Representatives attending activities at the Symposium on Strengthening Universities’ Role in the Protection of Democratic Values and Human Rights, which hosted around 50 participants from around the world. Image: Supplied

Democracy is under strain and a recent international symposium sought to rethink the role universities play in defending democracy and protecting human rights defenders. Human rights defenders are defined as people who actively and peacefully work to protect and promote the rights and freedoms of others.

Delegates from 22 countries pledged to build a collaborative ecosystem that connects university and civil society-led initiatives to defend democratic values at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Participants, which included donor institutions, discussed how universities could act as centres of research, democratic actors and sites of protection. 

Together, participants explored ways to document abuses and provide safe spaces for defenders who are not defined by their job titles but by their actions - whether they are lawyers, teachers, journalists, community leaders or ordinary citizens.

The idea behind hosting the symposium was to connect academic knowledge with the grassroots realities that defenders face.

Prof Fiona Anciano, Head of the Politics and Urban Governance (PUG) Research Group at UWC, said, “In South Africa, communities in informal settlements continue to struggle for dignified access to basic services such as clean water and sanitation, while in Uganda, citizens face harassment and restrictions on free assembly.”

She noted further afield, in many South American countries, how citizens are also constrained by policies and conditions that limit freedom to participate in public life, express opinions or hold governments accountable. “Around the world, human rights defenders are at work and need to be protected,” said Prof Anciano.

Over two days (25 and 26 February), the Symposium on Strengthening Universities’ Role in the Protection of Democratic Values and Human Rights hosted around 50 participants, including civil society leaders and academics from across Africa, Asia and South America. Donor participants committed to supporting protection mechanisms, joint research agendas, and to exploring ways to strengthen universities’ roles as sites of protection and solidarity. The event also reflected on the urgent challenges facing democratic systems.

A significant global challenge is the restricted access to civic spaces. Around the world, civic spaces are shrinking as governments restrict protests, silence civil society organisations, and limit access to information, undermining both democracy and human rights. These restrictions often target activists, journalists, and NGOs, erode accountability, and weaken public participation in governance.

Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Robert Balfour Image: Supplied

To demonstrate how universities could play a role in protecting both democracy and human rights, the UNESCO Chair in the Protection of Human Rights and Expansion of Public Space’s “Guidelines for Universities Hosting Human Rights Defenders”, was shared and discussed. The guidelines draw on the experiences of universities, including UWC, and outline practical pathways for institutions interested in establishing similar programmes.

Participants explored how these guidelines could be adapted and applied in different world contexts, especially in universities, to strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange across sectors.

As Prof Anciano noted, “It takes courage to defend democracy, confront inequality and insist that rights are real. The symposium embodied that courage, offering a space where universities and civil society could stand together in defence of democracy and human rights”.

UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robert Balfour, said, “Each of us carries a different part of the responsibility: universities, civil society organisations and donors cannot replace one another. We depend on one another and I encourage all of us to stay focused on what is practical. We should be clear about what can begin immediately, what requires structured development over time, and where we need to speak or act together.

“For us at UWC, academic freedom, institutional autonomy and the protection of those who defend rights inform our institutional decisions. A commitment to democracy must be embedded in systems, not just assumed.”

The symposium concluded with a call to embed democracy in everyday practice. Commemorations such as Human Rights Day, participants agreed, should serve as a mirror reflecting history, achievements, and failures, while reminding citizens of their responsibility to defend democratic values.

The symposium on democracy and human rights was hosted by the African Universities Hub for Human Rights, a project of the Politics and Urban Governance Research Group (PUG) at UWC, in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Expansion of Political Space (University of York), and UWC’s Chair of Citizenship and Democracy.