Twenty-five years after the signing of the Barcelona Declaration, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), launched in 2004, has become the cornerstone of the EU’s relations with its Southern neighbours.
Denmark and its “hygge” lifestyle rarely comes to mind when discussing human rights violations. And yet, a recent shadow report prepared by EuroMed Rights and 25 other civil society organisations ahead of Denmark’s Universal Periodic Review in May 2021 at the United Nations reveals issues that need to be promptly addressed. The report puts forward recommendations across 41 key areas of concern that need to be … Continued
3.27 euros. This was, in June 2020, the average cost of a kilogram of strawberries in the European Union. While countries in the Euro-Mediterranean region were facing the COVID–19 pandemic, while some European governments were actively recruiting to save crops, hundreds of migrant workers (mostly women from North Africa) were actually harvesting fruits and vegetables, … Continued
As 17 October marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, EuroMed Rights talked to Nabil Abdo, Middle East and North Africa Senior Policy Advisor at Oxfam, to get an in-depth look into the social and economic issues Lebanon faces. A recent Oxfam report, regarding Lebanon, reads: “A huge increase in inequality is very likely. More austerity following this crisis will mean more uprisings, more inequality, … Continued
In recent weeks, the world battled not one, but two pandemics. Around the world people gasped in horror as George Floyd pleaded for his breath. His passing breathed new life into the fight against racism and thousands around the world took to the streets to denounce systemic racism, discrimination and police brutality. In the United … Continued
In recent years, broadband roll-out in the MENA region increased steeply. Mobile penetration and home internet subscriptions are definitely on the rise. However, digital inclusion remains scarce and discrepancies are high within the region. This is particularly true for less educated persons and the elderly, as well as women who are 9% less likely than men to own a mobile phone and 21% less likely to use mobile internet. In the EU, while 75% of all citizens are … Continued
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown global structural, social, economic, and humanitarian inequalities into sharp focus. Existing issues such as migrant’s rights, access to healthcare, violence against women and discrimination – already chronically under-addressed and under-funded by states worldwide – have been exacerbated by responses to the pandemic (or the lack of response). Civil society organisations … Continued
Informal workers – mostly less educated and young people – face insecure working conditions, unstable revenues and do not have access to social security systems. This makes them particularly vulnerable, even more so amid the current public health crisis. In the MENA region, two thirds of all employment are considered to be informal, as opposed … Continued
In only a few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore what activists, social workers, carers, human rights defenders, trade unionists and many others have long denounced: stalled upward mobility; degradation of essential services such as adequate health care and social security; and a steep increase in inequalities. In other words, the COVID-19 … Continued
In the face of potential COVID-19 outbreak in the Gaza Strip, Israel is obliged to take measures to save lives, permitting the entry of medical equipment and supplies, to meet patients’ needs With over 250 identified COVID-19 Palestinian patients in the West Bank and potentially dozens in the Gaza Strip we, the undersigned organisations, express … Continued
