New human rights body formed in North Africa
18 April 2006
Fourteen human rights groups from five North African countries established the Maghreb Coordination of Human Rights Organisations in Rabat on 30 March in order to coordinate support for victims of human rights abuses and to increase contact between human rights defenders working in the region Press Release
An inaugural meeting of the Maghreb Coordination of Human Rights Organisations (CMODH) was held on March 30, 2006 in Rabat. The theme of the meeting was “Respect for Human Rights for all in North Africa”.
The inaugural meeting was held as a sideline to the seminar on Human Rights in North African countries and was organised by the Moroccan Association for Human Rights. The latter discussed the deplorable state of human rights in North African countries.
Fourteen human rights associations participated in the CMODH’s inaugural meeting: - L’Association Mauritanienne des Droits Humains (Mauritanian Human Rights Association)
- La Ligue Mauritanienne des Droits Humains (Mauritanian Human Rights League)
- L’Association Marocaine des Droits Humains (Moroccan Human Rights Association)
- L’Organisation Marocaine des Droits Humains (Moroccan Human Rights Organsiation)
- Le Forum Marocain pour la Vérité et la Justice (Moroccan Forum for Truth and Justice)
- La Ligue Algérienne des Droits de l’Homme (Algerian Human Rights League)
- La Ligue Algérienne de Défense des Droits de l’Homme (Algerian League for the Protection of Human Rights)
- La Coordination des Familles des Disparus d’Algérie (Group of Families of Missing Persons in Algeria)
- La Ligue Tunisienne de Défense des Droits de l’Homme (Tunisian League for the Protection of Human Rights)
- Le Conseil National pour les Libertés en Tunisie (National Council for Freedoms in Tunisia)
- La Ligue Libyenne de Défense des Droits de l’Homme (League for the Protection of Human Rights in Libya)
- L’Association des Travailleurs Maghrébins en France (Association of North African Workers in France)
- L’Association de Défense des Droits de l’Homme au Maroc (Association of Human Rights Defenders in Morocco)
- Le Comité pour la Défense des Libertés et des Droits de l’Homme en Maroc (Committee for the Protection of Freedom and Human Rights in Morocco)
At the Inaugural Meeting, the CMODH adopted the “Inaugural Platform of the CMODH”, which decided on member organisations of the Coordination (full members and observer members), its objectives and rules relating to membership of the CMODH and its organisational bodies.
The Inaugural Meeting adopted a final declaration which, in particular, evaluated the state of human rights in North Africa, the responsibilities of the Coordination, which also affirmed its determination to cooperate with North African democratic forces and to participate actively in social fora in order to meet the Coordination’s objectives.
The Inaugural Meeting also studied a course of action which was provisionally adopted in its entirety while awaiting feedback from members of the CMODH. It will be adopted definitively at the next meeting of the Coordination’s board of management.
The Inaugural Meeting of the CMODH decided to hold the next meeting of the Coordination’s board of management (in six months) and of the Coordination’s Council (in two years) in Tunisia, with a view to pressing the Defenders of Human Rights in Tunisia, and discussing with the Ligue Tunisienne des Droits de l’Homme which has been the focus of much harassment and inflictions in its ordinary activities and the cancellation of its sixth National Congress.
Lastly, at the Inaugural Meeting of the CMODH, the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) was elected as Secretary of the North African Coordination; it elected as its General Coordinator of the CMODH the President of the AMDH and the President of the Organisation Marocaine des Droits Humains as assistant to the General Coordinator.
