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At the 2025 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference (WHDC), Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) advocated alongside partners for concrete action by OSCE participating States to address rising authoritarianism and increasing human rights violations across the OSCE region. HRHF worked to ensure that both international attention and policy responses were informed directly by civil society actors from across the OSCE region.

At the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) continued its work to amplify the voices of civil society partners from the Network of Human Rights Houses. HRHF addressed issues ranging from reprisals against human rights defenders to crackdowns on civic space, while pushing for accountability for serious human rights violations.

In September 2025, eighteen human rights defenders from ten countries visited Strasbourg as part of the Advocacy Training Programme, organised by Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) and co-funded by the Council of Europe (CoE) and the governments of Norway and Switzerland.
The study visit took place one week before the Autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), giving participants timely insights and practical experience in engaging with CoE stakeholders and amplifying civil society’s voice at the heart of Europe’s system for protecting and promoting human rights.

In August 2025, Belarusian human rights defenders gathered in Geneva to advocate ahead of the upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Belarus. This two-day programme of meetings with diplomats and participation in the UPR pre-session was the culmination of a nine-month capacity-building journey led by Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) aimed at preparing Belarusian civil society partners, including members of the Network of Human Rights Houses, to engage effectively in the UPR process and to support them in making formal submissions within the process.

After four years of legal struggle, Moldova’s first independent medical workers’ union wins a landmark Supreme Court case as a result of sustained capacity building and advocacy support.

At the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) raised the situation for political prisoners in Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Russian-occupied Crimea, including jailed colleagues from the Network of Human Rights Houses, reiterating calls for their release. HRHF worked alongside Network partners calling for action on the repressive strategies of authorities in Georgia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to attack civic space and fundamental freedoms, as well as advocating for strong resolutions on civic space, safety of journalists, the freedoms of assembly and association, and on Ukraine.

From 9 to 13 June, human rights defenders and civil society actors from across the Network of Human Rights Houses and beyond gathered in Oslo for the 2025 Network meeting. Amidst increasing global challenges faced by civil society, participants came together not only to share but also to build new strategies and forge solidarity.

From 8 March to 11 April, the Portraits of Strength exhibition was presented in Croatia’s three largest cities: Zagreb, Osijek, and Split. In close collaboration with local civil society, Human Rights House Zagreb organised the exhibitions and panel discussions. The events brought the powerful stories of women human rights defenders from across the Network of Human Rights Houses to a wider Croatian audience, highlighting the crucial role that women play in defending human rights.

From 12 to 16 May 2025, the civil-society led Crimea Week took place in Brussels with a series of advocacy and cultural events gathering policymakers, civil society, and international institutions, providing platforms for sharing testimonies and fostering dialogue. The programme aimed at highlighting the human rights situation in Crimea under Russian occupation.