Fundamental Rights Forum 4.0
takes shape

With less than two months to go, the fourth Fundamental Rights Forum is shaping up to be yet another landmark event in the human rights calendar.

The Fora were conceived as regular events, as opportunities to share know-how, network and reach consensus around key human rights challenges.

Building on previous Fora, Vienna will host the Fundamental Rights Forum 2024 from 11 to 12 March. It will offer opportunities to connect, reflect and act on the pressing human rights issues facing us today.

This time the focus will be on the fundamental rights impact of climate change, technological advances and challenges to democracy and civic space.

The event will bring together human rights leaders and experts, and people from diverse backgrounds such as business, finance, technology, sports and the arts.

Young people will also feature prominently in the event.

The youth dimension and diversity of participants from unique and varied groups have over the years been a hallmark of the Forum.

For example, young people took centre stage during the 2021 Forum sharing their human rights concerns and aspirations. They also spoke about the impact of Covid-19 on youth rights and what needed to be done to build back better and address structural barriers to youth inclusion.

During over 145 different sessions, discussions centred on six themes: digitalisation, fighting hate and discrimination, migration, social rights, strengthening human rights practices, and defending the rule of law and securing access to justice.

The rich discussions enabled FRA to draw invaluable lessons on how the human rights community can pull together to better protect fundamental rights across Europe.

The 2021 Forum built on conversations from the second Fundamental Rights Forum in September 2018. There, over 700 human rights champions gathered to share ideas and expertise across six major themes: disinformation, technology, culture, inclusion, rightsholders, and rebuilding trust.

After three days of lively debate, FRA captured the various calls to action that participants made during the event to counter the human rights threats facing Europe.

At the event, FRA committed to continue to be a strong bridge between governments, institutions, and society, bringing together diverse voices and then reflect their human rights concerns to EU governments.

This statement of intent was already included in shaping the first-ever Forum that took place from 20 to 23 June 2016. FRA used it convening power to unite the human rights world and rightsholders with leaders from other walks of life.

In 2016, the focus was on inclusion, refugee protection, the digital age. Each day participants explored the themes from different perspectives innovation, rights rights-based governance, empowering rights holders and fundamental rights-compliant sustainable growth.

Already then, participants highlighted the need to pull together to mainstream rights in all policy decisions and build a strong human rights culture across Europe.

Learn more about the previous Fora.

FRA/Voglhuber, 2021