The Raphael Lemkin Society to Join Coffee with Human Rights Defenders at the 23rd Docudays UA

The Raphael Lemkin Society has become one of the partners of Coffee with Human Rights Defenders, a section of the RIGHTS NOW! Human Rights Program at the 23rd Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.

This year, for the co-creation of Coffee with Human Rights Defenders at the 23rd Docudays UA, the organizers traditionally invited civil society organizations working across different dimensions of human rights — from violations people have faced for years to new challenges related to the war. Over the course of a month, 34 Ukrainian and international initiatives applied to the competition.

Coffee with Human Rights Defenders is a discussion platform of the RIGHTS NOW! Human Rights Program that brings together leading human rights defenders, experts from civil society organizations, and civil society actors around complex, sensitive, and critically important topics, fostering the exchange of professional experience and the search for solutions in an open format.

To find partners with whom the organizers will shape the program of the morning section and hold six public events during the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in June 2026 in Kyiv, they announced an open call that ran from January 20 to February 20, 2026. Following the selection, the Raphael Lemkin Society was chosen as one of the organizations that will take part in the festival’s public events.

This year, some partners will hold joint discussions, combining their expertise around important topics. The Coalition of Culture Actors and the Raphael Lemkin Society will join the program in this collaborative format.

After a thorough review of the applications, the following civil society organizations and associations were selected to take part in the Coffee with Human Rights Defenders section:

• Regional Center for Human Rights and Almenda Center for Civic Education; 
• Ukrainian Child Rights Network;
• Women in Media;
• Media Initiative for Human Rights;
• Coalition of Culture Actors and The Raphael Lemkin Society;
• ZMINA Human Rights Center.

As noted by Docudays UA, this year’s applications were strong and meaningful, with clear program ideas, relevant topics, and a deep understanding of how to speak about human rights during the war. This is why more organizations were selected this year, and some discussions will take place in partnership among several initiatives.

For the Raphael Lemkin Society, participation in the program is an important opportunity to join an open professional conversation about responsibility, justice, people’s experiences during the war, and the role of civil society in the country’s recovery.

We are grateful to the organizers for their trust and for the opportunity to become part of the program. We look forward to meeting at Docudays UA 2026.