|
World Organization Against TortureGlobal network fighting against torture and other humans rights violations |
Print version. Published on 202.ip-51-77-231.eu Original: /omct-europe/ |
OMCT Europe
The
European Union (EU) is a major political and economical actor on the
international scene. The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in December 2009
provides for a new institutional framework to work with, including the legally
binding integration of the Charter of Fundamental Rights into EU law. The EU
reiterated its commitment to respect of human rights, democracy and the rule of
law, which translates not only into political capital, but also into the
allocation of the funds required to finance the activities of the EU and of
NGOs in the field. Despite this, efforts must regularly be made to reduce the
gap between discourse and practice. Human rights are still not adequately taken
into account alongside political, economic and security considerations.
OMCT
Europe’s main goal is to appeal for a more coherent and effective European
human rights policy. At the internal level, it advocates for the EU to
integrate the various international human rights norms into its legislation. At
the external level, OMCT Europe appeals for the creation of a control mechanism
on Union activities and the measures it adopts. This double requirement aims to
ensure a real coherence in the EU’s external policy so that respect for human
rights is recognised as an essential element for peace and security, and that
it becomes incontrovertible at all levels of the EU’s foreign policy.
Main activities :
OMCT Europe maintains regular contact between European
institutions and OMCT’s International Secretariat :
- It ensures a continuous and reliable
connection between its members worldwide and the EU institutions in
Brussels
- It informs members of European
institutions [1] of the human rights
situation in Europe and in the world, and engages with them to improve EU
human rights strategy.
- It analyses European strategies
and decisions that could have an impact on the respect for and the
promotion of human rights.
- It informs OMCT’s International
Secretariat and members of the SOS-Torture Network of the evolution of the
EU’s strategy in this area. It ensures direct access to European
institutions and their main collaborators.
- It also informs European
institutions of the human rights implications of their policy by diffusing
their decisions and press releases, and by participating in different
European forums on the issue in close cooperation with other NGOs active
in Brussels.
OMCT
Europe assists the International Secretariat in its search for funding:
- It regularly informs OMCT on financing
opportunities offered by the EU to NGOs working on human rights issues,
and examines their compatibility with OMCT’s mandate and the needs of the
SOS-Torture Network.
- It contributes to removing the
practical and administrative obstacles that the people responsible for
OMCT’s various programmes could encounter when submitting a project to the
EU.
OMCT
Europe assists in developing OMCT’s mandate in Europe:
- It contributes to reinforcing
the SOS-Torture Network through networking in Europe
- It attends the forums of the
Council of Europe; especially those organised by NGOs that enjoy a
consultative status, and participates in the various events related to
OMCT’s mandate.
- It attends consultations with
the Fundamental Rights Agency of the EU, and monitors the development of
FRA’s activities relevant to OMCT’s mandate
[1] Such as European representatives, commissioners, officials of the Commission or the Council, etc.
Page generated on: January 18, 2021 12:03
Copyright © 2010 World Organization Against Torture