Activity Report 2009-2010
Contents 01 About SOLIDAR 04 02 Social Affairs 06 03 International Cooperation 08 06 Our structure 14 04 Global Network 10 05 Communications and organisation 12
A word from the Secretary General This past year has been a great success as SOLIDAR has been able to actively advocate for the strengthening of the social dimension of European policies: be it for a more social Europe, for a more rights-based approach to development or for an education system which is more accessible to everyone. Since May 2009, we have seen the dramatic social consequences of the financial crisis. We have also seen a new European Parliament, European Commission, Lisbon Treaty and the ongoing discussions around the new 10 year European strategy, the Europe 2020 Agenda. SOLIDAR has been present through these many changes, consistently voicing the views of our member organisations and our partners in the Global Network that we need to continue in our struggle for more social justice both in Europe and worldwide so that everyone has the right to access what is rightfully theirs in order to lead a decent life. We have met with the new Commissioners for Employment and Social Affairs, Development and Enlargement. We have worked on strengthening relationships with old MEPs and establishing relations with the newcomers. We have continued building our partnerships and alliances to create more powerful voices. And we have continued working together with our members, to, amongst other things, target national governments. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our friends and supporters from the PES; S&D Group; FEPS; FES; ILO; ETUI; the members of the Decent Work Alliance, GPF, ETUC, ITUC, World Solidarity; our interlocuteurs in the European institutions; our member organisations for their involvement and support; and in particular the Silver Rose Jury chaired by Véronique de Keyser MEP and composed of Ana Gomes MEP, Zita Gurmai MEP, Stephen Hughes MEP, Miguel Angel Martinez Martinez MEP, Bernhard Rapkay MEP and Marita Ulvskog MEP. I also want to thank my colleagues in the Secretariat for their extraordinary commitment to SOLIDAR, their high professionalism and their solidarity within the Secretariat team. It is by acting together, that we are a force for change. And we look forward to continuing this struggle, together, in the year to come! Conny Reuter Secretary General
01 About SOLIDAR ILO What does social justice mean for us? It means the movement towards a socially just world so that people have equal rights and opportunities regardless of whether they are rich or poor. This includes access to basic services such as education and social and health services.
Who we are, what we want, what we do Since 1948, SOLIDAR has been working towards achieving more social justice in Europe and worldwide. Working in three main areas, social affairs, international cooperation and lifelong learning, SOLIDAR promotes a more social Europe, a rights-based approach to development and access to education for all. SOLIDAR is a European network of 53 NGOs in 25 countries. SOLIDAR member organisations are national NGOs in Europe, as well as some non-eu and EU-wide organisations, working in one or more of our fields of activity. The network is brought together by its shared values of solidarity, equality and participation. The SOLIDAR Secretariat voices the concerns of its member organisations to the EU and international institutions by carrying out active lobbying, project management and coordination, policy monitoring and awareness-raising across its different policy areas. SOLIDAR works in cooperation with progressive civil society, trade unions, and social democratic and socialist parties. SOLIDAR is funded by contributions from member organisations and by project funding from European and international institutions. SOLIDAR is committed to promoting equality between women and men, as set out in the SOLIDAR Gender Equality Charter adopted by the Annual General Assembly in 2007. Who we do it with SOLIDAR is a member of platforms: the SOCIAL PLATFORM, CONCORD (EU NGO Confederation for Relief and Development) and EUCIS-LLL (the European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning). 1 AIM, Caritas Europe, CEDAG, EASPD, ERP, ESN, Eurodiaconia, FEANTSA, SOLIDAR and Workability Europe. 2 Help Age International, World Solidarity, Light for the World, Stop Aids Alliance and SOLIDAR SOLIDAR coordinates or participates in informal groups: the Informal Network of Social Service Providers (INSSP) 1 and the European Working Group on Decent Work and Social Protection in Development Cooperation 2. SOLIDAR is an active member of the Decent Work Decent Life Alliance, composed of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), World Solidarity, Global Progressive Forum (GPF). SOLIDAR cooperates with Socialist organisations notably the Party of European Socialists (PES); the S&D Group in the European Parliament; the Global Progressive Forum (GPF); members and partners, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS); and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES). As well as other groups in the European Parliament, notably the European Green Party (EGP) and the European United Left Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL). 05 SOLIDAR works with European Think Tanks, being actively involved in the European Policy Centre (EPC) and cooperating with the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP), Bertelsmann Stiftung and Friends of Europe.
