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Protecting human rights and civil society - Our work and impact

Participation citoyenne
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As the French interministerial development cooperation agency, we firmly believe that to achieve peace, justice and inclusion, it is crucial that governments, civil society and communities work together to establish effective governance that respects human rights. They must also be supported in their efforts by effective and inclusive public institutions.

Fair, peaceful societies that promote inclusion and gender equality are indeed an essential condition for individuals to achieve their full potential and enjoy their rights as global citizens. With this in mind, effective and inclusive public institutions simultaneously drive progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help create societies in which individuals enjoy a sense of security and can live without fear of violence in all its forms.

Our agency is part of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group and works to build the capacities of our institutional and non-institutional partners whose mandate or mission is to protect human rights and promote peaceful, fair, inclusive societies.

80 % of countries experienced a decline in freedom of expression in 2022

80% of countries experienced a decline in freedom of expression in 2022 (Amnesty International) and half of countries experienced democratic decline in 2021 (Global State of Democracy Institute - 2023).

With regard to human rights, public participation and support for civil society, our work focuses on the following areas:

  • Strengthen legal and policy frameworks: Improve and implement public policies while promoting transparency and accountability in state action.
  • Strengthen the human rights ecosystem: Support national democratic institutions, build the capacities of intermediary bodies, and aid civil society organisations that promote human rights by encouraging their involvement in governance and public policy development and monitoring.
  • Facilitate access to rights and the protection of individuals: Raise awareness of public services, refer individuals to the appropriate services, improve the quality of public and private services, and support mechanisms for legal action and reparation.
  • Promote and raise awareness of rights: Educate citizens, strengthen the media’s role in promoting human rights, and combat prejudice, discrimination and stigmatisation.
  • Build the technical and financial capacities of civil society organisations (CSOs): Develop the skills of CSOs to improve their actions and benefit the populations and communities they serve, and make them credible partners for national authorities.
  • Bring CSOs together: Share experiences, capitalise on knowledge, facilitate peer-to-peer capacity building, and promote joint advocacy.
  • Support alliances between civil society organisations, the media and research institutions: Strengthen CSO advocacy, highlight their expertise through research and the media, and raise awareness among the general public

Human rights “have now gone into reverse” according to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres during his remarks to the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council in February 2023.

Organisation de la société civile
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Our actions to support civil society and promote human rights are aligned with French and European policy as well as with international cooperation mechanisms such as:

  • The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - in particular SDG 16, which aims to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”; and SDG 5 which aims to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”.
  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN 1948) - in particular article 2, which aims to “promote the establishment of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development and ensure access to justice for all”.
  • The new European Consensus on Development (EU 2017) - this establishes a new set of principles for development cooperation, which forms part of the EU’s response to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
  • The French “Human Rights and Development” Strategy (Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, 2019) - this establishes a development cooperation approach founded on human rights which recognises that sustainable development is inseparable from the protection of human rights and which promotes an inclusive approach to inequalities.
  • The AFD Group’s 100% Social Link strategy - this aims to integrate human-rights-based development into operational policies through our commitments to gender equality and the promotion of political and civil reform.

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Our approach to human rights places individuals, institutions and organisations at the heart of our action. It empowers them and supports their sustainable development. It is implemented through a multi-stakeholder, multi-level, cross-sectoral approach based on collaboration and mutual learning.

This approach allows people to shape their own futures, and allows us, as the French development cooperation agency, to respond to a variety of needs by providing long-term support through varied, complementary means.

To achieve this, we: 

  • Build the capacities of our institutional and non-institutional partners using a variety of tools. These include funding civil society stakeholders, deploying technical assistance, providing experts, creating stakeholder networks, facilitating dialogue, and fostering peer-to-peer learning
  • Strengthen democracy by promoting active citizenship and a sense of community, improving local decision-making, and encouraging respect for the political, cultural, and historical dynamics of each region
  • Encourage the involvement of minorities in decision-making processes
  • Take account of gender issues every step of the way when providing support to partners using gender mainstreaming tools. We do this throughout our projects, from when we identify needs and develop and implement the project, through to our evaluation phase and consolidation of knowledge gained

Find out more about human rights worldwide.

Human rights are the inalienable rights of every individual regardless of their ethnic origin, gender, nationality, language, religion, or any other characteristic.

They include civil, political, economic, social, cultural and collective rights, and are enshrined in a reference text to which all nations of the world can aspire and subscribe: the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Yes, human rights are universal, inalienable and indivisible. They have been recognised over time with a series of key milestones, including:

  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN, 1948)
  • The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which relates to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights (UN, 1966)
  • Regional Conventions such as the European Convention on Human Rights, the African Charter, the Arab Charter, etc.

Human rights have evolved over time to include contemporary issues such as the right to a healthy environment, digital rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights.

Human rights are grouped into several complementary categories:

  • Civil and political rights: freedom of expression, right to a fair trial, right to vote, etc.
  • Economic, social and cultural rights: right to education, work, health, social protection, etc.
  • Collective rights: right to development, a healthy environment, peace

Human rights are currently in decline in many regions around the world due to:

  • climate change, democratic crises, and armed conflicts
  • continued discrimination against women; religious, linguistic and ethnic minority groups; migrants; and members of the LGBTQIA+ community
  • unequal access to justice, education and healthcare

Expertise France recognises that sustainable development is an essential condition for realising human rights and that respecting these rights is key to building peaceful, fair, inclusive societies.

The main actions centre around:

  • International frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in particular SDG 16 which promotes peace, justice and effective institutions
  • National and European strategies such as France’s “Human Rights and Development” strategy, which was developed by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in 2019
  • International cooperation through projects that support institutions, build capacities, support civil societies, and engage in advocacy

There are numerous stakeholders with complementary roles. These include:

  • Intergovernmental organisations: the UN, OHCHR, Council of Europe, European Union
  • International and local NGOs: Amnesty International, FIDH, Human Rights Watch, etc.
  • National institutions: in December 2024, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) consisted of 118 national institutions worldwide.

Expertise France works alongside these organisations to strengthen the human rights ecosystem, in particular through its projects in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

Key figures in 2024

  • 13 projects underway
  • 14K people received help in accessing services related to rights and responsibilities
  • 421K people were educated about their rights and responsibilities

Our other focus areas