Schutzfaktor M (Protection factor H) is an umbrella association of 115 organisations and 11,000 individuals who are politically and socially committed to the preservation of human rights protection in Switzerland. The association was founded by the association Dialog EMRK. It coordinates civil society's commitment against the so-called self-determination initiative, which is designed to undermine the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as a guarantor of fundamental rights.

Schutzfaktor M produced the touring exhibition "My History, my rights", which illustrates in nine portraits that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has at times been crucial for protection of human rights of Swiss citizens.

sbi-nein.ch (de / fr / it)

The information platform humanrights.ch is a project of the association HumanRights.ch/MERS. As a successor to “Akademie für Menschenrechte AMR”, it has been campaigning since 1999 for the promotion and enforcement of human rights in Switzerland. The activities of HumanRights.ch focus mainly on information, raising awareness, networking, counselling and education. It provides details information kits on international people’s rights treaties, in particular on the UN convention on people with disabilities as well as international human rights protection institutions. The news service of this platform focuses on political human rights developments, on events at home and abroad, and it reports on recommendations and individual case judgements by international human rights authorities such as the European Court of Justice.

humanrights.ch

Amnesty International is a globally operating advocacy group for human rights and political prisoners. The organisation was formed in 1961 after British lawyer Peter Benenson urged readers in a British newspaper to write to the Portuguese military dictatorship and to demand the release of two students who had been imprisoned for drinking to freedom. Numerous newspapers around the world reprinted this "appeal for amnesty". Amnesty International Switzerland is one of more than fifty country offices and is involved in information, education and youth work.

Amnesty's efforts include the release of the Saudi political prisoner Raif Badawi, who together with his wife Ensaf Haidar and his lawyer Waleed Albukhair received the 2015 Freethinker Prize. We organised the award ceremony with Ensaf Haidar in co-operation with Amnesty International Switzerland.

amnesty.ch | amnesty.org

Research and Technology Switzerland (Reatch) is a think tank committed to a science-friendly culture and to strengthening relations between science and other sectors of society. Founded in 2014, the association aims to promote the potential of science and technology and to enrich the public debate with critical points of view and fruitful solutions.

Reatch was an organising partner of the 2017 Denkfest.

​​​​​​​reatch.ch

The Swiss Social Archive documents social developments and the demographic change in Switzerland. It was founded in 1906 based on the model of the Musée Social in Paris. Since 1974 it is a recognised infrastructure research organisation and it has access to its own research support fund. The Freidenker Zürich handed some of their association documentation and their Freethinkers Library to the Social Archive.

The Social Archive was a partner to the Human Rights Day 2012, when the human rights expert Gert Haller lectured on her book “Who determines what human rights are?”.

sozialarchiv.ch

The "Forum for Critical Thinking" (formerly "Skeptics Switzerland") aims to promote understanding and passion for science. They produce the PodCast "Bad Advice" and regularly publish news and discussion papers on topics such as critical thinking, medicine and health, conspiracy theories, consumer behavior, technology and engineering.

The forming of the association was a result of a project idea, which was born at the Denkfest 2011. Initially the plan was to establish a Swiss regional group of the German Skeptic organisation Gesellschaft für die Wissenschaftliche Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften (GWUP). For organisational reasons, a separate association was set up instead. Like GWUP, the Swiss skeptics are members of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ESCO).

Skeptiker Schweiz were partners of the Denkfest editions 2014 and 2017 and the first Camp-Quest camps.

kritisch-denken.ch | ecso.org | schlechtberaten.xyz

The Volkshochschule Zürich is a provider of continuous education for adults. Founded in 1920, it offers a wide range of courses from astronomy to philosophy, from political science to music, always at academic level. Their second area of activities is foreign language courses. The portfolio is supplemented with offers for movement, design and communication.

Die Volkshochschule Zürich war Partner des Denkfests 2017.

vhszh.ch

The Zurich Salon hosts debates on current social topics in a form inspired by the 19^th century salon culture and the Anglo-Saxon discussion tradition. It is based on the right of free speech and a horizon-expanding debating culture. The salon hosts are convinced that it is through open debates that we get to know and develop our own views, that they enable us to arrive at well-informed assessments of other people’s attitudes. The Zurich Salon is linked with the British Academy of Ideas which contributes towards the debating culture vitalisation by hosting events in several countries.

The Zurich Salon was a partner on occasion of the Denkfest-issues in 2014 and 2017.

zurichsalon.org | academyofideas.org.uk