Press release

Human rights: Shelter City Italy project kicks off Rome Italian city for the protection of human rights defenders

Rome, 12 December 2023 - Tomorrow, Wednesday 13 December at 9 a.m., at the Industrie Fluviali premises in Rome, the "Shelter City Italy"project will be officially presented , with which Rome will become the second European capital to offer protection and temporary shelter to human rights defenders at risk.

The initiative, promoted by the Italian NGO Un Ponte Per in collaboration with the Municipality VIII, the international network Shelter City, and under the patronage of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, plans to welcome in the coming months the first human rights defenders from countries where their work is threatened and persecuted.

In Rome they will be able to find a safe environment where they can regenerate and continue their work at a distance, also benefiting from legal and psychological support and training opportunities.

The presentation will be attended by representatives from institutions, the diplomatic world and civil society, including the Deputy Ambassador of the Netherlands to Italy, Pauline Diepenbroek. Among others, the President of the Municipality of Rome VIII, Amedeo Ciaccheri, the association Un Ponte Per, the Rete In Difesa Di and the international network Shelter City will participate.

It will be an important opportunity to make known the value of the work carried out by these key figures in the defence of human rights all over the world, and to involve the citizenship on such a fundamental issue as human rights. With this pioneering project, Rome will demonstrate its willingness to stand by those who work in difficult contexts for justice and freedom.