Progress or regression?
04 March 2016

International Women’s Day on 8 March will not only be a day of nice speeches. The call for equal treatment, for equal pay for equal work at an equal work place is both a political and social challenge. Discrimination at the workplace starts with discrimination on the pay roll, but it is more often sexual harassment that remains a daily threat at the workplace. On a positive note, having more women in higher positions in business and on boards reflects real progress, and that progress is fully achieved when it helps change the mindset of capitalists and improves social and industrial relations.

The initial response to the incidents that took place in Cologne, Germany at the end of last year, was not so much a matter of covering up what happened, but a reluctance by some to feed the prejudices of the “wrong” side. Nevertheless the women’s and equality movements continue to stand for emancipation. In Europe this fight was also to do the repression of women in society through religion. The fact that equality has gained ground in the Catholic and Protestant churches reflects real progress. Nonetheless this struggle should also be reflected in other religions, such as the Islamic religion, most importantly in the more conservative religious interpretations.

This year in particular, on the occasion of the Women’s Day we would like to call for more attention to the gender dimension of the current migrant and refugee crisis. Women and children are disproportionally exposed to violence and sexual exploitation, therefore specific measures need to be applied to improve the security and safety of women migrants and refugees. Against this background we call on all Member States to ratify and implement the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women.

Social rights, human rights and women rights are indivisible! Everywhere!

SOLIDAR Silver Rose Awards, the Progressive Civil Society Awards – The call for nominations is open
Who should receive this year’s SOLIDAR Silver Rose Awards?

Nominate now the organisation or individual whose efforts should be recognised with a Silver Rose Award in one of the three categories, Together for Social Europe, Building Learning Societies or Organising International Solidarity. The Silver Rose Nomination form.

Together for Social Europe
Calais: The beginning of the end?
03 March 2016

On Monday 29 February (2016), the French authorities began pulling down the southern section of the Calais camp, also known as ‘the Jungle’. After a series of discussions between SOLIDAR member Solidarité Laïque and the Ministry of Education, it was decided that the project ’Ecole Laïque du Chemin des Dunes’ providing minors and adults living in the camp with both an education and a ‘lieu de vie’ (social needs centre) , will be allowed to remain.

The French authorities received permission from the Lille administrative court to begin the demolition of large parts of the camp. While most people are being relocated to state-funded shelters across the country, the concern is that this type of fast track solution is unlikely to provide a viable solution to the current humanitarian crisis in the long term. Yet officials from asylum agencies went through the camp and gave people information about their accommodation options, which ranged from nearby shelters to state-provided coaches that would take them to other reception centres elsewhere in France.

Solidarité Laïque welcomes the decision to preserve the school. Yet, until good alternatives have been put in place to protect the fundamental rights of all migrants, it believes it necessary to preserve the southern section of the camp and calls on the French authorities to adopt the following measures:

• Cancel the deportation order of 19 February;
• Protect the fundamental rights of the individuals currently present in Calais, including social workers, educators and teachers;
• Provide heated and clean rooms;
• Ensure the protection of all unaccompanied children and the implementation of the children’s right to education.

Against this background, SOLIDAR reiterates its recommendations to apply a human-rights based approach to migration and integration policies, particularly in the case of access to social services and education for minors. We call upon the European institutions to:

• Provide due and coordinated humanitarian assistance to refugees;
• Promote a coherent European migration and integration policy through the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), which includes mechanisms to improve solidarity and responsibility-sharing among Member States;
• Fully implement the EU Reception Conditions Directive.

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Social Progress Watch on the long-term integration of migrants and refugees
02 March 2016

The Social Progress Watch (SPW) initiative is a tool implemented by members and partners of SOLIDAR to monitor the commitment and progress made by national governments towards a more social and cohesive Europe. Through the SPW, SOLIDAR collects country reports on a yearly basis providing recommendations for upward social convergence as well as case studies presenting innovative and sustainable models to promote social inclusion, the social economy and quality job creation.

Lessons learnt from SOLIDAR members contributing to the long-term integration of migrants and refugees. Case studies from Austria and France.

