COMITATO PER LA PROMOZIONE E PROTEZIONE DEI DIRITTI UMANI

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Comitato per la promozione e protezione dei diritti umani

Member of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) Platform

Member EU Civil Society Platform Against Trafficking in Human Beings

Accredited Observer to WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property & Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC)

A.Ge.

AGEDO

Agenzia della Pace

AGESCI

Anfaa

Anolf

Antigone

Archivio Disarmo

Archivio Immigrazione

ARCI

Arcigay

Articolo 21

ASGI-Associazione Giuristi per l'Immigrazione

Associazione Campanri d’Arrone

Associazione Eleonora Pimentel

Associazione Astro Nascente

Assopace

Associazione Senza Confine

ATD-Quarto Mondo

AUCI

AUSER

Banca Etica

Be Free

Casa dei Diritti Sociali

CGIL

Chiamalafrica

CIAI

CIPAX

CIPSI-Coordinamento di Iniziative Popolari di Solidarietà Internazionale

CIR-Consiglio Italiano Rifugiati

CISL Dipartimento Politiche Migratorie

CISMAI

CISP-Comitato Internazionale Sviluppo dei Popoli

Cittadinanzattiva

Comitatoper i Diritti Umani

Comitato Singh Mohinder

Comitato UNRWA Italia

Disable Peoples’International (DPI) Italia Onlus

Donne in Nero

EMA

Federazione Chiese Evangeliche

Federazione Italiana per il Superamento dell’Handicap-FISH

Fondazione Centro Astalli

Fondazione Internazionale Don Luigi di Liegro

Fondazione Basso-Sezione Internazionale

Fondazione Labos

FVGS

Giovani per un Mondo Unito

Gruppo Martin Buber

ICS-Consorzio Italiano di Solidarietà

IISMAS-Istituto Internazionale Scienze Mediche Antropologiche e Sociali

IMS –International Medicine Society

INTERSOS

Intervita

IRMA

Istituto Cooperazione Economica Int.

Istituto di Medicina del Soccorso

Laboratorio Diritti Umani

La Gabbianella

LAW-Legal Aid Worldwide

Legambiente

Lega Internazionale per i Diritti e la Liberazione dei Popoli

Libera

MED.eA

Medici contro la Tortura

Medici per i Diritti Umani

Movimondo

Oltre Babele

Ossigeno per l’Informazione

PaxChristi

Ponte della Memoria

PRO.DO.C.S.

Progetto Continenti

Rete Educare ai Diritti Umani

Save the Children

Terre des Hommes

Ubi Minor

UDI-Unione Donne in Italia

UIL

UNICEF Italia

Unione Forense per la Tutela dei Diritti Umani

UniTs

Vides Internazionale

Vis-Volontariato Int. per lo Sviluppo

WILPF-Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

... e con la collaborazione di

Amnesty International

Focsiv

Mani Tese

Medici senza Frontiere.

Civil Society Space Report – Input

Prepared by Comitato per la promozione e protezione dei diritti umani, an Italian umbrella organization of 92 NGOs and associations active in the field of human rights promotion and protection.

With reference to the consultation – How to create and maintain civil society space? What works? A Report to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, we would like to contribute with our experience of almost 15 years of existence.

Our umbrella organization is based on a free participation of the NGOs deciding to enter and to work as a team, where each single NGOs functions as an expert in the field where the activities of the organizations are carried out. This offers us the opportunity to have a wide expertise in the various domains of human rights and the possibility of providing information directly bottom up gained through the experience in the field of the member organizations.

The Italian political scenario, however, is not an easy arena as often the Government consults or involves in its activities mainly NGOs that are somehow connected to the institution. In such reality, the Comitato since its beginning in 2002, has always carried out a systematic activity of monitoring connected with the reports Italy has been preparing for the UN Treaty Bodies and the UPR first and second sessions. These reports based on the practical experience of the member organizations and carried out pro bono, have always been made public and provided to the Ministries or to the politicians. This has had the effect, hence, of making the Comitato in time become a reference in terms of information and also about the perception of what was being done at international level in the various domains of human rights.

One of the main limitations in all these years has been the fact that most of the Ministries tend to collect information, to exchange information and to involve only those NGOs or associations that are somehow linked to them through projects. This is not a healthy procedure and the Comitato has been always in the forefront in requesting to be called in for consultation, just to be in the position of advocating and implementing effective strategies for human rights promotion and protection that would be responding to the international standards and the engagements assumed through the ratification of the various Conventions.

We continue to carry out our monitoring activities and to produce reports, submissions of information, etc. and to bring them to the various Treaty Bodies sessions considering Italy.

We have been also in the front line for both UPR exercises that have had Italy under revision.

The Comitato has chosen to operate without funding as we consider that often funding creates links, thus, limiting the independence and the possibility of providing information that is free from any kind of pressure.

Even if the political and public environment in Italy does not offer a broad effective role to the civil society, often considered by the establishment as something dangerous, we continue to collect documentation and provide information about violations and respect of human rights in Italy.

Italy does not have a tradition of trust and collaboration with the civil society and CSOs are often looked at as dangerous actors of the social dynamics.

Nevertheless, we consider it essential for democracy the possibility of exchange and provide information also to the Government and the institutions, as often this can be the only voice offering the truth about an emergency or a situation of violation of human rights.

The opportunity to participate in international events where other NGOs and associations from other countries are present (e.g. FRA Civil Society Platform, EU Antitrafficking Platform, etc.) is a very enriching and stimulating chance for building up also on the basis of the experience of others and helps in providing stimulus for ideas and new ways of continuing our advocacy in Italy in favour of human rights promotion and protection.

Rome, 30 June 2015