CIVIL – Center for Freedom, in partnership with Media Dialogue and Youth4Media from Germany, and the international organization New European Citizen Forum based in Brussels, announces the launch of the publication “Defending Democracy and Human Rights – Report and Recommendations.” The publication is in English and includes a comprehensive policy document with recommendations and strategic guidelines for countering disinformation and hybrid threats, strengthening democratic institutions, civil society, and the media, and decisively halting authoritarianism, military aggression, and far-right tendencies.
Furthermore, the publication contains an extensive transcript from the December 12 conference, which featured around 30 speakers from about ten European countries and the USA. The publication also includes a section with a report on the activities that resulted from the work on the project Defending Democracy and Human Rights, as well as photographs and links to online resources of the organizations implementing the project. This project is funded by the government of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with which the partner organizations have a long-standing collaboration.
The publication, expected to be released this week, will be presented at all significant international events this year and distributed to decision-makers, as well as relevant international and regional civil society and think tank organizations, and media worldwide. An online version will also be published across several platforms to reach a broader audience.
The lead organizations, including CIVIL, were highly visible on the international stage in recent months, with plans to further intensify their activities throughout 2025 and beyond. The partner organizations hosted a major international event — the conference Defending Democracy and Human Rights in the Face of War, Nationalism, and Authoritarianism — held in Skopje on December 11 and 12. Immediately following the conference, the Defending Democracy Initiative, a globally-oriented civic platform, was established.
On March 4, CIVIL in cooperation with the founding member organizations of Defending Democracy Initiative hosted another international conference titled Ukraine and the World: Resisting Aggression, Defeating Authoritarianism, with speakers from North Macedonia, Ukraine, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Poland, the USA, and other countries.
CIVIL’s strategy, adopted at the organization’s ceremonial assembly marking its 25th anniversary in November 2024, includes numerous initiatives and projects for cross-border and international cooperation.
In that spirit, CIVIL and the partner organizations within the Defending Democracy Initiative have organized two international conferences over the past four months and are planning a series of additional events and initiatives across Europe this year. The founding organizations of the Initiative hope their efforts will be recognized by the international donor community and that they will receive the financial support needed to expand their membership and impact.
CIVIL
Online Resources:
Special website: Defending Democracy
Video LINK: International Conference Defending Democracy and Human Rights in the Face of War, Nationalism, and Authoritarianism, Skopje, December 12, 2024
Video LINK: International Conference Ukraine and the World: Resisting Aggression, Defeating Authoritarianism, Skopje, March 4, 2025
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