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EU ANNUAL REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD
2019 COUNTRY UPDATES
Contents
Enlargement countries…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………5
Republic of Albania.................................................................................................................................5
Bosnia and Herzegovina ....................................................................................................................... 6
Republic of North Macedonia ....................................................................................................... ........8
Kosovo
* .................................................................................................................................................10
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Montenegro .........................................................................................................................................12
Republic of Serbia ................................................................................................................................13
Republic of Turkey ...............................................................................................................................14
EEA/EFTA Countries and non-EU Western European Countries ........................................................17
Switzerland ..........................................................................................................................................17
Norway ................................................................................................................ ...............................18
Iceland .................................................................................................................................................20
Liechtenstein .......................................................................................................................................21
European Neighbourhood Policy ........................................................................................................22
Eastern Partnership regional cooperation……………………………………………………………………………………….22
Armenia ...............................................................................................................................................23
Azerbaijan ............................................................................................................................................24
Belarus .................................................................................................................................................26
Georgia ................................................................................................................................................28
Republic of Moldova .......................................................................................................................... 30
Ukraine ................................................................................................................................................32
Egypt .................................................................................................................................................. .35
State of Israel .......................................................................................................................................36
Jordan ....................................................................................................................... ...........................38
Lebanon ................................................................................................................................................40
Libya ......................................................................................................................................................43
Syria ......................................................................................................................................................45
Palestinian Authority (occupied Palestinian territory – oPt) ................................................................47
Kingdom of Morocco ............................................................................................................................49
Western Sahara ....................................................................................................................................51
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria ..............................................................................................52
Republic of Tunisia ................................................................................................................................54
Russia and Central Asia ........................................................................................................................56
Russia ....................................................................................................................................................56
Kazakhstan ............................................................................................................................................58
The Kyrgyz Republic ..............................................................................................................................60
Tajikistan ...............................................................................................................................................62
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ
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Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
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Turkmenistan ........................................................................................................................................64
Uzbekistan ............................................................................................................................................66
Africa ....................................................................................................................................................67
The African Union (AU) - European Union (EU) ....................................................................................67
Angola ...................................................................................................................................................70
Benin .....................................................................................................................................................72
Republic of Botswana ...........................................................................................................................74
Burkina Faso .........................................................................................................................................76
Burundi .................................................................................................................................................78
Cabo Verde ...........................................................................................................................................80
Cameroon .............................................................................................................................................82
Central African Republic. ......................................................................................................................84
Union des Comores ..............................................................................................................................86
Republic of Congo .................................................................................................................................87
Chad ......................................................................................................................................................89
Côte d'Ivoire .........................................................................................................................................91
Djibouti .................................................................................................................................................93
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ...................................................................................................95
State of Eritrea .....................................................................................................................................97
Eswatini ……………………..........................................................................................................................99
Ethiopia ...............................................................................................................................................101
Equatorial Guinea ...............................................................................................................................102
Gabon .................................................................................................................................................105
Ghana .................................................................................................................................................106
Guinea Bissau .....................................................................................................................................109
Guinea ................................................................................................................................................111
Kenya ..................................................................................................................................................113
Kingdom of Lesotho ............................................................................................................................115
Liberia .................................................................................................................................................117
Madagascar ........................................................................................................................................119
Democratic Republic of Malawi .........................................................................................................121
Mali ....................................................................................................................................................123
Mauritania .........................................................................................................................................125
Mauritius ............................................................................................................................................127
Republic of Mozambique ...................................................................................................................129
Namibia ..............................................................................................................................................131
Niger ...................................................................................................................................................133
Nigeria ................................................................................................................................................135
Rwanda ...............................................................................................................................................138
São Tomé and Príncipe .......................................................................................................................139
Senegal ...............................................................................................................................................141
The Seychel es ....................................................................................................................................143
Sierra Leone ........................................................................................................................................145
Somalia ............................................................................................................................................. .147
South Africa ...................................................................................................................................... .149
South Sudan ........................................................................................................................................151
Sudan ..................................................................................................................................................153
Tanzania ..............................................................................................................................................155
The Gambia .........................................................................................................................................157
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Togo ....................................................................................................................................................159
Uganda ................................................................................................................................................161
Zambia .............................................................................................................................................. .163
Zimbabwe............................................................................................................................................165
Arabian Peninsula ..............................................................................................................................167
Bahrain ................................................................................................................................................167
Iraq ......................................................................................................................................................169
Kuwait .................................................................................................................................................171
Oman ..................................................................................................................................................173
Qatar ...................................................................................................................................................174
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ....................................................................................................................176
United Arab Emirates .........................................................................................................................178
Yemen .................................................................................................................................................180
Asia .....................................................................................................................................................182
Afghanistan .........................................................................................................................................182
People’s Republic of Bangladesh ........................................................................................................185
Kingdom of Bhutan .............................................................................................................................187
Brunei Darussalam ..............................................................................................................................189
Kingdom of Cambodia ........................................................................................................................190
People's Republic of China ............................................................................................................... .192
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China ....................................195
Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China .. . . ...................................196
Taiwan ................................................................................................................................................197
Iran ......................................................................................................................................................198
Republic of Korea ................................................................................................................................199
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) ..................................................................................200
India ....................................................................................................................................................202
Indonesia ............................................................................................................................................203
Japan ...................................................................................................................................................205
Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) .....................................................................................207
Malaysia ..............................................................................................................................................209
Maldives .............................................................................................................................................211
Mongolia .............................................................................................................................................213
Myanmar/Burma ................................................................................................................................215
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ...............................................................................................219
Pakistan ..............................................................................................................................................221
Philippines ..........................................................................................................................................223
Singapore ............................................................................................................................................225
Sri Lanka ..............................................................................................................................................226
Thailand ..............................................................................................................................................228
Timor-Leste .........................................................................................................................................231
Vietnam ..............................................................................................................................................233
Oceania ..............................................................................................................................................234
Australia .............................................................................................................................................234
Fiji .......................................................................................................................................................235
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The Federated States of Micronesia ...................................................................................................237
Republic of Kiribati ..............................................................................................................................239
Nauru ........................................................................................................................ .........................240
New Zealand .......................................................................................................................................242
Palau ...................................................................................................................................................243
Independent State of Papua New Guinea ..........................................................................................244
Republic of Marshal Islands ...............................................................................................................246
Samoa ................................................................................................................................................ 248
Solomon Islands ..................................................................................................................................250
Tonga...................................................................................................................................................251
Tuvalu .................................................................................................................................................253
Vanuatu ..............................................................................................................................................255
The Americas ......................................................................................................................................257
Belize ..................................................................................................................................................257
United States of America ...................................................................................................................258
Antigua and Barbuda .........................................................................................................................260
Canada ...............................................................................................................................................262
Commonwealth of Dominica .............................................................................................................264
The Bahamas .....................................................................................................................................266
Barbados ............................................................................................................................................267
Republic of Costa Rica ........................................................................................................................268
Republic of Cuba ................................................................................................................................269
Dominican Republic ...........................................................................................................................271
El Salvador ..........................................................................................................................................274
Grenada...............................................................................................................................................276
Guatemala ..........................................................................................................................................278
Co-operative Republic of Guyana ......................................................................................................280
Haiti ....................................................................................................................................................282
Honduras ............................................................................................................................................284
Republic of Argentina .........................................................................................................................286
Plurinational State of Bolivia ..............................................................................................................288
Federative Republic of Brazil ..............................................................................................................290
Republic of Chile .................................................................................................................................293
Republic of Colombia ..........................................................................................................................295
Republic of Ecuador ............................................................................................................................298
Republic of Paraguay ..........................................................................................................................300
Republic of Peru ..................................................................................................................................302
The Oriental Republic of Uruguay ......................................................................................................304
Republic of Venezuela ........................................................................................................................306
Jamaica ............................................................................................................................................. .308
Mexico ................................................................................................................................................310
Nicaragua ............................................................................................................................................312
Republic of Panama ........................................................................................................................... 314
Saint Kitts and Nevis............................................................................................................................316
St Vincent and the Grenadines ...........................................................................................................317
St Lucia ................................................................................................................................................318
Republic of Suriname ..........................................................................................................................320
Trinidad and Tobago ...........................................................................................................................321
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Enlargement countries
Republic of Albania
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Please refer to the
2020 EU
Enlargement Package Country Report for the Republic of Albania.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU continues to monitor thoroughly the protection of
human rights, including women’s rights, rights of the child, protection of persons belonging
to minorities, freedom of expression, property rights, protection of vulnerable groups and, in
particular, the integration of Roma and Egyptian communities, as well as improvement of
detention and probation conditions in the Albanian prison system.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The recommendations of the fourth EU–Albania bi-
annual policy dialogue Seminar on inclusion of the Roma and Egyptian communities in the
Republic of Albania, held on 12 December 2018 in Tirana, were officially adopted in mid-
2019 and a monitoring report of those recommendations was circulated. The
recommendations from the seminar will be assessed in a regular manner, in particular in the
EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association Subcommittees on Justice, Freedom and Security.
The most recent Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security discussed the human rights
related developments, the results achieved and the measures planned.
4. EU financial engagement: In mid-2019, EU support (EUR 4 million) for the economic and
social empowerment of Roma and Egyptian communities in the Republic of Albania ended
and was assessed as having provided positive results to the community.
Through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), two projects
(totalling EUR 1.2 million), which started in 2018, continued implementation in 2019, in
support of children and youth in conflict with the law and for the protection of rights of
LGBTI persons. By the end of the reporting period 3 additional contracts (total ing EUR 1.2
million), were signed in the areas of i) rights of LGBTI persons, ii) missing persons from the
communist era, and ii ) human rights and conditions in prisons. Under the EU-funded Civil
Society Facility and Media Programme (2016-2017), implementation continued in 2019 and
supported civil society organisations with a total amount of EUR 5.4 million with the aim to
build the capacities of grassroots local organisations in addressing various human rights
issues.
The EU is providing regional financial support to the Republic of Albania through the
EU/Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey. The facility
addressed issues such as: the capacities of judicial authorities, including supporting effective
domestic remedies and facilitating the execution of judgments in the area of property rights;
anticorruption strategic/legislative framework; and anti-discrimination, with a focus on the
legal framework and capacities of the main bodies in charge of protection against
discrimination. Under the latter component, the Horizontal Facility focused on the situation
in prisons, the rights of persons belonging to minorities and bullying at school. In the course
of 2019, a second phase of the Horizontal Facility started, addressing these areas.
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5. Multilateral context: An Inter-Institutional Action Plan (2018-2020) on the
implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was adopted in September 2018.
Changes to the Law on Domestic Violence were approved to comply with the Istanbul
Convention. The law now provides for immediate protection of domestic violence victims.
The EU started a technical assistance to support the gender equality agenda in the Republic
of Albania with a focus on gender mainstreaming across strategies and local level actions to
boost the gender equality. The Republic of Albania underwent its third Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) cycle in May 2019 and reported to the UN Human Rights Council. The country
was granted Observer Status to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights by decision of the EU-
Albania Stabilisation and Association Council of 28 November 2019. The country should
proceed with the nominations of an Observer, an alternate Observer and a National Liaison
Officer for the Agency. It continued to cooperate with the European Court of Human Rights.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Please refer to the
2020 EU
Enlargement Package Country Report for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU continues to closely monitor the respect for human
rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, as well as equality between
women and men, as part of the EU integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2019,
the Commission adopted its Opinion on the membership application of the country, which
includes an assessment of the preparedness on human rights and the protection of
minorities and outlines 14 key priorities for BiH including six key priorities on fundamental
rights:
(i) Strengthen the protection of the rights of al citizens, notably by ensuring effective
implementation of the legislation on non-discrimination and on gender equality;
(ii) Ensure the right to life and prohibition of torture, notably by (a) abolishing the reference
to death penalty in the Constitution of the Republika Srpska entity and (b) designating a
national preventive mechanism against torture and ill-treatment;
(iii) Take concrete steps to promote an environment conducive to reconciliation in order to
overcome the legacies of the war;
(iv) Ensure an enabling environment for civil society, notably by upholding the European
standards on freedom of association and freedom of assembly;
(v) Guarantee freedom of expression and of the media and the protection of journalists,
notably by ensuring the appropriate judicial follow-up to cases of threats and violence
against journalists and media workers;
(vi) Improve the protection and inclusion of vulnerable groups, in particular persons with
disabilities, children, LGBTI persons, members of the Roma community, detainees, migrants
and asylum seekers, as well as displaced persons and refugees in line with the objective of
closure of Annex VI of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
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The Opinion also cal s on Bosnia and Herzegovina to fundamental y improve the institutional
framework, including at constitutional level, to ensure among other things that al citizens
can effectively exercise their political rights in line with the Sejdić-Finci
case law of the
European Court of Human Rights.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the joint declaration of
the Prime Ministers of the Western Balkans at the Poznan Summit in July 2019, pledging to
step up efforts for the social inclusion of the Roma. The biannual seminar on the social
inclusion of the Roma will be held in Sarajevo in spring 2020, reviewing the implementation
of the strategies in the area.
At the fourth Stabilisation and Association Subcommittee on Justice Freedom and Security
(Brussels, 5-6 December 2019), Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Commission
discussed the state of play on human rights and the protection of minorities, fol owing the
adoption of the Commission Opinion. Human rights were also among the topics discussed at
the Stabilisation and Association Committee (Sarajevo, 7 November 2019).
In May 2019, the EU and BiH jointly launched a new roadmap for their partnership on the G7
Initiative on Women, Peace and Security, outlining the key actions and priorities for the
2019- 2022 period, on the basis of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 2018-2022 action plan on
UNSCR 1325 (Women, Peace and Security), adopted on 3 August 2018.
4. EU financial engagement: Actions under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA)
included support to the transformation of institutions for children without parental care
(EUR 1.3 mil ion) and support to the process of transformation of institutions for persons
with disabilities for independent living (community living) and development of a new social
services based on the users’ needs (EUR 1 million). Assistance continued via ICMP to account
for persons missing from the conflicts of the 1990s (EUR 3 mil ion- IPA 2019) and support for
civil society to foster the recovery of areas affected by the 2014 floods (EUR 2 million).
EU support wil also help strengthening the independence, transparency, efficiency,
accountability and ultimately public trust in the justice system and monitoring the
processing of war crime cases (‘EU4Justice in BiH II’, IPA2018, EUR 5 million; support to
processing of war crimes, IPA 2019, EUR 4.5 million). An action in support to demining is also
foreseen for the coming years (IPA2018, EUR 10 million).
New actions are starting in 2020 to strengthen the capacities of domestic institutions to
monitor the implementation of legislation on gender equality and non-discrimination (‘EU
for human rights and antidiscrimination’, IPA2017, EUR 1 million) and to improve legislative
alignment with the EU
acquis on gender equality (Gender Equality Facility, IPA2018, EUR 0.5
million). A twinning with the Ombudsman Institution on establishing a National Preventive
Mechanism is also foreseen for the coming years (EUR 650,000).
Via the IPA Civil Society and Media Facility, two new projects for EUR 2.5 million were
contracted in 2019, total ing to 14 ongoing projects worth more than EUR 9 million. These
new projects focus notably on capacity building of government in cooperation with CSOs and
CSOs engagement in election monitoring. Via the EIDHR, five new projects for a total of EUR
0.8 million were contracted in December 2019 with grants involving 13 organisations to
work on the promotion and protection of labour rights for female workers in the textile and
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footwear industry; promotion of human rights and inclusion of Roma women and youth;
promotion of gender equality and the role of women in the police; inclusion of persons with
disabilities; reconciliation and dealing with the past.
The EU/Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey focuses on
strengthening the capacity of stakeholders to address national minority protection and
promotion, protection of the rights LGBTI persons and combating hate speech. The second
phase of the programme started in 2019 with five actions in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the
topics of: Strengthening human rights treatment of detained persons; Preventing and
combating trafficking in human beings; Preventing and combating trafficking in human
beings; Promotion of diversity and equality (protection of national minorities and LGBTI
persons); Quality education for all; Freedom of expression and freedom of the media.
5. Multilateral context: Bosnia and Herzegovina underwent examination of its human rights
record in the framework of the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 13
November 2019 at the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group. The UN
Member States issued 207 Recommendations to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and
Herzegovina is expected to review such recommendations and adopt an action plan for their
implementation in early 2020.
Republic of North Macedonia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Please refer to the
2020 EU
Enlargement Package Country Report for the Republic of North Macedonia.
2. EU action - key focus areas and bilateral political engagement: The EU continues to
closely monitor the respect for human rights within the framework of the EU accession
negotiations, in particular under Chapter 23 - Judiciary and fundamental rights. There is a
regular policy dialogue on both technical and political levels, notably in the context of the
Justice and Home Affairs subcommittee under the Stabilisation and Association Agreement,
regular peer reviews, EU-funded projects, and engagement with international organisations
and civil society. In this regard, key focus areas included: justice reform, non-discrimination
and freedom of expression.
3. EU financial engagement: Under EIDHR, the implementation of the five projects funded
under allocations for years 2016-2017 continued. The projects helped promoting the UN
Guiding Principles on business and human rights, improving gender equality and the rights of
people with disabilities. Furthermore, EU project teams provided free legal aid to most
vulnerable communities in the society. EIDHR-funded projects particularly addressed
challenges with respect to the development of an active civil society, good governance, rule
of law, freedom of expression, fight against corruption and better social protection.
The Call for proposals of 2018-2019 EIDHR allocations worth EUR 1 million has been finalised
resulting in six new projects. Implementation of the projects will start in the first quarter of
2020, covering areas such as access to justice for most marginalised communities, protection
from torture and ill-treatment in prisons and detention facilities, protection of the
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environment as well as promotion of tax responsibility. One of the grants will promote
human rights through production of documentaries, il ustrating violations, but equally
raising public awareness about domestic and international legal human rights framework.
Under IPA, EUR 16.5 million have been allocated in 2019 under the Action 3: EU for Youth,
aiming at improving the employment of young people as youth unemployment is much
higher for uneducated or low educated young people. The Action targets least developed
regions and wil support the implementation of the Youth Guarantee with a focus on 15-29
years old people who are unemployed, low educated or not trained to access the labour
market. Under the Civil Society Facility, three projects out of seven, amounting to EUR
200,000, have been signed with the objective of advocating proper legislation and policies
regarding the human rights, and to increase awareness about discrimination based on sexual
orientation, gender identity and disability. As regards Roma, three projects amounting to
EUR 2.2 mil ion were signed in 2019 to support sustainable urban development of Roma
communities and decent housing conditions. The projects will target also the inclusion of
Roma in primary education providing for a financial support to a total of 600 Roma primary
school students from the most vulnerable Roma families.
Projects worth EUR 7 million, launched in 2016 under the EU/Council of Europe Horizontal
Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey (phase I) and the JUFREX regional programmes,
which have covered various areas of fundamental rights, including non-discrimination and
protection of vulnerable groups, freedom of expression, strengthening the judicial capacities
to safeguard human rights and combat il -treatment and impunity as well as prevention of
trafficking in human beings, reintegration of victims of trafficking and access to free legal aid,
have been successfully completed in May 2019. The continuation of the CoE Horizontal
Facility phase II, amounting to EUR 4.1 million, has been successfully programmed with the
cooperation of the European Commission/EU delegation and the beneficiaries and was
launched in the second half of 2019.
This phase includes six national y based actions aiming to further support the penitentiary
reforms and the External Oversight Mechanism, to put in place an effective free legal aid
system, to fight against economic crime, to combat trafficking of human beings, to promote
freedom of expression and of the media, and to promote diversity and equality, especial y
regarding gender recognition and rights of LGBTI persons. These six country specific actions
wil be further supplemented by eight regional actions.
The Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism is a flexible tool through which the Council of
Europe provides ad-hoc legislative expertise and policy advice in response to requests made
by the beneficiaries. It has provided support to a Venice Commission opinion on the Law on
Use of Languages.
4. Multilateral context: The Republic of North Macedonia continued its dialogue and
cooperation with international human rights organisations and monitoring bodies, in
particular of the United Nations and of the Council of Europe. The government signed a
number of international conventions in 2019: the 1996 Convention on Child Protection, the
2005 Convention on Choice of Court Agreements, the 2007 Convention on Child Support and
Family Maintenance as well as its Protocol on the Law Applicable to Maintenance
Obligations, and the 2018 Protocol amending the Convention for the Protection of
Individuals with regard to the Automatic Processing of Personal Data of the Council of
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Europe. The government continued to report quarterly to the European Committee for the
Prevention of Torture on its action plan to address the Committee's recommendations.
The country continued working on implementation of the judgements of the European Court
of Human Rights.
Kosovo
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Please refer to th
e 2020 EU
Enlargement Package Country Report for Kosovo.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU continues to closely monitor the respect for human
rights in Kosovo. There is a regular policy dialogue at both technical and political levels,
notably in the context of the Justice, Freedom and Security subcommittee under the
Stabilisation and Association Agreement, regular peer reviews, EU-funded projects, and
engagement with international organisations and civil society.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In 2019, the EU Office/EUSR in Kosovo has significantly
increased its policy engagement on human rights and gender, and brought these topics
higher on a political agenda of the Government. Through monthly gender talks, the EU
Office/EUSR engaged in direct bilateral dialogue with institutions and civil society
organisations on the most important issues on gender equality and women empowerment.
These included discussions on women representation in media, women in sports, gender
equality in elections, women in health, women in political decision making, just to name a
few. These talks produced concrete recommendations for actions to be undertaken by
Kosovo institutions to further advance gender sensitive policy making and implementation.
Summary of the discussions and other activities of the EU Office/EUSR will be presented in a
publication that wil be launched in March 2020, to mark the International Women's Day.
In addition, the EU Office/EUSR initiated human rights coordination meetings with key
international organisations that work on human rights in Kosovo, with the aim of
approaching the authorities on key human rights issues in a harmonised manner. Four
meetings have taken place fol owed by bilateral meetings with the authorities on thematic
issues, such as freedom of expression, children's rights and rights of people with disabilities,
the rights of LGBTI persons, missing persons, and national human rights mechanisms.
The EU Office/EUSR, including the Head of Office, engaged concretely on various pieces of
legislation in the field of human rights and democracy, and undertook visits to a number of
relevant institutions. Activities also included a number of events to mark the 16 Days of
Activism against Gender Based Violence.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Haradinaj resigned during the summer of 2019, triggering early
parliamentary elections, a dissolution of the Assembly and a prolonged period of a caretaker
government. This has directly affected the EU’s engagement in relation to human rights, for
example in slowing down the adoption of key legislation bringing Kosovo closer to EU
standards.
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The EU deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to fol ow the early elections on 6
October 2019. Though the mission noted that the elections were wel administered and
transparent, recurrent systemic shortcomings highlighted the need for urgent electoral
reform to bring Kosovo fully in line with international standards for democratic elections.
The EOM proposed 23 recommendations to improve future electoral processes.
4. EU financial engagement: Financial support is provided under the Instrument for Pre-
accession Assistance (IPA) and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights
(EIDHR).
The IPA Civil Society Facility and Media Programme supported two coalitions of CSOs: for the
promotion of fundamental rights of vulnerable and marginalised groups (EUR 900 000) and
to promote employability of vulnerable groups in Kosovo and their inclusiveness in
education and employment (EUR 900 000). Independent journalism with a focus on human
rights was strengthened through a grant scheme dedicated to activists and journalists.
Under the same instrument, three operating grants contributed to protect and promote the
rights of LGBTI persons. Under IPA 2017 the project supporting Ombudsman Institution (EUR
2 724 00) started in March 2019.
The regional EU/CoE Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey concluded its
work to support Kosovo on prison reform, the introduction of the European Commission for
the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) tools in the judiciary, as well as on education (anti-
discrimination and anti-corruption) and a follow-up on recommendations from the European
Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment (CPT). New interventions were scheduled under phase II of the Facility, started
as of May 2019. Under Horizontal Facility I three projects started during 2019:
Strengthening the quality and efficiency of justice - KOSEJ II; Promotion of diversity and
equality, and in the field of freedom of expression and freedom of the media - JUFREX II.
Eight EIDHR projects awarded to local CSOs in 2016 (overall amount EUR 1,7 million)
continued to support the work of the Ombudsperson Institution, promote political
participation and economic rights of women, protect the rights of the child and victims of
violence and/or discrimination. These grants ended in 2018 (three contracts) and some in
2019 (five contracts). The EIDHR 2018/2019 scheme was signed at the end of December
2019 and contract implementation started. Five contracts, with a total value of around EUR
1 million (EUR 927,809.67) will focus on promotion and protection of children and
adolescent's rights (promotion of abuse free environments in Kosovo schools; introduction
of the Service Learning approach; fulfilment of the education rights of children and
adolescents with special needs and vulnerable communities; strengthening, promoting and
protection of the child rights in social services and CSO's providing services for children) and
supporting the right to know and action for missing persons from the 1990s conflict
(strengthening a larger mobilisation of media organisations and CSO’s in improving the fate
of missing persons in Kosovo and the understanding and participation of the public in the
same).
5. Multilateral context: Kosovo continued its dialogue and cooperation with international
human rights organisations and monitoring bodies, in particular with the Council of Europe.
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Montenegro
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Please refer to th
e 2020 EU
Enlargement Package Country Report for Montenegro.
2. EU action - key focus areas / bilateral political engagement: The EU continues to closely
monitor the respect for human rights within the framework of the EU accession
negotiations, in particular under Chapter 23 - Judiciary and fundamental rights. There is a
regular policy dialogue on both technical and political levels, drawing from monitoring of the
implementation of the action plan for Chapter 23, regular peer reviews, EU-funded projects,
and engagement with international organisations and civil society. In this regard, key focus
areas included
inter alia freedom of expression, gender equality, prevention of torture, il -
treatment and inhuman or degrading treatment, the rights of vulnerable groups, including
children, Roma, persons with disabilities and LGBTI persons.
3. EU financial engagement: In 2019, under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance
(IPA), two projects (worth approximately EUR 1.7 million) continued to provide broad and
concrete support in the area of human rights. The projects aim to provide sustainable
solutions for the internal y displaced Roma, promotion and protection of the human rights of
Roma, Egyptians and other vulnerable groups and gender equality.
In the framework of the IPA Sector Operational Programme for Education Employment and
Social Policies (SOPEES), a EUR 3 million-grant scheme was designed to implement quality
social service for the most vulnerable groups. This includes a EUR 300,000 grant to
strengthen the role of Roma mediators in the sector of inclusive education and EUR 300,000
awareness-campaign against discrimination of ethnic minorities. It also includes grants in the
total amount of EUR 2,5 million intending to support the provision of Social and Child
Protection Services. These actions will be implemented in 2020. Collaborative grant scheme
for innovative project ideas (EU contribution: EUR 850,000) was launched in 2019 and will be
implemented in 2020.
In addition, within the IPA Civil Society Facility, a EUR 280,000 project targeting peer-to-peer
school violence was implemented in 2019.
In November and December 2019, eight projects were contracted using the entire European
Instrument for Human Rights and Democratisation - Country Based Support Scheme (EIDHR
CBSS) allocation for Montenegro for the years 2018 and 2019 of EUR 1.1 million in total. The
projects cover the following areas: the right to freedom of assembly, rights of LGBTI persons
focusing on the local level, combating gender based violence and assessing health services in
that regard, financing of political parties and election campaigns, strengthening trade
unions, promoting Roma rights and inclusion from the grass-root level, providing free legal
aid to migrants, and transitional justice focusing on the 1990s wars in former Yugoslavia.
Nine EIDHR projects contracted in 2017 and 2018, continued with their implementation in
2019, with the total value of EUR 1.14 million. These projects address promoting the rights
of people with disabilities; social housing; right to access information; rights of LGBTI
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persons, to building trust in the integrity of the electoral process, and education about
human rights of both student and the general public; prevention and protection from sexual
violence; consumer protection rights of persons with disabilities; trade unionisation of Roma
workers and political and civic activism of Roma. The EIDHR, together with the Civil Society
Facility, represent important tools for strengthening civil society in Montenegro, whose role
is of crucial importance not only for democratisation of society but also for contributing to a
more transparent and accountable EU accession process and negotiations. In addition to
creating synergies between the two instruments, the EIDHR can tackle more sensitive and
controversial issues that otherwise cannot be covered by other instruments where the
government's consent is needed.
Through EU financial assistance, a shelter for women victims of domestic violence in
Podgorica was able to remain operational, providing prevention and protection from sexual
violence, and received license for its operations from the Ministry of Labour and Social
Welfare. This process was very much assisted through EU-funded multi-country project with
UN Women, ‘Implementing norms, changing minds’. The shelter has been helping victims of
sexual violence for years, often pro bono. The EU-funded grant aims to increase the capacity
of the shelter to carry out its core activities, as well as public advocacy and awareness
raising. The latter activity focuses on real testimonies of sexual violence victims to address
attitudes in society and encourage more victims to come forward.
4. Multilateral context: Montenegro continued its dialogue with international human rights
organisations and monitoring bodies, the United Nations' bodies and the Council of Europe.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs developed in the course of 2019 a database to track the
implementation of obligations and recommendations from international human right
mechanisms. Montenegro reported in June 2019 on the status of implementation of the
recommendations of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW) Committee of July 2017. The country’s legal framework needs to
be further adapted and fully implemented in most important sectors in order to meet
international human rights standards, in particular on non-discrimination, rights of the child,
rights of persons with disabilities, right to information, and freedom of expression.
Republic of Serbia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Please refer to the
2020 EU
Enlargement Package Country Report for the Republic of Serbia.
2. EU action - key focus areas/ bilateral political engagement: The EU continued to monitor
closely the respect for human rights within the framework of the EU accession negotiations,
in particular under Chapter 23 - Judiciary and fundamental rights. There is a regular policy
and political dialogue on both technical and political levels, drawing from monitoring of the
implementation of the action plan for Chapter 23, regular peer reviews, EU-funded projects,
and engagement with international organisations and civil society. In this regard, key focus
areas included freedom of expression, human rights institutions and the rights of persons
belonging to national minorities, including the Roma.
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3. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued to implement a number of IPA-
funded projects in order to support anti-discrimination policies and to improve the situation
of vulnerable persons, including the Roma, refugees and internal y displaced persons. There
were several ongoing projects regarding Roma inclusion in 2019, with a total value of EUR 30
million.
Through an IPA regional project, a total amount of EUR 3.48 million have been dedicated to
the strengthening of protection of human and the rights of persons belonging to minorities
in the Republic of Serbia.
With the aim of strengthening civil society, projects worth EUR 5 million were implemented
in 2019, while additional EUR 5 million were awarded to new projects at the end of 2019.
These projects aim at building the capacity of grassroots organisations focussing on rule of
law, the environment, cultural diversity and socio-economic development, and at enhancing
civil society participation in the EU accession negotiations process.
Under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), EUR 1.75 million
have been implemented during 2019 and additional EUR 2 million were granted at the end
of 2019 to new projects supporting civil society. These projects focus notably on the
protection of minorities, gender equality, children’s rights, the rights of persons with
disabilities, prevention of torture and protection of human rights defenders.
The EU supported the media in the Republic of Serbia with approximately EUR 2.5 million in
the field of investigative reporting, including rule of law, anti-corruption, environmental
protection as well as general media literacy and informing on the EU accession process.
Technical assistance worth EUR 600,000 to the two Public Broadcasters (RTS and RTV) is
ongoing, with the aim of improving media content of public interest and increasing media
literacy. The country’s Press Council is supported with EUR 300,000 in raising the ethical
standards of media and in investigating complaints on violations of ethical standards.
4. Multilateral context: In 2019, the Republic of Serbia presented its Fourth Periodic Report
on the Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of Al Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW), based on which the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women adopted 28 recommendations addressed to the country.
The Republic of Serbia also submitted its Third Periodic Report on the Implementation of the
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment to the Committee against Torture, as well as its Third Periodic Report on the
Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Republic of Turkey
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Please refer to th
e 2020 EU
Enlargement Package Country Report for Turkey.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU action to support to human rights and democracy
continued to be provided through both policy dialogue and financial instruments (mainly the
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link to page 15
European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and the Civil Society Facility). Focus
was on support to human rights defenders, refugees, LGBTI persons and persons belonging
to minorities, access to justice and support to freedom of assembly, and freedom of
expression, media pluralism, and to increase CSOs’ capacity to monitor human rights.
The EU delegation to Turkey, in coordination with EU Member States, continues to monitor
the trials of human rights defenders as well as those of victims of human rights violations in
Turkey. The EU delegation is in close contact with lawyers, international and local human
rights associations and civil society. Beyond its regular assessment of the current situation
and legislative changes, the EU delegation organises a monthly Working Group on Human
Rights with the EU Member States and facilitates meetings with NGOs and civil society
organisations when EU senior management representatives travel to Turkey.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: A Judiciary Reform Strategy covering 2019-2023 was
adopted in May 2019. Turkey’s capacity to ensure an effective domestic legal remedy in the
sense of the European Convention on Human Rights has been further undermined by
continued political pressure on judges and prosecutors. This continued to have a significant
negative effect on the independence and the overal quality and efficiency of the judiciary.
Several higher court rulings favourable to prominent defendants, including human rights
defenders, were swiftly reversed by local courts and, in some instances, following an
intervention from the executive. Selahattin Demirtaş, the former co-chair of the Peoples’
Democratic Party (HDP), remains in jail more than a year after the European Court of Human
Rights ruled for his release. In December, the Istanbul court defied the European Court of
Human Rights’ ruling for the release of businessperson and human rights defender Osman
Kavala, who remains in jail up to this day.
The EU delegation, sometimes together with EU Member States, has organized high-level
visits to the premises of media outlets, NGOs or HRDs in distress to show support and
solidarity as well as visits to national agencies related to human rights. In bilateral contacts
with the Turkish authorities, the EU delegation regularly raises issues and cases such as long
pre-trial detentions of journalists and HRDs as well as requests action.
4. EU financial engagement: In light of the above negative developments, support to
independent civil society as well as to reform and capacity building for rule of law and
fundamental rights has become a greater priority for EU financial assistance, as laid out in
the revised Country Strategy Paper 2014-2020 (IPA II assistance) for Turkey adopted by
Commission Decision on 10 August 2018.1 [
In general, direct support to civil society organisations (CSOs) and to citizens' rights-based
initiatives has been reinforced in 2019 as an answer to the shrinking civic space in the
country. Under the Instrument for pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), the European Commission
committed in 2019 approximately EUR 31 million to support civil society, including in the
field of human rights. A number of projects on human rights are being implemented mainly
through the Civil Society Facility (CSF), and in complementarity with other EU instruments.
The Civil Society Facility and Media Programme for Turkey provided core funding to rights-
[
1] https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/20180817-revised-indicative-strategy-
paper-2014-2020-for-turkey.pdf
15
based CSOs, to support HRDs, to strengthen freedom of expression and media pluralism, and
to increase CSOs’ capacity to monitor human rights. This includes support to the European
Endowment for Democracy (EED) tackling e.g. direct individual human rights issues.
To facilitate access of grassroots organisations, small initiatives and individuals to EU
support, and to strengthen the capacities of civil society in Turkey, the EU delegation in
Ankara is financing several projects with different modalities of support to third parties, both
financial and in kind. Here below are some examples of on-going CSF projects related to
human rights. The project ETKINIZ provides in kind support, online resources, training
programmes, mobility support to access international human rights mechanisms, as well as
networking support for CSOs engaged in human rights monitoring and advocacy activities at
various levels.
The Hrant Dink Foundation is implementing a project providing both financial support and
capacity-building trainings to CSOs working in the field of human rights, democracy and the
promotion of conviviality among different ethnic, social and political groups in Turkey. The
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), together with four other human rights
organisations, is implementing the EU Protect Defenders mechanism, which provides
different kinds of support mechanisms, such as emergency grants and capacity building to
human rights defenders at risk and institutional grants to human rights organisations.
The EU/Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey – Phase II
(2019-2022), was programmed under the IPA Multi Country Programme 2018 to enhance
the respect for human rights, reinforce the rule of law and promote democratic governance.
In Turkey, three actions aim to support the implementation and reporting on the EU Action
Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, strengthen the human rights protection of asylum
seekers, migrants and victims of human trafficking, and foster a comprehensive institutional
response to violence against women and domestic violence.
The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) projects in Turkey focus
on the most critical human rights issues. As of December 2019, more than 43 projects are
being implemented. Priorities in this area are consistent with, and complementary to, the
work conducted under other EU financing instruments.
Some examples of EIDHR projects implemented in 2019 are ‘Expression Interrupted’,
‘Protecting Human Rights Defenders, Fundamental Freedoms and Fair Trial’, ‘Who is Guilty?’
and ‘Strengthening Access to Social Rights by Supporting IDPs’.
The UK-based organisation Article 19 is implementing the ‘Expression Interrupted’ project
with the local organisation Punto 24, monitoring Turkey's implementation and compliance
with international human rights law and raising awareness of human rights violations in
Turkey.
Another project focusing on freedom of expression and compliance with international
human rights law is ‘Protecting Human Rights Defenders, Fundamental Freedoms and Fair
Trial’, implemented by Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (Euromed Rights)
together with two local human rights organisations. The project monitored the hearings of
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14 different cases and identified several common issues and violations, especially related to
the independence of judges and the presentation of evidence. Through workshops, the
project created a space for human rights defenders to meet and share their experiences.
The project ‘Who is Guilty’, implemented by Women's Center, Education Production
Consultancy and Solidarity Foundation (KAMER Vakfı - Kadin Merkezi, Eğitim Üretim Danışma
ve Dayanışma Vakfi) in the eastern part of the country, is targeting local organisations and
women to increase knowledge and competencies in the area of women’s rights, gender-
based violence, legal rights, international conventions and legal remedy instruments.
With the objective to protect the rights of victims of forced internal migration, the Migration
Monitoring Association (Göç İzleme Derneği) is implementing the project ‘Strengthening
Access to Social Rights by Supporting IDPs’, which monitors and reports on the situation of
internal y displaced persons (IDPs) in Turkey, identifies settlement locations, as well as
trainings for CSOs working to promote the rights of IDPs in Turkey.
The Facility for Refugees in Turkey continues to provide support to refugees and host
communities in the country in key sectors including protection, education and health. The
full operational budget of the EUR 6 bil ion of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey has been
committed by the end of 2019 and more than 90 projects to support basic humanitarian
needs and long-term development assistance were being implemented. Through these
projects, the EU is helping 1.7 million refugees in meeting their basic needs, helping more
than 500,000 refugee children go to school, and providing millions with access to health care
and protection services.
5. Multilateral context: The EU regularly raises the human rights situation in Turkey in
multilateral fora. In 2019, the EU delegations to the Council of Europe and to the OSCE
expressed on multiple occasions the EU's concerns over the continued violations of human
rights and fundamental freedoms in Turkey, including extended periods of pre-trial
detention, procedural rights and freedom of expression. Statements have been delivered
both on behalf of the EU Member States and on behalf of the respective EU delegations.
In 2019, the EU included Turkey in its statements for the three sessions of the Human Rights
Council - three times under Item 4 ‘Human Rights situation that require the Council's
attention’ and once under Item 2 ‘Annual Report and Oral Update by the High Commissioner
for Human Rights on the activities of his Office and recent human rights developments’.
Turkey’s third Universal Periodic Review took place in January 2020, as scheduled.
EEA/EFTA Countries and non EU Western European Countries
Switzerland
17
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Switzerland has a very high
standard of human rights internally, and an active human rights policy abroad. There are no
issues of major concern.
The Federal Council decided in June 2016 to establish an independent national human rights
institution mandated to support public authorities, civil society organisations and businesses
in the area of human rights. After conclusion of the consultation process in October 2017,
the draft law was submitted to the Swiss Parliament on 13 December 2019. Since 2011,
Switzerland has had a Swiss Centre of Expertise in Human Rights (SCHR) as a temporary pilot
project. In order to avoid a gap between the pilot project, which runs out at the end of 2020,
and the establishment of the national human rights institution, the Federal Council proposed
extending the project for a further two years.
In 2019, the initiative against the ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation,
launched by the youth section of the major right wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) and a
smaller national-conservative Christian party, has dominated the media. The draft law
proposed by the Parliament (and backed by the government) would extend the criminal
provision on anti-racism to include discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in
order to protect homosexual, bisexual and heterosexual persons. A popular vote on this
issue took place.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU and Switzerland enjoy close and frequent cooperation
within the international institutions and multilateral arena as regards human rights and
democracy promotion. Public communication should highlight the variety of areas where the
EU and Switzerland are acting jointly and where common achievements are made.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In general, Switzerland has good mechanisms in place
to assure the protection of human rights within its territory. Possible issues are best
addressed in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in the UN Human Rights
Council.
4. EU financial engagement: Switzerland is not included in any operational projects or
programmes funded by the EIDHR or other EU instruments.
5. Multilateral context: Switzerland’s UPR 3 cycle (2017-2021) took place in November 2017.
In its national report, submitted in July 2017, Switzerland notably refers to its 2016-2019
Human Rights Strategy and emphasises the steps taken in view of the creation of a National
Human Rights Institution. Switzerland recal s its accession to the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (2014), to the International Convention for the Protection of Al
Persons from Enforced Disappearance (2016) and to the International Labour Organisation
Domestic Workers Convention (2011), in line with previous UPR recommendations.
Norway
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Norway has historically been a
strong supporter and promoter of human rights. It has ratified most main UN conventions on
18
human rights, and the protection of civil and political - as well as economic, social and
cultural - rights is very strong domestically. Norway is considered one of the most gender-
equal countries in the world. It is at the forefront of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS)
agenda and a strong partner on UNSCR 1325. Protection of human rights defenders has long
been a key priority for Norway.
Yet there is a healthy public debate on some issues, including occasional criticisms. Recent
examples include criticism over the frequent use of solitary confinement in prisons;
controversy over what some see as an over-zealous Child Protection Service in cases where
it has removed children from their parents' care; and concern over whether the rights of
asylum seekers, particularly minors, have been wel enough protected.
2. EU action - key focus areas: As Norway and the EU have very similar views on human
rights issues, close cooperation takes place in various multilateral forums (UN, Council of
Europe, OSCE), as well as on the ground in their country-specific strategies around the world.
In Norway, highlighting the various international days linked to human rights (including via
social media) is a priority, as well as providing targeted information to relevant Norwegian
stakeholders.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In general, Norway has good mechanisms in place to
assure the protection of human rights within its territory. Possible issues are best addressed
in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in the UN Human Rights Council.
4. EU financial engagement: Norway is not included in any operational projects or
programmes funded by the EIDHR.
The EU Delegation in Oslo undertook several Public Diplomacy and Information activities
during the course of 2019, including:
• International Women's Day
• World Press Freedom Day
• International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
• The 75th Anniversary of the D-Day
• #EUatUNGA
• Oslo Pride campaign
• European and World Day against the Death Penalty
• Equal Pay Day
• World's Children's Day
• Human Rights Day
• #EU4HumanRights
• The ‘16 Days of Activism’ campaign against gender-based violence
5. Multilateral context: The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
published its initial report on Norway in May 2019, arguing that there is not enough focus on
the intersectionality of the discrimination people with disabilities face. For instance, the UN
Committee found that women with disabilities are less likely to be employed than men with
disabilities, and that persons with disabilities belonging to ethnic minorities do not have
19
mechanisms addressing the multiple forms of discrimination they face. UN Special
Rapporteur Devandas visited Norway in October and criticised the country's guardianship
regime, saying it is problematic that almost 40% of the 40,000 people who are under
guardianship do not have the competence to consent.
Iceland
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Iceland is a global leader in the
field of human rights, with a very high standard of human rights and a high level of
cooperation with international organisations on human rights issues. The World Economic
Forum put Iceland on the top of the Global Gender Gap Index for the 11th year in a row in
2019, which shows that gender equality has a prominent place in Iceland's both national and
international priorities. In 2019, Iceland has continued to be at the forefront of promoting
human rights issues and particularly gender equality at international level. Iceland has a seat
on the UN Human Rights Council, where it has stressed in particular gender equality, the
fight against gender-based violence, the rights of LGBTI persons and the rights of the child. In
2019, Iceland took over the Presidency of both the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Arctic
Council, where gender issues featured among its priorities.
2. EU action - key focus areas: Iceland is a like-minded partner of the EU in the field of
human rights and close cooperation takes place in various multilateral forums (UN, Council
of Europe, OSCE). Iceland usually aligns itself with HRVP Declarations on human rights issues.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In general, Iceland has good mechanisms in place to
assure the protection of human rights within its territory. Possible issues are best addressed
in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in the UN Human Rights Council.
4. EU financial engagement: Iceland is not included in any operational projects or
programmes funded by the EIDHR or other EU instruments.
However, the EU delegation in Reykjavik has undertaken several Public Diplomacy and
Information activities to showcase the EU's action on promoting human rights and to
maintain a dialogue with the main human rights organisations active in Iceland. These
activities were amongst others organised in the context of human rights related events, such
as the International Day against Homophobia and the Reykjavik Pride Parade.
5. Multilateral context: Iceland's last UPR in November 2016 generally reflected Iceland's
longstanding commitment to democracy and human rights, both at national and
international level. During the subsequent adoption of its report, Iceland announced that of
the 167 recommendations received, 112 were accepted and 14 were noted. The mid-term
report on the activities of Iceland's inter-ministerial committee on human rights, which is in
charge of coordinating the activities related to the UPR, was due to be published in the
autumn of 2019. However, it is more likely to be published in early 2020.
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Regarding the implementation process of the UPR recommendations - while Iceland ratified
the Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic
Violence (Istanbul convention), and adopted legislation on a general framework for the
prohibition of discrimination on ethnic and racial grounds and on the prohibition of
discrimination in workplace in the course of 2018, as well as ratified the Optional Protocol to
the Convention on Torture in 2019 - certain international human rights instruments remain
to be ratified. These include the International Convention for the Protection of Al Persons
from Enforced Disappearances (ICPPED) and the International Convention on the Rights of
All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. The Icelandic government has again
delayed legislation to establish a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI), which was a
major recommendation of the most recent UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodical
Review (UPR). It is stil likely that, once it eventual y happens, the NHRI wil be created out of
the existing NGO umbrel a body - the Icelandic Human Rights Centre.
Liechtenstein
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Liechtenstein has a very high
standard of human rights.
The legal basis for the creation of the National Human Rights Institution, the Law on the
Association for Human Rights in Liechtenstein, entered into force on 1 January 2017. The
secretariat of the National Human Rights Institution is operational since June 2017. In 2019,
topics of special attention were the presentation of the government's 9th human rights
report and the women's strike for more gender equal politics in June. Liechtenstein's
international initiative ‘Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking’ (FAST) was also widely
reported.
2. EU action - key focus areas: Liechtenstein is a like-minded partner of the EU in the field of
human rights and cooperation takes place in various multilateral forums (UN, Council of
Europe, OSCE).
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In general, Liechtenstein has good mechanisms in place
to assure the protection of human rights within its territory. Possible issues are best
addressed in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in the UN Human Rights
Council.
4. EU financial engagement: Liechtenstein is not included in any operational projects or
programmes funded by the EIDHR or other EU instruments.
5. Multilateral context: Liechtenstein's UPR 3 cycle (2017-2021) took place on 24 January
2018. Liechtenstein received a generally positive appreciation during its review. The creation
of an independent National Human Rights Institution in accordance with the Paris Principles
was noted as a positive development. 126 recommendations were made, encouraging
Liechtenstein to continue addressing cross-cutting discrimination, enhancing civil and
political rights and rights of specific persons or groups. Liechtenstein provided replies in June
21
2018, accepting or taking note of 111 recommendations (15 are considered as already
implemented).
In June 2019, Liechtenstein submitted its first voluntary national review (VNR) on the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Furthermore, in September 2019, Liechtenstein submitted its initial country report under
Article 12(1) of the Optional Protocol of 25 May 2000 to the Convention on the Rights of the
Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
Moreover, in 2019 Liechtenstein adopted its 4th additional report under Article 19 of the
Convention of 10 December 1984 against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment.
European Neighbourhood Policy
Eastern Partnership regional cooperation
In the context of Eastern Partnership regional cooperation with six countries – Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine - the EU has worked within
the region to reinforce a shared commitment to international law and fundamental values.
These include the respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and non-discrimination,
democracy, the rule of law, as well as to market economy, sustainable development and
good governance.
In 2019, the EU continued the implementation of commitments endorsed at the Eastern
Partnership Summit in Brussels in 2017 and took further the implementation of a strategic
and ambitious reforms work plan captured in the 20 Deliverables for 2020. Specifically
within the area of strengthening institutions and good governance, the implementation of
reforms in the judiciary, as wel as in the fight against corruption contributed to the
reduction of social vulnerabilities and to the consolidation of more just and equal societies in
respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The EU continued cooperation with the
Council of Europe, with projects ongoing in Eastern Partnership countries on legal
independence and professionalism, and accountability in the justice system. The EU
continued implementation of gender equality and non-discrimination as a cross-cutting
deliverable, implemented across actions in the Eastern Partnership.
Furthermore, in 2019 the EU continued its involvement with civil society through the Eastern
Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) - a multi-layered regional civil society platform
aimed at promoting European integration, facilitating reforms and democratic
transformations in the six countries. The EaP CSF strived to strengthen civil society in the
region, boost pluralism in public discourse and policy making by promoting participatory
democracy and fundamental freedoms.
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link to page 23
Armenia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Armenia is undergoing
democratic transition, which is a challenging and trying process. Further steps were taken in
2019 to improve good governance and the rule of law, building on the democratic change
brought about by the ‘Velvet revolution’ of 2018. Major progress was made in
conceptualising justice reform and the fight against corruption. The new ambitious National
Human Rights Strategy for the period 2020-2022 and its Action Plan, prepared in a
transparent and inclusive process, were adopted on 26 December 2019. Nevertheless,
challenges remain with regard to anti-discrimination, in particular the treatment of sexual
minorities and the position of other vulnerable groups, widespread hate speech, conditions
in penitentiary and other closed institutions. Armenia adopted a CEPA Implementation
Roadmap on 1 June 2019, which was welcomed by the EU-Armenia Partnership Council on
13 June 2019
2. The Roadmap is an important instrument in advancing reform plans.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU continued to support the implementation of the CEPA
and to monitor it though the regular Partnership Council, Committees and sub-committees.
At the second Partnership Council, the EU reiterated that reforms should be in line with the
core principles of the rule of law and based on inclusive dialogue and partnership with all
stakeholders, including civil society. The EU continued to provide financial and technical
assistance including via high-level advisors.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The 10th EU-Armenia human rights dialogue and the
10th sub-committee meeting on justice, freedom and security were held on 8 and 9 April
2019 in Brussels and adopted operational conclusions with clear goals and timelines. They
addressed the challenges and tools of cooperation. The EU-Armenia strategic dialogue on
justice reforms launched in September 2018 was instrumental in conceptualising the new
national Justice Reform Strategy and the Anti-Corruption Strategy in October 2019. The
dialogue served to link the EU support to the actions deriving from the strategies, and to
agree jointly on the EU instruments that will be made available to implement them.
The EU delegation and the resident EU Member States issued two local statements in 2019
(on 9 April on hate speech and on 23 May on justice reform). Both statements were widely
publicised in Armenia and contributed to the debate on the important chal enges.
4. EU financial engagement: The Human Rights Budget Support Programme remains a
landmark instrument for EU support to Armenia in this area. The programme supports the
fight against domestic/gender-based violence and promotion of gender equality, anti-
discrimination, rights and of the child and prevention of ill-treatment and torture.
Under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) six projects
continued implementation of actions focused on the rights of people with disabilities, civil
society oversight of elections and support to preparing citizens for elections through
2 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2019/06/13/joint-press-statement-fol owing-the-
second-partnership-council-meeting-between-the-eu-and-armenia/
23
awareness-raising and communication campaigns, and a project on monitoring and
reporting on the human rights situation in closed institutions.
As a response to the Velvet Revolution in Armenia, the EU formulated a new assistance
package to deepen democracy. The largest project ‘Future Today’ to empower children,
youth and women primarily in the three priority regions of Armenia was signed with UNICEF,
UNDP and UNFPA in December 2019. The new programme includes new features such as
roll-out of small-scale early childhood care and education centres in rural areas of Armenia
and launch of engagement with adolescents aged 11-17/18 years as well as engaging men to
fight violence against women.
The National Human Rights Defender's Office established a hotline to report domestic
violence with EU financial support. This hotline aims at listening to the victims with empathy
and without condemnation, referring to their primary concerns and needs, creating trust
and discussing as wel as supporting them for referring to relevant institutions. A pocket
guide was developed and widely distributed.
