The RARE programme is designed to serve as an amplifier for those who raise their voices against the backsliding of rule of law and the shrinking of civic space across Europe. We equip key European Human Rights organisations with the two things that are crucial for their success: high-quality training for their staff and a solidarity alliance with a joint vision.
RARE provides participants with a space to exchange experiences and to ideate new approaches to human rights advocacy. Regular workshops over a period of two years allow them to develop a joint strategic action plan on priority issues. The group develops a strategy that responds to the expertise, resources and networks that are available in their emerging community of practice.
Upon meeting for the first time in March 2021, the RARE cohort defined their expectations towards the programme and developed a vision of what their future cooperation could look like. The group identified the rule of law and civic space in Europe as fundamental and cross-cutting issues that need protection, and decided to channel their efforts towards raising awareness for their protection.
In different working groups participants continued to develop an advocacy strategy and campaigns on these issues while sharpening their skills and knowledge over the course of eight follow-up workshops. They explored new tools and expanded their network through various side-events and expert panels that offered opportunities for sharing insights and face-to-face exchanges with practitioners from EU and international human rights institutions.
Strategic objectives of RARE
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Capacity building
Provide key European civil society organisations advocating for human rights protection within the EU with tailor-made upskilling opportunitties. -
Alliance building
Create a strong, sustainable pan-European community of practice among human rights defenders that regularly joins forces accross borders and portfolios towards concrete human rights campaigns and advocacy efforts.
What makes RARE special?
Let the RARE participants speak for themselves!
In this video some of them explain who they are, what they fight for in their daily human rights work, and what the programme can offer them.
Márta Pardavi and Pepijn Gerrits of the project steering group shed light on how the idea of RARE was born and why the programme is so important.
RARE will...
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... be the beginning of regular cooperation and lasting solidarity across countries and initiatives.
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...enhance impact of participating organisations' individual and joint advocacy efforts to protect civic space and rule of law.
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... enhance participating organisations' profile and capacity to jointly defend themselves and civil society against threaths.
