EU-NGO Human Rights Forum - Partnering for Equality and Non-discrimination

In a global context marked by increasing polarisation, civil society actors defending human rights face growing pressures. Efforts to advance gender equality, LGBTIQ+ rights, racial justice, disability inclusion, and religious freedom continue to meet resistance worldwide, as opponents invoke cultural relativism, sovereignty, or tradition to undermine international human rights norms and standards. Anti-rights movements all too often seek to exclude, delegitimise, or criminalise groups based on identity or status, often through dis- or misinformation, restrictive laws, or cultural backlash.

Against this backdrop, the EU NGO Forum gathered over 200 participants, including human rights defenders from over 55 countries, EU officials, EU Member State representatives, UN officials and representatives of civil society, creating a space for direct engagement and in-depth dialogue on how to respond to these challenges.

In her opening keynote address, High Representative Kaja Kallas emphasized that human rights are a strategic asset for the EU and essential for credible international leadership. She highlighted that sustainable peace requires justice, truth, and the rule of law, noting that defending human rights is both a political imperative and a treaty obligation.

High Representative Kaja Kallas stressed: "The EU's action to protect human rights is worldwide. And I am absolutely determined, together with our Member States and the European Parliament, to maintain a world-leading level of funding for human rights and democracy around the globe."

Across the different panel discussions, human rights defenders shared testimonies grounded in lived experience, offering powerful insights into the challenges, risks, and emerging practices related to global anti-rights movements, violations of human rights, injustice, impunity, shrinking civic space, and digital threats. They noted that while legal frameworks and policy commitments to ensuring equality and non-discrimination often exist, weak implementation and lack of political will frequently undermine their impact. Defenders emphasised that overlapping identities and vulnerabilities of marginalized groups must be fully considered in policies and programmes and that reliable, disaggregated data is essential for evidence-based advocacy, monitoring progress, and holding duty-bearers accountable. Discussions also aimed at contributing to the EU's evolving equality agenda and broader policy processes, such as the commitment to further advance work on the EU strategies and action plans against racism, combatting antisemitism, achieving gender equality or upholding full and equal enjoyment of all human rights by LGBTIQ+ persons.

During regional sessions on the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia-Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia, it became clear that raising awareness of policies and rights enables communities to engage meaningfully and hold decision-makers accountable. Participants recommended that the EU simplify funding procedures, empower local expertise to ensure solutions are context-specific and sustainable, support inclusive advisory structures, and maintain regular consultations with civil society to maximise impact.

During seven thematic strategy labs, participants highlighted that flexible and accessible funding alongside long-term support and capacity-building is a critical need, as well as meaningful and inclusive participation, involving affected communities in programme design, policy dialogues, and EU decision-making processes. Participants also stressed that strengthening alliances, networks, and knowledge-sharing is essential for advocacy and accountability. Recommendations for the EU included responsive and decentralised funding mechanisms, human rights safeguards in programmes, and co-creation of policy and initiatives with civil society.

The EU-NGO Human Rights Forumunderscored the resilience, creativity, and dedication of human rights defenders worldwide, andshowcased the vital partnership between the EU and civil society in tackling global human rights challenges. By bringing together diverse voices from around the world, the event reaffirmed the EU's commitment to engaging civil society in a shared effort to turn human rights principles into concrete action and reclaim a global consensus to uphold dignity, equality, and freedom for all.