5. Multilateral context: In March, the Permanent Representative of Armenia was elected as
the Chair of the 64th and the 65th sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women
for the period 2020-2021. In October in New York at the elections held in the UN General
Assembly, Armenia was elected to the Human Rights Council for the term of 2020-2022. In
May, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of
Association published a report on his country visit, welcoming Armenia’s democratic
transition and cal ing on the authorities to undertake profound reforms ‘to strengthen the
judiciary, the independent investigative bodies and police.’ In September, Armenia signed
the Second Optional Protocol
to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in
the margins of the UN General Assembly. In December, civil society organisations presented
their recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in light of the UPR review of
Armenia in January 2020. The first UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan (NAP) on Women,
Peace and Security was adopted in 2019.
In June, the Council of Europe launched the Action Plan for Armenia 2019-2022 to support
the government’s efforts to ‘reinforce human rights, ensure justice, combat threats to the
rule of law, and promote democratic governance.’ In October, the Venice Commission of the
Council of Europe issued an expert opinion countering harmful myths about the Istanbul
Convention, and concluding that Armenia’s ratification of the treaty would not contradict its
constitution.
Azerbaijan
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The overal state of human
rights in Azerbaijan did not improve in 2019. Violations of the fundamental freedoms of
association, expression and assembly and the authorities’ persecution of critics or perceived
critics continue. In addition to a restricted space for civil society and independent media, the
24
lawyers (and in particular lawyers representing human rights defenders, including at the
European Court for Human Rights) have been facing an increasing harassment.
In 2019, two more prominent lawyers were disbarred from the Bar Association. Only a
handful of human rights lawyers still remain members of the Bar. Freedom of assembly is
restricted in Azerbaijan. Since January 2019, no permission was given to organisers of any
opposition rallies/CSO manifestations in Baku’s central locations. Social media are
systematically controlled. They remain the main platform where freedom of expression can
be exercised
. Several activists, bloggers and editors of independent websites face
prosecution. According to the 2019 Freedom on the Net Report, Internet in Azerbaijan is not
free. Space for independent media remains significantly restricted.
Azerbaijan electoral legal framework does not fully
comply with international standards and
obligations, as per pending ODIHR and Venice Commission recommendations, pointing at
the need to strengthen the independence of electoral commissions. The timeframe for the
early parliamentary elections on 9 February 2020 does not give enough time to put in place
the necessary legislative reforms.
2. EU action - key focus areas: Bilateral cooperation continued on the implementation of the
jointly agreed Partnership Priorities. Negotiations of the new comprehensive EU-Azerbaijan
agreement progressed in 2019. Negotiations on the Common Aviation Area Agreement are
not progressing.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Human rights concerns have been regularly raised in all
bilateral political meetings at all levels. The EU delegation and EU Member States addressed
relevant concerns with the authorities in official fora, such as the wel -attended annual Sub-
Committee on Justice, Freedom, Security and Human Rights (February 2019), and
maintained close cooperation with human rights and gender contact points from
international representations. Since September 2019, thematic meetings on human rights
have taken place in the EU delegation on a monthly basis with representatives from the EU
Member States, the United States and Switzerland. Frequent informal exchanges were also
held with ICRC representatives to share information on the prison conditions and on
sensitive individual cases.
Meetings were regularly held with representatives of NGOs, think-tanks, political activists,
human rights lawyers, human rights defenders, journalists, bloggers as well as with
representatives of religious organisations and the LGBTI community, also on the occasion of
official visits from HQs and Capitals.
Several meetings were organised with the competent national institutions in the course of
2019, notably the Presidential Administration, MFA, Ombudsman, State Committee on
Family and Children, State Committee on Religious Associations, State Committee for
Refugees and IDPs, General Prosecution Service, Bar Association etc.
Two statements by the Spokesperson were issued in 2019: on the Novruz pardoning of
prisoners and following the disruptions during the political rally on 19 October.
25
4. EU financial engagement: The EU col aborated with OHCHR to support a project on
building capacities of national actors (civil society and lawyers' community) to protect and
promote human rights by making greater use of the UN human rights reporting mechanisms.
The project also supports a legal aid centre, which provides free legal aid to vulnerable
populations in the capital and in five regions of Azerbaijan. The legal aid center received EUR
1 mil ion of EU funds via the OHCHR. Since the beginning of the year, the project dealt with
over 300 requests for free legal aid, and trained over 40 CSOs in the UN human rights
reporting system.
CSOs projects in education and rural development sectors have received approximately EUR
5.5 million. The project on Development of Community and Family-based Integrated Social
Services for the Most Vulnerable Children in Azerbaijan started in January 2019. It is
implemented by the UNICEF. The objective of the action is to support girls and boys,
especially those who are the most vulnerable, access community and family-based
integrated quality social services in health, nutrition, early childhood development, inclusive
education, social and child protection and adolescent/youth development. The EU also
cooperated with UNICEF to establish inclusive education resource and support centres at
sub-national level in Azerbaijan.
The project on Civil Society in Gender-sensitive Implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG) supports the civil society driven SDGs implementation through
gender lens. So far, a platform was established for dialogue and networking between the
CSOs and the government on implementing the SDG agenda; CSOs have increased
understanding of the SDGs framework and capacities to apply gender-responsive
approaches and nine CSOs received grants. The grants are targeting the promotion of
women entrepreneurship, legal aid to women, improving the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
(WASH) environment, and access to finances.
5. Multilateral context: As regards the UN Treaty Bodies, Azerbaijan was reviewed by the
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in October 2019.
In December 2019, Azerbaijan ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of
Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.
Azerbaijani authorities failed to fully implement judgments of the European Court of Human
Rights before the 31 December 2019 deadline set by the Committee of Ministers. The
Council of Europe Committee of Ministers and the PACE rapporteur issued the report on
‘Reported cases of political prisoners in Azerbaijan’.
Belarus
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: No significant positive
legislative or institutional changes in the area of human rights took place in Belarus in 2019.
The authorities have so far not made any serious progress in establishing a national human
rights institution. Comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation has not been enacted, and
there are no effective mechanisms for ensuring equality and protection against
26
link to page 27 link to page 27 link to page 27
discrimination. Regulations continue to unduly restrict the right to peaceful assembly.
Freedom of association is seriously compromised by a restricted access to financing and
excessive registration requirements. Early parliamentary elections in November represented
a lost opportunity to conduct elections in line with international standards. However, there
has been more readiness by the authorities to involve civil society in internal discussions and
within international human rights mechanisms. The year 2019 was also marked by a less
violent attitude by the law enforcement agencies and a smaller number of politically
motivated court cases (7 against 18 cases in 2018 according to HRC Viasna's information),
none of which led to imprisonment. The death penalty is stil applied, with al egedly three
executions and three new verdicts pronounced in 2019. The authorities, including the
Parliament, took part in some public debates on the death penalty.
3 The dedicated
parliamentary working group is yet to be re-established fol owing the parliamentary
elections in November 2019.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU continues to fol ow a policy of critical engagemen
t4
with Belarus. The EU and Belarus has continued negotiations on the joint Partnership
Priorities (PPs) since 2016. The Visa Facilitation Agreement and Readmission Agreements
were signed on 8 January 2020. Furthermore, the EU remains committed to assist Belarus in
its progress towards WTO membership. In December 2019, the EU started the negotiations
of a Customs Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement. On 10
December, the Council started the annual review of the restrictive measures, which expires
on 28 February 2020.
5
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In 2019, the Belarusian authorities continued their active
engagement on human rights discussions during the regular meetings such as the human rights
dialogue held in Brussels on 18 June 2019 and the Coordination Group held in Brussels on 17-18
December 2019. Communication on human rights issues was a key component of HoD's and
Member States' regular interviews with key state and non-state media outlets in 2019.
Continued application by Belarus of the death penalty remained a crosscutting issue in the
EU's communications. The EU finances a 3-years-long project (2018-2020) with specific aim
of advocating for abolishment of death penalty.
Inter alia, it also foresees specific public
activities linked to the International Day against the Death Penalty.
Many events stemming from EU-funded cooperation programmes included HoD
interventions on human rights issues, including on the need for inclusive labour markets and
3 Belarusian officials (Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives Naumovich,
Deputy Foreign Minister Kravchenko) participated in the 7th World Congress against the Death Penalty in
Brussels in February 2019 and other international events.
4 In the February 2016 Council conclusions
on Belarus
, the Council reiterated its firm commitment to
strengthening the EU's engagement with the Belarusian people and civil society and stated that ‘tangible steps
taken by Belarus to respect universal fundamental freedoms, rule of law and human rights wil remain key for
the shaping of the EU's future policy towards Belarus’.
5 These measures include an arms embargo, including the prohibition to export equipment that might be used
for internal repression and an asset freeze and travel ban against four people listed in connection with the
unresolved disappearance of two opposition politicians, one businessman and one journalists in 1999 and
2000. The arms embargo shal not apply to the sale, supply, transfer or export of equipment special y designed
for sports activities. Al member states agreed on the prolongation based on the assessment of the Heads of
Mission report circulated on 9 December 2019.
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link to page 28 link to page 28
inclusive professional education, equality and non-discrimination in and out of the
workplace, gender equality and eradication of domestic violence etc. The disappointing
conduct of the Belarus' parliamentary elections of November 2019 was another occasion for
the EU to reiterate the importance of democratic standards and human rights. The EU
delegation-led Job Shadowing Initiative for young women, dedicated to issues of gender
equality and equality of opportunity, spanned from February to April 2019 and engaged 20
mentors who were ambassadors, resident representatives of international organisations,
and business leaders. EU delegation organised a major youth event in June 2019 as part of
the Delegation's communication campaign focusing on the role of young people in EU-
Belarus relations and cooperation.
4. EU financial engagement: Belarus benefits from support under the European Instrument
for Human Rights and Democracy (EUR 3 million 2018-2020) and Support to Civil Society
(EUR 5 million 2018-2020).
In 2019, the EU delegation launched Cal for proposals from CSO budget line (DCI-CSO) and
European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), with 3.9 million EUR in
total. In 2019, the EU delegation identified two projects supporting non-state media in
Belarus to be implemented in 2020 - one aiming to bring together media and IT sector by
promoting innovative technical partnerships, and another one promoting the use of the
Open Source Data in journalism.
5. Multilateral context: Belarus continued to engage with human rights instruments at the
multilateral level, including in the context of preparations for the 2020 UPR 3rd cycle review,
the CRC
6 and CESCR
7 reviews. Belarus is also working towards accession to two more UN
human rights related treaties, the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and
the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness
. The National Human Rights Action Plan
expired in 2019. Although its implementation did not result in many specific achievements, it
nevertheless became a useful instrument for a better communication between civil society
and state agencies in the process of implementation of the UPR recommendations. In June
2019, the EU sponsored a UN HR Council resolution under item 4 as in the previous years,
supported by 42 states. Despite repeated cal s from the EU for Belarus to cooperate with the
UN Special Rapporteur (UNSR), Belarusian authorities do not recognize its mandate, calling it
'politicised'. The latest report of the UNSR, presented to the UN Human Rights Council in July
2019, described the systemic and systematic human rights violations present in law and in
practice.
Georgia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, Georgia continued
implementing the EU-Georgia Association Agreement including its extensive commitments in
the areas of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Human rights and fundamental
6 Convention on the Rights of the Child
7 International Covenant on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights
28
freedoms are respected but chal enges remain. In spite of amendments to improve
enforcement of the Law on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination, there are still
incidents of discrimination against LGBTI persons in the fields of freedom of assembly,
employment and healthcare, and on social and economic issues. Some labour rights remain
chal enged. The independence of the judiciary and media freedom have come under new
pressure. Georgian Dream maintained its strong majority in Parliament, although the loss of
a number of MPs left it without a constitutional majority for the first time since 2016.
Following the June demonstrations, the government was reshuffled and an attempt was
made to amend the constitution in order to have full proportional elections in 2020 instead
of 2024. The reform, however, failed due to lack of support from majoritarian MPs. Work to
address the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations ahead of the 2020 parliamentarian elections is
ongoing, as are government and opposition talks on the electoral system.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU delegation undertook several steps to ensure the
implementation of the Human Rights and Democracy Country Strategy, including actively
maintaining close cooperation with human rights and gender contact points from
international representations (notably EU Member States, the UN, the Council of Europe,
the US and Switzerland). Specific actions target gender equality, the rights of the child, the
promotion of human rights mechanisms in Georgia, including the Public Defender's Office,
the Human Rights Inter-Agency Council, the Personal Data Protection Inspector and the Anti-
discrimination Mechanism. A strong focus was placed on improving the independence of the
judiciary. The EU intensified its efforts to improve the overall sustainability and effectiveness
of the Civil Society in line with the new EU Roadmap for the engagement with Civil Society
2018-2020, adopted in December 2018.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The twelfth EU-Georgia Human Rights Dialogue
was
held in Tbilisi in May 2019, and offered the opportunity to discuss: the functioning of human
rights mechanisms in Georgia, gender issues, anti-discrimination, labour rights, children's
rights. Human rights were also discussed during several meeting stemming from the EU-
Georgia Association Agreement, such as: the Association Council in March, the Sub-
Committee on Freedom, Security and Justice in May and the Association Committee in June.
The Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia and numerous EU Member States ambassadors
engage regularly in public events on human rights and stress the importance of their
promotion and protection. EU funded projects, meetings with civil society, human rights
organisations, the Public Defender, Government, Parliament or Europe Day events, as well
as others, offered vast opportunities for EU delegation senior staff, including the Head of the
EU Delegation, to address Georgian counterparts and citizens. In particular, the Human
Rights week was marked with a series of events attended by the Head of the EU Delegation.
The EU awarded for the third time the EU Human Rights Film Award at the Tbilisi
International Film Festival. The EU delegation also runs various social and broadcast media
campaigns, including on women' rights and labour rights. The Head of the EU Delegation has
played an important mediating role in the ongoing talks between government and
opposition on electoral system reform. Through the EU Special Representative for the South
Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, including in his role as co-chair of the Geneva
International Discussions, and with the work of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, the EU
continued throughout the year to promote stability and human security in conflict-affected
29
areas. Diplomatically and on the ground, efforts were made to address the politically
complex human rights issues in relation to conflict-affected populations.
4. EU financial engagement: The
EU delegation continued to closely monitor and support
the reform processes through budget support, grants - especially to the Public Defender -
and EIDHR projects and joint actions with international organisations; in particular, in the
areas of justice, public administration reform and the penitentiary. Key assistance was
implemented through the ‘Human Rights for Al ’ programme. CSOs projects are
implemented in the framework of the EIDHR Country Based Support Scheme program for
Georgia. The projects address the rights of people with mental disorders and psychosocial
disabilities; children's rights; the right to health and adequate standards of living of citizens
in vulnerable multi-ethnic communities and support for social service providers in rural
areas. A large justice programme is also ongoing. Substantial support is provided to the
parliament for strengthening its institutional and oversight capacities; the EU also supports
the Public Defender and CSOs in the same areas.
The Partnership for Good Governance phase 2 (PGG II) regional project, implemented in
cooperation with the Council of Europe, includes a thematic focus on human rights, fighting
discrimination and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups and women across the Eastern
Partnership region, including Georgia, also working towards the ratification of the Istanbul
Convention.
5. Multilateral context: Georgia has a good record of ratifying international human rights
instruments but is not yet a party to the International Convention for the Protection of Al
Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The investigation into war crimes and crimes against
humanity committed during the August 2008 war in Georgia ordered by the International
Criminal Court (ICC) is ongoing. Georgia is cooperating well with the ICC. The EU encourages
Georgia to continue aligning itself with EU positions, particularly on issues pertaining to the
death penalty.
Republic of Moldova
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, the Republic of
Moldova continued implementing the EU-Moldova Association Agreement including its
commitments in the areas of democracy and human rights. Parliamentary elections took
place in February, which were - according to the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission -
competitive and generally respected fundamental rights. However, international observers
pointed also to al egations of pressure on public employees, strong indications of vote
buying and the misuse of state resources, control and ownership of the media by political
actors. The local elections in October/November were conducted in a calm and generally
competitive environment. In August, Parliament adopted a law abandoning the much
criticised mixed and reintroducing the proportional electoral system.
The lack of independence of the judiciary remains a key problem in Moldova. As regards the
independence of the judiciary, Moldova was ranked 132 out of 141 countries in the Global
30
Competitiveness report 2019 of the World Economic Forum, as particular serious issue is the
absence of effective prosecution in the 2014 USD 1 bil ion bank fraud and the constant
postponement of hearings. In summer, all Constitutional Court judges resigned, following an
unprecedentedly critical Venice Commission opinion on its rulings regarding the formation of
a new government in June. This paved the way for the selection of the new Court members.
The selection process, however, was again heavily criticised by civil society. Initiatives to
reform the justice system were launched in summer 2019. In some individual legal cases,
that had given rise to concerns regarding the respect of human rights, people were released
from detention in 2019.
Gender equality remains limited. A double quota was introduced in the Electoral Code in
August. The administrative and financial capacities of the Equality and Anti-discrimination
Council remain also limited. The Criminal Procedure Code was amended. Prisoners
dissatisfied with their detention conditions may ask courts for a reduction of imprisonment
as well as improved conditions and compensation for moral and material damage. Detention
conditions, protection of vulnerable children especially in rural areas, promotion of inclusive
education, de-institutionalisation and protection of children with disabilities remain to be
addressed. Civil society is not yet involved in the decision making process in line with
international democratic standards.
On 11 June, the European Court of Human Rights found Moldova guilty of violating the rights
of five Turkish citizens that had been expel ed from Moldova in 2018
. The investigation of
the major bank fraud from 2014 has not advanced in a way that would bring all those
responsible to justice or that would achieve significant progress in the recovery of lost
assets. During the reporting period, the media landscape remained characterised by the
concentration of media ownership and the monopolisation of the advertising market.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU delegation in Moldova is actively maintaining close
cooperation with human rights contact points from international representations and
works closely together with civil society organisations active in the field of human rights
and democracy. The EU delegation in cooperation with international partners monitors
also some individual human rights cases (including court procedures).
The EU expressed its views on the elections in February in a statement of the spokesperson
of 25 February referring to the findings of the international observers and the Council
conclusions on Moldova adopted in February 2018.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Human rights and democracy were discussed in the
framework of the main meetings related to the implementation of the Association
Agreement, such as the Association Council in September and the Sub-Committee on
Freedom, Security and Justice held in November. In January, expert consultations on
human rights took place with the participation of the OSCE, the United Nations and the
Council of Europe. The 10th EU-Republic of Moldova human rights dialogue took place in
November. They both offered the opportunity for an exchange on several key topics closely
fol owed by the EU and the international partners, including: the electoral framework;
freedom and pluralism of the media; fighting against impunity and ill-treatment and human
rights protection in the justice system; the rights of the child; fight against discrimination
31
and protection of vulnerable groups. The dialogue – as well as the expert consultations -
continued to be attended by civil society representatives, a welcome practice which al ows
civil society to be informed directly about the nature and content of discussions.
4. EU financial engagement: After the political change in Moldova in June, the EU
disbursed budget support payments that had been put on hold and paid in October the
first tranche of the macro-financial assistance (EUR 30 million). The EU assistance to
Moldova continues to focus on Moldovan citizens, actors of change and supporters of
reforms, with strict conditionality.
5. Multilateral context: In December, the government approved the ratification of the
Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and
Domestic Violence, which was
signed in February 2017. It still requires approval by the
Moldovan Parliament.
Ukraine
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Human rights are generally
respected and fundamental freedoms upheld in the area under the control of Ukrainian
government. However, severe human rights violations continue to take place in the areas
not under the control of the government (NGCA), both in the Crimean peninsula, illegally
annexed by Russia, and in eastern Ukraine, due to the conflict in Donbas, because of
Russia's destabilising actions. The situation of more than 1.4 million internally displaced
persons (IDPs) from Donbas and Crimea remains challenging. Concerns persist in a number
of areas, including the safety of investigative journalists, rights of persons belonging to
different minorities and accountability, while some progress has been observed in gender
equality.
2. EU action -key focus areas:
• promoting the rights of persons affected by the conflict;
• promoting and protecting fundamental freedoms;
• accountability for al crimes, including those committed in the course of the ongoing
armed conflict, and during the incidents occurred in Kyiv (Maidan) and Odesa in
2014;
• protecting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities and vulnerable
groups;
• advocating Ukraine’s ratification of international instruments.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The situation of the conflict-affected population and of
the approximately 1.4 million IDPs in the country remains challenging. The EU has called on
Ukraine to guarantee that all eligible citizens of Ukraine enjoy the right to receive their
entitlements, including pension and social payments, regardless of the IDP registration or
the place of residence. Overal , the situation in the NGCA in Donbas remained dire. Severe
32
violations of individual rights were reported, including targeted killings, arbitrary detention,
sexual and gender-based violence. The human rights situation also continued to decline in
the illegally annexed Crimea. The conscription of Crimean residents into the Russian armed
forces continued unabated. The situation of the Crimean Tatars continues to be particularly
worrisome.
Despite repeated calls from the EU and the civil society, Ukraine has not yet ratified the
Rome Statute.
Overall, the situation in the field of citizens’ rights in Ukraine has improved compared to the
previous reporting period. Elections in 2019 were held overall in line with international
standards. The Election Code, which covers al types of elections, was adopted in December
2019 in an overall positive move towards the harmonisation of the electoral legislation.
Nevertheless, several issues in the Code will still need to be addressed in further
amendments. The Code has resolved the long-standing problem of enfranchising IDPs and
other mobile groups of citizens.
Ukraine continues to be characterised by a vibrant civil society, which plays a key role
in promoting reforms. The EU has consistently underlined the importance of civil society,
including its valuable contribution to the reform process.
The freedom of expression and freedom of the media are generally respected. There are
some structural chal enges such as the disproportionate ownership of media channels by
oligarchs and the safety of journalists. Although the Ukrainian legislation protects freedom
of expression, intimidations and acts of violence continued to affect civil society activists. In
some cases, impunity continues to be a serious problem, as demonstrated by the murder of
activist Kateryna Handziuk. Similarly, there was no substantial progress in the prosecution
and adjudication of high-profile cases related to the 2014 mass killings in Kyiv (Maidan) and
Odesa.
The EU has actively engaged with Ukraine to promote the rule of law and the fight against
corruption. The Ukrainian authorities took several important steps in 2019, including the
establishment of a High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) and the re-boot of the National
Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC). As regards the criminal cases against
corrupt officials, the conviction rate remains very low (i.e. only one official (a judge) was
formally convicted for corruption). This situation is expected to improve with the increased
operationalisation of the HACC.
Domestic violence and gender-based violence continued to be an issue of high concern in
Ukraine. Progress was noted in this field, as demonstrated by the changes to the Criminal
Procedural Code, which came into force at the beginning of 2019. Domestic violence,
including against women, is now criminalised. Furthermore, Ukraine adopted the Equal
Opportunities Code, which protects employees against discrimination. On a less positive
note, the ratification of the Istanbul Convention is stil pending.
Overall, rights of persons belonging to minorities in Ukraine are respected, despite the
limited allocation of funding and administrative resources for the promotion and protection
of the rights of persons belonging to minorities. However, the members of the Roma
community continue to be particularly vulnerable. Despite some attacks by extremists, LGBTI
movements in Kyiv and Odesa noted significant positive developments when cooperating
with law enforcement agencies during the Pride parades held throughout the country in
33
2019. No fundamental changes to legislation concerning the rights of the LGBTI community
occurred during this reporting period. The Government submitted a draft law on the Labour
Code during late December 2019, which includes provisions that prohibit discrimination on
the ground of sexual orientation and gender identity. At present, it remains unclear whether
the new version of the Code will preserve the already existing provisions on discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Ukraine has made progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the Venice
Commission concerning the Law on Education. The transitional period for the language
provision was extended to 2023 and private schools were exempted through the adoption of
the Law on Secondary Education in January 2020. The Law on State Language entered into
force in July 2019, providing for several measures aimed at increasing the use of Ukrainian in
the public sphere. The Venice Commission issued an opinion at the end of 2019. The EU has
encouraged the Ukrainian authorities to implement its recommendations.
The EU continued its active promotion of human rights in Ukraine during the annual
human rights dialogue that was held in Kyiv in March 2019. Human rights have also
been on the agenda of the EU-Ukraine Summit, the Association Council, and the
Association Committee. They were also addressed in the framework of numerous
visits by high officials to Ukraine, including the HR/VP and various Commissioners. In
Kyiv, Brussels, and elsewhere, the EU has engaged on a regular basis with the
Ukrainian authorities, the international community and civil society. In terms of public
messages, the HR/VP, her spokesperson, and the EU delegation to Ukraine have
issued various statements condemning human rights violations in the illegally annexed
Crimean peninsula and in NGCA in Donbas.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued to support the implementation of
the Human Rights Strategy priorities. Financial and technical assistance to civil society and
human rights defenders was expanded by supporting their work on political, civil, economic,
social and cultural rights, and democratisation. A new series of actions in support of human
rights was also launched during 2019, in the form of grants to Civil Society Organisations,
following a new EIDHR Call for Proposals. These recent grants mobilised EUR 2 million of
support to eight new projects covering issues ranging from fight against torture, access to
justice, and support for human rights defenders, to strengthening human rights protection in
the NGCA in Donbas and in Crimea. In total, including already active projects, ongoing EIDHR
grants correspond to EUR 3.7 million. They also cover other domains as support for human
rights in conflict-affected communities, rights of the Roma, and the rights of IDPs.
The EU is also continuing its support to the activities of the UN Human Rights Monitoring
Mission to Ukraine (HRMMU) with a grant of EUR 3 million, following similar support in past
years. The work of the HRMMU is important to record violations of international human
rights and humanitarian law, both in GCA and in NGCA. This reinforces present and future
accountability. In 2019, the EU also launched a project (EUR 3.3 million) with the Council of
Europe in support of human rights in Ukraine, aiming to achieve progress in three specific
areas: supporting freedom of media in Ukraine, strengthening the Ombudsperson’s capacity
to protect human rights, and supporting prison reform in Ukraine. The EU Advisory Mission
also supports human rights compliance in the civilian security sector, particularly with issues
pertaining to fair trials, effective remedies and freedom of assembly.
34
5. Multilateral context: The EU continues to bring up human rights issues related to
Ukraine in the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the UN Human Rights Council. This is
done both when the issues are related to the areas of Ukraine control ed by the
government, but more often when severe human rights violations take place in the
areas not controlled by the government on the Crimean peninsula and in eastern Ukraine
affected by the conflict in the Donbas.
Egypt
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Progress on human rights and
fundamental freedoms in Egypt remains slow while the country continues to face important
security, social and economic challenges. The nationwide state of emergency declared in
April 2017 has been renewed every three months since then. A referendum to amend the
2014 Constitution was held in April 2019 and introduced new provisions on the role of the
Armed Forces, the use of military courts and the appointments of the judiciary. The
referendum took place without independent international observation. The constitutional
amendments also instituted a 25% parliamentary quota for women.
Positive developments on human rights in 2019 include revision of the labour legislation,
easing formal conditions to form independent unions and passing of a new NGO law
replacing the much-criticised 2017 law. Women empowerment and campaigns in support of
persons with disabilities were pursued by the government as a priority in 2019.
Nevertheless, progress is needed to ensure the full implementation of the important
constitutional provisions on human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.
Freedom of expression and assembly and space for civil society have been increasingly
restricted. Unprecedented arrest campaigns against human rights activists and opposition
figures took place in June and September 2019. Media freedoms remain highly curtailed and
some individuals were detained for exercising their freedom of expression on social media.
Further significant challenges include increasing pressure on the LGBTI community,
continuing discrimination on grounds of religion or belief, high number of death sentences
(including by military courts for civilians) and executions, reports of torture, enforced
disappearances and poor detention conditions.
2. EU action - key focus areas: In line with the August 2013 Foreign Affairs Council
conclusions, support to the socio-economic sector and to civil society remains a priority in
the EU bilateral assistance to Egypt, with a focus on women and youth. The EU-Egypt
Partnership Priorities 2017-2020 reaffirm a shared commitment of both sides to the
universal values of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights and an agreement
on strengthening dialogue and cooperation on these issues as key elements for sustainable
stability. The EU and Member States carried out activities and public outreach events in the
area of women and girls rights. Support was also provided for access to culture, including
informal cultural activities in the country. The EU also supported the implementation of the
Egyptian National Population Strategy in view of raising awareness,
inter alia, on the
importance of family planning
and providing support to women on their reproductive health.
35
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Salient human rights issues were regularly raised
throughout the year at senior level, in the context of high-level visits to Egypt. On these
occasions, meetings were held with human rights organisations and human rights defenders,
discussing the human rights situation in the country and that of civil society in particular.
The sixth meeting of the EU-Egypt Subcommittee on political matters, human rights and
democracy was held in Cairo on 23-24 June 2019. Noting progress on socio-economic rights,
the EU raised areas where further progress is needed in line with the Egyptian Constitution
and Egypt's international obligations.
Meetings of the EU Informal Group on human rights, which brings together al Member
States, were held on a monthly basis, discussing recent developments in the human rights
situation in Egypt. Human rights defenders and representatives of civil society were invited
as speakers. The EU delegation, together with Member States, continued to monitor trials
from a human rights perspective. On the occasion of the 21st anniversary for the Declaration
on Human Rights Defenders in December, a substantive roundtable discussion brought
together human rights defenders and the ambassadors of Member States and like-minded
countries in Cairo.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Egypt in
October 2019.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU delegation managed 47 projects for about EUR
115 mil ion in direct or indirect support to human rights under a variety of instruments. The
projects directly contribute to the promotion and protection of civil, political, social,
economic and cultural rights. Activities focus on the fight against all forms of discrimination
(gender-based, religious and cultural). They also enhance women rights, children's rights,
migrant rights, rights of persons with disabilities, access to justice, freedom of religion or
belief, access to culture and cultural diversity. The EIDHR Egypt-based support scheme
(CBSS) has been allocated (EUR 3 million) for the period 2018-2020 for actions aiming at
human rights promotion and protection.
5. Multilateral context: Egypt underwent its third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN
Human Rights Council (HRC) in November. Egypt served a three-year term (2017-2019) in the
HRC. In 2019, Egypt chaired the African Union and hosted the 64th Ordinary Session of the
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. In 2019 as in previous years, the EU
raised concerns on the human rights situation in Egypt in its three statements at the HRC
under item 4. Notably, it encouraged Egypt to improve the situation with respect to civil and
political rights. Similarly, the situation in Egypt was mentioned in the EU statement at the
UNGA Third Committee in October. Cooperation increased at multilateral level, with Egypt
sponsoring the resolution on the Rights of the Child presented by the EU in cooperation with
the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) at the 40th session of the HRC.
State of Israel
36
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Israel is a democracy with
established and independent institutions, robust checks and balances, a free democratic
debate free media and ‘basic laws’ enumerating fundamental rights. However, several
political parties have recently questioned the ability of institutional and quasi-constitutional
bodies, in particular judicial authorities, to scrutinise legislative or normative initiatives
coming from the elected executive and legislative branches. Many human rights NGOs –
mainly those active on Israel’s responsibilities as an occupying power in the occupied
Palestinian territory or on rights of persons belonging to minorities and migrants – continue
to raise concerns about restrictions on the work of civil society and how public debate and
media create hostility towards them. The status of minorities is a case in point as the balance
between defining characters of the State of Israel as Jewish and democratic is being
constantly debated, mainly after the approval of the so-called ‘Jewish Nation State Law’ in
2018. In the occupied Palestinian territory, the situation remained challenging: fatalities
related to the conflict decreased from 2018, a peak year because of fatalities in the so-called
‘Great March of return’, but demolitions and violence by settlers increased. The closure on
Gaza remained a challenge for Palestinian civilians' freedom of movement. Concerns over
the use of force and inadequate law enforcement by Israeli security forces towards
Palestinians remain.
2. EU action - key focus areas: As in previous years, the EU focused on five priority areas set
out in the EU Human Rights and Democracy Country Strategy for Israel (HRDCS) for the
period 2016-2020: Israel's responsibilities as an occupying power; children and armed
conflict; upholding democratic values; situation of Arab minority; asylums seekers, migrants
and foreign workers.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: During 2019, HRDCS priorities were outlined through
political work of the EU, via its delegation in Tel Aviv. This work consisted in numerous
meetings with Israeli authorities, NGOs and Members of the Parliament. The EU delegation
conveyed EU positions regarding specific draft legislative initiatives. Priorities were raised
during specific events organised by the EU delegation and EU Member States' missions.
The EU and EU Member States marked Human Rights Day 2019 with a series of initiatives.
The EU delegation organised a special event dedicated to the commemoration the 30th
Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It also organised a visit for EU
Member States’ Heads of Mission to a shelter for ultra-orthodox women victims of domestic
violence and supported the Tel Aviv Human Rights Film Festival 'Solidarity'.
The EU organised a briefing for EU Member States with NGOs, submitting contributions to
the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ahead of Israel's review.
The EU closely followed the situation of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and human rights
activists. The EU delegation hosted a briefing by Mr. Omar Shakir (Human Rights Watch), in
November 2019 fol owing the decision by the Israeli Supreme Court to uphold the
government’s decision to revoke his work visa. Representatives of the EU delegation
attended his trial in Jerusalem District Court in 2018 and the EU External Action Service
issued statements in 2018 and
2019.
37
On Children and Armed Conflict, the EU and the Netherlands hosted a briefing by journalist
and writer Yonah Jeremy Bob on Israel’s Military Court system. A briefing by UNICEF was
held giving an overview on arrest and detention of Palestinian children by Israeli forces.
The EU organised a number of activities focusing on Asylum and Migration issues, including
visits to asylum seeker communities and a day-care centre for status-less children. The EU
held several briefings, including one with UNHCR and NGOs on the situation of asylum
seekers and one with NGOs to present their submissions on asylum seekers to the UN
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The EU also held a briefing on Israel’s
migrant workers, looking at issues such as bilateral agreements signed by Israel with
countries of origin.
The EU actively engaged in activities regarding human rights of the Arab minority in Israel. It
organised meetings between Heads of Mission of the EU Member States and political
representatives of the Arab population, and a briefing on the Israeli government's 5-year
plan aimed at strengthening economic and educational integration of the Arab minority.
4. EU financial engagement: In the framework of the European Instrument for Democracy
and Human Rights (EIDHR) program, the EU supported 21 human rights organisations on
their own or in partnerships to implement 10 actions intervening to address in a variety of
ways to EU's identified priorities. These actions achieved important effects in a series of
fields, including: establishment of a high school in a Bedouin vil age; opening by the Hebrew
University of a Hebrew-language International Human Rights Treaty database; to positive
measures on the implementation of legislation against discriminations; establishment of
community-police local partnership committees in towns with a predominantly Arab
population (Tamra, Jisr aZarka and Kufar Qassem).
5. Multilateral context: Israel was reviewed by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination on 4-5 December 2019 (concluding observations adopted on 12 December
2019), and by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on 2-3 October 2019
(concluding observations adopted on 18 October 2019). Israel was reviewed in the context
of the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council on 23 January 2018. Israel
noted recommendations pertaining to the incorporation of the definition of torture from the
UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment into
domestic legislation. Israel has not offered a standing invitation to all Special Procedures
mandate holders. It continues to refuse cooperating with the UN Special Rapporteur on the
situation of Human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967. Israel has in 2019
received reminders of pending visit requests from the Special Rapporteur on Racism, the
Working Group on people of African Descent, the Special Rapporteur on Toxic Waste. Still
pending visit requests remain from the Special Rapporteur on Torture, the Working Group
on Mercenaries, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and the Working Group
on Arbitrary Detention. The last visit by Special Procedures was the Special Rapporteur on
Violence against Women in 2016.
Jordan
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1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Jordan has remained committed
to political reforms, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,
and recorded positive developments in the areas of the rule of law and – to some extent –
women's rights. Nevertheless, chal enges remain, especially as regards gender-based
violence and gender equality, freedom of expression and association, torture, and the death
penalty.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU has engaged in a regular dialogue with the authorities
to underline the importance of finding a balance between legitimate national security
concerns and the respect for international obligations. The dialogue focused in particular on
the five priority areas:
(i) Freedom of opinion and expression – The EU regularly discussed developments with the
Jordanian authorities, and continued to encourage Jordan to respect journalists’ rights. Even
though the Press and Publications Law prevents the authorities from arresting journalists,
the EU raised concerns about the possibility for prosecutors to arrest journalists under
provisions of the Penal Code and the Cybercrime Law. The EU also encouraged Jordan to
restrict the trial of journalists for ‘publications crimes’ under the Penal Code to civilian
courts, as opposed to the State Security Court.
(ii) The rule of law – Reform efforts continued, notably through the August 2019
amendments to the Judiciary Independence Law, which strengthened the Judicial Council,
Jordan’s judiciary’s self-governing body. Thanks to an EU-funded programme, the system of
community sanctions (alternative to detention) established in 2018 is now in force. At the
same time, the number of administrative detainees increased over previous years, according
to data from the National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR). The NCHR also provided figures
of people abused, tortured and treated inhumanely by the authorities while in detention and
correctional facilities. The EU has encouraged Jordan to address the limitations of existing
legislation on torture, and to take implementing measures to prevent its occurrence.
(iii) Death Penalty
– The EU continued to cal on Jordan to re-instate the de facto
moratorium on the death penalty, with a view to ultimately abolishing it.
(iv) Women and Gender
–
The EU regularly discussed developments and activities with the
Jordan National Commission for Women, the National Human Rights Coordinator, the UN
Women representative, and civil society representatives. There has been further
improvement in women's rights, notably through the amendments to the Labour Law passed
in 2019. The new provisions promote shared childcare responsibility; require childcare
facilities in companies with 15 or more female employees; exempt non-Jordanians with
Jordanian mothers from a work permit; and introduce the concept of ‘discrimination in
wages’. In addition, the economic stimulus packages of October-December 2019 make
kindergarten compulsory from the age of four. Women’s rights nevertheless remained
constrained by the guardianship system, which ensures patriarchy by law. The EU has
encouraged Jordan to further develop the capacity of women to engage in economic, social
and political affairs. Furthermore, reports indicate that women continued to be placed in
administrative detention for leaving their male guardians’ home without permission or for
extra-marital sex, which remains a criminal offence, and the number of women killed in
39
honour-related crimes remained high. The EU has encouraged Jordan to strengthen
measures to further protect women who are victims of violence or threatened with it.
(v) Civil society, Freedom of Assembly and Freedom of Association
–
Jordan’s civil society
remains active. However, legislative and bureaucratic factors hamper its full participation in
public life and in shaping policy. The EU has expressed concerns over the impact for iNGOs of
a new interpretation of the Law on Associations establishing a Foreign Funding Approval
mechanism.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The number of high-level meetings reflects the
excellent state of relations between Jordan and the EU. In 2019, Commissioner Hahn visited
Jordan in June with European and International Financial Institutions; Commissioner
Stylianides visited in September, and HR/VP Mogherini in October. The EU-Jordan dialogue
on human rights and democracy is pursued in the context of the bilateral political
engagements under the Association Agreement. On 17 June 2019, the 13th EU-Jordan
Association Council, co-chaired by HR/VP Mogherini and FM Safadi in the presence of
Commissioner Hahn, covered
inter alia all priority human rights issues. It also touched upon
the fol ow-up to the EU Election Observation Mission of 2016, which highlighted an
insufficient implementation of its recommendations. The 12th meeting of the EU-Jordan
Subcommittee on human rights, democratisation, rule of law and governance is planned for
2020. The EU also continued to engage locally on human rights issues with the Jordanian
authorities and with civil society.
4. EU financial engagement: Strengthening the rule of law is a focal sector for the EU
financial support for Jordan under the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) for the
period 2017-2020. In 2019, the EU kept steadily supporting the implementation of the
justice sector reform through a dedicated budget support programme. Main achievements
include improved access to justice, an increase in the number of judicial inspections, and
better-quality trainings by the Judicial Institute. Three courts have been equipped with
videoconferencing systems supporting witnesses/victims protection pending construction of
two new courts. The programme strengthened the link with law enforcement agencies,
supporting the ICT interconnectivity and the sharing of data within a reinforced data
protection framework. In 2019, the portfolio of the European Instrument for Democracy and
Human Rights (EIDHR) in Jordan focused on women's rights. One of the ongoing projects
aims at strengthening the role of civil society and community-based media in promoting
human rights and democratic reform, consolidating political participation and representation
with special emphasis on women’s rights. Another EIDHR project aims at guaranteeing fair
trials and equal rights for women, especially in cases involving the death penalty.
5. Multilateral context: In 2019, Jordan decided to support 16 out of 21 pending
recommendations made by the State Parties of the UN Human Rights Council at 31st session
of the third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in November 2018. These recommendations
related to areas such as preventing torture, supporting freedom of expression and limiting
the use of administrative detention.
Lebanon
40
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The human rights and
democracy situation in Lebanon continues to develop in a chal enging environment. Respect
for human rights and the rule of law was general y upheld in the country during 2019.
Challenges remain, such as criminal defamation laws being issued against citizens speaking
out against the government; military courts’ jurisdiction over civilians, or discriminatory laws
on custody, marriage and divorce faced by women. Positive developments were recorded,
such as the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission, which includes the
Committee for the Prevention of Torture, and the steps taken to address gaps in protection
of children and juveniles, e.g. learning resources for judges on Justice for Children.
Unprecedented protests erupted across the country in October 2019; security forces
exercised restraint and respect for the protesters’ rights to assemble and express
themselves.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The EU has engaged in a regular political and policy dialogue
with the authorities and carried out numerous activities and public outreach events to raise
matters of concern, particularly as regards freedom of expression, the fight against torture
and ill-treatment, women's rights, children's rights, and rights of refugees and migrants. The
platform for human rights dialogue with the authorities is the EU-Lebanon Human Rights,
Democracy and Governance Cluster (latest session took place in October 2018 in Beirut). The
EU delegation continued to organise regular EU Human Rights Focal Points' meetings to
exchange on developments and coordinate efforts with EU Member States. Key EU focus
areas in 2019 were:
(i) Freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom of assembly – The EU raised its
concerns in its political dialogue and public outreach events. The EU delegation co-organised
the annual ‘Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press’ ceremony to demonstrate support
for freedom of expression in Lebanon and the region. International Human Rights Day on 10
December was marked by an EU-funded art exhibition centred on the unveiling of a ‘Human
Rights Wall of Contemplation’, with graffiti pieces by artists from eleven countries. The EU
organised the 25th European Film Festival and the 2nd European Theatre Festival in Lebanon,
with a combined attendance of over 16,000 people. Those events have become platforms to
support freedom of expression, dialogue and exchange on social and contemporary issues.
Since street demonstrations broke out on 17 October, the EU has been cal ing on the
authorities to protect the right to a peaceful protest.
(ii) The rule of law and torture prevention – EU-funded projects offered the National
Preventive Mechanism against Torture technical assistance to review its draft by-laws,
develop a code of conduct, design and implement a capacity-building training scheme and
promote public awareness of its mandate. A training module was conducted by an EU
project targeting the Beirut Bar Association of Lawyers, and training modules were prepared
for the army, police and General Security on evidence-based human rights compliant
interview techniques.
(iii) Death penalty – The EU continued to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.
(iv) Women and Gender – The EU advocated for women's rights via campaigns and public
events, especially on women’s political participation. EU projects focused on: combatting
41
poverty among Lebanese women by empowering them economically; gender equality in
decision-making processes, and capacity-building programmes to promote gender equality
at local and national levels. The EU implemented a programme to address gender-based
violence and economic empowerment. A National Gender Observatory was established to
enhance and mainstream gender in national policies and to address discriminatory
legislation.
(v) Rights of the child – The EU supported actions on education, including basic numeracy
and literacy, technical and vocational training, and school facilities. Projects included
continued support to the Ministry of Social Affairs on the implementation of the ‘National
Plan to Safeguard Children and Women in Lebanon’, and strengthening the capacities of the
ministry to provide protection services – addressing psychosocial consequences among
children impacted by armed conflict and violence; providing trauma-relief, healing and
empowerment, and restoring their wel being. The EU supported the improvement of justice
for children through child-friendly hearing rooms, the development of a learning resource
for judges as well as rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for children.
(vi) Rights of refugees and migrants – The EU advocated for returns of Syrian refugees to be
voluntary, safe and dignified, and in accordance with the principles of international law. In
2019, the EU funded projects benefitting both refugees and Lebanese host communities in
the fields of social assistance and protection, education, infrastructure, health, and shelter,
as well as capacity-building of Lebanese institutions, community and social stability,
livelihoods and resilience. The EU supported programmes in benefit of Palestinian
communities, including access to health and education services. The EU addressed the
discrimination of domestic migrant workers as well as Palestinian refugees in the political
dialogue with the authorities. In response to UNRWA's financial crisis, the EU stepped up
support to the agency.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: HR/VP Mogherini visited Lebanon in February 2019.
The EU engaged regularly with civil society organisations to increase their participation in
policy dialogue and policymaking processes, as set out in the EU Country Roadmap for
Engagement with Civil Society. To support implementation of the EU 2018 Election
Observation Mission’s recommendations, the EU-funded ‘Lebanese Elections Assistance
Project’ (LEAP) carried out numerous activities in 2019.
4. EU financial engagement: Throughout 2019, the EU promoted a rights-based approach to
cooperation efforts. A portfolio of 22 human rights-related projects financed under EU
instruments (EIDHR, ENI) was implemented by local civil society organisations and United
Nations agencies, for an overall value of EUR 21 million. The projects focused human rights
and democracy needs related to children's and prisoner's rights, access to justice, the right
to vote, freedom of expression, women's and youth's rights and empowerment as wel as
inter-cultural/religious dialogue. In addition, through the EU Regional Trust Fund in response
to the Syria crisis, several projects amounting to approximately EUR 223 million aimed to
address the vulnerabilities of refugees and host communities (focus on protection,
education, social assistance, and livelihoods). Such support was complemented by a
portfolio of projects (EUR 37 million) seeking to support the resilience of Palestinian
refugees in Lebanon, including their access to health services, education, housing and
employment.
42
5. Multilateral context: Lebanon will undergo a review at the 37th session of the Universal
Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in November 2020.
Libya
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The escalation of the conflict in
Libya since April 2019 further exacerbated the profound political divisions in the country,
increased instability and provoked severe human rights violations. Due to the renewed
conflict, the ability of the state to provide reliable services, security to citizens and uphold
the law has deteriorated. This situation is reflected in the quasi-absence of institutions and
instruments aimed at guaranteeing the promotion, protection and respect of human rights.
Freedom of assembly, expression and media, gender equality, the development of civil
society and the protection of human rights defenders are violated and undermined across
the country, especially by armed groups. Migrants and refugees are particularly vulnerable.
In July, an airstrike at a detention centre in Tajoura killed at least 53 people. Women and
children remain particularly affected by the conflict. Over 210 schools and kindergartens
remain closed, denying more than 113,000 children the right to education.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU's development assistance towards democratic
governance focused largely on institutional support to municipal councils to strengthen their
ability to govern, enhance service delivery and increase the participation of citizens and local
civil society organisations in municipal decision-making. Support to national-level democratic
governance continues through a contribution to the programme Promoting Elections for the
People of Libya and through a project with the Deutsche Welle Akademie on media sector’s
development. The EU supports socio-economic development at the municipal level and
through projects in the context of the EU Trust Fund for Africa. Dedicated support to the
justice sector, aiming at strengthening accountability and access to justice, was launched in
2019.
The EU continued to support human rights defenders (HRD), with the extension of a project
financed under the EIDHR aimed at further strengthening the capacity of HRD and Civil
Society Organisations (CSOs) which work on human rights in Libya and the signature of a
new grant agreement to support in particular human rights defenders addressing chal enges
related to torture. The EU continued to implement an Action Document ‘European Union for
Civil Society in Libya’ to strengthen democratic governance, accountability and local
participatory development through empowering CSOs to become independent and
participate in decision-making.
On economic integration, diversification and sustainable employment, strong emphasis has
been placed on women and youth. A competition on the best business idea from Libyan
women was held, as well as a specialised workshop introducing women entrepreneurs to
how to use coding/computer programme skills to develop their ideas, services or products. A
new project, Enhancing Women's Rights and Gender Equality supporting the fight against
gender-based violence (GBV) started in 2018. The project promotes women rights and
dignity through the reduction of gender inequalities and GBV in Libya. The project will
enhance the local capacity to reduce the incidence of GBV in Misrata. The EU signed a new
43
project to be implemented by UNFPA aiming at enhancing the accessibility to integrated
sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and sexual and gender-based violence
(SGBV) essential services. As regards assistance to migrants and refugees, since November
2017, the EU has supported the IOM Voluntary Humanitarian Return programme, which
enabled the return of 31,411 migrants to their countries of origin by the end of 2018. In
2019, the number of people returned with the EU funds is 8,644. With the support of
UNHCR, 5,506 vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers were evacuated from Libya since
November 2017. In 2019, 2,427 individuals were evacuated from Libya, including 893
resettled. A number of EU programmes also aimed at capacity building of CSOs and
community based groups working on migration.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU continued to call for and work towards a
political solution of the conflict, and actively raised human rights issues with Libyan
authorities, political and security actors, and civil society representatives, both in Tripoli and
Benghazi. The EU has pursued dialogue with Libyan authorities on the need to adopt
legislation in line with international standards providing protection and space for civil. The
EU at Headquarters and Delegation level has publicly reacted to grave violations of
international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Following the airstrike
on the Tajoura detention centre in July, the EU together with the UN and the AU established
a Post-Tajoura Working Group to improve joint advocacy vis-a-vis Libyan authorities for the
safety and fundamental rights of refugees and migrants, demilitarisation of detention
centres, and abandonment of the policy of arbitrary detention. The EU has regularly called
for the immediate release of victims of abduction and enforced disappearance in Libya, and
urged for investigations into these cases, including that of Member of Parliament Siham
Sergiwa. In 2019, the EU adopted the Human Rights Country Strategy for Libya. The EU
delegation maintained its active outreach to Libyans by organising events together with the
wider international community, such as a Film Festival in Tunis focusing on human rights and
gender equality, or a two-day workshop for journalists on countering hate speech and
disinformation, gender-sensitive reporting, and investigative journalism on human rights.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU's overall assistance strategy in Libya focuses on
supporting transition towards a stable, democratic and united Libya, based on a strong
partnership promoting the interest of EU and Libyan citizens alike. More than EUR 365
million in bilateral support to Libya is being provided through 43 projects ongoing across a
wide range of sectors, namely: civil society, governance, health, youth and education,
migration management, community stabilisation, protection, humanitarian aid, security and
mediation.
5. Multilateral context: The EU continued to support the UN-led efforts to bring about a
political solution to the conflict, underlining the importance of Libyan ownership of an
inclusive political process, notably through the participation of youth, women and civil
society. The EU, UN and African Union (AU) also continued their partnership through the AU
- EU - UN Tripartite Task Force to better address migration challenges in close cooperation
with Libyan authorities. The EU actively contributed to the preparations of the Berlin
Conference; its Declaration included a section on International Humanitarian Law and
International Human Rights Law.
44
Syria
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Syria has been embroiled in civil
conflict since 2011. Human rights abuses are widespread and systematic, including neglect
of the right to life, extrajudicial arrests and assassinations, torture, unfair trials,
indiscriminate violence against civilians, disrespect of housing, land and property rights and
targeting of civilian infrastructure. Perpetrators include the regime and its allies but also the
large number of armed groups and militias present on Syrian territory.
Reports of abuse come from all over the country. In the northwest, notably in Idlib, the
regime and its allies conducted indiscriminate attacks in populated areas during 2019.
According to OHCHR, since the launch of the offensive in April 2019, 69 medical facilities
have been hit by military strikes – this number suggests that civilian structures have been
deliberately targeted, a violation of International Humanitarian Law. Following jihadist group
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's (HTS) takeover of Idlib in January 2019 arbitrary detentions,
deprivations of freedom and enforced disappearances have risen at a high rate. In the
northeast, further to Operation Peace Spring in October, Turkey and its allied militias
incorporated as the Syrian National Army (SNA) took control of a 30-km-deep strip of land
along the border. Human rights violations were reportedly committed by SNA militias,
including arbitrary executions (notably of the Syrian-Kurdish politician Hevrin Khallaf, from
the Future Syria party), extortion and confiscation of property. In the south, particularly in
Dar'a, which was recaptured by the regime in spring 2018, there are serious human rights
concerns. Civilians engaged in alternative local government arrangements (local councils,
local committees) experience arrest and detention. The poor enforcement of law and order
means that the level of kidnappings for extortion and theft remains high.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The EU has worked to improve the protections of all civilians,
including in areas where conflict is still taking place and violations of human rights are more
likely to be perpetrated. In this regard, the EU has participated in the work of the
Humanitarian Task Force and in the Ceasefire Task Force in Geneva in order to coordinate
efforts for the application of humanitarian principles and safe, rapid and unhindered access
for humanitarian actors.
