Democracy & Human Rights

Democracy is a liberal political system as well as a utopian ideal that we all aspire to. It takes its driving power from active citizens at both the local and global level. In our debates and publications we discuss the current issues that are important for the future of democracy and the question of further European integration, participation, civic engagement, and green politics, both in Poland and abroad. The point of departure for us is the post-war history of Europe, especially the political transformation and cost of demolishing former European divisions from the point of view of individual states and their citizens.

Programme Coordination

Aleksandra Janowska

Head of Democracy and Human Rights Program

Events

June

Event Friday, 16. June 2023

The role of illiberalism in shaping European debates

Online/Offline Debate

Latest articles

Society & Participation

Journalism in Ukraine: When the war is not only informational

Report

The once lively scene of local and national Ukrainian media is threatened by the brutal Russian invasion and occupation. War has changed the work of journalists and media business models are under threat.

By Inna Nelles

Cascading risks to media pluralism and a European approach to tackle them

Background

The media systems of Europe are facing challenges from multiple directions. Elda Brogi explains the European approach to tackle them.

By Elda Brogi

“Be careful out there, in that Gypsy district” – anti-gypsyism in a war situation

According to the European Agency for Fundamental Rights data, Roma are the most persecuted minority in Europe. During the 49th session of the Human Rights Council, the international organization Minority Rights Group (MRG), operating in Ukraine, alarmed that human rights violations against Roma and Roma women have significantly increased since the beginning of Russian aggression.

By Elżbieta Mirga-Wójtowicz and Kamila Fiałkowska

More about "Society & Participation"

Gender Democracy

What will Happen if I Use my Voice?

Interview

Gendered disinformation online silences women in the public sphere. The disinformation and democratization expert Nina Jankowicz explains how.

By Claudia Rothe, Nina Jankowicz and Georg McCutcheon

Abortion rights in the United States: The end of Roe v. Wade

Interview

On Monday night, a surprise draft ruling by conservative Justice Samuel Alito was released in the U.S. indicating that a majority on the Supreme Court wants to reverse the legalization of abortions. Ella Müller, director of the Democracy Program at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Washington, DC, puts this impending caesura and the political developments behind it in context.

By Ella Müller and Carl Roberts

Where are the Ukrainian women? Respecting female voices now and in post-war times

Commentary

The Russian invasion of Ukraine tragically continues with brutal shelling of civilian targets, escalating into a humanitarian catastrophe. At the forefront of all this is the masculinity of war which caused these horrors in the first place, and which allows for ignoring the voices of Ukrainian women at all levels.

By Míla O'Sullivan

More about "Gender Democracy"

Publications

Annual Report 2021

Annual report

As we write this in March of 2022, our review of the year 2021 is overshadowed by Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. Because of this, not only foreign policy, but also domestic politics have now entered a new era.

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The Impact of Covid-19 on Ukrainian Women Migrants in Poland

A report by the 'Nasz Wybór Foundation' published in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw documents how COVID-19 and measures introduced by the state administration to curb its spread have affected migrant women from Ukraine. It also includes a list of actions that the authors of the report believe should be taken by the state, selected institutions and social organisations.

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