News
June 20, 2018
The city of Trento makes a step forward in supporting human rights defenders
Between 16th and 18th June we participated in meetings in Italy to discuss and support the city of Trento’s committment to human rights defenders and its steps towards establishing a Shelter City.
On January 31st the Council of the Autonomous Province of Trento adopted Motion 19 on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders.
This motion showcases the city’s committment to initiating the process to become the first Shelter City in Italy and offer a safe and inspiring space to human rights defenders.
During the two days in Italy, the director of Justice & Peace Sebastiaan van der Zwaan presented Shelter City and our work in these past 5 years.
We also took part in a one-day “How to Protect Human Rights Defenders” workshop organized by the Autonomous Province of Trento, In Difesa Di, Trentino forum for Peace and Human Rights. During the workshop participants working on supporting human rights defenders had the opportunity to compare experiences, best practices, and suggestions on how to move forward.
At the end of these two days a final document based on the workshop was presented in Rome by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Tha attendees included representatives from OCSE, European authorities, the University of York, Protect Defenders EU, and Protection International.
We are looking forward to continuing our coooperation with Italian authorities and organizations and supporting them in the next steps towards the creation of a Shelter City.