2025 has been yet another year that has tested both the resilience and perseverance of human rights defenders and the strength of the international system designed to protect them. It is precisely under these circumstances that the Network of Human Rights Houses and its 85+ member organisations continued to bravely highlight human rights violations, call for justice and respect for international law, and work to protect freedoms.
Maria Dahle, Director, Human Rights House Foundation
Our work in 2025
HRHF envisions a world in which everyone can freely and safely promote and enjoy all human rights.
HRHF recognises that lasting human rights change can be achieved when a strong and independent civil society is united in solidarity and able to freely contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights at home and abroad. Human Rights Houses (HRHs) are central to HRHF’s work empowering civil society and advancing its vision. In 2025, HRHF worked to achieve this vision through three strategic goals:
- Strengthening Capacities of Human Rights Houses to advance human rights
- Strengthening the Human Rights House Network and its impact
- Strengthening the promotion and protection of rights that underpin independent civil society
Strengthening Capacities of Human Rights Houses (HRHs) to advance human rights
In 2025, Human Rights Houses (HRHs) and their member organisations across the wider European region remained active and resilient despite increasing challenges, including ongoing war, repression, and shrinking civic space. With the support of its donors, HRHF helped HRHs to adapt and continue operating—despite these challenges—enabling partners to pursue their human rights work. At the same time, HRHF focused on supporting the next generation of advocates through targeted international capacity building linked to international institutions, ensuring that civil society voices will be heard at these institutions for years to come. Together, these efforts helped to ensure that even in the most restrictive contexts, independent civil society platforms, services, and voices endured.
Find out more in our 2025 Annual report.
Strengthening the Network of Human Rights Houses and its impact
In 2025, HRHF strengthened the Human Rights Houses Network as a connected, visible, and strategically guided community of human rights defenders working in increasingly challenging contexts. A newly established Network Advisory Council held its first meeting alongside the “Hope as a strategy” Network Meeting, bringing together civil society experts from various countries from within and beyond the Network to strengthen the Network’s strategic development during increasingly challenging times. At the same time, HRHF elevated the voices and visibility of defenders from the Network and beyond through in-depth interviews and the third edition of the Portraits of Strength photography series, including regional exhibitions and media republication.
Find out more in our 2025 Annual report.
Strengthening the promotion and protection of rights that underpin independent civil society
In 2025, HRHF worked alongside members of the Network of Human Rights Houses and other civil society partners on the domestic and international levels to advocate for responses to deteriorating human rights situations and shrinking civic space across the wider European region. Through domestic advocacy and sustained engagement with the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), European Union (EU), and Council of Europe (CoE), HRHF supported partners and ensured that local civil society voices contributed to policy-making on the domestic and international levels. This helped to shape and strengthen existing and new reporting and accountability mechanisms, and States’ bilateral policies. Our outcomes ranged from advancing civil society messaging around the crisis unfolding in Georgia, and supporting the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus’ engagement with civil society, to contributing to landmark policy developments, including the CoE Convention on protecting lawyers, and the EU’s first-ever Civil Society Strategy. Together, the efforts of HRHF and our partners helped to maintain international attention on critical human rights trends, including reprisals, transnational repression, closing space, and more. HRHF also successfully reinforced the role of civil society in informing international responses, creating openings for engagement bilaterally and in plenary.
Find out more in our 2025 Annual report.