Rabat April 1, 2006. For the CMODH, General Coordinater: President of the AMDH
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INAUGURAL PLATFORM OF THE Maghreb COORDINATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATIONS
Given the deterioration of human rights conditions in North African countries, repression and persecutions aimed at human right organisations and activists; Given the weakness of active coordination between North African human rights organisations, the dispersion of means used and the urgent need to work on common tasks and coordinate efforts,
The followed organisations have decided: -L’ASSOCIATION MAURITANIENNE DES DROITS HUMAINS -MEMBER-
-LA LIGUE MAURITANIENNE DES DROITS HUMAINS--MEMBER-
-L’ASSOCIATION MAROCAINE DES DROITS HUMAINS --MEMBER-
-L’ORGANISATION MAROCAINE DES DROITS HUMAINS--MEMBER-
-LA LIGUE ALGERIENNE DES DROITS HUMAINS--MEMBER-
-LA LIGUE ALGERIENNE DE DEFENSE DES DROITS HUMAINS--MEMBER-
-LE CONSEIL NATIONAL DES LIBERTES EN TUNISIE--MEMBER-
-LE COMITE POUR LE RESPECT DES LIBERTES ET DES DOITS HUMAINS EN TUNISIE--MEMBER-
-LA LIGUE LYBIENNE DE DEFENSE DES DROITS HUMAINS-- MEMBER -
-L’ASSOCIATION DES TRAVAILLEURS MAGHREBINS EN FRANCE-- MEMBER -
-L’ASSOCIATION DE DEFENSE DES DROITS HUMAINS AU MAROC-- MEMBER -
-LA COALITION DES FAMILLES DES DISPARUS EN ALGERIE -OBSERVER-
-LE FORUM MAROCAIN POUR LA VERITE ET LA JUSTICE-OBSERVER-
The creation of a permanent framework of coordination between: “LA COORDINATION MAGHREBINE DES ORGANISATIONS DES DROITS HUMAINS” whose goals are:
- To strengthen solidarity and cooperation between its members in their struggle for the promotion and the protection of human rights in their entirety;
- To implement solidarity and cooperation in order to protect human right activists in accordance with the International Declaration of Human Rights of September 9, 1998;
- To establish close relations with North African democratic organisations in civil society.
To fulfill these obligations, the Coordination shall adopt as its frame of reference the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, its charters, treaties, conventions and declarations of the United Nations and related organisations, as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
Membership of the Coordination: - Each Maghreb human rights organisation, independent of political power and party, respecting the afore-mentioned frame of reference, the rules of the organisations established in the present platform, has the right to membership of the Coordination, subject to the sponsorship of human rights organisations in their country and approval from the Coordination’s Council.
Failure to take responsibility or exclusion, due to an infringement on the aims and statutes of the Coordination, shall result in the loss of membership. The terms of sponsorship, approval, membership and exclusion shall be decided at a later date. There is a distinction between two types of membership within the “Coordination”:
- Full membership is awarded to the aforementioned founding organisations and those whose full membership is approved subsequently.
- Members of the organisation with full rights will participate equally, in this respect, in the decision-making of the Coordination. The status of observer member is awarded to human rights organisations, who do not satisfy the conditions for membership. The status of observer confers the right of participation in decision-making without right of discussion and vote.
The Coordination is ruled in accordance with the following organisational bodies:
- COORDINATION COUNCIL:
This is the supreme decision-making body of the Coordination. It is made up of delegations of the organisations with full membership and a member of each organisation – or its substitute –, two (2) responsible for the management of the organisation, one of three members, at least, must be a woman.
-The delegation of the organisation with the status of observer member is represented by his/her president or substitute.
-The Board meets once every two (2) years. It receives the organisations which have full membership, in turns. It holds extraordinary meetings, where necessary.
- The Council deliberates on the moral and financial reports of the modification of statutes and rules.
- THE COORDINATION BUREAU:
- This is made up of a member designated by each organisation having full membership.
- It meets at least, two (2) times a year, to take positions and measures necessary within the framework of the action programme of the Board.
- THE ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARIAT OF THE COORDINATION:
One of the human rights organisations is responsible for administrative tasks and financial management of the Coordination’s work. One person and their assistant are designated for accomplishing this task.
The “Coordination” establishes permanent relations with human rights organisations on a regional and international scale and whose members are part of or have cooperative relations with them.
-The finances of the Coordination:
These are made up of: - Annual Financial contributions from members with full membership and members having the status of observer.
- Funding from partnership projects in the area of the protection and promotion of human rights as well as funding from the Coordination’s activities.
- Funding and donations, under the condition of not infringing on the independence and the goals of the Coordination. The Coordination shall refuse to accept any government funding.
The Coordination Agency is responsible for the development of a project of Statutes which shall be adopted at a later date by the Coordination Council.
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FINAL DECLARATION OF Maghreb COORDINATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATIONS
1. On the invitation of the AMDH, and as a sideline to the seminar on “Human Rights in Maghreb countries”, organised by the AMDH, the inaugural assembly of the Maghreb COORDINATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS was held on March 30, 2006 on the theme of “For a North African area in which human rights as a whole will be guaranteed for all”. The following participated in this:
- FULL MEMBERS:
-L’ASSOCIATION MAURITANIENNE DES DROITS HUMAINS ;
-LA LIGUE MAURITANIENNE DES DROITS HUMAINS ;
-L’ASSOCIATION MAROCAINE DES DROITS HUMAINS ;
-L’ORGANISATION MAROCAINE DES DROITS HUMAINS ;
-LA LIGUE ALGERIENNE DES DROITS HUMAINS ;
-LA LIGUE ALGERIENNE DE DEFENSE DES DROITS HUMAINS. -LE CONSEIL NATIONAL DES LIBERTES EN TUNISIE.
