NPWJ

Global crisis and the potential of the ICC: relevance of ecocide as the fifth crime
2022-12-06 13:15 - 14:45 (Europe/Rome) | Online event
21th ASP to the ICC, The Hague, 6 December 2022

The Rome Statute is intended to address the “most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole”, those acts which most “threaten the peace, security and wellbeing of the world”.
Mass damage and destruction of vital ecosystems through human activity now constitutes precisely such a threat on a global scale. Such damage and destruction, now increasingly referred to as “ecocide”, not only has direct and devastating consequences for communities and nations now, but also the severest of implications for the future of human civilisation as a whole, as well as for the wider community of species with whom we share our planetary home.
There is strong relevance to the ICC’s remit, therefore, of the inclusion of ecocide within the scope of the Rome Statute. This is being recognised and discussed by a growing number of States Parties, as well as by the Court itself, as acknowledged during the 20th anniversary conference on 1st July of this year.
This side event examines the rapid global progress of this discussion, the importance of the consensus legal definition of ecocide (Independent Expert Panel, June 2021) in that progress, and the potential for the ICC to play a decisive role in addressing the greatest challenge of our time.
Speakers:
Hon Elly van Vliet, Honorary Consul of Vanuatu in The Netherlands
Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, Former ICC President
Philippe Sands KC, University College London, Matrix Law
Darryl Robinson, Professor of Law, Queens University Canada
Jojo Mehta, Chair, Stop Ecocide Foundation
Josh Oxby, UN Youth Advisor
Moderator:
HRH Princess Esmeralda of Belgium
The event will be in English with French, Spanish and Arabic interpretation.
For more information, please check: https://www.stopecocide.earth

Women’s Strength
2022-12-06 | Spazio Europa, Via Quattro Novembre 149, Rome, Italy
The event “Women’s Strength”, hosted by Emma Bonino and organised by No Peace Without Justice and Le Contemporanee, with the support of +Europa, will be held on 6 December 2022 at “Spazio Europa” in Rome, via Quattro Novembre 149.
On the eve of Human Rights Day, it aims at supporting the struggles, courage and determination of women who take to the streets and fight for their rights, for those of future generations and for the human rights of all.
In the world’s most repressive societies, women lead the change, from Afghanistan to Iran, from Ukraine and Belarus to Iraq. This should come as no surprise: women are and always have been inherently strong.
From a young age, women are taught to be the wind under someone else’s wings, to be the “inner” force that enables men to be strong and successful in public. Now, during times of adversity, (almost always) women take on the leadership: they are the ones who manage the scarce resources to ensure the survival of the most vulnerable; they are the ones who play a series of roles to guarantee essential services and whatever else is necessary. But too often the difference – due to the ancestral patterns of respective social roles – is that women have been “allowed” to demonstrate their strength in the private sphere, but are still not allowed to do it fully in the public one.
Violence against women in public and private life is an integral part of this construct. But this is changing: violence against women in public life is increasingly in the spotlight, while women are rediscovering their strength and increasingly asking not to be excluded from the decision-making processes that affect their lives, and not to be treated as victims, but as holders of rights which deserve justice and reparation when violated.
“Women’s Strength”, with the testimonies of many activists and leaders fighting in the field, has the objective of recognizing, sustaining and encouraging these requests, for it is only this way that society as a whole can benefit from the collective strength, that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Preliminary Program
Concept note

