In addition to our international UN advocacy work, we run a European advocacy project, known as the European Policy Forum, which brings together 21 of our European Member and Associate organizations.
The European Policy Forum is a project created at the end of 2022 in order to help coordinate European humanist organizations in the area of European advocacy. Forum members work in concert to strengthen human rights advocacy within Europe, including at the European Union institutions and Council of Europe. The project is funded by its 21 members.
The Forum is coordinated by Humanists International’s European Advocacy Officer who works with the Forum members to help inform our advocacy goals in Europe and better connect members to share good practice and work on common campaigns.
The European Advocacy Officer advocates on priority human rights at the European institutions and also looks to ensure Forum members are kept up to date in terms of the changing political landscape of European institutions and emerging trends, via updates and briefings.
The Forum meets at least quarterly and members are encouraged and supported to share news and strategies in the national context, and get advice and support from each other, and the European Advocacy Officer, on advocacy campaigns and activities.
The Forum has produced a European Humanist pledge ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections, in order to ensure that European humanist voters can more easily identify candidates to vote for, whilst also offering an opportunity for European Humanists to outline their priorities and values in the context of the European elections.
See the list of Forum members here.
Image used in banner by Antoine Schibler on Unsplash.