WHO WE ARE

FROM THE STATUTE

The Italian Federation for Human Rights – Italian Helsinki Committee (under the acronym, FIDU) is an organization of the Third Sector, i.e. a non-profit civil society organization.

Active since 6 October 1987 as Italian Helsinki Committee, FIDU promotes the protection of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966, the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe of 1975, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union of 2007 and in other relevant international documents. FIDU therefore intends to work to spread the knowledge of human rights, monitor and report their violations, create greater awareness in public opinion, and exert influence on the States so that they comply with their own commitments on human rights.

In particular, FIDU refers to the Seventh Principle of the Helsinki Final Act entitled “Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms”, according to which States Parties recognize that this respect is an “essential factor of peace, justice and well-being, necessary in order to ensure the development of friendly relations and cooperation among the States Parties themselves and among all the States of the world “.

FIDU also recognizes the growing importance of protecting the environment and aims to contribute to the development and progressive implementation of a specific environmental law.

FIDU is based in Rome and operates throughout Italy and worldwide; carries out its activities through its national and local bodies, and achieves its goals in compliance with international and EU standards, as well as with the Italian Constitution and laws; it is non-profit-making and pursues civic, solidarity and social utility purposes by carrying out activities of general interest; can join international federations and networks of associations that pursue the same ends with the same methods; it can bring together other associations with a federation pact.

The activities of general interest carried out by FIDU are:

  • promotion and protection of human, civil, social and political rights, promotion of equal opportunities and mutual aid initiatives;
  • education, vocational education and training, as well as cultural activities of social interest with educational purpose;
  • interventions and services aimed at safeguarding and improving environmental conditions and the prudent and rational use of natural resources;
  • university-level and post-graduate education;
  • scientific research of particular social interest;
  • organization and management of cultural, artistic or recreational activities of social interest, including editorial and other activities for the promotion and dissemination of the culture and practice of volunteering;
  • extra-scholastic training, aimed at preventing early school leaving and to achieving scholastic and educational success, preventing bullying and combating educational poverty;
  • development cooperation;
  • humanitarian reception and social integration of migrants;
  • charity, distance support, free supply of food or products, or provision of money, goods or services to support disadvantaged people or activities of general interest;
  • promotion of the culture of legality, peace among peoples, nonviolence and unarmed defense.

Conferences, debates, seminars, exhibitions, fact-finding missions in Italy and abroad, cycles of meetings in schools, universities and other educational institutions, printed publications or telematic networks are examples, not exhaustive, of FIDU’s operating methods in the pursuit of its statutory purposes. FIDU also carries out, on its own or in collaboration with other subjects (including, for example, Universities, Higher Education Institutes, Professional Associations), training courses on human rights issues and promotes conventions to host university students or young graduates in training internship.