By Alexa Woodward
Charlotte Flindt Pedersen, Director of DIHR’s new Freedoms and Civic Participation Department is clear about what is necessary to ensure civic participation and the protection of people’s basic rights: “Without the guarantee of fundamental human rights and freedoms, including freedom of belief, speech, assembly, and association, the ability of people to effectively participate in governance is non-existent and democratic systems of government collapse.”
The new department was recently established as part of a major round of restructuring at the Institute, in which the national and international divisions were merged in order to create four new departments. The Department for Freedoms and Civic Participation was created specifically to protect freedoms in Denmark and abroad.
Ms Flindt Pedersen explains: “There are two key but interconnected goals at the Department for Freedoms and Civic Participation: Firstly, it is our aim to promote the realisation and protection of fundamental freedoms nationally and internationally by developing projects, programmes, and analysis which will inform legislative and institutional policies. Secondly, the means for participation should empower and enable individuals and groups to claim their rights and engage actively in public affairs. These goals are interconnected because freedom rights are fundamental for strengthening and promoting participation in government affairs and society in general.”
The new Departmental Director pointed out that in Denmark freedom of association is protected by the Danish constitution but that this is not enough. For instance, the new department’s national efforts will encourage people to critically engage in society and utilise this right, because civic engagement is a precondition for sustaining social development and progress. The national efforts which the new department will focus on include: running educational projects to encourage Danish schoolchildren to imagine how they can shape Danish society, continuously monitoring and reporting on human rights to the UN treaty bodies and EU Fundamental Rights Agency, and providing Danish politicians with reviews of legislative proposals presented in Parliament regarding the impact on human rights.
In contrast to Denmark, there are many states which have imposed severe limitations on the right of association. NGOs and human rights organizations are often denied formal recognition, and some states criminalize individuals who work for such organizations.
Flindt Pedersen also pointed out that sometimes poor human rights compliance is not merely due to an intentional state policy, but occurs when state institutions simply do not have the capacity to carry out their mandated role. In that context, civil society can support the state institution in setting realistic goals and acquiring the capacity to realize their human rights mandate. Ms Flindt Pedersen noted that civil society and the state must be able to engage in dialogue if human rights work is to progress - societal dialogue and discussions are a precondition for development and ownership to the values of human rights and consequently their integration into societal structures. She added: “Therefore our goal is to support a way of thinking in which both parties interact and develop society towards the common good.”
The new department will take a “bottom-up” approach, supporting NGO networks and associations, while other departments at DIHR opt for a “top-down” approach, working with state institutions and governance to effect change at the legislative level.
The Department for Freedoms and Civic Participation will also produce studies and analyses in order to provide legislators with reliable information. “One important way of building trust between civilian groups and the state is by providing the state with methodologically sound, accurate information, developed by local institutions, and local researchers.”
Flindt Pedersen described Yemen as an example of this multi-pronged approach. “In Yemen,” she says, “around 40 per cent of associations have been denied registration. This creates problems when they attempt to carry out activities, apply for funds or receive assistance from donors.” In Yemen my Department works with the civil society in their advocacy for improving and convincing the state that NGO are important for the development of Yemen and therefore create better legal conditions for Freedom of Association, whereas the Department for Rule of Law works with the state institutions on improving their capacity for human rights compliance.
The Department recently held a conference for over 200 NGOs about different aspects of freedom of association. “We prefer not to work with a single organization,” says Flindt Pedersen, “rather, we support networks of organizations in each country. This approach creates a broader dialogue and increases social support for the various causes.”
In addition to the national work in Denmark, the Department is currently working on projects in Afghanistan, Iraq, Malawi, Niger, West Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic.
Flindt Pedersen explains, “Our aim is to counteract the fatal lack of understanding that exists between some states and their civilians, and to replace this with a positive circle of cooperation. We have one common goal with our partners: increasing the respect for the individual person.”
For further information, please contact Brendan Sweeney at