We work closely with and provide support to local organizations in the region. Our efforts are always aimed at defending human rights, freedom, and democracy in Eastern Europe.
Our Approach
An active, free, and independent civil society is crucial for a functioning democracy. The foundation for promoting positive societal change is long-term support for local organizations that work for people’s rights and freedom.
Our Partnerships
The organizations we choose to collaborate with are carefully vetted and selected because they actively defend human rights and democratic development in their country. We do not cooperate with associations or organizations that are in any way controlled by, dependent on, or associated with an authoritarian regime or state apparatus that oppresses its citizens.
Our Support
All our support is intended to promote and strengthen organizations that drive democratic development in their countries, work to increase people’s freedom, and strengthen their rights, while serving as counterforces to oppression and authoritarian politics. We want our support to ultimately have a concrete impact on people’s daily lives, where they live.
Our support is always tailored to the prevailing conditions and the opportunities available to bring about change and strengthen the defense of human rights and democratic development locally.
Understanding and adapting efforts to local contexts is essential for creating positive change.
Three Examples of Projects
Östgruppen wants to support Ukrainians and Ukraine. Therefore, we collaborate with the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, which documents war crimes committed by Russian troops. Our support is directed towards financing the work of tracing Ukrainian citizens who have been abducted by Russian soldiers. We contribute to gathering and systematizing information about the victims, so that it can be used in war crimes trials against Russia and Russian troops.
Another project is our collaboration with Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, a Ukrainian university in Kharkiv, to develop methods for integrating human rights perspectives into investments and business decisions. Companies that wish to invest in Ukraine and contribute to the country’s reconstruction must do so in a socially and environmentally sustainable manner, respecting local interests and people’s rights, and acting in accordance with EU regulations such as CSD, CSDDD, SFDR, and international standards.
A third project is our cooperation in Georgia with the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), an organization that defends human rights in various ways, such as by pursuing legal action against suspected electoral fraud, documenting corruption, and providing legal assistance to Georgians subjected to suspected human rights violations. Together with GYLA, we are developing methods to strengthen human rights defenders.
Our Work in Sweden
We have extensive experience with the countries in the region, and we know that change is possible. Östgruppen’s board, staff, and network together form a committed expertise on our eastern neighboring countries. We want to show politicians and decision-makers that Sweden can and must support the defense of human rights and democratic aspirations. We know that strong and long-term support for human rights and democracy in the region has positive effects for both individuals and the region as a whole.
We participate in debates and speak as experts. We want support for Ukraine to remain strong and contribute to ensuring that the situation for ordinary people in dictatorships like Russia and Belarus is not forgotten. Long-term support for democracy movements and human rights defenders in the region is crucial for developments in our eastern neighborhood.
We organize seminars and member evenings, and run campaigns in support of Ukraine and the ongoing struggle for democracy and human rights in Georgia, as well as in the dictatorships of Belarus and Russia.
