A joint event by Wiener Festwochen, ERSTE Foundation and the Institute for Human Sciences. In Cooperation with the Jewish Museum Vienna.

One important goal of the Wiener Festwochen is to use the program to open up perspectives on our society and to address central issues of our time. We are pleased that we were able to secure the Ukrainian human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk for the first event in our program, whose organization Center for Civil Liberties was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Under the banner Time to Take Responsibility, she will underline the importance of international solidarity and resistance against injustice.

• Date: Tue, 9 May, 7p.m.
• Location: Judenplatz
• Language: English
• Please note: No seating

You can also follow this event via livestream via festwochen.at.

A speech to Europe 2023

»Our world has become very complex and interconnected. Right now, people in Iran are fighting for their freedom. People in China are resisting the digital dictatorship. People in Somalia are bringing child soldiers back to peaceful life. They know better than anyone what it means to be human and stand up for human dignity. Our future depends on their success. We are responsible for everything that happens in the world.« These words were spoken by Ukrainian human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk on 10 December 2022 on the occasion of her Nobel Peace Prize lecture entitled Time to take responsibility. The award was presented to her human rights organisation, the Center for Civil Liberties, which has been documenting Russian war crimes on Ukrainian ground. As a long-time supporter of the politically persecuted, Matviichuk asks how human rights might regain their significance and global solidarity become our passion. Oleksandra Matviitchuk’s Speech to Europe takes up the lecture series on Judenplatz initiated by the ERSTE Foundation on the occasion of Europe Day.

Cover picture: Judenplatz, Photo: Wolfgang Schlag