This year, for the co-creation of Coffee with Human Rights Defenders at the 23rd Docudays UA, we’ve traditionally invited civil society organisations working across different dimensions of human rights — from violations people have faced for years to new challenges related to the war. Over the course of a month, 34 Ukrainian and international initiatives applied to the competition, and today we are pleased to announce the results of the selection.
Coffee with Human Rights Defenders is a discussion platform of the RIGHTS NOW! Human Rights Programme that brings together leading human rights defenders, experts from civil society organisations, and actors of the civic sector around complex, sensitive, and critically important topics, fostering the exchange of professional experience and the search for solutions in a free format.
To find partners with whom we will shape the programme of the morning section and hold six public events during the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in June 2026 in Kyiv, we announced an open call that ran from 20 January to 20 February.
“We received very strong and meaningful applications with clear programme ideas, relevant topics, and a deep understanding of how to speak about human rights during the war. Many organisations proposed formats that combine expertise with live dialogue and audience engagement, so the choice was truly difficult.
“This year, we selected more organisations, as some partners will hold joint discussions, combining their expertise around important topics. For us, Coffee with Human Rights Defenders is a space for open professional conversation, where new partnerships emerge and honest discussions take place about responsibility, justice, people’s experiences in the war, and the role of civil society in the country’s recovery,” says Anastasiia Bahalika, Director of the Human Rights Department of NGO Docudays.
After a thorough review of the applications, the following civil society organisations and associations will take part in the Coffee with Human Rights Defenders section:
We are grateful to all the organisations that joined the call for your trust, initiative, and willingness to act together, as well as for the daily efforts you make to uphold and protect human rights in this difficult time. We hope to have the opportunity to cross paths at other events and projects and will be glad to meet at the festival!
Main photo: Stas Kartashov
