“In an age of sometimes false, and often too much information, it is difficult for human rights
organizations to decide how much time to devote to which of our world’s manifold problems,” writes Wolfgang Kaleck, ECCHR’s general secretary, in our 2019 Annual Report.
Climate change and related environmental destruction dominated the news in 2019, but for us as a human rights organization, there were, and continue to be, many challenges and cases besides the ecological crisis in which we use legal means to support those affected by human rights violations.
Be it in Syria or Yemen, or along Europe’s external borders – people’s political, civil, economic and social rights are suspended or violated around the world. War, repression, the exploitation of natural resources, as well as the consequences of the current coronavirus crisis will worsen many people’s living conditions.
There is good news, however. We are far from alone in fighting for human rights. Many organizations, individuals and protest movements, especially amongst the younger generation, are outspoken in working on behalf of others, including the most marginalized in our societies. This gives us hope and strength every day to fight for a fairer and more united world. ECCHR’s 2019 Annual Report shows our work towards this aim over the past year.
Artist Mari Bastashevski generously allowed us to reprint works from her State Business series in the report.
