Social-democrats and progressives parties

Social-Democrats and progressives parties of the region: being ready to accompany the rapid changes.

The revolutions in North Africa and in the region in general have been launched by aspirations for social justice and are also protests against poverty, high unemployment rates and the lack of real perspectives for a young and skilled population. New, genuine trade unions and social democratic parties are being founded at the moment but how can social democratic and progressive parties of the region accompany and support the transition process and successfully present themselves in upcoming elections? In many places in the world we can see the results of intensive networking, discussions and experience sharing of social democratic parties. It is now crucial to focus on North Africa and the neighbouring region.

A real window of opportunity is opening up for our political family, we should unite all our forces to support the social democratic movements in the region, to help with the organisation of new parties, with the training of the candidates for the upcoming elections and to show that social democracy can contribute in tackling the most pressing socio-economic problems that lead to the revolutions.

· How can social democratic forces in the region be supported?
· How can especially young people be motivated to engage in social democracy?
· How can future social-democratic leaders be trained?

Deltar i PES möte i Tunis

The Party of European Socialists (PES) will hold a major conference in Tunis (Tunisia) this week (28-29 April). The meeting will be the first conference held by a European Political Party in the region since the revolutions, with the aim being to provide a solid progressive platform to promote democratic principles.

The conference will be held under the banner; “Arab Revolutions: time for democracy and progress”. It will bring together European Socialist and Social Democratic representatives from the European Union and progressive representatives from North Africa and the Middle East.
The conference is being facilitated by the Democratic Forum for Work and Freedom (FDTL) under the leadership of Mustapha Ben Jaafar.


Supporting Quote :
PES General Secretary Philip Cordery stated that; “Our conference this week is a step in a long term investment in the region by the PES. It is of the utmost importance that the EU shows a stronger presence and offers more vigorous support to the countries in transition, like Tunisia and Egypt. Those who are struggling to instigate democratic processes throughout the region must have our support”. He added that; “Democratic movements have been violently opposed, or repressed by autocratic regimes in the last couple of months, in Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. These regimes must fall. The instigation of democratic foundations is a must”.

The meeting will allow representatives to foster the democratic transition process by strengthening the partnership and cooperation between European and Arab progressive forces. A formal declaration from the conference will be available on Friday 29 April.

Signera konventionen mot våld mot kvinnor

Europarådets konvention om våld mot kvinnor och våld i hemmet är nu antagen. Så jag frågade nyligen regeringen om den avser att signerar Europarådets konvention om våld mot kvinnor och våld i hemmet vid ministermötet i Istanbul i maj 2011. Då öppnas konventionen för signering av Europas regeringar och EU. Denna konvention är den första i världen. Riksdagen har ställt sig positiv till arbetet och jag själv har arbetat i flera år med denna fråga. Det var så nära flera gånger att allt arbete skulle bryta samman. Men genom samverkan lyckades vi rädda arbetet varje gång. Så jag är nöjd även om jag hade velat se tuffare texter och mer i substans. Det har inte varit Sveriges regering som varit tillskyndare till detta arbetet, ibland har det tom varit tvärtom. Beatrice Ask säger sig nu välkomna att Europarådets ministerkommitté antog konventionen om förebyggande och bekämpande av våld mot kvinnor och våld i nära relationer. Men regeringen analyserar nu frågan om undertecknande av konventionen. Efter flera års jobb bör även Sveriges regering veta om man ska signera eller inte. En ratifisering av en konvention bör däremot föregås av en utredning. Att föra ett förslag om ratifisering till riksdagen bör bli ytterligare ett steg. Men redan idag finns det tillräcklig kunskap för att säga ja till en signering i Istanbul. Vi vill inte se en lika utdragen process för ratifisering av denna nya konvention som för konventionen mot trafficking för sexualla ändamål med åratals försening som även resulterade i en KU-anmälan. Idag är Cecila Malmström (Fp) EU-kommissionär och i den rollen visar hon heller inget intresse för att ratifisera konventionen mot trafficking. Vad säger hon nu om denna nya konvention?

Tvärpolitiks motion om Ungern - monitoring

Motion for a resolution. Serious setbacks in the fields of the rule of law and human rights in Hungary. This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it. We, the undersigned, express our serious concern with respect to recent developments related to the rule of law, human rights and the functioning of democratic institutions in Hungary: - rules for appointing members to the Constitutional Court have been changed in such a way that the institution’s autonomy is questioned. The powers of the Constitutional Court have diminished when it comes to scrutinizing the government’s proposals; - consultation with international experts and in particular the Council of Europe’s European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), could usefully assisted the Hungarian authorities when rewriting the constitution of the country in a relatively hasty manner; - information exists about civil servants in the public administration being replaced or dismissed for their political views; - the Government of Hungary has agreed to an investigation by the European Commission into the new media law and should be commended for that. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the Hungarian Government might consider some changes to the law that has been criticised internationally for limiting the freedom of speech and demanding registration for anyone who supplies media with information. For all the above reasons, we request that a monitoring procedure be initiated for Hungary in accordance with article 2.iii of the Terms of Reference of the Monitoring Committee. Signed ... övrigt - Motionen Doc. 12490, är tvärpolitiks och har undertecknare från flera länder. Iniativet kom från den svenska delegationen. Skrevs i januari, 2011 sedan dessa har monitoring inletts.