-LE COMITE POUR LE RESPECT DES LIBERTES ET DES DOITS HUMAINS EN TUNISIE ;
-LA LIGUE LYBIENNE DE DEFENSE DES DROITS HUMAINS ;
-L’ASSOCIATION DES TRAVAILLEURS MAGHREBINS EN FRANCE ;
-L’ASSOCIATION DE DEFENSE DES DROITS HUMAINS AU MAROC.
-OBSERVER MEMBERS
-LA COALITION DES FAMILLES DES DISPARUS EN ALGERIE ;
-LE FORUM MAROCAIN POUR LA VERITE ET LA JUSTICE.
And the following invited parties:
-LE RESEAU EUROMEDITERRANEEN DES DROITS DE L’HOMME ; (EUROMEDITERRANEAN HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK)
-L’ORGANISATION ARABE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME ; (ARAB HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATION)
-AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL- MOROCCAN SECTION
2. The meeting emphasised the following points:
- The essential frame of reference of the coordination is the framework of universal rights;
- The commitment of member organisations of the Coordination to work towards the ratification by their States of all the international conventions dealing with human rights, the removal of rights expressed and the harmonisation of internal legislation with conventions;
- Cooperation towards the promotion of political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights in North African countries;
- Solidarity and cooperation between members of the coordination for human rights in North African countries;
- Solidarity in the protection of human right activists;
- The contribution towards the establishment and building of close links, in the perspective of North African unity on the basis of respect for democracy and the guarantee of human rights for all;
- The establishment of close relations with all civil society organisations in North African countries to carry out common objectives.
3. The situation of human rights in North African countries, notwithstanding the disparities between these countries, reveals that these States inferior to/below the State of Law, of the citizen society where the population as a whole enjoys every human right. By law, our North African countries, are not classed among democratic countries by constitutional treaty or political management because of the overlapping of powers, the absence of an independent judicial body, the non-respect of public affairs, exclusion of persons from the management of public affairs, from the non-guarantee of freedom of opinion, expression, religious belief, organisation and implementation of total equality between the sexes;
4. The excess of the current situation, marked by the violation of human rights in all areas and access to a new era characterised by the protection and promotion of human rights implies:
- The ratification of all international conventions governing human rights by all North African countries and the removal of rights expressed from the subject of ratified conventions;
- Harmonisation of internal legislation, including constitutions, with values and norms of human rights as they are universally recognised;
- The respect for freedom of opinion, belief, expression, media, publication, right of organisation and the liberation of all political prisoners, human right activists, as well as those who have been imprisioned for their opinion, their political activities; as well as the right of those jailed and refugees returning from their country of origin;
- Respect for the right to life and personal security having as result the promulgation of laws deeming torture a criminal offence and abolishing the death sentence;
- The end of the period of impunity for persons involved in political, civil and economic crimes, and in the first place corruption crimes, despoliation of and damage to public property;
- Membership of North African countries in the Treaty of Rome relative to the International Criminal Court;
-Respect of women’s rights in total equality with men for all rights and the amendment of internal laws – especially family law – with a view to their harmonisation with international treaties;
- The approval of the reform of the judicial system in order for it to assume its fundamental role in justice and equality, the protection of freedoms and the application of law to all;
- Respect for the rights of North African peoples in political, economic and cultural self-determination, and the guarantee of participation of people in decision-making;
- Guarantee of fundamental and specific social and economic rights;
- Respect for linguistic and cultural rights and North African identity;
- An end to the violation of rights of North African immigrants abroad;
- Respect for the rights of refugees and immigrants in North African countries and the guarantee of their right of movement;
- Action for the eradication of all forms of slavery.
5. Member organisations of the North African Coordination affirm that:
- Their willingness to work with all political and trade union bodies to establish, in the region, human rights with their universal and global dimension;
- Their contribution to social and economic fora in the North African, Africa and international area to put in place economic, social and cultural rights in order to face all forms to economic management which put at risk rights of persons and groups.
6- Member organisations of the North African Coordination proclaim the approval of the present inaugural platform and its governing bodies.
Rabat, March 30 2006.