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Reposted by ECNL

Commissioner for Human Rights @commissionerhr.coe.int · 1d

Europe's civil society #HumanRightsDefenders are under threat:
-Restrictive legislation
-Crackdown on activists & harassment
-Severe funding crisis
@coe.int states & non-state funders should stand up for civil society, the lifeblood & pillar of democratic society. ⬇️
www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

Alarming trends: the crisis facing civil society and human rights defenders in Europe

Strasbourg 09/10/2025

www.coe.int

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Forus @forusinternational.bsky.social · 1d

🗞️ New #CADE Newsletter (Aug/Sept 2025) is here!

🌐 Explore how CSOs are shaping #DigitalRights & #InternetGovernance
🤝 Read partner updates from across the globe
💡 Discover tools for a more inclusive digital future

👉 Read it now: cadeproject.org/newsletters/...

#LetsTalkDigital #civilsociety

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ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · 1d

❔Have you registered yet for our upcoming webinar on AI & Democracy?
Explore with us both the risks and opportunities that AI presents for democratic systems and public participation.
📅 October 14, 2025
🕑 14:00 – 15:30 CET
✏️ Make sure to secure your spot today here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

A woman in black and white from the side, in the background black and white mountain and network in a brain shape.

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ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · 3d

"Young people are not disengaged – they are redefining #participation."

💡 A must-read from @europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu on the lessons structured systems of civic participation can learn from the way young people mobilise. 👇

European Democracy Hub @europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu · 29d

📖 Often labelled as “youth”, young people are taken into account only when it comes to youth issues or in limited spaces like youth councils.

In search of alternative routes, they are developing new forms of civic engagement, rewriting the rules of political participation.

Latest article 👇

Misunderstanding Youth Activism: How Young People Are Rewriting Democracy

Youth activism is redefining democracy as young people create new paths of participation and inclusive political change.

europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu

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Forus @forusinternational.bsky.social · 3d

💻 You’ve heard of human rights — but what about digital rights?

From censorship to internet shutdowns, our online freedoms are under threat.

🎥 Watch the new #CADE video: Yhttps://youtu.be/bZzKmZFHA1w?si=bBX5DHyUXOLNhGiz

#DigitalRights #LetsTalkDigital #OnlineFreedom

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ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · 8d

#AI impact assessments without #participation of affected groups are just empty, tick-box exercises that don’t address the real-life #HumanRights concerns.

A new report from @cecuconsumo.bsky.social shows how #CivilSociety makes the process more transparent, inclusive and impactful. ‪⤵️

CECU @cecuconsumo.bsky.social · 22d

🚨 ¡Nuevo informe clave! 📘Descubre cómo las evaluaciones de impacto (EIDFs) en derechos fundamentales pueden ser la primera línea de defensa frente a los riesgos de la IA.
🔗 cecu.es/publicacione...
#IAConDerechos

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ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · 8d

🔥 New resource by @maecenata.bsky.social exposes the harmful logic behind narratives that want to deligitimise civil society & its democratic work.

For fact-based arguments & hard data on civil society in Germany, see the factsheet, now also available in English.

▶️ www.maecenata.eu/wp-content/u...

ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · 9d

🌈 Together with @liberties.eu and the HCLU, we urge the European Commission to uphold the #AIAct in Hungary and protect the participants of the Pecs #Pride from #AI #surveillance. 👀

#FacialRecognition #FundamentalRights

Read our letter here:
ecnl.org/news/civil-s...

Civil society urges the European Commission to uphold the AI Act in Hungary

ECNL, Liberties and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union call on the EU to protect Pecs Pride participants from AI surveillance.

ecnl.org

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ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · 9d

💡 How can we ensure that #AI strengthens rather than undermines our #democracies?
Join ECNL & Make.org for a webinar on aligning AI with democratic values.

📅 Oct 14 | 14:00–15:30 CET

✏️ Secure your free spot today here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

AI & Democracy: How to make AI safe for democracy? Date: 14 Oct 2025
Time: 14:00-15:30 CET
A woman in black and white from the side, in the background black and white mountain and network in a brain shape.

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ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · 16d

‼️ Urgent action is needed to ensure the rights enshrined in the #AIAct are upheld, not left as hollow promises.

⏰ The DDL to appoint bodies that will enforce the AI Act has come and gone.

We joined 30 orgs to call on gov'ts & the Commission to keep the AI Act national implementation on track. ⤵️

CDT Europe @cdteu.org · 16d

📢 Together with 30 CSOs, we sent a letter to the European Commission and MSs to urge them to uphold their commitment to swiftly implement the #AI Act, without any delay or reopening of the legislation, and appoint national competent authorities.

👇🏻 Read the full statement: cdt.org/insights/joi...

Joint CSOs Open Letter on Keeping the AI Act National Implementation on Track

CDT Europe, together with 30 other civil society organisations, wrote an open letter to the European Commission and Member States to express our concerns regarding the timely implementation of the AI ...

cdt.org

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Open Gov Partnership @opengovpartnership.org · 17d

📢 Take action for open & inclusive democracy—endorse the Vitoria-Gasteiz Declaration!

Ahead of #OGPSummit, join this global call to protect democracy, boost transparency & tackle shared challenges.

👉 Endorse by Oct 7: opengovpartnership.org/vitoria-gasteiz-declaration/

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Forus @forusinternational.bsky.social · 28d

📢 Register now!

Civil society must be central to digital governance!

Join the @CADE_project consortium for the launch of our Mapping & Baseline Study (EN/FR/ES/PT). Discover barriers, solutions & next steps for inclusive participation.

