2025 was a stark reminder that we cannot take our rights and freedoms for granted, but must actively protect and fight for them, ensuring that nobody is left behind. Across Europe and Central Asia, we saw hard-won rights – still out of reach for too many - come under increasing strain, with further and drastic shrinking civic space, coordinated mobilisation of anti-rights actors, and growing political pressure on organisations and communities defending sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice (SRHRJ). Well-funded, transnational anti-gender actors intensified their efforts, using disinformation, restrictive laws and divisive narratives to roll back progress and undermine equality.
These dynamics are not abstract. They are reshaping national contexts across our region, from the spread of so-called “foreign agent” laws and restrictions on sexuality and relationships education, to attacks on civil society funding and legitimacy at the European Union level. At the same time, global funding cuts, disrupted supply chains and escalating conflict exposed how fragile access to care remains and how quickly progress can be reversed, particularly for those already marginalised.
For our Member Associations and Collaborative Partners, this meant operating on the frontlines of more hostile environments, where providing care, speaking out or defending equality has become increasingly stigmatised and politicised. In this context, the European Network Regional Office (ENRO)’s role as a facilitator of collective action, a bridge between global strategy and national realities, and an amplifier elevating diverse voices from across our region has never been more vital.
Throughout 2025, we stood firm alongside our network. We strengthened our shared capacity to respond to the backlash, defend civic space and sustain care, especially for those at greatest risk of exclusion. We supported our MAs and CPs with resources, technical expertise and spaces to learn, strategise and act together. We invested in stronger narratives, coordinated advocacy and deepening partnerships with community-led organisations, across movements and borders, because we know that we are stronger together.
Crucially, progress did not stand still. Across the region, activists and human rights defenders continued to push forward, from over one million people mobilising across Europe through the My Voice, My Choice initiative to demand safe and accessible abortion care, to the European Commission reaffirming its commitment to SRHR in its Women’s Rights Roadmap. In Hungary, thousands marched for Budapest Pride in defiance of attempts to restrict people's rights to assemble and be visible. These moments, alongside many others, show what sustained organising, solidarity and courage can achieve, even in the most challenging conditions, and when positive change at times seems impossible.
2025 showed us that the backlash is not temporary, but rather it is persistent, calculated and strategic. But so is our response. Through connecting different actors, working with community-led organisations, strengthening capacity and shaping advocacy, ENRO continues to support a resilient and united SRHRJ movement, rooted in solidarity, evidence and a shared commitment to dignity, rights and reproductive justice. We are not retreating.
We are holding the line — and fighting back, together.
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