Netherlands Helsinki Committee

14 July marked 3 years since Ales Bialiatski was arrested, together with several of his colleagues. We stand with Belarusian human rights organisation Viasna & their brave fight for human rights. Join us in signing the petition for the release of five of their activists from prison and for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus: change.org/FreeAles And if you are based in or around The Hague, make sure to visit the exhibition dedicated to Ales now on display at the Atrium of City Hall. #WeStandBYyou #FreeAles

❗ Last chance to apply and join our team as the next #ProgrammeManager for our #HumanRightsDefence team. Find out more and apply today ❗

📣 Calling all human rights defenders and leaders in civic organisations from any EU🇪🇺 member state! Apply now for the 2024-2026 cycle of the Recharging Advocacy for Rights in Europe (RARE) programme. RARE’s third cycle runs from October 2024 to June 2026. RARE is an exceptional opportunity for human rights defenders and civic space advocates from across the EU to meet, learn and strategise together.     ⏰ Apply by 28 July 2024 ✍🏻 Application website: https://lnkd.in/eAhtCQ-G   The RARE programme is organised by a partnership of the Hertie School Executive Education Hungarian Helsinki Committee Netherlands Helsinki Committee Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights Oxfam Novib

The NHC together with Transparency International EU, RECLAIM, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), European Civic Forum, Committee to Protect Journalists, FIDH - International Federation for Human Rights, World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Good Lobby Profs call on the European Commission and EU Member States to take immediate action to protect civic space in #Hungary and express our solidarity with Transparency International Magyarország | TI Hungary and atlatszo.hu. Read the full statement: https://lnkd.in/eEhWpVtp

We at Transparency International EU together with RECLAIM, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), European Civic Forum, Netherlands Helsinki Committee , Committee to Protect Journalists, FIDH - International Federation for Human Rights, World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Good Lobby Profs express our unwavering support for and solidarity with Transparency International Magyarország | TI Hungary and atlatszo.hu. Statement: https://lnkd.in/eZK2Rf_z

📣 #JobOpportunity at the Netherlands Helsinki Committee | Join the organisation as our next Programme Manager Human Rights Defence! 👇 📋 Are you a pro-active and creative #ProgrammeManager with at least seven years of experience in #humanrights and #civilsociety work, including five years managing large-scale multi-country projects? Have you been involved in international #advocacy and high-reach digital #campaigning, do you have excellent #communication, #coaching, and #leadership skills, as well as sound budget-management skills and experience overseeing project #finances? Then we look forward to hearing from you! 📌 Find out more and apply before 11 July 2024: www.nhc.nl/vacancies

🌟 We proudly congratulate all #ourRAREpeople who graduated from the second cohort of Recharging Advocacy for Rights in Europe (2022-24) this weekend! We mark an important journey to forge a strong and skilled community of European human rights defenders. Onward and upward! Over the course of their two-year journey in this programme, human rights defenders from all over Europe have:  🇬🇷 In Crete, laid the foundation by learning about civic space protection and embarking on a joint advocacy project.  🇪🇪 In Tallinn, honed their public speaking skills and forged connections with RARE’s first cohort.  🇩🇪 In Berlin, explored how hope-based communications in complex political contexts can gain public support for human rights and rule of law.  🇪🇸 In Madrid, strengthened their strategic management skills to better navigate and guide their organisations through change.  🇦🇹 In Vienna, gained expertise in policy writing and networked with the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and Austrian civil society actors.  🇳🇱 In The Hague, built stronger ties with the Council of Europe and Dutch stakeholders, focusing on protecting the rule of law in the EU.  🇵🇱 In Warsaw, mastered open-source investigation methods to document human rights abuses.  🇧🇪 In Brussels, developed networking skills and policy knowledge on civic space, rule of law and digital rights with EU-level policy actors.  🇭🇺 In Budapest, learned about how human rights defenders can improve their digital, organisational and personal security and well-being.    Their journey concluded this weekend in Larnaca 🇨🇾, where they reviewed their collective achievements and strategised about a community of practice for human rights defenders under the guidance of Monika Weber-Fahr. Thank you to our funders for your support in making this programme a reality and thank you to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee , the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Poland, and Oxfam Novib for your continued collaboration 💐   We’ll be opening applications for RARE 3 (2024-26) on 24 June, so keep your eyes on this space!  

Een groep ambtenaren uit Albanië, Armenië, Bosnië-Herzegovina, Georgië, Kosovo, Noord-Macedonië, Moldavië, Montenegro, Oekraïne, Servië en Turkije bezocht ProDemos. Zij gaan enkele voor hen relevante Nederlandse organisaties langs om te leren hoe zij in hun land de werking van de democratische rechtsstaat kunnen versterken. Prima doel 👍 Collega Matthijs Van Tuijl en ik gaven hen een presentatie over wat ProDemos - Huis voor democratie en rechtsstaat is en wat we doen. In hun reacties en vragen bleek weer eens hoezeer Europa verschillende snelheden en stadia in democratische ontwikkeling kent. Bijvoorbeeld toen een van de ambtenaren zei: “als ik in mijn land zou voorstellen een ProDemos op te richten, zou ik mijn baan kwijt zijn…”. Uitstekend dat het Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC) zo’n leergang verzorgt i.o.m. onder andere The Hague Academy for Local Governance en Leiden Law School. Het NHC is een niet-gouvernementele non-profit organisatie die de mensenrechten bevordert en de rechtsstaat en democratie versterkt in Europa en de Centraal-Aziatische landen in de OVSE. Complimenten aan het NHC en aan Anne Graumans voor haar werk hiervoor!

As part of the EQUAL EU 4 Women Empowerment in #Armenia project, coordinated by OxYGen Foundation , a three-day training was held from 10-12 June in Armenia on the topic of advocacy planning for the Coalition of Domestic Violence Support Centers, delivered by Ani Kojoyan. The Coalition continues to strengthen its activities with the larger aim of protecting the rights of victims of domestic violence and ensuring quality services are provided. The advocacy sessions have led to further brainstorming and framing of the advocacy messages that the Coalition will focus on in the coming years within its strategy framework. As part of the training, NHC Programme Officer Malini Laxminarayan delivered a session on the current situation in the Netherlands, with a focus on how advocacy efforts should incorporate a survivor-led perspective. The next steps of the project will include further mentoring as the Coalition continues to develop its plans, eventually bringing their ideas to the relevant stakeholders. Find out more about this #EUFunded project: https://lnkd.in/ebruPZFK *This activity is part of the European Union funded project EQUAL EU 4 Women Empowerment. The contents of this post are the sole responsibility of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

📣 This week we kicked-off the in-person part of the #Matra #RuleofLaw Training on Administration of Justice and Democratic Institutions, and welcomed participants from 11 countries in The Hague and Leiden. During their stay, the participants will engage in interactive sessions that blend theory with practical skills, as well as a number of study visits in the Netherlands and Brussels. 👥 Do you want to join the next group of reform-minded civil servants? The next training on #HumanRights will take place in September and October. Applications are now open! 🔎 Interested? Apply before 31 July! Find out more: https://lnkd.in/effBHNav 📝 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ebSNEyWc