Eurasia Programs
Through a robust portfolio of projects on the ground, emergency assistance, international advocacy, and special research Freedom House supports citizens and civic groups across the Eurasia region to actively participate in reforms, seek accountability for injustice, and implement meaningful ways to engage citizens as allies and supporters.
Freedom House works across the Eurasia region to support human rights defenders and civil society organizations in their quest for resilience and sustainability at the time of the most brutal assault on democracy and human rights values. Through targeted support, technical assistance, and empirical research, Freedom House and its local partners identify ways to galvanize citizens to actively defend and advance their freedoms, make informed choices about their livelihoods, support civic initiatives, and regularly contribute to the well-being and development of their communities and countries. Freedom House directly implements activities and supports partners’ work to bolster public demand for the rule of law and to strengthen civil society engagement in reform and public oversight. Freedom House also implements cross-border initiatives that provide a critical opportunity for civic groups and professionals across the region to learn from each other and jointly develop new approaches to shared challenges.
Working in concert with its local partners, Freedom House engages decision makers at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the European Parliament, the UN bodies, and the U.S. Congress to seek international accountability for impunity for rights violations across the Eurasia region.
Armenia
Freedom House works in Armenia to create spaces for dialogue among civil society, the government, policymakers, journalists, and the public to combat disinformation and defend democracy and fundamental freedoms. Entitled Advancing Democratic Culture in Armenia, the Freedom House project creates spaces for dialogue among civil society, the government, policymakers, journalists, and the public. Through research and analysis, support for grassroots initiatives, media literacy activities, advocacy, and convenings, Freedom House and partners aim to identify best practices to address disinformation in order to defend democracy and human rights in Armenia.
Belarus
Freedom House’s programmatic work in Belarus aims to support democratic governance, human rights, civil society development, and independent media. Freedom House has been engaged in Belarus for more than a decade through its advocacy, small grant and training programs, targeted assistance, and research and monitoring.
Moldova
Freedom House strengthens democratic development in Moldova, with a focus on promoting the rule of law, improving media freedom, and supporting civil society’s engagement in national reform efforts. We work with local partners, including NGOs, independent media, lawyers, and youth activists, to foster greater public demand for the rule of law and respect for freedom of expression. Freedom House and partners advocate for democratic reform through direct engagement with government and international institutions, public awareness-raising initiatives and grassroots campaigning, high-level policy discussions, policy briefs and special reports, and legal analysis.
Local partners:
Ukraine
Democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms in Ukraine are seriously challenged by the grinding military conflict in the country’s east (Donbas), Russia’s occupation and de facto control of Crimea, widespread impunity for human rights abuses, and slow reform in key areas, such as the security and justice sectors. At the same time, the flourishing of civil society, major reforms since the Euromaidan revolution, and a vibrant media demonstrate Ukraine’s promise as an open and pluralistic democracy. As Ukraine struggles with the challenge of building its democracy in the face of significant threats, Freedom House works with an array of partners to mobilize their efforts to resist censorship, advocate in support of human rights and good governance, conduct public oversight over the law-enforcement and security sector, and protect activists and journalists from persecution and violence. Freedom House provides needed support to civic advocates, including LGBT+ people, human-rights defenders, citizen journalists, and religious and ethnic minorities.
Freedom House’s existing initiatives in Ukraine include:
- Expanding Allies for LGBT+ Rights in Ukraine
- Strengthening Champions for Free Expression in Ukraine in a Time of Conflict
- Security Services Under Civic Oversight in Ukraine
- United to Confront Hate-Motivated Violence in Ukraine
- Monitoring Human Rights in Eastern Ukraine During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Follow our activities, announcements, and publications on our Ukrainian-language Facebook page.
Freedom House partners in Ukraine include the following:
- Fulcrum
- Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
- TERGO
- Institute for Mass Information
- ZMINA Human Rights Information Center
- Human Rights Platform
- Expert Center for Human Rights
- Vostok SOS
- Ukrainian Institute for Human Rights
- Center for Civil Liberties
- Truth Hounds
- Free Legal Aid
- Ombudsman
- Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation
- Nash Mir
- Roma Human Rights Protection Center
- The Congress of Ethnic Communities of Ukraine
- Ukraine without Torture
Current Eurasia programs
Armenia: Advancing Democratic Culture
Freedom House works in Armenia to create spaces for dialogue among civil society, the government, policymakers, journalists, and the public to combat disinformation and defend fundamental freedoms.
Belarus: Eye to Eye
Freedom House’s current project “Belarus: Eye to Eye” seeks to bolster civil society in Belarus through collaborative engagement across ideological, generational and professional lines.
Moldova: Citizens Speak
Freedom House and its partners work to mobilize civil society in support of democratic reforms, fundamental freedoms, and government accountability in Moldova.
Moldova: Media-M
Freedom House is a proud partner of Internews in implementing the multi-year MEDIA-M project, which aims to improve the legal and regulatory environment for independent media in Moldova.
Moldova: Supporting Judicial Integrity
Freedom House implements the multi-year Mobilizing Civil Society to Support Judicial Integrity in the Republic of Moldova project, which promotes the rule of law in Moldova.
Ukraine: Championing Free Expression
Freedom House works to support civil society activists, media, and citizens in advocating for expansive freedom of expression in Ukraine.
Ukraine: Expanding Allies for LGBT+ Rights
Freedom House works to improve respect for the human rights of LGBT+ people in Ukraine by strengthening and growing broad-based civil society and allies’ engagement.
Ukraine: Confronting Hate-Motivated Violence
Freedom House works to improve Ukraine’s response to hate-motivated violence and ultimately to decrease its incidence.
Ukraine: Human Rights in Pandemic
Freedom House is working to document and address human rights abuses connected to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ukraine: Civic Oversight on Security Services
Freedom House supports Ukrainian civil society in providing effective public oversight of the activities of the Ukrainian government law-enforcement and security services.