European Network of National Human Rights Institutions

📌 The European Commission’s 2024 rule of Law report is out now ➡ https://lnkd.in/d3cBsg7W. The report addresses key rule of law issues and focuses on the 4 core areas of checks and balances, media freedom and pluralism, justice system and anti-corruption framework. Based on a dialogue with Member States and stakeholders such as NHRIs, the Commission also provides a follow-up on the implementation of recommendations made in previous reports. 🤝 ENNHRI contributed by sharing its 2024 EU Rule of Law report. 📢 It emphasizes the essential role of NHRIs across the EU and enlargement countries in upholding the rule of law, focusing notably on their contribution to a healthy system of checks and balances. 🔍 Read more about this year’s key findings ➡ https://lnkd.in/e8ABqWyZ 🌍 Explore all the insights in our brand-new tool: https://lnkd.in/eqDnJ8Jw

💡 Here's a reminder to sign up to our #newsletter. 📰 Stay up to date with what we're doing and with the most important activities on #HumanRighs. We also share our latest publications and events. 📆 Subscribe ✏ and take a look on previous editions here ➡ https://lnkd.in/dh-Sj75p

📣 The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (the Directive) is a milestone for #business and #humanrights in the region. 🌐 We welcome the Directive’s recent adoption and that it mandates certain large companies to address negative #humanrights and #environmental impacts across their operations, subsidiaries and certain business relationships in the downstream value chain. We also welcome that the Directive’s final text fully or partially includes what we previously called for, including: ➡ Risk-based approaches  ➡ Stronger requirements for meaningful engagement with stakeholders   ➡ Linkage of due diligence obligations with public procurement However, the Directive does not reach its full potential and risks creating additional burdens to access to remedy for rightsholders. It does this through limitations on civil liability and the exclusion of downstream activities of financial institutions, even omitting several downstream activities altogether. 🤝 Despite such limitations, we appreciate the European Commission's commitment to review the Directive’s effectiveness in reaching its objectives. This leaves room for future improvements. 💡 Effective implementation of the Directive will require guidance, support for stakeholders, and robust enforcement by the Supervisory Authorities. National Human Rights Institutions (#NHRIs) will have a key role to play in supporting the effective transposition of the Directive by providing expert advice on transposition laws. They can also have a role in in its implementation, including through building #humanrights capacity among institutions enforcing the Directive, as well as those implementing it, and supporting rightsholders to access the remedy and accountability mechanisms in the law. ⚖ The Directive will enter into force on 26 July 2024 and Member States will need to transpose it into national law by 26 July 2026. Rules will start to apply to the largest companies from 26 July 2027. 📖 Read our new statement welcoming the Directive’s adoption below and here: https://lnkd.in/eCFDazNg 🔎 Learn more about the Directive in our related article – https://lnkd.in/eWEdzhfu 💭 Find out more on our work on business and human rights and related Working Group - https://lnkd.in/ebWzjwm4 

📢 Big news: our new report and tool on the state of the rule of law in #Europe are here! National Human Rights Institutions (#NHRIs) across the continent shine a light on their national rule of law ⚖️ situations. What is the situation in your country? What do #NHRIs recommend policymakers do to strengthen respect for the #ruleoflaw? What are the Europe-wide trends? 🔎 Explore all the insights in our brand new tool 🎉: https://lnkd.in/eqDnJ8Jw  📰 Read more about this year’s key findings: https://lnkd.in/e8ABqWyZ 👀 Discover our key recommendations to policymakers in our dedicated infographic: https://lnkd.in/epXueXJZ

📣 A new joint statement from the Council of Europe - European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights - Equinet, European Network of Equality Bodies - ENNHRI Collaborative Platform on Social and Economic Rights is here!   With the High-Level Conference on the #EuropeanSocialCharter taking place later this week in Vilnius, we urge participating leaders to address pressing challenges exacerbated by recent crises. These include economic inequality, housing shortages, and social disparities.  Key steps for states to reaffirm their commitment to social rights - as guaranteed by the European Social Charter – include:   📍 Ratifying the Revised European Social Charter and accepting its additional provisions. 📍 Recognising housing and protection against poverty as fundamental rights. 📍 Transforming commitments into action to align with Charter requirements. 📍 Embracing the collective complaints procedure for better governance. 📍 Enhancing cooperation among stakeholders, including NHRIs, Equality Bodies, and civil society.   Let's together ensure that #SocialRights are at the heart ❤️ of our response to contemporary challenges.   👀 Read the full statement below 👇 and here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eCmqpNEr #SocialJustice #HumanRights