Concerning arbitrary arrest, detention, disappearance and torture, the EU has maintained
close contacts with the UN Office of the Special Envoy for Syria (OSE), OHCHR, ICRC and
other relevant organisations during 2019. Additionally, the EU is funding ICRC, OHCHR Syria
and the International Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP). Nevertheless, only limited
progress has been made either by the Special Envoy’s office in Geneva or during the Astana
guarantors’ talks (Russia, Turkey, Iran) where the UN has been actively engaged in
promoting human rights with the Syrian regime, armed opposition groups and international
parties to the conflict.
The EU and its Member States remain firmly committed to promoting justice and
accountability for the many human rights violations committed against Syrians during the
conflict. The EU and its Member States are the main funder of accountability actions in Syria.
The focus of such projects includes the documentation of violations of human rights and of
45
war crimes, transitional justice, International Humanitarian Law, and support to civil society
organisations. In addition to local and international NGOs, the EU also works with
international organisations such as the OHCHR, the ICMP and the Commission for
International Justice and Accountability, notably in the gathering of documentation and in
preparing a sustainable process of collecting data from families whose relatives are missing
due to the conflict. The EU is among the original funders of the International, Impartial and
Independent Mechanism (I IM), which is expected to take a leading role in efforts to achieve
justice and accountability. The EU continued to support the work of the fact-finding missions
of the OPCW as well as the Commission of Inquiry (CoI).
The EU considers the empowerment of women and minorities as central to the political
process intended to further the solution of the Syrian conflict. It is an EU priority to support
women not only in areas of conflict but also in peace processes. In 2019, the EU concluded
work on a gender profiling of Syria, an assessment of the power and equality between men
and women in the Syrian society. The gender profile offered suggestions for improving
gender equality, which will be taken into account in the future programming for Syria.
The EU and its Member States remain engaged in supporting Syrian civil society in its efforts
to achieve a political solution. This is achieved by supporting the UN OSE-organised Civil
Society Support Room (CSSR); the Women's Advisory Board (WAB); CSO consultations, and
by direct cooperation with Syrian CSOs in activities that can contribute to a sustainable
political solution, enhance social cohesion and strengthen communities across Syria.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU's main objective in Syria remains to work
towards the end of fighting and the commitment of al parties to engage in a political
process in line with the framework outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The
launch of the Constitutional Committee represents a first potential positive step towards a
political solution. The EU maintains a firm stand on non-normalisation with the regime until
it has engaged in a political process. The third Brussels Conference on ‘Supporting the future
of Syria and the region’ in April 2019 focused again the attention of the international
community on the Syrian conflict. The EU continued to impose restrictive measures in
relation to Syria and in 2019 introduced new sanctions against individuals and entities –
including military and security officials – responsible for violence and repression in Syria
(including the use of chemical weapons) or associated with activities, which deny the rights
of Syrians.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU has mobilised around EUR 17 billion since 2011,
remaining the largest provider of international aid and delivering humanitarian, stabilisation
and resilience assistance inside Syria and in neighbouring countries. In 2019, the EU
allocated EUR 260 million to humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Syrians; EUR 170 million
was spent in Syria, the rest in neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees. The Third
Brussels Conference raised EUR 6.2 bil ion for 2019 and multi-year pledges of close to EUR
2.1 bil ion for 2020 and beyond. In addition, international financial institutions and donors
announced around EUR 18.5 billion in loans on concessional terms.
5. Multilateral context: The EU has supported UNSC resolutions on Syria, notably the 2165
(2014) pertaining to cross- border humanitarian assistance, the UN Human Rights Council as
well as of the UNGA Third Committee. In multilateral fora, the EU has also condemned the
escalation of violence in the country, the use of barrel bombs by the Syrian regime and the
46
human rights abuses by armed extremist groups, and cal ed on the parties in the conflict to
respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and to ensure unhindered
access for aid organisations in Syria.
In Geneva, the EU has actively participated in the work of the Humanitarian Task Force and
the Ceasefire Task Force. The EU and its Member States welcomed the establishment of the
Syrian Constitutional Committee as a door opener for a broader political process.
Palestinian Authority (occupied Palestinian territory – oPt)
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Preliminary remark: A distinction
needs to be drawn between the responsibilities of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and those
of Israel as an occupying power. The focus of this report lies primarily on the PA’s
responsibilities in the West Bank and the responsibilities of the de facto
authorities in Gaza
(although, formally, the government in Ramallah bears responsibility for Gaza too).
Chal enges remain as regards fundamental freedoms in both the West Bank and Gaza.
As regards the holding of credible, transparent and inclusive elections, even though local
elections were held on 13 May 2017 in the West Bank, national elections have not been held
since 2006 and the Palestinian Legislative Council, which had not convened since 2007, was
dissolved in December 2018. President Abbas' announcement in December 2018 to hold
elections within six months has not materialised yet, not least due to the difficulty of holding
elections in East Jerusalem and Gaza and to the lack of intra-Palestinian reconciliation. Laws
are adopted by presidential decree and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) frequently report
lack of transparency in the law-making process.
2019 has shown a mixed picture when it comes to respect for the freedom of expression,
freedom of assembly and freedom of the media in the West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinian
Authority has made a real effort to consult civil society on new policy and legislative
initiatives, but social media accounts of citizens have been closed down, and journalists
continue to be subject to threats and arrests by the PA security forces. In Gaza, there are
many reports of issues relating to media freedoms and freedom of expression, freedom of
assembly as wel as the rule of law and the fact that the death penalty is stil being applied.
The human rights situation overall in Gaza is assessed as challenging. Although CSPs are still
able to operate rather freely in the West Bank, the freedom of association is increasingly
chal enged, and the space for civil society has been shrinking in 2019.
Arbitrary detention continues to be a matter of concern. The Independent Commission for
Human Rights has since 2016 observed deterioration concerning arbitrary detention and fair
trial standards with an increase in the number of violations of the right to liberty and
security of person in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
With regard to the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and related matters, civil
society, judges and lawyers have in recent years observed an increasing politicisation of the
judiciary and judicial processes. In 2019, such trends culminated in two laws issued by
Presidential decree. One of these Decree-Laws lowered the retirement age of judges from 70
to 60 without given justification and changed the criteria for appointment of high court and
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appeal court judges. The other Decree-Law dissolved the High Judicial Council (HJC) and all
court panels and appointed a Transitional High Judicial Council with an extensive mandate.
While freedom of religion or belief is generally well observed, discrimination against women
remains a concern. The draft Family Protection Law, which is believed to provide measures
to prevent and combat violence while holding perpetrators accountable, has not yet been
promulgated into law. Failings in the protection of LGBTI persons continue to represent a
serious concern. Despite recent amendments to the Anti-Corruption Law, corruption does
nevertheless continue to represent a chal enge.
2. EU action - key focus areas: As reflected in the European Joint Strategy in support to
Palestine
8 (2017-2020), in 2019 the EU continued its support to Palestinian state building,
rule of law and justice as well as on service delivery to most vulnerable people and on
sustainable economic development. Cross-cutting issues (gender equality, youth,
environment protection, human rights and support to civil society) were mainstreamed in all
sectors. Another priority was the strengthening of CSOs and greater civic participation in
political life. The adoption of the Joint European Roadmap for Engagement with Civil Society
in Palestine 2018-2020 il ustrated the importance of European engagement in contributing
to an enabling environment for civil society. Advisory assistance on justice and security has
also come from the EU Co-ordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support (EUPOL COPPS).
The EU continued to engage in human rights and democracy discussions with the Palestinian
Authority (not with the de facto authorities in Gaza)
. In this regard, the EU continued its
structured dialogue with the Palestinian Authority on human rights issues through European
Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) mechanisms, including the EU-Palestine Liberation Organisation
(PLO) Joint Committee meeting in November, preceded by the meeting of the Subcommittee
on human rights, good governance and rule of law in October. The Office of the EU
Representative in Jerusalem (EUREP) carried out a large number of actions at local level.
These include local statements, field visits and attendance at court hearings, mainly in Israeli
military courts. Issues of concern were raised at regular meetings with the Palestinian
counterparts. EUREP also engaged with CSOs to obtain information and to explain and
promote the EU’s position.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued to provide financial support for
human rights and democracy-related programmes and projects through the European
Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human
Rights (EIDHR). Overal , the European Commission has consistently committed and disbursed
in support to the Palestinians more than EUR 340 million every year since 2014. Sustainable
development in Palestine is supported in line with the aim of the two-state solution based
on parameters set out in the Council conclusions of July 2014.
5. Multilateral context: Since 2012, Palestine has been a non-member observer state in the
UN General Assembly. Palestine has ratified more than 50 conventions, including the seven
key human rights conventions. As regards the rights of the child, the Palestinian Authority
has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and in some areas there has been
improvement. While child labour continues to represent a problem, steps have been taken
to address this issue. The UN Convention against Torture (UNCAT) was signed by Palestine in
8 This designation shal not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the
individual positions of the Member States on this issue.
48
March 2014 but regular complaints of torture and ill-treatment in detention centres
continue in both Gaza and the West Bank. While torture is not believed to be systematic in
the West Bank, the UN, civil society and the ICHR have repeatedly expressed concern about
the use of torture. In 2019, two death sentences were handed down in Gaza and none in the
West Bank, where a moratorium on capital punishment has been in place since 2005. As
noted in paragraph 1, discrimination against women remains a concern. The PA has
undertaken initiatives that aim to address these problems, such as ratifying the Convention
on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Kingdom of Morocco
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, Morocco made a series
of important efforts regarding the promotion and protection of human rights and
fundamental freedoms
in order to
move ahead in the reformist human rights agenda set out
in the 2011 Constitution. Results were overall uneven, however, with progress in some areas
and remaining long-term chal enges that stil need to be tackled in some others.
Morocco advanced in its fight against corruption, through the operationalisation of the 2017
Anti-corruption Strategy and the adoption of law 31.13 on access to information. Judicial
reform also continued, including with the strengthening of access to legal aid and reform of
the judicial academy and the juvenile justice system. Regarding the protection of the rights
of persons belonging to minorities, the adoption of organic law 26.12 establishing Amazigh
(Berber) as an official language and the associated law on the establishment of the Council
of Moroccan Languages and Cultures, were an important step forward. Efforts in the
promotion of gender equality and the fight against discrimination progressed, specifically
with the implementation of law 103.13 on combating violence against women and girls,
which entered into force in September 2018. A National Commission was established in
September 2019, and the Prosecutor's Office has emerged as a key actor, through the
publication of circulars on domestic violence and on the application of precautionary
measures provided for by law. A second phase of the Government Plan for Equality began in
2019, the implementation of which remains challenging, due to the still existing
discrimination, for instance in the Family Code (Moudawana), adopted in 2004, in issues
such as inheritance rights, marriage and divorce. Regarding the capital punishment, Morocco
has been observing an undeclared moratorium since 1993. Complete data are not available,
but at least six death sentences were issued during 2019, though none of them were carried
out.
However, not all areas showed similar progress and some of them call for further sustained
efforts. Despite some endeavours, notably by the Prosecutor's Office, the practice of
marriages of minors, allowed by the Moudawana in cases where girls are rendered to be
sufficiently mature, continued in 2019. Moreover, and despite the efforts pursued to
address migration issues, the situation of some migrants remains vulnerable and the asylum
and migration laws, in process of adoption since 2014, have still not been enacted. In April
2019, the confirmation in appeal of severe verdicts against 43 demonstrators in connection
with the Hirak protest movement, ranging from 1 to 20 years in prison, gave rise to a public
49
debate. The cases of journalists and citizens prosecuted for criminal offenses related to
freedom of expression, including in social media, also increased in 2019. Morocco
maintained last year's rank as number 135 on the 2019 World Press Freedom Index by
Reporters without Borders, albeit with a slightly higher negative score this year. Freedom of
assembly and association remain sensitive areas too, with the closing down of one
association following a court decision in May 2019 and reported restrictions to registration.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The 'EU-Morocco Action Plan implementing the advanced
status' for the period 2013-2018, which was extended by two years in 2019, is the basis for
EU actions in Morocco. The focus areas for dialogue and cooperation include: the
strengthening of processes and institutions that guarantee democracy and the rule of the
law, in particular the National Human Rights Council (CNDH); decentralisation and
regionalisation; the reform of the justice system; the promotion and protection of human
rights and fundamental freedoms; freedom of expression and media professionalisation and
freedoms of association and assembly, promotion of women's rights and gender equality,
children's rights and the rights of vulnerable people; cooperation with the Council of Europe;
and the fight against corruption.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: After three years of standstill, political relations were
relaunched in January 2019 with a visit of HR/VP Mogherini to Rabat. For the first time in
four years, an Association Council subsequently took place in Brussels on 27 June 2019. On
the occasion of the meeting, a Joint Political Declaration was adopted. This declaration, the
first of its kind, emphasised shared values, including regarding human rights and good
governance, as one of the main areas of future cooperation. In parallel, the EU delegation
continued to organise regular meetings with the EU Member States to discuss ongoing
developments pertaining to human rights, including through interactions with the CNDH, the
Inter-ministerial Delegate for Human Rights (DIDH) and civil society. The human rights
situation was also a key component in the thematic Gender Group, which met periodically,
co-chaired by Belgium and the EU in 2019.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU provided financial and technical support to
Morocco in the field of democracy and human rights through budget support to promote
gender equality, good governance, the implementation of the migration policy and reform of
the justice sector. The EU acknowledges the important role played by civil society, including
through its support to civil society actors.
In particular, the 2019-20 Annual Action Programme (AAP) includes a specific action to
support human rights in Morocco (‘Hoqouq wa Himaya’), with an overall funding of EUR 5
mil ion, which wil contribute to good governance in the field of human rights by supporting
the constitutional body for human rights, the National Human Rights Council, and the Inter-
ministerial Delegation on Human Rights. Other complementary actions include support to
the public administration reform (EUR 40 mil ion) and support to the capacities of the
Moroccan Parliament (EUR 4 million). In addition, throughout 2019 the implementation of
the ‘Moucharaka Mouwatina’ (‘Citizen Participation’) programme 2018-2020, in support of
civil society to promote socio-economic rights at the local level, continued in four different
regions of Morocco. Its objective is to strengthen the role of civil society in the development
and monitoring of public policies within the framework of the process of advanced
regionalisation initiated in Morocco, along three priority lines: youth, environment and
gender equality. Progress was also achieved in the implementation of the EU budget support
50
programme 2015-2020 in the field of justice (EUR 70 mil ion), which contributes to
significantly reinforcing the judicial system, including through capacity-building of justice
actors and to raise awareness on human rights.
Final y, since 2008 the EU has also supported the national literacy strategy in Morocco,
enabling about 3.5 million people to benefit from literacy programmes. This support has
strengthened the capacity of trainers (around 10,000 literacy teachers per year in the
targeted regions). According to the 2014 general census, 32.2% of the Moroccan population
aged 10 and over is illiterate. Rates are higher for women (41.9%) and rural areas (47.7%).
5. Multilateral context: Morocco is a state party to al major United Nations conventions on
human rights, and cooperates in the reporting cycles. Morocco was a member of the Human
Rights Council (HRC) between 2014 and 2016, and is an active member of several core
groups, authoring several resolutions, which promote human rights in important areas. Its
last Universal Periodic Review (UPR) took place in 2017. Morocco continued to abstain from
voting for the international abolition of the death penalty, when a resolution on the matter
was presented to the UNGA Third Committee. The envisaged visit of the UN Special
Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers has yet to take place.
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is listed by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory, whose
status remains the object of a negotiation process conducted under the auspices of the UN.
This dedicated UN-led process assists the parties in achieving a just, lasting and mutually
acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of
Western Sahara in the context of arrangements consistent with the principles and purposes
of the Charter of the United Nations.
In this context, two roundtable meetings were held in Geneva in December 2018 and March
2019 under the auspices of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western
Sahara, Horst Köhler. Delegations representing Morocco, the Frente Polisario, Algeria and
Mauritania took part to the meetings. However, the UN-sponsored process has remained on
hold since the resignation of former Personal Envoy Köhler in May 2019 for health reasons.
The mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO (Mission des
Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au Sahara Occidental) was renewed for
a period of one year by the UNSC Resolution 2494 of 31 October 2019. The EU conveyed its
resolute support to the UN process and to increased regional cooperation. In line with the
latest UNSC resolution, the EU welcomed the recent momentum in the political process and
looks forward to the resumption of consultations between the incoming Personal Envoy and
Morocco, the Frente Polisario, Algeria and Mauritania in this regard to build on the progress
achieved.
The EU has repeatedly expressed concern about the long duration of the conflict and its
implications for security and human rights at a regional level. The EU has consistently
encouraged the parties to continue their respective efforts to enhance the promotion and
protection of human rights in Western Sahara while welcoming the strengthening of the
51
Commissions of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) operating in Dakhla and
Laayoune.
The EU has also followed up on alleged individual cases of human rights violations through
its contacts with civil society organisations, human rights defenders, the CNDH and its
regional offices, particularly regarding freedom of assembly and the right to protest.
According to independent sources, in 2019 local human rights NGOs continued to face
obstacles to their legal registration.
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: As of February 2019, Algeria
witnessed an unprecedented protest movement (Hirak), triggered by the prospects of a fifth
mandate for the ex-President Bouteflika. These mainly peaceful demonstrations in rejection
of the corruption of ‘the system’ were taking place regularly on Fridays and Tuesdays and
have continued the whole year including during the electoral processes. Overall, the reaction
of security forces has been measured, even if a number of peaceful activists and participants
have been arrested, especial y since the summer and in the weeks leading to the elections of
12 December 2019. Nearly 80 people were subsequently released, some 200 reportedly
continue to be detained in pre-trial custody. In October 2019, despite the magistrates' strike
ban, the national union of judges launched a protest against mobility of judges; their slogans
included also demands for the independence of the judiciary. In the context of conditions of
detention, Dr Kamel Edine Fekhar, a human right activist from the M'zab region, died,
reportedly due to medical negligence.
Despite the constitutional provisions, the legal status and the rights of persons belonging to
minorities remained an issue, with persisting discrimination of migrants, especially Sub-
Saharan. The enforcement of the 2015 law criminalising violence against women is still
pending.
Criticism of the electoral process was one of the key issues between the protesters and the
authorities. Despite resistance in many regions, presidential elections took place with the
official participation rate of 40% and including 14% of blank and void votes. In the process of
preparation of the elections, a new Independent National Electoral Authority (ANIE) was
created through an organic law, along with amendments to the Electoral Code.
The fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, assembly and association, are
enshrined in the Algerian Constitution. However, Law 12-06 requires that every association,
including those having already successfully registered, registers and obtains a receipt from
the Ministry of the Interior before it can operate legally. This Law has not been revised in
2019. Despite Algeria's accession to the ILO Convention n°87, activists continued to be made
redundant in the working context and at times jailed and autonomous unions' registration
was difficult to obtain. While the Hirak protests were a conquest of public space by the
citizens, the restrictions of freedom of expression and the limitations imposed on journalists
continued, including blockage of internet outlets, censorship of TV programmes, detention
and harassment of journalists and media managers. In 2019, Algeria went down from 136th
to 141th rank in the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters without Borders.
52
The fight against corruption was at the centre of attention in 2019, with the ‘clean hands’
operation targeting the political and economic circles close to the former president
Bouteflika. Algeria went up in the Transparency International ranking compared to its 2018
score (35 in 2019 up from 33).
Algeria has been observing a moratorium on capital punishment since 1993 and is
supporting the UN resolution for a universal moratorium on executions.
2. EU action on Human Rights - key focus areas: The EU-Algeria Partnership Priorities for
2017-2020, are the expression of shared commitment to the universal values of democracy,
the rule of law and human rights. The focus areas for bilateral EU-Algeria cooperation
include governance, participatory democracy, promoting and championing fundamental
rights, enhancing the role of women in society, decentralisation, strengthening the judicial
system, and enhancing the role of civil society. Support is also envisaged for the
modernisation of the public administration, closer monitoring of public finances and the tax
administration, tackling corruption and countering money laundering, capital flight and the
financing of terrorism.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU – Algeria Subcommittee on political dialogue,
security and human rights took place in February 2019 in Algiers. The EU reiterated its
availability to support the implementation of the 2016 constitutional reform and the
implementation of the May 2017 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations. It also
offered electoral expertise in the context of the 2019 presidential elections. However,
Algeria decided not to invite any external assistance. The EU consistently stressed the need
to improve the legal and operational framework for the civil society activity and to open
space for freedom of expression. The expected revision of the 2012 Law on Associations
could provide an opportunity to take into account the recommendations formulated at the
UPR in 2017. EU remained engaged with civil society through programmes and projects. EU
launched two campaigns on the subject of violence against women, and the EU stand at the
Salon International du Livre d'Alger included activities related to the 30th anniversary of the
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. On 28 November 2019, the European Parliament
adopted a resolution on the situation of freedoms in Algeria (2019/2927(RSP)).
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued its support to the implementation of
the new constitutional provisions, including through the SPRING programme (EUR 10
million), providing assistance to a number of institutions, including the central anti-
corruption office, the national body for the prevention and fight against corruption
, and the
National Economic and Social Council. Through implementation of two programmes related
to participatory democracy (CAPDEL, EUR 8 million) and support to justice sector (PASJA,
EUR 9 million), the EU and Algeria continued sustained cooperation in the area of
governance and justice.
The EU maintained a dialogue with the National Council for Human Rights (CNDH) in order to
identify actions for future cooperation.
Civil society initiatives were supported through bilateral programmes e.g. aiming at the
better inclusion of vulnerable social groups.
Through the Civil Society Facility, Algerian
associations received support to strengthen their advocacy actions and dialogue on the issue
53
of gender equality and reserves to the CEDAW Convention. Algeria's reserves to CEDAW
were discussed under the subcommittee on political dialogue, security and human rights.
5. Multilateral context: In December 2018 and in March 2019, Algeria participated in the UN
roundtables on Western Sahara.
Algeria abstained from voting UN resolution 73/304 ‘Towards Torture-free trade’ (adopted
on 28 June 2019).
Republic of Tunisia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Tunisia continued on a positive
path. The two rounds of presidential elections (on 15 September and 13 October) and the
legislative elections on 6 October 2019 were considered credible, transparent and inclusive
by the international observers. The electoral operations were wel organised by the Instance
Supérieure Indépendante pour les Elections (ISIE), in spite of the challenges of the early
presidential election. These elections were a milestone in the consolidation of transition in
Tunisia, which sent a strong message of democratic maturity, proving that political
alternation is possible.
The Tunisian society remains tolerant and, with some punctual exceptions, there were no
reports of discrimination on ethnic/religious ground. Tunisia made progress with regard to
freedom of the press and has been ranked as safest country for journalists in North Africa
and the Middle East by the 2019 World Press Freedom Index report.
However, there is still need for improvement, especially in Justice and Dignity (on death
penalty, torture and rights of the child) areas. The reform of the Penal Code and the Penal
Enforcement Code has not been completed, amendments were tabled and discussion
started. However, their passage into law could not take place partly due to the 2019
electoral process; the Constitutional Court is not in place yet; the judiciary is stil subject to
some political pressure; and the situation in prisons raises concern.
2. EU action - key focus areas: Since 2011, the EU has pledged to support the Tunisian
people's transition towards greater democracy, freedom and social justice. The EU-Tunisia
Strategic Priorities for the period 2018-2020 confirm the particular importance that the two
partners place on the democratic reform process, the promotion of good governance and
rule of law, and the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Tunisian civil
society, which plays a key role in the transition, will continue to be closely involved in the
process. Tunisia is the only Southern neighbourhood partner with which tripartite dialogues
are held ahead of all meetings.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU deployed a fully-fledged Election Observation
Mission (EOM) to observe the presidential and legislative elections (fol owing the
deployment in 2018 of an EOM for the municipal elections). In its final report, the EOM
presented a comprehensive assessment of the electoral process with 27 recommendations
for future elections. Among the priority recommendations are: the establishment of the
54
Constitutional Court; the reinforcement of the control of the expenses and the financing of
the electoral campaigns; the reinforcement of the Court of Accounts; the promotion of the
participation of women in political life; a more precise legal framework with regard to article
143 of the electoral law, which allows the cancellation of results by the ISIE; greater
transparency of social networks in the electoral campaign; clarification between electoral
advertising and electoral propaganda; simplification of the rules of access to the media as far
as the candidate lists for the legislative elections are concerned and revision of the
procedures of electoral litigation.
The EU continues to support the creation and operationalisation of the constitutional
bodies. In the absence of a Constitutional Court key legislative provisions e.g. with regard to
freedom of expression association and conscience, which are likely inconsistent with the
2014 Constitution, cannot be chal enged and continue to be enforced.
Tunisia has committed to freedom of information as one of the pillars of its democratic
transition and was ranked first in the Arab world by the Reporters without Borders
Barometer in 2019 and moved by 15 slots to rank 72 in the world.
The EU continued to encourage Tunisia to ensure a better balance between security and
human rights. The democratic control of the security forces is provided for by the
Constitution, but accountability, due to the low rate of prosecution and conviction for abuse
and illegitimate violence, needs to be improved. The imperative of the fight against
terrorism and the prolongation of the state of emergency have a negative impact. The
adoption of a police code of ethics marked progress in the reform of the security sector.
Conditions of detention remain a matter of concern, mainly due to poor infrastructures and
overcrowding, and absence of alternatives to imprisonment for minor crimes. The EU
remains engaged in supporting the reform of the justice system.
On anti-corruption, Tunisia continued to implement the law on the declaration of assets and
fight against illicit enrichment and conflict of interest in the public sector, 182 cases being
transferred to justice in the course of 2019. On the other hand, the independent
constitutional body for good governance and fight against corruption (IBOGOLUCC) remains
to be set up and no consensus has been reached among deputies. Transparency and
accountability of the public administration with respect to citizens could be improved.
The implementation of the law related to the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination
(11/2018) continued and procedures to facilitate access to documentation by foreigners are
being discussed within the Council of Ministers. In 2019 hundreds of foreigners, mainly sub-
Saharans, have benefited from this law. The Tunisian society remains tolerant and, with
some exceptions, there were no reports of ethnic or religious groups facing discrimination.
The Truth and Dignity Authority’s final report was officially presented on March 2019 but the
plan to implement the recommendations has not been approved yet. The victims of human
rights violations and their families place great hope in an accelerated publication of the plan,
which would give it an official character and guarantee their rights.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU continued to provide large amounts of financial
assistance to the Tunisian transition, including through a series of programmes dedicated to
the promotion of women's rights (EUR 8 million), justice reform and penitentiary assistance
55
(EUR 60 million), decentralisation (over EUR 100 million), public administration reform (EUR
73.5 million), support to civil society and the independent institutions (EUR 20 million).
5. Multilateral context: Tunisia is party to eight out of nine main UN human rights treaties
and al the main UN conventions, and was a member of the UN Human Rights Council in
2017-2019. The EU welcomes the good cooperation, concerning in particular thematic
resolutions on women's rights and the moratorium on the death penalty. In 2019, Tunisia
started preparing its non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council as from 2020 focusing
on conflict prevention and peaceful settlement, enhancing participation of women and the
youth in these efforts, combating terrorism, increasing effectiveness of UN peacekeeping
operations, enhancing cooperation for international development and security.
Russia and Central Asia
Russia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The situation of human rights
and democracy in Russia has continued to degrade. There are unremitting limitations on
fundamental freedoms, dwindling space for independent civil society and a clampdown on
independent political voices. Persecution, provocation and discrediting campaigns are
inherent part of the environment in which CSOs operate. Political y motivated judicial cases
are meant to silence independent voices and set an example for critical voices (e.g. Yuri
Dimitriev). High-profile murders of political figures remain under-investigated and the
perpetrators remain unaccountable. Following Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean
peninsula, the human rights situation there deteriorated significantly, including denial of:
freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of religion or belief. Russian
authorities persecute those who oppose the annexation including Crimea's ethnic and
religious minorities, namely Crimean Tatars (e.g. raids on their homes in March 2019, illegal
detentions, and prosecutions). There was a new wave of detentions and torture of gay
people in Chechnya in January 2019, leading to the deaths of two of them. Investigations
into earlier persecutions of gay men in Chechnya and other human rights abuses in the
Republic have not materialised, thus accountability and justice for the victims has not been
assured. The ban on Jehovah's Witnesses is a grave attack on religious freedom – currently
there are nearly 250 criminal cases against followers. The scope of the existing legislation on
‘foreign agents’ was extended in 2019 to include individual journalists and bloggers, limiting
further the space for free and independent access to information. The Russian parliament
continues to be a legislative body without any real political opposition present. In the run up
to the September 2019 local and regional elections, the use of measures against the
opposition, as wel as the mass detentions and excessive sentencing of peaceful protesters
seriously undermined pluralistic democracy. In spite of negative trends, Russia's civil society
remained pro-active, as demonstrated by the wide interest in EU calls for proposals in the
areas of democracy, human rights and civil society.
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2. EU action - key focus areas: Support to civil society and human rights defenders was
provided by both political and financial means. At political level, this was ensured by means
of a number of different tools. In the absence of EU–Russia human rights consultations since
November 2013, there is no formal dialogue between the EU and Russia on human rights
and civil society issues. In 2019, the EU's position continued to be expressed mainly through
public statements or quiet diplomacy. Meetings of the HR/VP and senior EU officials, or the
EU Ambassador in Moscow with Russian authorities served to convey the EU's positions on
numerous developments, legislation and individual cases of concern. Trial observation by
diplomats has been an important instrument in giving visibility to activists, human rights
defenders (HRDs) and NGOs under pressure. NGOs and HRDs appreciate the attention
generated by international presence. In some cases, they view it as the only meaningful
leverage with the Russian authorities. The EU delegation has actively supported wider
dialogue and contacts between Member State embassies, NGOs, civil society, experts and
HRDs. An example is a successful workshop organised with Media4Democracy.eu on
Freedom of Expression online. The EU delegation and EU Principal Advisor on Gender
participated at the launch in Moscow in January 2019 of the EU-funded gender project to
strengthen knowledge and expertise concerning violence against women, and women's
participation in public and political life. It is another example of how EU support can broaden
the space for Russian civil society in their interaction with the authorities against al odds.
Outreach to the Russian regions has also been a focus of the EU delegation's work.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The key success story in 2019 relates to the case of
Oyub Titiev, head of Chechen branch of NGO Memorial. Titiev was detained in January 2018
on trumped-up charges of drug possession and faced up to 10 years of imprisonment. The
EU and Member States’ diplomats followed the case since its very inception, communicating
on this via social media. Against the background of a challenging security environment, the
EU delegation coordinated trial observation by EU and like-minded diplomats in the town of
Shali (outside of regional capital of Chechnya, Grozny) until the court approved on 10 June
his conditional release.
Another noteworthy case is the one of Pavlo Hryb, a Ukrainian national, convicted by the
Russian authorities of promoting terrorism. The EU delegation and Member States’
diplomats fol owed closely the case of Hryb and observed the court hearings both in Rostov-
on-Don and in Moscow. The EU repeatedly raised the concerns of the health condition of
Hryb in meetings and correspondence with the Russian authorities until his release as part of
the prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia on 7 September. On several occasions,
the EU raised concerns with Russian interlocutors at all levels regarding other illegally
detained Ukrainian citizens in Russia, including the Ukrainian sailors, detained in the Kerch
Strait in November 2018. It coordinated monitoring activities of a number of their trials.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU is currently the only big international donor for Russian
civil society projects. Most other international donors have been either forced to leave or
left voluntarily before they could have been declared undesirable. Some Member States
continue bilateral programmes in this respect. Given pressure from the authorities, Russian
NGOs need support now more than ever, including funding and capacity building. The
assurance of continued EU funds for civil society in Russia over the coming years is
increasingly important.
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Many representatives of Russian civil society have noted that the EU's support is crucial to
enable Russian CSOs to continue their work in an ever more restrictive environment. In
addition, the EU programmes contribute to breaking down the self-imposed isolation of
Russia. They help Russian civil society activists stay connected with their European
colleagues and stay within the common European agenda based on universal values.
In this respect, important contributors in connecting Russian and EU civil societies include
EU-funded organisations such as the ‘EU-Russia Civil Society Forum’, a platform of NGOs
from EU countries and the Russian Federation (RF), which aims to strengthen co-operation
between NGOs from Russia and the EU, and between Russian NGOs. The Forum has been
actively involved in the questions of visa regulation, development of social, environmental
and human rights standards, dealing with history, and civic participation among others.
Likewise, the Prague Civil Society Centre which supports civil society across Eastern Europe,
Russia and Central Asia, nurtures skills and knowledge of those working on civic and social
initiatives. The Centre has brought together participants from al over the region e.g. on
issues such as freedom of the media. The European Endowment for Democracy, an
independent grant-making organisation established by the EU, to foster democracy in the
European Neighbourhood including Russia, provides flexible support to democracy
advocates, civil society organisations, pro-democracy movements, civic and political activists,
and media and journalists working towards a pluralistic, democratic political system.
5. Multilateral context
The human rights and democracy situation in Russia has been regularly discussed at the
meetings in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe in Vienna. Russia's stance remains challenging in multilateral fora.
Following support from the Committee of Ministers at the Helsinki Ministerial, and efforts
within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Russian delegation
returned to PACE last June. Nevertheless, tensions remain within the Parliamentary
Assembly. In the Council conclusions on the EU Priorities in UN Human Rights Fora in 2019,
concerns were expressed specifical y about the human rights situations in Chechnya, in the
illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian
Federation, and in areas of eastern Ukraine not under the control of the government. The
conclusions also outlined the EU’s concerns about the proper functioning of democratic
institutions, the respect for the rule of law and the principles of good governance, freedom
of expression, online and offline, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and the
independence of the judiciary in the Russian Federation.
Kazakhstan
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In March 2019, after almost
three decades in power, President Nazarbayev stepped down. A snap presidential election
took place on 9 June and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won an official 70-percent victory. The
presidential election was tarnished by violations of fundamental freedoms, with widespread
detentions of peaceful protesters and bystanders on Election Day and the following days in
major cities. President Tokayev has however committed to making Kazakhstan a ‘listening
state’ with strengthened dialogue between government and citizens. A National Council of
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Public Trust has been set up to provide a platform for sharing different views and informing
future policies. Strengthening of the justice system, independence of the judiciary and
improving the selection and training of judges have also been prioritised. In March, the
European Parliament adopted a resolution on the situation of human rights in Kazakhstan
drawing attention to arbitrary arrests and detention, torture in prisons, repression of
freedom of speech and the media, freedom of assembly and association. Kazakhstan
continued efforts to reduce the prison population, to tackle torture and improve the general
conditions in prisons, including the monitoring of detention facilities. Efforts also continued
to humanise the criminal code. On 20 December 2019, in a speech delivered to the National
Council for Public Trust, President Tokayev promised to introduce further reforms to the
public-assembly law and to the criminal code; decriminalising Article 130 on defamation and
Article 174, which penalises incitement of social, national, tribal, racial, class or religious
hatred. It was also mentioned that the process for creating political parties would be
simplified.
2. EU action - key focus areas: All projects within the EU bilateral support programme on
Criminal Justice (EUCJ) were concluded before the end of 2018. Support has been continued
through regional programmes, including the EU-Central Asia Rule of Law programme.
Increased cooperation and coordination with EU Member States’ embassies accredited in
Kazakhstan in conducting joint events and engaging together in EU human rights activities,
for example, Human Rights Day reception, joint visit of political prisoners and monitoring of
trials.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: By the end of 2019, the Enhanced Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), signed in 2015, was ratified by all EU Member States. The
EU held its annual Justice and Home Affairs subcommittee and Human rights dialogue on 18
and 19 November respectively in Nur-Sultan. The EU and Kazakhstan discussed the
importance of addressing obstacles to freedom of expression and information, including
Article 174 of the Criminal Code. The EU raised concerns in relation to the arrests of peaceful
demonstrators, and cal ed on Kazakhstan to continue to take steps to foster an enabling
environment for human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists and NGOs. Kazakhstan
informed on the ongoing review of the Law on Peaceful Assembly. The EU enquired about
legislation related to trade unions and stressed in this regard the implementation of ILO
Convention 87. The EU raised the importance of unhindered access to detention facilities for
independent monitoring, al owing for investigation of acts of torture and rehabilitation of
victims. The participants also discussed freedom of religion or belief as well as cooperation
in multilateral fora, including the importance of openness to UN scrutiny, visits of UN Special
Procedures, and working closely with the OSCE.
4. EU financial engagement: Due to its status as an Upper-Middle Income country,
Kazakhstan is not receiving bilateral allocations from the Development and Cooperation
Instrument since 2014. Kazakhstan is a beneficiary of thematic-funded projects in the field of
human rights and democracy under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human
Rights (EIDHR). There are eight on-going EIDHR and non-state actor projects addressing the
rights of the child, national/country human rights action plan, strengthening human rights
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non-governmental organisations networking and advocacy, rural civil society support and
chemical safety, freedom of speech and human rights defenders.
On 12 November, in Brussels, the trilateral project ‘Supporting the Economic Empowerment
of Afghan Women through Education and Training in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan’ was
launched. The EU has contributed EUR 2 mil ion to the project. Kazakhstan is also by far the
most active participant and beneficiary of Erasmus+ in the Central Asia region, both in terms
of students and staff mobility and institutional participation.
On 27 November, the EU delegation in Nur-Sultan launched three EU-funded new regional
programmes for a total amount of EUR 28 million to support rule of law as well as trade,
investments and growth in Central Asia.
5. Multilateral context: Kazakhstan underwent the third cycle of the Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) on 7 November 2019. During the review, 245 recommendations were put
forward, with more than 93 countries issuing recommendations including 21 EU Member
States. Growing restrictions on freedom of the media, freedom of expression and freedom
of assembly and association remained of particular concern. Positive developments included
ratifications of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention
against Discrimination in Education, ongoing efforts to combat torture and efforts to tackle
violence against women and children. Regarding UN Treaty Bodies, Kazakhstan was
reviewed by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in March 2019. In May
2019, Kazakhstan received the visit of the UN Special Representative on the promotion and
protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, to assess
Kazakhstan’s counter-terrorism laws, policies and practices.
The Kyrgyz Republic
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The overall human rights
situation remained stable and is considered as the most advanced in the region. The
government remained committed to its human rights agenda and adopted relevant
documents for its implementation, e.g. the National Human Rights Action Plan 2019-2021.
Implementation of judiciary reform, to which the EU contributes through development
assistance, has been listed among priorities of the leadership. Five new codes (among which
the criminal code and the criminal procedure code) entered into force on 1 January 2019,
providing new tools and reducing arbitrary decisions. Another positive step was the
ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in March
2019. It is worth noting the improved rating of Kyrgyzstan in the 2019 World Press Freedom
(WPF) Index – ranking 83 out of 180, up 15 ranks from the previous year. At the same time,
the pressure on media significantly increased over the past few months, signalling a setback
in this regard. There are still persisting shortcomings on specific human rights issues,
including continued impunity for the use of torture, widespread corruption (il ustrated well
in the recent investigative report of a large scale corruption involving State Customs and
numerous influential and wel -known personalities), lack of independence and
professionalism of the judicial system and general weakness of the rule of law. An area of
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serious concern is also the draft Trade Union law, which would drastically limit the
independence of Trade Unions and would contravene core ILO conventions. A 9% threshold
put in place by the former President Atambaev might have a critical impact on the party
representation in the next parliamentary elections, due in October 2020.
No measures have been taken to address the prominent case of Azimjan Askarov,
notwithstanding strong international advocacy (including the UN Human Rights Committee).
2. EU Action – key focus areas: The negotiations of an Enhanced Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) finalised on 6 July provided an opportunity to intensify
bilateral relations, emphasised the key EU principles and values, and reinforced their
reflection in the legal basis for the future cooperation. As the key priority of bilateral
cooperation, the EU continued to support the strengthening of the rule of law and an
effective implementation of the judiciary reform. The EU also actively supports democratic
governance and fight against corruption, as wel as development of the institutional
framework to ensure freedom from torture and ill treatment and promotion of the rights of
persons belonging to minorities as wel as gender equality. Support to the education sector
contributes indirectly to promoting the principles of human rights and democracy.
Kyrgyzstan benefits from the enhanced generalised scheme of preferences (GSP+) of the EU.
Throughout the year monitoring activities as wel as discussions with the Kyrgyz partners on
the country's human rights record under GSP+ commitments took place.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU regularly engaged with authorities of the
Kyrgyz Republic on human rights issues in a number of formats, including at the highest
level. President Jeenbekov confirmed his commitment to democratic governance and
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the media. The
HR/VP raised human rights issues also with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Cooperation Council took place in December at the ministerial level. The yearly human
rights dialogue was held in May in Brussels and covered a wide range of issues, including
judicial reform, national human rights institutions, prevention of torture, freedom of
expression and freedom of association, freedom of religion or belief, rights of women and
children, good governance, including rights of the members of minority groups, bilateral and
international cooperation, and also GSP+ monitoring, including the failure of Kyrgyzstan to
report to the ILO. The EU regularly held in Brussels and in Kyrgyzstan meetings, consultations
and round-table discussions with representatives of the civil society both local y and through
international organisations.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU continued to provide significant financial support to
projects in the field related to rule of law and human rights, funded by the Development
Cooperation Instrument (DCI), the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights
(EIDHR) and the Instrument contributing to Peace and Stability (IcSP).
The EU support to the Rule of Law amounts to EUR 37.72 million for the period 2014-2020.
In particular the ‘Rule of Law in the Kyrgyz Republic – phase 2’ (May 2018-November 2022) is
dedicated to supporting judiciary reform, namely, among other issues, the independence of
the judiciary. The EU also has been supporting the Kyrgyz authorities’ efforts to strengthen
the democratic system through comprehensive electoral reform (EUR 13.13 million).
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The EIDHR contributes EUR 760.000 to a three-year project on
’Supporting the State and Civil
Society efforts in combating torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment in Kyrgyzstan’ and EUR 800,000 to a two-and-a-half year project addressing
gender based violence. Through the IcSP, the EU supported civil society actions that
promoted constructive dialogues on religion and democracy, with a view to engaging also
the young generation and decreasing its vulnerability to extremist rhetoric. In December
2019, the programme ‘Support to media sector reform for conflict prevention in the context
of the
upcoming elections’ started. This 18-month action aims at strengthening the capacity
and responsibility of media actors to operate as drivers of democracy and to prevent
potential conflicts during the 2020 legislative elections. This effort is complemented by
regional programmes ‘Contributing to stability and peace in Central Asia trough media
literacy, improved reporting and regional cooperation’ and ‘Strengthening resilience to
Violence and Extremism (STRIVE Global)’.
5. Multilateral context: Since 2016, the Kyrgyz Republic has been a beneficiary of the Special
Incentive Arrangement for Sustainable Development and Good Governance (GSP+). This
preferential trade scheme grants full removal of tariffs on over 66% of EU tariff lines in
return for the effective implementation of 27 core international conventions on human and
labour rights, environmental protection and good governance. Kyrgyzstan cooperates with
the UN and OSCE rapporteurs. In 2019, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone
to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health visited
Kyrgyzstan. The Human Rights Action Plan for 2019-2021 was adopted. A special Commission
on Human Rights was established in the Kyrgyz Government. The next cycle of the Universal
Periodic Review will take place in early 2020.
Tajikistan
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The human rights and
democracy situation in Tajikistan in 2019 was largely shaped by the internal political agenda.
While some progress could be registered (on prevention of torture and il treatment), there
was no improvement or even deterioration in the areas of political participation, freedom of
expression - including media - and freedom of association. Undoubtedly, political
participation remained the most closed area of human rights, giving the ruling elite’s clear
signals of the limits to any opening. Freedom of expression was also severely restricted, non-
governmental organisations were subject to intimidation, and the internet was severely
disrupted and censored. An encouraging step was that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
renewed the accreditation of seven journalists of Radio Ozodi/RFE RL on 31 October;
however, a few other accreditations are still pending. It is also worth noting that Tajikistan
hosted the first Penitentiary Forum in Dushanbe on 20 November, co-organised by the
Ministry of Justice, the EU delegation and the OSCE.
2. EU action - key focus areas: EU actions promoted awareness about human rights, in
particular women's rights, including criminalisation of domestic violence, children's rights
and the rights of persons with disabilities, the fight against torture, freedom of expression,
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freedom of association, and freedom of religion or belief. The EU engaged with civil society
organisations active in Tajikistan and supported their work (such as their inclusion into the
legislative process). The EU also supported protection of human rights defenders (HRDs).
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU engaged in structured human rights discussions
with Tajikistan in various formats, including at the human rights dialogue held in November,
during the annual Cooperation Council meeting at ministerial level in December, as well as
during various high-level visits, for instance the EU Special Representative for Central Asia,
Members of the European Parliament and DG Trade's GSP+ missions. These meetings
al owed for open and frank exchanges on a wide range of issues of concern.
Actions by international actors, including the EU, played a significant role in the renewal of
the accreditation of seven journalists of Radio Ozodi/RFE RL. The EU in col aboration with
the Committee on Women and Family Affairs financed the establishment of a hotline 1313
and a resource centre as the new tools to fight domestic violence. They provide free legal
and psychological support and consultations to victims of domestic violence.
In general, the EU cal ed on Tajikistan to ensure that journalists, writers and individuals could
work freely without fear of retribution for expressing their opinions, or for covering
indiscriminately all social-economic topics of general interest. The EU also noted restrictions
to become a lawyer in Tajikistan, as well the burdensome registration requirements for civil
society organisations and media outlets.
The annual communication outreach campaign ‘EU Week in Tajikistan’ from 20 November to
10 December was devoted to ‘Rights’, and showcased through public events numerous
examples of EU engagement including on the rights of the child, activism on violence against
women, support to prison reform, disability, as well as conference to mark the International
Human Rights Day and a new project on countering radicalisation through responsible
journalism.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued to provide financial support to
projects in the field of human rights, mainly funded by the European Instrument for
Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). A number of new projects were being cal ed for in
the preceding year, to be funded under the EIDHR by approximately EUR 1.3 million over
several years. Projects are addressing reform of penitentiary system, economic and social
rights of prisoners and ex-prisoners, eradication of torture and promotion of women's rights.
A two-year project ‘Human Rights Protection for prisoners and ex-prisoners’ wil be
implemented by DVV International and aims at strengthening the capacities of ex-prisoners,
as well the capacity of civil society organisations and human rights defenders working on
protection of prisoners. The two-year EIDHR project ‘Support for anti-torture agenda and
human rights groups in Tajikistan’ wil be implemented by the Helsinki Foundation for
Human Rights, together with three members of the NGO Coalition Against Torture in
Tajikistan. A two-year project ‘Promoting human rights-based approach in reforming prison
system in Tajikistan’
wil be implemented by Penal Report International in partnership with 2
Tajikistan NGOs. The two-year project ‘Righting the balance: building the resilience and
relevance of independent media in Tajikistan’ is implemented by the National Association of
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Independent Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT) in partnership with the ‘Your Lawyer’ legal
defence centre and Thomson Media GmbH. The two-year project ‘Supporting and
strengthening the women's resource centres in Tajikistan’ will be implemented by OSCE
Programme Office in Dushanbe.
5. Multilateral context: Tajikistan is party to a number of international human rights
conventions and al key conventions have been ratified. The EU encouraged the Tajik
government to sign the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Tajikistan underwent its Universal
Periodic Review (UPR) in September 2016 and the next review is scheduled in 2021.
Tajikistan has accepted so far 153 out of the 203 recommendations made in the HRC. The EU
welcomed that Tajikistan invited in 2019 the Working Group on disappearances for a five-
day mission and called Tajik authorities to welcome further UN Special Procedures in the
upcoming year. In addition, Tajikistan authorities participated in the Human Dimension
Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of the OSCE in Warsaw in September.
Turkmenistan
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, the human rights
situation in Turkmenistan remained worrying. Fundamental rights and freedoms were not
respected despite being formal y guaranteed by the Constitution and other laws. Serious
concerns remain regarding restrictions to freedom of expression and opinion, freedom of
association and peaceful assembly, torture prevention and enforced disappearances in
detention facilities, and freedom of movement. There is lack of enabling space for human
rights defenders, independent journalists, lawyers and NGOs in the country. The
Ombudsman’s office established in 2017 continued its activities and in June 2019 presented
its yearly activity report. However, concerns regarding its independence and ability to
address cases of violations of political and human rights freedoms have not been addressed.
The evaluation of the progress in the implementation of the 2016 Human Rights Action Plan
remained challenging due to lack of an adequate monitoring mechanism. Crucial
recommendations accepted by Turkmenistan during its third Universal Periodic Review in
May 2018 have neither been reflected in the Action Plan, nor implemented. A positive step
has been the approval by the President of a National Strategy for Early Child Development
for 2020-2025 and a National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings for 2020-
2022. Further, a second round table dedicated to the freedom of religion or belief was held
by the Institute of State, Law and Democracy in December 2019.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU continued to support capacity building of Turkmen
public administration to enforce human rights laws and conventions, in line with the
priorities of the country's National Human Rights Action Plan. Regular consultations about
providing assistance to Turkmenistan's state bodies was carried out with other partners
active in the area of human rights, notably with the UNDP, UNICEF, the UN Regional Centre
for Preventive Diplomacy based in Ashgabat, OSCE and US. The EU continued encouraging
Turkmenistan to seek advice of specialised international bodies and to study best practices
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in the process of drafting or amending legislation and implementing the human rights
instruments.
The EU continued to advocate for reforms of the judicial and prison systems. Following
reports about cases of torture and enforced disappearances, the EU continued to encourage
Turkmenistan to establish a National Preventive Mechanism for the monitoring of places of
detention, and to facilitate access to prisons for independent international monitoring
bodies. Despite EU’s requests for the continuation of foreign diplomat's visits to local
penitentiaries, no such visits could be organised in 2019.
Despite the absence of an EIDHR Country Based Support Scheme, the EU continued its
support to Turkmen CSOs to reinforce their role in the society, including by facilitating their
representatives' participation in the regional and Brussels-based workshops and capacity
building events.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU continued to discuss human rights and
democracy related concerns with Turkmenistan in various settings. In March 2019, the 11th
EU-Turkmenistan human rights dialogue took place in Ashgabat. Human rights concerns
were also raised with the Turkmen authorities by the European Parliament, the EU Special
Representative for Central Asia, as well as within the OSCE and UN frameworks.
The EU voiced its concerns about a number of human rights related individual cases through
Verbal Notes, OSCE statements and quiet diplomacy interventions. The EU delegation to
Turkmenistan, established in July 2019, coordinated actions in the field of human rights with
EU Member States’ embassies and like-minded partners and hosted consultations with civil
society. Turkmen authorities showed timid openness to discuss concrete human rights
related issues with the EU. As a result of the EU’s intervention, the whereabouts of a number
of people considered as disappeared could be established, and a travel ban was lifted in case
of one independent journalist.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU continued to implement the project ‘Support to
Capacity Building in Public Administration’, funded under DCI and launched in 2016 with a
budget EUR 4.5 million. The project aims at strengthening the capacity of public
administration through increasing the qualifications of civil servants, including on human
rights related issues. The project involves different beneficiaries, such as the State Academy
of Civil Servants and the Institute of State, Law and Democracy. Furthermore, Turkmenistan
was invited to participate in the new phase of the EU-Central Asia Rule of Law Programme,
designed to promote the creation of a regional common legal space between Europe and
Central Asia; to enhance business integrity and compliance in the private sector; to enhance
the effectiveness of anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and asset recovery systems; and
to enable national counterparts to reform the national legal systems, state institutions and
the judiciary. Finally, the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)
supported the capacity building of civil society.
