Sous-commission Droits de l'homme (DROI) - Parlement européen

EU priorities for the UN Human Rights Council sessions in 2017
EU priorities for the UN Human Rights Council sessions in 2017
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Committee on International Trade will hold a joint hearing on 'Business and human rights in EU External Policies: due diligence, non-financial reporting and access to remedies'
Human rights has become a topic of importance for the European Union in relation to trade and is ever more present when the EU is negotiating new agreements with third countries. Notwithstanding the positive achievements realized to date there are still several challenges ahead if we are to fully integrate the human rights perspective into the business dimension. The joint hearing is divided into three panels: the first panel on Corporate Social Responsibility and global value chains, the second will analyse the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and access to remedies, while the third will focus on the UN intergovernmental working group on a legally binding instrument on transnational corporations.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) and the Committee on International Trade (INTA) will hold a joint hearing on 'Business and human rights in EU External Policies: due diligence, non-financial reporting and access to remedies', on 3 May from 15.00 - 18.30, Meeting room PHS 5B1

Human rights has become a topic of importance for the European Union in relation to trade and is ever more present when the EU is negotiating new agreements with third countries. Notwithstanding the positive achievements realized to date there are still several challenges ahead if we are to fully integrate the human rights perspective into the business dimension. The joint hearing is divided into three panels: the first panel on Corporate Social Responsibility and global value chains, the second will analyse the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and access to remedies, while the third will focus on the UN intergovernmental working group on a legally binding instrument on transnational corporations.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Source : © Union européenne, 2017 - PE

The Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality organised a Joint Hearing on Child Marriages on 11 April 2017 from 15.00 to 17.00. Prof Benyam Dawit Mezmur, Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child accepted the invitation to the hearing, together with Mr Fredrik Malmberg, Ombudsman for Children from Sweden, Ms Lakshmi Sundaram, Executive Director of Girls not Brides, UK and other experts.
Child marriages: MEPs discuss how to put an end to this scourge
Location : JAN 4Q1
Further information
Draft Programme
Full press statement
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

One in every three girls in developing countries is married before turning 18, and one in nine before 15. Child marriages limit future prospects as children are usually forced to drop out of school. Girls also face dangerous complications from pregnancy and childbirth, the leading causes of death among adolescent girls in developing countries.
Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights will take place on Wednesday, 3 May from 15.00 to 18.30, and on Thursday, 4 May from 9.00 - 12.30 in meeting room PHS P5B001.

Representatives of NGOs as well as other organisations are requested to accede to the EU Transparency Register and follow the procedures therein for access to the European Parliament.
Further information
Watch the meeting live
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Press Statements
Calendar of DROI Meetings 2017
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Durée de la vidéo : 143'
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Clause de non-responsabilité : L'interprétation des débats facilite la communication mais ne constitue en aucun cas un enregistrement authentifié des débats. Seuls le discours original ou la traduction écrite révisée du discours original peuvent être considérés authentiques.
Source : © Union européenne, 2017 - PE

Durée de la vidéo : 49'
Vous pouvez télécharger manuellement cette vidéo au format WMV (499Mb)

Clause de non-responsabilité : L'interprétation des débats facilite la communication mais ne constitue en aucun cas un enregistrement authentifié des débats. Seuls le discours original ou la traduction écrite révisée du discours original peuvent être considérés authentiques.
Source : © Union européenne, 2017 - PE

Length of video : 105'
You may manually download this video in WMV (1Gb) format

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The EU has developed an impressive range of policy tools for pushing back against restrictions on civil society across the world. It has gradually improved the way it deploys these instruments and has helped protect many activists at risk. Notwithstanding this, the EU needs to sharpen its ‘shrinking space’ strategy. This study suggests a range of precise policy changes it should contemplate to this end. It advocates a number of strategic guidelines that could help make the EU’s responses more proactive; better able to tackle the broad structural elements of the shrinking space; fully balanced between political and development approaches; and geared towards building more inclusive alliances against new restrictions on civil society.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Source : © Union européenne, 2017 - PE

Source : © Union européenne, 2017 - PE

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

AFET and DROI Chairs call on the Venezuelan Supreme Court to revise its most recent decision suspending the National Assembly
"The recent decision of the Supreme Court to curtail the competences of the National Assembly is a serious breach of the democratic principle of the separation of powers", declared the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on Human rights Chairs, Mr David McAllister (EPP, DE) and Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT).

"We reiterate the provisions of the EP resolution on Venezuela, adopted on 8 June 2016, which calls on the Venezuelan Government 'to respect the rule of law and the principle of the separation of powers, and recall that separation and non-interference between equally legitimate powers is an essential principle of democratic states guided by the rule of law' ".

For full text see below.
Further information
Full press statement
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights will take place on Tuesday 11 April 2017 from 3.00 - 6.30 p.m. and on Wednesday 12 April from 9.00 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. in room JAN 4Q1.

Representatives of NGOs as well as other organisations are requested to accede to the EU Transparency Register and follow the procedures therein for access to the European Parliament.
Further information
Watch the meeting live
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Press Statements
Calendar of DROI Meetings 2017
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality will organise a Joint Hearing on Child Marriages on 11 April 2017 from 15.00 to 17.00.

Prof Benyam Dawit Mezmur, Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child accepted the invitation to the hearing, together with Mr Fredrik Malmberg, Ombudsman for Children from Sweden, Ms Lakshmi Sundaram, Executive Director of Girls not Brides, UK and other experts. The practice of child marriage, even if often condemned, remains widespread, with one in three girls under 18 in developing countries affected by it.

Further information
Draft Programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality will organise a Joint Hearing on Child Marriages on 11 April 2017 from 15.00 to 17.00. Prof Benyam Dawit Mezmur, Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child accepted the invitation to the hearing, together with Mr Fredrik Malmberg, Ombudsman for Children from Sweden, Ms Lakshmi Sundaram, Executive Director of Girls not Brides, UK and other experts.
The practice of child marriage, even if often condemned, remains widespread, with one in three girls under 18 in developing countries affected by it.
Location : JAN 4Q1
Further information
Draft Programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT), Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights on the arrest of Ahmed Mansoor, human rights defender in the United Arab Emirates and 2015 Martin Ennals Award laureate:

"I call on the authorities of the United Arab Emirates to unconditionally release Ahmed Mansoor, following his arrest based on charges that include disseminating false information to promote sedition, hatred, and damage to national unity. All charges against him should be dropped, as they appear to be motivated only by his legitimate and peaceful human rights work. Equally, his and his family's total security and integrity should be guaranteed by the authorities and all his confiscated possessions be returned."
Full statement
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT), Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights on the arrest of Ahmed Mansoor, human rights defender in the United Arab Emirates and 2015 Martin Ennals Award laureate: "I call on the authorities of the United Arab Emirates to unconditionally release Ahmed Mansoor, following his arrest based on charges that include disseminating false information to promote sedition, hatred, and damage to national unity."
"All charges against him should be dropped, as they appear to be motivated only by his legitimate and peaceful human rights work. Equally, his and his family's total security and integrity should be guaranteed by the authorities and all his confiscated possessions be returned."

For full statement see link below.
Further information
Full press statement
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP