29th November 2023
On December 8th, Friday, the public is invited to attend the 6th National Forum on Human Rights (NFHR), which will be held at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. The annual event unites various social groups and provides a platform for different voices in order to ensure better quality of life for all residents of Lithuania regardless of their nationality, race, faith, gender, social status, or opinions.
The theme of this year’s forum, “There is a difference”, draws attention to social issues such as discrimination in the job market, gender inequality and exclusion based on nationality, faith, or disability.
“In six years, the National Forum on Human Rights has become an important platform dedicated to the discussion of the most relevant human rights issues. The event, which unites the state and non-governmental sectors as well as the academic and international communities, has set a discussion standard which is based on dialogue and mutual respect. For a number of years now, the human rights topics that appear on the forum’s program and the discussed potential methods of solving them serve as the basis for further discussion in society and for the adoption of the necessary political measures”, the forum’s coordinator, Vytautas Magnus University’s sociology Professor Milda Ališauskienė says.
The event, which will take place on the eve of the Human Rights Day, is dedicated to significant occasions: the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 30th anniversary of Lithuania’s membership in the Council of Europe.
This year, the forum invites audiences to 10 discussions that will be held by Lithuanian and foreign experts, activists, political and social figures, and journalists. They will focus on national minorities, people with disabilities, persons of different genders, older age, and other groups of society. Moreover, discussions will also be centred on assistance to victims of crime, contemporary antisemitism and islamophobia, as well as the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, Lithuania’s experiences and lessons in the European Court of Human Rights, and other topics.
The 6th National Forum on Human Rights will take place on December 8th, Friday, from 9 a.m. until 6.15 p.m., at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania (51 Gedimino pr., Vilnius). The forum’s program: https://nztf.lt/en. Registration: https://bit.ly/3MKRhjj
The forum will be streamed live on the NFHR’s YouTube channel and on Lrt.lt. The discussions held at the library’s Atrium Space will be live-streamed.
The forum is organized by: Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson, Lithuanian Disability Forum, Coalition of Human Rights Organizations, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office of the Republic of Lithuania, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Office of the Ombudsperson of Child’s Rights, and Vytautas Magnus University.
Organizational partners: the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Mykolas Romeris University, and the children and youth center Padėk Pritapti.
—–
Main sponsor: the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
Main information partner: Lrt.lt.
Information partner: manoteises.lt.
Sponsors: Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands, Department for the Affairs of the Disabled under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, and the European Commission.
Partners: the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania.