Representatives of ENNHRI and NHRIs from Ireland, Belgium, Greece, Spain and Germany will meet on 30 May with the United Nations human rights expert Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, to discuss the adverse human rights impacts stemming from policies meant to address the financial crisis and NHRIs’ experience in working with these issues.

The UN Independent Expert undertakes an official visit to Brussels from 30 May to 3 June 2016 to assess the impact of austerity policies and economic adjustment programmes on the enjoyment economic and social rights in the European Union.

The visit of Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky will allow for an introduction to ENNHRI’s work in the field of economic and social rights and is an opportunity for NHRIs to share their experience of the situation of Human Rights in the light of economic adjustment programmes and austerity measures implemented in various EU countries, with a focus on the EU policies on human rights and social impact assessments.

ENNHRI’s previous work on the topic includes a conference exploring the impact of austerity measures on human rights across Europe, organised in 2013 by the German Institute for Human Rights and ENNHRI and the publication in 2014 of two open letters prior to the Troika visit to Greece: to the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and the President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi.

The expert will gather information on recent EU policies to fight unemployment, poverty and social exclusion and EU initiatives to promote social rights. His final findings and key recommendations will be presented in a comprehensive report to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2017.

More information about the visit of the UN Independent Expert is available in a media advisory.

Photo: Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, United Nations Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and human rights ©UN