For further information, please contact gschiavoni@npwj.org

Rights, Justice and Needs in Lebanese Prisons.
2022-11-17 15:30 - 17:30 | Beit Beirut – Museo e centro culturale urbano (Beit Beirut – Museum and Urban Cultural Center), VGP5+Q8X, Beirut, Libano
On Thursday, November 17, as the closing event of the DROIT project, the “Rights, Justice and Basic Needs in Lebanese Prisons” meeting was held at Beit Beirut, an important opportunity to present and discuss the results achieved through the DROIT project and analyze the increasingly urgent needs of the prison system in Lebanon.
Speakers at the event included the Director of the Italian Development Cooperation Agency in Beirut, the Director of ARCS, representatives from the Ministry of Justice and ISF, the two project partner NGOs Mouvement Social and AJEM, the Task Force Coordinator, and former Lebanese Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud.
The DROIT project, co-funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, was managed by ARCS in partnership with Lebanese NGOs Mouvement Social and AJEM and Italian partners ARCI Toscana, the Garante dei Diritti dei Detenuti delle Regione Toscana, Antigone, and No Peace Without Justice.
Background
Lebanon has a prison population of more than 8,000 inmates (between prisons and other detention facilities), nearly 80 percent of whom are awaiting trial.
In Roumieh Prison alone, the country’s largest, the number of detainees exceeds the planned capacity by three times, and the proportion does not differ much in other prisons, such as in Tripoli in the north and Zahle in the Bekaa Valley.
At the operational level, it is the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF), then the Ministry of Interior, that is responsible for management, despite often lacking specific knowledge and training to work as prison guards.
As of 2019, Lebanon is experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis. GDP per capita has fallen by 40 percent, the local currency has seen 95 percent of its value lost in the face of rising inflation, and recent data has pushed about 80 percent of the population below the poverty line. The World Bank says Lebanon is experiencing one of the three worst global economic slumps since 1850.
If the country’s socioeconomic crisis is dramatic in general, the consequences are even more severe within prison facilities. Cases of escapes from detention facilities, the most recent of which occurred from the Adlieh underground prison in Beirut, reflect their unsustainable situation. The quality and quantity of meals distributed by the prison administration have decreased. Inflation is reducing inmates’ financial means and making food supplies difficult. Family visits are increasingly infrequent, partly due to the high cost of fuel (a full tank of gasoline, after the removal of state subsidies, has come to cost as much as an average state salary), as has the supply of basic necessities.
Activities carried out
In this context, civil society organizations are often called upon to provide many of the services that by law should be guaranteed by the state: legal assistance, staff training, psychological or medical support. The DROIT project, in partnership with the Lebanese NGOs Mouvement Social and AJEM, active since 2018, has contributed to enhancing recovery services, social reintegration, assistance aimed at prisoners/prisoners, people at risk and their families, and training of prison workers. The intervention, in particular, supported the strengthening of services offered in two Lebanese prisons (Roumieh and BEK), to improve the general conditions of detention, and at the Rabieh rehabilitation center, to support the rehabilitation and social reintegration processes of detained persons.
It also included the meeting and exchange of practices on prison issues thanks to the collaboration with the Italian partners of ARCI Toscana, the Garante dei Diritti dei Detenuti delle Regione Toscana, Antigone and No Peace Without Justice. In addition to a series of roundtables organized in-person and online between 2019 and 2022, in June this year a Lebanese delegation, composed of representatives of NGOs, the Lebanese Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior, paid a visit to several Italian penitentiary centers, in Tuscany and Rome, during which it was possible to compare the two systems and the legislative traditions underlying prison management, while also putting on the table the common difficulties and challenges faced, starting with the issue of overcrowding

Colloque sur le Sahel: développement, gouvernance et droits humains
2022-07-27 08:00 - 2022-07-28 17:00 | Online event
Nouakchott, Mauritanie, 27-28 juin 2022 et sur Zoom
Organisé par Fight Impunity, Maria Arena et le Groupe S&D, le Représentant spécial de l’UE pour le Sahel et No Peace Without justice.
Participer à la réunion Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89695483009?pwd=[REDACTED]
ID de réunion : 896 9548 3009 Code secret : [REDACTED]
Présentation du colloque:
Les pays de la zone sahélienne sont confrontés à des défis majeurs d’ordre sécuritaire, politique, économique et environnemental. Depuis plus d’une dizaine d’années le contexte de violence accrue dans la région amène à s’interroger sur l’efficacité des politiques, stratégies, instruments et dispositifs de réduction de la violence, de stabilisation et de développement tels que proposés par les bailleurs de fonds en partenariat avec les autorités nationales. Ces dernières années ont été sanglantes dans tous les pays de la région, causant des milliers de morts civils et militaires. Les violences commises par toutes les parties ont causé le déplacement de plus de quatre millions de personnes.
Le colloque de Nouakchott, sera l’occasion pour réfléchir sur les besoins et réalités vécues par les populations vivant dans des conditions économiques, sociales climatiques et sécuritaire difficiles ainsi que sur le rôle que l’Union européenne et les partenaires internationaux jouent dans la région en évaluant leur intervention et les résultats lesquels jusqu’à présent, n’ont pas été à la hauteur des attentes pour faire face aux défis sécuritaires de la région.
Les conclusions du colloque serviront à penser une approche nouvelle de partenariat entre l’Union européenne et les pays du Sahel dans le but de :

