“I cannot be effective when exhausted” Oslo continues to offer important breathing space for human rights defenders!

“I would summarize my programme experience as exactly what I needed to take a break from all my usual responsibilities and live my life differently. This space helped me not only to breathe, but to exhale first and realize that I cannot be effective when exhausted.” – Stanislava, Ukrainian human rights defender and Oslo Breathing Space City guest during Autumn 2024
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Oslo has since 2023 been a Breathing Space City for human rights defenders. In this latest update from the programme, you can meet the two human rights defenders who stayed in Oslo in the autumn of 2024 and find out what the programme has meant to them.

Oslo as a Breathing Space City for human rights defenders is a temporary relocation programme with the aim of creating a breathing space for human rights defenders living in stressful or hostile environments.

From October to December 2024, the Breathing Space City programme hosted two human rights defenders: Vesna from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Stanislava from Ukraine. Both guests focus on women’s rights and LGBTQI+ rights in their human rights activism. They organize events, foster dialogues and advocate to defend human rights in their countries. Through their participation in the Breathing Space City programme, they were able to take a break from their demanding work and gain inspiration and support through encounters with like-minded people, individual coaching sessions, cultural events, exercise and outdoor activities, and many other engagements.

“The entire journey was a blend of new experiences and the development of existing knowledge and skills, allowing me to build personal capacities that will assist me in my future work. Besides the programme, which was both fulfilling and tailored to my needs, the stay in Oslo was an experience in itself – exploring the city and observing urban life is something that might happen only once in a lifetime.”

– Vesna from Bosia and Herzegovina, Oslo Breathing Space City guest during Autumn 2024

Photo highlights from Stanislava’s and Vesna’s stay

To give the guests a breathing space and nice experiences, we make sure that they can engage in Oslo's diverse cultural activities, meet representatives from voluntary organisations, civil society groups and the university, join outdoors activities, practice yoga or other activities and enjoy spaces such as libraries and museums. We always make sure to tailor the activities to the wishes and needs of the guests.

This photo series showcases some of the many activities that the guests in the autumn of 2024 participated in.

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Stanislava and Vesna were welcomed by the member organisations of the programme and other partners.

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They had a guided tour of the Norwegian parliament, learning about the democratic processes in Norway.

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Mayor of Oslo, Anne Lindboe, met the participants, as she always does.

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Vesna met with the Council for Sexual and Gender Diversity of Oslo Municipality, learning about how they work with LGBTQI+ rights in Oslo.

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At the Munch Museum, looking at the famous paintings of Edvard Munch.

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Vigelandsparken in beautiful autumn weather. This is a sculpture park in the middle of Oslo with more than 200 sculptures made by Gustav Vigeland.

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A beautiful day in “Oslomarka” - The woods surrounding Oslo, providing the citizens with a vast area to hike and camp.

The program offered the defenders valuable capacity-building opportunities in areas like psychosocial support, digital security, and English language development. To further support their mental and physical well-being, regular physical exercise sessions were also included. These offers were deeply appreciated by the participants, who noted that they provided much-needed relaxation from their challenging roles while offering space to reflect and better understand what they require to sustain their work as human rights defenders.

Moreover, their stay in Oslo enabled them to strengthen their professional networks by engaging with a wide array of actors from civil society, academia, trade unions, and other relevant sectors, all of which play a crucial role in supporting their mission. Additionally, Vesna was able to travel to Bergen to participate in the Rafto Prize Ceremony. Scroll down to see some highlights from this trip.

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During this visit, we had the opportunity to connect with various representatives from Norway's human rights sector, including politicians and other key figures.

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Vesna had the opportunity to meet the Mayor of Bergen, Marit Warncke, at the Rafto Award ceremony.

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And we gathered representatives from four of the initiating organisations of the Breathing Space City programme. Jostein Kobbeltvedt from the Rafto Foundation, Ingeborg Moa from the NHRF, Maria Dahle from the Human Rights House Foundation, our guest Vesna, and Bergdis Joelsdottir from Amnesty International Norway.

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Additionally, the trip provided a valuable chance to experience the country's stunning natural landscapes and vibrant cities.

At the end of what has been a 2-year pilot period of the Breathing Space City programme, this group of participants again demonstrated the significant impact such initiatives can have on human rights defenders needing a break from their demanding work. We are excited to have successfully closed the pilot period and to continue welcoming new defenders in 2025. We are grateful to our donors who continue to make this possible!

Find more information about the Oslo Breathing Space City project and see the profiles of Vesna and Stanislava, as well as other previous participants, here.

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