Tvärpolitiskt brev till Ungern

To honorable members of the Hungarian parliament. We, the all party group on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Swedish parliament, representing seven of the Parliamentary parties from left to right are writing to you, Hungarian Members of Parliament. We are worried about some of the content in the draft Hungarian constitution that is about to be adopted. We believe that a 21st century European constitution needs to be secular and based on principles of human rights, equality and non-discrimination, and that several of the provisions in the draft Hungarian constitution falls short of this basic demand as well as Hungary’s obligations under international human rights law and as a member of the European Union. Our main concern in the draft constitution is the article stating that the life of a fetus will be protected from conception (Article II). We believe that a provision of this kind interferes with the basic human rights of women. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that no other European Union or Council of Europe member state has a constitutional provision recognizing the right to life of the fetus from conception. Evidently, we agree that the right to life is one of the most fundamental human rights, however Hungary’s constitutional court, as well as other courts throughout Europe have confirmed that the granting of protection of the right to life from prenatally, or from conception, risk violating women’s health and human rights. A constitutional protection of the right to life of the fetus would threaten women’s access to safe abortion services. It could potentially pose other threats to women’s right to life and health, e.g. if a doctor would refuse to give life saving treatment to a pregnant woman because it could potentially damage the fetus. It could result in obstacles to women’s access to emergency obstetric care and other reproductive health services. Yours sincerely Swedish all party group on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Stockholm 14 April 2011/ Har idag, to den 14 April även sänt ett brev i linje med ovan från mig och kollgeger i Europarådet till Premiärminister Orban. Viktigt att bidra från olika delar om omvärlden och i olika delfrågor. Se också gärna min Skriftliga fråga till Sveriges regering samt svaret på riksdagens hemsida. Men jag befarar att vi får ha Ungern under lupp länge.

Gäller regeringens arbetslinje inte kvinnor

Regeringen amorterar på statsskulden och ser fram emot att få sänka inkomstskatterna en gång till och en gång till. Regeringen säger sig värna arbetslinjen välfärd, trygghet och sammanhållning. Sanningen är att Sverige glider isär. Att säga att tryggheten värnas är ett hån mot alla dem som kastas ut från sjukförsäkringen och arbetslöshetsförsäkringen. Välfärdstjänsterna är kommunernas och landstingens ansvar, men bristerna inom utbildning, vård och omsorg är så utbredda och av en sådan omfattning att det måste betraktas om ett nationellt problem. Av en regering som säger sig värna välfärden hade man väntat sig kraftfullare åtgärder än de som beskrivs i vårpropositionen. Regeringen har svikit den stora grupp av arbetslösa som inte kan ta de jobb som nu kommer i konjunkturuppgången eftersom de saknar utbildning eller praktik. Bristen på arbetskraft märks redan och riskerar att knäcka konjunkturuppgången innan arbetslösheten sjunkit till de 5 procent regeringen hoppas på. Regeringens arbetslinje med skattesänkningar och försämringar i trygghetsförsäkringarna syftar till att skapa sysselsättning inom lågproduktiva branscher som t ex hushållstjänster. Vi står inför en strukturomvandling som kommer att leda till ökande inkomstklyftor och försvagad skattebas för välfärden. I de framtida lågproduktiva jobben betalas låga löner och arbetsvillkoren kan förväntas bli usla med deltider och osäkra anställningsförhållanden, Framväxten av en lågproduktiv sektor går väl ihop med de tendenser vi ser inom barnomsorgen som allt tydligare dimensioneras utifrån att kvinnor arbetar deltid. Det skulle krävas en omfattande upprustning av barnomsorgen för att komma dithän att föräldrar som arbetar heltid kan känna tryggheten att barnen är väl omhändertagna. Detta bör naturligtvis även gälla föräldrar som arbetar och oregelbundna och obekväma arbetstider. Regeringen visar ingen förståelse för sådana krav. Med lågproduktiva jobb och otillräcklig barnomsorg riskerar kvinnor att fastna i deltidsarbete, ekonomiskt beroende och fattigdom. S-kvinnor: Det verkar som regeringen har tänkt ut en särskild arbetslinje för kvinnor.

