HRIA Conference 2007 [Pre-Conference Announcement]
Aim for human rights program: Human Rights in EU Policies
The European Union (EU) emphasizes the importance of respect for human rights within the EU as well as in its relations with third countries. At the same time, the need to assess the effect of EU human rights policies has been raised. In its program Human Rights in EU Policies, Aim for human rights aims to contribute to a more systematic and transparent approach by developing an instrument that will use indicators and benchmarking in the assessment of human rights situations in third countries.
The starting point of this instrument will be the EU relations with third countries in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), and more particularly with countries in the Euro-Mediterranean area. The instrument will be based on the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) approach of Aim for human rights and the model of participatory cooperation that was used in the development of the Health Rights for Women Assessment Instrument.
The instrument will be designed to assist civil society organisations in the Euro-Mediterranean region in their monitoring activities as well as their advocacy towards the EU and EU member states. The program started in 2007 and will last until 2010. Egypt has been selected as first pilot-country. The program is mainly funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Workshop 6 (Thursday afternoon): Towards a framework for a monitoring and advocacy tool
This workshop is open to all interested, and participants will receive a discussion paper that addresses the main issues and outlines a draft framework beforehand. The aim of the workshop is to exchange various views in order to define the elements which are essential to a monitoring and advocacy tool. This will be done with Egypt as a case study based on the issues mentioned below. The workshop may also be relevant to tool-development initiatives in other areas.
- Political and legal framework of the relations between the EU and Egypt
- Advocacy experiences related to the EU and Egypt
- Ways to select the focus of the monitoring tool
- Ways to determine advocacy strategies
Workshop 7 (Friday morning): Cooperation in developing the monitoring and advocacy tool
This workshop is especially for Egyptian and European NGO’s who have expressed interest in developing the tool together with Aim for human rights. Participants will receive beforehand a discussion paper addressing the main issues. The aim of the workshop is to translate the results of the first workshop into a work plan and to define the roles of the various interested parties.
If you are interested in participating as well, please contact Ms. Anne Marie Kuijpers, tel: +31. (0)30 – 233 40 27; email: a.kuijpers@aimforhumanrights.nl