In the workshop, which will be facilitated by Tommaso Nodari from Civil Rights Defenders, we will look at what human rights advocacy is and why the EU is an interesting target for it. We will also skim through the EU's main relevant institutions and understand better how human rights activists from Turkey can influence the accession process. We will also look into the current situation of Turkey, following the latest geopolitical and human rights developments, as well as the latest Commission report’s release. 

Participants will get an overview of the European Institutions and the role they play, especially for what concerns the EU’s foreign action. Participants will also get a sense of which European institutions are interesting avenues for human rights advocacy and what they can do. With a specific focus on Turkey, a country formally in the EU accession process, we will look at the main actors involved and what they can do to support civil society. 

Participants will also receive very practical tips and reports of personal experience of engaging with EU politicians and officials on human rights matters.The presentation of opportunities for advocacy at the EU can be preceded by a more general discussion on advocacy, and in particular international advocacy and the role it can play as part of civil society’s strategy. We will also look into how to present one’s case more effectively in a report or a meeting.

  • The workshop will be conducted on  Wednesday, October 20, from 10.00 am - 13.30 pm  (UTC+3) at the 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory. 
  • The language of the workshop will be English with simultaneous translation to Turkish.
  • It will be a participatory interactive workshop with group studies and discussion.
  • Participation is limited to 15 people.

Tommaso Nodari

Tommaso Nodari is Civil Rights Defenders’ Programme Officer in Brussels. He is in charge of the organisation’s relations with the European Union and of monitoring the EU institution’s stance on human rights in all CRD’s target countries. He holds an LLM in International Law from the University of Edinburgh and a MSc in Law from Bocconi University. Before joining CRD in September 2018, Tommaso worked for the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) for 4 years. He also had brief experiences at the European Commission and at the Italian embassy in The Hague and has held several volunteer positions within CISV International, a peace education youth organisation.

This project is funded by the European Union.