5. Multilateral context: A Turkmen delegation attended the official part of the OSCE Annual
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) in September 2019. The Minister of
Labour and Social Protection attended the 108th ILO Session on 10 June 2019 in Geneva. An
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ICRC delegation visited the country in June and December 2019 to discuss possible future
cooperation plans. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for Central Asia visited
Ashgabat on 3-4 April and on 11 December 2019 to discuss the preparation of a roadmap for
the implementation of the recommendations accepted by Turkmenistan at the third
Universal Periodic Review in the UN Human Rights Council. On 7 May 2019, Turkmenistan
was elected to the three ECOSOC subsidiary bodies: Executive Board of the WFP (2020-
2022), UN Commission on Population and Development (2020-2024) and UN Commission on
Narcotic Drugs (2020-2023). In July 2019, Turkmenistan presented a voluntary review of the
implementation of the SDGs at the High-Level Political Forum in the UN Headquarters. Since
2009, UN Special Procedures have not visited the country. In that respect, the EU has
insisted on several occasions that Turkmenistan issue standing invitations to all UN Special
Procedures.
Uzbekistan
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Since 2016, President Mirziyoyev
has pursued a programme of reforms including political reforms, aimed at progressive
liberalisation of Uzbekistan’s society and gradual democratisation. Further progress in this
regard was made during 2019, culminating in parliamentary elections on 22 December,
which were pitched as evidence of the President’s reform ambitions. While there was a real
improvement over previous elections, building from a low benchmark, the credibility of the
elections was seriously undermined by the absence of independent opposition candidates
and by some serious irregularities on the election day. 2019 saw marked progress in the
respect for human rights in Uzbekistan, though serious concerns remain. The independence
of the judiciary continues to be chal enged, as concluded by the UN Special Rapporteur on
the Independence of Judges and Lawyers who visited Uzbekistan in 2019. The criminal
justice system saw some important developments, including the closure of the notorious
Jaslyk prison. Despite some targeted measures by the authorities, there were some reports
of torture and mistreatment of detainees. At the end of 2019, just one person listed by the
EU as a prisoner of concern remained in custody. The 2019 cotton harvest saw year-on-year
progress in the fight against forced labour. The reporting system for violations gained further
credibility with around 3,000 reports received, leading to over 200 disciplinary actions. The
EU delegation and EU Member States’ embassies continued to receive reports of
discrimination and hostility targeting the LGBTI community in 2019. While the authorities in
Uzbekistan worked constructively with international NGOs visiting the country, independent
NGOs continued to find it hard to register in 2019, and international NGOs were unable to
register locally at all. Registering new groups, or registering in new locations, remained a
challenging and opaque process. A welcome development in 2019 was the government’s
work to repatriate family members of foreign fighters from conflict zones. Progress was
achieved in 2019 on the freedom of expression. The newly created Agency of Information
and Mass Communication, reporting directly to the President, has helped journalists
encountering difficulties with various state bodies. In 2019, Uzbekistan graduated from the
‘black zone’ as per the classification of freedom of media by ‘Reporters without Borders’.
The Parliament legislated to raise the marriage age for women from 17 to 18 years, and
toughened sanctions for forced marriages. Uzbekistan worked with UNICEF in 2019 on the
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psychological rehabilitation of children and on introducing international standards at
detention facilities for minors. The position of the Ombudsman for Children was introduced.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU’s key focus areas for human rights in Uzbekistan
during 2019 included the regulatory environment for civil society, space for human rights
defenders to carry out their work, and the treatment of detainees and the prevention of
torture whilst in custody. Whilst acknowledging and welcoming the improvements that have
been achieved during 2019, the EU remains concerned about the human rights situation in
Uzbekistan. There are still significant challenges to overcome to translate laws and decrees
into reality on the ground, and conflicting pressures at local level that make implementation
difficult. The EU wil continue to monitor the situation and stands ready to assist the efforts
of the Uzbekistan`s government in implementing relevant reforms.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU has continued to raise human rights and
democracy issues with the Uzbek authorities at al levels, including at the highest level
during the visit of President Tusk to Tashkent in May 2019, as well as during the formal
annual meetings of the human rights dialogue (held in Brussels in June 2019), the
Cooperation Committee (held in Tashkent in October 2019), and the Cooperation Council
(held in Brussels in November 2019). The EU delegation has regularly raised these issues
with the authorities in Uzbekistan during formal and informal contacts. Human rights and
democracy issues featured prominently in the negotiations for an Enhanced Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Uzbekistan. Four formal negotiating rounds
took place during 2019. The EU engaged actively with Uzbek civil society organisations and
human rights defenders throughout the year.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU continued to provide financial support for projects
funded through the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) and the European
Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). Two projects financed by EIDHR and
three projects on Civil Society Organisations/Local Actors included total EU contribution of
EUR 1.78 million. They aim to reinforce the capacity of civil society in the field of human
rights, the promotion and protection of women’s rights, and the protection and promotion
of the social, economic and cultural rights of vulnerable groups.
5. Multilateral Context: Uzbekistan was reviewed in 2019 by the UN Committee on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In addition, the UN Committee against Torture issued
concluding observations on Uzbekistan. The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of
judges visited Uzbekistan in September 2019. The Uzbek authorities also engaged actively in
the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of the OSCE in Warsaw in
September. Uzbekistan continued to cooperate with the ILO on monitoring the cotton
harvest with a view to preventing child labour and forced labour.
Africa
The African Union (AU) - European Union (EU)
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1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The work of the AU Human
Rights organs needs to be viewed against the backdrop of an AU membership of 55 countries
which in turn provides for diverse and wide-ranging circumstances ranging from
comparatively peaceful, stable and open societies to ones characterised by conflicts and
repression with ensuing grave human rights violations and abuses.
The four AU Human Rights organs – African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
(ACHPR); Pan African Parliament (PAP); African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights
(AfCHPR); and African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
(ACERWC) - continued with their activities to strengthen the Pan African angle on human
rights. However, the work of the AU Human Rights organs continues to face chal enges.
Illustrative of this was the pressure put on the ACHPR by the AU Permanent Representatives
Committee (PRC) to rescind the observer status for the Coalition of African Lesbians.
Another example was the heavy-handed treatment of CSO representatives by Egyptian
police and security at the May 2019 session of the ACHPR in Sharm-El-Sheik. A less obvious
but equally worrying step was the decision by the PRC to establish a sub-committee on
Human Rights – as a measure to monitor the AU Human Rights organs. Nevertheless, the
November 2019 statement on the human rights situation in Tanzania shows that the ACHPR
is not intimidated to refrain from exercising its mandate.
An interesting development in 2019 was the strengthening of the African Peer Review
Mechanism and its first report on the State of Governance in Africa. This body is now a ful y-
fledged AU institution with commensurate budgetary provisions. The APRM submitted its
first ‘African Governance Report’ to the February 2019 Summit. In the long run, the
development of an African-generated governance report depends on three factors. Firstly, it
is necessary for the continent to take control of its own development agenda and
accountability mechanism, as required by the previous decisions of the AU Assembly.
Secondly, the research methodology of this report benefits considerably from consultations
with AU Organs and Institutions, Regional Economic Communities, and from clear access to
Member State informants and state-held data. Thirdly, the report is generated by Africans
for Africa, which improves the prospects for implementation of its recommendations.
There were 19 elections across the continent in 2019 and another 18 foreseen for 2020.
Overall, major violence in conjunction with elections in larger countries such as the DRC was
notably absent, notwithstanding other flaws linked to the processes (unlike for instance the
2017 Kenyan elections). This positive development should in part be attributed to AU fielded
Election Observation Missions which have had a deterrent effect. In this context, the African
Union is playing an increasingly important role through their Election Observation Missions,
including closer cooperation with EU Observation Missions. The focus of AU EOM seems to
be more on preventing violent escalations of election related conflicts than on assessing
national institutional frameworks and their possible improvements.
2. EU Action and financial engagement – key focus areas: The EU continues to support the
African Governance Architecture (AGA) and in particular the African Commission on Human
and People’s Rights (Banjul), the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Arusha), the
African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (Addis Ababa), as well
as the Pan-African Parliament (Midrand, South Africa).
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A new financial support programme is currently being finalised (EUR 25 million) and will
broaden the scope of AU organs supported to also include the African Peer Review
Mechanism (APRM), which only recently became a formal AU organ, as well as the AU
Advisory Board on Corruption. The programme also foresees to support the AUC
Department of Political Affairs (DPA). One aim is to foster the implementation of AU legal
instruments like the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Charter
on Democracy, Elections and Governance. These instruments, which are built upon the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), reaffirm the universality of all human rights
and promote a democratic notion of good governance. The AU is therefore an important ally
in upholding these universal values at a time when other actors – namely China - propagate
divergent concepts of governance in Africa and some AU member states try to undermine
the independence of AU human rights organs.
The EU also supports AU election observation. This includes a EUR 6.5 million project ‘The
African Union Capacity in Election Observation (AUCapEO)’, implemented by the AUC until
December 2019, including methodological training and funding to electoral observation
missions. The cooperation between EU and AU observation missions on the ground is
generally good, with regular exchanges of information. The quality of the AU election
observation missions has significantly improved in recent years.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU delegation maintained throughout the year
close contact with the actors involved with the promotion and protection of human rights in
Africa. This includes CSO representatives, AUC counterparts as well as staff working in the
various AU Human Rights organs.
The annual AU-EU human rights dialogue remains the single most significant opportunity for
mutual engagement. The 15th AU-EU human rights dialogue took place on 19 October 2019
in Banjul, The Gambia and was co-chaired by AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Minata
Cessouma Samate and the EU Special Representative (EUSR) for Human Rights, Eamon
Gilmore.
Issues discussed comprised Human Rights recent developments in Africa (presented by
Commissioner Samate and respective AU Commissioners) and in Europe (addressed by the
EUSR); Transitional justice, human rights promotion and protection, human rights
monitoring and reporting; death penalty, torture and il treatment, business and human
rights and cooperation on electoral observation and follow-up to EOMs recommendations.
The luncheon discussion was dedicated to the theme of promoting effective multilateralism
in international fora.
The dialogue resulted in agreement on two areas of engagement; (i) transitional justice and
(i ) business and human rights. The AU has recently adopted new policy frameworks in these
areas, and there is a strong interest in exchanging experiences and identifying how to best
implement these new policies at both country- and regional level. The interest materialised
in the identification of fol ow-up actions such as an expert-level seminar on transitional
justice in Europe in 2020 and a side-event on the role of regional organisations in advancing
business and human rights in the margins of the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in
November 2019 in Geneva.
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4. Multilateral context: The EU highly values its cooperation with the African group in
multilateral fora. One of the most recent examples demonstrating how the EU and African
partners can work together is the joint EU-African Group statement on access to medicines
at the last World Health Assembly. The EU intends to build on this new relationship.
Both parties wil continue to attach the greatest importance to constructive cooperation in
the framework of the United Nations Human Rights Council and United Nations General
Assembly. At the 15th AU-EU human rights dialogue both parties reaffirmed the importance
of promoting cross-regional co-operation, based on shared values and mutual interests, as
an essential element of an effective, relevant and resilient multilateral system.
Angola
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Progress was made to approve,
with prior consultation, a National Human Rights Strategy (2019-2022), and a National Plan
for the Elimination of Child Labour in Angola (2018–2022). The Parliament also approved a
new Criminal Code, which includes progressive provisions on discrimination based on gender
and sexual orientation and other human rights areas. Angola went through a constructive
Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council.
President João Lourenço continued to engage in dialogue with members of the civil society,
including prominent human rights activists. These actions contributed to the advancement
of freedom of expression and media. The upcoming local elections in 2020 should be an
opportunity to boost local participatory democracy but the administrative decentralisation
process has been lagging behind. Advancement was made in national reconciliation, with the
reburial of the remaining of Jonas Savimbi, historical leader of the UNITA, and a National
Reconciliation Plan in memory of the victims of Political Conflicts adopted. At the same time,
challenges to the fulfilment of civil and political rights in Angola persist, with difficult access
to justice and reports of arbitrary arrests and pre-trial detentions, restrictions to freedom of
assembly, especially in Cabinda and Luanda Norte. One major point of concern is the rights
of the child, with the lack of registration at birth. Other areas to be addressed are business
and human rights as well as environmental rights and compliance with the Paris Principles.
The situation of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers was also precarious, with
occurrences of forced labour in the mining sector and sudden repatriations and detentions
in the framework of the vast ‘Transparency Operation’ in 2018-2019.
2. EU action - key focus areas: Improving access to justice and promotion of civil rights
: (i)
The EU worked towards the promotion of youth and women empowerment, access to
justice; access to information and freedom of expression; child registration, migrants’ rights
and towards the fight against domestic and gender based violence. These activities
contributed to awareness raising about the citizens’ rights and support to those victims of
violations of their rights.
(ii) Elections and decentralisation: Beyond discussions in the framework of the ongoing
political dialogue and as a fol ow up to the 2017 Expert Mission, the EU contributed to the
UNDP's Post-Elections Technical Assistance Programme. The EU has also been working with
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the Angolan authorities on a programme in support to participatory local governance in the
framework of the decentralisation process.
(iii) Cultural, social and economic rights: EU support has helped the government to design
and implement a social transfer system to mitigate the impacts of the current
macroeconomic stabilisation programme on the most vulnerable layers of the Angolan
population. Measures were also taken to implement the municipalisation of social action,
allowing better access to basic social services.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Human rights featured in the EU-Angola political
dialogue at technical, Secretary of State and ministerial level. The 4th ministerial meeting
under the Joint Way Forward partnership was an opportunity to discuss issues such as the
new penal code, the decentralisation process, the fight against corruption, civil registration,
the fight against trafficking and human smuggling, but also to explore possible new areas for
cooperation, such as business and human rights. The EU-Angola human rights working group
started its work, allowing consultation, including in preparation for Angola's Universal
Periodic Review and other discussions at the UN Human Rights Council. The third EU Human
Rights Prize in Angola was awarded to Épito Reporter, an online news website whose main
focus is human rights and civil society activities. A role-play on diplomacy and human rights
was organised with university students.
4. EU financial engagement: Projects worth EUR 5.3 million were contributing to the
implementation of EU human rights priorities, in line with major Angolan strategic
documents such as the National Development Plan. Around thirty projects were under
implementation through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)
and the European Development Fund (EDF). They provided support to youth and women's
empowerment (inheritance, employment equity and land distribution) and combating
violence against women and children; promoting access to justice, access to information and
freedom of expression; fighting social exclusion of homeless children and persons with
disabilities; helping Angolans geographically deprived from access to basic public services
and vulnerable migrants. The EU has been finalising a EUR 6 million programme to promote
participatory democracy at the local level in the framework of the decentralisation process
by enabling a constructive civil society participation through civic education and capacity
development on advocacy and technical expertise as training in participatory budgets, local
finances, and territorial management.
Other activities have also focused on supporting advocacy groups for demanding better
legislation and providing practical support to those whose rights are more at risk. The
project ‘Documentos para Todos’ (Documents for al ) focused on the promotion and
protection of freedom of migrants, freedom of religion or belief for African immigrants living
in Angola without legal documents.
EU support has helped the government to design and implement a social transfer system to
mitigate the impacts of the current macroeconomic stabilisation programme. Measures
were also taken to implement the municipalisation of social action, allowing better access to
basic social services for the most vulnerable members of the community.
5. Multilateral context: In August 2019, the Angolan parliament approved the ratification of
four key UN human rights conventions on torture, racial discrimination, civil and political
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rights (death penalty) and migrant workers. Angola has not yet ratified the Rome Statute
(signed in 1998), the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the Protocol
on the African Court on Human and People’s Rights.
Angola is currently a member of the UN Human Rights Council (until 2020), with the
following priorities: human rights education; strengthening of human rights institutions and
work with civil society. Angola went through a constructive Universal Periodic Review at the
UN HRC on 7 November 2019. The main concerns that were raised related to: women’s and
children’s rights (over 80 recommendations, with child labour and child marriage featuring
prominently) violence, gender equality, education, access to healthcare, poverty, witchcraft,
and gaps between rural and urban areas, need to enhance the effectiveness of the judiciary,
to ensure the protection of al minorities and indigenous peoples, especially with regard to
extractive activities and development projects. In this regard, the implementation of UN
Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights was mentioned several times.
Benin
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The authoritarian tendencies of
the government, although less obvious in 2018, were confirmed in 2019. The overall human
rights situation in Benin has been steadily deteriorating over the last year, in the context of
non-inclusive parliamentary elections held on 28 April, in which the turnout was very low
(officially, 27%) and which were marred by several violent incidents. The rejection by the
Constitutional Court of all the electoral claims also fuelled the political tension. The
constitutional and legal frameworks underwent important changes in 2019: aside from the
constitutional amendment, the Law on political parties and the Electoral Code came into
force, complemented by the Law on financing of the political parties and the Law on the
opposition, modifying provisions, which effectively hampered the participation of certain
political groups in the last parliamentary elections. An Amnesty Law was also adopted, which
al owed for the liberation of sixty people detained after the election-related manifestations
and the closing of inquiries without charging the security forces agents responsible for the
use of sharp bullets during the demonstrations.
The constitutional amendment brought also some positive legal guarantees, regarding: (i)
limitation of the number of president’s mandate to two, (i ) creation of the Court of Audit,
(iii) abolition of the capital punishment, (iv) a better representation of women in the
parliament. On the other hand, it also strengthened the president’s powers in appointing
and financing the administration. The authoritarian turn is also notable in the blatant efforts
to restrict public freedoms: (i) freedom of expression - several media have been suspended
or closed following the introduction of the restrictive legislation (information and
communication code and digital code); (ii) freedom of manifestation – about 60 people were
arrested fol owing the post-electoral demonstrations, but subsequently set free by the
Amnesty Law in November. Benin's Human Rights Commission created in December 2018
has not received sufficient funds for its functioning in 2019, which seriously affected its
performance. Children's rights remain of concern, despite the adoption of the Child Code in
2015. Some persistent practices violate their rights, in particular the phenomenon of
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‘enfants placés’ (children ‘placed’ to work at the receiving family, which often becomes a
form of modern days slavery), their exploitation, persistence of FGM, widespread
forced/early marriages, marginalisation or killings of children accused of witchcraft, and
sexual abuse in schools, often entailing early pregnancies. Birth register does not cover the
whole population yet. Some actions focusing on reproductive health and sexual education
allowed reducing the number of cases of early pregnancies in the participating schools. The
scale of gender inequality remains concerning despite the constitutional amendment
promoting women’s participation in the Parliament. Women suffer from various forms of
violation of their rights, such as domestic violence, under-representation in public life and
limited access to land property, justice and contraception. The official data on trafficking in
human beings (THB), which covers over half of the country, confirmed a sharp rise (+88%) in
the number of THB-related cases in 2019. In the area of economic and social rights, a
number of initiatives were implemented in 2019, related to sickness insurance, mobile
microcredit, and a program to boost social insertion and professional activity of the youth.
National budget adopted for 2020 foresees more spending on social services, including the
education sector, employment of women and youth, and social protection. However, Benin’s
governance quality is stil concerning. The government has made efforts to fight corruption
and impunity, in line with new legislation (the constitutional reform amendment adopted in
November 2019 created the Court of Audit).
2. EU action - key focus areas: The priorities identified in the EU 2016-2020 Strategy for
Human Rights and Democracy in Benin include: rights of the child; women's rights; economic
and social rights and in particular access to basic services; the fight against corruption and
impunity; and access to justice.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Dynamic development cooperation, political contacts
and outreach initiatives offered limited opportunities for dialogue with Beninese
Government and civil society on human rights related issues. Despite repeated requests of
the EU delegation, the Art. 8 political dialogue did not take place in 2019. Therefore, the EU’s
and Member States’ concerns regarding the non-inclusive parliamentary elections of April
2018, and other issues related to democracy and human rights, could not be discussed in the
bilateral context foreseen by the Cotonou Agreement. The withdrawal of the agreement of
the Head of the EU Delegation in November 2019 due to his al eged ‘subversive activities’ is
also a marker of the Beninese political context.
4. EU financial engagement: The general objectives of the Good Governance and
Development Contract between the EU and Benin (11th EDF) include poverty reduction and
strengthening of governance. Transparency, fight against corruption and promotion of
gender equality are among the main goals. In addition, the EU supports women’s access to
land rights through sectoral budget support to agriculture. In 2019, the EU delegation
launched a Cal for proposals to finance projects improving the living conditions of the
children and the ratio of the birth registration in the least favoured areas of the country. The
implementation of two projects in this regards will start as of January 2020. A 3-year project
protecting women and girls against trafficking, violence and exploitation, ended in 2019. It
allowed for concrete interventions in 40 villages and relied on close collaboration with local
authorities, civil society and communities. Among its main achievements are the assistance
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provided to 497 victims of violence, 80 supported school clubs and 126 credit associations.
Under the PALIRED Programme, the evaluation of the National Integrity System (SNI) carried
out by Transparency International was finalised in 2018 and has become the reference for
government's fight against corruption. In 2019, the Action Plan was approved and the
Ministry of Economy and Finance organised a dedicated workshop.
Since 2018, the EU supports (through the EIDHR) the National Assembly to strengthen its
monitoring and initiative role on human rights. Thanks to this program, 354 observers were
deployed in the parliamentary elections in April. EU-Member States Joint Roadmap to
support civil society (2018-2020) aims at facilitating citizens’ participation, promoting human
rights and access to basic social services. The RePaSOC project (Renforcement et
participation de la société civile au Bénin) aims to support civil society’s capacities of
advocacy, monitoring of public action, and strengthening of their partnership with the state.
It also supports civil society initiatives providing basic services to the population.
In 2019, the Programme supported 49 subvention contracts including actions in the areas of
governance, local economic development, and culture. The EU is also involved in the justice
sector. In 2019, three professional trainings were organised for judges, court registrars and
judiciary police officers in the area of fight against corruption. The EU also provided technical
assistance to the judiciary inspection and internal audit. Judiciary staff also benefitted from
the EU-financed trainings on violence against women. Other actions in this area included
advocacy and a programme for the improvement of living conditions in detention, which
brought some notable improvements.
5. Multilateral context: In 2019, Benin’s actions in multilateral fora (notably the voting in the
Third Committee of the UNGA) were on numerous occasions aligned with the EU positions.
Republic of Botswana
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Botswana is a stable and wel -
established democracy with a legal framework and institutions designed to ensure overall
respect for human rights in the society. The last general elections in 2019 were conducted in
an orderly and peaceful manner. The outcome was challenged by the opposition through
legal means. The challenge was eventually rejected by the Botswana High Court as well as
the Court of Appeal. Media and civil society remain relatively weak due to the limited
availability of financial resources and have thus only a limited capacity to play their full role
in monitoring and advancing human rights agenda in the country. Botswana has
nevertheless seen an improvement in 2019 – the country moved up by 4 spots in the World
Press Freedom Index, from 48 to 44 out of 180 countries. Three main areas where human
rights concerns continue to exist are: (i) application of death penalty; (i ) the rights of LGBTI
persons and (iii) gender equality. Botswana remains one of few remaining countries in
Africa, which continues to apply the death penalty for crimes of murder and treason. One
execution was recorded in 2019. The country witnessed a positive development in the area
of LGBTI persons’ rights, with the Botswana High Court decriminalizing same sex consensual
relations in 2019. The government has appealed the ruling and the final verdict is expected
74
in 2020. Gender-based violence and more general y the need to advance rights of women in
the society, including through a stronger political representation, remains another challenge
faced by country. The government has announced the establishment of a human rights
department in the Office of the President in 2019 with the objective to coordinate and
develop a comprehensive National Human Rights Strategy and National Action Plan to
ensure implementation of country's human rights commitments and obligations. However,
Botswana does not yet have a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI).
2. EU action - key focus areas: EU col ective action in 2019 was focused on engaging with the
government, non-governmental organisations and the broader Botswana society in three
main areas: (i) death penalty; (ii) gender-based violence and empowerment of women; and
(iii) rights of LGBTI persons. In addition, the EU and EU Member States engaged more
broadly on the implementation of recommendations accepted by Botswana during the last
Universal Periodic review (UPR) in 2018.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: With no Art. 8 political dialogue between EU and
Botswana taking place in 2019, the EU delegation to Botswana and the embassies of EU
Member States engaged with the government, civil society and other stakeholders on the
occasion of EU outreach activities in preparation for multilateral events, as well as through
project support and public diplomacy initiatives aimed at supporting Botswana in advancing
its human rights agenda. The EU issued a local statement in coordination with like-minded
countries on the application of capital punishment in December 2019. The EU missions
continued their regular exchanges with some of the leading human rights organisations in
the country and interchanged regularly with various key partners, including UN agencies.
The EU continued to be the driving force behind the Gender Dialogue (nominal y co-chaired
with UN Women and the Gender Affairs Department in the Ministry of Immigration,
Nationality and Gender) and supported communication campaign Monna Tia - Real man
aimed at eliminating gender based violence in the country.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU continued to provide financial support
to projects
funded through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). Three
projects were under implementation in 2019, focusing on (i) rights of the child, (ii) civic
education and participation in political processes, and (iii) women empowerment and
tackling of gender-based violence. Three additional projects focusing on elimination of
gender-based violence, discrimination and respect for rights of the child also received EU
support in 2019.
5. Multilateral context: The EU and Botswana continued constructive cooperation in the
multilateral context. The country submitted its second and third periodic reports in the
context of the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child and received new recommendations
for fol ow up implementation activities. Botswana submitted its fourth periodic report in the
context of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women and received recommendations for further fol ow up action. The UN Human Rights
Council also discussed the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues who
visited Botswana in 2018.
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Burkina Faso
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The human rights situation in
Burkina Faso deteriorated over 2019, mainly due to the serious security and humanitarian
crisis the country is undergoing. Frequent attacks in the Sahel, North, Centre-North and East
regions of the country, and more sporadic violence in other regions led to a worsening of the
overall security situation and the displacement of 600,000 people, and more stress over on
the rural areas, already in strong demand of more state presence and basic services delivery.
Some progress has been noted in the following areas: the operationalisation of the National
Human Rights Commission; a civil society contributing to democracy and the defence of
fundamental rights; sustained efforts against female genital mutilation (FGM); gradual
improvement in health conditions for women and children; progress on birth registration;
and initiatives against radicalisation. However, challenges remain substantial in the field of
security, where there is growing concern about the behaviour of the security forces in the
fight against terrorism, but also on the attitude of self-defence groups in a context of
stigmatisation of the Peul/Fulani community (often considered as passive allies of terrorists).
Despite the relative success of the trial of the 2015 missed coup, justice remains ineffective
and efforts must be continued to improve its functioning. Detention conditions remain very
precarious and pre-trial detention remains a problem. The effective protection of children is
a necessity, as wel as the respect of the right to education, considering more than 2000
schools were closed in summer 2019 due to insecurity. The promotion and effective respect
for women's rights remain a serious challenge, and more action could be taken against
radicalisation and in favour of social cohesion (prevention of inter-community conflicts).
Burkina Faso has undergone a radical political transformation and democracy
has made
progress since the popular uprising of October 2014 that led to the fall of the Compaoré
regime. After a difficult but successful transition, general elections were held in 2015
(observed by an EU mission) and considered to be in line with democratic standards.
Nonetheless, the organisation of the presidential and parliamentary elections of November
2020 is a major challenge, given the context. The vote of the Burkinabe abroad will be
allowed for the first time in 2020, but the new voters registered remain very few compared
to the number of Burkinabe abroad (more than 2,5 mil ion). The provisions adopted in June
2019 to control information on the security situation could limit freedom of press and
information.
Regarding the fight against economic exploitation of children, human trafficking and forced
labour, the authorities' action remained limited in 2019 with few concrete results, while
progress in the area of strengthening women's rights has continued (although slowly), both
in law and in practice.
As regards the prevention of radicalisation, the Government's will is shown by the
development of actions - often coordinated with the EU and its Member States - promoting
social cohesion, dialogue, education, opportunities for young people and sectors of the
population particularly at risk. Nevertheless, the authorities should pay more attention to
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this issue - including in the areas of inter-community relations and the creation of
opportunities for young people in sensitive areas.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The five priority sectors in the EU Human Rights and
Democracy Country Strategy for 2016-2020 in Burkina Faso are:
• Security, including self-defence groups management and struggle against impunity;
• Justice, independence and quality of the judicial system, improving detention
conditions;
• Children's rights, combating economic exploitation and trafficking;
• Women's rights, combating discrimination and FGM, promoting economic rights;
• Citizenship education, including institutional strengthening, promotion of the rule of
law and social cohesion, prevention of radicalisation.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU is carrying out actions to support the country in
its efforts to improve the institutional framework and governance as well as the capacity of
civil society to influence and monitor public policies. The EU intervenes directly to help
address some fundamental chal enges for Burkina Faso citizens notably through the support
of the national anti-corruption network. The EU focused its common efforts on specific
aspects such as the fol ow-up of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and the monitoring of
the country's international commitments, particularly as regards, economic and social rights
such as education, natural resources, environment, health, etc.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued to support the authorities and civil
society in Burkina Faso in key areas for democracy and human rights:
- On security, the EU is mobilising a range of financial instruments such as the Instrument
contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), the Emergency Trust Fund and the EDF.
- With regard to the independence of the judicial system and access to justice, the EU-
funded National Justice Policy Support Programme (PAPNJ) was completed in 2019;
- In its fight against economic exploitation of children, human trafficking and forced labour,
the EU is intervening with a new project for the protection of children in cotton-producing
areas. Four grants (EUR 1 million) have been implemented from 2017 to 2019 in this field.
- To strengthen women's rights, the EU acts transversal y through its budgetary support,
each of which includes several indicators related to gender or women's rights, but also
through calls for proposals to implement concrete actions in this area;
- The EU is implementing two specific projects for prevention of radicalisation (EUTF):
Protection of young people in at-risk areas of Burkina Faso through education and
dialogue (EUR 9 million) and Prevention of indigenous violent extremism (EUR 7 million);
- General budget support for good governance (EDF) of EUR 135 million, including specific
support for the National Assembly (EDF) of EUR 2 million and for institutions that play a
role in the proper functioning of the rule of law;
- Support for civil society organisations in raising awareness of human rights for their
contribution to democratic governance and the monitoring of public policies, in particular
through the Présimètre;
- The projects receiving funding in 2019 under the European Instrument for Democracy and
Human Rights (EIDHR) take into account the priorities of the EU 2016-2020 strategy in this
area (a call for proposals under the EIDHR for an amount of EUR 18 million was launched
at global level and Burkina Faso is one of the eligible countries);
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- The EU is also financing the Regional Project ‘Bridging the Gap: inclusive policies and
services for equal rights of persons with disabilities’ implemented in Burkina Faso.
5. Multilateral context: The country continues to demonstrate its commitment to
fundamental rights. However, implementation remains to be seen. The question of respect
for human rights in the current security context is particularly sensitive. The government's
reluctance to facilitate the strengthening of OHCHR's presence in Burkina Faso and the
hesitations regarding the Human Rights G5 Joint Force compliance framework are elements
of concern.
Burundi
1. Aperçu de la situation des droits humains et de la démocratie: La situation des droits
humains au Burundi demeure une source d'inquiétude. Les violations des droits de l'homme
en 2019 se sont déroulées en grande partie dans un contexte pré-électoral. Les violations du
droit à la vie, les atteintes à l'intégrité physique, les violations des libertés d'association ou
de liberté de presse et de l'information ciblaient majoritairement des opposants, présumés
ou vérifiés, du parti au pouvoir, notamment des militants du parti d'opposition CNL et/ou
des associations et médias perçus comme critiques ou oppositionnels à l'égard du pouvoir en
place au Burundi. Il a été quasiment impossible pour des organisations de la société civile ou
des défenseurs des droits de l'homme d'opérer dans le domaine de la promotion et la
protection des droits civils et politiques. La fermeture du bureau du Haut-Commissariat des
Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme décidée par le gouvernement du Burundi et effective
depuis le 1er mars 2019 complique le suivi et la vérification des droits de l'homme au pays.
Le Burundi n’a toujours pas donné accès à son territoire à la commission d’enquête.
2. Action de l'UE sur les droits humains – domaines d'action prioritaire: L'UE a continué à
prioriser et à soutenir le multilatéralisme et la coopération avec des partenaires tels que la
Communauté de l'Afrique de l'Est (CAE), l’UA et l'ONU, notamment dans les domaines du
suivi des droits humains. Les partenaires techniques et financiers au Burundi ont renforcé
leurs mécanismes de coordination, notamment sur des questions portant sur les libertés
fondamentales au pays y compris la liberté d'expression et d'association. L'UE et les Etats
Membres ont continué d'apporter un soutien ciblé favorisant entre autres la défense et la
protection de personnes vulnérables, la liberté des médias et les mécanismes des droits de
l'homme multilatéraux.
Dans une perspective de long terme de renforcement d'une culture démocratique et de
gouvernance inclusive, l'UE a continué à soutenir les organisations de la société civile, y
compris dans la promotion et le respect des droits économiques, sociaux et culturels.
3. Les engagements politiques bilatéraux de l’UE: L'action de l'UE est guidée par la décision
2016/394 du Conseil du 14 mars 2016 au titre de l'article 96 de l'Accord de Cotonou. Cette
Décision inclut des engagements attendus qui font directement référence au respect des
droits humains, aux principes démocratiques et à l'Etat de droit. En 2019, tout comme en
2018 les efforts de l'UE pour relancer le dialogue sur ces engagements n'ont pas
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véritablement avancé et les mesures appropriées, y compris la suspension du soutien
financier direct aux autorités et aux institutions du Burundi et la continuation de l'appui
direct à la population, sont restées en place. L'UE demeure déterminée à s'engager en
soutien d'un développement et paix durable au pays et au dialogue avec les autorités. Tout
comme d'autres partenaires, l'UE a indiqué l'importance d'un processus électoral crédible,
transparent et inclusif en 2020, dans le respect des libertés de presse et d'association.
Le Conseil de l'UE a adopté, le 1er octobre 2015, des sanctions individuelles contre quatre
personnes dont les activités portent atteinte à la démocratie ou font obstacle aux efforts
visant à résoudre la crise politique, en particulier par des actes constitutifs de violations
graves des droits de l'homme. Ces mesures ont été reconduites sur base annuelle, dont la
dernière fois en octobre 2019.
4. Les engagements financiers de l’UE: En 2019 l'UE a engagé de nouveaux financements au
titre de l'Instrument de Démocratie et des Droits de l'Homme (EIDHR). Le premier,
contractualisé en décembre 2019 avec UNICEF concerne la protection des droits des enfants,
avec une attention particulière aux enfants rapatriés des camps de réfugiés de la Tanzanie,
mais aussi des enfants vulnérables dans les communes d'accueil, dans la province de Ruyigi.
Considérant que 2020 sera une année électorale au Burundi, trois autres actions spécifiques,
celles-ci financées dans le cadre du Fonds européen de Développement (FED), sont prévues
par le programme visant la promotion de la culture démocratique et l'état de droit avec la
société civile notamment se focalisant sur le renforcement de capacités des OSCs nationales,
qui se dérouleront en période pré- et post-électorale, sans cependant constituer un soutien
de l'UE aux autorités burundaises ou aux élections el es-mêmes.
Un projet transfrontalier de 30 mois soutenant les personnes vivant avec handicap en
Tanzanie et au Burundi a également été mis en œuvre en 2019 avec
International Rescue
Committee (IRC). Finalement, à l'échelle régionale, deux projets sont en cours: une action
ciblant la médiation et la prévention de violence liées aux élections et un projet de dialogue
inter-religieux à travers l'église anglicane.
En 2019, l'UE a continué à travailler de manière proche avec le bureau du Haut-Commissariat
des Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme, notamment son bureau régional à Yaoundé depuis
la fermeture du bureau à Bujumbura, ses Etats membres, des partenaires proches (Etats-
Unis, Suisse) ainsi qu'avec la mission des observateurs des droits de l'homme de l'Union
Africaine sur le suivi de la situation des droits de l'homme dans le pays.
5. Contexte multilatéral: Tant dans le contexte des Nations Unies que dans son partenariat
avec l'Union africaine, l'UE a soutenu des démarches et des actions ciblant la promotion et
protection des droits de l'homme et la transformation pacifique de conflits politiques.
Sur base d'une résolution proposée par l'UE, le Conseil des Droits de l'Homme lors de sa
42ième session en septembre 2019, a prolongé le mandat de la Commission d'enquête sur le
Burundi d'un an. Malgré certaines difficultés, l'UE a également continué à financer le
déploiement et le maintien dans le pays d'un groupe d'observateurs des droits de l'homme
de l'Union africaine pour la période 2019 et 2020 par le biais de la Facilité de Paix pour
l'Afrique (APF).
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Cabo Verde
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Cabo Verde remained in 2019
one of the countries with the best records on human rights and democratic governance in
Africa thanks to stable political institutions, a functioning multiparty parliamentary
democracy, and a strong legal framework that recognises and protects human rights and
fundamental freedoms.
The judiciary however continued to emerge as the one constitutional branch that is in clear
need of reform, as well as a strengthening of capacities. It is overburdened by a large
caseload and notoriously slow. Several convictions in high-profile drug trafficking cases were
successfully appealed because the rights of non-Cabo Verdean defendants had not been fully
respected (no interpreters provided). The case against the Spanish-owned airline Binter CV
and one of its non-Cabo Verdean pilots in November 2019, albeit probably exceptional,
raised serious questions about the capacity and independence of judges, as wel as national
bias.
Further determined efforts and improvements are also needed in the fight against violence
and discrimination against women, violations of the rights of the child including child labour,
and prison conditions.
Cabo Verde continues to demonstrate political wil to address these concerns and on some
made significant progress in 2019. A Gender Equality Law (Lei de paridade) was adopted by
Parliament on 28 October 2019 with the necessary constitutional majority. The law is
intended to strengthen gender equality (min. 40%) for electoral lists to national and local
parliaments, elected magistrates, and management positions in public service and state-
owned companies. Actual impact remains to be seen however. With this law Cabo Verde
became one of three African countries to have established quotas for women´s political
participation.
The implementation of national policies and strategies in a number of human rights domains
continued throughout 2019. Examples include the National Plan to Fight Sexual Violence
against Children and Adolescents 2017-2019 or the National Plan (2018-2023) for Human
Rights and Citizenship. The Cabo Verdean authorities continued work on a National Action
Plan for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labour and the establishment of the
National Committee for the Prevention of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, as well as work
on a National Plan to Combat Human Trafficking and other measures to repress human
trafficking, with a particular focus on women, children and migrants.
2. EU action-key focus areas: In 2019, the shared respect for and promotion of human
rights, democracy and good governance remained a basis for the EU-Cabo Verde Special
Partnership. The partners continued to hold a regular political dialogue on the consolidation
of democracy and human rights in this context, and in particular on women's rights and
people with disabilities, as priorities outlined in the EU Human Rights and Democratic
Country Strategy of 2016 and the Gender Action Plan (GAP) for Cabo Verde for 2016-2020.
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3. EU bilateral political engagement: In December 2019 fol owing a call for proposals, five
new NSA/LA contracts were signed that wil cover human rights of arrested juveniles,
children with disabilities, gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual tourism. The EU also
continued to monitor the ratification and effective implementation of 27 international
conventions on human rights, labour rights, environmental protection and climate change
and good governance under the EU GSP+ from which Cabo Verde is a beneficiary. An
assessment of the state of compliance by Cabo Verde with GSP+ Obligations was made by
the EU in 2018. The assessment recognised positive efforts in the implementation and
reporting on the 27 conventions, but also pointed out a number of issues on which more
efforts are needed.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU delegation payed particular attention to gender issues
in Cabo Verde defined as one of our cooperation priorities supported through Budget
Support. In the framework of the mid-term review, which entails a top-up of EUR 10 million,
gender issues were established as one of three budget support indicators. Through this
instrument the EU has been able to carry out interventions in the 3 thematic domains of the
GAP II – (i) physical and psychological integrity, (ii) social and economic empowerment and
rights, and (i i) voice and participation. The gender indicator includes the implementation of
the Law against GBV, including the operationalisation of a fund to support the victims; the
implementation of the National Care Plan as well as the submission to Parliament of the
Gender Equality Law. The EU also supports the institutional reinforcement of the Cabo
Verdean Institute for Gender Equality ICIEG.
Through an EU/PALOP-TL project, the EU has continued to support a Gender–responsive
budget. The 2020 state budget law again includes a chapter on gender responsive budgeting
with projects already marked with a specific gender marker.
The EU continued to fund under the CSO/LA budget line sixteen projects contributing to the
improvement of the rights of women, in particular in rural and remote areas and to promote
the empowerment and improve the economic situation of vulnerable groups, children and
people with disabilities, as well as the reinforcement of civil society, in general. Other
projects involve working with youth and local authorities in various problematic urban areas.
In December 2019 following a call for proposals, five new NSA/LA contracts were signed that
will cover human rights of arrested juveniles, children with disabilities, GBV and sexual
tourism.
Under the EIDHR, in order to promote physical and psychological integrity, social and
economic empowerment, to raise the voice and participation of women and girls, and
contribute to the effective guarantee of women’s rights in Cabo Verde, the EU supports a
project in the area of formalisation of domestic service with the Cabo Verdean Association to
Fight Gender-Based Violence.
In the context of GSP+, several projects were under implementation in 2019 that support the
National Human Rights Commission to comply with reporting obligations on the human-
rights treaties ratified by Cabo Verde and supporting, as well as empowering civil society and
social partners to monitor and advocate for improved implementation of core international
human rights conventions. The EU continued to provide technical support to the Ministry of
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Justice and Labour in order to meet its reporting obligations concerning human rights
conventions and international labour standards.
5. Multilateral context: Cabo Verde has ratified most international and regional human
rights instruments, and ensures their implementation and enforcement in a generally
effective manner.
Cameroon
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, the human rights and
democracy situation in Cameroun has continued to raise serious concerns. In the regions
prey to Anglophone separatist crisis (North-West and South-West) and to terrorism (Far
North), numerous human rights abuses were reported, committed by both separatist armed
groups, terrorist groups (Boko Haram) and national security forces. In the rest of the
country, substantial progress remains to be made in human rights and democratic principles.
As regards democracy and freedoms, three elections were due in 2019, but were postponed:
parliamentary and municipal elections will be held in February 2020, while the date of
regional elections remains to be set. The ongoing violence will heavily impact participation.
Irregularities have been observed in the pre-electoral phase, such as restraints to freedoms
of assembly and peaceful protest, administrative, judicial and other obstacles preventing
new and young candidates from completing their files, and threats against opposition
candidates or majority party young candidates. Hate speech in electoral context has
intensified mostly in social media, despite criminal sanctions against it. The right to a fair trial
was infringed in 2019, especially in cases related to separatist and political crises. Members
of the opposition party CRM were arrested in January and June after widely peaceful
political protests in Cameroon, and put to trial before ordinary and military courts, in
disregard of much of the existing procedural and international laws and regulations. After
the Major National Dialogue (30/9 to 4/10), more than 300 people detained in the context of
the Anglophone crisis were released, as well as more than 100 political opponents, including
CRM leader Maurice Kamto. However, in the run-up to February 2020 elections, CRM rallies
have been banned by authorities.
Press and Media freedom is generally respected. Some print and electronic media are of
good quality, including some openly critical to the government. However, certain yellow
press media lacking professional and ethical standards are often manipulated and paid for by
politicians. It has even targeted foreign diplomats, including EU delegation staff. Social
media are also of concern, as they sometimes contribute to generating political tension by
distributing fake news, hate speech etc.
In the context of the separatist crisis and counter-terrorism operations, the right to life and
physical integrity has been infringed in many cases. Cases of torture and unlawful killings
have been reported, committed by both security forces and armed separatist or criminal
groups, as well as forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention, and kidnapping
with ransom. There were also reports of harassment or life threats against some human
rights defenders.
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The ongoing separatist crisis in the Anglophone regions has affected vulnerable groups,
causing the displacement of between 530 000 (ECHO sources) and 700 000 (UN sources)
people. Women and children are the first victims of this conflict. Many of them have been
raped, killed, deprived of their rights to education, to health, to human dignity, or have been
enrolled in armed groups or forced to prostitution. Separatist groups often declare ‘ghost
towns’, forcing school closures and depriving civilians of free movement. For the upcoming
elections, no specific measures have been taken for displaced persons to exercise their right
to vote.
The Anti-Terrorism Law of 2014 has been applied against suspected Boko Haram members,
but also against political opponents. A revision of the law is reportedly underway, and a draft
amendment is expected to include disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR)
provisions. Despite the creation of a DDR National Committee in 2018, no legal framework
has been put in place for screening and prosecution of ex-fighters. Over 100 suspected
former Boko Haram fighters are still detained in the MNJTF base in Mora (Far North) since
2018. As a positive signal, a trial started in August 2019 in a military tribunal against seven
soldiers accused of killing women and children in the Far North.
2. EU action: key focus areas: EU's priorities in 2019 were:
• the consolidation of democracy and the electoral context;
• the rights of vulnerable groups, including
inter alia women, children, ethnic
minorities, and LGBTI persons;
• the fight against death penalty and the improvement of the justice system;
• increasing access to basic social services;
• enhancing social and environmental responsibility of businesses.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU maintained in 2019 its political dialogue with
the Cameroonian authorities (June and December), covering a wide range of issues including
human rights in the context of the Anglophone crisis and the fight against Boko Haram, the
importance of due judicial processes and the rights of prisoners, and the need to respect
freedoms of expression, association and assembly.
Regarding democracy and elections, the EU held regular contact with main institutions and
political actors, and provided political support, awareness-raising and training to women and
youth to boost participation in the electoral process. The EU also engaged with the National
Commission of Human Rights and Freedoms to create a national network for the respect of
civil freedoms.
Regarding crises in Anglophone regions and the Far North, the EU continued to support civil
society to promote the role of women and youth as agents of development and change. The
EU and its Member States published statements on the Anglophone crisis and the EU Council
adopted conclusions on Cameroon, condemning violence and cal ing for the respect of
human rights.
The EU and Member states continued to speak and carry out demarches for the abolition of
death penalty and to monitor trials of journalists and human rights defenders, as well as
cooperate with civil society and authorities to improve detention conditions and judicial
procedures.
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4. EU financial engagement: The EU has provided support to civil society linked to civil
society roadmap in Cameroon and to civil registry at the local level (under PROCIVIS
programme), and in conflict prevention to promote a culture of tolerance and prevent
radicalisation among vulnerable youth (IcSP support to a UN-implemented project in Far
North). Projects selected in the framework of the EIDHR continued in 2019, including one on
protection of vulnerable populations living in conflict-affected areas in the NW and SW
regions. The EU and Member States supported projects on the rights of LGBTI persons and
human rights defenders (France, Germany), as well as on women’s and children’s rights
(Italy, Spain and France).
In addition, the EU Africa Trust Fund is funding a programme in the three northern regions of
Cameroon to assist the population affected by Boko Haram and Central African Republic
security crises. Member States have worked on governance (France), on digital access and
digital rights issues (Germany), and on improving private sector commitments to responsible
business conduct in the natural resource sector in forest areas.
5. Multilateral context: Cameroon has ratified a number of key international human rights
instruments, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Some others,
such as the Rome Statute, the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture – have
been signed but not ratified yet. The signing and ratification of some other instruments such
as the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
which aims at the abolition of the death penalty, have been repeatedly rejected by
Cameroon in the framework of the UPR. Cameroon has not signed the African Union Charter
on democracy, governance and elections. Cameroon issued a standing invitation to al UN
Special Procedures in 2014.
In the UN Human Rights Council, the EU included Cameroon in its item 2 statements in the
40th, 41st and 42nd sessions, condemning violence by both parties in the Anglophone crisis,
calling for a dialogue and unimpeded access to human rights and humanitarian actors and
impartial investigations into alleged human rights violations and abuses, but also expressing
concern over arrests of political opponents and rise in ethnically-based hate speech.
Central African Republic
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The Central African Republic
(CAR) is still struggling to emerge from the long crisis it experienced for more than two
decades. Throughout the country, and especially outside Bangui, massive violations of
human rights were registered in 2019, in spite of the Political Agreement for Peace and
Reconciliation (APPR) signed on 6 February 2019 by the government and fourteen armed
groups that exercise control over most of the territory. The Agreement makes the respect
for human rights a condition for an end to the crisis. It foresees several monitoring bodies at
central and local levels. However, armed groups continue to violate their commitments
under the APPR and seriously violate human rights. Several attacks against civilians have
been recorded, most by armed groups, and a few by the security forces. The CAR
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government failed to investigate these cases and to take disciplinary measures. In 2019,
armed groups continued to recruit and use child soldiers. With disarmament of ex-
combatants in the West, security improved, but persisting violence in the Northeast and
Southeast continues to displace civilians. Some refugees voluntarily return to their country,
but numbers remain limited due to the lack of security. More than half of the 4.6 mil ion CAR
population depend on humanitarian aid.
The wider public expects justice, i.e. the trial of leaders of armed groups and a political
determination to fight against impunity. Despite the weakness of the judiciary, several
suspects of war crimes were brought to court in 2019. The International Criminal Court (ICC)
initiated proceedings against two leaders of armed groups. A Special Criminal Court (SCC,
established in 2015) became operational in October 2018. Since then, it opened 22 priority
investigations and registered 27 complaints submitted by individuals. Still, the Court faces
problems regarding the protection of, and assistance for witnesses and victims, and the lack
of legal aid. The National Assembly still deliberates the long-overdue law establishing a
Commission on Justice, Truth and Reconciliation. CAR prisons are likely to see human rights
violations; this adds to high rates of arbitrary arrest and abusive practice of pre-trial
detention. Counter to the law, around 70% of those placed in pre-trial detention have not
appeared before a court and/or do not have access to legal aid, thus spending months or
even years awaiting trial, without legal assistance.
CAR is among the worst ranked countries in terms of women's political participation. A
decree under the 2016 law on parity is not yet promulgated. Government is rather open to
female participation in peace negotiations and in the APPR implementing bodies. In 2019,
the National Election Authority (ANE) elaborated a gender strategy for elections. Access to
justice remains difficult for female victims of sexual violence, and is impossible for women in
areas under the control of armed groups. The problem keeps growing, with rising number of
victims, impunity surrounding these crimes, social exclusion due to stigmatisation and the
breakdown of family and community structures. In 2019, the CAR Government revised the
2017 National Strategy for Combating Gender-Based Violence.
Freedom of the media is formally guaranteed in CAR. However, media were often
manipulated. Hate speech was recurrent in an unregulated environment. Media freedom
came under pressure in numerous cases, notably with the detention of correspondents,
assaults on journalists, their equipment and their property, as well as with the arbitrary
suspension of radio frequencies.
2. EU action – key focus areas: In CAR, the rule of law and governance in all areas remain
weak. Focal areas to address are therefore abuses of fundamental rights, widespread
corruption, impunity and (transitional) justice. Moreover, the EU regularly brought up
gender issues with the government. A specific EU project addresses gender-based and sexual
violence, in particular for women prisoners. Moreover, EU sectoral budget support for the
Internal Security Forces brings up gender-based violence. The EU engages frequently with
women organisations in its regular outreach. In the frame of the EIDHR project, a network of
sexual exploitation of women prisoners by officials working at Bimbo prison has been
reported. The EU intervened in order to encourage authorities to take the necessary
measures. Hundreds of detainees have benefited in 2019 from EU-sponsored legal and
judicial advice.
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3. EU bilateral political engagement: In order to keep justice in the public debate, the EU
delegation created ‘a month of justice’, beginning on 17 June. The EU documented its
commitment to justice through several projects. Activities ended on the Day of International
Criminal Justice (17 July). For the Special Criminal Court, the EU conducted an awareness
campaign (community theatre), to inform about the SCC’s role and victims' access to justice.
To help setting up the Commission on Justice, Truth and Reconciliation, the EU offered
assistance through the NGO Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. For the 2020 elections, the
EU launched governance programme, with a focus on female participation. Government
policy vis-à-vis civil society and political opposition is inconsistent. The EU encouraged
government to associate youth and civil society to promote peace in the country. With
specific activities, the EU supports civil society organisations and helps them to play their
roles. In the reporting year, the, EU engaged in a dialogue with public and private media, to
counter disinformation and hate speech. Moreover, the EU supported the Association of
Central African Bloggers. For hundreds of released child soldiers, the EU provided temporary
care and integration kits, psychosocial support and integration into school. Older children
benefitted from income-generating activities after vocational training. The programme also
supports host families.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU co-funded the Special Criminal Court with EUR 2 million.
UNDP implements the programme. The ‘National Strategy for Justice 2020-2024’ includes
the respect for human rights and transitional justice. To make it work, the EU negotiated
with the CAR government a sectorial budget support programme of EUR 10 million.
5. Multilateral context: Public policy deficiencies – linked to governance and state revenue
issues – include the lack of protection of vulnerable groups, especial y women, children and
persons with disabilities. The ratifications of (i) the international Convention on the
Elimination of Violence against Women and (ii) the Second Optional Protocol to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) are still missing. The death
penalty is stil foreseen and no moratorium prevents its use. Despite reforms, the legal
system is flawed.
