Commission Democracy, Social Cohesion and Global Challenges
Action Plan 2015-2017
Europe is going through a deep crisis: the violation of boundaries between Member States, the loss of credibility of political parties, the impact of the economic recession on public finances and on the livelihoods of populations, insecurity and identitarian closure and its relationship with extremism. The continent is plagued by anxiety and multiple confrontations caused by political, ethical, social and demographic very dividing choices.
In January 2015, our committee chose to discuss urgently the impact of Islamic terrorism on the evolution of our societies, with priority to cohesion building. As for each of our previous meetings, we invited young players, courageous and active in the field, founders of associations involved in our working group with the aim of mobilizing all our NGOs, regardless their competence field, to foster a positive approach to a cohesive society.
We all know that migratory movements bring in absolutely all countries irrational fears which often make the bed of extreme positions. Our committee will continue the fight begun in January 2014, after a Lampedusa drama so as to seach solutions at both ends of the chain. Demographic transfers being undeniably a global issue going far beyond the goodwill of asylum lands, the Migration Working Group would place its work in the frame of Euro-Mediterranean relations.
Another action proposed for bringing cohesion is the settlement of meeting spaces labeled by the Council of Europe. That means the creation of a European intercultural alliances network.
Moreover, our committee has been working for three years, on climate and human rights in preparation for the 21th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21 / CMP11) that will held in Paris from 30 November to 11 December 2015.
Our working group has the satisfaction of having worked effectively and probably helped by its hearings and widespread dissemination of its statements and positions to the consideration of this dimension inside the Council Europe as well as in the debate during the negotiations. The President of France, host country, the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki Moon, and Pope Francois during his visit to the Council of Europe, have integrated human rights in their climate discourse, while the subject was almost taboo three years ago.
Another major concern is health. The economic crisis and intra national and international of patients and health professionals mobility, the lack of appropriate standards and planning are new and appear to be cumulative difficulties, from diagnosis to patients treatment plans. In collaboration with the Parliamentary Assembly and the Pharmacopoeia of the Council of Europe, it seems urgent and possible to promote new rules that have so far not been considered.
Last great topic for our Committee, the problems related to living environment and territory. The Council of Europe has been a pioneer in these areas. He supports outstanding conventions, both in relation to human rights as well as democracy. These agreements are seeds of peace and balance between regions and States. This is why our committee has the ambition to deal with shared territories, both in terms of resources and responsibilities, in a way as transversal and integrated as possible. The diversity of NGOs experts within the conference and outside allows it.
Again, young people participation is from the very beginning a matter of constant concern. See the committee website.
Participation will continue to be a parallel advocacy of our committee in each adressed sector. The coming months will be marked by monitoring the implementation of the "Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in Decision-Making", adopted in 2009 by the Conference of INGOs and by the response to be given to the report of the Congress of the Council of Europe entitled "Partnership between the local and regional authorities and civil society to encourage active citizenship and participation ". That report received expert advice from the Conference of INGOs. It will be submitted for adoption to the Congress members in October 2015
Besides, sharing experience on cohesive best practices is underway between our committee and the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG). Participation to the European Local Democracy Week will be on top of the agenda of the next three years.
The committee will still bring counsel and support to countries wishing to go along the guidelines of the Council of Europe in participatory democracy.
Climate, migration, health issues, social cohesion, participation and sharing of territories. On such items, it is our committee's duty to impulse the Conference of INGOs to provide innovative responses that are likely to fertilize the democratic debate in each of these areas. Both on the European continent as well as in neighboring and partner countries
So we decided to focus during this mandate on eight working groups divided into three divisions whose records are appended:
Pole Global challenges
GT Climate and Human Rights
GT Health risks and Economics
Pole Cohesion men and territories
GT Europe-Mediterranean
GT Social cohesion and shared Territories
GT Inclusive society: from living together to doing together
GT Development of a network of European intercultural alliances
Pole Governance and participatory democracy
GT code of good practice for civil participation in decision making
GT Gender Perspectives in political and democratic processes
Events
January 29th, 2015
June 28, 2015 (summer session): Start the Committee on InterFaith round
September 29, 2015 (fall session): Side-event on -29 September Climate label by France
mid-October: NGO participations members of the Commission to the European week of local democracy
November 18, 2015 moderation lab under the Global Forum for Democracy
9 and 10 December 2015: organization of two side events Climate Summit in Paris
January 2016: Migration
June 2016: organization of a day of debate on the health thèmede
Other topics will be addressed through events and committee work, conducted in partnership with other actors of the quadrilogue in the Council of Europe, national and local expert NGOs as well as civil society organizations engaged with other international and intergovernmental bodies, with the purpose of sharing as widely as possible the principles, works and campaigns of the Council of Europe
Action Plan 2015-2017
Europe is going through a deep crisis: the violation of boundaries between Member States, the loss of credibility of political parties, the impact of the economic recession on public finances and on the livelihoods of populations, insecurity and identitarian closure and its relationship with extremism. The continent is plagued by anxiety and multiple confrontations caused by political, ethical, social and demographic very dividing choices.
