2ème Assemblée Générale du REMDH (Communiqué en anglais)

Date: 01-12-1997

2nd General Assembly of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network : election of executive committee and adoption of resolution on the human rights situation in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Fifty representatives of human rights organisations and individuals from the European Mediterranean region have adopted, after a two day General Assembly in Copenhagen (December 12-13), a resolution on the human rights situation in the region and have elected an Executive Committee.

The meeting focused on the human rights situation in the Partner States to the Barcelona Declaration and on the priority issues and strategy planning of the Network. The Network adopted by-laws and elected the following to the Executive Committee. As President, Abdelaziz Bennani, Moroccan Human Rights Organisation, as Vice President, Stefano Leszczynski, Italian Helsinki Committee, and as Treasurer, Khader Shkirat, LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment. The other members of the Executive Committee are Bahey El-Din Hassan, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Kamel Jendoubi, Committee for the Respect of Liberties and Human Rights in Tunesia, Morten Kjærum, The Danish Centre for Human Rights, Eva Norström, Swedish Refugee Council, and Driss El Yazami, French Human Rights League.

The main objective of the Network, established in January 1997, is to promote and protect the universal principles of human rights according to all international instruments on human rights and the Barcelona Declaration of November 1995.A major concern are the association agreements that implies a political commitment by the signatory states to implement and adhere to basic human rights in law and in practice.

The Network will, through coordination with local and regional member organisations and associated international NGOs, work for the strengthening of the human rights situation in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The objectives, that also include campaigning for freedom of expression, assembly and association, as well as against racism and intolerance, will be achieved through means of education and training, research, monitoring of reports and briefings, and lobbying. The Network will underline the linkage between peace, democracy and human rights, work for the protection of human rights activists and watch over the human rights violations of all countries signatories to the Barcelona Declaration.

* Besides the governments of the 15 EU countries, the signatories are governments of Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority. The Second General Assembly was financed by the Danish Development Agency (DANIDA).