Address in Council of Europe, Carina Hägg (SocDem)

Throughout history, women in flight from danger have suffered sexual harassment and rape during armed conflicts. Even though we do not yet know enough about the mechanisms underlying the systematic use of sexual violence, we do know that they are triggered in some conflicts but not in others. The actions of individuals are crucial. We know that discipline can be strong in the police and the military. Officers can use their authority to stop unacceptable behaviour. We need the power of good examples. UN resolution 1820 focuses specifically on sexual violence towards civilians in armed conflicts. Rape and other forms of sexual violence may constitute a war crime or a crime against humanity. Cooperation within the UN is improving and we can see the emergence of a more unified response towards the use of sexual violence. In 1997 the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg established that the term torture also comprises rape. The Rwanda tribunal in Arusha subsequently established that rape can constitute a strategy in genocide. Sexual violence has been included among the charges in cases tried by the International Court in the Hague. In the same way the Court will be able to try crimes committed in the currently ongoing conflict in Libya. Refugees are affected. I call for stronger political commitment and for unified measures such as the following: - women must be assigned to conflict prevention work and peace negotiations by means of a quota system; - women who suffer sexual violence and rape in connection with armed conflicts must have their cases investigated by public courts rather than by military courts or customary law; - women who suffer sexual violence and rape must be able to bring class action suits in court; - women who suffer sexual violence and rape must be eligible for damages; - women who suffer sexual violence and rape must be provided with health and medical care; - women who suffer sexual violence and rape must be offered morning-after-pills, abortion pills and protection against infection. det talade ordet gäller

Från debatten om religiös dialog Europarådet

We meet in Europe, uncertainty and ignorance about Muslims. One example is France's ban on wearing the burqa or niqab comprehensive on the bus. Hungary is concerned. Denmark is another example where the moderate voices have disappeared from the debate. Danish People's Party and Muslim extremists set the agenda. We have no longer any opposition, said the Danish writer Carsten Jensen when he received the Olaf Palme Prize 29 / 1 2010. Denmark has become an experiment in a democracy without political leadership, a pure populist democracy. In many European countries we see examples of the political leaders' inability to deal with Islam's position in Europe. Instead populists exploit people's anxiety. It is high time for democratic forces to jointly tackle the issue. Political parties should clearly distance themselves from the attacks on Muslims and to distinguish between regular practicing Muslims and Islamists with a political objective of a society based on Islamic texts. Just as obvious as it is for us to defend everyone's right to believe what you want, it is also important to combat the political forces of oppression and segregation. Kristina, muslim oand judth xtremist has long experience of oppressing women. We have to forcefully take away from intolerance, segregation and all the groups that create unfounded suspicion among people, Please find below Ms Hägg (SOC), member of the Swedish Delegation, intervention in the debate on The Religous Dimension of the Intercultural Dialogue. (det talade ordet gäller)

Mitt bidrag till debatt om Nordafrika - Europarådet

The Situation in North Africa Dear Colleagues, North Africa is in turmoil. We follow the situation closely, as those countries are our neighbours and the developments there have an impact to our continent. But also because we feel closer than ever to the people of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, who are struggling to conquer freedom and to create new, democratic systems. Freedom and democracy should be for all. This means that we should not lose sight of the situation of women. During these months we have seen women taking active part in the uprisings, alongside men, in Tunisia and Egypt and a number of other countries of the Arab world, in North Africa and beyond. In Libya, women seemed to be less visible than in their neighbouring countries. This reflect the social and political role they have in their country, even more limited than in Tunisia and Egypt. Unfortunately, there are negative signals which are of great concern to me and which I would like to share it with you. Although women have had an important role in the revolutionary movements in North Africa, their engagement seem to lose momentum, or to be less welcome. The press reported that women were attacked in Cairo on March 8, while marching to commemorate International Women’s Day: gangs of men told women to go back home. The same had happened in Tunisia in January, when women’s groups manifested to demand equality. These might be just isolated episodes. Or they could be a sign that also emerging democratic forces disregard gender equality altogether and envisage to place women in the subordinate position that they have occupied for a long time, especially in that region. If we really support democracy and human rights, we cannot let it happen. The democratic change should benefit men as well as women. The Council of Europe and other organisations have offered their help to assist countries in democratic transition. They should ensure that the contribution of women to the fight for human rights in North African countries is not wasted. The wonderful opportunity that North African countries have to establish democracy is also an unmissable chance for women to have their rights recognised. We must do our utmost to support them. We are asked to share our expertise in the field of constitutional and legislative reforms. That is exactly where gender equality must be enshrined. I hope that more parliaments, besides those of Morocco and the Palestinian Authority, will apply for the status of Partner for Democracy with our Assembly. This would give us a chance to cooperate and support the development of democracy and human rights in those countries for all citizens. women and men. Recognising the right of women to fully participate in the social, political, cultural and economic life of their countries on an equal footing with men is perhaps the greatest challenge for new democracies in North Africa. We must stand ready to help them reach this goal. min text till tal i Europarådets debatt under fm. Det talade ordet gäller. mvh CH