Several challenging topics were on the agenda during the 89th Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) meeting, held on 21 June in Strasbourg. ENNHRI was represented by Senior Human Rights Officer Katrien Meuwissen.

1. Business & Human Rights

The development of an online platform was discussed and the Danish Chair called for more voluntary contributions to it. Also the need to enhance the interest of the business sector in follow-up activities at the national level was made clear.

ENNHRI’s Business & Human Rights Working Group will finalise and submit a written contribution to support the HELP Unit (European Human Rights Training Program for Legal Professionals), because “lots can be done with little.”

2. Economic, Social & Cultural Rights

In the CDDH-SOC session, the participants examined, with a view to its adoption, the draft analysis of the legal framework of the CoE for the protection of social rights in Europe. The framework was based on good practices of the social rights implementation at the national level.

Also a draft declaration to support national legislation regarding the promotion and protection of the civil-society space was examined. In line with that, the encouragement of cultural diverse societies and the freedom of expression was also addressed. Participants exchanged views on effective alternatives to detention of migrants as well.

3. Human Rights of Older Persons

The session on Older Persons was considered to be a next step in the evaluation process of the implementation of the 2014 CDDH Recommendation on the Human Rights of Older Persons. In two parts, the attendants discussed how to achieve at the national level the principles that were set out in the Recommendation.

“Our task today is to raise awareness and exchange of good practices on the duty of NHRIs towards the well-being of older persons. They will grow old while their human dignity is protected and their rights respected”
Miroslav Papa, Croatian ambassador

During the opening of that session, the participation of the Croatian NHRI in the ENNHRI Project on the Rights of Older Persons (2014-2017) was mentioned by Ambassador Miroslav Papa, the Croatian Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe (CoE). “Our task today is to raise awareness and exchange of good practices on the duty of NHRIs towards the well-being of older persons. They will grow old while their human dignity is protected and their rights respected”, he said.