On 9 December, the eve of the International Human Rights Day, the 5th National Forum on Human Rights (NFHR) will be held in Vilnius. This year it will be dedicated to human rights issues in the face of crises and military conflicts and to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania.
Dr. Erika Leonaitė, the Head of the Seimas Ombudspersons’ Office – National Human Rights Institution – observes that it is always important to protect and nurture human rights, but in the face of war and crises, safeguarding of these rights becomes especially relevant.
“First of all, there is a significant increase in the number of vulnerable persons who are important to be treated in accordance with the principles of humanity. Moreover, in the face of unexpected challenges and threats, there is a risk that human rights will be relegated to the margins of state life, as a kind of quiet time luxury. The sense of confusion and insecurity in society means that even disproportionate restrictions on human rights can be accepted as inevitable. Therefore, precisely in the face of war and crises, it becomes clear how strong our constitutional identity as a democratic state is,” says E. Leonaitė, one of the organizers of the event.
The forum, which has become an annual tradition, invites the public to discuss the state of human rights in Lithuania and ways to ensure that our country is a good place to live for people of all nationalities, religions, genders, social positions, beliefs or views, i.e. for everyone. Dr. Edita Žiobienė, the Ombudsperson for Child’s Rights, points out that today the topic of safeguarding human rights is as relevant as ever – military actions in Ukraine, humanitarian and migration crises, the consequences of the pandemic and the related quarantine are still being felt. “Even 7.5 million Ukrainian children had to leave their native homes, societies are still dealing with the problems of deteriorating physical health, psychological condition, children’s achievements in learning and access to various services. And these are just a few challenges that need solutions right now. We see and appreciate the state’s efforts and progress in safeguarding human rights. On the other hand, there are always new challenges that require the constant search for effective measures to enable every person to exercise their rights”, expresses her thoughts about the topics of the upcoming forum Dr. E. Žiobiene.
The forum will once again bring under one roof the academic, state and non-governmental sector and international communities: human rights activists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, politicians, scientists, lawyers and other guests from Lithuania and abroad will participate and take part in the discussions of the event. In total, this year the National Human Rights Forum will welcome almost 100 participants from Lithuania, Ukraine, Belgium, the USA, Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands, Iceland and other countries. As usual, the program of the event includes discussions on the most diverse and relevant topics. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Constitution, the participants of the forum will discuss the constitutional protection of human rights in the context of war, pandemic and other challenges. The discussions will also address disinformation campaigns, freedom of religion during wartime, Lithuania’s openness to refugees, protection of the most vulnerable groups in the face of threats, changes in family forms, the concept of citizenship, Roma integration, gender-based violence, rights of LGBTIQ persons, changes in the mental health system, maternity challenges, civic activity of teenagers and other issues. The program of events will be crowned by screening of the movie “Chaylla” and an excerpt from the story-performance “Aspen, Daughter of the Fir Tree”.
At the solemn opening of the event, the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, the President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania dr. Danutė Jočienė and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania Mantas Adomėnas will welcome the participants of the forum. The National Human Rights Forum will be held on December 9, Friday, at Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania (Gedimino Ave. 51, Vilnius).
Forum program in Lithuanian and English can be found at https://nztf.lt Note that interpretation into English, Ukrainian/Lithuanian and sign languages will be provided during the event.
We invite you to register for the event here.
Organizers of the forum: Vytautas Magnus University, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Coalition of Human Rights Organizations, Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson, Lithuanian Disability Forum (LDF), Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Seimas Ombudspersons’ Office of the Republic of Lithuania, Office of the Ombudsperson of Child’s Rights.
Sponsor: Friedrich Ebert Foundation
Information partners: LRT, manoteises.lt
Organizational partners: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, “Nepatogus Kinas” Festival.
Partners: Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Canada, Embassy of the Netherlands, Swedish Institute, Active Citizens Fund, Ministry of Social Security and Labor of the Republic of Lithuania, Department for the Affairs of the Disabled, European Disability Forum.
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