Posts Tagged ‘Justice & Peace Netherlands’

Shelter City Spring 2027: Three-Month Human Rights Defender Protection Programme

August 2, 2026

 Human rights defenders at risk can receive three months of temporary protection, tailored support, and networking in the Netherlands. Deadline: 2 August 2026.

Justice & Peace Netherlands has officially opened applications for the Shelter City Spring 2027 Programme, offering  human rights defenders (HRDs) at risk the opportunity to spend three months in the Netherlands in a safe, supportive, and inspiring environment. The application deadline is 2 August 2026.

The internationally recognized Shelter City initiative provides temporary relocation for human rights defenders facing threats because of their peaceful activism. During the programme, participants receive tailored support, strengthen their professional networks, and develop new strategies to continue advancing  human rights in their home countries.

With 14 Dutch cities participating in the Spring 2027 cycle, the programme represents one of Europe’s leading temporary protection initiatives for frontline human rights advocates.

Shelter City is coordinated by Justice & Peace Netherlands and is designed to offer temporary safety and capacity-building opportunities to human rights defenders who are working under difficult or dangerous conditions.

Rather than serving as a permanent relocation initiative, Shelter City provides participants with a temporary period of rest, reflection, professional development, and international networking before they safely return home to continue their important work.

The programme recognizes that human rights defenders often operate under immense pressure, including intimidation, harassment, surveillance, threats, arbitrary detention, or violence. By offering a secure environment, Shelter City enables participants to recover, strengthen their resilience, and enhance the effectiveness of their advocacy.

The Spring 2027 Shelter City Programme will run from:

March to May 2027

Participants will stay in one of 14 participating cities across the Netherlands for approximately three months.

The programme is structured to ensure participants return home better equipped—both professionally and personally—to continue defending human rights in their own communities.

See also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/tag/shelter-city-network/

Apply for the Justice & Peace Netherlands Shelter City Spring 2027: Three-Month Human Rights Defender Protection Programme

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Justice & Peace Netherlands is launching a new call for applications for human rights defenders at risk to participate in Shelter City Netherlands

July 29, 2025
Call for applications is now open!
Photos by Maria Diaz
Justice & Peace Netherlands is launching a new call for applications for human rights defenders at risk to participate in Shelter City Netherlands. The deadline for applications is 10 August 2025 at 23:59 CEST (Central European Summer Time). Help us reach more human rights defenders at risk and in need of temporary relocation to a safer space by sharing this call with your network.­Shelter City is a global movement of cities, organizations and people who stand side by side with human rights defenders at risk. Shelter City provides temporary safe and inspiring spaces for human rights defenders at risk where they re-energize, receive tailormade support and engage with allies. The term ‘human rights defender’ is intended to refer to the broad range of activists, journalists and independent media professionals, scholars, writers, artists, lawyers, civil and political rights defenders, civil society members, and others working to advance human rights and democracy around the world in a peaceful manner.  From March 2026 onwards, 14 cities in the Netherlands will receive human rights defenders for a period of three months. At the end of their stay in the Netherlands, participants are expected to return with new tools and energy to carry out their work at home.
Asser Institute Fellowship 
(only available for English accompaniment beginning in September 2026)Justice & Peace and the Asser Institute have established a collaborative relationship to strengthen and support the capacity of local human rights defenders worldwide. In the context of the Institute’s Visiting Researchers Programme, the Asser Institute hosts one Fellow per year within the framework of the Shelter City initiative by Justice & Peace. The fellowship will take place in September 2026.The selected Fellow will carry out a research project during the three-month period and take part in other relevant human rights (research) activities of the Asser Institute. In line with these activities, closer to the end of the three-month period, the Fellow will have to present the relevant research findings in a public or closed event. The Fellow may also participate in other (public) events like lectures or (panel) discussions.
To be eligible for Shelter City Netherlands, human rights defenders should meet the following conditions:They implement a non-violent approach in their work;They are threatened or otherwise under pressure due to their work or activism;They are willing and able to return to their country of origin after 3 months;They are willing to speak publicly about their experience or about human rights in their country to the extent that their security situation allows; They have a conversational level* of English;They have a valid passport (with no less than 18 months of validity at the time of applying) or are willing to carry out the procedures necessary for its issuance. Justice & Peace covers the costs of issuing a passport and/or visa (if applicable);They are not subject to any measure or judicial prohibition to leave the country;They are willing to begin their stay in the Netherlands around March 2026.
 *By conversational English, we mean that participants’ level of English allows them to actively participate in training, speak about their work, communicate with the host city, etc.  Note that additional factors will be taken into consideration in the final round of selection, such as the added value of a stay in the Netherlands as well as gender, geographic, and thematic balance. Please note that only under exceptional circumstances are we able to accept human rights defenders currently residing in a third country.Apply nowApplication forms must be submitted by 10 August 2025 at 23:59 CEST (Central European Summer Time). An independent commission will select the participants.­Apply now!­Note that selected human rights defenders will not automatically participate in Shelter City as Justice & Peace is not in control of issuing the required visas to enter the Netherlands. For more information, please contact us at info@sheltercity.org

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