Inspiring Words from Oleksandra Matviichuk kickoff the 2023 Venice School for Human Rights Defenders
10 June, Venice, Italy – Oleksandra Matviichuk, Chairwoman of the Center for Civil Liberties delivered a keynote speech for the 2023 Venice School for Human Rights Defenders.
The programme of the day started with the welcome addresses from Manfred Nowak Global Campus of Human Rights Secretary General, Project Manager Alberta Rocca and Michayl Christov from the European Parliament. Followed by the presentation of all the participants coming from around the world to be trained at the school and Ms. Matviichuk’s keynote speech.
Human rights defenders play an essential role in the realisation of rights and promotion of equality. Not only do they fight for human rights in situations of oppression and abuse, they also act as monitors, drawing attention both to their respective communities and to the international community to otherwise neglected violations and threats.
They assist victims in claiming their rights and contribute to holding those in power accountable, thereby combatting cultures of impunity, which serve to cloak systematic and repeated breaches of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Furthermore, by linking the local level to the global and the global to the local, human rights defenders contribute to sustaining a circle of empowerment at all levels.
Whether acting individually or as part of an organised group, human rights defenders are often the target of reprisals and may themselves be subject to human rights violations. Because their work is in many contexts systematically hampered, there is an increasing understanding within the international community of the importance of safeguarding and facilitating human rights defenders at national, regional and international level.
Background Note:
Global Campus of Human Rights – a global network of universities educating the next generation of professionals in the field of Human Rights and Democracy
Venice School for Human Rights Defenders – is a training programme is organised by the Global Campus of Human Rights Project Department in cooperation with the European Parliament and it hosts the 2023 selected Sakharov Fellows.
Since 2016 the European Parliament’s Sakharov Fellowship Programme offers up to 14 human rights defenders selected from non-EU countries the opportunity to follow a two-week intensive training in Brussels and at the Global Campus of Human Rights in Venice. Under the Sakharov Fellowship training programme, human rights defenders will enhance their knowledge of EU and international human rights frameworks, policies and mechanisms and develop capacities to advocate for and effect positive change to protect human rights.