Améliorer les connaissances et éclairer les parlementaires européens sur les enjeux dans la sous-région et les outiller avec des éléments d’analyse pour pouvoir réfléchir au rôle de l’UE dans la région ;
Analyser les rôles et les limites de l’intervention des partenaires internationaux des pays de la région en vue d’approfondir la réflexion sur les réels besoins en termes d’interventions à faveur de la stabilité, les droits humains et la paix dans la région ;
Écouter les populations locales et les analystes locaux pour mieux intégrer leur point de vue dans la définition des politiques de l’UE dans la région ;
Formuler des recommandations en directions des décideurs africains et internationaux en vue d’un retour à la stabilité dans les pays de la région ;
Impliquer le grand public et la jeunesse dans la réflexion sur les thèmes de la stabilité et droits humains de la région.

Il s’agira donc, de dégager des recommandations concrètes pour une re -stabilisation durable du Sahel intégrant les préoccupations citoyennes.
Revue de presse:

https://tchad24.tv/le-sahel-une-digue-mal-en-point-les-promesses-de-colloque-de-nouakchott-du-27-au-28-juin/?fbclid=IwAR2ho43kQiSQ8Dnr9b27kl1G9g-TYzD-guPobViA9YWDR-P8r5RqObYksHM
https://cridem.org/C_Info.php?article=757471
https://www.camer.be/mobile/91330/6:1/afrique-g5-sahel-marie-arena-initie-une-grande-rencontre-entre-societe-civile-et-gouvernements-saheliens-africa.html

Présentation radiophonique

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3EcNeQH3tNhbH8sc3LWU4g

Lebanese institutional and civil society representatives to discuss penitentiary and judicial system reform with their Italian counterparts
2022-06-30
No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), together with ARCS, Antigone, ARCI Toscana and the Guarantor of the Rights of Detainees of the Tuscany Region are partners of a project called “DROIT” which aims to contribute to the improvement of the Lebanese penitentiary and judicial system, through a) the strengthening of rehabilitation, social reintegration and assistance services aimed at prisoners, people at risk and families, b) the training of operators in the sector, and c) the support to local civil society organizations in advocacy for the sector reform.
In this context, on 30 June NPWJ will host a Lebanese delegation of representatives of institutions and civil society and will organize a day of meetings with Bernardo Petralia, former Head of Penitentiary Administration Department, Rita Bernardini, Activist, former Member of Parliament and Roberto Giachetti, Member of Parliament, to discuss about the situation of prisons in Italy, the initiatives undertaken to promote justice, the rights of prisoners and their condition in the facilities and the proposals for a penitentiary reform in Italy.
At the end of the meetings, a visit to the Rebibbia Penitentiary Institute has been organized, with the aim of sharing experiences and practices on the issues of prisoners’ rights and the management of prisons.

HELP: towards a human-rights coordinated against terrorism
2022-06-22 08:00 - 2022-06-23 17:00
The threat of terrorism and the means to fight it efficiently with full respect of the rule of law and human rights is the concern of policy makers, law enforcement agencies and population at large. Operations conducted by many states within the framework of the so-called “war on terrorism” in recent years “have shown that a wide range of human rights are affected by counter terrorism measures, notably the right to life, the prohibition on torture or inhuman or degrading treatment, the right to liberty and security, the right to a fair trial, and respect for private and family life”.
Counter terrorism and radicalisation measures should respect, promote and ensure the protection of human rights. As stated by the United Nations Human Rights Council in its resolution 31/30 “the objectives of countering terrorism and of the protection and promotion of human rights are not conflicting but complementary and mutually reinforcing”. Policies which are compliant to human rights standards uphold the values that terrorist groups endeavour to destroy, weaken support for radicalism among potential advocates, and reinforce public confidence in the rule of law.
In this context and in the scope of supporting regional dynamics around the prevention and the countering of radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism, the Council of Europe organises in Tunis on 22-23 June 2022 a “Regional Conference on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism: Towards a Human rights Coordinated approach” within the framework of the European-Union and the Council of Europe joint programs, the Regional Support to Reinforce Human rights, Rule of Law and Democracy in the Southern Mediterranean Program (South Programme IV) and the Support to Independent Bodies in Tunisia Project (PAII-T).
The event is organised jointly with the National Commission on Counterterrorism in Tunisia, the Higher Authority for Audio-visual Communication and No Peace Without Justice. The Conference has two objectives. The first is to establish the basis for a HELP regional training on repatriation, reintegration and rehabilitation of children in their countries. The second is to present two HELP contextualised courses on Counterterrorism and Violent Extremism, i.e Radicalisation Prevention and Combatting Hate Speech in the Audio-Visual Sector.

