The Council of Europe and the Arab Spring - Council of Europe

The assassination in February of Tunisian opposition leader Chokri Belaid drew worldwide condemnation as a dangerous detour on Tunisia’s path to democracy. It seemed further proof that the flower of the Arab Spring has become wilted.

But despite the violence, efforts continue to promote democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the region. As Jean-Claude Mignon – president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – proclaimed at the time: The assassination “will not lessen the resolve of the Tunisian people to consolidate democracy and the rule of law.”

Several Council of Europe initiatives – in March alone this year – reflect continued resolve.

Members of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly met in Rabat to assess the progress of reforms in Morocco. The Council of Europe held a launching conference of a new School of Political Studies in Rabat. Also in Rabat, Council of Europe drug policy experts organised a round table for a national drug prevention strategy in Morocco. Societal challenges like drug abuse can be more threatening in times of transition.

In Tunis, representatives of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission – an independent group of legal experts who hold four annual plenary sessions there – participated in a symposium on reforming Tunisia’s judiciary, focusing on its independence. Members of Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly meet regularly with Venice Commission representatives to assess progress for the country’s new constitution. (more...)

Women have been at the forefront of the Arab Spring. Many relished the promise of positive change when a series of democratic uprisings erupted in Tunisia and spread across Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria and the Gulf.

Women took a stand for civil society across the region and strove for a new sense of equality, long suppressed under old, patriarchal regimes.

“By offering a platform to speak out for women’s rights, the Council of Europe plays its part to keep women’s rights in Arab Spring countries in focus”, said author and journalist Souhayr Belhassen, joint winner of the Council of Europe’s North-South Prize this year. During a visit to Strasbourg on 12 March 2012, she highlighted a petition published worldwide and signed by thousands of people – including celebrities – urging Arab Spring countries to treat women with dignity, equality and respect.

On the occasion of women’s day, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said: “It is important for all of us to recognise the contribution of women in driving progress and reform, and it is essential that women’s voices are now heard in building new Arab societies, and in fighting discrimination and stereotypes. If women are again left out, the promising Arab Spring could become a new winter."

© Antoine Walter / Tunisia, 15 January 2011

In a resolution adopted on 24 April 2012, PACE invites countries in the southern Mediterranean that have recently moved towards democracy to introduce reforms “to enhance the status of women and eradicate all forms of discrimination against them”, and to promote women’s representation in elected public bodies. According to the Assembly, such countries should also bring legislation in the area of family and personal status law into line with international human rights standards, and introduce a legal framework to prevent and prosecute all forms of violence against women.

As proposed by the rapporteur, Fatiha Saïdi (Belgium, SOC), the PACE also invites the countries of the region “to consider the prospects for parliamentary dialogue offered by the status of Partner for Democracy, the Moroccan parliament having been the first to be granted this status in June 2011.

Lastly, the Assembly welcomes the initiatives taken by the Secretary General and a number of Council of Europe bodies to establish closer dialogue with the countries of the region, especially Morocco and Tunisia. It calls on the Committee of Ministers to pursue this course of action through political dialogue and country-specific action plans – drawn up in consultation with the authorities of the countries concerned – whilst ensuring that gender equality and the enhancement of the status of women are high priorities.

• Hearing on "Women in the Arab Spring" (video)
• Speech by Bassima Hakkaoui (video)
• Adopted texts

The Arab Spring is particularly relevant to the Council of Europe’s immediate neighbours and Tunisia and Morocco have expressed their interest to strengthen co-operation with the Council of Europe, by identifying priority lines of co-operation and setting-up joint activity programmes.

Agreed in January 2012 between the European Union and the Council of Europe, a three-year project worth €4.8 million supports co-operation priorities, primarily with these two countries, in the fields of the independence and efficiency of the judiciary, the fight against corruption and human trafficking and the promotion of democratic values.

During meetings with government officials in Rabat and Tunis in early April 2012, Secretary General Jagland outlined the main elements of the new Council of Europe neighbourhood policy, which includes human rights issues tied to women’s rights.

“Countries in the Arab region have asked for expert advice from the Council of Europe in a number of areas, such as constitutional reform and judicial and electoral reform, and we stand ready to assist”, Jagland stressed during the visits.

• Secretary General Jagland visits Morocco and Tunisia

The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly will focus on women’s rights and the Arab Spring with two key debates during its April session.

A hearing to focus on women’s rights in the Arab Spring will be held with the participation of Mr Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Participants will include:

- Saad-Eddine El Othmani, Foreign Affairs Minister of Morocco,
- Tina Acketoft (Sweden, ADLE), President of the Equality Commission,
- Pietro Marcenaro (Italy, SOC), President of Political Committee,
- Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe,
- Ms Gamila Ismail, political activist and journalist (Egypt);
- Ms Sara Maziq, activist, Representative of Women4Libya and founder of Libyan's Civil Society Organization (Libya);
- Ms Rima Flihan, activist and writer (Syria);
- Ms Sarah Ahmed Jamal, co-founder of Support Yemen, activist and researcher (Yemen).

Furthermore, Fatiha Saïdi (Belgium, SOC), a member of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly, made fact-finding visits to Casablanca and Rabat (15-18 February) and Tunis (19-21 February), in connection with the preparation of her report in April on "Gender equality and the status of women in the Council of Europe southern neighbourhood".

Her report will be debated and voted on during the April session.

• Agenda
• Parliamentary Assembly website