The Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) is an informal grouping of 43 NGOs operating at the EU-level in the broader areas of human rights, democracy and peacebuilding. It was created in 2004 and mainly operates in Brussels.

Purpose

HRDN aims at influencing the EU and its Member States’s policies and funding instruments to promote democracy, human rights and peace: ‘HRDN’s vision is that human rights and democracy are placed at the heart of the EU's internal and external policy agenda. This vision should manifest itself in an EU which effectively protects human rights at home and is a force for positive change in the world.’

Activities

HRDN members gather once every six weeks in Brussels to exchange information and discuss potential joint advocacy activities, for instance the preparation and publication of common positions and recommendations. Activities are coordinated by a troika, whose representatives are elected among the member organisations during the annual meetings of the network. To draft common positions or organise joint events, informal working groups are temporarily established. All member organisations of the network can join these working groups. Current policy working groups are focused on the following issues: * the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR){{Cite web, url=http://www.eidhr.eu/, title=Eid Hr – A blog about all sorts of discrimination towards minorities, language=en, access-date=2019-06-04, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190615194516/http://www.eidhr.eu/, archive-date=2019-06-15, url-status=dead *

the European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

Member Organisations

* Agir ensemble pour les droits de l'homme *

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

* Association for the Prevention of Torture * Christian Blind Mission *

Coalition for the International Criminal Court The Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) is an international network of NGOs, with a membership of over 2,500 organizations worldwide advocating for a fair, effective and independent International Criminal Court (ICC). Coalition NG ...

Conference of European Churches Christian Solidarity Worldwide
CIDSE
* Club of Madrid
DEMAS
*

Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network EuroMed Rights, formerly the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN, French: Réseau euro-mediterranéen des droits de l'Homme) is a network of 80 human rights organisations, institutions and individuals based in 30 countries in Europe a ...

European Association for the Defense of Human Rights (AEDH)

European Partnership for Democracy

European Peacebuilding Liaison Office European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) is the independent civil society platform of European NGOs, NGO networks and think tanks which are committed to peacebuilding, and the prevention of violent conflict. Mission statement The organisati ...

Front Line Defenders Front Line Defenders, or The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, is an Irish-based human rights organisation founded in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland in 2001 to protect those who work non-violently to uph ...

Harm Reduction International Harm Reduction International, formerly known as International Harm Reduction Association, describes itself as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and works with ...

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Without Frontiers ILGA-Europe

International Centre for Transitional Justice The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) was founded in 2001 as a non-profit organization dedicated to pursuing accountability for mass atrocity and human rights abuse through transitional justice mechanisms. ICTJ officially ope ...

International Dalit Solidarity Network
International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (

FIACAT The International Federation of ACATs, FIACAT, is an international, non-governmental, Christian human rights organisation, created in 1987, which fights for the abolition of torture and the death penalty. The Federation brings together some thi ...

)

International Federation of Human Rights The International Federation for Human Rights (french: Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; FIDH) is a non-governmental federation for human rights organizations. Founded in 1922, FIDH is the third oldest international h ...

(FIDH)

International Partnership for Human Rights International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) is an international non-governmental human rights organization with its seat in Brussels, Belgium. It was established in the spring of 2008. It is a non-profit organization (NGO, registered with th ...

International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 19 ...

Justitia et Pax
La Strada International Association Light for the World Minority Rights Group International

Open Society Foundations Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is a Grant (money), grantmaking network founded and chaired by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the wo ...

Partners for Democratic Change International Partners for Democratic Change International (PDCI) is a global partnership of Partners for Democratic Change (Partners) and the nineteen independent, local organizations partners founded in Europe, the Americas, Middle East, and Africa that wor ...

Peace Brigades International Penal Reform International Plan EU Office

Protection International Protection International (PI) is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs). Its stated mission is to enhance the security and the protection of "threatened civil society actors with non-v ...

Quaker Council for European Affairs

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...

Save the Children Search for Common Ground Terre des Hommes International Foundation

World Coalition Against the Death Penalty The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty is an international alliance of NGOs, bar associations, local governments and trade unions that aims to strengthen the international dimension of the fight against the death penalty. Objective and ...

World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) World Vision International

References

Human rights organisations based in Belgium