Concept note and program of the conference

For further information, please contact: Frej Fenniche: ffenniche@npwj.org – +216 56 441 505 (English, French, العربية)

Annual International Conference on “The Future of Human Rights"
2022-06-16 14:00 - 18:00 | Library Reading Room, Spinelli 5th floor D, Brussels, Belgium
European Parliament, Brussels, 16-17 June 2022
On 16-17 June 2022, the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) is holding a joint conference with Fight Impunity and No Peace without Justice, to shed light of abuses against human rights, to foster a better-informed public debate on the subject, and to help generate a stronger commitment to prioritise it with resources internationally.
The conference will bring together representatives from European Union and United Nations, international experts, academics, civil-society representatives, and actors engaged in the process of defending human rights and fighting against impunity worldwide. The protection of human rights and the fight against impunity are today, more than ever, a very major pressing global challenge and one that needs to be highlighted and addressed with urgency. In recent months, we have seen a very significant growth in grave human rights violations of various kinds, and the purpose of this conference will be to shed light on such abuse, to foster a better-informed public debate on this subject, and to help generate a greater commitment to prioritise it with appropriate resources internationally.
Please, register here to attend the conference (before June 11th at 6:00 pm): https://forms.gle/acNssrPFX2p8c1Py7
You can also attend this event online on Interactio, with no need for registration. Please click on the following link: https://broadcaster.interactio.eu/join/3m7x-bvl3-haig (only active on the days of the conference).

Program of the Conference
Date and time: 16 June, 14:00-18:00 / 17 June, 09:30-18:00
Venue: Library Reading Room, Spinelli 5th floor D, European Parliament, Brussels

Justice for Myanmar, at the ICJ and Beyond
2022-02-22 10:00 - 11:00
After over 60 years of serious human rights abuses and mass atrocities, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Myanmar’s military, it is only recently that the international community has taken steps to hold the Tatmadaw to account. Impunity has emboldened the military and was an enabling factor for the military’s February 2021 coup.
While at present, international accountability efforts are focused on justice for the Rohingya, however, these cases importantly break the cycle of impunity and lay the groundwork for accountability for other communities in Myanmar, including crimes against other ethnic groups, as well as crimes committed in the context of the coup. This panel will explore how the ICJ proceedings complement other international accountability efforts, and discuss how they can inform future cases and investigations against the Myanmar military.

Register here https://t.co/fKlH6ZgxKe

Out of “The Bush School”. Acting against FGM in Liberia and beyond
2022-02-08 10:00 - 12:00 | Online event
On 8 February 2022, a virtual event will be hosted by No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) and Zona. Starting with the projection of the documentary “The Bush School” (2020), by Italian journalist and filmmaker Emanuela Zuccalà, we will discuss the efficacy of existing legal instruments and policies against FGM and the avenues for their improvement. The presentation of the documentary will be the basis of a wider debate on contrast to FGM in Liberia as well as in Europe and the rest of the world.
The event will also feature the presentation of 28 Too Many’s recent report “The Law and FGM – Europe” (December 2021).
The event, moderated by Gianfranco dell’Alba (President, No Peace Without Justice), will include interventions by Giulia Schiavoni, Gender and Human Rights Program Adviser, No Peace Without Justice; Emanuela Zuccalà, author of “The Bush School”; Phyllis Nguma Kimba, Executive Director NATPAH/Liberia; Antric Jalloh, Liberian women and children’s rights advocate & SGBV survivor, GOESC; Rugiatu Neneh Turay, Sierra Leonean anti FGM campaigner and women leader activist; Laurent Delahousse, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Liberia; Dr Ann-Marie Wilson, Founder and Executive Director, 28 Too Many; Chiara Adamo, Human Rights, equality and democracy Head of Unit, European Commission; Khady Koita, President, La Palabre; Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, MEP (The Greens/EFA); Alessandra Moretti, MEP (S&D); Frances Fitzgerald, MEP (EPP).
Participation in the event is free, but registration on EventBrite is required in order to get the direct link to the conference.
The live stream of the event can be followed on our social media pages: Facebook and Youtube

