On 19 May, the third Council of Europe Human Rights Day took place in Tampere, Finland, bringing together more than 200 participants - online and in person - from Finnish state administration, civil society, academia, and the Council of Europe. The event focused on the theme "Participation, influence, responsibility - Civil society as part of democracy."
In a video message, Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, set the tone: "Democracy is not something we have; it is something we do - together, every day, through our participation, influence, and responsibility as members of civil society." He underlined that the quality of democracy is closely tied to the vitality of civil society.
Held at the University of Tampere, the event also marked two milestones: 75 years since the adoption of the European Convention on Human Rights and 35 years since Finland ratified it.
In his introductory remarks, the Vice Rector of Tampere University, Antti Lönnqvist, underscored the university's role in critical analysis and dissemination of societal knowledge, referring to projects such as the ALL-YOUTH project and Digiraati, aimed at "exploring young people's capacities and the obstacles to their engagement [...] and developing digital tools with NGOs to give youth equal opportunities to make their voices heard."
Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, highlighted key initiatives from the Congress's work. Other speakers included Prof. Dr. Antoine Buyse (Utrecht University), Niina Laajapuro (Policy Director of Amnesty International Finland), Anu Juvonen (Executive Director, Demo Finland), and youth delegates.
The event was organised by Demo Finland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Human Rights Centre, the Association of Local and Regional Authorities, the University of Tampere, and the City of Tampere.
Council of Europe Human Rights Day is part of the campaign "The Council of Europe - a story to tell," which aims to raise awareness of the Council's values, work, and impact across its member states.
