The Human Rights Platform in Portugal was formalized in September 2020, with the aim of bringing together and strengthening the civil society space in order to have a greater impact on the protection of human rights.

Currently composed of around 30 member organizations, the association is holding an international conference on October 2 at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation on the synergies between organizations and the challenges facing the area of human rights. In attendance will be the UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention and former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders (2014-2020), Michel Forst, Maria Amor Estébanez, from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Katrien Meuwissen, Human Rights Team Leader at the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions, among others. At this conference, there will also be space and opportunity to hear about experiences of networking between civil society organizations in Portugal.

The conference will take place in Auditorium 2 of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. The morning will be free access. In the afternoon, two workshops – “Communication for the visibility of the work of civil society” and “Sustainability and Applications for Funding” – aimed at representatives of civil society organizations, are intended to promote joint reflection, the exchange of practices and the sharing of tools. Prior registration is required.

The Human Rights Platform in Portugal began to be implemented in September 2020 under the leadership of Amnesty International Portugal, in consortium with Akto, ACTUAR, ILGA, FENACERCI, APMJ, APF and IGC, and with the support of the Active Citizens Program promoted by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Bissaya Barreto Foundation.