Across the OSCE region, human rights defenders, civil society organisations, and wider society face severe human rights challenges. From the on-going war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, severe crackdowns in Azerbaijan and Belarus, and serious rollbacks of fundamental freedoms and human rights in Georgia, Türkiye, and Armenia, the work of the human dimension pillar of the OSCE has never been more important.

This civil society-led event brings together human rights defenders from across the OSCE region in a “speed dating” format. It will provide participants with a series of one-on-one briefings on emerging and ongoing human rights trends from on-the-ground advocates as well as recommendations to States.

This event will host registered participants only, representatives of OSCE participating States, OSCE institutions and OSCE executive structures, representatives of inter-governmental organisations, representatives of civil society, experts from academia, think tanks, to meet with more than 15 civil society representatives from seven different OSCE countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Türkiye.

When: Monday 18 March 2024
Time: 9:00 – 12:00 CET
Where: Haus der Musik, Vienna

Organised by the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights House Foundation, this event is co-sponsored by the Permanent Delegations of Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States to the OSCE and is co-funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.