HRDN reaction to the Council Conclusions on the action plan on human rights and democracy 2015 - 2019 - From words to action: Time for EU leadership to walk the talk on Human Rights and Democracy
The adoption of the recent Council Conclusions and revised Human Rightsand Democracy Action Plan is a timely reaffirmation of the European Union’s (EU)commitment to pursuing a comprehensive human rights and democracy support agenda.
Human rights and democracy are under threat globally and it is time forthe EU to act on its commitments to protect, promote and fulfil human rightsand fundamental freedoms. We reiterate ourcall for the EU and its member states to be at the forefront of theinternational community in acting and speaking out against human rights violationswhenever and wherever they occur.
HRDN welcomes the wide range of human rights issues and measures insupport of democracy that the Action Plan covers but there is a need forconcrete action and a clear division of roles and responsibilities so that theEU can manage to work effectively on the full scope of issues it confrontsglobally. Furthermore, to achieve impact, EU actions need to be backed bypolitical will and ambition to deliver on this human rights agenda at thehighest level within the EU institutions, coupled with greater buy-in from allEU member states. This Action Plan will only be a success if it is applied equallyto the current crackdowns in places like Azerbaijan, Bahrain, China, Egypt,Myanmar, and Burundi and to tackle the shrinking civil society space and deepening repressionin places like Ethiopia, Russia, Saudi Arabia andUzbekistan.
We note that the Action Plan is a set of thematic priorities, ratherthan the sum total of the EU’s human rights and democracy agenda. It is one ofa wider range of policies and instruments on human rights and democracy whichthe EU and its member states have committed to put into practice. The HRDNwould like to see greater transparency and accountability in how human rightscommitments are implemented by EU member states and institutions. HRDNreiterates the European Parliament’s call for a public annual Foreign AffairsCouncil (FAC) debate on human rights. HRDN further calls for member states tostep up to lead parts of the Action Plan to ensure greater burden-sharing,ownership and coherence, including at the country level.
We recall that human rights were to be the silver thread running throughEU policies and actions. Progress has been slow in achieving this goal, and humanrights should therefore be integrated into geographic strategies, just as theymust be fully supported in trade, migration, security, energy and otherpolicies to achieve policy coherence. It will be critical to the success of theEU’s human rights and democracy policy for all EU institutions to ensureadequate resources, requisite expertise and clear prioritisation are accordedto support people in realising their human rights and democratic freedoms.Human rights and democracy should have a prominent role in the structure anddecision-making of the European External Action Service (EEAS), in Brussels anddelegations, in line with the Lisbon Treaty.
We recall thatthe EU commits in its Strategic Framework to throwing its “fullweight behind advocates of liberty, democracy, and human rights throughout theworld”, for human rights, democracy, the rule of law and international justiceto be promoted “in all areas of the EU's external actions without exception”and for the EU to “place human rights at the centre of its relations withall third countries including strategic partners”. The Strategic Framework andAction Plan should represent a transition to a more transparent and accountableEU human rights policy – including public diplomacy, so that the EU is a strongervoice for human rights and a more vocal supporter of human rights defenders.
In recent years, this voice has been faltering. The EU has oftenpreferred silent diplomacy and has lacked a strategic approach to addressinghuman rights violations. Now is the time for the EU to demonstrate thatstrategic political ambition by using the many tools at its disposal to bringabout real change in the realisation of people’s rights and freedoms.
We call on the EU and its member states nowto walk the talk in implementing their commitments. HRDN stands ready to work with the EU and itsmember states at all levels to ensure that the EU Strategic Framework andAction Plan results in concrete, coherent and results-oriented actions acrossthe world.
For further informationcontact: HRDN Troika troika@hrdn.eu
The Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN),of which the OMCT is a member organisation, is an informal grouping of NGOs operating at EU level in the broader areas ofhuman rights, democracy and conflict prevention. Participation in the networkis open to non-governmental organizations which engage at EU level in thepromotion of human rights, democracy and conflict prevention in and outside theEU. The vision of the HRDN is that human rights and democracy areplaced at the heart of the EU's internal and external policy agenda. Thisvision should manifest itself in a EU that effectively protects human rights athome and is a force for positive change in the world. In pursuit of thisvision, the network aims to influence EU and member state human rights policiesand the programming of their funding instruments to promote democracy, humanrights and sustainable peace.
