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In 2024, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) worked closely with the Network of Human Rights Houses and other civil society partners to protect and promote human rights amidst increasing challenges, including rising authoritarianism. Find out more in HRHF’s 2024 annual report.

In 2024, HRHF offered one-on-one support for advocates from the Network of Human Rights Houses as part of its strategic coaching and mentoring work. This included working closely with partners like Anastasiya Dziubanava from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, who was involved in advocating on two key resolution processes on Belarus at the UN Human Rights Council on the establishment of the Group of Independent Experts and the renewal of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate. In this interview, Dziubanava shares insight into these processes.

From June 2022 to November 2024, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) implemented a 30-month regional project that provided opportunities for emergency support for Ukrainian civil society and independent media in the wake of the full-scale Russian invasion. The project was funded by the European Union and implemented by ERIM-led coalition of partners, including including Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House, Black Sea Trust, East Europe Foundation, Human Rights House Tbilisi and HRHF.

Hennadii Vypynashko is a Ukrainian human rights defender who coordinated the Protection Program of the Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv for over 2.5 years, supporting civil society representatives affected by Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine. In this interview, he shares stories about supported human rights defenders and journalists, his motivation, and key takeaways from his experience.

Maryna Savchenko is a journalist from the Kherson region. Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the occupation of the Kherson region, she stayed in the city to report on the situation for the outside world for as long as she could while facing increasing threats. In this interview, she gives insight into her work and life under occupation, the story of her escape and the support she received to sustain herself.

From October 7-11, 2024, 15 human rights defenders from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine gathered for a week of advocacy as a part of the Network of Human Rights Houses’ 30th anniversary celebrations. Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) and Network partners aimed to deepen engagement with Norwegian policymakers and raise awareness of critical human rights challenges across the region, emphasising the need for increased political and financial support from Norway for civil society.

In September 2024, Human Rights House Yerevan and Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) hosted a two-day workshop in Armenia to equip civil society representatives with tools to combat Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). The workshop gathered 17 participants, including eco-activists, environmental organisations, and human rights defenders, to discuss SLAPPs, examine their threats to democracy and free speech, and explore strategies for legal resistance. The event was facilitated by Mari Kapanadze from Georgian Democracy Initiative, Charlie Holt from Greenpeace International and the CASE Coalition, and Nora Wehofsits from HRHF.

At the 57th UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) worked alongside civil society partners to highlight the situation for human rights in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Balkans.

Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) implemented the 3.5 year STRONG Civil Society (July 2020 – January 2024) working to strengthen the role that civil society plays in the democratisation processes in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. STRONG Civil Society was co-funded by the European Union and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.