02 Social Affairs
2009-2010 highlights Overview Social Europe has had high visibility again over this period because of the heavy impact of the financial and economic crisis on the labour market, bringing with it social consequences such as an increase in poverty and social exclusion. Continuing to highlight SOLIDAR s profile as a network of social service providers, we have been consistently advocating for a strong and reinforced social Europe asking that investments in social security and social infrastructure be maintained to combat this crisis, as well as our core message of keeping the citizen at the heart of policy making, with a specific focus on disadvantaged persons and vulnerable groups. With the new European Parliament and Commission, the Lisbon Treaty and the Europe 2020 strategy, SOLIDAR has been active to make sure that social concerns remain at the core of European policy. To spread these messages, SOLIDAR has been actively contributing to high-level meetings, conferences and seminars, replying to consultations organised by the European Commission, proposing comments and amendments to European Parliament reports on a broad range of topics and participating in the Intergroup on the Social Economy. SOLIDAR has also continued its involvement in the Informal Network of Social Services Providers interacting with DG Employment on a number of issues pertaining to Social and Health Services of General Interest. In addition, the Together for Social Europe campaign and the Decent Work and Quality Jobs project have been SOLIDAR s key advocacy tools towards the new European Parliament and Commission. 07 The release of the Informal Network of Social Service Providers report on the impact of EU legislation on social services, highlighting challenges with examples contributed by SOLIDAR members, amongst others, which has become a leading reference document on the topic for stakeholders. Contributing to European Parliament reports on the future developments in public procurement, green and socially responsible procurement, the new Employment Guidelines and employment-related questions of the Europe 2020 Strategy, as well as the forthcoming report on the future of Social Services of General Interest. Successfully lobbying MEPs and political groups in the European Parliament for the renewal of an Intergroup on Social Economy and now actively participating in its meetings. Being an active member of the NGO Steering Group on the European Year 2010 on Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion focusing on the topic of precarious employment and being involved in the work of the NGO Alliance for the European Year 2011 on Volunteering. Successfully finalising the Together for Social Europe campaign which aimed to improve European decisionmakers knowledge of the social realities of people coming from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, people who SOLIDAR member organisations work with and provide services for. Carrying out a series of Round Tables in the European Parliament on social services and volunteering and the fight against poverty and social exclusion. Beginning the Decent Work: A key for Effective Industrial Relations project which aims to produce recommendations to improve working conditions around Europe in sectors with higher incidences of precarious working conditions and more vulnerable groups through coordinated efforts by governments, employers and trade unions in the frame of social dialogue. It also looks at the role of social partners in fighting precarious labour and promoting decent work and quality jobs. In the framework of this project an Advisory Group was set up chaired by Jan Cremers from the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) and is made up of representatives from the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the Hans Böckler Stiftung Foundation (HBS), the Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung (FES), and the European Social Observatory (OSE). Participating in the 2nd meeting of the European Integration Forum held on 12-13 November 2009. Through the European Economic and Social Committee s NGO Liaision Group and the Social Platform, channeling our concerns on the promotion and structuring of civil dialogue, specifically on whether civil society organisations will be understood as mere promoters of EU policies or actual partners in the process.
