(ONLINE) Bridging Research and Society: Reflections on Human Rights and Civil Society Engagement
We would like to cordially invite you to the Final International Conference of the HRJust Intersect Observatory.
7. 11. 2025 (9:00)
Language: English Online (link will be sent upon registration)
The HRJust-Intersect Observatory is an innovative, interdisciplinary initiative under the Horizon Europe HRJust project. It is the first observatory to actively track how governments and other actors invoke human rights justifications in addressing climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, and migration through a gender and intersectional lens. A key innovation of the Observatory is its new methodological approach based on continuous, direct engagement with civil society, grounding its work in real-world needs and perspectives.
Functioning as a living lab for inclusive democracy, the Observatory fosters cross-border collaboration through seminars, conferences, and open communication channels. By translating research into accessible outputs, like policy papers and videoblogs, it strengthens the connection between academia, policymakers, and civil society.
This Final International Conference celebrates the Observatory’s journey and highlights its role in bridging research with society. By convening researchers, practitioners, international organizations, and civic voices, the conference turns shared knowledge into inclusive, evidence-driven policy and practice. It underscores how the Observatory’s work empowers dialogue, action, and civil society engagement to tackle today’s global challenges with real-world solutions.
Expected Outcomes
The conference will showcase how the Observatory’s participatory and intersectional approach supports inclusive, evidence-based governance. It will highlight how ongoing civil society engagement, multinational outreach, and co-created research can inform more transparent, accountable, and legitimate human rights practices across Europe and beyond.
PROGRAMME
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SESSION I: HUMAN RIGHTS JUSTIFICATIONS IN ACTION: FROM THEORY TO MULTINATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL OUTREACH VIA CIVIL SOCIETY ENGAGEMENT |
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09:00 – 09:15 |
Dr Federica Cristani (Institute of International Relations Prague, CZ) – Introductory Remarks. Developing a New Methodological Approach for Human Rights Justifications: the Systematic Ongoing Direct Civil Society Engagement (ODCSE) |
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09:15 – 09:30 |
Prof. Ester Herlin-Karnell (University of Gothenburg, SE member of the Board of the Swedish Network for European Legal Studies (SNELS)) – Swedish Network for European Legal Studies (SNELS) |
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09:30 – 09:50 |
Ms Felicia Meyer, Ms Martina Pennino (World Trade Institute, University of Bern, CH) – Multinational Institutional Outreach: Seminars, Conferences, and Direct Communication Engagement |
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09:50 – 10:05 |
Prof. Tamás Ádány (Pázmány Péter Catholic University, HU – member of the HRJust Advisory Board) – Dignity v. Sovereignty: Organizational Changes of International Social Constructions |
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SESSION II: BRIDGING ACADEMIA AND SOCIETY: PERSPECTIVES FROM RESEARCH, POLICY, AND PRACTICE |
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10:05 – 10:20 |
Dr Federica Cristani (Institute of International Relations Prague, CZ) – The HRJust Intersect Observatory as a Living Lab for Inclusive Democracy, Reflecting Gender and Intersectionality |
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10:20 – 10:35 |
Dr Andrey Demidov – Shaping the Debate About the EU Participatory Democracy: the Insights From the EU Democracy Reform Observatories |
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10:35 – 10:50 |
Prof. Cristina Elena Popa Tache (Danubius International University, RO) – Research Centres as Engines of Transdisciplinary and Societal Transformation: Insights from CIRET, COST and Adjuris |
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10:50 – 11:05 |
Prof. Alena Křížková (Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ) – Gender Equality in Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Cultural Barriers and Strategic Approaches |
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11:05 – 11:30 |
DISCUSSION Concluding Remarks and Next Steps |