Union des Comores
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The human rights situation in
Comoros remains precarious. The 2018 constitutional referendum, the presidential elections
in March 2019, and the recent parliamentary and local elections were marked by
irregularities. Human rights violations are being constantly recorded, such as restrictions on
freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and expression, freedom of movement, human
trafficking, police incidents, arbitrary arrests and lengthy pretrial detention. Weaknesses in
the judicial system, significant irregularities in the electoral processes, discrimination and
violence against women, as well as weak children protection (various forms of abuse, forced
labor, trafficking in persons) are the more visible phenomena. The phenomenon of
immigration from Comoros to Mayotte but also Libya continues to cause human tragedies.
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2. EU actions - key focus areas: The EU Human Rights and Democracy Strategy for the
Comoros for the period 2016-2020 includes five priorities: (i) improving the performance of
the justice system and the level of public confidence in the sector; (ii) strengthening
electoral institutions to allow organising elections in line with international standards; (iii)
promoting a change of mentality and habits and reduce corruption; (iv) promoting the
participation of women in all sectors, as well as lift the taboo in the fight against violence
against women; (v) strengthening child protection and promoting widespread awareness of
children's rights.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Respect for human rights is an essential element of
political dialogue with the Comoros. The last session of the dialogue was held in July 2019. In
focus were the harsh conditions in prisons, prolonged house arrest for former president
Sambi, non-ratification of certain international conventions, in particular the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights. During the dialogue, the EU praised the fact that the Comoros had
ratified the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment. However, the EU expressed concern at the cancelation of the visit
of the Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer, who has been unable to continue his
mission. The EU underlined that continuous use of prolonged pretrial detention results in a
deterioration of conditions in the sites of confinement.
4. EU financial engagement: Through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human
Rights (EIDHR) the EU supported the implementation of the national roadmap for combating
violence against women and minors 2017-2020 and a project aiming at creation of a helpline
for children - victims of abuse and for abused women (total amount of EUR 500,000).
Equally, the EU has supported a project strengthening the capacities of civil society as local
observers for the elections (EUR 300 000). Two EU support facilities have been mobilised to
support the Comorian civil society: Media4Democracy and Supporting Democracy.
5. Multilateral context: Comoros has signed the main treaties de United Nations concerning
human rights but not al have been ratified and enacted. In January 2019, the Universal
Periodic Review of the Comoros took place. Most of the 2014 UPR recommendations were
not implemented. The recommendations from 2019 are very similar and relate to: abolition
of capital punishment; ratifications of international instruments; creation of a constitutional
chamber at the Supreme Court; strengthening the rights of women and children; fight
against human trafficking; fight against early and forced marriage; protection of women
against violence and discrimination; effective establishment of the Human Rights
Commission; protection of freedom of expression and association; strengthening of basic
services in the fields of education and health and promotion of social protection and sport
and youth.
Republic of Congo
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Although the fundamental
freedoms of the majority of the Congolese people are respected, serious human rights
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violations occurred in 2019, due to general shortfalls in the police, judiciary and penitentiary
system and when dealing with minorities and vulnerable groups. A climate of impunity
persists while practices of summary executions have been noted. NGOs routinely denounce
the harsh conditions faced by prisoners in detention centres (including torture and severe
malnutrition). Vulnerable groups, in particular women and indigenous peoples, continue to
be discriminated against and are respectively subject to domestic violence and forced
labour. The ratified international treaties have not been transposed into Congolese law and
human rights are not effectively taken into account by the judiciary due to a lack of
knowledge of the issues at stake and the means of implementation. The rights enshrined in
the 2015 Constitution remain largely unenforced.
As a result, the media impose self-censorship for fear of being accused of ‘threatening the
security of the state’. For the time being, the detention of journalists is not to be deplored,
but the risk to them remains in a worrying pre-electoral context. Civil society in general and
the traditional driving forces behind the promotion of human rights (opposition political
forces, media, academic elites, diaspora) are too weakly structured, organised and
supported to have any real influence.
At the 2018 Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Republic of Congo had accepted 97 per
cent of the recommendations made. A number of them, notably those regarding indigenous
peoples, stateless persons, women's rights and the fight against human trafficking have
already been implemented during 2019.
Important commitments were made in the framework of the International Conference for
the Great Lakes Region in May 2019 concerning the ratification of international treaties, the
end of impunity and respect for human rights. However, the translation of these non-binding
declarations into concrete measures is lacking. In February 2019, the signature of a protocol
with some twenty NGOs involved in the advancement of human rights was marked by the
refusal to participate of two of them, fearing limitations in their intervention.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The dialogue between the Ministry of Justice and the
European Union has been strengthened in line with the progress made in 2018. A ‘Justice’
sectoral political dialogue with the government on the problems of adapting Congolese law
and the Congolese judicial system to human rights protection issues took place in June 2019.
This dialogue wil continue with a next session in March 2020, during which issues of
electoral governance will also be raised. In 2019, the EU contributed to the effective
functioning of the emergency mechanism of the European Instrument for Democracy and
Human Rights (EIDHR) and continued to monitor the agreement signed in February between
the eighteen HRDOs and the Ministry of Justice.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The sectoral political dialogue with the Ministry of
Justice, launched in 2018 in the framework of the (now finished) PAREDA project (‘Projet
d'Actions pour le Renforcement de l'Etat de Droit et des Associations’) focused, in 2019, on
the nine draft legislations concerning changes to criminal and civil law, as well as the
implementation of alternative methods for dispute resolution.
The EU maintained its dialogue with civil society organisations through formal and informal
venues to share views and discuss key human rights concerns. EU organised a number of
events linked to Human Rights, such as the month of the Woman in partnership with the
Institut Francais du Congo, the fourth edition of the ‘Fortnight Week of Human Rights’ in
Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire (together with France) and a competition for Law students on
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the theme of Human Rights. France organised a conference on violence against women and
one on the world environmental pact.
4. EU Financial engagement: The two EIDHR projects which started in 2018, for a combined
budget of EUR 715.000, namely: i) ‘Strengthening the role of civil society in the three
districts of Lékoumou to promote respect for human rights and consolidate the rule of law’;
and ii) ‘Project to monitor and evaluate public debt in the Republic of Congo (PROSEREPCO)’,
continued their activities. Also supported by the EIDHR, the project PACTE (‘Prévénir et Agir
Contre la Torture et les Détentions Arbitraires Ensemble’ – EUR 341.000) to combat torture
and arbitrary detention, was launched in 2019, for a duration of three years. The
‘Commissariat Modèle’ (exemplary police station) initiative is currently supported by France.
With regard to the defence of vulnerable groups, the project ‘Strengthening capacities for
the promotion and protection of the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Bouenza region
– EUR 335.000’ was selected and started its activities in 2019. General accompanying
measures continued in 2019 with a total budget of EUR 104.000. A new Cal for proposals
worth EUR 972.000 wil be launched in 2020.
5. Multilateral context: The government began the process of ratification of the Second
Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights aiming at the
abolition of the death penalty. Despite accession to the ‘Hague Convention’ limiting
individual adoption, the submission of the report on the implementation of the Convention
on the Rights of the Child in 2019 highlighted a worrying deterioration in children's rights.
The National Human Rights Commission was re-established in 2019. Suffering from a lack of
financial and human resources, it has started a discussion with the United Nations
Information Centre (UNIC) with a view to obtaining a training plan for its members.
Chad
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, the human rights
situation in Chad was adverse. The political context was characterised by centralised
presidential power (ruling by decree). Legislative elections (overdue since 2015) did not take
place, although some steps were taken in preparation of the electoral process. Among these,
there was an evolving role of the Cadre National de Dialogue Politique (involving the ruling
majority and part of the opposition), the appointment of members for the National
Independent Electoral Commission, and the drafting and approval of new laws on territorial
administration, on political parties, and on the electoral process. These issues gave rise to
controversies and contestations by individuals and parties from the opposition, who
threatened to boycott the process. The openness of political space was put in question
regarding the case of Les Transformateurs, a popular movement in Ndjamena, which did not
obtain formal recognition as political party, and regarding the difficulties faced by the main
party of the opposition (UNRD) to hold its congress in Mongo in April. Political and technical
chal enges raised doubts about the electoral process.
Social and economic rights (notably healthcare and education) remained limited, illustrated
by the 2018 Human Development Index ranking Chad 187 out of 189 countries. The
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problems with civil liberties and fundamental rights persisted; human rights defenders
confronted a difficult environment and a main activist from the Convention Tchadienne pour
la Défense des Droits de l'Homme was arrested in December. A new institution (High
Authority for Media and Audio-visual) imparted new dispositions on communications and
issued by itself (instead of the judiciary) some penalties/fines; cases of pressure, censorship
and suspensions (of media or specific individuals) affected the press, television and radio. In
a positive development, nevertheless, the restriction on internet access to social media was
lifted in July (after over a year of limitations). The population's perception of impunity
regarding cases of abuse by security forces and the political elite led to some heated
protests, for example in reaction to the death of a civilian killed by the Assembly president's
bodyguard in Ndjamena in November.
Insecurity was widespread in Chad; Boko Haram attacked military but also civilians in the
Lake Chad area, conflicts between farmers and cattle-owners led to dozens of deaths, and
armed groups challenged authorities in the goldmining areas of Tibesti and northern Chad,
or attempted to overturn the established order. A state of emergency (curtailing freedoms
and endowing security forces with exceptional power) was decreed for three provinces from
August onwards. Chad continued to host approximately 450,000 refugees and IDPs, notably
in the border area with Darfur (Sudan), and humanitarian needs were on the rise.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The main areas for EU action, as agreed with Chad, targeted
improvement on the human rights situation broadly conceived (including environmental
rights): food security, sustainable management of natural resources, and rule of
law/institutional capacity-building. Among others, the EU worked with the judiciary to
improve its reporting and statistics, as well as the provision of medical services in Chadian
prisons. Trainings on human rights were part of the cooperation for security sector reform.
EU engagement with civil society was also widespread and strong, including with human
rights defenders. The EU focused on the protection of vulnerable groups, with an
overarching approach on gender and a diversity of projects fostering women's rights. In
2019, the EU also agreed to potentially support the electoral process in Chad with a
contribution to the UNDP basket fund, with a focus on further inclusivity, transparency and
credibility of the electoral process, once a date for the legislative elections and a budget
would be duly established.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Human rights were included within EU-Chad political
dialogue, and were raised for example during the Article 8 Political Dialogue session in
March. Positive signs in Chad included the establishment of the National Human Rights
Commission (foreseen in the 2018 Constitution) and the ambitious national provisions
regarding gender equality and the promotion of women's rights, which together with youth,
are a priority for the EU.
Some difficulties arose regarding EU-Chad cooperation for political and institutional reforms,
where results were uneven and the main challenge remained the restrictive environment for
NGOs and civil society.
4. EU financial engagement: Projects under the European Development Fund (EDF), under
the European Instrument for Democratisation and Human Rights (EIDHR), and under the EU
Emergency Trust Fund for Africa were implemented in the fields of citizen participation and
dialogue, women's rights, access to justice, and training to security forces. However, some
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EU projects were delayed in 2019 and implementation levels were weak. The Presidential
Decrees 1917 and 1918 (adopted in December 2018) on the functioning of domestic and
international NGOs in Chad involved some dispositions that were contested by Chad's
international partners (including the EU); it was considered that the implementation of some
provisions could be against humanitarian law and against some aspects of the EU-Chad
bilateral agreements (Cotonou Agreement). This led to the suspension of EU-funded projects
both regarding development cooperation and humanitarian aid. At the end of the year, the
suspension (affecting contracts for up to EUR 30 mil ion) was lifted, as Chad confirmed the
non-retroactivity of the Decrees. Two working groups –on political and technical levels—
gathering Chad and international partners were set up in December 2019 to continue
discussions on this matter.
5. Multilateral context: Chad's UPR review of November 2018 led to 204 recommendations;
it supported 195 of them during the 40th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2019,
showing greater commitment than in the previous UPR cycle. Chad showed signs towards
the abolition of the death penalty, which had figured prominently among the UPR
recommendations, with a draft law to revise the current law against terrorism that still
contains the death penalty. However, the Assembly has not yet adopted the law, and Chad
cancelled its high-level participation in the 7th World Congress against the Death Penalty
held in Brussels in February 2019.
Côte d'Ivoire
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Eight years after the post-
electoral crisis, the human rights situation in Côte d'Ivoire has generally improved.
Nevertheless, 2019 was marked by the persistence of unresolved challenges such as access
to basic social services, poor prison conditions (chronic overpopulation of more than 200%),
gender inequalities, violations of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly,
persistence of child labour, mainly in the agricultural and commercial sectors. Côte d'Ivoire
has stil to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture that would
establish a national mechanism for the prevention of torture.
Overall, progress has been made in promoting gender parity and criminal justice. The
adoption of the law promoting women running for elected assemblies constitutes progress.
Concerning the right to free and transparent elections, the National Assembly adopted on 30
July a law restructuring the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The law is contested by
a large part of the opposition and civil society due to the lack of consensus in its
development. The main criticism is related to the composition of the IEC, considered by the
opposition too favourable to power, and the lack of additional guarantees as regards its
administrative and financial autonomy. The new law was enacted and the IEC took office in
early October 2019. In 2016, the African Union’s African Court on Human and People’s Rights
ruled that the IEC needed to be reformed to be balanced and impartial.
The reconciliation process and transitional justice did not see significant developments in
2019. The 2018 amnesty remains challenged by civil society actors who believe that it
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contributes to impunity for serious violations of international law. Consequently, it
reinforced allegations of
political use of justice.
In view of upcoming presidential election
(October 2020), increasing pressure on political opponents started building up in 2019 with
judicial actions targeting several potential candidates or their supporters (e.g. Guillaume
Soro, Charles Blé Goudé, and former allies of the current majority).
Judicial and parliamentary institutions
enjoy limited independence. In January 2019, the
National Union of Magistrates of Côte d'Ivoire and the Association syndicale de la
magistrature declared that they have noticed ‘
a progressive deterioration in their moral and
psychological working conditions as a result of recurring violations of the laws governing
their corporations, threats, intimidation and interference in the performance of their duties’.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The five priority sectors in the EU Human Rights and
Democracy Country Strategy for 2016-2020 in Côte d'Ivoire are:
• Access to basic social services and respect for social rights: health, education, access
to water, decent employment and social protection;
• Women's right: combating discrimination, FGM, economic exploitation and
trafficking;
• Security and justice: promoting impartial and independent justice, fight against
impunity, access to justice, support the implementation of security sector reform;
• Children's right: combating economic exploitation and trafficking;
• Strengthening democratic culture and governance: civil society consultation access to
information and law, transparency and anti-corruption
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Since 2015, for Europe Day celebrated on 9 May, the
EU delegation to Côte d'Ivoire organises each year a Europe Week, which became a Europe
Month in 2019. On this occasion, several activities were organised, including a European Film
Festival in several popular districts of Abidjan, a Business Forum, a photography exhibition
and drawing contest with the theme of common values of the European Union and Côte
d'Ivoire. Europe Month also saw the launch of the EU’s first ‘Magic Tour’, a tour jointly
organised by the European Union and the Magic System Foundation. The Head of the EU
Delegation supported the 2019 edition of Abidjan’s Ciné Droit Libre, a film festival dedicated
to human rights and freedom of expression. The EU Head of the EU delegation intervened in
November with a keynote speech before the screening of a film on democracy in the world.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU and its Member States continued to support
the authorities and civil society, in the form of budget support and technical assistance in
the areas of good governance, security and justice:
- The EU-funded PROFORME project, implemented by ONU- DI, aims to improve
vocational training and to create jobs for the youth in Ivory Coast (EUR 29 million
through the EDF);
- The EU supports national intel igence community reform and national security strategy
(EUR 2.5 million 2017-2019, through the IcSP);
- The EU supports the strengthening of national police information col ection and sharing
systems with the West African Police Information System (WAPIS, EUR 28 million
through the EDF);
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- IcSP Decision 2019 ‘Support for Cohesion and National Security in Côte d'Ivoire’ was
launched with the objective of continuing support for Security Sector Reform (EUR 8
million);
- With regards to the justice sector, since 2019, the EU has been supporting trade justice
and transparency for a total of EUR 2 million;
- The project to extend and modernise civil protection (EDF, EUR 10 million over 2017-
2020) continued to provide the essential service of civil protection to Ivorians;
- Two projects under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)
were allocated:
- The FIACAT project (EUR 588,000) is funded by the EU to prevent torture and the
abuse of preventive detention in 10 detention and houses of correction;
- Support to the prison system in the prevention of torture and the fight against the
abuse of preventive detention in six detention and houses of correction for the
period 2020-2022 (EUR 521,000).
- The European Union decided in 2018 to support the civil status reform with budget
support of EUR 30 million;
- The ‘Building Peace and Addressing Vulnerable Youth in Fragile Areas’ project received
EUR 4 million (IcSP decision).
5. Multilateral context: The question of the respect for human rights in the current electoral
context is particularly sensitive. Following post-election violence in 2010-11, an ICC
investigation was opened in the situation of Côte d'Ivoire. The former president Laurent
Gbagbo and former youth minister Charles Blé Goudé were acquitted by Trial Chamber I on
15 January 2019. Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court have appealed a ruling that
acquitted Ivory Coast's former president.
Djibouti
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The government passed
legislation on the protection, prevention and care of women and children who are victims of
violence and on gender parity. It also prepared the ratification of the Convention on the
Protection of Children and Cooperation on International Adoption. The Human Rights
Commission started to become more active in 2019. It published the annual report for 2016
and presented the 2017-2018 report to the president. The Commission also strengthened
relations with the parliament. It is seeking compatibility with the Paris principles being aware
that it needs to strengthen its independence. The government continues to work on the
implementation of the Human Rights Strategic Plan for 2018-2021 and on a detailed action
plan for the Human Rights Commission.
The opposition’s ability to operate is constrained. The media is control ed and freedom of
assembly and association is restricted. There were allegations – which are difficult to verify
–of harassment in 2019 of human rights activists, of journalists and of outspoken opponents
of the government. Four Greek sailors and one Romanian sailor were held on two ships in
the port of Djibouti since 15 September 2019.
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Djibouti ranked 43rd out of 54 African countries screened in the Mo Ibrahim Index for
governance and 124 out of 180 countries with a score of 31/100 in Transparency
International's Perception of Corruption Index. It ranked 122 out of 176 countries with the
exact same score - 31/100 - in 2017.
In 2019, Djibouti set up a security system across the country, using sophisticated cameras as
anti-terrorist and crime prevention measures. The cameras are connected to a monitor
centre managed by the Republican Guard. Once operational, the cameras could al ow the
government to monitor the movements of individuals in Djibouti. The cameras tend to be
located at strategic junctions, including near diplomatic missions.
2. EU action – key focus area: One of the EU's human rights priorities in Djibouti is support
for credible human rights defenders, including institutions and NGOs by giving them the
means to carry out activities in the defence and promotion of human rights. The EU
delegation is also working on the protection of vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on
street children, migrants and refugees and the protection of the rights of women and
children. The delegation engages with the Government, with the Minister for Justice and in
particular with the Minister for Women and Family Affairs with a view to encourage dialogue
on human rights issues and the development of civil society.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Throughout 2019, Members of Parliament and
parliamentary staff at the National Assembly have been the main beneficiaries of an EU
project focused on human rights and gender with the aim to set up a human rights
committee in the coming months (in the meantime this has happened). Parliament
established a women's caucus in December.
In December 2019, the EU delegation signed a contract for an ambitious project on justice
reform, which should improve access to justice and improve the conditions of detainees,
especially minors and women, within the penitentiary system. The project includes capacity
building for the Human Rights Commission and the Mediator.
With a view to updating standards for journalists, the EU delegation and the Union de la
Presse Francophone organised an award ceremony for journalists with the Union.
Outreach on human rights took place in 2019. The Head of the EU Delegation carried out
several demarches with the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Interior on various claims
by opposition parties and human rights defenders. In March 2019, the EU delegation raised
with the authorities the refusal to return the passport to Abdulrahman Mohamed Guel eh, a
political opponent whose family lives in exile in Belgium. The following day his passport was
returned.
4. EU financial engagement: Several projects strengthening the capacities of the civil society
ranging from women’s rights to rural resilience and persons with disabilities. Under the 11th
EDF EUR 12 million is earmarked for civil society, decentralisation and gender equality. Other
projects are financed under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights
(EIDHR), as well as under the budget line for non-state actors.
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• Programme to consolidate democratic governance and anchor an inclusive and
equitable civic culture (EUR 2 million);
• Technical assistance for enhancing capacities of the civil society to strengthen impact
on development policies as well as justice, water, sanitation;
• Project focused on human rights and gender with a view to set-up a Human Rights
Committee in Parliament and establish a women’s parliamentary caucus (EUR
192,463);
• Project on Justice Reform to improve access and the conditions of detention,
including capacity building for the national Human Rights Commission and the
Mediator (EUR 4 million);
• Support for gender issues, capacity building of women and the protection of rights of
women and girls, in particular against GBV (EUR 7 million).
5. Multilateral context: Djibouti is firmly embedded in a multilateral context with the
presence of several international players and its position on the edge of one of the world’s
busiest trading route. It houses the seat of IGAD and participates in regional configurations.
Out of 203 recommendations made during the last UPR, Djibouti accepted 177
recommendations and noted 26.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, the United Nations Joint
Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) recorded 6.545 human rights abuses in the entire DRC
territory. This is a slight decrease (-4%) compared to 2018, and breaks the trend of the two
previous years (+5% in 2018 and +25% in 2017). Part of this can be explained by the fact that
since taking office, president Tshisekedi has taken some positive actions in terms of human
rights, such as freeing political prisoners, allowing exiled critics to return, and creating more
freedom of democracy. Since January 2019, there has been a significant decrease in
recorded human rights violations related to democratic space (-26%). Apart from human
rights violations linked to democratic space, 2019 was marked by non-respect for the right to
physical integrity, the right to liberty and security of person, the right to property, and the
right to life. Abuses included widespread sexual violence, looting, extrajudicial killings by
state agents, summary executions and massacres by militias, as well as forced labour.
Moreover, there was a rise in the number of deaths in detention, due to severe
overpopulation and consequent malnutrition in prisons throughout DRC. Lamentably, 2019
also saw a sharp increase (+38%) of sexual violence, with at least 1,054 victims compared to
650 victims in 2018.
In terms of actors, 2019 saw a decrease in human rights violations perpetrated by state
agents (-15%). This can mostly be explained by a significant decrease in the number of
violations perpetrated by agents of the intelligence services ANR (-55%) and of the national
police PNC (-20%). Meanwhile, the number of violations committed by non-state armed
actors increased (+14%), due to the proliferation and increased activism of militias in the
provinces of Maniema, South Kivu and North Kivu in particular. Since most human rights
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violations are linked to the precarious security situation, most violations have occurred in
the conflict-ridden provinces of eastern DRC, where hundreds of armed militia continue to
exist and where levels of human security are very low. Violence has spiked since the end of
October 2019, as the FARDC began its offensive against the militia Allied Democratic Forces
(ADF), who in turn responded with a series of massacres against civilians in the Beni area in
North Kivu province. The deadliest month of civilian deaths this year was December, with
197 civilians killed in the North and South Kivu provinces in attacks mostly attributed to the
ADF militia. 2019 saw the continuation of violence between the pro-Lendu militia Codeco
towards the Hema community in the Djugu territory in Ituri province, which were qualified
by the UNJHRO as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and, potentially, genocide.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU delegation engaged in demarches, for example when
lobbying for various human rights topics in the UN General Assembly Third Committee. Such
demarches were consulted broadly with Member States and like-minded states. Moreover,
the EU delegation established regular and constructive contact with relevant partners. These
included counterparts in national government, such as the minister of Human Rights and the
minister of Justice. At these meetings, the EU delegation has brought up several of its
country-specific priorities on human rights, for example concerning the need to reform the
malfunctioning justice system and, in extension, ameliorate the human rights situation of
prisoners.
The EU delegation has shown particular leadership in terms of the EU strategic priorities
relating to women's rights. The Head of the EU Delegation attended numerous conferences
and events to raise awareness about women's rights and topics such as female
entrepreneurship.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The Council decided on 9 December the renewal of EU
sanctions on 12 Congolese officials, mostly based on human rights violations criteria.
Following the adoption on the same day of the EU Council conclusions with a clear human
rights dimension, the EU delegation started the preparations for the Article 8 political
dialogue as set out in the Cotonou agreement that forms the framework of EU cooperation
in ACP countries. The dialogue will be held at the beginning of 2020 and wil be an important
occasion to raise the EU human rights priorities at the highest level of government.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU delegation continued its support to the protection of
Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), fight against sexual violence, freedom of expression, the
fight against impunity of mass rights violations, the fight against torture, military and civil
justice, the protection of vulnerable people working in the mines, and the electoral process.
In terms of the fight against sexual violence, the EU delegation renewed its support to the
work of the Panzi Foundation and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Mukwege’s efforts to combat
the root causes of sexual violence in a holistic manner. At the end of the year, the project
supporting vulnerable people working in the mines/pits in Mwenga was concluded, with
more than 300 children and sex workers supported and trained to generate other kind of
earnings.
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In the electoral observation domain, a project to strengthen civil society structures active in
electoral observation started implementation in 2015 and a second phase started in 2018.
The program supported the deployment of the SYMOCEL (Synergie des Missions
d'Observation citoyenne des elections) with 20 000 observers for presidential and legislative
elections by end 2018. The report published in mid-2019 presented recommendations to
reform the electoral law for more transparency, effectiveness and inclusiveness.
Given the volume and nature of the EU interventions in the environmental sector, the
important interlinkages between environment and human rights should be highlighted.
Within EU programs, support to the management of vast Protected Areas in remote
locations entails risks regarding human rights abuses. The EU has reinforced its scrutiny
regarding policies in place to accomplish contractual obligations on prevention of human
rights abuses in these areas.
5. Multilateral context: The EU has continued to support the MONUSCO mandate under UN
Security Council resolution 2463 (2019), which has a robust human rights dimension. The EU
has been closely coordinating with the UNJHRO, and has also actively promoted adoption of
the Resolutions on the DRC at the UN Human Rights Council in 2019.
State of Eritrea
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Overall, the human rights
situation in Eritrea remains a matter of concern as some human rights practices are not in
line with international standards. The internal space for independent debate and civil society
continues to be limited and control ed. There is no progress on implementing the 1997
Constitution or on drafting a new Constitution as rumours, circulating in the country, have it.
Certain health centres, education facilities and orphanages hitherto administered by the
Catholic Church have been transferred to the state over the last two to three years, including
in 2019 as only the state may run these kind of facilities. While the government indicated
willingness to cooperate with the UN in certain cases, in particular on social and economic
rights, it continues to refuse access for the UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea. The latter has
pointed to human rights abuses in military camps and to prisoners being held
in
communicado (unknown location) for political reasons.
Positively, following the peace declaration with Ethiopia in July 2018, the government
continued to open up to its neighbours, in particular Sudan and Somalia, and through
participation in regional fora on the Red Sea. There is a general recognition by the
government that the National Service – a large public work’s programme, which drafts in a
large portion of the country’s youth – as well as the economy have to be reformed, but it
seems that little has happened in practice. Nevertheless, in October the government
communicated a rise in salaries, which have been brought to a level comparable to the civil
service in Eritrea and its neighbours. In January, Eritrea became a member of the Human
Rights Council in Geneva.
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While waiting for reforms, thousands of Eritreans, mainly youth, are still fleeing the country,
as demonstrated by the flow towards Ethiopia fol owing the opening of the land borders
between the second half of 2018 and the first months of 2019. Il egal cross border
movement continues after the re-closure of borders, mainly to Sudan and Ethiopia. Illegal
crossing of EU borders has dropped significantly as has the number of Eritreans seeking
refugee status abroad. With a view to trafficking and smuggling-related issues, Eritrea has
taken over the Chairmanship of the Khartoum Process in early 2019.
The country started its third cycle of the UPR process in January 2019 and accepted
recommendations related to ratification of human rights convention, the legal framework,
and women’s rights, rights of other vulnerable groups and/or persons, civil and political
rights, economic, social and cultural rights. It has made progress in the latter area –
economic, social and cultural rights, - which is general y recognised. It is noteworthy that the
government prefers the wording ‘human dignity’ instead of ‘human rights’.
2. EU action – key focus area: The EU focused on improving the human rights situation by
encouraging Eritrea to actively participate in the UPR process and cooperate with the UN
system at large as well as offering its assistance in reforming the National Service. The EU is
supporting Eritrea in chairing the Khartoum process and voicing concern over migration and
human trafficking in the Horn of Africa region. Through its cooperation work on road
rehabilitation, the EU is contributing to implementing the peace with Eritrea and socio-
economic development, which should help over time, improve living standards and human
rights. The EU also supports civil society.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Dialogue with Eritrea on human rights expanded with
two meetings of the EUSR on Human Rights with the authorities and two Political Dialogue
meetings. Human rights related issues have been mainstreamed in all development
cooperation programmes. The implementation of the 'Procurement for emergency road
rehabilitation project' has facilitated a dialogue on the National Service, touching upon
labour issues implications with a view to improve health and safety standards on the road
construction sites (EUR 20 million).
In 2019, the EU continued its support to activities aiming at strengthening economic, social
and cultural rights, rights of vulnerable groups, such as people living with disabilities, women
and children, with the overal objective to strengthen and support the civil society.
In 2019, the EU delegation awarded three new contracts: two of them to two local civil
society groups and one to an international NGO working with a local organisation. Most of
the organisation are working on access to services for disadvantaged groups or are
community-based organisations.
A project addressed gender issues in the higher education area. Eventual y the contract was
terminated due to considerable chal enges and delays. The EU delegation also managed a
project aimed at building capacity for emergency situation in the health sector. In October, a
former Finnish police officer provided a rule of law training course to Eritrean judges, police
officers and prosecutors.
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For the 10th year in a row, the EU delegation celebrated the Human Rights Day in December
with a focus on the rights of women and children. Government officials have attended the
public event also.
4. EU financial engagement: Main instruments are the European Instrument for Democracy
and Human Rights (EIDHR) and the thematic budget lines. In 2019, ten ongoing contracts
were funded under thematic budget lines (EUR 3.4 million). Three new contracts were
awarded (EUR 1 million) concerning the strengthening of civil society, including the rights of
vulnerable groups. Under the road rehabilitation project (EUR 20 million) the EU engaged on
the implications for human rights (better equipment and training).
5. Multilateral context: The EU is engaging with Eritrea as a member of the Human Rights
Council through side meetings and in the framework of interactive dialogues. The EU is
working closely with its international partners, in particular the United Nations, to help
Eritrea improve the overall human rights situation. The EU Member States present in Asmara
support small scale NGO related and multilateral projects, mainly through UN agencies.
Eswatini
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, Eswatini continued to
strive to fulfil its democracy and human rights obligations. Frequent protest actions by
workers in the public sector took place during the year, demanding increases to their
salaries, which have been frozen for the past three years. Despite the country facing a deep
financial crisis, some lavish expenditures by the King and Government were observed and
drew widespread criticism from the domestic and international community. The
independence of the judiciary came into question again with the chief justice stating that the
judiciary was under siege by political elites who want regime change. Although the
government al owed the CSOs and LGBTI community to organise the pride parade in July
2019, an application for registration by an organisation ‘Eswatini Sexual and Gender
Minorities’ has been refused by the government citing that the objectives of the association
are unlawful under the Companies Act of 2009 and the Constitution. On a positive note, in
August 2019, the High Court rendered unconstitutional some sections of the Marriage Act of
1964 which regarded women married in community of property as minors to their husbands.
The ruling of the High Court is very important in the advancement of women rights and
gender equality in the country. Towards the end of 2019, increased intolerance by the
government to divergent views and opinions to the current political systems was witnessed
where leaders of political parties were targeted and harassed by the police for expressing
their views cal ing on the government to open the political space and al ow multi-party
democracy.
2. EU Action – key focus areas: Cooperation between the EU and Eswatini under the various
funding instruments such as the 11th EDF, CSO-LA and the EIDHR thematic budget lines
progressed very wel in 2019 with a number of projects implemented under the focal sectors
of agriculture, social protection, public finance management and trade. Projects
implemented with CSOs focused on the promotion and protection of democratic principles,
rule of law, rights and freedoms, gender equality and empowerment of women, rights of
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people living with disabilities and the implementation of the Sexual Offences and Domestic
Violence Act (SODVA) of 2018.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU-Eswatini political dialogue under Article 8 of
the Cotonou Agreement was not held in 2019 due to other pressing issues for the
government such as reviving the economy. Bilateral dialogues however, continued between
the Head of the EU Delegation and the King, the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers and civil
society organisations to discuss issues of mutual interest such as freedom of expression and
association, recognition of political parties, judicial independence, anti-corruption, gender,
trade, investments and business matters. The Head of the EU Delegation also engaged with
His Majesty King Mswati II during a formal bilateral meeting in February 2019, notably
drawing his attention to the respect of the Constitution as the supreme law of the country.
4. EU financial engagement: The 11 EDF social protection project implemented in
collaboration with the Deputy Prime Minister's office played an important role in supporting
advocacy initiatives aimed at curbing sexual offences and domestic violence in the country.
The agriculture projects particularly benefitted women through community mobilisation and
channel ing specific activities such as recognition of customary use of land by women and
widows who are disproportionately facing poverty in rural areas. In May 2019, the
government launched the 2019-2022 Strategic roadmap aimed at resuscitating the ailing
economy through fiscal adjustment and refocusing private sector growth. The EU has
supported the government to assist in the implementation of the strategic roadmap and
seize the economic rights of the population.
EU funded projects implemented by local government institutions have strengthened
inclusive good governance and accountability, participatory policy making and action plans
for effective service delivery at local level. Through the scorecard approach, constructive
dialogue and effective action plans between the different stakeholders and service providers
have been enhanced in the municipalities. The ''Rights for Al ' project implemented by the
South African Litigation Centre and COSPE and other local NGOs have also enhanced the
capacity of CSOs to produce shadow reports on international human rights treaties and
conventions. A project ‘Albinism in Eswatini' implemented by Minerva aimed at highlighting
the rights of marginalised groups such as people living with albinism is a good example of the
EU's approach of targeting vulnerable groups and ‘leaving no one behind’ in the
development agenda.
5. Multilateral context: Eswatini was lagging behind in terms of reporting on the various
international human rights conventions and treaties, which the country had ratified. In 2019,
the government set up a multi-sectoral committee that wil be responsible for coordinating
the reporting on international human rights instruments. Concerning the UPR, Eswatini was
last screened in 2016 and its progress is due to be reviewed again in 2020. The government
is yet to submit the state party report in preparation for the meeting in 2020. On the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Eswatini was reviewed by the UN Human
Rights Committee on progress made in the implementation of these conventions. In 2019,
the EU supported CSOs to prepare a shadow report on the CEDAW to be submitted to the
UN.
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Ethiopia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The country is undergoing a
transition since the newly appointed (in April 2018) Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a
series of economic and political reforms that are transforming the governance landscape of
Ethiopia, including an increase in the release of political prisoners, and the removal of exiled
political organisations from the terrorist list. Imprisoned journalists were released, and key
institutions (police, prison administration, justice sector) are undergoing deep reforms.
Restrictive legislation on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) was reviewed and drastically
improved. Appointments of new leaders for institutions such as the Supreme Court or the
National Election Board have provided additional energy into the reform process. The very
restrictive Anti-Terrorism Law has been reviewed but not approved in 2019. Daniel Bekele,
former Senior Director at Human Rights Watch, was appointed as the Head of the Ethiopian
Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which is undergoing a complete overhaul under his
tenure.
Ethnic tensions were on the rise in 2019 leading to clashes in different part of the country,
including in Amhara, Oromia, Benishangul Gumuz, Afar and Somali Regions, claiming the
lives of more than 1,200 people. The large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs)
remained unsolved, with numbers disputed by the government approximately amounting to
2.4 million. After a first period of denial/downplay, the government, in the attempt to
reduce numbers, used humanitarian assistance to incentivise returns, which continues to
raise serious human rights and humanitarian concerns. In the course of 2019, many
demonstrations were denied permission and organisers were arrested. Mass arrests
occurred after the Sidama referendum postponement (July 2019) and in Addis Ababa
(October 2019, two days after the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize), including
(temporarily) some journalists.
2. EU action - key focus areas: In 2019, EU action focused on the following areas:
• Promote electoral reforms, inclusive political party dialogue and citizens’
participation;
• A legal framework in line with international standards, accountable institutions, fair
trials and good prison conditions;
• Promote recognition of the positive role of civil society and media in society; space
for more independent and professional media and effective Human Rights Defenders
(HRDs) protection mechanisms;
• Promote decent work standards, a more equitable access to social services,
economic opportunities for women and youth, effective mechanisms to address
corruption issues, and address land issues;
• Protection of victims of human trafficking, safe and dignified return of irregular
migrants, protection of refugees in line with international standards, decent work
standards for migrant workers;
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In May, the EU Special Representative (EUSR) for
Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, visited Ethiopia. The EUSR met with the President, the Prime
Minister, the Head of the National Electoral Board, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
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the deputy Chair of the Peace and Reconciliation Commission, representatives from civil
society and media organisations, opposition parties and humanitarian organisations. This
visit focused on three topics: elections, transitional justice and the situation of IDPs.
In November, an Art.8 Dialogue was conducted with Foreign Affairs Minister Gedu
Andargachew. A wide range of issues was discussed, including human rights and
democratisation in Ethiopia.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU has designed a ‘Democratic package’ (EUR 26.8 million)
including the fol owing projects:
i. Establishing an environment for inclusive, knowledge-based dialogue on the political
process in Ethiopia, implemented by International IDEA since February 2019
(FPI/IcSP-funded project for 18 months, EUR 1 million).
ii. Supporting the legal and justice reform in Ethiopia, implemented by the Ethiopian
Lawyers Association (ELA) since April 2019 (EIDHR-funded project, 24 months, EUR
400,000).
iii. Prevention, Mitigation and Management of Election-related Conflicts and Potential
Violence in Ethiopia (PEV-ETHIOPIA), implemented by the European Centre for
Electoral Support (ECES) since June 2019 (FPI/IcSP-funded, for 18 months, EUR 3.6
million).
iv. Supporting the Ethiopian Political Parties Dialogue for political reform, implemented
by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) since October 2019
(FPI/IcSP-funded, for 18 months, EUR 1.8 million).
v. European Response to Electoral Cycle Support in Ethiopia (EURECS Ethiopia),
implemented by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) since October
2019 (EDF-funded project, 36 months, EUR 20 million including EUR 10 million from
Germany).
In early 2019, the EU-Ethiopia Civil Society Fund II (CSF II ) issued a call for proposal with the
total amount of EUR 11,750,000 for projects in the areas of ‘democratic governance and rule
of law’, ‘service delivery and community engagement’ and ‘gender equality, women’s and
girls’ empowerment and protection’. Twenty-four grants will contribute to strengthen
citizens’ participation.
5. Multilateral context: Several EU Member States (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg,
and Sweden) supported UN-led programmes in 2019, in various fields such as (i) Electoral
process, governance and judicial reform (UNDP); (ii) Sexual and reproductive health and
rights, gender equality, preventing violence against women (UNFPA and UN Women); (iii)
Support to refugees and asylum seekers (UNHCR).
Equatorial Guinea
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1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, the overall human
rights situation in Equatorial Guinea remained a source of serious concern: the regime
remains opaque and oppressive and human rights violations, in general, continued to be
reported. Freedom of expression, association and assembly remained severely curtailed.
Local activists faced intimidation, harassment and reprisals. The 2014 initiative to legalise
political parties has unfortunately not yet led to a positive dynamics – the opening has been
tightly controlled and opposition parties, or simple initiatives by party members, continued
to suffer attacks at the slightest sign of criticism. Political space remains extremely limited
and the last legislative, senatorial and municipal elections (November 2017) brought little
change in the composition of the parliament, where Obiang's party (
Partido Democratico de
Guinea Ecuatorial) revalidated 99 out of 100 seats and the opposition got only 1 seat.
There was no progress in the situation of the political party C.I (
Ciudadanos por la Inovación),
banned since 2018. Moreover, the NGO CEID (
Centro de Estudios et Iniciativas para el
Desarrollo) was declared illegal in 2019 and the political party CPDS (
Convergencia para la
democracia social), was threatened with dissolution in August 2019. In April 2019, the
Secretary General of CPDS, member of the International Socialist, was abducted and
imprisoned - at request of the Equatorial Guinean authorities - while attending a political
conference in N'Djamena (Tchad). He was later released following international diplomatic
pressure. The regime tightly controlled press and television (the only private TV station is
owned by President Obiang's son). Internet penetration remains low.
The space for civil society remained extremely narrow. Strict control and manipulation of the
registration of organisations remains a concern. That said, abuses and violations by security
forces against political activists and civil society were less systematically reported than in
2018. Small steps towards an improvement on the general human rights situation could be
noted: the moratorium on death penalty established in 2014 continued to be respected and
the country participated actively to the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), at
the UN HRC in Geneva, in May 2019. A ‘dialogue platform’ (
Mesa de diálogo) is in place and
celebrated its 6th session in July 2018. The EU delegation was invited as observer. The
dialogue allowed demands from CSOs and a number of political parties to be heard by the
ruling elite, though concrete results are yet to be seen. The Justice Sector Reform, including
a new criminal code, announced in 2018, is not yet being implemented. The country has, so
far, maintained its commitment with IMF for a series of reforms, which will include
Equatorial Guinea joining the EITI (Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative). As a result of
EITI membership, Equatorial Guinea will need to submit its extractive activities to the
screening of civil society actors. This may contribute to expand political space and visibility
for CSOs and other Non-Governmental Actors, though they wil need to acquire additional
skills to exert an effective role.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The
EU's priority is to continue support for greater freedom
and civil society contributions, focusing on economic, social and cultural rights. The EU
attaches great importance to the situation of political activists. Support for the role of civil
society and non-governmental actors, who are weak and systematically undermined,
continues to be needed, including actions underpinning the long-term security and
protection of human rights defenders. Although the 2006 law on NGOs theoretically allows
them to work on human rights issues, there is no registered association that explicitly works
on the topic - a sign of the stigma and harsh context for human rights. In this context, the
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outlawing of the NGO CEID in June 2019 and the repeated harassment of his leader was an
additional source of concern. Local NGO's also need support in matter of on project cycle
management and EU grants procedures. The ful abolition of the death penalty (and its
elimination from the Criminal Code) also remains among EU objectives (Equatorial Guinea
adopted a moratorium when they became a member of the Community of Lusophone
Countries-CPLP in 2014). Since then, two death penalty sentences were pronounced in
September 2016 but never executed.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The first session of Political Dialogue in six years,
between the EU and Equatorial Guinea, took place on 26-27 November 2018. A formal
follow-up session could not be held in 2019 for organisational and logistic reasons (in
September 2019 the accreditation for Equatorial Guinea changed from the EU delegation to
Gabon to the EU delegation to Cameroon). Nevertheless, a mission by the EU delegation in
July 2019 al owed for substantive meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his
deputy to fol ow up on the political dialogue. During bilateral diplomatic talks, both in
Malabo and in HQ, the EU continued to raise questions on human rights' shortcomings, and
expressed calls for greater freedoms for human rights defenders, political and civil society
activists, and artists. Equatorial Guinea generally denied the existence of political
persecution in the country and attributed the relevant reports to ‘fake news’ or ‘arrestations
linked to common crimes’. HR/VP statements on the November 2017 elections and, in
February 2018, on the trial conducing to the outlawing of the party CI and the condemnation
of 25 militants (subsequently released under a presidential pardon) were issued. The EU
called on Equatorial Guinea ‘to make all necessary efforts to ensure compliance with
democracy and human rights, international norms and standards’. The new Head of the EU
Delegation has been accredited but has not yet presented his credentials. No bilateral
projects were funded from the European Development Fund (EDF) because Equatorial
Guinea did not ratify, in 2011, the revised version of the Cotonou Agreement between the
EU and ACP countries. Equatorial Guinea has formally expressed interest in joining the Post-
Cotonou Framework when it will become effective in 2021 but, having in the meantime
moved to ‘upper-middle-income’ status, they wil not be able to benefit from bilateral
grants.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued to provide financial support
to
projects funded through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights
(EIDHR). The projects are active (i) to strengthen health rights in Sampaka; (ii) to establish a
strategy promoting health and education rights in nine districts; and (iii) to protect and
guarantee rights of children, adolescents and family living in conditions of extreme poverty
in Bata. In 2019, two new projects (total ing EUR 452.000) were approved and both are due
to start in the first quarter of 2020. In one, the NGO Transparência e Integridade –
Associação Cívica (TIAC) will provide support, protection and capacity building for civil
society activists and organisations working in the field of human rights promotion and good
governance. In the other, Aldeas Infantiles ‘SOS’ Guinea Ecuatorial with the support of SOS-
Kinderdörfer weltweit - Hermann-Gmeiner-Fonds Deutschland, will provide support in
strengthening child protection and reducing gender violence in the slums of Malabo.
5. Multilateral context: Equatorial Guinea is not a state party to the International Criminal
Court and it has not signed the Rome Statute. Equatorial Guinea has ratified the African
Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights but not the Protocol on the Establishment of an
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African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. Moreover, Equatorial Guinea did not ratify the
African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance either, despite repeated calls to do
so over the years. Equatorial Guinea submitted to the Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR) by
the Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council, in May 2019. The review noted the
progress made on the recommendations made in 2014 and, in particular, the progress in the
ratification of a number of international instruments/conventions. The HRC made 221
recommendations. Of these, the large majority was accepted (204 recommendations – 92%);
11 rejected; and 6 noted. Notable rejections included: the recommendations to extend a
standing invitation to the UN Rapporteur on Human Rights and other special procedures; the
recommendation to investigate and hold responsible security forces and government
officials for human rights violations and other abuses; the recommendation to ratify the
African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. Equatorial Guinea supported the
customary UNGA resolution for a moratorium on death penalty in December 2019.
Equatorial Guinea has requested technical support for the harmonisation of legislation from
the Community of Lusophone Countries-CPLP in the framework of the death penalty
moratorium. A request of support from EU for the reform of the Judicial and Penitentiary
System was raised during the bilateral ‘dialogue session’ of November 2018.
Gabon
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: 2019 saw the continuation of
deep divisions and political and social crisis that has gripped Gabon since the 2016
presidential elections. The situation as regards democracy, civil liberties, rule of law and
separation of powers remains worrying. Freedom of assembly and expression remains
practically non-existent, with a systematic banning or shutting down forcefully of al political
protests. Freedom of press is seriously limited. Long-term pre-trial detention of political
opponents remains a concern.
Fight against corruption is one of the priorities mentioned in the President and the Prime
Minister Agenda. Several government reshuffles followed major corruption scandals, albeit
these and other measures were widely considered as partial and politically motivated.
Ritual crimes (abduction and murder of children) have provoked civil unrest and violence.
Links with institutional figures and politicians have been reported, with one high level official
being arrested
Gabon’s decision to criminalise homosexual relationships in October (up to 6 months in jail
and FCFA 5 million penalty) is a clear breach of the non-discrimination principle.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The EU aims to focus especially on the fol owing human
rights issues: (i) democracy and governance, (ii) corruption, (iii) harsh conditions in prisons
and lengthy pre-trial detention, (iv) ritual crimes, (v) arbitrary detention, torture and forced
disappearances. These go hand-in-hand with the concomitant aims to improve the
independence of the institutions, strengthen civil society, guarantee free and fair elections,
ensure the freedom of expression and association and the enjoyment of al other civil and
political rights, and foster a culture of transparency and accountability. The gender
dimension is mainstreamed throughout these main areas.
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3. EU bilateral political engagement: On 11 July 2019, Gabon offered the EU to resume the
intensified political dialogue (IPD) which had been suspended since October 2017 by the
Gabonese authorities precisely at the session intended to deal with human rights issues. The
IPD took place during the last week of November 2019 and al outstanding issues were
covered (human and fundamental rights, democratic governance and elections). A working
group was established to continue the analysis and to inform periodically the regular
political dialogue on these issues.
The EU delegation was in regular contact with political stakeholders to promote the rule of
law, fundamental freedoms, civil and political rights and good governance. The EU
delegation continued to monitor closely the situation of political detainees and maintained
regular contact with civil society, and with the lawyers of detainees in such cases, in order to
be kept as informed as possible about the detention status of political and other prisoners,
as well as the prison conditions.
The EU delegation maintained contact with the President of the National Commission for
Human Rights (NCHR) and a full range of political representatives. However, the NHRC
continues to not be operational due to insufficient resources and questions over its
independence.
4. EU financial engagement: In September 2019, the EU and UNDP signed a convention to
finance a Project for promotion and protection of Human Rights in Gabon, which targets
capacity building of institutional and non-governmental organisations. The program has
three main axes: support to the CNDH (National Commission of Human Rights) to comply
with international standards; capacity building of civil society and media to be able to follow
human rights violations and setting up a framework for coordination and cooperation
between state and non-state actors.
Several EIDHR's projects were implemented in 2019, focusing on promotion and support of
HHRR in Gabon, support to civil society, protection and support of HR defenders and more
specific projects on gender and children.
5. Multilateral context: The EU made several interventions at the Human Rights Council in
Geneva (one in every session of 2019) to make a number of key and priority points on
Gabon.
Ghana
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Ghana is ranked ‘free’ in the
Freedom in the World Index 2019 by
Freedom House, with a score of 83 out of 100
9 and
with a rating of 1.5.
10 The report lauds Ghana's competitive multiparty elections and
relatively strong record of upholding civil liberties. On the negative side, discrimination
9 Where 100 is completely free.
10 On a scale of 1 to 7 with one representing the greatest degree of freedom and 7 the smal est degree of
freedom.
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against women and LGBTI persons, weaknesses in judicial independence and the rule of law
and (political) corruption persist
Ghana declined in the World Freedom of the Press Index 2019
by Reporters without Borders,
losing its status as Africa's best ranking country. Ghana ranked 27th, falling back several
places from 2018 (23th). The decline stems from a string of hostile attacks on journalists
since January 2018, in some cases reportedly carried out by police officers.
Corruption perception remains an important concern for Ghanaian people and media, its
position in the Transparency International Index 2019 remained stable. Ghana scores 41 out
of 100 in 2019 (as in 2018, being 0 a highly corrupt country) and is in 80th position out of 180
countries.
Prison overcrowding remains an issue in the penal system in the country. In Ghana impunity
remains one of the major problems, especially with reference to corruption cases. A positive
development was the institution of a Special Prosecutor Anti-Corruption but his office has
still not been provided with adequate resources to start tangible work. For certain crimes,
the death penalty stil exists. It has not been carried out for a long time. There is a
considerable number of cases of unlawful pre-trial detention and detention without charges.
A positive step was the passing of the Right to Information Bill in March 2019. The Bill, set to
be implemented in 2020, holds that everyone has the right to file requests for access to
information concerning al documentation held by or on behalf of public authorities (with
some exceptions) within a reasonable timeframe. The government also rolled out an e-
Justice system to replace manual filing. The system is expected to increase accountability,
transparency and efficiency in the judicial system.
2. EU action - key focus areas: Concerning Economic and Social rights the EU continued to
fund the Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law and Accountability Programme (ARAP), aimed at
promoting good governance in Ghana by reducing corruption and improving accountability
and compliance with the rule of law, anti-corruption, accountability and environmental
governance.
As regards migration, the second meeting on the Ghana-EU Migration Dialogue, focusing on
the preparation of a Joint Action Plan fol owing the five pillars of Valletta, took place in
January 2019. The EU together with France launched in 2019 a regional program on the fight
against human trafficking in the states of the Gulf of Guinea. Moreover, the EU signed two
national EUTF projects, one on strengthening border management and a second one on
climate change and job creation. Through a joint initiative with IOM, the EU also supports
migrant protection and reintegration.
Child labour is a major issue in Ghana: UNICEF estimates that 21 per cent of all children aged
5 to 17 years are involved in some form of child labour and 14 per cent are engaged in
hazardous forms of labour. Mainly stemming from poverty, child labour inhibits many
children from attending school. Abductions and trafficking of children also feed the
phenomenon. Child labour is especial y prevalent in the fishery industry, the cocoa sector
and in (illegal) mining. The number of children begging in the streets has decreased since last
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year's appeal by the Minister for Gender and Social Protection to the public to stop giving
money to child beggars. Child hawkers on the streets remain common.
