LATVIAN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - 30 YEARS ACTIVITY REPORT
Latvian Centre for Human Rights is one of the first human rights organisations in Latvia after the country regained independence in 1991. The Centre has and continues to focus on a wide range of fundamental rights issues. During its 30 years of activity the Centre has worked on raising the human rights awareness in general, in implementing and improving human rights standards in specific areas and in relation to specific target groups. Centre’s work with places of detention, especially prisons and prisoner rights, the rights of persons with mental disabilities, access to asylum and refugee rights, integration of minorities and third country nationals, in promoting diversity, preventing discrimination, hate crimes and hate speech must be especially mentioned.
From its inception, the Centre has employed a multi-disciplinary staff, including political scientists, sociologists, lawyers, media specialists. The Centre has always co-operated with other NGO and academic experts. This has guaranteed a comprehensive approach to different human rights issues by the Centre – conducting research, drafting analytical reports, conducting monitoring on human rights in Latvia, providing legal aid and analysing the legal framework in different human rights areas, participating in work groups and advisory councils at the parliament, ministries and municipalities, conducting training for different target groups, raising awareness and informing the public. LCHR has always co-operated with experts, institutions and NGOs from other countries, international organisations, especially in transferring good practises to promote the development of human rights in Latvia. The Centre’s current and former staff have become well know experts at the UN, Council of Europe and OSCE level.
The aim of the report is to give an historic insight into the foundation of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and the most significant activities of the organisation during its 30 years, thus to recognise the contribution of more than 50 individuals who worked in the Centre at different times, were its directors, members and Board members, co-operation partners and several tens of volunteers in the human rights development in Latvia. Although it is not possible to mention everyone in the report whose name is linked with the centres – every one of them has participated and contributed to the creation of modern human rights history in Latvia.
The Latvian Centre for Human Rights hopes that the report will be useful to those who are interested in the Centre’s work, want to research human rights development in Latvia and those who are looking for the inspiration to start or continue initiatives to improve human rights in Latvia.
The report on 30 years of activity of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights has been written within the project “Human Rights in Latvia – past, present, future” which is financially supported by the Society Integration Foundation from the Latvian state budget assigned to the Ministry of Culture. The Latvian Centre for Human Rights is solely responsible for the content of the report.
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Published: 2024-08-28