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	We must be unapologetic in our efforts to promote tolerance and inclusion by IFRC, FRA, Commission against Racism European Union   Europe’s human rights crisis surmountable, say participants at EU Fundamental Rights Forum   Suggestions to help tackle Europe’s pressing human rights crisis were captured at the Fundamental Rights Forum in Vienna. Over 700 leading experts from around the world contributed to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights’ event. Some 100+ practical ideas were generated at the event.   “Yes, we have a crisis of fundamental rights in Europe but also the goodwill, energy and ideas to overcome it. This is what we debated over the last four days in Vienna during the Fundamental Rights Forum 2016,” said FRA Director and Forum Chair Michael O’Flaherty. “Human rights cannot be viewed as an optional extra that can be sacrificed. They are the cornerstone of European identity; if we lose them we will lose Europe.”   The EU has built up a strong fundamental rights system over the years. However, rights are in crisis. Trust in democratic institutions is falling, undermining rights protection and promotion that ultimately benefit us all. To move forward, Europe must work together, always mindful that Europe is not alone in today’s increasingly interdependent world. Areas that need joint action include:   Ensuring fundamental rights are not a niche issue but are instead mainstreamed in all policy discussions and decisions at the EU and national level, particularly in the social and economic sectors.   Building a strong fundamental rights culture through rights education that is essential in today’s societies. This includes improving rights awareness among everyone in the EU.   Strengthening the oversight by parliaments and rights watchdogs, the national human rights bodies, to better hold governments account of their fundamental rights obligations.   Guaranteeing that everyone, including vulnerable groups, is involved in decisions on policy measures that affect them.   The Forum focused on the three most pressing fundamental rights challenges facing the EU today: refugee protection, inclusion and the digital age. Three of the very many suggestions were:   Broadening legal ways of reaching safety as an alternative to risky irregular entry. EU Institutions and Member States could consider enlarged resettlement schemes, as well as building public support for responsible asylum policies through political leadership and creating powerful counter-narratives to anti-refugee rhetoric.   National, regional and local authorities, the business sector, professional groups and civil society should work together to use EU funds to stimulate socially responsible and inclusive growth that fosters fundamental rights and respect for diversity.   A ‘traffic light’ warning system for users of digital technology, by IT companies and their regulators. Red lights would warn of the potential reuse of their personal data.   Strengthening the protection and promotion of fundamental rights in the EU requires sustained commitment and joint effort.   Access summaries of all working group discussions, watch video recordings of sessions via the programme, via the Fundamental Rights Forum website: http://bit.ly/28Ne1yn http://bit.ly/2e8YeZq http://bit.ly/2f5XWaE http://bit.ly/2e91bZG   June 2016   Deaths at sea are an unacceptable tragedy, by Elhadj As Sy, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)   With every new migrant tragedy at sea, indifference seems to be growing, hardening. Seven hundred killed in a plane crash. Seven hundred killed in a terrorist attack. Hundreds killed in a building collapse.   For each such event, the world would stop. Maybe for a few hours, perhaps for a few days. Tens of thousands of words would be published, hundreds of broadcast hours spent analyzing, questioning, reflecting. From these events, headlines would be written that would rise above daily commentary to stir and inspire.   I remember, the day after the September 11 attacks on New York, reading the headline in Le Monde: “Nous sommes tous Américains” – we are all Americans. It captured our collective anguish and grief, and called to our better selves, to our shared humanity.   Last week, more than 700 people may have drowned off the coast of southern Italy causing barely a ripple in the public eye. Three separate boats, probably dangerously overcrowded, almost certainly lacking in safety equipment, sunk. Hundreds of lives lost in terror and fear.   Where are the horrified headlines and the ensuing hours or days of reflection? More than 700 people dead within sight of European shores, and it seems to have barely registered in our public conscience.   Last year, similar tragedies stirred some outcry. But even then, there was a terrible indifference to the plight of those seeking hope, dignity and safety. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies called for an end to the indifference, and for people to remember that people who migrate have rights, including to our respect and care.   But with every new tragedy at sea this indifference seems to be growing, hardening.   We cannot accept this. As the weather becomes warmer and as the Mediterranean becomes calmer, we can expect that the number of people seeking refuge in Europe will again climb. Efforts to close old routes, predictably, forced people to find new paths. The central Mediterranean route between Libya and Italy has become very popular again.   A solution must be found. Any real solution must address the factors that push people to take the difficult decision to leave home. The decision to leave is not one that is taken lightly. It is one that is taken because home is no longer safe, or because hope is extinguished.   While there is war in Syria, conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, and poverty and persecution, in other parts of the world, people will continue to leave their homes in search of a better and safer life. This will not change until the factors pushing them change. If they cannot reach Europe, then they will go elsewhere, or they will stay in countries like Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon – countries that have shown solidarity and hospitality over the past five years. They may even find themselves trapped in places where their basic needs cannot be met and where their rights cannot be protected.   We repeat our call – our plea – for all governments and institutions to ensure the protection of migrants, and for all people to recognize their right to safety and dignity. We call on the media and other voices to reframe discussion about migration, and to pay due recognition to this humanitarian tragedy.   