Child marriages
are common: 21% of girls aged 20-24 are married before the age of 18.
Other serious issues include domestic violence, other gender-based violence (including
Female Genital Mutilation) and sexual abuse, trafficking, exposure of children with
disabilities to inhumane and degrading treatment, relatively high levels of neo-natal, infant
and under-five mortality, malnutrition, and the overall absence of a comprehensive policy
and strategy on children.
Gender and effective implementation of non-discriminatory policies
: currently there are only
36 women out of the 275 seats in Ghana's parliament. Women's groups attribute this low
number of female representation to the lack of support by political parties, the high cost of
campaigning, a generally hostile and harsh political climate and traditional attitudes as
inhibiting factors to women's participation in politics. The Affirmative Action Bill prepared in
August 2016 has not been passed by the Parliament, and seems to be resisted by the
majority.
Adolescent pregnancies are on the rise and there is a culture of silence around sexual
education. In 2019, the Ghanaian government together with UNESCO and UNFPA came out
with a new Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme to be introduced in
schools. Regrettably, several religious leaders followed by the wider public met the
programme with massive opposition, eventually leading to the withdrawal from the school
curricula.
Discrimination against
LGBTI persons continues. Same-sex sexual acts are criminalised under
the Ghanaian Criminal Code. While the law is rarely if ever enforced, the social environment
remains tense and issues of sexual orientation and gender identity are highly sensitive.
Persecution, physical violence and psychological abuse against the LGBTI persons are
common. Religious and some political leaders play a strong role in (mis)informing the public
and forming the view that homosexuality is an abomination or 'Western' invention.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In April 2019, the Head of the EU Delegation opened a
lecture titled ‘ender Issues in Europe: Lessons for Ghana’ at Ghana University, organised
under the funding contract between the EU and the Centre for European Studies. The
delegation also participated in the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence
between October and November 2019. EU was active in UNICEF'S campaign for the 30th
anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The Head of EU
Delegation contributed to the 16 days social media campaign of the ‘Enough’ project, as well
as to the UN campaign.
The EU Election Follow-up Mission (EFM) deployed in September conducted an assessment
of the election framework and the state of play of the implementation of the 2016 EU
Election Observation Mission (EOM) recommendations. The EFM also held a roundtable,
bringing together key electoral stakeholders in order to exchange views and build consensus
on how the EU EOM recommendations could be implemented, in the run up to the 2020
general elections. By the time of deployment of the EFM, one recommendation had been
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fully addressed, related to the adoption of the Right to Information Bill. From the six EU EOM
recommendations involving EC operational reforms, two have been partially addressed.
11
In November 2019, the EU delegation had a gender training focused on awareness-raising
and on identifying entry points for gender mainstreaming in projects funded by the EU. The
Country Gender analysis for Ghana
prepared in 2018 continues to guide the work of the
Delegation in its work on gender equality and girls' and women’s empowerment. Ghana was
the main guest speaker at the European parliament event on 20 November 2019 in Brussels
for the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as it was the first
country to sign it.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU delegation is funding a multi-year project implemented
by Oxfam Ghana and WilLDAF Ghana working to end
gender-based violence (GBV). The
‘Enough’ project aims to create an enabling environment for girls and women to know, claim
and exercise their rights to end GBV. In 2019, two grants contracts were signed with two civil
society organisations under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights call
for proposals on the fight against child labour. The two civil society organisations selected
work on the fight against child labour in the fishing economy in the Volta region, where
children are lured and trafficked to work in disentangling fishnets under water. The CSOs will
work on sensitisation and awareness-raising on the issue, building the capacity of the local
communities to protect the rights of children.
5. Multilateral context: Ghana has signed and ratified most existing human rights
instruments
including International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions. It also exist the
political will from all ends of the political spectrum to honour all previously signed and
ratified instruments.
Guinea Bissau
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Overall, the human rights
situation in Guinea Bissau remained worrying in 2019. However, the general security
situation was stable and progress was achieved in promoting gender parity and the rights of
LGBTI persons.
In 2019, elections were finally held with parliamentary elections taking place on 10 March
and presidential elections first and second round respectively on 24 November and 29
December. The result of the second round was contested and opened a period of
uncertainty in terms of full respect for the constitutional order.
The freedom of the media and access to information was not guaranteed and journalists
continued to censor themselves when covering the government’s shortcomings, organised
crime and the military’s continuing influence. This situation is a consequence of the political
impasse after the 2012 coup, which polarised the media and journalists, weakened them and
left them vulnerable to political influence and pressure. Government interference in the
11 The final report of the EFM to Ghana can be accessed at
http://database.eueom.eu
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state-owned media resulted in the replacement of most of directors of media outlets and
some journalists fleeing abroad to escape threats and intimidation.
Access to justice continued to be seriously affected by high costs of legal services. The lack of
independence of the justice system was often exploited by political and individual
motivations. The penitentiary system continued to face challenges in particular as regards
detainment conditions, which remained below international standards and the lack of
trained staff, which entails a high risk that the rights of detainees would not be respected.
Economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to adequate food, housing, education,
health, social security, cultural life, water and sanitation, and the right to decent work,
continued to be at risk in 2019. Women and girls' rights continued to be seriously threatened
by the practice of female genital mutilation and early and forced marriages, despite the legal
ban and solid rejection by the State of these harmful practices.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The priority sectors in the strategy of the EU Human Rights
and Country Democracy 2016-2020 in Guinea Bissau are:
• Promoting democracy and the rule of law;
• Supporting freedom of information;
• Improving access to justice for the victims of crime and protecting the rights of
detainees;
• Raising awareness of the need to promote women's rights, notably regarding fight
against domestic and sexual violence, trafficking and sexual exploitation, FGM, and to
assist and preserve the dignity of the victims;
• Promoting and protecting the rights of the child, notably against violence, trafficking
and sexual abuse;
• Supporting civil society countrywide to actively promote and propagate the defence
of these values.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In the framework the Human Rights Day celebrations
on 10 December, the EU delegation supported the 'Award on Journalism and Human Rights'
granted by the independent human rights institution Liga Guineense dos Direitos Humanos
(LGDH). The EU delegation organised different communication activities, mostly through
social media, focusing on promotion of human rights. On 25 November, the EU delegation
together with the Minister of Justice celebrated the International Day for the Elimination of
Violence against Women with the UN Orange campaign. On 20 November, on the Children's
Rights Day, the EU delegation joined the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child with the UN agencies and the relevant Ministers. On 9
December, the EU delegation held a speech at the opening ceremony of the ECOMIB military
forces training on ‘Sexual violence and the protection of women and girls in conflict
environment’. The EU delegation participated in the 'Quinzena dos Direitos', between 1-15
December, gathering different activities in the areas of culture and education on rights,
organised by the most relevant actors in Bissau, NGOs, diplomatic missions and agencies.
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4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU provided further financial support to projects
through EDF, DCI and EIDHR, but also through the EU Trust Fund for Africa on Migration and
IcSP:
- Projects including actions for the rights of children and contribution to the coherence of
the public policies of social protection of the child and to the development of an
inclusive society (Kumpu Tera de Mininiesa); the rights of the handicapped (advocacy,
right to education);
- Innovative project promoting the right to Health ended in 2019 and a new contract to
extend the CSO-managed work of the ‘Gabinete do Utente (Direito a Saúde)’ was singed
(approximately EUR 150,000).
- Support to Guinean League for Human Rights was granted in support of key activities as
running the ‘House of Human Rights’, raising awareness, training for activists and CSO
leaders on freedom of expression and manifestation, and also supporting the Journalist
Prize on Human Rights;
- Support to Democracy and prevention of violence and participation was granted via EU
basket fund for elections (EUR 3.5 million);
- CSO support for the election domestic monitoring (within a regional FPI programme –
about EUR 200,000), support to participation of marginalised people to elections,
including accessibility of pol ing stations (about EUR 100,000);
- In 2019, the EUR 22 million project in health sector supporting health rights, with
specific approach on women and children rights (Maternal and child Health Programme
PIMI II);
- Migration related projects support the fight against irregular migration and warnings
against trafficking (EUTF – EUR 2 million);
- Project to strengthen the voice of civil society as a watchdog of natural resources was
signed with the same NGO (about EUR 200,000);
- Direct support to the Basket fund managed by the UNDP for the organisation and
realisation of elections, with an overall contribution of EUR 3.5 million, including civil
register and realisation of legislative and presidential elections.
5. Multilateral context: In the course of 2019, no progress was noted towards the
ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Guinea
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Overall, progress has been made
particularly in the adoption of legislative texts (new civil code), but the human rights,
democracy and rule of law situation remained worrying. The year 2019 was marked by the
persistence of unresolved chal enges such as access to basic social services and the fight
against corruption.
Parliamentary elections, as they are to be held in conjunction with the constitutional
referendum in spring 2020, are likely to exacerbate the country’s political/ethnic/social
cleavages. Since October 2019, the opposition organised weekly demonstrations during
which clashes caused more than thirty deaths.
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Civil society is largely supported by international organisations but concerns persisted on the
freedom of association. Guinean law protects the right to protest. However, requiring
protesters to notify local authorities before the planned demonstration, the government
introduced an informal protest ban in July 2018. In the field of freedom of expression, the
relationship between the government and Guinean media professionals deteriorated in
2019. A ‘Law on the prevention and repression of terrorism in Guinea’ promulgated in 2019
contains unclear provisions that could be used to impede freedom of expression.
Concerning access to justice and the fight against impunity, progress could be observed
(adoption of a new Children's Code and Civil code). However, the penitentiary system
continued to face chal enges in particular as regards detainment conditions (chronic
overpopulation). As part of the fight against impunity, the State supports of the start of the
trial to hold accountable the al eged perpetrators of the 28 September 2009 stadium
massacre. However, victims have waited for justice for more than 10 years and the trial
seems not to be a priority anymore.
Economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to adequate food, housing, education,
health, social security, cultural life, water and sanitation, and the right to decent work,
continued to be at risk in 2019.
Concerning gender equality, the Guinean Constitution recognises the same rights for women
and men to access services and resources. With support from development partners,
including the EU, the Government of Guinea has adopted various initiatives to improve girls’
access to education, such as the African Girls Education Initiative (AGEI). Although the state
is committed to promoting gender equality and combating violence against women and girls,
the revised Civil Code still discriminates against women and does not criminalise marital
rape. The Guinean Constitution prohibits torture as well as any cruel, degrading or inhuman
treatment, however, 97.5% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have undergone
genital mutilation (FGM) as well as 39% of girls between the ages of 0 and 14. The 2016
Criminal Code prohibits these practices but its application is very permissive (few
investigations and sanctions).
2. EU action - key focus areas: The priority sectors of the EU Human Rights and Democracy
Country Strategy 2016-2020 in Guinea are: (i) justice and the fight against impunity; (ii)
democratisation and the fight against corruption; (iii) ensuring safety; (iv) gender equality;
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU supported the Ministry of National Unity and
Citizenship, which enacted the ‘National Policy Letter for the Promotion and Protection of
Human Rights’ in July 2019. Concerning the right to justice and in the context of the dialogue
with the Ministry of Justice, the EU delegation insisted on handling remand cases as a
priority. The EU delegation strengthened the collaboration with civil society through regular
coordination meetings.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU and the Member States continued to support
the authorities and civil society:
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- EIDHR/CSO-LA instruments, IcSP (WANEP) and bilateral cooperation PARJU help in
the fol ow-up of specific human rights issues with civil society and have strengthened
the role of NGOs.
- The EU launched a call for proposals consisting of two lots, funded respectively by
the CSO-LA and EIDHR programmes. The amount available was therefore entirely
allocated to two proposals on combating violence against women, specifically against
female genital mutilation, for a total of EUR 300,000;
- The EU support for security system reform is important and is continuing with the
third security sector reform programme, funded by the 11th EDF (PARSS 3), launched
in 2018;
- In 2019, a large number of activities for the benefit of the Ministry of Security and
Civil Protection were implemented: training for police officers and officers,
renovation of two central police stations, as wel as ongoing support to the Human
resources directorate of the Ministry;
- A regional project is addressing human trafficking in 6 countries: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire,
Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria and Togo (EUTF worth EUR 17.4 million);
- To help prevent the emergence of violent extremism in Guinea through support from
community and institutional actors, the EU funded the NGO Search for Common
Ground Guinea in partnership with Quale as part of the project ‘United in our
differences! Promoting peaceful coexistence’, implemented from April 2018 until
October 2019.
5. Multilateral context: Following the 2018 political dialogue postponed to 30 January 2019,
no other session of Article 8 dialogue was held in 2019 due to political tensions.
Guinea underwent the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), on 21 January 2019. During this
session, Spain made recommendations related to the (i) Ratification of the Optional Protocol
to the Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, as
wel as the creation of a national mechanism for prevention and investigation independent
of all reports of torture; (ii) decriminalisation of same-sex adult relationships and promotion
of human rights of LGBTI persons; (iii) urgent development of strategies to eradicate Female
Genital Mutilation; (iv) ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health services; (v)
adoption as soon as possible of a new Civil Code that removes all discriminatory provisions
against women in the field of family law.
Kenya
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Human rights abuses such as
extra-judicial kil ings, disappearances and unlawful detentions continue to be reported by
civil society organisations, with the police singled out as a source of a number of problems.
Conflicts over land rights coupled with evictions of tribal groups from ancestral lands,
al egedly sometimes in the name of business interests disguised as conservancy needs,
continued to occur. 2019 was also dominated by headlines about the fight against
corruption, an all-pervasive problem in Kenya, in the wake of the high profile arrests of the
Treasury Minister (Cabinet Secretary) Henry Rotich and Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko. These
indictments have not yet led to convictions and seizures of assets. Political discourse in
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Kenya in 2019 was dominated by speculation and discussion about the purpose and
substance of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI). The BBI had been launched by President
Kenyatta Raila Odinga, following their 9 March 2018 'Handshake', as a way of exploring an
alternative, less conflictual approach to Kenyan politics that would lead to a reduction of
violence during elections. The 159-page BBI report, the outcome of the reflection process,
was published on 27 November 2019. It recommended a series of political reforms, including
changes to the executive, some of which are likely to require constitutional changes. The
effect of the publication of the BBI report has so far been two-fold: on the one hand, it has
brought a number of the previously sceptical opposition party leaders somewhat closer to
the Kenyatta camp. On the other hand, the political rift within the ruling Jubilee Party
between the supporters of President Kenyatta and the supporters of his Deputy President
William Ruto, which was triggered by the ‘handshake’, has continued. Ruto, along with
several other opposition leaders, consider, the BBI as vote-garnering vehicle for Odinga, his
rival to the Presidency in 2022. Nevertheless, Ruto and his allies were giving signals that at
the very least they could support the general substance of the BBI report, if not the form
that the BBI process has taken so far.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU delegation focused on five key priorities in 2019: (i)
Civic Space, (ii) Human Rights and Security Forces, (iii) Impunity and Accountability, (iv)
Human Rights Defenders and (v) Women's Rights. These priorities served as a basis for both
operational programming and diplomatic outreach.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In autumn 2019, the Head of the EU Delegation invited
a broad range of human rights CSOs during a dinner to discuss the human rights challenges
in Kenya, and on another occasion in the same period met with representatives of groups
defending their ancestral lands. The Head of the EU Delegation also engaged on with key
actor such as the Director of Public Prosecution, the Chief Justice, the Director of Criminal
investigations and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission on corruption. Throughout
2019, the EU delegation and EU Member States participated in meetings with human rights
defenders held (approximately bi-monthly) at the Belgian embassy which served as the EU's
designated HRDs' contact point. Human Rights issues were also addressed in the first half of
2019 through the Whole of Society Dialogue.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued implementing the Programme for
Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery (PLEAD), a five-year justice support programme of EUR
34.15 million aimed at improving access to legal aid and the expeditious delivery of justice.
The programme targets the counties with the five largest urban centres and seven counties
in the most marginalised areas in Kenya and is implemented through the Department of
Justice (implementation of the new legal aid act), Amkeni Wakenya (UNDP led facility
supporting local Civil Society Organisations contributing to the delivery of legal aid services),
and UNODC (supporting Judiciary, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the
Kenya Probation and Aftercare Service, the Witness Protection Agency, and the National
Council on the Administration of Justice.
Following an EIDHR call for proposals a focused on ‘Human Rights and law enforcement’ in
2017, the fol owing projects were being implemented in 2019:
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(a) The Danish Institute for Human Rights (EUR 410,000), working directly with the
Independent Police Oversight Authority to provide training on human rights and extra-
judicial killings;
(b) The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (EUR 387,000), focusing on
institutional strengthening, monitoring of Kenya's international obligations, and
investigation and redress of human rights violations related to extra-judicial killings and
torture, the UPR process, training and awareness raising around torture, etc.;
(c) Peace Brigades International (EUR 414,000), working at the grassroots level with two
community-based organisations to support human rights defenders and enhance dialogue
between the police and local population in Nairobi’s urban settlements;
(d) the Death Penalty Project (EUR 393,000) in providing legal assistance and support to
criminal defence/human rights lawyers, capacity-building of legal and medical professionals
involved in capital cases; and to campaign in favour of the abolishment of the death penalty.
In 2019, the EU launched an EIDHR cal for proposals aimed at Human Right Defenders
organisations in Kenya. Following this call, the EU delegation awarded grants to the
following projects:
(a) WE EFFECT (EUR 445,000) Enhancing Women Land Rights at Grassroots Level in
Kakamega, Busia, Nairobi and Mombasa Counties;
(b) Protection International Kenya (EUR 445,000): Supporting Women HRDs and their
grassroots organisations in Mathare to document and prevent Extrajudicial Executions;
(c) CESVI (EUR 445,000): Protection and promotion of children best interest in the Kenyan
Juvenile Justice System;
(d) MINORITY RIGHTS Group (EUR 440,000): Ethnic Minority Defenders: Amplifying the
voices of indigenous Ogiek (Mau Forest and Mt Elgon), Sengwer (Embubut Forest), Endorois
(Bogoria) and Awer (Boni Forest), to advocate for their rights to health & education (contract
still to be signed).
5. Multilateral context: Kenya will undergo a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2020. In
October 2019, Kenyan civil society organisations presented their review of the human rights
situation in Kenya and analysed the status of implementation of the UPR recommendations.
The Kenyan government accepted 192 (76%) out of the 253 recommendations.
Kingdom of Lesotho
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: After some delays, the national
reforms consultation process ended with the second and last Multi-Stakeholder National
Dialogue (MSND) plenary session from 25 to 27 November 2019. The final report of the last
MSND was handed over on 18 December 2019 in a solemn ceremony to Communications
Minister Thesele Maseribane (representing the Prime Minister), opposition leader Mathibeli
Mokhotu, and SADC Facilitation Team Member Mohamed Enver Surty (representing Cyril
Ramaphosa). The report contains the decision of reforms adopted by the last MSND.
Fol owing this phase of consultation and negotiation, Lesotho is due to start in 2020 with the
implementation of decisions taken at the second MSND. With the conclusion of the reforms
dialogue, the National Reforms Authority, encompassing representatives of political parties
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and various sections of society, wil be guiding the implementation of constitutional,
parliamentary, judicial, public sector, security sector, media and economic reforms. The
reforms process also included several projects and platforms, such as the National Leaders
Forum, which analysed and discussed expert reports. Despite this progress, political
upheaval between and within both the government and opposition parties persists. There
have been two snap elections in the past eight years, holding the country back in
implementing long-delayed reforms. A remaining issue of concern in the field of human
rights and democracy is repeated police brutality, including severe mistreatment and torture
of detainees, which, in several cases, has led to deaths of persons in police custody. The
issue was addressed in the national reforms dialogues, and resulted in the proposal to
establish a Police Complaints Authority as oversight body in order to regain control over the
matter. In addition, high levels of corruption persist and continue to be a serious chal enge
for the country.
2. EU action – key focus areas: EU priorities and policy dialogue on human rights and
democracy focused on the issues of women´s participation, social protection, rights of LGBTI
persons and strengthening of local human rights organisations. Actions identified within EU
instruments focus on the reinforcement of the justice system and on improving transparency
and accountability in decision-making.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: On 29 March, the Article 8 Political Dialogue took place
between the Government of Lesotho and the European Union. Several representatives of
Member States' embassies accredited to Lesotho but resident in Pretoria attended. No EU
Member States have a permanent presence in Lesotho. The UK re-opened a High
Commission in Maseru in May 2019.
The reforms discussions were overshadowed by the ongoing crisis in the main party of the
ruling coalition, the Al Basotho Convention, which underlines the importance of successfully
completing the reforms. The national dialogue and reforms process remains the principal
concern for the EU delegation. Its active engagement with government, opposition
politicians and civil society organisations (CSOs), and support for the reforms, will continue.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued to provide financial support to
projects funded through the European Development Fund (EDF). The EU Country Based
Support Scheme (CBSS) in Lesotho has provided substantial support under the European
Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). The implementation of three EIDHR
projects ended in early 2019 and a new cal for proposals under the EIDHR is expected to be
launched only in 2021.
In line with the EU commitment to supporting the establishment of a Human Rights
Commission abiding by the Paris Principles, the Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) has
benefitted from an EIDHR grant. TRC lodged a constitutional case chal enging the validity of
the current non-Paris Principles compliant Act, which was dropped when the Ministry of
Law, Constitutional Affairs and Human Rights amended the act as required. Cabinet
approved the draft bill; it is expected to pass Parliament in 2020. Other CSOs benefitting
from EIDHR grants have been the Lesotho Council of NGOs (LCN) for promoting the rule of
law and accountability, and Women in Law in Southern Africa (WILSA) for their work in
preventing and eliminating child marriages and violence against LGBTI persons. In 2019, the
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EU signed a further grant contract with WILSA following a Call for Proposals under the 11th
EDF CSOs support programme, thereby supporting gender justice, acceleration of
transformative gender policies and advancement of economic empowerment of women and
girls. As part of the Participatory Initiative for Social Accountability (PISA), dialogues on
political participation and gender equality, among other topics, have been organised. The EU
funding for the support to social protection in Lesotho was increased from its initial EUR 8
million to 16 EUR million with a view to help building up a comprehensive and integrated
social protection system led by UNICEF, in partnership and col aboration with the Ministry of
Social Development.
5. Multilateral context: Lesotho has signed and ratified almost all of the major UN and AU
instruments including conventions and protocols for the protection of human rights, with
the main exceptions being the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and the
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights aiming at
the abolition of the death penalty. Only a few of the instruments that have been signed and
ratified have been codified into national law. The last Universal Periodic Review (UPR) took
place in 2015, with different stakeholders engaged in the preparations. Out of a total of 169
recommendations, 137 recommendations have been supported by Lesotho, additional
clarification was provided on one recommendation, and 31 were noted. The
recommendations effectively rejected were mainly addressing matters such as rights of
LGBTI persons or the abolition of the death penalty. The next UPR for Lesotho wil take place
in 2020.
Liberia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Liberia is still a fragile country
and 16 years since the end of civil war root causes of conflict remain unaddressed and post-
conflict reconciliation - unachieved. Liberia stil needs to consolidate inclusive and
accountable governance and rule of law.
The Government of President Weah, in office since January 2018, pledged to crack down on
corruption and alleviate poverty in a country where poverty and inequality levels are very
high. Since mid-2018, the country has been suffering a deep economic crisis, with high
inflation and currency depreciation, which has severely affected the Liberian population,
particularly the poor and most vulnerable.
In 2019, the Government was facing serious financial constraints, which resulted in
widespread and significant delays in the payment of civil servants' salaries across the
country. Several strike actions by civil servants, particularly education and health workers
aggravated the already very poor functioning of public services in Liberia, fuelling social
discontent and mass protests in June, where thousands of demonstrators gathered in
Monrovia to protest against corruption, economic decline and bad governance. The harsh
economic situation and the lack of implementation of recommendations issued by the Truth
and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), particularly the creation of a 'criminal prosecution
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mechanism' for war crimes, are a breeding ground for political and social unrest and for
reviving old divisions in the country.
Human rights concerns remain in the areas of death penalty (de-facto moratorium),
enforcement of legislation against child labour and exploitation, as well as access to justice,
health and education, lengthy pre-trial detention, poor prison conditions and questions
regarding the sound management of Liberia's significant natural resources. Sexual and gender
based violence (SGBV) continues to be a major challenge, and impunity for such acts remains
high. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), affecting a significant part of Liberian women and
girls, is not prohibited by law, and is perpetuated by secret societies through initiation rites.
On 4 July 2019, the Parliament voted to pass into law the Domestic Violence Bill. The bill,
among other things, is seeking tighter punishment for perpetrators of domestic violence and
protection for victims/survivors. Attempts to introduce FGM in the domestic violence bil
failed. Same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults is criminalised and there have
been attempts to increase penalties. Groups advocating for the rights of LGBTI persons are
particularly vulnerable to harassment. Liberia's Constitution protects freedom of expression
and the environment for human rights defenders (HRDs) in Liberia is generally benign,
although there are incidents (harassment, detention or fines of individual HRD or journalists).
The Kamara Abdullah Kamara Act on Press Freedom was signed into law on 28 February 2019.
It amended the Penal Law of 1978, repealing the sections on criminal libel against the
President, sedition and criminal malevolence. The police handled professionally the mass
protest on 7 June 2019, when thousands of citizens demonstrated peacefully on the streets of
Monrovia. However, police corruption and heavy-handed behaviour continues to be reported
in the context of individual interactions with citizens. An incident of electoral violence took
place on 17 August 2019, during a by-election to fil a vacancy at the House of
Representatives in a district in Monrovia.
2. EU action – key focus areas: EU action in Liberia in the areas of human rights and
democracy focused on women's rights, accountability of parliament, strengthening key
autonomous institutions to monitor, enforce and promote good governance, strengthening
the capacity of civil society, improving prison conditions and reducing pre-trial detention.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU human rights dialogue with Liberia is carried
out as part of the EU-Liberia Article 8 Political Dialogue. Topics raised in 2019 included the
fight against FGM and SGBV, women's participation in public affairs, prison conditions,
trafficking in persons, including child abuse and labour, and the need to deliver on
anticorruption promises. In terms of public outreach, the EU and EU Member States
participated in various events and activities to mark international human rights days.
On the 17th World Day Against the Death Penalty, the EU Ambassador delivered the keynote
address and recalled the EU's firm opposition against the death penalty and calling on Liberia
to abolish death penalty in its law, thereby fulfilling its international obligation as a State
party to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights. In July, the EU delegation, in collaboration with the Press Union of Liberia, convened
a roundtable discussion with representatives from the media, the Ministry of Information
and political parties, to address the increasing use of inflammatory messages and hate
speech in the Liberian media. Several local EU-initiated or EU-supported statements were
issued in the context of the 7 June protests and the protests planned on 30 December in
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view of deescalating tensions, calling for peaceful manifestations and appropriate security
measures for the event, and stressing the importance of inclusiveness and national dialogue.
In August, the EU, Member States and the US embassies in Monrovia issued a joint
statement condemning an incident of electoral violence and cal ing for an investigation into
the events.
4. EU financial engagement: Good governance, including support for the electoral process, is
a focal sector for the ‘National Indicative Programme’, which is the basis of cooperation
agreed with the Government of Liberia until 2020. Practical support to address human rights
concerns is provided through specific projects in areas including women's rights, children's
rights and the justice sector. European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)
projects in Liberia in 2019 concerned work with local CSOs to promote human rights.
The EU-UN Spotlight Programme was launched in June 2019 in Liberia, with the aim to
reduce the high prevalence of SGBV in the country and increase women’s and girls’ access to
sexual and reproductive health and rights. The four-year programme will be implemented by
the UN, the Liberian Government, CSOs, traditional actors and the private sector with an EU
contribution of USD 17.7 million for the first 2 years. Liberia is one of the eight African
countries chosen to be a Spotlight partner. In partnership with Sweden and the UNDP, the
EU provided support to improving electoral institutions and processes. Other projects
supported the decentralisation process and the General Auditing Commission.
5. Multilateral context: Liberia has ratified the main international human rights instruments,
but many stil need to be integrated into domestic law. The Ministry of Justice is leading the
process to follow up on Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations of May 2015 and
to prepare for the next UPR of Liberia foreseen in 2020.
Madagascar
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Electoral processes (including
presidential, parliamentary and local elections) have been general y conducted within the
legal and electoral framework without political violence. However, the last elections in 2018
were contested by a number of parties that requested cancel ation because of the
weaknesses in the voter’s registry and the disparity of resources used by the candidates.
The overall human rights situation in Madagascar remains worrying. The areas of concern
are extreme poverty, governance issues, vulnerability to climate change, and insecurity in
urban and rural areas, basic health and education needs. Despite certain efforts aiming at
improvement of the conditions of detention, reforming the judicial and penitentiary system,
guaranteeing all detainees access to a fair and equitable trial within a reasonable period
remains a primary human rights concern in Madagascar. This situation is linked, i.e., to still
ineffective judiciary system which suffers the crisis of trust and is affected by the corruption
largely spread. The judiciary suffers from a severe lack of resources, with only one or two
sessions taking place in one district each year. This is the cause for growing number of cases
of the mob justice. Another significant human rights concern in Madagascar are the
extrajudicial killings. It is estimated that over 4000 people have been extra judicially
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executed already in Southern Madagascar by law enforcement officials, in the context of
fight against so-called ‘dahalo’, groups of armed men stealing cattle. Although certain steps
have been taken in the field of empowerment of women, their situation remains precarious.
The violence against women is socially accepted: 26 % of them experienced physical
violence, 24% - psychological, 11% - sexual abuse.
2. EU-action – key focus area: The EU Human Rights and Democracy Strategy for
Madagascar has the following priorities: (i) consolidation of democracy and support for
electoral processes; (ii) promotion of economic and social rights; (iii) the rights of children
and women, in particular the fight against gender-based violence and sex tourism; (iv)
strengthening access to justice and combating corruption and impunity.
At the same time, transversal priorities were identified, in particular the strengthening and
accompanying of a committed civil society, as well as particular attention to the most
vulnerable populations such as people suffering from disabilities.
The EU deployed an EU Election Observation Mission for the presidential elections in 2018,
which presented the final report in April 2019. The mission made 27 recommendations
touching in al aspects of the electoral process. One of the key recommendations was to
address the poor participation of women in politics. At the end of 2019, only two
recommendations had been implemented.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Respect for human rights is an essential element of
political dialogue with Madagascar. On 2 May 2019, the first political dialogue with the new
administration took place, in the presence of President Rajoelina. The session provided an
opportunity to highlight EU concerns about specific human rights issues, as wel as to
encourage the government to make further progress.
4. EU financial commitment: Since 2013, the EU has been implementing the Project DINKA,
aiming at enforcing the civil society (EUR 10 million in 11th EDF).
Within the framework of post-crisis support, a project of EUR 17 million for the period 2014-
2020, entitled ‘Administration for all’ aims to strengthen the efficiency and integrity of public
administration: delivery and quality of public services; human resource management;
support for public authorities; support for judicial follow-up to penalise the infringements
noted.
Various projects for persons with disabilities, children, women, youth, families in urban
areas, delinquents (women, minors) amount to more than EUR 1 million per year.
Various support (IcSP and EIDHR) to civil society in the framework of the 2018-2019 general
elections (EUR 2 million over two years) in favor of a smooth electoral process.
5. Multilateral context: The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Madagascar took place in
November 2019. Most delegations acknowledged the progress made by Madagascar since
its last UPR review in 2014, and commended its efforts to improve the human rights
situation. Amongst achievements noted were the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the
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Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment, and most recently of the Second Optional Protocol to the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the establishment of an Independent Human
Rights Commission. Delegations expressed similar concerns to those raised in the 2014 UPR
in key areas such as child marriage and the exploitation of children, torture and excessive
use of force by security forces, gender-based violence, discrimination against women,
detention and prison conditions, as well as freedom of expression and association.
Democratic Republic of Malawi
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, Malawi went through a
very tense electoral and post-electoral period, which had a negative effect on human rights
in different ways. The pre-electoral environment registered some scenes of intimidation and
violence thereby compromising free political participation of some electoral candidates
notably women.
The country held tripartite elections on 21 May 2019, a sixth general election since the
introduction of the multi-party system in 1994. The elections were highly competitive,
particularly following the creation of a new political party ‘the United Transformation
Movement’ (UTM) by the Vice President in July 2018. The post-election environment has
largely been characterised by protests in form of peaceful demonstrations that sometimes
registered violence leading to injuries as well as damage to property. Ultimately, lawlessness
ensued in many instances leading to human rights violations.
This environment was further undermined by reports of police brutality and an increasing
involvement of the military in public order management. A local human rights NGO
(CHREAA) released a report accusing the police of extra judicial killings in a systematic
campaign against hard-core criminals reported to have claimed over 25 lives. Another
report by the Malawi Human Rights Commission released in December 2019 alleged that
police officers sexually assaulted 17 women and girls (including a child) in Mpingu and
M'bwatalika areas. This was immediately after police was deployed to quell riots in a close
by area (Msundwe) where a police officer was stoned by the mob. Such are the incidences
that continue to undermine levels of public trust in the police.
In the process, this influenced an increase in mob justice. The situation has resulted in over
ten deaths blamed on mob killings. Properties of the victims of mob justice have also been
damaged, further affecting families. Alleged thieves, witches and wizards have been
common victims. More worrisome is the trend where the mob killings are even shot on
video and shared on social media with communities standing by as ring leaders hack, stone
or burn the accused. The police have been involved in arresting perpetrators but usual y
when the killings have already been done. Violence against persons with albinism, including
killings, continued especially in the early part of the year. Four perpetrators in two court
cases have been sentenced to death having been found guilty of kil ing persons with
albinism. This entails continued existence of capital punishment in Malawi though in practice
nobody has been executed since 1994.
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2. EU action – key focus areas: In 2019, the EU delegation maintained support to some of its
main human rights and democracy priorities, including:
• Strengthening access to justice through support to justice and accountability
institutions helping to uphold human rights values and the rule of law.
• Empowerment of women through enhancing their representation in decision-making
positions especially young women in politics. Additional focus has also been on
addressing gender-based violence and promoting girls' access to education.
• Supporting disadvantaged groups especially people living with disabilities among
others, advancing promotion and protection of their rights including for persons with
albinism.
• Reducing cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including by
upholding human dignity of prisoners.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU Election Observation Mission was in Malawi
from 4 April until 16 June 2019 and released its preliminary statement on 24 May 2019. A
return mission was not possible in 2019 due to the political environment. The EU delegation
continued to raise its concerns over various human rights issues with authorities, including
on:
• prison overcrowding, inhuman treatment of prisoners and capital punishment;
• the shrinking space for civil society, as identified during an EU-CSO dialogue;
• police and judiciary accountability, and corruption within these institutions;
• the treatment of persons belonging to minorities and women in Malawi;
• violation of rights of persons with albinism.
These issues featured prominently in the article 8 Political Dialogue meetings held in January
and November 2019. Additionally, the EU delegation released a statement urging swift
reaction by the authorities on the allegations of rape against the police as raised by the
Malawi Human Rights Commission. The EU delegation issued another statement calling for
effective protection of persons with albinism, to ensure full respect of their human rights
and to al ow their full and active participation in the social, economic and political life of the
country.
4. EU financial engagement: Under the umbrella programme on governance (Chilungamo
Programme), the EU delegation facilitated access to justice working with the Malawi Human
Rights Commission, office of the Ombudsman, the Legal Aid bureau, the Malawi Police
Service, the Malawi Prison Service and the Judiciary. Additionally, the programme supported
the delivery of the second tripartite elections in Malawi through the Malawi Electoral Basket
Fund and continued to support national registration through the National Registration
Identification System. The EU delegation has also addressed Sexual and Gender Based
Violence (SGBV) through the Spotlight Initiative. Among others, the programme is facilitating
establishment of safe spaces including expertise for handling SGBV cases. It is further
facilitating male engagement as a strategy for dealing with SGBV.
In September 2019, the EU signed two grants with CSOs under the European Instrument for
Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) to implement activities for two years to protect
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persons with albinism in eight districts of the country. The initiative is yet to register outputs
but is anticipated to enhance access to health and justice services for persons with albinism.
5. Multilateral context: Malawi continues to be active in the multilateral context including
participating in reporting on the different conventions it has ratified. In 2019, Malawi
participated in the Human Rights Council meetings in Geneva but also updated the African
Commission on the status of Human Rights in Malawi. The country also drafted reports on
CEDAW, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and is finalising its UPR
report. Data col ection for the same has been supported by the EU through the Chilungamo
Programme. These reports are expected to be submitted soon. The next UPR session for
Malawi is scheduled for 2020. One long overdue state party report on the Convention
Against Torture was submitted in 2019 after over 15 years since the last submission. Other
long overdue reports are however yet to be submitted and these include the Convention on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the Convention against Racial Discrimination.
Mali
1. Aperçu de la situation des droits humains et de la démocratie:
La situation des droits
humains s'est détériorée au Mali en 2019, à cause notamment de l'amplification de la crise
sécuritaire. La combinaison des conflits communautaires, des exactions commises par les
groupes armés terroristes et de la répression des forces de sécurité malienne a eu un impact
dramatique sur la violence envers les civils. Ainsi, l'année 2019 a été la plus meurtrière
depuis le début de la crise politique et sécuritaire en 2012, avec des centaines de civils tués
(plus de 450 morts) et blessés par des groupes d’autodéfense ethniques et des groupes
armés islamistes dans le Centre et le Nord du pays.
La stigmatisation des peuls, souvent considérés comme des alliés des terroristes, est une
source de violations des droits humains, aussi bien par les forces de sécurité maliennes -
largement visées en 2019 par les attaques terroristes - que par les milices d'auto-défense
dogons. Le pire massacre que le Mali ait connu dans son histoire récente a été perpétré par
des miliciens dogons le 23 mars dans le village d’Ogossagou, faisant 150 morts peuls.
En outre, la question du banditisme généralisé pose problème, notamment dans la mesure
où il continue de mettre à mal les moyens de subsistance et nuit à aux capacités des agences
humanitaires, victimes d'attaques en particulier à Ménaka, à apporter une aide.
La lutte contre l'impunité demeure une priorité absolue malgré quelques (lents) progrès
dans l'administration de la justice. Certains progrès réalisés par les autorités maliennes en
2019 sont à noter dans l'administration de la justice (des enquêtes et poursuites sont
ouvertes, les compétences du pôle judiciaire spécialisé ont été étendues notamment aux
crimes graves contre l'humanité en juillet 2019). Le Dialogue National Inclusif organisé en fin
décembre 2019 est dans l’ensemble bien accepté par la population fait ressortir certaines
recommandations liées à la problématique des droits de l’Homme : nécessité d’accroître le
rôle de la femme dans la société, l’implication des jeunes. Malgré tout, les progrès en
matière de lutte contre l'impunité tardent à se faire sentir.
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Plus de 150 enfants ont été tués lors de violences communautaires, par des engins explosifs
ou lors d’échanges de tirs. La situation des femmes ne s'est pas améliorée au Mali en 2019.
Elles restent largement victimes de violences sexuelles, de pratiques culturelles nocives et de
nombreuses formes de discrimination. Pour autant, la question des droits des femmes peine
à être considérée comme une priorité par l'Etat malien, qui semble tiraillé entre la nécessité
de refléter dans sa législation les réalités socio-culturelles et religieuses du pays et ses
engagements nationaux et internationaux à lutter contre toutes formes de discrimination à
l’égard des femmes.
L’aggravation de la situation sécuritaire dans le pays a eu un impact sur la situation politique:
nouvelle prorogation des élections législatives en juin 2019 et retards dans le processus de
révision constitutionnel e. La tenue du Dialogue National Inclusif (DNI) en décembre dernier
a cependant permis de relancer le processus politique en aboutissant aux recommandations
d'organiser des élections législatives avant le 2 mai 2020
12 et un référendum constitutionnel
courant 2020.
2. Action de l'UE sur les droits humains – domaines d'action prioritaire: La stratégie 2016-
2020 de l'Union européenne pour les droits humains et la démocratie s'est concentrée sur
trois grandes priorités :
- La justice, notamment la lutte contre l'impunité, l'égalité d'accès à la justice,
l'amélioration des conditions de détention ;
- Droit des enfants, combattre leur exploitation économique notamment pour les
enfants des rues, lutte contre le trafic ;
- Droits des femmes, notamment
lutte contre les violences basées sur le genre;
3. Engagements politiques bilatéraux de l'UE : L'UE mène des actions pour soutenir les
efforts du Mali dans le renforcement de son cadre institutionnel, de la gouvernance, de l'Etat
de droit, et de la capacité de la société civile à influencer les politiques publiques. L'UE
poursuit un dialogue avec les autorités en ce qui concerne la lutte contre les violences faites
aux femmes et enfants, le retour de la sécurité dans le centre et l'éradication de la violence
commise par les groupes armés, la lutte contre l'impunité, et le renforcement du cadre
juridique relatif aux droits humains de manière générale.
4. Engagements financiers de l'UE :
- En ce qui concerne l'accès à la justice, l'UE a financé le Programme d'appui à la justice
(PAJM – EUR 12 million) qui a notamment permis la construction de 9 juridictions. Sur le
FED toujours, l'UE finance un nouveau projet (PAJM II – EUR 7 million) pour améliorer les
conditions de détention et le respect de la dignité des personnes détenues au Mali;
- L'UE est engagée pour la consolidation de la chaine pénale et la lutte contre l'impunité,
notamment au centre du pays, avec l'instrument IcSP (EUR 3,5 million);
- Pour éliminer les violences faites aux filles et aux femmes, et lutter contre les VBG, l'UE
cofinance un large projet régional dont le Mali bénéficie à hauteur de EUR 18 million
(Spotlight);
12 Le calendrier des élections législatives a depuis été annoncé par le conseil des Ministres : 1er tour le 29 mars
et deuxième tour le 19 avril 2020.
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- Les projets financés par l'Instrument Européen pour la Démocratie et les Droits de
l'Homme (IEDDH) via l'appel à proposition de 2019 concernent la lutte contre les
violences basées sur le genre, le financement d'un Observatoire citoyen contre l'impunité
et pour la redevabilité, et l'assistance aux enfants en situation de rue (EUR 1,5 million).
Les projets des appels précédents toujours en cours en 2019 concernent la promotion des
droits des femmes, comme la lutte contre l'excision ou le soutien à leur représentativité
politique (EUR 1,6 million);
- Le principal appui direct à la Société Civile est fait à travers le programme HIBISCUS du
11ème FED (EUR 5 million– 30/03/2018 - 30/03/2021). Après un processus relativement
long de consultation, plusieurs contrats ont été attribués fin 2019 et des actions
concrètes seront menées en 2020 par et pour les OSC (formations et accompagnement de
plus de 100 OSC en fonctionnement, gouvernance interne, recherche de financement,
décentralisation et genre). En 2020, l'UE entend apporter un appui aux nouveaux acteurs
de la société civile (bloggeurs, réseaux sociaux), octroyer des micro-subventions aux
organisations de base pour des activités en liens avec les plans de développement
économique social et culturel (PDESC) des collectivités territoriales, appuyer la création
d’un fonds destinés au financement de la société civile;
- De plus, des fonds de la ligne thématique CSO & LA (budgets 2018 et 2019 – EUR 3,2
million) ont été attribués en 2019 au Secours Islamique France pour une action visant à
contribuer à l’action des associations des maîtres coraniques pour l’intégration des écoles
coraniques dans le système éducatif formel et pour l’amélioration de la bientraitance des
talibé;
Enfin, dans le cadre de nombreux projets, les organisations de la société civile
(associations, ONG, etc.) sont chargées de mettre en œuvre des activités et/ou
consultées.
5. Contexte multilatéral: Le Mali a signé et ratifié la plupart des conventions internationales
dans le domaine des droits de l'Homme. En revanche, l'insécurité, l'inefficacité du système
judiciaire et le manque de volonté des autorités d'aller à l'encontre de pratiques enracinées
dans la culture font que ces conventions sont mal, voire pas du tout, appliquées.
Mauritania
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: President Mohamed Ould Abdel
Aziz kept his promise and stepped down at the end of his second mandate in accordance
with the Constitution. He gave his backing to former Army Chief of Staff and Minister of
Defence, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, who won the presidential election on 22 June
2019 with 52% of the vote. MP and abolitionist activist Biram Dah Abeid came in second with
18.59% of the vote. The election was fol owed by sometimes violent demonstrations,
repressed by the police. Several people were arrested and the internet was cut off for ten
days. The new president took office on 2 August 2019; it was the first constitutional
succession between two elected presidents since the independence of Mauritania in 1960.
All detainees arrested following the post-election events in June were released in November
2019.
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President Ghazouani promised to implement a programme of national unity, social cohesion
and inclusive development. Improving basic social services (health, education) is the priority
of the new government. The President’s openness towards the opposition created a climate
of political appeasement potentially facilitating the implementation of the reforms proposed
in the electoral programme.
Mauritania remains at the top of the Reporters without Borders list of Arab countries when
it comes to the freedom of written press and social media platforms. However, its overall
ranking has continued to deteriorate, slipping from the 72nd to 94th place among 180
countries. The blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould M’khaitir, an extrajudicial detainee since the
Court of Appeal ordered his release in November 2017, was freed in July 2019 and left
Mauritania.
The new president of the National Commission for Human Rights organised several caravans
of information and awareness-raising on human rights in the country, speaking openly about
sensitive issues such as slavery and discrimination. In October 2019, Mauritania was elected
to the Human Rights Council for three years (2020-2023), which gives the country increased
responsibility and visibility in this area.
Slavery remains a persistent issue in Mauritania but advances were made in 2019 with
prison sentences handed out to five people in three cases by the special tribunals charged
with judging cases of slavery.
Two rapists of young girls were sentenced to prison terms in December 2019: in Kaédi the
rapist of a 15-year-old girl received 5 years in prison and in Nouadhibou the rapist of a 7-
year-old girl received 10 years in prison. These are the first convictions for sexual violence in
Mauritania where financial arrangements between families result in rapists usually not being
judged. The draft law aimed at combatting gender-based violence, which had been blocked
twice by the National Assembly, was under revision by the government.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The EU supports the four identified priority areas in the field
of human rights: ensuring a functioning justice system, putting an end to practices of slavery,
supporting the inclusion and rights of Mauritanian women and putting an end to torture.
The EU's activities in Mauritania in 2019 focused on supporting, encouraging and
accompanying the implementation of these topics, as well as helping to provide the
necessary space for corresponding reforms.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU delegation holds regular political dialogue
meetings with the Mauritanian government. During these meetings, the issue of human
rights is a constant feature. The EU also raises specific human rights cases directly with the
government.
Various projects funded by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights
(EIDHR) were active in 2019 in the following fields: fight against discriminatory practices and
slavery, resolution of land disputes in the Senegal River valley, improved detention
conditions and reintegration of prisoners, and the prevention of sexual violence against
women and girls. A specific campaign funded by the EU started in November 2019 on sexual
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and reproductive health and rights, as well as on gender-based violence. Entitled ‘Alach ça?’
(Why is this?), the campaign included concerts, exhibitions, videos, flyers and other activities
in Nouakchott and in Mauritania’s other regions.
The EU continued to support an IOM initiative working to protect and reintegrate migrants,
financed by the Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF). Another project worked in the same vein to
increase national capacities for providing protection of migrant children against trafficking in
human beings and slavery.
4. EU financial engagement: The implementation of the Justice Strengthening Support
Programme (PARJ, EUR 12.6 million from the 11th EDF) begins in January 2020 following the
adoption by the Council of Ministers of the National Strategy for the justice sector in
December 2019. The EIDHR envelope for Mauritania was EUR 600.000 last year. The
campaign on sexual and reproductive health and rights and on gender-based violence was
implemented in the framework of the EU’s Health Sector Support Programme (PASS, EUR 44
million from the 11th EDF) with a budget of EUR 260.000 over two years. The programme
with the IOM has a total budget of EUR 8 mil ion.
5. Multilateral context: Despite judicial and institutional progress in the human rights area,
concerns remain due to the slow pace of implementing legislative measures to improve the
human rights situation in Mauritania. Since the last Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2017,
Mauritania has been working in the third UPR cycle with the EU and other international
institutions (UNICEF, OHCHR) to tackle human rights issues such as gender, protection of
vulnerable people, women and youth, putting an end to practices related to slavery and
trafficking.
Mauritius
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Mauritius has a good track
record of protection and respect of human rights and remains the top ranking country in
overall governance in Africa according to Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance. However,
some challenges remain in terms of gender-based violence, domestic violence, protection of
children and discrimination against LGBTI persons (the 2019 Equal March took place
peacefully and under safe conditions granted by the authorities).
Fol owing the increasing number of reported acts of violence against women in 2019, the
government announced the establishment of a High Level Committee on Domestic Violence
under the aegis of the Prime Minister's office. The Prime Minister also announced a Gender
Equality Bill for the country soon.
An electoral reform recommended by the UN Human Rights Committee (under the Optional
Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and aimed at putting an
end to the declaration of the candidates’ ethnicity in the Best Loser System, failed to obtain
the required majority in Parliament. In November 2019, Mauritius held parliamentary
elections. International observers from SADC, AU and OIF considered that the elections were
peaceful and organised in a professional manner. They also listed some areas
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for improvement and issued recommendations that will require close attention from all
political actors, possibly leading to an inclusive reform process.
A number of pieces of legislation were still under preparation in 2019: the Financing of
Political Parties Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Gender Equality Bill and the
Adoption Bill. The Children’s bill was finalised in September but it was not discussed in
Parliament.
2. EU action - key focus areas: (i)
Women's rights
: In 2019, the EU stepped up significantly its
engagement on women rights and fight against violence on women through a number of
events and awareness raising campaign for gender equality in 2019.
(ii) Children's rights and combatting child abuse: The EU continued to work with the Ministry
of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare towards the finalisation of the
Children's Bill and advocated its discussion and approval in Parliament. The EU also initiated
work with the Ombudsperson for Children.
(iii) Rights of LGBTI persons: The EU engaged with local actors on this issue through dialogue
with the authorities and civil society.
(iv) Rule of law and institutional strengthening: An EU funded project contributed to the
capacity building of the National Human Rights Commission. The EU also supported
Transparency Mauritius’ activities on good governance and transparent public procurement.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The annual Article 8 Political Dialogue held in June
2019 was an important opportunity to continue engaging with policy makers and civil society
on human rights and democracy. The EU worked with al partners including the National
Human Rights Commission, the Ombudsperson for Children, Transparency Mauritius as well
as with civil society, to further promote human rights and especially the rights of women and
children.
The EU stepped up significantly its engagement on women's rights for the year 2019. The
'Rise and Shine’ Campaign' was launched on International Women's Day with a view to
promote women empowerment, gender equity and the elimination of Gender-Based
Violence and Human Rights. The campaign included a silent march on 23 November to raise
awareness about femicides and violence against women, followed by a debate on women's
rights on 25 November 2019. This gave the opportunity to engage discussion with civil
society and media on actions based on international best practices.
On the International Human Rights Day on 10 December, a panel discussion was organised
on women and children’s rights, in col aboration with the United Nations. The High Level
Policy Dialogue on Gender with the Government of Mauritius saw the adoption of a Joint
Monitoring Framework to track progress in the implementation of the EU-Mauritius Gender
Action Plan.
The EU continued its advocacy for the Children's Bil to be finalised and adopted as soon as
possible. The draft Bill was tabled in Parliament in September 2019, but the Government
committed to having it discussed in 2020.
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The EU continued its advocacy for rights of LGBTI persons through regular dialogue with the
policy makers (including during Article 8 Political Dialogue) and the civil society. EU Heads of
Mission took part in the successful Pride march/Equality march held in June 2019.
4. EU financial engagement: As part of the EU funded project to strengthen the capacity of
the National Human Rights Commission, more than 10 000 people in Mauritius and
Rodrigues have been sensitised on the need to respect rights of women and girls since 2017.
The EU signed a project with the Ombudsperson for Children for the protection and
promotion of rights of children, in particular vulnerable children. The project aims at
sensitising the public at large on the issues of violence against children and other issues like
sexual education in schools and the impact of child marriage.
The 'Rise and Shine Campaign' was launched on International Women's Day, targeting
especial y young people on gender-based violence. The campaign was complemented by a
silent march against femicides and a panel discussion on human rights day in partnership
with the United Nations. Work was also carried on gender equality in the framework of the
EU’s support to the National Human Rights Commission.
The EU also supported Transparency Mauritius’s activities on good governance and
transparency in public procurement. The project included awareness raising for the youth.
