In 2024, the Human Rights Guide made significant advancements, particularly in Latvia, expanding its reach and impact. Our commitment to expanding resources and accessibility has empowered individuals and organizations across the Baltic region and internationally.

Key Updates in Latvia

The Latvian Human Rights Guide saw substantial updates in 2024, emphasizing practical tools and critical topics.

A new theme was developed  to shed light on the global issue of human trafficking, detailing its manifestations, preventative measures, and ways to support victims. This theme helps to find out about what human trafficking is, how criminal proceedings in cases of human trafficking should be conducted, and the types of social rehabilitation services for victims of human trafficking that are offered and funded by the State.

In response to the historic introduction of legal partnerships in Latvia earlier this year, a new section on partnerships was added to the Latvian Human Rights Guide . The new section aims to educate citizens about their rights and obligations under the Partnership Act while addressing unresolved issues that still affect couples, particularly same-sex partners.

In October new non-governmental organizations and state institutions were added to the theme of “Organizations that can help you” . The theme “Organizations That Can Help You”  brings together organizations - some of which work with human rights in general, while others support particular groups in society and protect specific rights. This helps people more easily discover where to seek help.

International Expansion and Collaboration

2024 brought over 20 new themes, 50+ rights, and 20+ tests to the Guides, creating enriched educational tools. These additions are tailored to diverse audiences, ensuring inclusivity and relevance. Each theme, right and test is adapted to the national contexts.

This year marked the debut of the Guide in Croatia. The Guide in Croatia was launched in April of 2024, becoming the 11th country in which the Guide is available. The launch was accompanied with an outdoor campaign and a launch event in Zagreb. The panel discussion hosted  presentations of research publications on legal support for victims of human rights violations, addressing the shortcommings, challenges and obstacles identified by civil society organisations and discussing possible solutions, steps forward and improvements.

The Guide was also actively promoted in France where, in a week-long campaign in February unveiled the Human Rights Guide in a series of vibrant outdoor displays across the Normandy region. A key feature of the campaign was its conscientious approach towards environmental sustainability. Embracing eco-responsible targeting, the initiative utilized Green Offer printing techniques, employing recycled paper and vegetable-based inks to minimize its ecological footprint. 

In June the project "Human Rights Guide - human rights education for strengthening the respect of rule of law and democratic values"  was launched, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia. Within the framework of the project, the Human Rights Guide will be introduced in Armenia with the help of our partners - Europe in Law NGO.

The Human Rights Guide was also present in many other events across our partner countries. In May a discussion on the interaction between human rights and climate issues was hosted in Latvia. The event highlighted, on the one hand, how climate change threatens human rights and, on the other, how human rights protection mechanisms can contribute to mitigating climate change. In August BHRS welcomed partners from EU East Partnership countries  - Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Armenia – in Riga for a Human Rights Guide workshop. In November a roundtable discussion in Chisinau  highlighted the expansion of the Human Rights Guide for Moldova. In December the Guide was introduced in Armenia  and in Ukraine a Seminar-Quiz event was hosted .

This year the Institute for Human Rights and Democracy Education took over the work of the previous partner organization in developing and updating the Guide in Lithuania.  The Institute houses experts both that already have worked with the Guide before but also new faces that we are happy to see brought on the growing team of the Guide.

 The Guide ended the year with celebration as it was awarded the Erasmus+ Quality Award "Spārni 2024" at a ceremony organised by the State Education Development Agency. The prize is awarded for the development and sustainable implementation of high-quality projects, highlighting projects that enrich the educational environment, foster innovation and contribute to the development of society.

 

Development has also already begun on two entirely new themes for the Guide, set to further advance the Guide's offerings and impact in the coming year. During 2025 themes on environment and technology will be developed. The new themes aim to help people better understand their human rights in relation to two key emerging challenges: the rapid advancement of new technologies and the increasing threats posed by climate change and environmental neglect. The themes entered the development stage in 2024, and will be published in Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian Human Rights Guides in 2025.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this year’s progress—your engagement fuels our mission to make human rights education accessible and actionable for all.

 

The Human Rights Guide was created with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of the Netherlands Embassy in Latvia, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office’s Nordplus Education Programme, the European Union’s Erasmus+ Programme, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia and the Active Citizens Fund.

The Human Rights Guide in Eastern Partnership countries is being financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia under the "Development Cooperation Projects and International Aid" Programme. The project in Eastern partnership countries is being supported by its associate partners the Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia, the Riga Graduate School of Law, 2022 Nobel prize winner Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine), the People's Advocate of Moldova, the Equality Council of Moldova and the Grigol Robakidze University Georgia.