuguese Youth Institute), and associations of disabled people (by the National Institute for Rehabilitation). Estonia: Example of Direct Government Assistance to Defenders174 A civil-society endowment was created in January 2008 that will be funded from the state budget on an annual basis. The endowment will focus on: 1) funding the operational costs of non-governmental organizations that have a public benefit; 2) supporting projects that create a more favourable environment for nongovernmental organizations; and 3) supporting local projects that promote civic participation and co-operation between non-governmental organizations. However, government assistance should not be a condition for the effective functioning of associations in a country. Assisting human rights defenders in obtaining funding As mentioned above, funding is often a scarce commodity for defenders within civil society. Human rights work is often aimed at assisting the most vulnerable in society, those who frequently do not have the means to pay for the services provided to them by defenders, whether they be human rights NGOs or lawyers. States should therefore assist defenders by ensuring that they are aware of where and how to obtain funding, both domestically and internationally. Serbia: Example of Assisting Defenders in Obtaining Funding175 A team assembled by the deputy prime minister and tasked with the implementation of Serbia’ s Poverty Reduction Strategy, in co-operation with the Finance Ministry and partners at home and abroad, has published several editions of a guide for potential 173 Portugal’ s response to ODIHR’ s questionnaire, 25 May 2008. Estonia’ s response to ODIHR’ s questionnaire, 16 May 2008. 175 Serbia’ s response to ODIHR’ s questionnaire, 17 June 2008. 174 39