Annual Report 2025

In 2025, the Nansen project supported Ukrainian civil society as it sustained democratic resilience during wartime. Emergency grants enabled partners to maintain operations and safe spaces during winter power outages, while our anti‑corruption partners led the first nationwide protests since the full‑scale invasion to safeguard the independence of oversight institutions.

In its first full year of implementation, the Nansen project delivered results across three pillars: anti‑corruption and public accountability, equal rights, and grassroots resilience. Working closely with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Centre for Civil Liberties and its daughter organisation, Kyiv Human Rights Hub, the programme channelled support to organisations defending democratic standards under extreme pressure. Our partners continue to demonstrate that transparency and accountability are not postponed until peace – they are part of Ukraine’s defence.

Anti-corruption as a democratic defence

Accountability is essential for a just future. Our partners Automaidan and Bihus Info are among Ukraine’s leading anticorruption actors. Automaidan monitors the High AntiCorruption Court to raise public awareness, prevent rollback, and defend institutional independence. In July 2025, they mobilised around the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome to highlight transparency as a driver of trust, reconstruction, and investment. Days later, they called the first nationwide protests since the fullscale invasion, sparked by legislative changes that threatened the independence of anticorruption bodies. Additionally, Bihus Info expanded its mission to produce engaging, factbased YouTube explainers on corruption myths, processes, and the achievements of anticorruption institutions: 33 videos in 2025 reached 25 million cumulative views and added 116,542 new followers.

Equal rights and protection under pressure

Thanks to the Nansen emergency grants for backup power and safety, our partners’ operations continued through the winter outages due to Russia’s brutal bombing campaigns against vital infrastructure. Notably, our partner Insight’s LGBTIQ+ community centres in Kyiv, Lviv and Lutsk stayed open. Over 600 people received psychological consultations and 8,800 joined community activities that reduced isolation and sustained activism; a nationwide campaign reached more than 300,000 people, countering stigma and strengthening social cohesion. With JurFem, access to justice for women affected by gender-based and conflict-related sexual violence improved: 10 survivors received legal assistance, and 329 women accessed legal consultations. Through the Second Academy and Summer School, 40 female lawyers and students learned advanced survivorcentred practice and application of international standards (incl. the Istanbul Convention).

Partnership law and rights during war

Public support for equal rights is rising, and political and police engagement has improved, yet legal progress is still lagging, leaving LGBTIQ+ people without protection when it is most needed. With Insight and other partners, we have pushed for a partnership law to legalise same-sex unions — critical in wartime, when a lack of recognition affects power of attorney, inheritance, and social protection. An important step on the way is the case of Maymulakhin and Markiv v. Ukraine ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, where the court agreed that the lack of opportunity for two men to legalise their union is a violation of article 14 (protection from discrimination) and 8 (family life, privacy). In early 2026, a case process at the Supreme Court of Ukraine also recognised a same-sex family as a de facto family union.

Author scholarship programme

Together with PEN Ukraine, the Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association, and the Norwegian Authors' Union, we launched the Author scholarship programme. After receiving more than 300 applications, 20 scholarships were awarded to writers of fiction and non-fiction. The stipends enable Ukrainian authors to keep publishing books under extreme conditions, preserving cultural memory and public reflection. In wartime, literature becomes a way to understand and explain the realities of what is happening — helping society process trauma and articulate its meaning.

Grassroots resilience through small grants

Together with Kyiv Human Rights Hub, we launched the small grants scheme Enable to Impact to reinforce regional organisations working on human rights, organisational capacity, civic education, and advocacy. From 145 applications, an independent committee selected 19 grantees from across Ukraine – among them well‑known organisations such as Pryncyp, Mnemonics, Kharkiv Anti‑Corruption Centre, and Fulcrum. The selected organisations address a broad spectrum of needs: from supporting veterans with disabilities and internally displaced people, to strengthening local anti‑corruption efforts and providing mentorship to emerging human rights groups.

Training and civic education

A core component in the project is strengthening the knowledge, skills, and networks of civil society organisations across the country. In 2025, Kyiv Human Rights Hub organised a wide range of online and offline seminars, workshops, and practical trainings for CSOs, activists, and regional human rights initiatives, with methodological and practical support from the Human Rights Academy and the Norwegian Association of NGOs. A highlight was the November conference in Kyiv, Human Rights: The Long Game, which brought together around one hundred civil society representatives – from experienced national actors to emerging local groups. Participants explored how human rights approaches can strengthen organisational capacity, how to advocate for change, build value‑based partnerships, and communicate effectively with diverse audiences. The conference also created space for new partnerships, peer learning, and direct dialogue with donors.