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| Founding meeting of the EMHRN | Date: 17-01-1997 |
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CREATION OF A EURO-MEDITERRANEAN HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK As a follow up to the November 1995 Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Barcelona and the associated agreements between the EU and third Mediterranean countries, a meeting of civil society representatives from the Middle East, North Africa and EU countries took place in Copenhagen on 10 and 11 January 1997 at the invitation of the Danish Centre for Human Rights. At the meeting it was decided to establish the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network with the overall objective of ensuring the influence of civil society on the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and of working for the protection and promotion of the human rights principles embodied in the Barcelona Declaration. The Barcelona Declaration, which was signed by the governments of 27 countries and territories (the 15 EU countries and 12 non-EU Mediterranean countries and territories), implies a political commitment by the signatories to implement and adhere to basic human rights in law and practice. However, the Barcelona Work Programme, which stipulates activities to implement the principles of the Barcelona Declaration, does not include any initiatives in the field of human rights. As a reaction to this omission in the Work Programme, and as a reaction to the continuing human rights violations in all countries of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the participants of the Copenhagen meeting decided to create the Network as a means to engage the civil societies in the development of the human rights dimension of the Euro-Mediterranean Parntership. The immediate objectives of the Network will be the defence and promotion of freedom of opinion, expression and association and the campaign against racism, xenophobia and intolerance. Other important objectives will be the protection of human rights activists and of women´s rights. These objectives will be attained by means of human rights education and training, research, monitoring, publication of reports and briefings, and lobbying of governments, inter-governmental and parliamentary institutions within the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. By the end of the Copenhagen meeting, a Steering Committee of 10 members was set up to prepare an action plan for the Network. The work of the Steering Committee will be coordinated from the Danish Centre for Human Rights. The Network is open to individuals and organizations dealing with human rights from the 27 countries of the Partnership and will cooperate with forums and networks dealing with complementary fields within the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Representatives from civil society in Algeria, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Greece, Holland, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Spain and Tunisia participated in the meeting. |
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