5. Multilateral context: The Political Dialogue under the art. 8 of the Cotonou agreement in
June 2019 was an opportunity to reaffirm the joint commitment to multilateralism and a
rules-based multilateral order.
The Universal Periodic Review for Mauritius held in November 2018 involved important
recommendations, for example on the fight against discrimination based on gender,
disabilities or sexual orientation. Mauritius has ratified the Rome Statute establishing the ICC
in 2002.
Republic of Mozambique
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The situation in Mozambique in
terms of human rights and democracy remained challenging. The year was marked by an
overall deterioration of political and civil rights, including in connection with the general
elections in October. However, on the positive side, the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement
between the government and the main opposition party RENAMO was signed on 6 August
2019 setting the parameters for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of the
RENAMO guerrillas.
The armed insurgency in the Cabo Delgado province deteriorated throughout the year and it
has resulted in a growing number of deaths, displacements of civilians and destruction of
significant infrastructure, also contributing to significant problems with food security. In this
context, further to the insurgency, there were reports of severe violations of human rights,
including il egal detentions of journalists and human rights defenders by the Mozambican
security forces.
On 15 October 2019, Mozambique held its sixth presidential and legislative elections and
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elected directly, for the first time, the governors for its 10 provinces. The incumbent,
President Nyusi, and the ruling party FRELIMO won the elections in a landslide. The EU
deployed an Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to the elections, which concluded that
they were marred by numerous irregularities and malpractices during the entire electoral
process, including on the Election Day and in the counting process. Inter-party violence was
prevalent as well as a general lack of confidence in the impartiality of the electoral
management bodies and security forces. Established national observer groups experienced
difficulties with accreditation, hampering the paral el vote tabulation. The EOM proposed 20
recommendations to improve the electoral process in Mozambique touching on al the
shortcomings observed.
Of particular concern was the murder of a prominent national observer, Anastácio Matavel,
who was murdered by a group of members of the special police force in the Gaza province,
shortly before the Election Day. Moreover, numerous party delegates were arrested on the
Election Day as they al egedly had fake observer accreditations, and were held in custody for
forty-five days until they were released on bail. Other politically motivated murders were
also reported during the electoral process. Regarding the press and the freedom of
expression, known cases of intimidations, arrests, kidnapping and assaults led to an
increasing self-censorship. On 31 December 2019, there was an attempt in Maputo to
kidnap the Editor-in-Chief of Canal de Moçambique, a newspaper critical of the government.
Nationwide, journalists continued to work in a deteriorating media environment. The silence
of authorities and lack of conclusive investigations on many cases has contributed to a
culture of impunity, which is also manifested in the fight against corruption.
Gender based violence remains a serious problem although Mozambique has reinforced its
commitment to gender equality by approving key policies and laws in July 2019, including
against early marriages. However, despite a relatively strong legal framework in line with
international standards there is a general lack of implementation of these laws. An
encouraging outcome from the October elections is the increase of women in the
parliamentary assemblies. At the state-level, 42 % of the new deputies are women, including
the Speaker of the Parliament.
2. EU Action - key focus areas: In 2019, the EU continued to focus on key areas such as the
consolidation of peace and democracy, the rule of law and good governance, with a special
emphasis on the fight against corruption and promotion of fundamental rights and
freedoms. There was also a particular focus on gender related discrimination and violence
through the Spotlight initiative.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The human rights situation in Mozambique was
discussed with the government at the Article 8 Political Dialogue in June. As a result, there is
agreement in principle to hold regular dialogues between the EU and Mozambique on
human rights and on issues regarding the rule of law. EU political engagement in support of
the current electoral cycle contributed to the deployment of an Election Observation
Mission (EOM), which formulated a series of recommendations to the government and the
electoral bodies that should facilitate a dialogue with authorities on political and electoral
reforms. Moreover, the EU has continually supported sustainable peace, encouraging
ongoing dialogue through public and non-public communication, while announcing its
commitment to effectively support the implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation
Agreement signed in August. The EU has also been in regular contact with civil society in a
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dialogue focusing on human rights and democracy.
4. EU financial engagement: As regards support to democracy and citizen's rights, further to
the EU EOM deployment, the EU is supporting the electoral process in Mozambique, jointly
with Austria, through an EDF project worth EUR 8.8 million implemented by International
IDEA. The project, with a strong gender emphasis, covers not only support to domestic
observers and to the newly elected representatives, but also is encouraging citizens'
participation (including civic education) and support the reform of the electoral legislation.
The EU's initiatives are complementary to EU Member States' engagement in support to the
electoral process. Through MASC/Votar Moçambique civic education activities using local
community radios and social media were developed. The preparation of an induction course
for the newly elected deputies in the Parliamentary Assembly also started. In addition, 120
tents were delivered to be used as pol ing stations in areas affected by the cyclone Idai.
Several EU Member States provided specific support in the field of human rights. Ireland
provided funding to the Institute for Multiparty Democracy (IMD) for the third phase of
‘Promoting Democracy - Good Governance and Elections with Integrity’, which included
support to the election monitoring platform ‘Sala da Paz’ and the provision of training to
national election observers. Sweden supported the elections through EISA to improve the
engagement and capacity of all stakeholders in the electoral process and to improve legal
and institutional framework for elections. Sweden and The Netherlands jointly supported a
programme aiming at inclusive and accountable governance. Germany focused its efforts on
young first time voters and prevention and resolution of electoral disputes. Finland
supported the UNDP project dedicated to Electoral Authorities of Mozambique, including
Information Technology support and women’s participation. Italy completed the preparation
of a programme aimed at modernisation of the civil registration and vital statistics system.
Italy also advanced with actions to support the rights to economic and social inclusion, in the
framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
Finland supported through the Institute for Multiparty Democracy (IMD) the strengthening
of the role and capacities of the national and provincial parliaments in the field of
governance issues, including human rights related to extractive industries. Finland and
Denmark supported the capacities of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Eduardo
Mondlane University to produce and use good quality research for informed decision-
making. Belgium strengthened the capacities of the Ministry of Finance via a delegated
cooperation with IMF. Portugal continued to support the project ’New Generation of
Women Leaders’ in Nampula. France supported awareness raising, with particular attention
to domestic violence.
5. Multilateral context: Mozambique went through the review of the Committee of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and adopted legislation against forced marriages
to align itself with the CRC.
Namibia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: As in previous years, the overall
human rights and democracy situation in Namibia was quite satisfactory in 2019. The
presidential and national assembly elections in Namibia took place on 27 November 2019.
Elections were peaceful and credible even though the voting process proved particularly
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lengthy. However, an unprecedented bribery scandal over fishing quotas, involving the
Minister of Fisheries and the Minister of Justice, as well as high-level staff of enterprises (the
so called 'fish rot' scandal) led to the resignation of two ministers and impacted on the
elections outcome. Two police/military operations aiming at curbing criminality (‘Hornkranz’
and ‘Operation Kalahari Desert’) were implemented with unjustified brutality and were
heavily criticised by the population. In order to address the still alarming rates of gender-
based violence, several draft family laws were introduced by the government in 2019 with
the aim of advancing gender equality and economic security for vulnerable women and
children in marriage and divorce. The implementation of social and economic rights remains
a concern. Due to persisting economic downturn and fiscal constraints, unemployment,
poverty and social inequality continue to be key challenges for the country and are affecting
the human rights situation. Equal access to public services such as education, health, safe
drinking water and sanitation remains to be achieved. On the rights of LGBTI persons, the
situation is still worrying; several cases concerning same sex marriages are pending at
Namibian Courts.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU continued to raise human rights and democracy issues
with Namibian counterparts in various settings with particular attention to the promotion of
(i) economic, social and cultural rights; (ii) women's rights and fight against gender based
violence and (iii) children´s rights as well as the rights of persons belonging to minorities
(with a focus on indigenous peoples/marginalised people).
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The Head of the EU Delegation has frequently spoken
at events co-organised with other national and international stakeholders such as the World
Press Freedom Day, co-organised with UNESCO. The launch and closure of projects are also
used to pass important messages. The EU cooperated with the National Council and UNICEF
to promote children’s rights through a human rights campaign launched in June. In
partnership with the Namibia Community Broadcasters Network, the EU participated in June
in the launching of the ‘Community Focus on 2019 Elections Programme’ aiming at
strengthening Voter Education through capacity building of eight community radio stations.
Due to the absence of a Head of the EU Delegation from end of April until 1 September, no
Article 8 Political Dialogue took place in 2019.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued to provide financial support to
several projects funded through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights
(EIDHR) and other measures addressing key areas for a total amount of EUR 1,350,472. The
EU is funding the following projects/programmes:
(i) The project ‘Survivors speak up – No more gender based violence’, has contributed to
place the omnipresent human rights violation of gender-based violence (GBV) on the
national media agenda. Service providers both from the government and from civil society
have been trained in GBV sensitive approaches; psycho-social support and counsel ing has
been provided to survivors,
(ii) The Museum Association of Namibia is implementing the grant ‘Promoting Culture and
Combating Cultural Stereotypes through Museum Development’.
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(iii) The ‘Protect, Preserve and promote indigenous cultures and languages’ is being
implemented by the Namibian University for Science and Technology.
(iv) The Legal Assistance Center of Namibia, which targets the most isolated and vulnerable
communities in Namibia, where GBV and corporal punishment is most prevalent and where
people don’t have access to this sort of information otherwise.
(v) The ‘Museum Outreach Programme’ aims to contribute to community based and
community-run museum development. It is implemented by the Goethe Institute Namibia
and the University of Namibia and seeks to create space for dialogue and democratic
participation for local communities and indigenous minorities.
A EUR 6,000,000 programme ‘Enhancing Participatory Democracy in Namibia’, financed by
the EDF is being implemented together with the National Planning Commission. The
international technical assistance is expected to be signed by March 2020.
5. Multilateral context: Regarding the follow up of the last Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
in January 2016, out of 219 recommendations, 191 were accepted by the Government and
28 were noted. In order to deal with the UPR fol ow-up, the Ministry of Justice has created
an Inter-ministerial Committee on Human Rights, including representatives from line
Ministries and NGO´s. The committee has a partner with the High Commissioner for Human
Rights, who organised training for Namibian stakeholders on how to implement the
recommendations.
The Government did not ensure an appropriate fol ow-up regarding International Criminal
Court (ICC).
Niger
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Niger remains at the bottom of
the Human Development Index and is facing a difficult socio-economic situation that places a
constant strain on the country’s treasury. The current security situation that has worsened
over 2019 puts an additional strain on the country’s resources. The Nigerien government
continues to work towards implementing its social and economic development strategy, the
PDES 2017-2021 and some important progress was achieved in 2019, among others a
strengthened framework for institutional transparency as well as measures aimed at
strengthening the judicial capacity of the country (specifical y setting up the Tahaoua
appeals court). Although the security situation sets limits to the pace of progress, Niger’s
human rights record has steadily improved over the year.
A state of emergency has covered the entire Diffa region since 2015, the entire Tillaberi
region since 2018, as well as parts of the Tahaoua region since 2017. The impact of the
security situation is worrying in the context of activities of civil society groups who see their
freedom of action limited in the pre-electoral period with undeclared demonstrations
banned and a number of civil society actors detained. Niger will host municipal/regional
elections in November 2020 and legislatives/presidential election in December 2020. If the
security situation is not adequately addressed, it might continue to impact on Niger’s
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human rights situation. The violence that stems notably from non-state armed groups is
directed mainly towards the national armed forces, however the civilian population also falls
victim of kidnappings, threats, plunder and violence.
In the southern part of Niger, Boko Haram continues to pose a serious threat, and the
situation is somewhat replicated in other parts of the country by other groups. In the north
of the country, violence is often linked to the exploitation of goldmines, and in the Tillabery
region the tendencies are mostly directed towards the Nigerien security forces (attack in
Inates on 10 December cost the lives of over 70 Nigerien soldiers). At this stage, attacks take
place at a bi-weekly basis, with 56 incidents having taken place in Maradi (south) between
July and October – the majority of which were tied to the activities of groups coming from
Nigeria. A worrying tendency has appeared with an increase in the numbers of
assassinations, rapes and violence against civilians carried out by the non-state armed
groups.
Because of the increased violence, the humanitarian situation has drastically worsened as
high numbers of people have arrived from the border zones of neighbouring countries
(primarily Nigeria). In December 2019, Niger housed 220,000 refugees – 161,000 from
Nigeria, 56,000 from Mali and more than 180,000 internally displaced persons. It is
estimated, that as many as 2.9 million people will be in need of humanitarian assistance
within Niger in 2020 (65% increase from 2019).
Although migration flows to Niger have significantly decreased, the dynamics of instability
continue to be visible – particularly in the northern regions. Niger has put in place an
emergency evacuation mechanism for vulnerable refugees from Libya.
The country’s performance as regards freedom of speech has suffered a setback since the
fight against terrorism was initiated in 2015 (from 47th place to 60th place out of 180).
Important steps have been taken, notably with regards to reforming the judiciary. In
addition, a draft decree on the fundamental principles of the penitentiary, a law proposal
that determines the fundamental principles relating to handicapped persons, and a draft law
relating to religious practices in Niger have seen the light. The relationship between the
national armed forces and the civilian population remains stable and does not show
tendencies towards increased tensions as is the case for other countries in the region.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The EU Human Rights and Democracy Country Strategy for
Niger covering the period 2016-2020 sets the following four priorities: (i) to consolidate
democratic principles and of the rule of law; (ii) to promote a swift access to an independent
and just justice system for all citizens in all of Niger; (iii) to ensure the position and rights of
Nigerien women; (iv) to promote the possibilities for the Nigerien population and ensure a
life in peace, dignity, security with the support of accessible services provided by the state.
3. EU action and bilateral political engagement: The EU carries out a number of actions that
support human rights in Niger and is particularly focused on the rights of women and
fighting gender-based violence. The Head of the EU Delegation visited the NGO ‘SOS femmes
et enfants victimes de violences familiales’. Gender is an integral part of the EU development
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programs and has figured extensively in the planning of programs in direct relation to the
initiation of the Gender Action Program (GAP II). The cooperation with the Nigerien
authorities remains excellent with regards to fighting the trafficking of people. The Joint
Investigation Teams (ECI) have managed to halt more than 100 persons involved in
trafficking activities in 2019.
4. EU financial engagement: The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has ‘A’ grade
status with the UN Human Rights Council and an extended mandate under the 2010 Nigerien
constitution that covers carrying out investigations within the national legal framework. The
CNDH serves as the relaying organ between the international Human Rights laws and the
Nigerien state and produces a yearly report on its activities with EU’s financial support.
Under the EIDHR, Niger and the EU signed two contracts in December: a support program
for human rights and human rights defenders, and a project with the ‘Fondation Hirondelle’
in support of democracy and democratisation.
Since 2016, an EIDHR project has supported Nigerien federation for Handicapped persons in
improving social and legal inclusion of handicapped women. The project is seen as especially
successful but has served as an example for similar regional projects (PROGRECIPH –
financed through the European Commission). Niger was one among eight African countries
covered by the 2019 UN-EU Spotlight Initiative program aimed at raising awareness about
gender-based violence and its eradication.
5. Multilateral context: Despite having voted in favour of the moratorium against the death
penalty in December 2018, ten death penalties were pronounced in 2019. No punishment of
such judgement has been carried out since the 1970’s. In 2019, the OHCHR opened an office
in Niamey in order to liaise directly with the government, national human rights institutions
and civil society organisations. A number of reports pertaining to special procedures would
indicate important progress.
Nigeria
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The human rights situation in
Nigeria in 2019 remained highly complex with significant differences across regions. The year
2019 was characterised by deterioration of the insurgency in the Northeast, an escalation of
conflict in the Northwest, a general worsening in violent crime and a perceived shrinking of
civic spaces. In addition, continuing issues of violence by security forces, economic and social
rights, the rights of women and girls, deterioration of the humanitarian situation in
Northeast remain key challenges. The year 2019 also saw signs of growing religious tensions
between Muslims and Christians. Security forces abuses such as beatings, arbitrary arrests,
sexual violence, extortion and extrajudicial killings remain issues of concern. Efforts to
address the problem through official investigations have shown little results. Killings by non-
state armed actors remain the major cause of violent deaths in the country. 90% of Nigerian
prisons are reportedly congested and in dire conditions.
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The rights of women and girls in Nigeria have significant challenges and a lack of data.
Official estimates of women and girls who have experienced sexual violence is 7%, but
numbers and reports from civil society organisations point at a substantial shadow figure.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights remain poor with a general low access to
healthcare facilities, contraceptives and safe abortions, as well as a high prevalence of early
pregnancies and child marriages. Nigeria hosts the largest number of Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM) cases on the African Continent. Sexual harassment in institutions remains
prevalent. Lastly, Nigeria has the lowest level of women represented in politics on the
African continent, with only 6% of elective positions occupied by women. Trafficking in
persons continues, with many experiencing inhumane treatment – especially on the route
from Nigeria, through the Sahara, across North Africa and to Europe. Especially women are
victims of forced prostitution and sexual exploitation in connection with trafficking.
Poor access to education and forceful recruitment of children by armed groups remain a
problem, with an estimated 10.5 mil ion children in the age between 5 and 14 out of school.
Despite improvements to Nigeria’s democracy, the February 2019 election saw significant
shortcomings in transparency, security and a low voter turnout with widespread violence
and voter suppression witnessed in the states of Kogi and Bayelsa.
Nigeria's civic space is reportedly shrinking due to increased arrests of journalists and attacks
on media houses. Particular worries have been expressed about an apparent tendency by
the government to allow arrests without trial and ignore court orders. LGBTI persons remain
victims of laws against same-sex practices and widespread gender identity stigmas. Although
court cases are few, LGBTI persons reportedly suffer widespread cases of violence, extortion
and threats from both state and civil society actors.
Despite passing a law in January 2019 to address discrimination against persons with
disabilities, Nigeria's estimated 25 million persons with disabilities continue to face
discrimination and a widespread lack of access to healthcare, housing, education and
political representation.
2. EU action-key focus areas: The five strategic EU priorities for Nigeria remain: (i) human
rights and conflict/post-conflict situations; (ii) strengthening the rule of law in compliance
with international human rights instruments; (iii) elections; (iv) human rights of women; (v)
rights of persons belonging to minorities and vulnerable groups, including persons with
disabilities, children, LGBTI persons and ethno-religious minorities.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU in close partnership with Member States
has sought to promote and improve the respect for human rights in Nigeria through
an integrated approach, combining political/diplomatic, development cooperation and
public diplomacy tools to maximise impact and create synergy between the different
tools and instruments.
The EU delegation has been instrumental in mobilising the relevant authorities at the
appropriate levels, in order to clarify the intentions of the Nigerian authorities, particularly in
addressing humanitarian access. In September 2019, the military temporarily suspended
operations of the international NGOs and EU-partners including Action Against Hunger (ACF)
and Mercy Corps in north-eastern Nigeria. Swift and decisive engagement from the EU and
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the Member States facilitated reaching an agreement on new mechanisms for dialogue. The
EU delegation, including the Head of Delegation, made significant steps in the discussions
during the suspension, and worked closely with the authorities to propose the written
commitments issued after the suspension was lifted.
The EU and Member States continue to jointly discuss upcoming Human Rights Council
resolutions with the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to reduce divergence of
voting on important resolutions. An EU-Nigeria human rights dialogue
wil be held in
February 2020.
The EUD and Member States have scaled up public diplomacy efforts in 2019 to amplify key
human rights messages. A successful strategy has been cooperation with opinion leaders,
press statements, press conferences and media interviews at strategic moments
The EU delegation and Member States made significant efforts to support Nigeria's
democratic progress. In addition to providing technical support, engaging with key
stakeholders and supporting civil society organisations (CSOs), an Election Observation
Mission (EOM) was deployed to observe Nigeria's general election in February. Election
Observation missions from international partners such as the African Union, ECOWAS, The
Commonwealth and NDI/IRI were also present. In its final report, the EU EOM noted severe
operational and transparency shortcomings and electoral security problems and proposed
30 recommendations to improve future electoral processes. The systemic failings identified
by the EOM show the urgent need for fundamental electoral reform. Diplomatic Watch
Missions to the subsequent gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States were also
deployed.
4. EU financial engagement: In terms of development cooperation, EU and Member States'
support focused on both strengthening institutions, supporting capacity building of civil
society organisations as well as targeted human rights interventions. Key examples include
projects aimed at improving civilian-military relations and security forces' compliances with
human rights, human rights training for security forces (military and police), reforming the
civil society regulatory framework, support to the fight against corruption and the reform of
the judiciary, assisting Nigeria to strengthen rule of law-based criminal justice response to
terrorism, and the abolition of infanticide. On women's rights, efforts to operationalise the
joint UN-EU Spotlight Initiative continued after Nigeria was selected as a beneficiary country
with a EUR 25 million contribution. The EU and the Member States also continued
supporting the deepening of democracy through election and support programmes.
On the humanitarian side, the EU and the Member States have contributed substantial
amounts to the humanitarian response. The EU has championed the ‘call for action’ on
preventing GBV in emergencies with a particular focus on improving the situation in IDP sites
in the Northeast.
5. Multilateral context: The EU and Member States are monitoring the follow-up to the
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) examination of Nigeria held in November 2018.
Recommendations in areas of concern included the death penalty; improved accountability
including for violations by government forces; trafficking and forced labour; sexual
orientation and gender identity; children and youth; women's rights and gender equality;
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application and implementation of existing legislation or ratification of international
instruments; electoral processes; and torture, detention and due process.
Rwanda
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: During 2019, the overall human
rights situation in Rwanda remained unchanged. While the Rwandan government continues
to show its strong developmental ambition and performance in the areas of economic and
social rights. It also continues to face al egations of the most serious human rights violations
– excessive use of force, extra-judicial killings, and enforced disappearances. Over the past
18 months, several members or followers of unregistered opposition movements, primarily
FDU-Inkingi, either have disappeared or were killed. Representatives of this party and some
human rights activists suspect official involvement in such cases, but authorities deny that
and say that these cases are investigated as any other cases. Human rights advocates
continue to report on arbitrary detentions and use of torture and other inhuman or
degrading treatment in detention facilities and in centres where destitute individuals,
including minors, are allegedly held without due process. Freedom of expression remains
limited, but room for debate is expanding through online media. On rights of LGBTI persons,
Rwanda remains the only country in East Africa that does not criminalise consensual same-
sex sexual acts, but lacks provisions in its legal code to protect LGBTI persons from
discrimination, nor does it recognise unions and partnerships between same-sex.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The EU and the Member States have continued to focus on
two main priority areas: (i) the area of the most serious violations of human rights – i.e.
enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and use of torture and other inhuman or
degrading treatment in detention facilities, and (ii) the area with the most significant
restrictions of human rights – i.e. the politically related rights, freedoms of expression,
association and assembly. EU missions have also attended court hearings of political
opponents. The EU delegation and EU Member States in Rwanda carried out a number of
public diplomacy activities with the aim of promoting specific issues related to human rights.
For instance, the EU, the Netherlands and Sweden promoted the rights of LGBTI persons
through various initiatives. The rights of children were promoted throughout the year, to
mark the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU continued to engage on human rights and
democracy with Rwanda within the framework of regular political dialogue as well as on
other occasions. General concerns regarding the length of pre-trial detention, enforced
disappearances and extrajudicial killings were raised with government and relevant
authorities, as were individual cases. The EU and Member States missions have also
undertaken several human rights-related demarches during the year, particularly with
respect to the Human Rights Council agenda.
4. EU financial engagement: At the operational level, the EU delegation and EU Member
States supported projects or initiatives that contribute to the achievement of EU human
rights priorities for Rwanda. The year 2019 saw a call for proposals related to the main
priorities. The four projects to be financed under this cal relate to freedom of expression
and the rights of journalists; the reintegration of prisoners as well as the rights of mentally
and persons with intellectual disabilities. These projects will begin implementation in 2020.
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In 2019, five Rwanda journalists carried out a fellowship with the Danish Union of Journalists
through the EU's Media4Democracy facility.
5. Multilateral context: Rwanda was a member of the UN Human Rights Council until the
end of 2019. The country largely voted along the lines of the EU and remained a reliable
partner in the African group. Rwanda has shown strong engagement by the responsible
authorities, in particular the Ministry of Justice, with respect to the UPR process by
organising meetings and retreats with the civil society platform and diplomats. The third UPR
review is scheduled for 2020.
São Tomé and Príncipe
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The overall human rights and
governance record in São Tomé and Principe (STP) is relatively good, especially by regional
standards (the country ranks 12/54 in the 2019 Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance).
Despite an overall positive human rights record in terms of civil and political rights, some
issues of concern remain such as: gender-based discrimination and violence, including
domestic violence, child labour and sexual abuse against children still need to be addressed,
as well as corruption (although the indicator of the perception of corruption has significantly
improved since 2012), access to justice and poor access to social services.
The year 2019 was marked by political tensions with respect to the justice system, which is
not independent. During the political dialogue with the EU in May 2019, the Prime Minister
pledged the government's wil ingness to ensure the independence of justice and expressed
interest in cooperating with the EU in this field. Some of the issues are due to poor
implementation of the existing legislation, the lack of faith in the legal system, the lack of
capacity and slow change in the society's mentality and social norms
.
Corruption is still an issue and the Prime Minister has confirmed his willingness to tackle it.
In early April, the former Finance Minister (ADI) was arrested on charges of embezzlement
and misappropriation of public funds. In June a training aiming to provide prosecutors,
judges, criminal investigation system, banking and financial officials with specific knowledge
on corruption and laundering was organised. This initiative took place within the scope of
the Project to Support the Consolidation of the Rule of Law in the PALOP and East Timor
(PACED), funded by the European Union and co-financed and managed by Camões, I.P.
2. EU action: key focus areas: The EU’s priorities in Sao Tome and Principe have been:
economic, social and cultural rights (including access to drinkable water); rights of the child;
women’s rights and gender equality; encouraging the ratification of the Rome Statute and
support to the civil society's capacity to intervene constructively in order to influence policy
making in various fields, including the protection of biodiversity.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU issued welcomed the ratification by São Tomé
and Príncipe of the UN Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the UN
Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment; the UN
Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrants Workers and members of their
Families, the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, the UN
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Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Second Optional Protocol to the
ICCPR, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.
The regular political dialogue with the Government took place on 7 May 2019.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, a direct award of EUR 120.000 was granted to ACEP –
Associação para a Cooperação Entre os Povos to implement the project called ‘Sociedade
Civil pela Transparência e Integridade’ (24 months- EIDHR/2019/413-981). The overall
objective of the project is to strengthen democratic control and oversight in the area of
public finances in STP through the capacity building of institutional and non-governmental
actors in the operationalisation of anti-corruption mechanisms and in the promotion of
integrity values and transparency practices. The project is expected to start during the first
trimester of 2020.
In December 2019, a EUR 2.55 million Financing Agreement was signed with the São Tomé
and Principe government for the project ‘Combating gender inequalities and inequities and
domestic and gender-based violence (GBV)’.
In February 2019, a project, ‘A sociedade civil na consolidação da governança multa atores
da segurança alimentar e nutricional em STP’, started. Implemented b
y Instituto Marquês de
Valle Flôr (IMVF), it will contribute to the realisation of the fundamental right to adequate
food and nutrition, to good multi-stakeholder governance for food and nutritional security. It
wil focus on the strengthening of the civil society’s participation and capacities to monitor
and implement public policies having an impact the management of natural resources, on
the reduction of poverty and of food and nutritional insecurity.
5. Multilateral context: São Tomé and Principe has ratified almost all major UN human rights
instruments after many ratifications became effective in 2017: the UN Convention on
Economic, Social a Cultural Rights; the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment; the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Al
Migrants Workers and members of their Families; the UN Convention on the Elimination of
all Forms of Racial Discrimination; the UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);
the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty; the
UN Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women.
Although São Tomé and Principe signed the Rome Statute establishing the International
Criminal Court in 2000, it has not yet ratified it.
As far as regional human rights instruments are concerned, the country ratified the African
Charter on Human and People's Rights in 1986, but has not signed or ratified the
corresponding Protocol on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’
Rights. Despite having signed the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance
in 2010, São Tomé and Principe has not yet ratified it.
São Tomé and Principe underwent its last Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in January 2015
and the upcoming review is due in 2020. The UPR has been an important tool to engage with
the government in many essential human rights issues, including, among other: ratification
of Human Rights Instruments; rights of the child; gender-based and domestic violence; rights
of persons with disabilities.
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São Tomé and Principe has always been a co-sponsor of the UNGA resolution ‘Moratorium
on the use of the death penalty’.
São Tomé and Principe usual y fulfils its reporting obligations before the UN treaty bodies
with delays which can probably be explained by the limited capacity of the country and the
fact that, due to ‘batch ratifications’, the reporting date is the same for many documents, a
problem which will be aggravated with the numerous ratifications done in 2017.
Senegal
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The overall human rights
situation in Senegal remains satisfactory, particularly against the background of the situation
in other countries in the region. Senegal has ratified the major conventions on human rights,
and the authorities are open to discuss and engage in positive actions, especially regarding
women and children's rights, even if the political agenda regarding these topics is often
conditioned by social and cultural resistances and concerns about their possible impact for
the social stability. Positive legislative steps have recently been taken, especially the
criminalisation of rape and paedophilia. Further improvements are expected on women and
children's rights (street children, early marriage, FGM), in particular for the fully
implementation of the legislative framework and protective measures: national legislation
on child's rights (
code de l'enfant) remains pending, in an ongoing process to include al
actors involved in the elaboration of the text; and an action plan to confront the alarming
situation of street children, many of them students of koranic schools (talibé), is being
finalised and should be implemented in 2020.
In December 2019, for the first time a court issued a suspended prison term on a koranic
school teacher for mistreatment, but prosecution remains rare and is meeting public
resistance. The adoption of the new law regulating koranic schools is pending. The situation
regarding LGBTI persons is serious, the legislation remains punitive and intolerance and
direct threats towards sexual minorities have increased in 2019. Hate speech and voices
calling for more severe repression of LGBTI persons augmented, amplified in social media.
Actions in protection of the LGBTI persons are often fol owed by accusations to NGOs and
‘the West’ of having a hidden agenda of promoting homosexuality against local values.
Efforts are made to improve the poor detention conditions in Senegalese prisons, but long
pre-trial detention largely responsible for overcrowding prison remain an issue.
Implementation of alternatives to custody sentences remains slow.
The death penalty was abolished in 2004, but the Second Optional Protocol to ICCPR has not
been endorsed. The space for freedom of expression in the media remains open, despite
legal provisions in this respect, which include far-reaching powers of the executive and could
therefore be used in a restrictive way. The 2010 decree Ousmane Ngom, largely restricting
space for public demonstration in downtown Dakar, continues to be the basis to regularly
limit demonstrations. President Sall’s re-election in February 2019 took place through a
peaceful and credible electoral process, despite the political distrust fol owing the exclusion
of the main opposition candidates, who had been convicted on corruption charges. The
presidential majority in the parliament later adopted a new constitution, re-enforcing the
powers of the President by supressing the prime minister and the need for government
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ministers to have the confidence of the parliament. The position of Senegal in the indexes of
corruption remains stable, in contrast with an augmentation of the ones reflecting the public
perception of corruption.
2. EU action – key focus areas: EU action on human rights focused on the rights of women,
children and detainees; greater attention was dedicated to the rights of LGBTI persons. The
EU also supported the fight against impunity, strengthened civil society organisations and
promoted freedom of expression and assembly in Senegal.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU deployed an Election Observation Mission
(EOM) for the presidential election on 24 February 2019. The EOM expressed its general
satisfaction with the conduct of electoral process, which was credible, transparent and
inclusive and was conducted in a calm manner. The EOM recommendations were shared
with all stakeholders and were met with broad agreement apart from a recommendation on
the removal of an obligation of citizens’ sponsorship for candidates in local elections of the
elections, which was met with criticism from Senegalese authorities and citizens.
The EU delegation supported the 10th training session in international human rights law,
focussed on the rights of the child organised in September together with the French
embassy, the René Cassin foundation and the German Friedrich Naumann foundation.
The EU delegation participated actively in celebrations organised by the UN on the
International Women's Day, on 8 March and on the International Day on Elimination of
Violence against Women on 25 November.
In addition, the EU delegation implemented the joint UNICEF/EU initiative ‘The Real
Challenge’ to mobilise youth through social media and took part in the celebration of the
30th Anniversary of the UN Convention on Rights of the Child. The EU also organised a free
concert to celebrate the International Human Rights Day on 10 December.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU further pursued the implementation of eight projects
under the European Development Fund (EDF) for a total of EUR 4.3 million supporting civil
society organisations protecting and assisting children who became victims of physical
and/or psychological abuse, street children, including talibé children
. Under the European
Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), a new grant was allocated to Plan
International Ireland, in view of an awareness-raising campaign in 2019 on various forms of
exploitation of children in Senegal.
In the framework of the EU support to the national observatory of detention centres, EU
delegation representatives participated in awareness-raising missions, prison visits and
training sessions for members of the security forces on prisoners' rights in various locations
in Senegal.
Financial assistance (EUR 10 million) under the 11th EDF to strengthen the rule of law
continued, improving judicial administration, strengthening the respect of human rights, and
fighting corruption and money laundering. The EU also provided EUR 500,000 to the national
office for the fight against corruption. The same amount was provided in support to the
national cell for the treatment of financial information (Cellule Nationale de Traitement des
Informations Financières – CENTIF) in order to strengthen the national fight against money
laundering and terrorism financing. Three grant projects where attributed in 2019 to civil
society organisations concerning Access to justice, prisoner conditions and the fight against
corruption and money laundering for a total amount of EUR 1.4 million and one EIDHR grant
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(EUR 260,000) on the fol ow-up to recommendations on Disasters, Displacement and
Human Rights (DDHR).
Furthermore, the EU has provided support to the Senegalese security forces to fight against
terrorism and organised crime (EUR 10 million under the 11th EDF), which also aims at
promoting good governance, transparency, inclusivity, accountability and human rights. The
EU supported also to the construction of several court buildings to improve access to justice
for the population at large.
5. Multilateral context: Senegal is an active member of the UN Human Rights Council for the
period 2018-2021 and served as its chair in 2019. Senegal underwent its UPR in November
2018 and submitted final conclusions in November 2019. Recommendations concerned
mainly women's rights, children's rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, ethnic
minorities or LGBTI persons. In response, the Senegalese government highlighted its
exemplarity in certain areas (economic and social rights, rights of persons with disabilities),
but also stressed its limitations in relations to certain recommendations based on national
traditions and culture (mainly women’s rights and rights of LGBTI persons). The EU
delegation will support civil society organisations participation to mid-term revue and
progress in implementation of recommendations.
The Seychel es
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The Seychelles has a good track
record of upholding human rights and ranks second in the 2018 Mo Ibrahim Index of African
Governance. The country’s democratic consolidation continues, with the strengthening of
key human rights and governance institutions. The Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity
Commission was set up and operationalised in 2019, with the mandate of investigating
complaints of alleged human rights violations committed in relation to the 1977 Coup
which led to a one-party state until 1993. The Commission has three years to establish the
truth, recommend compensation and reparations to victims and determine whether to grant
amnesty to perpetrators, with the objective of achieving national reconciliation. The
Commission’s hearings are broadcasted live on national TV and web streamed. The legal
framework allowing the work of the Anti-Corruption Commission was also improved in 2019.
The National Human Rights Commission was sworn in in 2019 but it was not fully operational
by the end of the year. The Access to Information Bil was yet to be fully implemented. The
main human rights issues in The Seychelles concern pre-trial detention, detention
conditions, domestic violence against women and children, and migrant workers’ rights and
forced labour, especially in the international trade zone.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU carried out activities in the fol owing priority areas:
• Strengthening electoral processes: An electoral governance project was
implemented by the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychel es and benefitted from
support by the EU delegation and EU Member States, in col aboration with the
Electoral Commission. Electoral processes were also discussed in the framework of
the EU-Seychelles Political dialogue.
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• Institutional strengthening of human rights and governance related institutions:
Besides addressing the issue during its political dialogue with national stakeholders,
the EU supported the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Attorney General's office.
Transparency Initiative’s awareness raising activities and advocacy on accountability
and corruption were also supported.
• Combatting domestic violence
was among the main EU priorities through the
support of activities aimed at the improvement of the quality of life and dignity of
vulnerable women and through political dialogue and advocacy in favour of an
enhanced legal framework.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU continued to support human rights and
democracy in The Seychelles through its Article 8 Political Dialogue held in November 2019
and cooperation programmes. All three priorities of the Human Rights Strategy were
discussed during the Article 8 Political Dialogue in November 2019.
The need to enhance electoral processes was discussed, based on recommendations issued
fol owing the 2016 parliamentary elections. In view of the forthcoming presidential elections
in 2020, the EU expressed its readiness to provide support to the Electoral Commission if
needed.
The importance of strengthening independent institutions was at the heart of the EU’s
political engagement in the Seychelles with the government and with institutions such as the
Anti-Corruption Commission and The Attorney General’s Office, which were both supported.
Gender equality and the fight against gender-based violence were extensively discussed with
local stakeholders. Joint efforts led to the finalisation of the Domestic Violence Bill in 2018,
which was tabled in Parliament in 2019 for discussion in 2020. The construction by the
government of another permanent shelter for women victims of domestic violence was very
promising.
4. EU financial engagement: Thematic budget lines EIDHR and CSO-LA funded a number of
activities contributing to enhanced electoral governance, strengthening of governance
institutions and combating domestic violence against women.
The EIDHR funded the electoral governance project implemented by the Citizens
Engagement Platform Seychelles in collaboration with the Electoral Commission in order to
jointly deliver trainings to political parties on their rights, duties and obligations.
The bilateral 11th EDF envelope was used to fund support to the Anti-Corruption
Commission and the Attorney General's office.
The CSO/LA budget line financed the Transparency Initiative, which carried out awareness-
raising activities and advocacy on the issues of governance, accountability and corruption.
Actions also included research on corruption, building a platform for advocacy and
constructive dialogue/debates on how to improve a framework for enhanced governance
and accountability. The project was implemented in col aboration with the Anti-Corruption
Commission Seychelles to assist in prevention activities with private entities and non-state
actors.
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The CSO-LA grant to the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles covered activities aimed at
the improvement of the quality of life and dignity of vulnerable women, increasing their
opportunities, protection and integration in the society, including through the
operationalisation of a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Advocacy work contributed
to the finalisation of the Domestic Violence Bil in 2018 and its submission to parliament in
2019 for discussion in 2020.
The EU also strived to support the government’s efforts to assess the situation in terms of
drug abuse and trafficking, with a view to tackling this major issue for the country.
5. Multilateral context: The EU-Seychelles Article 8 Political Dialogue held in November 2019
confirmed a joint commitment to multilateralism and the promotion of human rights in
international fora, which was also confirmed by the Seychelles’ president at the 74th UN
General Assembly. Seychelles was part of the Global Alliance to end trade in goods used for
capital punishment and torture. The country announced its intention to join the African Peer
Review Mechanism.
The Seychelles has ratified the Rome Statute in 2010 and remains committed to the
International Criminal Court. The country has accepted 143 out of the 151 recommendations
formulated during the 2016 UPR session.
Sierra Leone
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Deepening the democratic
process and ensuring inclusive governance remained a challenge in 2019, mainly due to
weak government institutions, important capacity gaps and an increased ethno-regional
polarisation of society. The year was marked by persistent tensions with opposition due to
attempts of the ruling party to consolidate power at al costs (including through politically
motivated appointments, disregard for due process, interference with the judiciary in
election petition cases and intimidation leading to violence during by-elections), as well as
attempts to reduce the operating space for NGOs and businesses.
Despite the government's commitments and the appointment of new Commissioners of the
Sierra Leone Human Rights Commission, no significant progress was made on the human
rights agenda. No progress was made on the Constitutional Review Process and little was
achieved towards electoral reforms and implementation of the Election Observation Mission
(EOM) recommendations. Promises to effectively have criminal libel repealed by end 2019
did not concretise. The adoption of a modern Sexual Offences Act introduced life
imprisonment as maximum sentence for rape, but focus on addressing root causes and on
enforcing laws remained low. Rather than putting in place measures to reduce teenage
pregnancies, the discriminatory policy prohibiting pregnant girls from attending school was
confirmed.
2. EU action – key focus areas: EU activities in 2019 focussed on mediation efforts to
encourage political inclusion and cross party dialogue, support to electoral processes,
observation during by-elections and fol ow up of EOM recommendations, defending the
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rights of women and girls, addressing threats to civic space for NGOs, promoting sound
economic governance, abolition of the death penalty and improved access to justice.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: As a result of intense mediation by the EU and local
and international partners, a meeting between President Bio and former President Koroma
finally materialised, which represented a strong symbolic step towards reconciliation
between political parties. The Bo Peace Declaration was adopted fol owing a retreat
organised by the Parliament with support from the EU. Al political parties constituting the
Parliament committed to working together to promote political dialogue, consensus building
and cohesiveness in the legislative process of Sierra Leone. Following Cabinet's endorsement
of a controversial 'Development Cooperation Framework' which introduced an overly
restrictive framework for NGOs and CSOs, the EU and international development partners
repeatedly engaged authorities which led to a softened approach of the government on
some of the more problematic provisions and on the date of entry into force of the new
NGO policy.
To prompt the government to improve its economic governance track record, in 2019 the EU
took the lead by channel ing the concrete concerns of a reference group of major European
investors. Key messages conveyed were the need to create a transparent and fair regulatory
framework, to seek cooperation and dialogue with economic actors and to respect
engagements and contracts rather than adopting a short term, political approach. A discrete
but intense engagement coordinated by the EU delegation around the International Day
against the Death Penalty on 10 October was followed by a public declaration of the
government to continue to uphold the moratorium on the use of the death penalty and a
large number of Presidential pardons including for some prisoners on death row and
prisoners condemned for manslaughter.
4. EU financial engagement: Through its Governance support programme (EUR 27 million
under the 11th EDF), the EU continued to provide substantial contributions to democratic
reforms (notably electoral cycle support, facilitation of political dialogue assistance to
parliament), improving public service capacity and establishing a functional civil registry in
accordance with international human rights conventions. Significant technical assistance and
financial aid was provided to the National Civil Registration Authority to support the
establishment of an effective, decentralised, continuous and universal registry of vital
events, in view to ensure everyone's fundamental right to be recognised before the law,
support effective decision-making and service delivery and the future extraction of a
comprehensive and reliable voter register.
Significant technical assistance was provided to the National Electoral Commission for EOM
follow-up and to the Parliament to facilitate the legislative process for corresponding legal
instruments. The EU Governance programme also provided parliamentary support to
strengthen inter-party dialogue, the institution of legislative capacity in respect to the
decentralisation review process, improve its relations with the executive, the CSOs and the
general public, enhancing democratic accountability. An action worth EUR 820,000 was
contracted under the EIDHR to a national woman led non-partisan organisation (the 50/50
Group), advocating and campaigning for increased political participation and equal
representation of women in decision-making processes and initiatives in Sierra Leone. The
action also col aborates with the Governance support programme to strengthen the capacity
of the female caucus in parliament. Efforts continue under the EIDHR funded action led by
the international NGO ‘GOAL’ in collaboration with World Hope International and the Sierra
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Leone Labour Congress to promote human rights and decent work and fight human
trafficking and child labour in Sierra Leone.
The authorities' declared emergency on sexual violence led to the launch of a cal for
proposal under the Thematic Instrument in support to CSOs to ‘Prevent Sexual and Gender
Based Violence against Women and Girls in Sierra Leone’. Four actions, for an overall EU
contribution of EUR 2.2 million, were awarded to coalitions led by national NGOs to promote
the rights of women, strengthen prevention, response and access to justice to women and
girls victims of sexual violence.
Under the 11th EDF Support Programme to Civil Society and Local Authorities for local
development in Sierra Leone 7 grants worth EUR 8 million were awarded to national and
international NGOs to strengthen the civic space and to promote participation of CSOs in
development and implementation of Local Development Plans.
5. Multilateral context: The EU attended a validation workshop organised by the CSO
Universal Periodic Review Monitoring Group-SL (CUMG-SL) on the status of implementation
of Sierra Leone’s second cycle UPR recommendations. Through a range of outreaches and
demarches, the EU encouraged the government of Sierra Leone to align itself on the
multilateral agenda at UN and in relation to the Kimberley Initiative.
Somalia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Somalia continues to suffer from
widespread insecurity, fuelled primarily by regular reoccurring attacks from Al-Shabaab, but
also persistent clan rivalries and capacity weaknesses of the Somali Security Forces. The lack
of security and rule of law remain major obstacles for ensuring any protection of basic
human rights, with basic policing functions, access to justice and correctional facilities only
being available in limited locations, mostly in Mogadishu and to varying degrees in the
regional capitals.
The absence of institutions, legislative frameworks and capacity to implement them remains
a key obstacle to ensure respect for and implementation of human rights. While the Federal
Government has repeatedly signalled its intention to finalise a justice model, establish key
institutions such as the human rights commission, judicial service commission and
constitutional court, the implementation of these objectives stil needs to be concretised.
The fraught relationship between the Federal Government and some of the Federal Member
States has not been conducive to further progress. With reference to recent legislation, in
September 2019 the anti-corruption bill was signed into law by the President of Somalia. The
electoral bill, which has been repeatedly delayed, is yet to be passed, with an envisaged
deadline before the end of 2019. The absence of institutions and legislation governing the
conduct of the different stakeholders before, during and after the elections continues to
pose serious risks of human rights abuses, including occurrences of violence, at both federal
and regional level.
Freedom of expression and of the press continues to be severely constrained, and attacks
against journalists common. There is insufficient protection to ensure the respect of
women's and girls' rights which continue to be seriously violated, with sexual and gender-
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based violence pervasive. Respect for the rights of children remains a concern, with an
upshot in forced recruitment of minors by Al-Shabaab being a particular concern. While
Somalia has been elected to the UN Human Rights Council in 2018, the establishment of
Somali institutions (such as the Human Rights Commission foreseen by the provisional
Constitution) that can serve to tackle the human rights situation stil needs to be
concretised. Chronic instability and the focus on security issues will continue to make it
difficult for the Federal Government of Somalia to implement and respect key human rights
commitments.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The EU support to Somalia is guided by the objective to
rebuild the state, improve stability and reduce poverty.
EU’s activities in Somalia and
Somaliland in the area of human rights in 2019 focused on promoting gender equality and
women's rights, ending violence against women and children, supporting the
democratisation agenda, including electoral processes and improving access to justice
through institutional capacity building, support to mobile courts and legal aid provision, as
well as the promotion of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. EU actions also focused
on supporting community police and providing human rights training for security forces,
supporting security institutions to enhance political and civilian oversight and the rule of law,
strengthening the role of the media and civil society organisations to monitor and report on
human rights violations, as wel as improving detention conditions and access to justice by
prisoners. In 2019, the EU also stepped up its support to democratisation, including for the
organisation of general elections in 2020/21.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The protection of human rights is an important
element addressed by the EU in its regular exchanges with government counterparts at al
levels. During the first Article 8 dialogue held with the Prime Minister of Somalia on 19
March 2019 the EU Heads of Mission emphasised the need to promote human rights in
Somalia, including through the yet-to-be-established Human Rights Commission and the
passing of relevant legislation, such as the sexual offenses bill. The EU backs this dialogue
with concrete support to civil society organisations working on the promotion of human
rights as well as support to build the capacities of Somali security actors to improve the
respect for human rights. In its role as co-chair of the Human Rights Working Group and
regular participant to the Human Rights Pillar Working Group, the EU has also been actively
engaging in advocacy efforts on various human rights-related topics. Following the recent
Somalia Partnership Forum, wherein a set of priorities including in the sphere of human
rights, were agreed upon by the Federal Government and the International Community
including the EU, the EU wil continue to advocate for the implementation of human rights
commitments.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU pursued its financial support to a range of
projects related to strengthening the respect for human rights in Somalia (including
Somaliland), both through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights
(EIDHR) for a total of EUR 2 million, and the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF),
supporting projects in the areas of rule of law, corrections, and security sector reform for a
total of EUR 20.3 million. In the first half of 2019, the EU further strengthened its support to
democratisation and the organisation of universal elections through an additional EUR 2
million contribution in support of the UN-implemented Joint Programme for Support to
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Preparations for Universal Elections in the Federal Republic of Somalia. The EU is also
supporting projects implemented by civil society organisations, with a focus on enhancing
political representation of women, persons belonging to minorities, internally displaced
people and persons with disabilities. The EU's support to the media sector focuses,
inter alia,
on the safety and security of journalists and improving the awareness among Somali security
forces on the rights and existing laws protecting journalists in Somalia.
5. Multilateral context: Although the Federal Government of Somalia has ratified several
human rights-related international commitments, the ability of the Somali authorities to
implement these remains weak. The Federal Member States are even further away from
being in a position to adhere to international commitments due to extremely limited
capacities. Yet with Somalia’s election to the UN Human Rights Council in 2018, there has
been an opportunity to reinforce the work done with key government actors in favour of a
strengthened enforcement of human rights commitments. This has also provided an
opportunity for civil society actors to lobby more effectively for the respect of human rights
in Somalia. The Federal Government engaged in a voluntary Mid-Term Review Report on the
implementation progress of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations in
January 2019. Somalia has yet to adopt and/or ratify a number of other key international
commitments, including the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court.
South Africa
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: South Africa is a mature and
vibrant democracy with a progressive constitutional and legal framework designed to ensure
strong respect for human rights in the society. The government, active and robust media,
civil society and an independent judiciary all play their role in protecting human rights.
Nevertheless, the country continues to face difficulties in ensuring that constitutional y
guaranteed human rights can be fully enjoyed by all in South Africa. Realisation of socio-
economic rights and elimination of inequalities remains a major challenge. This continues to
be particularly visible in the area of gender equality, where South Africa struggles with high
levels of gender based violence, cases of femicide and more broadly the ability to advance
rights of women in the society. The country has also seen several outbreaks of xenophobia
and violence against refugees and migrants in 2019. The government has announced an
action plan to fight gender based violence and femicide, both of which were highlighted as
priorities for South Africa during its 2020 presidency of the African Union. Similarly, the
cabinet adopted a national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia
and related intolerance. Another positive development in 2019 was the ratification of the
Optional Protocol of the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT).
2. EU action - key focus areas: EU col ective action in 2019 focused on maintaining dialogue,
providing support, offering assistance and engaging a broad range of stakeholders in the
society in areas where South Africa continues to face most chal enges in ensuring full
implementation of the constitutional y guaranteed set of human rights principles. EU action
thus continued to be focused on (i) rule of law, access to justice, fight against impunity and
reinforcement of accountability; (ii) socio-economic rights; (iii) gender equality, women
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empowerment and gender based violence; and (iv) inclusion in the areas of migration,
racism, the rights of LGBTI persons and persons with disabilities.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In 2019, the EU and South Africa continued to engage
on human rights in a regular manner, both formally and informally. The 6th EU-South Africa
human rights dialogue took place in November 2019 and covered issues of multilateral
cooperation, human rights situation in EU and South Africa as well as various thematic
human rights issues. EU and South Africa have agreed to work closely together in the area of
women empowerment and gender equality in the run up to the 25th anniversary of the
Beijing Platform for Action and the 20th Anniversary of UNSCR 1325. Other opportunities for
closer follow up and coordination in the area of human rights were also discussed. The EU
informed South Africa about the launch of the Good Human Rights Stories Initiative and
encouraged South Africa to join the initiative. EU also invited South Africa to join the Global
Alliance for Torture Free Trade. Some EU Member States have also conducted their bilateral
human rights dialogues with South Africa in 2019.
In addition to formal and informal dialogues, the EU delegation and the embassies of EU
Member States in South Africa engaged on human rights through their public diplomacy
activities. Examples include EU participation at the Graduation Ceremony of the African
Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation at the University of Pretoria, participation
in police and human rights dialogue, communication campaign against gender based
violence during the 16 Days of Activism as well as participation in and support of regional
conference on Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls in Southern Africa. EU
Member States have pursued additional communication and public diplomacy activities
around similar topics and on various specific occasions, such as the International Day against
Homophobia and Transphobia, the International Conference on Population and
Development, and others.
