Category Archives: EAPN News

EAPN contributes to the report for the Human Rights Council

EAPN contributes to the report for the Human Rights Council for June 2013 on the human rights approach to participation of persons living in poverty in decisions that affect their lives

14 dec 2012 – This contribution to the UN Report on the Participation of People Experiencing Poverty provides a brief picture of the European Anti-Poverty Network’s (EAPN) work over the past 22 years on strengthening direct participation of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion in 3 areas:

Welfare reform for active inclusion of young people with health problems or disabilities – EAPN participates in final panel

16-17/01, The Hague, Netherlands – This conference was jointly organised by Eurofound and the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. The conference is aimed at highlighting the implementation of active inclusion policies in relation to vulnerable youth and the related reforms to welfare systems currently taking place in European countries.

Landless Indian Movement leader Rajagopal in Brussels

03/12 – About 200 people attended the meeting with Rajagopal, a leader of the Ekta Parishad Landless People’s Movement, who had an exchange with the audience to tell about the “March of the Landless” for a land reform in India which ended in early October, as a 10-point agreement was signed with the representatives of the Indian Government. A representative of FIAN, an NGO fighting hunger with Human Rights , also spoke. This meeting was supported by EAPN, amongst other organisations.

EAPN speaks in EPHA event: Child Poverty, Health and Well-being

04/12 – EAPN spoke in a civil society panel in this key event organized by the European Public Health Alliance in the European Parliament. The event aimed to help the implementation of the up-coming Recommendation on Child Poverty – moving from rhetoric to action. A key message was that the relationship between child poverty, health and well-being needs to be reinforced, particularly the need to invest in prevention of child poverty through universal services, and social protection, as well as targeted action to ensure access to health services.  EAPN provide specific input on the challenges/solutions to implementation through Europe 2020, based on its engagement in the NRPs and NSRs.

EAPN Participates in DG Employment’s Conference on Social Innovation and Social Policy Experimentation

26/11, Brussels – This conference aimed to provide an exchange between policy makers and practitioners on how to best shape EU support to social innovation in the context of the Social Investment Package for Growth and Cohesion. It raised a debate on what is social innovation, how far it is an agenda for promoting better social policy and practice, particularly drawing on grass-roots practice and actors, or merely an instrument to privatize social services, at a time of austerity.

EAPN President Sergio Aires speaks at Colloquium of GDF-Suez European Observatory on Energy and Water Scarcity

28/11 – Sergio Aires, President of EAPN, spoke at the Colloquium of the GDF-Suez European Observatory on Energy and Water Scarcity. He stressed the crucial need for a European and national integrated…

EAPN takes part in EU Equality Summit

22-23/11 – Fintan Farrell, Director of EAPN, spoke in the workshop on employment and inclusion at the EU Equality Summit, organised by the Cypriot Presidency. He emphasized the link between discrimination and poverty and stressed that unless we address the growing levels on income inequalities (and the resulting levels of poverty) that the impact of this reality will undermine all the good work done in relation to anti-discrimination. This message was very strongly picked up in the conclusions of the Summit.

EAPN, expert network in Peer Review “Area-based policies in urban areas: how to promote good living conditions for children and youth”

13-14 Nov 2012 – EAPN, represented by EAPN Vice-President: Kart Mere (EAPN EE) presented a paper as expert network in the Peer Review “Area-based policies in urban areas: how to promote good living conditions for children and youth” held in Oslo on 13-14 November 2012.

EAPN meets in Athens – The medicine is killing the patient… and democracy!

Athens, 09-10 November 2012 – In solidarity with its Greek network, EAPN held its Executive Committee in Athens, preceded by an open debate on the overall situation as well as on poverty and social exclusion. Sergio Aires, President of EAPN, and Fintan Farrell, Director of EAPN, both spoke on behalf on EAPN. “The imposition of such measures and their negative impact seem to be deliberate. Deliberate for what? For the promotion of precarity in these countries towards a new world order meeting the needs of increasingly large Corporations and resulting in slavery and misery for the majority of citizens for the benefit of an even wealthier minority”, said Sergio Aires.