PAM’s engagement in human rights highlighted in Antalya meeting

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MEDIA INFORMATION: 22/2014
ISSUED ON: 30/04/2014

Human Trafficking and Modern day Slavery; The consequences of displacement on Women and children in conflicts – protection and assistance; and PAMs engagement in Human Rights, were thoroughly debated at the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean 3rd Standing Committee on Human Rights and Dialogue, which was held in Antalya –Turkey, on 24-25 April 2014, at the invitation of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

PAM parliamentary delegations from the member states, keynote speakers and experts participated and contributed to a dynamic and fruitful discussion over the issues on the agenda. Every session was introduced by at least two high profile contributions which shed light on the current trends and state-of-the-art knowledge, which served to stimulate the debate among the parliamentarians.

The Antalya parliamentary session was critical for PAM to further focus on a long term vision, a new strategy, and an implementation programme for its engagement in the region, in a coordinated effort with national and international institutions, and all other stakeholders committed to fight human trafficking, assist the most vulnerable members of society in areas of conflict, and further improve the respect of human rights.

On this issue, PAM addressed, for the first time, the different aspects of Human Rights in a structured manner, and at the end of the meeting a number of preliminary recommendations and conclusions were reached.

Primarily, suggestions were put forward to invest time and efforts to build a human rights culture among civil society through educational programmes in schools and universities.

As law makers, within the framework of the PAM regional network, MPs can forge wider synergies to share knowledge and acquired capacities to help ensure harmonisation and correct gaps.

Furthermore, MPs should be involved in the process for Universal Periodic Reviews for their country, and they should take up specific Human Rights issues, such as trafficking, and pursue them systematically, through research, internal and regional partnerships, capacity building, education, legislation and policy updates.

As a key result of the meeting, it was agreed that the PAM Secretariat shall coordinate with IOM, UNHCR, OCHA, the UN Council of Human Rights, the Council of Europe, and other key players on both shores of the Mediterranean, including Governments, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organisations, in order to organize specific induction seminars in Geneva to establish and prepare PAMs deployment capabilities, to undertake, when necessary and often at a short notice, missions to specific hot spots in the Mediterranean region to exercise the instrument of soft diplomacy and confidence building to support humanitarian operations, promote protection of civilians and advocate for the respect of Human Rights.Image

These proposals will be further debated and consolidated, and will feature as an Action Programme proposal of the 3rd Standing Committee to be reviewed at the 9th PAM Plenary Session, which will be held in the Principality of Monaco in February 2015.

The Opening Ceremony was addressed by:

Hon. Mr. Menderes M. Tevfik Türel, Metropolitan Mayor of Antalya

Hon. Maria da Conceição Pereira (Portugal), PAM Vice-President and President of the 3rd Standing Committee

Hon. Tevfik Ziyaeddin Akbulut, Head of the Turkish delegation to PAM

Video message from the High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, H.E. Nassir Abdelaziz Nasser

H.E. Sen. Francesco Amoruso, PAM President

Hon. Mr. Sebahattin Öztürk, Governor of Antalya

And H.E. Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator

Keynote speakers for the three sessions:

Ms. Meera Sethi – Chief of Mission in Turkey, IOM, who also delivered a statement on behalf of the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkey, Mr Kamal Malhotra

– Mr. Nicolas Le Coz – President of The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), Council of Europe

– Dr. Karim Atassi – Deputy Representative in Turkey, UNHCR

– Mr. Nihat Adıgüzel – Vice President of the Turkish Red Crescent

– Dr. Mukesh Kapila – Professor of Global Health &Humanitarian Affairs, University of Manchester & Former Under Secretary General, IFRC

– Mr. Bekir Karlığa – Principal Advisor to the Prime Minister of Turkey and Chairman of the Turkish National Coordination Committee – United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.

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