UEFA EURO 2024 Human Rights Board: Insights and Recommendations from the Centre for Sport and Human Rights
Author - Centre for Sport and Human Rights
This report presents independent reflections from the Centre for Sport and Human Rights (CSHR) on the role and work of the UEFA EURO 2024 Human Rights Board in which CSHR participated between May and November 2024. The board was established to promote structured exchange between tournament organisers and human rights stakeholders on the human rights risks identified for the tournament and to support the successful implementation of various human rights measures put in place.
In the report, CSHR recognises and welcomes the series of human rights initiatives undertaken by UEFA for EURO 2024, UEFA’s responsiveness to human rights stakeholders in the run up to and during the tournament, and the access and transparency afforded to members of the board.
The report includes a series of recommendations to UEFA to further expand on the good practices established for EURO 2024 and build on this experience for future tournaments. CSHR recommends that UEFA:
- Strengthens engagement, risk assessment and mitigation processes;
- Appoints a standing human rights board;
- Further develops fan welfare measures and rapid response systems;
- Reinforces event-related grievance mechanisms; and
- Adopts a formal human rights policy.
Members of the board had the opportunity to review and comment on the report, and one organisation represented in the board has issued an independent statement offering further recommendations. The statement, from Reporters Without Borders, can be found here.