What a week we had last week at the NHRI Academy 2024! 💥   📢 This year, the #NHRIAcademy focused on securitisation and human rights. This included looking at how the use of security measures can affect and limit #humanrights and how #NHRIs can address such situations.   23 NHRI staff members from across the OSCE region participated in this five-day training. Topics covered included securitisation theory, states of emergency, restriction of civic space, migration, technologies and human rights, anti-terrorism and policing.   💡 We learnt how NHRIs can use their specific mandate to work on the topics and several participants presented case studies of how their NHRI worked on securitisation challenges in their national context. Participants received an overview of relevant international standards and learnt about the work OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and ENNHRI are doing to support NHRIs. Insights were also shared on gender mainstreaming and specific gender aspects under each topic.   📌 Participants identified several key issues and points learnt regarding securitisation, including: ➡ The potential risk to NHRIs’ reputation and public perception if they speak out against security measures, especially after a major event or emergency.   ➡ The need for strategic communication and response during a crisis.   ➡ The importance of cooperation with other national actors, such as the media, civil society, law enforcement, national authorities and other public bodies.   ➡ The value of cooperating with international partners, working with treaty bodies and special rapporteurs and taking relevant cases to the regional courts to reinforce NHRIs’ work and influence political or societal discourse.   Overall, the Academy showed us the power of #NHRIs sharing experiences among one other, the value of peer-to-peer learning and the importance of solidarity.   In follow-up to this learning, participants developed actions plans on how they will take the knowledge back and share it within their respective institutions.  Finally, a huge thanks to all our participants and trainers for making it such a fruitful and engaging week. 🙏 🎞 Check out the video below for an overview of what the week was like. 👇 Find out more on the NHRI Academy - https://lnkd.in/eE-d3ZQs

🔎 A healthy civil society space is essential for upholding #democracy, the #ruleoflaw and #humanrights. Yet civil society organisations and other human rights defenders across Europe face diverse challenges – these are only intensifying. That’s why today Katrien Meuwissen, our Team Leader on Human Rights, spoke at the Council of Europe Steering Committee for Human Rights conference on protecting and promoting civil society space. She outlined how we can do this, #NHRIs’ crucial role, and how the review of the Council of Europe Recommendation on strengthening civil society offers an opportunity to change course. She emphasised that: ➡ NHRIs’ contribution to a vibrant civic space is in their DNA. Their pluralist composition and intense cooperation with civil society organisations makes them ideally placed to tackle the issues confronting them and all rights defenders. ENNHRI’s rule of law reporting attests to the increasing challenges. ➡ We need to deepen domestic monitoring of civic space: this will help us understand and develop tailored responses to current and emerging challenges. ➡ Law and policymakers must engage more with and publicly recognise the value and legitimacy of civil society and rights defenders, including NHRIs. Drawing on positive examples in the region, Member States should create the legal, political and public environments they need to thrive. In the Recommendation’s review, Member States should (re)commit to this. ➡ The Recommendation’s review should lead to strengthened national and regional protection mechanisms for rights defenders. It should also support stable funding for them and civil society organisations. 💡We were delighted to speak alongside partners in strengthening and protecting civic space today. Together we can shift the dial on this matter in Europe. 📌 Visit our good practice database for over 50 examples of how NHRIs support and protect fellow human rights defenders – https://lnkd.in/eTH23uYN

📢 Recent threats and attacks faced by the The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, including its leadership and staff, both leadership and staff - are hugely concerning and totally unacceptable. We stand by the Armenian NHRI and reaffirm our support to the institution and its work promoting and protecting all #HumanRights in Armenia. We urge the Armenian state authorities and all national political actors to uphold relevant international and regional standards. They must ensure the institution and its staff can conduct their essential human rights work free from interference, harassment, and attacks of any nature. 📌 Find out more here - https://lnkd.in/d9Q4AmDF   Read our full public statement in support of the Armenian NHRI below ⬇

💥Last chance to apply! 📝 Want to develop your skills working in #humanrights for a European #HumanRights network? Are you interested in #AI, #CapacityBuilding & other Human Rights Themes? ✏ Apply to become our new Human Rights Trainee by 23 June! Find full details here ➡ https://lnkd.in/eAY8gA7C #jobalert #humanrightsjobs #careers #opportunities

On #WorldRefugeeDay we call for human rights-compliant border policies: 📌 A sustainable & fair migration approach, including more legal pathways 📌 Restoring protection-sensitive asylum systems Find out more about our work on asylum and migration here ➡ https://lnkd.in/eS5bmG6U Our report on #HumanRights of migrants at borders 📝 https://lnkd.in/eTqYSGRu