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

The next ordinary meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights is scheduled to take place on 6-7 May 2026 in Brussels. (Room: Spinelli 5E-2).

Inter-parliamentary committee meeting (ICM) will be held on 6 May (Room: Antall 4Q1).

DROI meetings - 2026
DROI meetings - 2025
DROI Coordinators
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Durée de la vidéo : 90'

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, 2026 - PE

Durée de la vidéo : 225'

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, 2026 - PE

On Tuesday 14 April, the Subcommittee on Human Rights will hold a public hearing on 'Caste discrimination in South Asia'. The panel, comprised of representatives of the European External Action Service, the United Nations, as well as civil society actors and individuals with lived experience, will provide a holistic overview of caste discrimination and its implications for human rights in South Asia.
Drawing on recent findings, including those of the UN Special Rapporteur on racism, it aims to explore the role of the caste system as a core driver of oppression, particularly in South Asia.

The hearing will underline the need for an intersectional approach that recognises how caste-based discrimination intersects with gender, poverty and other factors, creating distinct and severe forms of marginalisation. The exchange will also examine existing international and EU-level responses and explore avenues for more effective action to combat caste-based discrimination.
Location : SPINELLI 1E2 (Brussels)
Draft programme
Webstreaming
Photos
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Source : © Union européenne, 2026 - PE

Source : © Union européenne, 2026 - PE

On Tuesday 14 April (9:00-10:30), the Subcommittee on Human Rights will hold a public hearing on 'Caste discrimination in South Asia'. The panel, comprised of representatives of the European External Action Service, the United Nations, as well as civil society actors and individuals with lived experience, will provide a holistic overview of caste discrimination and its implications for human rights in South Asia.
Drawing on recent findings, including those of the UN Special Rapporteur on racism, it aims to explore the role of the caste system as a core driver of oppression, particularly in South Asia.

The hearing will underline the need for an intersectional approach that recognises how caste-based discrimination intersects with gender, poverty and other factors, creating distinct and severe forms of marginalisation. The exchange will also examine existing international and EU-level responses and explore avenues for more effective action to combat caste-based discrimination.
Public hearing page
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

On 14 April 2026 at 10:30, the Subcommittee on Human Rights will hold an exchange of views on the EU response to human rights violations in the West Bank, with invited speakers from civil society, the European External Action Service, and the United Nations.
Against the backdrop of ongoing developments on the ground, the discussion will provide an opportunity to assess current EU policies and identify possible avenues for a coherent response anchored in Parliament's longstanding positions, such as the fight against death penalty, the need to uphold international law, the obligation of all parties to respect international humanitarian law and support to accountability for international human rights law violations.
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Source : © Union européenne, 2026 - PE

This workshop assessed recent developments in human rights and accountability across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in the context of the 4th EU–CELAC summit (Santa Marta, 9 November 2025). Bringing together EU policymakers, regional human rights representatives, academics and civil society actors, the discussion examined the structural challenges affecting democratic governance and the institutional mechanisms available to address them. Participants highlighted the coexistence of democratic backsliding, organised criminal violence, institutional fragility and shrinking civic space with enduring commitments to international human rights law and multilateral cooperation. Particular attention was given to the region’s complex “accountability mosaic”, comprising international and regional judicial bodies, national human rights institutions, transitional justice mechanisms and protection frameworks for human rights defenders. While these mechanisms have produced meaningful advances, their effectiveness remains uneven and vulnerable to political, economic and security pressures. The workshop also explored the human rights implications of transnational organised crime, climate-related vulnerabilities and trade-based cooperation frameworks, emphasising the need for policy coherence, sustained multilateral engagement and capacity-building. Overall, the discussion underscored that EU–LAC relations are grounded in shared normative principles but require more systematic operationalisation through political dialogue, cooperative instruments and support for regional and domestic accountability structures.
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The next ordinary meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights is scheduled to take place on 14 April 2026 (9:00-12:30 and 15:00-18:30) in Brussels.

Room: SPINELLI (1E-2).

DROI meetings - 2026
DROI meetings - 2025
DROI Coordinators
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Durée de la vidéo : 135'

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, 2026 - PE

The Subcommittee on Human Rights held a public hearing entitled "Third-country nationals forced to fight in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine". The hearing was organised in association with the Delegations to the EU-Russia and to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committees.

In association with the Delegations to the EU-Russia and to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committees, the Subcommittee on Human Rights is holding a public hearing on "Third-country nationals forced to fight in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine".

Ukrainian Human Rights expert of the Truth Hounds NGO Maria Tomak spoke of forced recruits from Bangladesh and Rosemary Tollo, Kenyan journalist, with Bibiana Waithaka, mother of a victim, reported on the Kenyan connection. Andrij Jusov, Spokesperson for the Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, gave a more general view from Ukraine of the phenomenon, and the European External Action Service provided some insight on EU action.

Programme
Photos
Webstreaming
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Durée de la vidéo : 75'

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, 2026 - PE

Durée de la vidéo : 90'

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, 2026 - PE

Durée de la vidéo : 90'

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, 2026 - PE

Source : © Union européenne, 2026 - PE

Human trafficking and grave human rights violations linked to the recruitment of non-Russian nationals, in particular from Africa, for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine
The arbitrary detention of President Mohamed Bazoum by the junta in Niger
Case of Elene Khoshtaria and political prisoners under the Georgian Dream regime
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

On 18 March (15.00-16.15) DROI in association with the Delegation for Relations with South Africa (D-ZA) will discuss the impact of exporting pesticides banned in the EU on the right to health and a healthy environment in South Africa.

Although certain highly hazardous pesticides are banned in the EU because of their harmful effects on human health and the environment, they are still produced in the EU and exported to countries with less stringent regulations.

South Africa is a clear example of this practice, as some of these products are associated with serious health risks for agricultural workers, especially women, who are exposed to them on a daily basis, but also for children living in exposed areas.

Marcos A. Orellana, UN special rapporteur on toxic chemicals and human rights; Navanethem Pillay former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and judge at the ICC; Colette Solomon, Director of Women on Farms Project and the Commission will join the debate to share their respective perspective on this topic.

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP