EAPN Participates to Round-table meeting with the United Nations Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights

EAPN will participate to a round-table meeting with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) to discuss impact of the financial crisis on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights in EU countries. The event will reunite representatives of European civil society networks and organizations.

The visit to Brussels will result in the publication of an official report to the UNOHCHR to complement the latest report on the effects of the financial and economic crisis within Greece on social and economic rights (A/HRC/31/60/Add.2). It is also intended to reflect more broadly on lessons learned from European countries which have completed adjustment programmes and are currently under post-programme surveillance, such as Cyprus, Ireland, Spain and Portugal.

The visit will focus on the following issues:
• Human Rights obligations of European institutions and European States in relation to economic reform and austerity policies implemented in Eurozone countries;
• Human rights impact of recent economic adjustment programmes implemented in Europe to overcome the sovereign debt crises (Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and other countries under post-programme surveillance) with particular focus on the economic, social and cultural rights, e.g. right to work, social security, health, education and adequate housing;
• Human rights impacts of the financial crisis and of the economic adjustment measures on individuals and groups in situation of vulnerability, such as persons with disabilities, refugees, migrants, members of minorities, unemployed, highly indebted persons, children, the elderly, and women;
• Efforts undertaken by .European institutions to prevent negative social and human rights impacts in past and current adjustment programmes and to ensure non-discrimination in their implementation;
• ) Main lessons learned from the implementation of economic reform programmes in the different countries (success stories, unintended side-effects and failures) in particular in relation to the enjoyment of human rights;
• The right to participation, transparency and accountability in contexts of economic reform policies supported by European institutions;
• Other topics related to the mandate of the Independent Expert.

Click here to know more about the objectives of the visit and background information about the work of the Independent Expert.