We call on authorities to make the journeys of migrants safer by expanding legal channels and search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, and by creating faster and fairer asylum processing systems at arrival. We call on all partners along major migration routes to address the vulnerabilities that are part of irregular migration, and to raise awareness about the rights that all migrants have.   We call on authorities in Europe and around the Mediterranean to work with local actors present at points of departure, including National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, so that they can support people who choose to reintegrate into their home countries.   For our part, we will continue to support all those who need our help to the best of our capacity. We will provide first aid for people stepping off boats or washing up on shore. We will care for them, and support them, and treat them with respect and dignity. And we will accompany them on their journeys, from the moment they decide to flee, to the moment, hopefully, that they find peace and safety.   We will work with all partners, and in all places where we are needed. Our tens of thousands of volunteers will continue to be a sign of hope, and an antidote to the creeping indifference.   And we will mourn all those who died. Because human beings deserve nothing less. Nous sommes tous Syriens. Nous sommes tous Afghans. Nous sommes tous Somaliens, Pakistanais, Nigérians. Nous sommes tous des migrants.   * Elhadj As Sy is secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: http://www.ifrc.org/   31/05/2016   Migration turmoil tests EU fundamental rights resolve, finds FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2016.   Over one million people sought refuge in the EU in 2015, a fivefold increase from the year before. In its Fundamental Rights Report 2016, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) examines the scale and nature of the challenge and proposes measures to ensure fundamental rights are respected across the EU.   “Last year, the EU’s fundamental rights resolve was sorely tested, with assaults on many of the freedoms, rights and values on which Europe is founded,” says FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty. “The EU and its Member States must stand firm in defending the rights to which everyone is legally entitled, whether they have lived in the EU for generations or have just arrived on Europe’s shores.”   This annual Fundamental Rights Report highlights challenges and achievements across a broad spectrum of fundamental rights issues across the EU. Many of the issues covered by this year’s report will be discussed in more detail during the Fundamental Rights Forum 2016, which will take place on 20-23 June in Vienna.   With 60 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, the migration situation is set to remain at the top of the EU agenda. The majority of refugees coming to Europe, many of them children, are risking their lives by paying smugglers to cross the sea in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats.   An upsurge in racist and xenophobic incidents was noted in many Member States, fuelled by fears over the migration situation and a spate of terrorist attacks. FRA’s report finds that Muslims and Jewish communities were particularly affected.   The terrorist attacks once again highlighted the difficulty of finding the right balance between protecting personal data and privacy and maintaining internal security. A number of EU Member States are in the process of reforming their legal intelligence framework, which could potentially increase the intrusive powers of the services.   The Fundamental Rights Report 2016 summarises and analyses major fundamental rights developments in the EU throughout 2015, with proposals for action in the areas of equality and non-discrimination; racism, xenophobia and related intolerance; Roma integration; information society, privacy and data protection; rights of the child; and access to justice including rights of crime victims.   FRA provides evidence-based advice to EU and national decision makers, to contribute to informed and targeted debates and policies on fundamental rights.   http://bit.ly/1VM5Q6m http://bit.ly/2f5YUn9 http://bit.ly/2eP8jKI http://bit.ly/2dHDDdo http://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/11/global-restrictions-on-religion-rise-modestly-in-2015-reversing-downward-trend/   May 2016   Growing anti-immigrant sentiment and Islamophobia were among key trends in 2015, says Council of Europe anti-racism body   The ongoing migration crisis and the terror attacks were the key factors that influenced public debate and policies in Europe in 2015, said the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) in its annual report published today.   With Europe is witnessing an unprecedentedly high number of migrants and asylum seekers fleeing war, persecution and poverty, the commitment of many European countries to human rights-oriented migration policies was brought to the test.   Some governments resorted to restrictive border crossing measures, deterring migrants and asylum seekers from staying on their territories and criminalising the provision of aid to irregular migrants thus needlessly blurring the legal boundaries between abetting human trafficking or migrants’ smuggling and providing humanitarian assistance, the report says. In other countries, however, a “welcome culture” developed, where authorities and local volunteers dedicated their time and resources to assist the arriving people. In the second half of 2015, scepticism about the local ability to cope with the increasing number of migrants and asylum-seekers was voiced, against the background of openly xenophobic and islamophobic public debate and a number of attacks against reception centres.   “Countries need to combat racist violence and implement integration policies for migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees”, said Christian Ahlund, Chairperson of ECRI. “The principle of fair distribution is a key element for the development of effective policies in this delicate area.”   The terror attacks in Paris in January and November, and in Copenhagen in February further added to the islamophobic sentiment and were misused by populist political parties to stir up prejudice and hatred against Muslims in general. Council of Europe Secretary General Jagland warned against this trend: “In some places we see the mainstream chasing after populists, and they are playing a dangerous game. We must be unapologetic in our efforts to fight hate speech, promote tolerance and inclusion to help our societies stand together through these difficult times.”   Another trend noted by ECRI is antisemitism, which increased further in 2015, after levels had already peaked in many countries in the preceding year. ECRI also observed continued discrimination against Black persons, Roma and Travellers, and LGBT persons, even though the situation of these groups and the success of policies aimed at assisting them varies considerably across the continent.   Austerity measures exacerbated the situation of vulnerable groups in many countries in Europe; the budget cuts also affected institutions working to prevent and combat racism and intolerance, and undermined their effectiveness, ECRI notes.   * Access the report via the link below. Visit the related web page
