Human rights
‘Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.’ These words are as true now as when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted over 60 years ago. Human rights empower individuals to reach their full potential. Zennström Philanthropies envisions a world in which the human rights of every individual are respected and protected, and those who abuse rights are held accountable.
Human rights empower individuals to reach their full potential. Europe has the world’s strongest system of laws to protect human rights, and yet some groups are still denied their basic rights. By building partnerships with European institutions, human rights defenders and NGOs, we can work together to change policy, empower vulnerable groups, and ensure that everyone in Europe can live in dignity.
Zennström Philanthropies’ human rights strategy focuses on Europe, the home of its founders. We are truly engaged in the defence of human rights, forging strategic partnerships with the organisations we fund to ensure genuine and durable change at the policy level. We currently have the following strategic funding priorities in Europe and Central Asia: human rights defenders, undocumented migrants and psycho-social disabilities.
General grant cross-cutting the Human Rights portfolio
Human Rights Watch www.hrw.org
Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world, to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice while investigating and exposing human rights violations.
Without human rights defenders, human rights are just empty laws. Throughout Europe, courageous advocates for transparency, justice and fairness hold governments to account. Zennström Philanthropies partners with organisations that provide human rights defenders with the tools to improve their effectiveness and ensure their safety.
We consider the undocumented migrants as the “invisible victims”, those who are most vulnerable to abuse and lack of respect and dignity. Zennström Philanthropies works with organisations to promote work to protect the human rights of undocumented and otherwise “invisible” migrants.
Those invisible victims who are least visible in society are most vulnerable to abuse. Zennström Philanthropies works with organisations that draw the attention of policy-makers to Europe’s ‘invisible’ people, ensuring that nobody is deprived of their rights. We are especially interested in ensuring access to justice for people with psycho-social disabilities and detainees.