Recent years have seen worrying European and global backsliding of democracy and respect for human rights. As democratic spaces are shrinking, defending democracy and fundamental human rights is now more important than ever before. Democracy and human rights are two sides of the same coin, fundamentally interlinked and interdependent:
“There cannot be a democracy without freedom of expression, assembly and many other rights, just as there cannot be effective protection of human rights without democratic institutions entrusted with the effective realisation of all rights”, Morten Kjaerum, Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute.
As a global society, we now stand at a crossroads. Either we let go of the profound democratic gains developed from focused efforts over the past 30 years, or we up-scale and up-smart the defence of our fundamental rights and freedoms.
At RWI, we believe the only alternative is to insist on the core values that protect the dignity of the individual. These values, which are globally rooted, have a long history of creating resilient societies. Our niche is to increase knowledge about human rights and their implementation in the environment where people live.
“Our work starts where Amnesty’s and Human Rights Watch’s work ends. They point out the human rights issues”, says Morten Kjaerum. “We analyse what can be done to change the situation and work with those who have the power to change.”
If you believe that democracy is worth promoting, stand with RWI. Grant your support to ensure a more peaceful world and contribute to protecting democracy.
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
The International Legal Assistance Consortium
The Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation
Nordic Council of Ministers
Vinnova Sweden's Innovation Agency
Fulbright Sweden
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Vinge Law Firm
Are you interested in supporting the RWI? Do you wish to know more about how? Or, do you wish to know more about our cases for support?
Please reach out to:
Peter Lundberg
Peter Lundberg is Executive Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, a leading academic institution dedicated to the advancement of human rights and humanitarian law. He is a Swedish national with a distinguished career spanning over 27 years in public service, development cooperation, humanitarian affairs, and diplomacy. Prior to joining RWI in 2024, Mr. Lundberg served as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Montenegro (2021–2024) and as Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator (and Acting Humanitarian Coordinator) for the United Nations in Nigeria (2016–2018), where he oversaw responses to the Lake Chad Crisis in the country’s northeastern region.
Prior to joining the UN system, Mr. Lundberg held senior positions at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). He served as Deputy Consul General and Vice Consul at the Consulate General of Sweden in Jerusalem, and at Sida, he served as Director for Humanitarian Assistance and Deputy Head of the Humanitarian Division. He also worked extensively with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). His international assignments included postings in Ethiopia, Palestine, Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Nigeria, Jordan, and Montenegro, often in leadership roles overseeing strategy, coordination, and service delivery in complex humanitarian and development contexts.
Mr. Lundberg began his career in the Swedish Royal Navy, where he worked as a Section Leader responsible for de-mining operations aboard mine-clearing vessels. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Development Studies from Uppsala University, with a concentration in international law, EU law, human rights, political geography, and cultural anthropology. He received additional academic training at Harvard University, completing the Advanced Training Programme on International Humanitarian Law (2004), as well as the Global Executive Leadership Initiative (GELI) certificate programme (2021–2022), a collaboration between Harvard University and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI).