Editorial by Conny Reuter, SOLIDAR Secretary General

Abominable!

9 January 2015

On Wednesday a new level of terrorism was reached in Europe. The killing of journalists, cartoonists and policemen at Charlie Hebdo’s HQ was an attack on our values, on our democratic societies, on our right to live peacefully together. It was a hate crime executed in such a brutal manner that we still are in shock. We do not only condemn the murder and express our solidarity to the victims and the families. We are also worried about the possible consequences on a larger scale: are we about to enter into a spiral of violence? How can we contain these forces who build on confrontation? How do we organize our coexistence and find non-violent conflict resolutions? Will the question of the interpretation of religion occupy the public political space even more? And many more such questions.

What is needed now is political courage and an investment in social consolidation. How can it be that a plan for jobs, growth and investment does not have a strong social dimension?
Disintegrating societies are those where poverty and social exclusion are on the increase, where precariousness is the leitmotiv hidden in Trojan terminology like competitiveness, flexibility, structural reforms and the famous red tape.

More inclusive societies can put an end to the toxic environment in which hate, populism and extremism thrive. That is the societal solution and if the new Commission really has the intention of working on impact assessment the focus should be on social risk assessment. The murderers of Charlie Hebdo are not victims, they are killing machines, dressed to kill. They learned it. But their personal history should teach us how easily individuals can fall into ideological traps, whether religious or not. Radicalisation is a process. Anticipation and prevention are needed! It is time to think about a new social contract, time to defend our liberties and freedom and to turn back the tide of disintegration.

Charlie Hebdo will continue its eminent political and educational work: satire is a way to provoke and to raise awareness in the sense of “Aufklärung”. When Kurt Tucholsky was asked what satire is allowed to do, he answered at a time when Nazism was arriving in Germany: “alles” – everything! That is freedom: of thought, of speech, writing and painting. A purely global value!

Nous sommes tous Charlie! Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité !

#charliehebdo, #JeSuisCharlie

SOLIDAR Silver Rose Awards – Call for Nominations

Deadline has been extended

Have you already submitted your nomination? Everyone is welcome to make a nomination, especially member organisations or other organisations and individuals who actively support SOLIDAR’s work. The new deadline for the submission of your nominations is 19 January 2015. The nomination can be made using the nomination form or through the online nomination form. A more detailed explanation of the procedure can be found here.

Together for Social Europe

Improve Solidarity by opening human corridors and more responsibility sharing

8 January 2015

Last week, a ship with 360 migrants on board was abandoned by its crew off the Italian coast. The passengers, all rescued, came from war-torn Syria. Earlier in the same week 796 migrants were rescued on board another ship abandoned and left on autopilot by its crew.

These events are part of an ongoing wave of human misery, as hundreds of people risk their lives in an attempt to reach Europe in search of protection and a better life. Last year it is estimated that nearly 3,500 refugees died trying to cross the Mediterranean, while another 200,000 were rescued. The International Organisation for Migration says half of those attempting to get to Europe are from either Syria or Eritrea.
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Building Learning Societies

Available now: ‘European Strategic guide to fostering participation and raising awareness about the validation of learning outcomes of non-formal and informal learning’ in multiple languages

9 January 2015

In 2014 SOLIDAR together with its partners developed a campaign calling for the development of validation arrangements for non-formal and informal learning by 2018 in the EU Member States. The campaign was launched at the project’s final conference “Achieving validation of learning outcomes – best practices and the way forward” on 14 October 2014 hosted by Julie Ward MEP. In the framework of the project “Building Learning Societies: Promoting the validation of non-formal and informal learning” www.buildinglearningsocieties.org campaigning tools and the publication ‘European Strategic guide to fostering participation and raising awareness about the validation of learning outcomes of non-formal and informal learning’ in multiple languages]’ was launched, aiming to raise awareness of the validation of learning outcomes of non-formal and informal learning. We encourage your organisations to join the call for achieving validation and to use the prepared publications now also available in Bulgarian, German, French, Greek, Spanish and Swedish.

Organising International Solidarity

Stop Violent Assaults on Labour Organisations in China: Sign the HKCTU petition!

7 January 2015

On 26 December 2014, four unidentified persons entered the Migrant Workers Documentation Centre (PMWDC) in Panyu, South China and violently assaulted its chief officer.

As SOLIDAR partner Hong Kong CTU and the Globalization Monitor have previously denounced, since 2012, labour organisations that fight for the lawful rights of workers and support their actions to safeguard their rights have come under violent attack, making it very difficult for them to operate. The violence targeting workers’ organisations is an attempt to obstruct and to stop the development of a democratic workers’ movement.
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2015: The European Year for Development kicks off!

8 January 2015

This week the European Year for Development (EYD) kicks off with an official opening event in Riga, Latvia (the country that will hold the EU Presidency for the first semester). The EYD will be the opportunity to highlight the importance of EU development cooperation and aid to build more equal, cohesive and sustainable societies.

At the same time, with the ongoing negotiations on the post-2015 international development cooperation framework, the Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa in July, and the Climate Conference in Paris on December 2014, 2015 will be a year where the EU will have the opportunity to demonstrate the strength of its political will to end poverty and to reduce inequality within and outside Europe.

This year, SOLIDAR will keep working with its members and partners from all around the world to demand that governments address the social deficit, work in the interest of the 99%; increase public investment, generate decent jobs with decent wages and universal social protection systems.

In particular we will keep the focus on our call to governments to:

• Recognise that social protection is a human right which enables the fulfilment of other rights.
• Support the inclusion of an implementation target, by 2030, of universal and comprehensive social protection systems and quality nationally-defined social protection floors (such as outlined in ILO Recommendation 202), in the post-2015 development cooperation framework[1]’.
• Support the CSO’s role in the design, monitoring, evaluation and, where relevant, the implementation of universal social protection systems and floors (including the design of legal frameworks).

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