On the occasion of the second annual meeting of ProtectDefenders.eu, held on November, 8th, 2017, human rights defenders and grassroots activists, and representatives of various EU institutions involved in the protection of human rights defenders and current development agenda met in Brussels under the motto "Champions of change – Human rights defenders at the forefront of development and democracy". You can check out here the video of this unique occasion, which highlighted the fundamental role of human rights defenders as drivers of change in their societies, and as key actors in the frontlines of development, rule of law and democracy.
Watch the full version of the video here.
In addition, a strong call was made to national and international actors to strengthen their efforts to ensure the protection of defenders working in the most difficult and restrictive contexts, who are subject to threats, harassment and attacks. Finally, ProtectDefenders.eu members warned of the drifting narrative away from the human rights discourses and called on society to put human rights back at the centre of the political and social agenda.
