Dear friends of the Network,

We’ve just wrapped up our Campaign for World Refugee Day and closed #PrideMonth with a powerful act of resistance. On June 28th, we joined Budapest Pride alongside activists and organizations from across Europe, marching together to stand strong against oppression and show that rights, solidarity, and resistance will always prevail.
Despite Hungarian authorities banning the march under the pretext of “protecting children”—a clear attempt to suppress LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of assembly—around 200,000 people came out to make their voices heard. We’re proud to have stood with every brave soul marching for freedom, love, and human rights. No ban can ever silence the call for equality.

UNITED TownHall Meeting

What happened at Pride was a powerful reminder of why resistance matters in the face of oppression. It also made it clear that things in Hungary remain tough, especially with the harmful “Transparency of Public Life” bill likely to become law this autumn.
That’s why it’s so important for us to make the most of these next few weeks. Let’s build on the momentum we started in May and stand together against this attempt to silence and restrict civil society. We’re inviting everyone in the Network to join us online to connect, share ideas, and discuss how we can respond—because our voices are stronger together.

Date: 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝟲.𝟯𝟬 𝗽𝗺 𝗖𝗘𝗧

Where: Zoom (Register via the QR code or through this link)

Agenda Highlights:

• 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲

• 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁: 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

• 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀: 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 & 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹

• 𝗘𝗨 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲

We need you more than ever so please join us!

Taking Concrete Action: Working Group on Migration and Migravoice

The June 20th Campaign may have wrapped up, but standing up for refugee and migrant rights is still at the heart of what we do. That’s why we’ve just launched our Working Group on the New EU Pact on Migration & Asylum. There’s still time to get involved—applications are open until July 14th—so don’t miss your chance to take real action. Together, we can challenge the idea of “neutrality” at borders, spread solidarity, and figure out how to push back against this new EU policy, which is set to come into force in a year and will impact thousands of lives.
We’re also excited to share another important initiative: Migravoice. This project brings together a cross-border community of experts with migration backgrounds—the MigraVoice Superpower Community—who share their insights and serve as trusted voices in the media. Migravoice is led by Maldita.es / Maldita Hemeroteca, in partnership with five leading European media organizations.
If you want to learn more or join the Migravoice community, check out their website or reach out to us for more info!

Youth Power for 2030: A Citizens Dialogue

Talking about action and dialogue, we're pleased to announce that this Monday at 6 pm CET, our Director Philip Pollak is joining a powerful global panel organised by Citizens featuring changemakers from around the world, sharing bold ideas, lived experiences, and visions for the future. Together with him, the panel features Dr. Amjad Saleem | Maria Sara Neri | Tharindra Arumapperuma

The event is free and happening on Zoom upon registration through this link.

News from the Secretariat: Advocacy in Action!

We are taking this space to give a huge thank you to our amazing Advocacy Advisor, Neringa Tumėnaitė, who has led our Advocacy Team with so much passion and dedication over the past years. Now, as she steps down to focus on finishing her doctoral research, we’re excited to welcome Bence Gonda, who we know truly values all the incredible work Neringa has done and will take the team to new and exciting places.

Neringa has been with the Network for a whole decade, and we’re beyond grateful for her vision, care, and commitment. We’re also really happy she’ll continue to be part of UNITED as a Delegate and Ambassador around the world. We wish her nothing but the best as she takes on this next chapter!
And before we wrap up, we’re excited to share some words from Neringa herself — a little something from her to all of you.

I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with such a diverse group of UNITED experts and delegates over the past few years. Our advocacy team has supported hundreds of delegations across continents – engaging on a wide range of issues – from Indigenous rights and migration to campaigning, planetary health, and digital privacy of activists.

We’ve also expanded our network – welcoming new delegates and members from Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia – a development we’re excited to see grow. Thank you to all the partners and colleagues who have made this journey so special. As I take some time off to finalise my research commitments, I’m excited to see these initiatives continue under the leadership of Bence!