Democracy is sustained not only by institutions, but also by people who unite around shared values and take action — through volunteer networks, civil society organizations, and human rights initiatives. These structures often emerge in response to crises, but over time become reliable pillars of society and the state.
We organize Coffee with Human Rights Defenders at Docudays UA to support the efforts of our colleagues and to raise difficult yet important human rights issues together, and now we are ready to announce this year’s programme.
Coffee with Human Rights Defenders is a discussion platform within the RIGHTS NOW! Human Rights Programme that, year after year, brings together leading human rights defenders, experts, and civil society actors around various dimensions of human rights, overcoming the challenges and consequences of the war, while creating a space for open conversation, the analysis of uncomfortable questions, and the collective search for solutions.
This year, eight professional civil society organizations joined the co-creation of the section. Over morning coffee, we will discuss the ethics of new technologies, the language of justice, accountability for war crimes, life under occupation, and the return and reintegration of Ukrainians.
Who are we having coffee with today?
On 6 June, together with the team from NGO Women in Media, we will address the use of artificial intelligence as a tool of pressure, intimidation, and discreditation targeting women media professionals, why this poses a threat to Ukrainian society during the war, and what can already be done about it today.
Together with colleagues from the ZMINA Human Rights Center, on 7 June, we will discuss the lives of millions of Ukrainians who have remained under occupation or left it — and where the line lies between necessary security measures and the arbitrary restriction of people’s rights to protection, documentation, and connection with their own country.
The topic of occupation and reintegration will continue on 8 June with an event by the Ukrainian Children’s Rights Network: what is needed to ensure that children and young people who have been returned from temporarily occupied territories or deportation can restore their lives in Ukraine and are not left alone with the consequences of what they have experienced.
On 9 June, experts from the Regional Center for Human Rights and the Almenda Center for Civic Education invite audiences to a discussion about the country’s future and the cost of losing people in the temporarily occupied territories — our key value — focusing on the legal, demographic, and economic aspects of the issue and ways to address it.
How wide is the gap between the expectations of victims of war crimes and the actual capacities of the justice system, and how can we speak honestly about the limits of justice — without illusions, but also without cynicism? On 10 June, we will reflect on these questions at an event organized by the Media Initiative for Human Rights.
On the final day of the programme, 11 June, together with representatives of the Coalition of Cultural Actors and the Raphael Lemkin Society, we will focus on the question of proving Russia’s genocidal intent in this war, particularly the specifics of documenting crimes against Ukrainian culture and the role of different actors in this process: civil society, journalists, and documenters.
How can you attend the discussions?
Find detailed announcements of the Coffee with Human Rights Defenders events in the dedicated section of the programme on the website, and start your day with conversations that truly matter.
Most of the Coffee with Human Rights Defenders events will take place at a new venue — the open air Lectorium in front of Zhovten Cinema — from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.on weekends and from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on weekdays. Please note that the June 6 event with NGO Women in Media will be held on the terrace of BURSA Hotel (1818 bar) and requires prior registration. Admission to all other Coffee events is free.
The 23rd Docudays UA is held with the financial support of the European Union, the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, and the State Film Agency of Ukraine. The views, conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the governments of these countries. The authors alone are responsible for the content of this publication.
