Latest

In November 2016, the Rafto Foundation celebrated 30 years of supporting human rights defenders. Rafto has awarded the Rafto Prize for Human Rights to 30 human rights defenders during these years, three of whom later won the Nobel Peace Prize.

It is not a good one. The UN expert on assembly and association, Maina Kiai, recognises this, and has dedicated his final report to the UN promoting how civil society participation has improved societies globally. He invites human rights organisations to give input to this report, with an extended deadline of 15 February.

Parliamentarians from the 47 Member-States of the Council of Europe met this week in Strasbourg, but the Russian delegates are staying in Moscow. They should stay there until they are willing to talk about and adhere to human rights.

When: Thursday, 23. March 2017 To: Friday, 31. March 2017 Where: Kyiv More info: docudays.org.ua/eng/

From 12 February, people from 80 countries will be able to travel to Belarus without a visa, for five days at a time. While some may start planning their vacations, Belarusian human rights defenders look at what this means for civil society.

May 17 was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and the media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people internationally.

One World is one of the cornerstones of the People in Need organisation. It promotes documentary film making for human rights causes.

Where: Prague, Czech Republic Contact: (

Highlights include the presentation of the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, appointment of the new mandate holder for the position of Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and the High Commissioner for Human Right’s oral report on Ukraine.

For the eleventh time Brussels will see the documentary films of the international One World Festival.

International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.

Human Rights Human Wrongs is an annual documentary film festival in Oslo that sheds light on human rights issues. For six days in mid February, it presents new documentaries from all parts of the world, together with debates, concerts, seminars, workshops and performances at a handful of venues in Oslo.