The SAMIN project (2014-2015), funded under the former Lifelong Learning Programme, provides a comparative analysis of different migrants’ vocational, education and training schemes (VET) provided by several organisations in six EU member states (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom). The project’s goal is to support organisations which are active in designing and implementing occupational education projects through exploring migrant-oriented projects and focusing on specific aspects of education and training (civic courses, language courses, etc.). SOLIDAR’s French member CEMEA and Austrian member BFI have both been involved in the development of the SAMIN project. Their contribution to the project’s aims is presented in the SPW case studies 2015.
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Building Learning Societies
SOLIDAR Foundation together with its members tackles the high NEETs and early-school leaving rates
03 March 2016

Today in Europe there are more than 14 million people under 30 who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs). This outrageously high number should be a wake-up call for every single policy maker in the EU and should be fought with the necessary ferocity, commitment and investment. Although structural youth unemployment has existed throughout the past decades, the numbers reached during the peak of the economic crisis threaten the future of an entire generation. While the EU has spent hundreds of billions of euros rescuing its banks, it may have lost an entire generation of young people in the process. Even though it seems that most EU countries are slowly bringing the incredibly high NEETs rate under control, more effort is needed by the EU.

The SOLIDAR Foundation works closely with its members on youth issues such as NEETs and the interlinked problem of early-school leaving (ESL). SOLIDAR Foundation recently published a policy paper that brings together a background paper on early school leaving and a case study by our member organisation Volunteering Matters from the United Kingdom. In our recommendations, we underline that focused actions at local and regional level are of the utmost importance in tackling the problem of NEETs and that further engagement and investment in lifelong learning are needed to ensure that young Europeans can be empowered to participate in society and find new employment opportunities. The recommendations as well as the positive examples of re-integrating NEETs and early-school leavers in education and lifelong learning could also serve as a tool to integrate young migrants and refugees.
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Organising International Solidarity
CSOs’ should play a predominant role in the new EU Global Foreign and Security strategy!
03 March 2016

On Thursday 3 March 2016, SOLIDAR attended a hearing organised by the EESC to discuss the current revision of the EU Global Foreign and Security Strategy, and contribute to the EESC opinion.

SOLIDAR welcomes the proposal for a revision of the Global Strategy aimed at facing the current changing global challenges, and calls for a stronger role by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in current EU Foreign and Security strategy. In the context of global challenges, Agenda 2030 offers a strategic opportunity and a normative framework to develop coherent implementation plans to meet the targets –both at EU and Member States level- that encompass internal and external policies. With a strong focus on universal values and the principle of policy coherence for sustainable development, Agenda 2030 offers a significant opportunity for CSOs in Europe and globally to mobilise to monitor the implementation of the targets and actively engage in shaping foreign and security policy.

The new global strategy should also take stock of the limits of the current resilience agenda, and recognise the need for a more coherent approach to resilience that can tackle the root causes of instability, fragility and insecurity and encompasses humanitarian, peace building and development needs. From this perspective, SOLIDAR calls for the recognition of the role played by CSOs in promotingresilience, fostering human security and tackling state fragility, that significantly contributes to long-term sustainable development, prosperity and peace building.
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How to mainstream social protection in the European Development Fund’s (EDF) National Indicative Programmes (NIPs). This week civil society in Burkina Faso will tell us how
03 March 2016

Agenda 2030 and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda have reiterated governments’ commitment to the realisation of decent work and social protection for all: “We are committed to ending poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including by eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. All people must enjoy a basic standard of living, including through social protection systems.” (Agenda 2030, paragraph 24)

The EU, through its development cooperation policy and programmes, is already greatly contributing to the achievement of these objectives. The forthcoming review of the National Indicative Programmes (NIPs) negotiated in the framework of the 11th European Development Fund, can be an opportunity to further pursue the progressive realisation of the right to decent work and social protection for all and better align the EDF programme with the Agenda 2030 spirit.

The Social Protection Monitor’s country reports are published weekly, starting on 19 February – to mark World Day of Social Justice (20 February) and ending on 7 April – to mark World Health Day,. This week Burkina Faso will be in the spotlight…

Read the full version of the Social Protection Monitor report on Burkina Faso here with the main recommendations.
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