Program of the event

For further information, contact Francesca Basso ( fbasso@npwj.org )

The Path Forward for the Rohingya Community
2022-02-01 08:00 - 17:00
The Rohingya community has long suffered under the Myanmar government’s decades-long policies of persecution against them, which were only exacerbated during and in the wake of the 2017 acts of genocide against them. Today, over a million Rohingya remain outside Myanmar, and an additional 600,000 in Rakhine continue to suffer. Following the February 2021 military coup, the prospect of Rohingyas’ safe return to Myanmar is even more precarious, as is the situation of those still in the country. This panel is an opportunity for international policymakers and advocates to hear directly from Rohingya leaders about challenges currently facing the community, and how the international community can best support the Rohingya people.

Register here https://t.co/0MdQ2U0t61

Side-event on “Ecocide: From Amazonia to Oceania to the Hague.
2021-12-16 08:00 - 17:00
20th ASP to the ICC, The Hague, 16 December 2021, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM CET
In the margins of the 20th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute (ASP), No Peace Without Justice and Seja Legal Campaign are organising a conference on ecocide as part of its ongoing project “Amazonia Beyond the Crisis – Accountability for deforestation: preventing further violations against human rights and protecting against continuous environmental and economic destructions”.
This event aims to contribute to the ongoing discussions about ecocide and to build political will towards criminalising ecocide at the national and international levels. More importantly, it will invite global leaders who will have gathered on the occasion of the 20th session of the ASP in the Hague to commit and actively join this journey towards more stringent environmental protections through the lens of criminal justice. In this context, the event will also enrich the ongoing discussions by bringing direct perspectives, testimonies, and expertise of those who are most affected by environmental destruction into the debate. Finally, it is aimed at launching a deeper analysis that will tackle the intersectionality between criminalising ecocide and protecting human rights, including indigenous rights.
Speakers will include: Michelle Reyes Milk – No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ); Paulo Barreto, Senior researcher of Amazon Institute of Man and Environment (Imazon) & spokesperson of Be Legal with Amazon Campaign; Rev. James Bhagwan, Secretary-general of the Pacific Conference of Churches; Olympia Bekou, University of Nottingham; Marie Toussaint, MEP; Kattrin Jadin, Member of the Belgian Parliament.
Interpretation will be available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian.

Program and concept note (in pdf format)

Participation in the event is free, but registration is required in order to get the direct link to the conference:
https://tinyurl.com/2rcnj9vx
The live stream of the event can be followed on our social media pages:

Facebook
Twitter
Youtube

“Towards the Libyan Ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture”
2021-12-13 08:00 - 2021-12-14 17:00
Tunisia, 13-14 December 2021
No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), in collaboration with the National Council for Public Freedoms and Human Rights-Libya, the Libyan Bar Association, DIGNITY, the National Mechanism on the prevention of Torture-Tunisia and the Human Rights, Rule of Law and Transitional Justice/UNSMIL, is organizing a workshop on « Towards the Libyan Ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture » to be held in Tunis on 13-14 December 2021.
The aim of the Workshop is to identify key challenges and opportunities for ratification and implementation of the OPCAT in Libya, with a view to developing a road map and plan of action for such ratification and implementation.
Experiences of Tunisia, Palestine, Morocco, Denmark and France will be presented by representatives of their national prevention mechanisms. The event will be attended by high level representatives of concerned ministries and entities, including the High Judiciary Council and Parliament, with the CSOs participation.
The workshop is part of a comprehensive program implemented by NPWJ with the financial support of the European Union, aiming at strengthening the capacity of Libyan government institutions and civil society organizations to cooperate with international human rights mechanisms and use them to promote Human Rights in Libya.
The live stream of the event can be followed on our social media pages:

FB page of NPWJ/NPSG (English)
FB page of NPWJ’s Libya Team (Arabic)

Documentation
– Agenda of the workshop (English, Arabic)
For further information, please contact: Frej Fenniche: ffenniche@npwj.org – +216 56 441 505 (English, French, العربية)
