Shrinking Civil Society Space: Towards an Adequate Civic Response - a debate

18. Międzynarodowy Festiwal Filmowy WATCH DOCS. Prawa Człowieka w Filmie

18. Międzynarodowego Festiwalu Filmowego WATCH DOCS. Prawa Człowieka w Filmie, fot. Helsińska Fundacja Praw Człowieka

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights has the honour to invite you to an international debate concerning the proposals of joint response from members of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) regarding the process of limiting the space for civil society.

8 December (Saturday), 6 PM, free admission

The debate will be held in English. Translation into Polish will be provided.

It is estimated that during last six years new laws were passed in more than seventy countries in the world, limiting the freedom of action of civil society organisations. It means that seventy years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights nearly half of its signatory states still do not guarantee, to the full extent, the freedoms of association, assembly and speech. The new restrictive regulations limit the opportunity for NGOs to raise funds for their activities, stigmatise members of civil society by calling them ‘foreign agents’ or, in extreme cases, prohibit certain forms of association.

Members of NGOs from USA, Europe and Asia are going to share their experiences relating to the impact that shrinking of the space for civil society has on their actions, and to give possible answers to that challenge as well.

The event is co-organised by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and Open Society Justice Initiative as part of the 18th International Film Festival WATCH DOCS – Human Rights in Film. The debate will initiate the operation of the HFHR’s new member programme, the Helsinki Initiative.