Upcoming arrival of new Shelter City guests in the Netherlands
We are excited to announce the upcoming arrival of a new group of human rights defenders to Shelter City this September and October in the Netherlands. As we could not receive this group of guests earlier this year due to global measures to combat COVID-19, we are happy to finally be able to welcome them this autumn.
Since earlier this year, our team has been in contact online with the guests and supporting them where possible during these challenging times. This has included online security trainings, taking part in online events together, and planning for their trip to the Netherlands. Currently, we are in preparations to receive the guests in the coming weeks and provide them with a safe three-month stay in Shelter City throughout the Netherlands.
The health and safety of our guests and all those involved in making Shelter City possible is our key priority, thus we are taking a number of measures to ensure this. Each guest will be tested for COVID-19, and will be required to undergo a 10-day quarantine on arrival. As always, comfortable and safe housing is organised by the coordinating partners in the Shelter Cities, and any required support and services are available online and offline. Our security trainings will be held in large and ventilated spaces, allowing us to offer in-person sessions and for the guests to connect with each other during their stay. Furthermore, we will ensure that throughout their stay all guests are well-informed and up-to-date with the COVID-19 measures at national and regional level in the Netherlands.
Especially in these times of COVID-19, it is extremely important and timely that human rights defenders can still come to Shelter City. With greater challenges and threats faced by human rights defenders, there is also greater need for safe spaces like Shelter City. We remain committed to holding a safe space for all upcoming and future guests to rest and re-energise, access the services or trainings they wish to attend, and connect with local allies.
More information regarding the upcoming guests will be shared later in October. For any questions or concerns, please contact info[at]sheltercity.org.