Regional Human Rights House Network Formed over the Need for Joint Action

Photo: Beta/Milan Ilic

Human rights activists were burdened with the shared problems and they needed joint action to protect vulnerable people, but also to strengthen their own capacities, therefore “networking” had appeared to be a logical path, it was said on March 19 at the presentation of the Regional Human Rights House Network, gathering human rights advocates from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.

“The Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF), headquartered in Norway, has backed the initiative and our opinion that taking separate actions cannot be enough and that strengthening human rights and democracy in Serbia also requires progress to be achieved in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia as well, and in the future, also in the countries which will be invited to join the Regional Human Rights House Network,” said Katarina Golubovic, the president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM), a member of the Human Rights House in Belgrade.

The Norwegian ambassador to Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro, Kristin Melsom, said that Norway had been the global champion in adopting human rights acts and implementing the associated mechanisms. HRHF Executive Director Maria Dahle stressed that democratization of any country was dependent on the strength of their civil sectors.

The deputy head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Plamena Halacheva, said that human rights defenders dealing with the same matters had realized the need to join forces, noting that the civil sector was a natural ally of the EU in strengthening democracy efforts.

United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Serbia Francoise Jacob stressed that human rights were beyond politics and ideology, on the side of mankind, and were central to the UN work.