4. EU financial engagement: Policy dialogue, political consultations and public diplomacy
engagements were further complemented by EU and EU member states financial
engagement. The EU and EU Member States continued to provide resources and technical
support to the government of South Africa and the civil society in their efforts to address
gaps in implementation of human rights agenda in the country. The EU provided funding
through the Socio-Economic Justice for All programme,
to improve access to socio-economic
rights in the country while also supporting civil society organisations operating in the same
field. The EU also finalised preparations for the support of the South African government in
the area of gender equality and women's empowerment, with the programme expected to
start in 2020. EU funding was made available to the government and the civil society in the
area of migration, racism and xenophobia. Through the use of the EU Dialogue Facility, the
EU supported links between the government of South Africa and their counterparts in EU
Member States around the development and implementation of public policies and
legislation concerning the rights of transgender and intersex persons as wel as
operationalisation of commitments made under the Convention on the rights of persons
with disabilities. The EU also continued to support the African Policing Civilian Oversight
Forum (APCOF) to promote compliance by the South African Police Service (SAPS) with the
international, regional and constitutional human rights protections guaranteed for persons
who are deprived of their liberty through the regular and independent monitoring of
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detention facilities under the management of SAPS. Several EU Member States offered their
own bilateral assistance in similar areas.
5. Multilateral context: South Africa maintained a strong and principled position on
thematic human rights issues and continued to be a cooperative partner for the EU in the
multilateral context. The country was a member of the Human Rights Council in 2019 and
held the presidency of the UN Security Council
. It engaged actively with the EU and the
group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries States in preparation of the resolution on
the rights of the child and eventual y co-sponsored the resolution. South Africa also worked
closely with the EU and seven Latin American countries on the renewal of the mandate of
the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, took a strong stance in
defence of the Death Penalty resolution, and cooperated with the EU in several other areas.
The EU and South Africa continued to engage in an effort to find common ground in
thematic areas where differences remain with respect to the full implementation of existing
frameworks and initiation of new initiatives – namely business and human rights and racism,
racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.
South Sudan
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Although a revitalised Peace
Agreement was signed in September 2018, the context remains volatile and characterised by
a lack of accountability for human rights violations and abuses. The rival parties have twice
extended the formation of a transitional government of national unity, first in May 2019 and
then in November 2019. While most military offences have been suspended since the peace
agreement, the number of casualties from localised conflict have been alarmingly high.
Inter-communal clashes and revenge attacks continue to result in the killing and injuring of
civilians, cattle raiding and the looting of property.
Sexual violence and other forms of violence against women and girls have continued, as well
as reports of recruitment and employment of child soldiers. In February 2019, the
Commission for Human Rights in South Sudan concluded that violations including rape and
sexual violence continue to occur and may amount to international crimes.
Capital punishment is legal, and in practice it extends to juveniles, despite this being
unconstituional. Some prisoners of war and political detainees have been released. However
the space for civil society, journalists and human rights defenders, remains heavily
constrained, with recurrent arbitrary arrests. There is both censorship and self-censorship in
the country’s media.
There have been some positive developments in 2019. In September, the South Sudanese
military tribunal found 9 soldiers guilty of killing a journalist, rape, gang rape and assault of
international aid workers during an attack on a compound in July 2016. Also in part thanks to
EU advocacy, the main monitoring body on the ceasefire (CTSAMVM) has increased his focus
and training activity on sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) with the signatory parties,
and indeed the SGBV cases attributable to organised armed forces have significantly
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reduced. However, the steps taken to address impunity for conflict related sexual and
gender based violence are stil insufficient. Work on the establishment of a hybrid court
foreseen in the Peace Agreement remains stal ed and an environment of impunity continues
to contribute to the deterioration of the human rights situation.
South Sudan has not had a national election since independence. After the formation of the
new transitional government, the subsequent transitional period is scheduled to deliver a
constitutional review and the preparations for free and fair elections after three years.
In 2019, humanitarian needs have remained high, aggravated further by unprecedented
heavy flooding, and attacks on aid workers have continued, although humanitarian access
has in general significantly improved since the peace agreement.
It is estimated that approximately 1.5 million people are internally displaced and 2.47 million
have fled as refugees to neighbouring countries. Close to 200,000 people are living in six UN
'Protection of Civilians' sites across the country.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The key EU priority in 2019 was to support an inclusive peace
process, through financial and political support, including by funding the two main
monitoring bodies led by IGAD and by being at the forefront of the diplomatic efforts to
encourage al parties to implement the ceasefire agreement of December 2017 and the
revitalised Peace Agreement of September 2018. The EU has also provided support to
human rights defenders (HRDs), provided venues to promote freedom of expression and
freedom of association and assembly, as well as promoted women's and children's rights.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The bilateral political engagement is constrained at the
formal level by several factors: South Sudan is not a signatory of the Cotounou agreement; in
the current pre-transitional phase of implementation of the Peace Agreement the
government represents only one of the parties to the peace agreement, at least until an
inclusive Transitional Government of National Unity is formed. Nonetheless, the EU has
advocated in all its exchanges with the government authorities for increased respect of
human rights, including for an increased transparency of the public finances which links to
the realisation of the fundamental economic and social rights of the population. Formal
demarches were also implemented often jointly with Member States, for example on the
abolition of the death penalty. The EU is also in the forefront of raising HRD issues with the
wider international community in Juba, including through following individual cases and
thorugh facilitating regular meetings hosted by the EU Ambassador for ambassadors to liaise
with HRDs. One successful event was a ‘speed-dating’ evening for Human Rights Day in
December during which the EU facilitated 50 HRDs to meet with 50 government officials
(including security officials) to help build relationships and common understanding.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued to support the capacity of human
rights defenders to protect themselves and to support HRDs at imminent risk of violence
and/or with acute protection needs. In a context of a limited civic space, this support is key
to ensuring that South Sudanese HRDs can continue to address and counter human rights
violations. The EU is also supporting access to information and freedom of expression. EU
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funds have also continued to address the marginalisation of older South Sudanese persons in
situations of forced displacement in Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
In addition, the EU continued to work with civil society on enhancing Technical and
Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for South Sudanese youth. The main achievement
this year has been the establishment of a unified TVET curriculum in South Sudan in
cooperation with all relevant Ministerial bodies. To date, some 2,000 vulnerable youth
including 400 persons with disabilities have been trained and set up smal scale businesses.
5. Multilateral context: The full implementation of human rights commitments remains a
challenge. While the Government of South Sudan has acceded to or ratified most
international instruments, and has acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on
the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict in September 2019,
enforcement and implementation is a major challenge.
The Government of South Sudan has shown cooperation with several African Union bodies
and various bodies of the UN Special Procedures, who are granted access during their visits
to the country. As part of the UPR mid-term review in 2019, the Government of South Sudan
confirmed that it is working on an initial national report on the implementation of the
International Convention on Elimination of Al Forms of Inhuman, Cruel and Degrading
Treatment.
Sudan
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, Sudan experienced
tectonic political changes. Since the constitutional declaration reached between the military
and the civilian opposition movement on 17 August 2019, Sudan has embarked on a complex
3-year political transition. This was preceded by sustained popular protests, which ultimately
led to the ousting of the International Criminal Court (ICC)-indicted President Omar Al-Bashir
– in power for 30 years – by the military in April 2019. Prior to the agreement reached,
Sudan’s security forces, in particular the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS)
used their extended powers to systematically restrict political and civil rights, including
through intimidation, detention and torture of political activists. On 3 June, violent attacks
against peaceful protestors in Khartoum resulted in the kil ing and injuring of many peaceful
civilian protesters, as well as in sexual and gender-based violence. Before the political
settlement reached in August, the situation of freedom of expression and media was in
Sudan of great concern with the security authorities seizing print-runs, suspending
newspapers, detaining, and fining journalists for critical writing.
Subsequent to the power-sharing agreement of August 2019, the Sovereign Council,
composed of both civilian and military representatives, and a transitional civilian
government, led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, were formed. The technocrat
government declared reaching sustainable peace and improving the human rights situation
in the country as among its priorities for the transitional period. In September, a national
investigation committee into three June attacks was formed. Dr Nabil Adeeb, a prominent
human rights lawyer, was later appointed to head the commission. The space for civil society
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in Sudan increased considerably in the second half of 2019, with many organisations that
formerly faced enormous hurdles now having more space to operate in Sudan. The same
goes for independent journalism. However, the legal framework for NGOs has yet to be
reviewed, in order to ensure that registration of CSOs and other bureaucratic requirements
are adapted according to international standards. Similarly, the press law has yet to be
reviewed.
The transitional government showed its political commitment to bring about change
inter
alia by agreeing to the opening of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
in Sudan, repealing the repressive Public Order Law and loosening humanitarian access
impediments. In October 2019, peace process between the transitional authorities and the
Sudanese armed groups was launched. The transitional government also agreed to the
extension of the UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), crucial for the protection of civilians.
The transitional authorities also took steps to reform NISS. Transitional justice however
remained a contested issued, also in view of Bashir’s arrest warrants vis-à-vis the ICC, which
remained outstanding. Subject to ongoing trials, Bashir remains in prison.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The EU's key focus areas in Sudan continued to be (i)
promotion of greater space and a safe, conducive environment for HRDs and civil society
organisations (CSOs); (ii) ensuring greater freedom of expression in the press, the media and
on digital platforms and freedom of speech; (i i) protection and promotion of the human
rights of women and children; (iv) protection and promotion of the human rights of
migrants, refugees and IDPs and (v) fostering inclusive and peaceful governance that
respects human rights.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Throughout 2019, the EU remained actively engaged in
Sudan. The EU continued to co-chair and host the International Partners' Forum for Human
Rights, a group of diplomatic representatives in Khartoum that regularly exchanges on
human rights issues. The EU delegation also closely monitored specific human rights cases,
observed court trials as well as raised human rights concerns and called the Sudanese
authorities for action. The EU also issued several statements in 2019, including a
EU28
statement issued in February 2019, calling for the lifting of restrictions placed on freedom of
assembly, freedom of the media, civic space and access to the internet. The Foreign Affairs
Council statement of 17 June condemned the violent attacks of 3 June, while cal ing for an
independent and transparent investigation with the perpetrators held to account.
In July, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Pekka Haavisto, was mandated by the
HR/VP to reach out, on behalf of the EU, on both the situation in Sudan and on how the
international community can accompany the country on its transition path. To that end,
Haavisto visited both Sudan as well as several countries of the Red Sea and broader region.
On 17 August, the EU attended the signing ceremony of the transitional agreement in
Khartoum as an expression of strong political support for the civilian transition.
In November, Prime Minister Hamdok visited Brussels, at the invitation of HR/VP Mogherini,
during which the EU reconfirmed its commitment to support the political transition in Sudan.
The EU also adopted Council conclusions on Sudan
13 in December, emphasised the need for
the EU to play an active role in supporting and consolidating the political transition in Sudan
13 http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-14623-2019-INIT/en/pdf
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link to page 155
and accompanying the country on its path of political and economic reforms. The EU was
also at the forefront of the international Friends of Sudan initiative with regular meetings
bringing together major donors and international financial institutions since spring 2019.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution in 2019 on the human rights situation in
Sudan
14, condemning the violent response by the Sudanese security forces to peaceful
protests. In April, the Parliament held a plenary debate on the situation in the country,
calling for a civilian-led transition in Sudan. On the International Women’s Day in March, the
EU delegation organised a lunch with women rights’ activists, to also discuss about further
EU support in this domain. The Annual Human Rights Award of the EU delegation was
dedicated in 2019 to equality and justice for al . The prize was awarded to the Sudanese
people as a whole, in the honour of their peaceful struggle for a political transition and for
those who lost their lives in the quest for peace, freedom and justice.
4. EU financial engagement: Throughout 2018, the EU continued to support a number of
projects relating to human rights in Sudan through European Instrument for Democracy and
Human Rights (EIDHR) and Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities (CSO-LA)
funding. The EU provided support to human rights defenders through the EIDHR emergency
small grant facility. The EU also continued to provide Sudan with technical assistance relating
to human rights and good governance, such as human rights capacity trainings, technical
support on the rule of law and assistance in the implementation of the UN Action Plan on
ending and preventing recruitment of child soldiers.
The EU supported directly the people of Sudan through actions funded by the EU Emergency
Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF). The EU's cooperation mainly focuses on assisting refugees,
internal y displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities. The main areas of this ongoing
support include education, health, food security, rural development and the fight against
climate change. The EU's assistance strictly follows the ‘Do-no-harm approach’. In addition,
the EU continued to be instrumental in supplying humanitarian assistance to the people in
need.
5. Multilateral context: An important milestone to foster human rights was the agreement
of the transitional government to open an Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights in Sudan (OHCHR). The mandate of the UN Independent Expert on human rights on
Sudan was extended for a further year by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019
until the OHCHR office in Sudan is declared fully operational.
Tanzania
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Overall, the United Republic of
Tanzania remains a peaceful, multi-ethnic, religiously tolerant and stable country. In 2019,
some positive developments could be noted, notably the perception that petty corruption
continues to be reduced, and some positive achievements related in particular to child
marriage, with the Court of Appeal upholding the law banning child marriage and directing
14 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-8-2019-0034_EN.html
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the Government to raise the legal age of marriage to 18 years within a year. However, the
country faces increasing and significant challenges. As was the case already in 2018, the year
2019 was marked by growing concerns over the protection of human rights and fundamental
freedoms, especially freedom of expression, association and assembly. Recent legal reforms
and practices are contributing to create a non-conducive environment for civic and political
rights and for fundamental rights of young girls, LGBTI persons, refugees, pastoralists, with
increasing victimisation of human rights' defenders. In October 2019, both Human Rights
Watch and Amnesty International published severe reports on threats to freedom of
expression in Tanzania, highlighting how the application of the new laws had a distressing
effect on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. The local
elections of November 2019 raised a number of serious concerns, in particular on the lack of
transparency, the limited numbers of accreditation for elections observation and voters’
education and the important number of opposition candidates declared non-eligible.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU has focused its action on improving the legal
framework on human rights (with a focus on torture and death penalty) and defending and
promoting the rights of women and children. During the ‘16 days of Activism’ the EU
organised public events in marginalised communities in Dar es-Salaam on the effects of
gender-based violence (GBV), especially addressing women and children in families. These
public events included free legal consultancy on gender and inheritance rights. The EU has
continued to follow up on threats, arrests and cases against journalists and other media
stakeholders, which have been on the increase. This also includes public support to human
rights defenders, such as the 2019 Human Rights Defenders Award to the Distinguished
Champion of Online Freedom of Speech in Tanzania, Mr Maxence Mel o.
In 2019, the EU delegation chaired the Development Partners Group on Gender Equality and
Women's Empowerment, which is an important platform for dialogue with national
stakeholders in Tanzania. Given the Tanzanian government's priority on women's economic
empowerment, the engagement with the financial and private sector was specifically in
focus during 2019, including meetings and dialogue with for example the National Economic
and Empowerment Council, smal businesses, Financial Sector Deepening Trust and
commercial banks.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU and the Member States pursue regular
outreaches with Tanzanian authorities on issues related to human rights. EU diplomats have
also attended significant court cases, in line with existing EU guidelines. The EU delegation
pursued throughout the year robust communication campaigns, including on social media,
to mark the milestone recurrences around human rights.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, Ireland started providing core funding to the Legal
Human Rights Centre (LHRC), Tanzania’s leading Human Rights CSO. LHRC produces an
annual human rights report including monitoring trends in relation to the death penalty and
allegations of torture. LHRC works comprehensively to improve the legal framework on
human rights in Tanzania.
The EU continued its financial support through various projects in favour of media, youth,
women and CSOs.
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5. Multilateral context: Together with the UNFPA, the EU ran online and offline campaign
against female genital mutilation (FGM) to cal for its end by 2030, in line with the SDGs. The
EU also col aborated with UNICEF and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands to
organise events and an online campaign around the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child (CRC@30).
Key international days commemorated in 2019 include International Day of Zero Tolerance
Against FGM, with focus on the particularly affected Mara region; International Women’s
Day in Mwanza Region; Day of the African Child commemorated in Zanzibar; International
Day of the Child in Dar es-Salaam; and the 16 Days of Activism leading up to Human Rights
Day on 10 December.
The Gambia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Since the end of 22 years of
authoritarian rule in 2017, the current government has committed to implementing
democratic reforms, respect of human rights and the rule of law. It has made good progress
in 2018 and 2019, though legal and legislative reforms are slow to materialise, a situation
compounded by the financial, economic and political legacy of former regime. In 2019, the
political situation became more conflictual, triggered by the President renouncing on his
election-time promise to step down after three years of transitional government. While the
Constitution puts the President on firm ground for finalising his 5-year mandate, parts of the
population are determined to hold him to his word, their demands being of a moral rather
than a legal nature.
The establishment of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), the Truth, Reconciliation
and Reparations Commission (TRRC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in
2018 as part of an overarching transitional justice process, all three Commissions have
delivered impressively on their mandates throughout the year 2019. Civil society is gradually
strengthening its capacities to fulfil its role as a watchdog.
Hearings in front of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) have
continued throughout 2019 on a plethora of human rights abuses and other crimes
committed under the previous regime. Witnesses, victims and alleged perpetrators have
testified in front of the Commission. The emphasis should soon shift from hearings to the
aspect of reparations for victims and criminal justice proceedings. In October 2019, the
Gambia Government has disbursed 50 million dalasi, raised from funds recuperated from the
sale of assets of former President Jammeh, to the TRRC to pay reparations to victims of
human rights violations of the former regime.
On 15 November 2019, the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) of The Gambia released
to the public its draft Constitution. The process of providing the country with a new
Constitution now enters its next phase, with feedback and public consultations on its first
draft text. The draft is the result of a careful balancing of norms and legal obligations
deriving from international treaties on the one hand, and cultural values and traditions that
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are considered essential to the Gambians, on the other. While as a whole, the draft was
wel -received, certain topics –related to religion have led to fierce public debate. The draft
Constitution wil continue to be subject to public debate and it is not certain whether it wil
be adopted in the referendum later in 2020.
Important legal reform proposals have been submitted to the National Assembly in
December 2019, including the draft Criminal Offenses and Criminal Procedure bills, bills
related to freedom of expression, media and access to information, as well as regarding
women's rights. The death penalty remains in the current criminal code, to be withdrawn
depending on the outcome of the Constitutional review process (the death penalty does not
feature in the draft Constitution). The criminal offenses bill criminalises ‘aggravated homo
sexuality’ and The Gambia has stated in its submission to the 34th session of the UN Human
Rights Council Universal Periodic Review Working Group (UPR) that it does not intend to
decriminalise same-sex relationships.
In February 2019, a Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare was created with a view
to advancing the rights of women and children. However, violence against women and girls,
early and forced marriage, and Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting are still widespread in
Gambian society, despite the 2016 law forbidding the latter practice.
2. EU action - key focus areas: The EU remains committed to supporting the ongoing
democratic transition with the aim of consolidating peace by strengthening democratic
institutions in full respect of human rights and the rule of law. In 2019, EU activities focused
on monitoring and supporting the Security Sector Reform (SSR), as well as the ongoing legal
reforms.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The visit of the EU Electoral Follow-up Mission, led by
former MEP Miroslav Poche in early October, put special emphasis on reforming electoral
laws and on the need to support the implementation of the recommendations of the 2017
Electoral Observation Mission. The ongoing constitutional review and TRRC processes as well
as the work of the National Human Rights Commission were the focus of the visit of EUSR for
Human Rights Gilmore in October. Both visits provided ample opportunity to engage with
the Gambian government at the highest political level.
The EU's support to the Gambian government included frequent and productive political
discussions and policy dialogues at all levels. The EU continues to capitalise on its
membership of steering committees for sectoral reforms – such as in the areas of SSR and
Governance - to promote its positions on human rights in close co-ordination with Member
States and like-minded actors.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU and the Member States contributed significant
financial support to The Gambia, in the form of budget support and technical assistance in
the areas of good governance and democratic reforms, complemented by targeted
interventions in key sectors. The second phase of the National Indicative Programme (2017-
2020) under the 11th EDF includes ‘governance/security/rule of law’ as its first focal sector
(EUR 135 million). Support under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP)
targeted the ongoing reform processes in the security sector. Two projects under the
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European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) were allocated a total of
EUR 425,000 on increasing accountability and preventing enforced disappearances and
extrajudicial killings in The Gambia, as well as on building a democratic culture and tolerance
through awareness raising and civic education.
5. Multilateral context: In September 2019, The Gambia contributed to the second edition
of the EU-led ‘Good Human Rights Stories Initiative’ in the framework of the UN General
Assembly in New York. Its story centred on access to justice for victims of human rights
abuses.
In November 2019, The Gambia underwent its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in the UN
Human Rights Council. The Gambia was commended for the significant improvements it had
made since its last review in 2014,
inter alia in ratifying numerous international human rights
treaties, including the UN Convention against Torture and the Second Optional Protocol to
the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights, aiming at the irreversible abolition of
the death penalty. Recommendations were focused and wel -tailored, with capital
punishment, torture and il -treatment, freedom of expression and information, women's
rights and the rights of LGBTI persons as the main issues that were highlighted.
On 11 November 2019, The Gambia filed a genocide case against Myanmar at the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, aiming to bring the latter to justice over
alleged mass killings of the Rohingya minority in 2017. Hearings were concluded in
December 2019. In its recent ruling, the ICJ ruled in favour of The Gambia's request for
provisional measures in accordance with the Genocide Convention.
Togo
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation:
The state of human rights in Togo is largely influenced by its recent past and its socio-
economic context. In 2019, the government continued its constitutional and institutional
reforms, but further efforts are needed to consolidate democracy, the rule of law and the
respect for human rights. Concerns remained to ensure a credible, transparent and inclusive
electoral process, which would allow for a democratic transition of power. Concerns also
persisted over the political, economic and social rights, in spite of the existing legal
framework.
In May 2019, a constitutional amendment was adopted, limiting the number of presidential
mandates to two, yet not applicable to the current President who can run for the post twice
more and established two rounds voting in the presidential elections. It also limited the
parliamentary mandates to three and established a Senate where the former presidents will
become members.
Local elections were held in June 2019 (for the first time since 1987) where in order to
guarantee the inclusiveness of the process the voters’ register was reopened.
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A new Demonstration Law, more restrictive than the previous one, was adopted. The code
of criminal procedure is yet to be endorsed by the Parliament.
Demonstrations of the opposition, although mostly peaceful, led to dozens of arrests, and
resulted in overcrowded prisons. To alleviate the penitentiary situation, in January 2019 the
President pardoned 454 criminals, and 2 of the detained human rights defenders were also
freed.
Freedom of the press and the media is generally respected in the written press, radio and
internet. However, concerns remain with regard to the televised media. A new law on press
and communication was adopted in December 2019, including regulations on the new
media.
Certain structural problems remain of concern, such as the weakness of the justice system
and the situation of women and children. Prisons’ overpopulation is symptomatic, despite
the presidential pardon of January 2019, which set free for humanitarian reasons some 454
detainees.
Gender equality is enshrined in the Togolese laws, but not regularly practiced: concerns
remain with regard to women’s equal access to land property and their economic rights.
Moreover, poverty in some rural areas of Togo and the lack of education fuels trafficking in
human beings, affecting especial y women and children. Other chal enges include genital
mutilations, in particular in rural areas, or the discrimination of people suffering from
albinism.
2. EU action - key focus areas:
The key focus areas of the EU’s human rights and democracy engagement in Togo are the
following:
- reform of the judicial system;
- support to national reconciliation;
- support to the modernisation of state services;
- professionalisation of law enforcement bodies;
- implementation of the gender action plan and support to the civil society.
3. EU bilateral political engagement:
Since the Art. 8 bilateral political dialogue session held in Lomé on 26 November 2019, one
of the priorities has been to ensure the level playing field in the context of the upcoming
presidential elections (first round planned for 22 February 2020). The EU delegation has
fol owed the political developments in Togo, together with its partners of the informal
‘Group of 5’ (EU, France, Germany, US, UN). The G-5 has maintained a regular dialogue with
the government, political parties of the whole political spectrum, and the civil society
representatives, which served to exchange on the pertinent political matters, including
democracy and human rights.
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4. EU financial engagement:
In 2019, the EU-funded programme for the Promotion of decentralisation processes in Togo
(PRODEGOL) was implemented, co-financed with Germany, aiming to improve the delivery
of civil service, such as birth certificates and other administrative acts. Under the EU funded
‘Support to the Justice Sector’ (judiciary, cooperation with judicial police etc.), some results
have been visible, including increased recruitments in the sector. In 2019, a new justice
sector strategy was adopted, and justice houses and law clinics at two Togolese universities
were opened.
Some local NGOs have received grants to raise awareness within the population, and
encourage dialogue and reconciliation. The EU also financed the Civil Society Platform
promoting peace and reconciliation.
The government is working on a reform of local self-government, with EU support on the
delivery of public services. The National Police School opened 2017 as a centre of education
and retraining of the police officers, with EU financial support.
Clear indicators were selected for various budget support programmes in various sectors (in
particular: energy, water and sanitation). Additionally, training activities for women in
politics have been undertaken, and awareness campaigns took place.
The EU supported the civil society through PROCEMA programme (
Programme de
Consolidation de l’Etat et du Monde Associatif), which included activities focused on gender
equality.
5. Multilateral context:
Togo has been re-elected to the Human Rights Council (HRC) for a mandate of two years
(2018-2020).
Uganda
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: The situation of Uganda in 2019
was defined by clear flaws in the functioning of democracy and constant violations of human
rights, including by state operatives. There were signs that the limiting of political and civic
space was at least partially triggered by the presidential and parliamentary elections to be
held in early 2021. Supreme Court judges ruled to uphold the removal of the presidential age
limit in the Ugandan Constitution, which had been passed by Parliament in December 2017.
Key opposition politicians faced continued harassment by the police throughout the year.
The use of so-called ‘safe houses’ by security services, most notably the Internal Security
Organisation (ISO), came to public attention again in 2019. The EU has continued to speak
out with one voice against breaches of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and
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excessive use of force by members of law enforcement agencies, with joint local statements
issued in May and October.
2. EU action - key focus areas: In 2019, the EU continued to advocate for the protection of
civic space in Uganda. The EU publicly called for civic freedoms to be protected in
coordinated local statements in response to the suspension of journalists in May and on the
situation in Makerere University in November. Similar messages were communicated as the
EU marked key international days including World Free Press Day (on 3 May), Democracy
Day (on 15 September), and Human Rights Day (on 10 December).
The EU continued to lend its support to anti-corruption efforts notably through an Op-Ed to
mark International Anti-corruption Day on 9 December and participation in the anti-
corruption walk. The EU and UK continued to co-chair the development partners'
Accountability Working Group, which is the main platform for donor coordination on anti-
corruption issues. The EU-funded Sector Reform Performance Contract (SRPC) on ‘Justice
and Accountability Reform’ (JAR) gained speed during 2019, notably through the
achievement of a major milestone in the form of Uganda's announcement in January that it
will join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
The EU continues to support, through the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF),
interventions in areas of access to justice, including transitional justice. The DGF
interventions are complemented by bilateral support to the Justice, Law and Order Sector as
well as the Sector Reform Performance Contract (SRPC) on ‘Justice and Accountability
Reform’ (JAR).
During 2019, the EU delegation focal point for human rights defenders (HRDs) registered
fifteen cases of people and organisations seeking human rights defender support. Responses
ranged from political dialogue, formal communication with the Uganda Police Force (UPF),
emergency response funding and coordination with local civil society groups and UN
agencies. The EU has continued to support efforts for the abolition of the death penalty in
Uganda. The EU Heads of Mission and the Ambassadors of Norway, Iceland and the
Apostolic Nunciature paid a solidarity visit to death row inmates on 21 November as part of
the activities to mark the international day for the abolition of the death penalty.
The EU continues to advocate for gender equality and women empowerment, as well as
elimination of violence against women in their engagements with all actors whether
government or non-state actors.
The EU continued to underscore the importance of respecting, protecting and fulfil ing the
rights of all people, with a specific focus on marginalised and vulnerable groups.
Representatives of the EU delegation and Member States attended a civil society event on
17 May to celebrate the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
Despite this diplomatic presence, the police entered the venue and prevented the event
from proceeding as planned.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: Concerns about the violations of freedoms of peaceful
assembly and expression were raised during the Article 8 dialogue meetings with President
Museveni in May and November. The EU addressed anti-corruption and wider accountability
issues in its political outreach, notably through Article 8 dialogues. The EU continued to
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engage in quiet diplomacy in support of LGBTI persons in Uganda, an approach supported by
the LGBTI community itself.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU, along with Member States and like-minded countries
continued its strong backing of the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF), which supports a
range of projects aimed at improving respect for civic space in Uganda. The audits of the
DGF for 2017 and 2018 have shown that civil society organisations are not immune to
financial mismanagement.
The EU delegation launched an EIDHR cal for proposals worth EUR 1.8 million, with a major
focus on elimination of violence against women and girls in Central and South Western
Uganda. Four contracts were signed in 2019.
The EU provided financial support to Africa Prisons Project (APP), a CSO working with
inmates in Ugandan prisons, to further raise awareness and support death row inmates. Part
of this support also went to activities to commemorate the international day for the
abolition of the death penalty.
5. Multilateral context: The long awaited EU-UN Spotlight initiative on elimination of
violence against women and girls finally started in early 2019. Uganda benefits from USD 22
million as part of this initiative, with activities already ongoing in the seven selected districts.
The EU delegation marked the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child by launching a third edition of the EU comic book, 'Tesa and Luuka', serialised across a
six week period in the country's major independent daily while glossy copies of the comics
were distributed to schools across the country. The series highlighted chal enges of
children's rights including on female genital mutilation and early child marriages.
The EU closely fol owed the verification exercise undertaken by the government and the
UNHCR regarding the actual number of refugees hosted in Uganda, and stressed the
importance of fol owing through on the subsequent investigations on al eged cases of
corruption and financial mismanagement.
Zambia
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Reports of incidents that
restricted the fundamental freedoms of assembly, association and expression were received
throughout the year. Meanwhile, a review of the Public Order Act (as recommended also by
the EU Election Observation Mission in 2016) was taken forward this year by the
presentation of the Public Order Bil 2019 to Parliament. Reports of corruption continued to
increase in 2019. While the government continues to pronounce itself against corruption, in
practice there is very limited follow-up and prosecution of cases. According to Transparency
International's 2019 Global Corruption Barometer, 70% of Zambians think that their
government is doing a bad job at tackling corruption. In 2019, women´s and girls´ rights
continued to face significant obstacles in Zambia, with a high prevalence of Sexual and
Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and child marriage. The government has demonstrated
leadership to reduce early child marriage both within Zambia and the international arena,
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with the hope to register structural changes in the next few years. Sexual and reproductive
health and rights continue to be a key issue, reflected in the country's alarmingly high
adolescent pregnancy rate. Poverty and vulnerability continue to be key chal enges, and
children´s rights to good education are severely affected in terms of quality. Consensual
same sex activity continues to be criminalised. In November, two gay men who had been
arrested in 2017 were convicted to 15 years of imprisonment (the minimum sentence) for
‘acts against the order of nature'. There is political commitment to alleviate the conditions of
prison inmates, facilitate the protection of refugees and in support of the rights of people
with disabilities. In a welcome effort to further domesticate the UN Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities, the government enacted the Mental Health Act in April that
importantly repealed the Mental Disorders Act of 1949.
2. EU action- key focus areas: In 2019, the EU delegation and the resident EU Member
States in Zambia supported the implementation of agreed priorities and objectives of the EU
Human Rights and Democracy Country Strategy throughout the year, both at the political
level and through their development relations. For the period 2016-2020 the EU Human
Rights and Democracy Country Strategy for Zambia has focused its action on the fol owing
key areas:
• the advancement of women's and girls' rights, including sexual and reproductive
rights and the fight against gender-based violence;
• the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights, including children and their
right to good education and good health;
• the enhancement of transparent governance, including the fight against corruption,
improved access to information, and freedom of expression, assembly and
association;
• the promotion of a fair and efficient justice system, including the right to a fair trial,
the rights of persons in detention, and the abolition of the death penalty;
• the cultivation of an environment of non-discrimination, with a focus on the rights of
marginalised groups.
The EU also works to implement the follow-up plan of the recommendations of the 2016 EU
Election Observation Mission (EOM), as well as the objectives of the EU Gender Action Plan
and the EU CSO Roadmap 2018-2020, locally agreed with EU Member States and other
donors and in consultation with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In the framework of the Zambia-EU ‘Article 8’ Political
Dialogue that took place in May 2019, several core human rights and democracy issues were
discussed, including women´s empowerment, sexual and reproductive health and rights,
corruption, freedom of assembly and expression, the eradication of political violence and the
moratorium against the death penalty.
In the course of 2019, the political engagement of the EU delegation regarding human rights
and democracy in Zambia took different forms and included interactions with key
stakeholders as part of the ongoing political dialogue (Article 8 meeting; meetings with the
president, relevant ministers, the Electoral Commission of Zambia and other senior
interlocutors such as the Chief Justice; meetings with CSOs and human rights defenders) as
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wel as the organisation of and participation in different events (e.g.: Human Rights Day),
demarches and several other activities organised as part of the delegation's public
diplomacy. Moreover, an EU Election Follow-Up Mission was deployed from 27 May to 19
June 2019 to Zambia to assess, at the mid-term point in the electoral cycle, the status of
implementation of the recommendations of the 2016 EU Election Observation Mission (EU
EOM).
The EU delegation and the EU Member States present in Zambia advocated for EU priorities
in the field of human rights and democracy throughout the year,
inter alia, through the
press, radio and social media. They seized the opportunity of National Day speeches, civil
society events, launching of development projects as wel as of international days such as
Human Rights Day to promote relevant issues that fal under the EU priorities in this field.
4. EU financial engagement: The EU and the EU Member States are major development
partners for Zambia. They currently support human rights and democracy via grant support
to CSOs, to the national Human Rights Commission and the National Assembly, the electoral
process and institutions, as well as via technical assistance to government authorities.
The EU delegation supports human rights and democracy in Zambia via the European
Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) and the Civil Society Organisations -
Local Authorities Programme (CSO-LA). Key examples of these projects are the nation-wide
campaign against the death penalty implemented by the Human Rights Commission; the
programme for the promotion of prisoner's rights and their reintegration into society; the
programme in favour of the inclusion of persons with disability; and the support to DRC
refugees and host communities for the access to services ensuring human rights and dignity.
In addition, the National Indicative Programme under the 11th European Development Fund
contributes,
inter alia, to the support of women's rights in Zambia through the large EU
Programme (EUR 25 mil ion) to prevent Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and to provide
services to survivors of violence.
5. Multilateral context: The third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process for Zambia took
place in November 2017. In May 2018, the government released the results of its
examination of the 203 recommendations. The government accepted an overwhelming
majority (183) of the recommendations, while one was supported in part and 19 were noted
(effectively rejected). The recommendations which were noted relate essentially to the
abolition of the death penalty (9), the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships (7), access
to social services, education and health for refugee and migrant children (2), and the
implementation of the Marriage Act establishing the legal age for marriage as 21 years old
(1).
Zimbabwe
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: A year and a half after the 2018
elections, the government has shown little appetite to undertake political and economic
reforms. Moreover, the authorities' recourse to security forces repression and the
subsequent shrinking of democratic space and rampant corruption and mismanagement led
to a serious deterioration of all socio-economic and humanitarian indicators. Since January
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2019, there has been a sharp increase in reported human rights violations. Beyond a series
of intimidations against opposition supporters and activists, the year was marked by violent
episodes of police brutalities (in January, August and November). The recommendations
issued in the Motlanthe report of the Commission of inquiry to investigate the violence
against civilians in the post-election period, which resulted in the death of six people in
August 2018, are stil to be effectively addressed by the authorities. Progress is also very
slow in addressing the recommendations of the EU Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) and
of the other election observation missions that were deployed in the country before 2018
elections. The human rights situation is further worsened by the ongoing economic and
humanitarian crisis that resulted in a massive decrease of access to basic services for the
population and is further worsening the situation of the most vulnerable communities.
2. EU action - key focus areas: In 2019, EU priorities in the area of human rights and
democracy continued to target both institutions and civil society organisations engaged in
the implementation of the 2013 Constitution. On 17 January 2019, the HR/VP Spokesperson
issued a statement condemning the deadly violence further to a series of demonstrations
against an increase in the price of fuel. It also voiced concerns over the internet shutdown
that followed these police brutality episodes. Similarly, on 14 February 2019, the European
Parliament adopted a resolution (2019/2563) condemning the violent crackdown by security
forces on demonstrators, civil society, opposition members and trade unionists following the
decision to increase the price of fuel by over 150%. On 7 June 2019, the EU delegation
released a press statement condemning the abduction and abuse of rural teachers' union
president Mr. Obert Masaraure in Harare on 6 June. On 20 August 2019, the EU delegation,
the Heads of Mission of France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden and
the United Kingdom, and the Heads of Mission of Australia, Canada and the USA issued a
joint local statement on respect for human rights and freedom of assembly further to
intimidation, harassment and physical attacks on human rights defenders, trade union and
civil society representatives, and opposition politicians - prior to, during and following a
demonstration in Harare on 16 August.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The launch of a regular and official political dialogue
(held on 5 June and 21 November) paved the way for a normalised high-level exchange on
human rights and democracy priorities. Issues raised by the EU side were the
implementation of the constitutional and legislative framework, respect and promotion of
fundamental freedoms such as the freedom of the media, putting an end to police brutality
and addressing the impunity gap, the promotion of gender equality and women's
empowerment, and the prompt and effective implementation of the EU EOM
recommendations. The progress of Zimbabwe’s accession to international instruments was
also raised.
4. EU financial engagement: Throughout 2019, the EU continued to provide support through
projects funded under the European Development Fund (EDF), the Development
Cooperation Instrument (DCI), the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights
(EIDHR) and the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP). The portfolio includes
thirty-four projects, for an overal planned amount of EUR 37 million: 11 projects focus on
civil and political rights and have been developed in partnership with local and international
organisms such as the Zimbabwe Election Support Network or the IOM. Simultaneously,
eight projects focused on the reinforcement of democratic institutions and 15 projects were
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implemented in the areas of civil society support, citizen participation and peace and
reconciliation.
Ongoing contracts under the EIDHR amount to EUR 1,950,000 and target mainly
constitutionalism and protection of human rights, including of people with disability.
The EU, in partnership with the UN agencies (UNDP, UN Women, UNFPA, UNICEF, ILO and
UNESCO) and the Government of Zimbabwe launched the Spotlight Initiative to end violence
against women and girls. An amount of EUR 18.4 million has been allocated to the initiative.
5. Multilateral context: A voluntary mid-term report of the Universal Periodic Review to the
United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council was issued in October 2019. Yet, the report
shows that Zimbabwe fal s short in terms of effective protection and promotion of human
rights and democratic principles. The large majority of the 154 out of 263 recommendations
supported by the Government of Zimbabwe are stil to be effectively addressed.
Little progress was made on the accession to international instruments, despite expectations
(e.g.: abolition of death penalty) and government self-declared priorities (e.g.: Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
Convention for the Protection of Al Persons from Enforced Disappearance). In March 2019,
the parliament approved the AU African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance,
paving the way for the government to complete the process of Zimbabwe’s becoming bound
by the Charter under international law. The ratification process (president's assent) remains
ongoing.
Arabian Peninsula
Bahrain
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Following the 2018 elections, in
which the two dissolved major political societies (Al Wefaaq and Al Waad) were banned
from running, and the gradual shrinking of political space, a new parliament has emerged in
Bahrain, addressing mainly socio-economic issues.
Political and civil rights, such as freedom of expression and association, continued to be
subject to an overly broad definition of terrorism in the Terrorist Act, with Bahraini
authorities continuing to conduct mass trials on counter-terrorism grounds. In April 2019, a
court in Bahrain convicted 139 individuals of terrorism charges after a reportedly unfair mass
trial and revoked the citizenship of 138 individuals. While stripping of citizenship remains a
concern, conditions under which Bahrainis can be stripped of their nationality under
terrorism charges have been restricted by royal decree in April 2019 and nationality has
been restored in 551 cases.
Since 2017, the number of death sentences has dramatically spiked, with currently at least
eight individuals having exhausted all legal remedies. On 27 July 2019, Bahrain executed two
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of its citizens, together with another unidentified individual, who were convicted in a mass
trial for alleged terrorist offences, which were reportedly confessed under torture.
Allegations of torture and ill-treatment of detainees continued to be reported. Some of the
complaints have been investigated by the National Institute for Human Rights and the
Ombudsman’s office, whose overal independence and effectiveness however remain
difficult to assess.
Human rights defenders and political activists continued to be sentenced to severe prison
terms. On 17 September 2019 Bahrain’s High Court of Appeal refused to grant Nabeel Rajab,
who was sentenced in February 2018 to five years in prison on charges of spreading false
information on social media, a non-custodial sentence to which he was theoretically entitled,
having completed half of his term.
Bahrain has achieved significant progress in the fight against human trafficking and kept
advancing on socio-economic rights through initiatives in the areas of housing, education
and health. In some of these areas, however, the Shia community continues to face
instances of discriminatory treatment.
Despite advancements on gender equality, Bahraini legislation continues to discriminate
against women in relation to family law such as the right to divorce and transmission of
Bahraini nationality to their children. Moreover, Article 353 of the Penal Code exempts
perpetrators of rape from prosecution and punishment if they marry their victims.
2. EU action – key focus areas: The EU and Member States continued to regularly raise
human rights issues, including individual cases, in their various engagements with Bahraini
authorities, mainly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the national human rights
institutions.
In 2019, the EEAS spokesperson issued two statements on individual human rights cases in
Bahrain. Following the Supreme Court of Cassation’s confirmation of the life sentence of
three senior members of the dissolved Al Wefaaq party, the EEAS Spokesperson issued a
statement on 28 January
15, noting that the verdict marked a further step against dissenting
voices, calling Bahrain to guarantee the right to a fair trial. The EU also reacted publicly to
the executions of 27 July
16, reiterating its unequivocal opposition to the use of capital
punishment. Moreover, the EU addressed the human rights situation in Bahrain in a
statement under item 2 at the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 7 March 2019
in Geneva
17.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU delegation in Riyadh (covering Bahrain) and
Member States continued closely monitoring trials, attend court cases in close liaison with
other like-minded embassies.
The fourth informal human rights dialogue held on 7 November 2019 in Brussels
represented a further important opportunity to discuss human rights issues, such as
15 https://eeas.europa.eu/diplomatic-network/bahrain/57287/statement-spokesperson-life-sentencing-
opposition-leaders-bahrain_en
16 https://eeas.europa.eu/regions/asia/65976/statement-spokesperson-executions-bahrain_en
17 https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/zimbabwe/59232/node/59232_sq
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freedom of expression and association (including the situation of human rights defenders),
freedom of religion or belief, fair trial, including the death penalty, and the overal human
rights situation in the country. At the meeting, the EU also raised concerns on arbitrary
detention and reprisal in Bahrain.
As a follow-up to this meeting, the EU proposed concrete follow-up measures to reinforce
Bahraini capacity through cooperation, including sharing of expertise and best practices in
several thematic areas. The yearly dialogue is followed-up throughout the year with regular
exchanges, requests for information, including on individual cases, with Bahraini authorities
and its human rights overseeing bodies.
4. EU financial engagement: There is no EU financial support provided for human rights
related activities in Bahrain.
5. Multilateral context: Bahrain has been a member of the UN Human Rights Council since
January 2019 and its term will expire in 2021. In 2019, the country was reviewed by the
Committee of the Rights of the Child.
Iraq
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In 2019, the overall human
rights situation in Iraq remained challenging. In October, mass popular protests - initially
driven by socio economic demands and later combined with calls to overhaul the political
system -, were countered with violence by fragmented security forces. This led to over 500
deaths and at least 17,000 injured. Reported violations included intimidation, abductions
and suppression of media freedoms and internet access. Repeated calls for accountability
have been met with inconclusive investigations without limited tangible fol ow up.
Other enduring human rights chal enges resulting from years of conflict include instances of
discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, impeded or forced returns and
destruction of property of internally displaced persons (IDPs), lack of basic services in IDPs
camps, lack of due process and insufficient fair trial standards, as well as gender-based
violence. The death penalty continues to be imposed, notably under the Anti-Terrorism law,
targeting suspects in some cases only loosely affiliated with Da´esh. Iraqi families perceived
as affiliated to Da´esh have often been denied security clearances thus resulting in
restrictions in freedom of movement, access to education, right to work and access to
welfare benefits. Detention facilities are often overcrowded and prisoners are in certain
cases held in degrading conditions. There are reports of torture in police detention centres,
interrogation cells and in formal and informal prisons. The political, economic and social
participation of women remains poor and the draft Anti-Domestic Violence Law remains
stalled in parliament.
2. EU action - key focus areas: In light of the unfolding of the protest movement and the
harsh response by the authorities, in 2019 EU work on human rights was to a large extent
centred on the urgent pleading to halt violence against protesters while encouraging the
government to address their legitimate democratic demands, including electoral reform.
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In this context, the EU’s work in this field remained focused on: (i) the protection of civilians
in areas of conflict and easing the return of IDPs; (ii) the protection of ethnic/religious
minorities, national and social reconciliation; (iii) women's empowerment; (iv) fair and
transparent rule of law, including fair trial standards for Da´esh related crimes, and (v)
protection of human rights defenders. The EU regularly advocates for Iraq to adhere to the
core tenets of international human rights law and to accede to the Rome Statute.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: In 2019, the EU and its Member States, including in
coordination with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), consistently
advocated respect of human rights vis-à-vis Iraqi authorities at all levels, notably in the
overall response to the protests. In this regard, various EU statements were issued (HR/VP
declaration on behalf of the EU 7/11/2019
18 and EEAS spokesperson’s statements on 3/10
19
and 29/11
20) cal ing for an end to the violence on and protection of peaceful protesters,
human rights activists and journalists. These efforts, despite continued human rights
violations, contributed to some positive steps, including the release of arrested
demonstrators, restoration of internet and social media access and lifting of curfews. In
parallel, the EU continued its comprehensive outreach to al components of Iraqi society to
promote national reconciliation, including through support for ad-hoc initiatives as well as
the work of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) on mass graves.
The EU further emphasised the need for IDP returns to be safe, voluntary, informed and
dignified. In addition, the EU supported reform programmes addressing wide-spread
corruption, poor public financial management and deficient public service delivery.
The EU maintained its strong stance against the death penalty and continued its regular
outreach on the matter together with local EU embassies. The reported threats that human
rights defenders are facing will continue to warrant specific attention and action by the EU in
2020, including through dedicated assistance.
4. EU financial engagement: In 2019, the EU continued to provide financial support (around
EUR 55 million) to human rights-related projects through various EU financial instruments.
The four core-areas supported by EU interventions were:
i. Reconciliation through support to dialogue, conflict reduction between IDPs and host
communities, concerns related to missing persons and sectarian violence, protection
of cultural heritage and diversity;
ii. Security: rule of law, developing human-rights compliant counterterrorism
legislation, digitisation of evidence in support of trials of Da’esh suspects in Iraq and
Europe.
iii. Capacity building of civil society and freedom of media.
iv. Youth and civic engagement.
18 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2019/11/07/declaration-by-the-high-
representative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union-on-ongoing-protests-in-iraq/
19 https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/68316/statement-spokesperson-situation-
iraq_en
20 https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-Homepage/71509/statement-spokesperson-situation-
iraq_en
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Moreover, three flagship projects on human rights defenders, civic engagement for youth
and gender education are aimed at contributing towards an improved rights-based
environment.
5. Multilateral context: Iraq is party to a number of international human rights conventions,
but many of them have not yet been ratified. Iraq is yet to accede to the 1951 UN
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the Convention on the non-applicability
of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes. In addition, Iraq has not signed the Optional
Protocols relating to complaint procedures for the Convention against Torture and the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, nor the
Optional Protocol of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights regarding the
abolition of the death penalty. Iraq has not acceded to the Statute of the International
Criminal Court. Iraq had its third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations
Human Rights Council on 11 November 2019.
Kuwait
1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: In the Gulf regional context,
Kuwait continued to enjoy a privileged position in terms of existence of an active parliament
- the oldest in the region - as well as a lively civil society and media landscape. In 2019, there
were several ‘grillings’ of members of Cabinet by the National Assembly. A new government
took office in December, after the resignation of the previous cabinet triggered by
parliamentary scrutiny of two Ministers over corruption related allegations. For the first time
in Kuwait’s history,
three women were appointed to the new government, occupying five
ministries, including the
first female finance minister in the Gulf. At the same time, provisions in the constitution, the national security law, and other
legislation continued to be invoked with a restrictive impact on political and civil liberties,
such as freedom of speech, assembly and association, limiting the space for political dissent.
In January 2019, journalist Aisha Al-Rasheed was arrested based on the Cybercrime Law
fol owing online posts in which she had denounced the corruption of government officials.
She was released on bail four days later; however, charges against her were not dropped.
Local press reported that there are 42 prisoners in Kuwait because of Twitter-related
activity.
Despite reforms in recent years related to the rights of migrant workers, who make up two
thirds of its resident population, instances continued to be reported reflecting inadequate
legal protection, vulnerability to abuse, forced labour, and deportation for minor infractions
mainly due to continued application of the
kafala (‘sponsorship’) system and especially
regarding domestic workers. In November 2019, the BBC carried reports of ‘modern slavery’
involving a case of online trade of a migrant domestic worker in Kuwait. In December 2019,
Manila re-imposed a partial ban on its workers to Kuwait after a Philippines national was
allegedly killed by her employer. The ban was subsequently removed following negotiations
between the two governments.
A number of suicides among the Bidoon community, an estimated
100,000 stateless people
who claim Kuwaiti nationality but are considered ‘illegal residents’ by the Kuwaiti
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authorities, ignited peaceful protests in summer. Despite efforts by the Kuwaiti authorities in
recent years to improve the registration of and services available to the Bidoon through the
Central Agency for Remedying Il egal Residents’ Status, their situatio
n remains legally
uncertain. A draft law submitted to the National Assembly in November 2019 suggests
granting Kuwaiti citizenship to those Bidoon who are deemed eligible, and ‘special’ 5-year
renewable residency for others, provided they reveal their original nationality. Rights groups
warn that the draft law does not provide for a transparent and fair process to address the
citizenship concerns of the Bidoon. Two out of sixteen Bidoon activists, arrested during the
protests in July, were sentenced to ten years in prison and one defendant in absentia to life
in prison – for threatening to overthrow the state, and for violating the 1979 Public
Gatherings Law, which bars non-Kuwaitis from participating in public gatherings.
Women were still subject to discrimination with regard to laws on inheritance, marriage,
child custody, and their inability to transfer their citizenship to their children. Kuwait has no
laws prohibiting domestic violence or marital rape. A draft law on eliminating violence
against women is under discussion in the National Assembly. Adultery and extramarital
sexual intercourse are criminalised.
Kuwait maintains the death penalty for non-violent offenses, including drug-related charges.
No executions were reported since 2017, without declaration of a formal moratorium.
2. EU action - key focus areas: With the establishment of the delegation of the EU to the
State of Kuwait in July 2019 the EU intensified its level of engagement with the Kuwaiti
authorities including on issues related to human rights. The EU delegation also engages
regularly with Kuwaiti institutions dealing with human rights and local NGOs. In parallel, the
EU delegation is working closely with EU Member States, like-minded countries, and
international organisations to encourage further advancement of human rights in Kuwait.
3. EU bilateral political engagement: The EU and Kuwait discussed human rights in a
dedicated meeting addressing a wide range of issues, including migrant rights, freedom of
expression, elimination of statelessness and women’s rights. Consultations were held with
civil society organisations represented in Brussels before the first session. The EU also
continues to raise with its Kuwaiti counterparts pertinent human rights issues during
working and High Level visits.
4. EU financial engagement: In the course of 2019, the EU supported education activities
focused on different aspects of human rights in Kuwait, in partnership with local civil society
organisations. A workshop was co-organised on ‘Political Empowerment of Women in
Kuwait’ that triggered a comprehensive debate among participants and resulted in drafting a
list of recommendations submitted to the Kuwaiti Parliament. Another workshop on ‘Anti-
bullying Policies and Actions’ resulted in an anti-bullying handbook for teachers and an anti-
bullying policy document for schools. Finally, a further workshop on ‘Environmental Aspects
of Human Rights’ facilitated a discussion on the interlinkage environmental/ human rights
commitments on the basis of the EU experience. In addition, the EU granted EUR 20.000 to
support a local NGOs efforts to engage Kuwaiti youth in creative expression through art and
dance, under the umbrel a of an annual Festival of Art and Dance.
5. Multilateral context: Kuwait maintains a constructive dialogue with its international
counterparts. The third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Kuwait took place as
scheduled in early 2020. When presenting its own assessment of the human rights situation
and the developments since the last review in 2015, the Kuwaiti delegation particularly
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highlighted efforts&#