🔗 us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

#CADE

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ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · 18d

📣 Call to CSOs in Europe: Have your say in a new COE study on civil society restrictions!

📆 DDL: September 25

More info here:
www.coe.int/en/web/civil...

Call to NGOs in Europe to contribute to a new study on “Recent national developments that actually or potentially undermine the ability of NGOs to operate”

The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organisation, bringing together governments to build a future based on human rights, democracy and justice.

www.coe.int

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CASE Coalition @casecoalition.bsky.social · Sep 2

🚨 Launching the European Anti-SLAPP Monitor!

Developed by @ecpmf.bsky.social & @casecoalition.bsky.social, the tool shows how countries across Europe are rolling out anti-SLAPP protections – where progress is happening, where it’s stalled, and where more work is needed.‬

👉 Go to: slapp-monitor.eu

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Notes from the Faultline @faultlinenotes.bsky.social · 25d

Europe’s real security challenge is to reclaim democracy.
Defending civic space, participation and human rights must be a core pillar of EU security policy, as @florianirminger.ch and @vanjasko.bsky.social wrote for @ecnl.bsky.social

🔗 ecnl.org/news/europes...

Europe’s Real Security Challenge: Reclaiming Democracy

In this blog Vanja Skoric and Florian Irminger argue that defending civic space, public participation and human rights must become a core pillar of EU security policy.

ecnl.org

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Reposted by ECNL

Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) @corporateeurope.org · Sep 9

Tomorrow, von der Leyen will address the EU Parliament with her SOTEU speech. Today, civil society and trade unions delivered a very clear message in a statement signed by 470 organisations: we need rules to protect people and the environment!

corporateeurope.org/en/2025/09/o...

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ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · Sep 10

🔴 #Belarus aims to punish anyone who spreads information about #LGBTIQ, gender transition, and childlessness!

The new law attempts to demonise social groups, as well as drastically restrict people's privacy and #FreedomOfExpression.

Read more in the #CSOMeter update:

Belarus set to punish information on LGBTIQ, childlessness and gender transition

The draft law aims to treat information not accepted by the government as “propaganda” and expands the grounds for restricting freedom of expression and the right to privacy.

csometer.info

ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · Sep 10

🔥🔥🔥 Exciting new initiative that puts young people at the centre of digital change! 👇

Forus @forusinternational.bsky.social · Sep 9

🌍 CADE launches Youth Voices for Digital Rights!

15 young advocates from Africa, Asia, LatAm & Europe will help shape internet governance, build advocacy skills & co-create a Youth Manifesto.

👉 Learn more: www.forus-international.org/en/campaigns...

#DigitalRights #YouthVoices #CADE

CADE Youth Voices for Digital Rights | Forus

Our younger generations of digital natives are the first to have their entire lives encoded in digital data. As the biggest user group on social media platforms, and those feeling the consequences of emerging technologies the most, young people are deeply impacted by how the digital world is governe

www.forus-international.org

ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · Sep 9

Join us today for another Civic Journalism Coalition webinar with colleagues from AlgorithmWatch & the Weizenbaum Institut.

👀 We'll explore how journalists & civil society can work together under the EU #DigitalServicesAct to investigate Big Tech harms.

👉 Sign up: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · Sep 2

👀 Investigating #BigTech harms: A Civic Journalism Coalition Webinar by ECNL, EDRI & @lighthousereports.com

How can journalists & civil society use the Digital Services Act to access data on systemic harm caused by big online platforms?

Join on 9 Sept & find out ▶️ us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · Sep 9

🚨 🇳🇱 In their new annual thematic report, the Dutch national human rights institute sounds the alarm bell about shrinking #CivicSpace in the Netherlands! ⬇️

www.mensenrechten.nl/actueel/nieu...

Maatschappelijk middenveld in Nederland staat onder druk | College voor de Rechten van de Mens

De maatschappelijke ruimte in Nederland neemt af. De overheid doet bijvoorbeeld wetsvoorstellen die het demonstratierecht zouden kunnen inperken en de ruimte en tijd

www.mensenrechten.nl

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Notes from the Faultline @faultlinenotes.bsky.social · Sep 5

Today we hear Ethiopia is bidding to host #COP32 🌍📢🇪🇹

Another COP in a country where civic space is crushed, dissent silenced, human rights ignored. Can climate change be tackled without real civil society?

This is a crack we should hear — a faultline ⚡️

Demonstrators participate in a silent protest at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on November 10, 2022. © 2022 Peter Dejong/AP Photo

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ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · Sep 4

💡 The Financial Action Task Force #FATF has created a new procedure to address situations where countries implement anti-money laundering rules in ways that unintentionally harm legitimate organisations. How does this new process work?

🆕 Find out: ecnl.org/publications...

#HumanRights #AML #CFT

FATF Unintended consequences (UIC) Process: User-friendly guide. August, 2025

ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · Sep 2

👀 Investigating #BigTech harms: A Civic Journalism Coalition Webinar by ECNL, EDRI & @lighthousereports.com

How can journalists & civil society use the Digital Services Act to access data on systemic harm caused by big online platforms?

Join on 9 Sept & find out ▶️ us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

ECNL @ecnl.bsky.social · Aug 22

💻 As generative AI becomes more accessible, it is important for CSOs to approach its adoption with a human-centered perspective.
❔ How can GenAI tools be used for work-related activities in a safe and responsible manner?

Read our guide on the topic here: ecnl.org/news/learnin...