In January 2015, our committee chose to discuss urgently the impact of Islamic terrorism on the evolution of our societies, with priority to cohesion building. As for each of our previous meetings, we invited young players, courageous and active in the field, founders of associations involved in our working group with the aim of mobilizing all our NGOs, regardless their competence field, to foster a positive approach to a cohesive society.
We all know that migratory movements bring in absolutely all countries irrational fears which often make the bed of extreme positions. Our committee will continue the fight begun in January 2014, after a Lampedusa drama so as to seach solutions at both ends of the chain. Demographic transfers being undeniably a global issue going far beyond the goodwill of asylum lands, the Migration Working Group would place its work in the frame of Euro-Mediterranean relations.
Another action proposed for bringing cohesion is the settlement of meeting spaces labeled by the Council of Europe. That means the creation of a European intercultural alliances network.
Moreover, our committee has been working for three years, on climate and human rights in preparation for the 21th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21 / CMP11) that will held in Paris from 30 November to 11 December 2015.
Our working group has the satisfaction of having worked effectively and probably helped by its hearings and widespread dissemination of its statements and positions to the consideration of this dimension inside the Council Europe as well as in the debate during the negotiations. The President of France, host country, the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki Moon, and Pope Francois during his visit to the Council of Europe, have integrated human rights in their climate discourse, while the subject was almost taboo three years ago.
Another major concern is health. The economic crisis and intra national and international of patients and health professionals mobility, the lack of appropriate standards and planning are new and appear to be cumulative difficulties, from diagnosis to patients treatment plans. In collaboration with the Parliamentary Assembly and the Pharmacopoeia of the Council of Europe, it seems urgent and possible to promote new rules that have so far not been considered.
Last great topic for our Committee, the problems related to living environment and territory. The Council of Europe has been a pioneer in these areas. He supports outstanding conventions, both in relation to human rights as well as democracy. These agreements are seeds of peace and balance between regions and States. This is why our committee has the ambition to deal with shared territories, both in terms of resources and responsibilities, in a way as transversal and integrated as possible. The diversity of NGOs experts within the conference and outside allows it.
Again, young people participation is from the very beginning a matter of constant concern. See the committee website.
Participation will continue to be a parallel advocacy of our committee in each adressed sector. The coming months will be marked by monitoring the implementation of the "Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in Decision-Making", adopted in 2009 by the Conference of INGOs and by the response to be given to the report of the Congress of the Council of Europe entitled "Partnership between the local and regional authorities and civil society to encourage active citizenship and participation ". That report received expert advice from the Conference of INGOs. It will be submitted for adoption to the Congress members in October 2015
Besides, sharing experience on cohesive best practices is underway between our committee and the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG). Participation to the European Local Democracy Week will be on top of the agenda of the next three years.
The committee will still bring counsel and support to countries wishing to go along the guidelines of the Council of Europe in participatory democracy.
Climate, migration, health issues, social cohesion, participation and sharing of territories. On such items, it is our committee's duty to impulse the Conference of INGOs to provide innovative responses that are likely to fertilize the democratic debate in each of these areas. Both on the European continent as well as in neighboring and partner countries
So we decided to focus during this mandate on eight working groups divided into three divisions whose records are appended:
Pole Global challenges
GT Climate and Human Rights
GT Health risks and Economics
Pole Cohesion men and territories
GT Europe-Mediterranean
GT Social cohesion and shared Territories
GT Inclusive society: from living together to doing together
GT Development of a network of European intercultural alliances
Pole Governance and participatory democracy
GT code of good practice for civil participation in decision making
GT Gender Perspectives in political and democratic processes
Events
January 29th, 2015
June 28, 2015 (summer session): Start the Committee on InterFaith round
September 29, 2015 (fall session): Side-event on -29 September Climate label by France
mid-October: NGO participations members of the Commission to the European week of local democracy
November 18, 2015 moderation lab under the Global Forum for Democracy
9 and 10 December 2015: organization of two side events Climate Summit in Paris
January 2016: Migration
June 2016: organization of a day of debate on the health thèmede
Other topics will be addressed through events and committee work, conducted in partnership with other actors of the quadrilogue in the Council of Europe, national and local expert NGOs as well as civil society organizations engaged with other international and intergovernmental bodies, with the purpose of sharing as widely as possible the principles, works and campaigns of the Council of Europe