WHAT WE DO

Our main areas of work focus on international democratic solidarity, calling for an active foreign policy on human rights and global monitoring of respect for fundamental freedoms and human dignity.

Political Advocacy

We speak out publicly through petitions to governments and international organizations, press releases, and opinion columns on situations that affect human rights in countries governed by autocracies, and on restrictions and attacks on democratic institutions in countries with low institutional quality.

We make presentations and advocate before the regional and universal systems for the protection of human rights, with special emphasis on civil and political rights, through the various mechanisms available in each of them (thematic hearings, letters of allegation, urgent actions, reports, among others)

Within these actions, we especially claim for the freedom of association and request the recognition of the initiatives of independent civil society in countries with closed or restricted civic space.

We also promote initiatives aimed at supporting artists at risk and reporting on the state of artistic freedom in Latin America.

Monitoring, analysis, and investigations

We monitor, analyze and inform on the state of human rights in those countries of the world with defective democracies, autocracies, and closed societies.

We monitor and analyze the countries' foreign policy on human rights, including votes at the UN and OAS.

We monitor and analyze the behavior of autocracies before the UN universal human rights system.

We monitor international relations, disinformation, and the propaganda of autocracies in Latin America.

We discuss the universal periodic review of autocracies at the UN Human Rights Council.

We document and make visible the cases of international democratic solidarity during the last military dictatorship in Argentina

We monitor and document the state of freedom of artistic expression in Latin America.

We carry out analysis and research on democratic governance and on economic and institutional performance.

We document, analyze and make visible Cuba's relations with the Argentine military dictatorship (1976-1983).

Training

 CADAL's Václav Havel Institute offers educational programs aimed at young students and university graduates, such as the seminar “Human rights in international relations” and “Good bye, Lenin”. We train democratic activists in closed societies on human rights activism.

Humanitarian aid 

We provide temporary refuge in Buenos Aires to human rights activists, artists and journalists at risk, with the idea of offering a space for relaxation and cultural exchange that allows them to return to their countries of origin relieved of pressure to continue with their important work. CADAL has successful experiences in this field, having acted in collaboration with international organizations.

We occasionally assist citizens of countries governed by authoritarian regimes in requests for political refuge in Argentina.