On the 7th and the 8th of September, RWI’s Director Morten Kjaerum, participated in a series of roundtable discussions organised by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on the theme of ‘Putting human rights at the heart of Europe’s future. Under this general umbrella, FRA hosted discussions on a wide range of issues of particular interest, notably the war in Ukraine, disinformation, and the climate crisis.
‘Being able to meet and share experiences on today’s human rights issues was extremely rewarding and led to fruitful discussions. It was clear that we share the same view of what are the international community’s major human rights issues’, says Morten Kjaerum. ‘This meeting provided an opportunity to discuss how we can continue to address them in efficient ways.’
Fundamental rights leaders and experts, representing more than sixty organisations: including the European Union, United Nations, Council of Europe and Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) but also various NGOs, academia, civil society, and business representatives attended the meeting in Rust, Austria.
These discussions, aimed at inspiring collective actions and strengthening cooperation on pressing human rights challenges will give guidance to policymakers and key human rights actors at the European and international levels on the steps to follow to ensure a human rights-focused future.