	Urgent action needed to provide shelter for refugees by UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency   A huge shortfall in funds for sheltering refugees is severely undermining efforts to tackle the biggest global displacement crisis since World War II, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has warned.   At the launch of a new global campaign, called “Nobody Left Outside,” UNHCR said efforts to provide adequate shelter for refugees under its care were facing a half-billion-dollar deficit.   Nobody Left Outside calls on the private sector to contribute funds for shelter solutions for 2 million refugees. The campaign is aimed at individuals, companies, foundations and philanthropists worldwide.   Forced displacement, most of it arising from war and conflict, has risen sharply in the past decade, largely a result of the Syria crisis, but also due to a proliferation of new displacement situations and unresolved old ones.   Some 60 million people are today forcibly displaced, almost 20 million of them refugees who have been forced to flee across international borders, and the rest people displaced within their own countries.   A shelter – be it a tent, a makeshift structure or a house – is the basic building block for refugees to survive and recover from the physical and mental effects of violence and persecution. Yet around the world, millions are struggling to get by in inadequate and often dangerous dwellings, barely able to pay the rent, and putting their lives, dignity and futures at risk.   Without a major increase in funding and global support, millions of people fleeing war and persecution face homelessness or inadequate housing in countries such as Lebanon, Mexico and Tanzania. Without a safe place to eat, sleep, study, store belongings and have privacy the consequences to their health and welfare can be profound.   Running from violence in Burundi, Jacqueline and her family are seeking safety in Tanzania, where seasonal rains fall in sheets. Their greatest need is plastic sheeting to keep them dry.   Penniless and on the streets of southern Mexico after fleeing raging gang violence in her native El Salvador, Ada and her three-year-old son need a room where they can sleep, eat together and plan their next move.   Facing a bitter winter chill thousands of miles away in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley after escaping war in Syria, Hayel and his three young children need a little cash and other help to stay warm, dry and fed in their temporary shelter.   “What I care about the most is to keep my family under one roof where the children can be warm, where they can eat, where they can study and be safe,” he says.   Jacqueline, Ada and Hayel and their families are among a record number of people worldwide driven from their homes by wars and persecution. For them, a proper shelter – whether a tent, a temporary shelter or a house – is the basic building block for surviving and recovering from the physical and mental effects of violence.   The “Nobody Left Outside” campaign aims to help those struggling to get by in grossly inadequate, and often dangerously squalid dwellings, where their lives, dignity and futures may be at risk.   “Shelter is the foundation stone for refugees to survive and recover, and should be considered a non-negotiable human right,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “As we tackle worldwide displacement on a level not seen since World War II, no refugee should be left outside.”   Without a massive stepping up and widening of global support, UNHCR warns, millions of people fleeing war and persecution face homelessness or inadequate housing in countries from Lebanon and Mexico to Tanzania.   The Nobody Left Outside campaign aims to raise private funds to provide and improve shelter for 2 million refugees like Hayel, Jaqueline and Ada by 2018, or more than one in every 10 people under UNHCR’s care.   Providing shelter on a global scale is a massive logistical undertaking. Every year, UNHCR purchases 70,000 tents and more than 2 million tarpaulins – the iconic plastic sheets which have come to symbolize the response to humanitarian emergencies. Outside of camps, refugees rely on UNHCR support to find housing and pay the rent in towns and cities across dozens of countries bordering conflict zones.   These operations are expected to cost US$724 million in 2016. Yet only US$158 million is currently available, a dramatic half-billion-dollar shortfall which threatens to leave millions of men, women and children without adequate shelter and unable to begin rebuilding their lives.   The Nobody Left Outside campaign is asking private donors and enterprises to get much more involved. The private sector is an increasingly important donor to UNHCR, contributing more than eight per cent of the organization’s overall income in 2015.   For those in desperate need, that help is nothing less than a lifeline. Fragile as his family’s temporary wooden shack is, Hayel says it is “basically home,” allowing him and his wife, Wisal, to be together and focus on raising their three young children.   Half a world away in Tanzania, Jacqueline says her shelter has given her husband, Joseph, and their kids – one seven years old, the other and just four months – the privacy to “be a family and have time to ourselves” until they can build a more permanent mud brick home.   For Ada, a room at a shelter in southern Mexico has simply got her and her three-year-old son Brian off the street. “It’s important to have a place to rest, to eat,” she says. “It’s too cold for mothers to be sleeping out on the streets with their children.”   http://www.unhcr.org/nobody-left-outside.html http://www.unhcr.org/news.html http://www.unhcr.org/emergencies.html Visit the related web page
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