03 International Cooperation FOS
2009-2010 highlights Overview Work in the international field is consistently carried out within the framework of the Decent Work Agenda. This applies equally for policy work on trade and finance systems, corporate accountability and financing for development, as well as the work of the Global Network project and bringing together member organisations working on humanitarian and development projects in a given country or area (Cooperation in the Field). SOLIDAR is consistently engaged in major events and advocacy actions, by ourselves or in alliance with other civil society and development organisations, to represent the views of our members to EU and international institutions. Through regular action and positioning, we have become a trusted interlocutor on issues of decent work, trade and development and continue to engage our members in agenda-setting processes at EU and international level. The economic crisis has given a new impetus to the importance of questions such as decent work, social protection systems and democratic economic governance, which has provided an even greater opportunity for SOLIDAR s message of the need of decisionmakers to orient their policies towards social, sustainable and redistributive polices. 09 Due to major lobbying efforts by SOLIDAR and other development NGOs on a potentially dangerous shift in the EU s development cooperation policy in the Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) process, the EU Foreign Ministers summit conclusions on the topic resulted in a substantial change of direction of the process and an increased awareness of the issues amongst member states. On the second World Day for Decent Work, SOLIDAR led the coordination of five actions handing over the signatures collected for the Call to Action for Decent Work to the Commissioner for Social Affairs to the African Union in Addis Adeba; and representatives of the Organisation for American States in Buenos Aires; the Asian Development Bank in Manila; the World Bank and IMF in Istanbul; the WTO in Geneva. A meeting with the first Vice- President of the European Parliament who underlined the need for the Decent Work Decent Life Campaign to continue its work and stressed the need to translate the Call to Action into an institutional commitment. Calling for a revision of the EU s Global Europe Strategy and for the inclusion of civil society concerns in trade policy-making at the WTO Ministerial Meeting in 2009, and meetings with members of the European Parliament, the Deputy Director- General of DG Trade and the Spanish Permanent Representation. Bringing together trade unions and civil society organisations in Brussels to strategise on calling for the suspension of the EU-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) due to human rights abuses in the country. Actions have included media statements, sending a number of letters to the EU institutions and meetings with key stakeholders in the process. Organising, together with UK member War on Want, a seminar on the role of corporations in securing decent work in their supply chains highlighting the importance of the EU moving towards implementing the UN Rapporteur s report on Business and Human rights, the so-called Ruggie framework. Pushing, together with the Global Progressive Forum (GPF) and other EU networks, for a Financial Transaction Tax by being a founding partner in the Europeans for Financial Reform Campaign, and participating in letters written to all relevant European Commissioners. SOLIDAR has contributed to the work on various European Parliament reports including on Policy Coherence for development, the Effects of the Financial Crisis on Developing countries and on the Millennium Development Goals. SOLIDAR strengthened supporting the coordination of members working on development and humanitarian projects in the Middle East, India, Africa, Western Balkans and recently Haiti. SOLIDAR launched the Haiti Solidarity Fund centralising fundraising efforts by members and partners to support the work of SOLIDAR member organisations assisting victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
04 Global Network 10 ILO
2009-2010 highlights Overview The Global Network is an alliance of labour movement organisations responding to the new challenges of globalisation within the framework of the Decent Work Agenda. The Global Network has about 35 member organisations in Asia, Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Europe is being set up. The project, coordinated by SOLIDAR and IFWEA (the International Federation of Workers Education Associations), is currently in its 9th year. In their 2007 conference, the Global Network identified three core themes for their work: trade and investment, migration and social protection. For more information: www.theglobalnetwork.net 11 The launch of a Global Network/SOLIDAR/Eurodad report examining the impact of recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans on Decent Work, with three case studies from Latvia, El Salvador and Ethiopia. Launched on 5 October 2009 in Istanbul, the week of the IMF/World Bank Annual meetings, the report received widespread media coverage in for example the New York Times, European Voice, EUObserver, CNBC, plus as a follow up we were requested to appear on an Al Jazeera TV show on the topic. The Global Network conference on the EU s Global Europe trade strategy The jobs trade off: Global Europe and its impact on decent work held at the European Parliament in October 2009 attracting 60 participants over the two days and leading to increased awareness and capacity of both Global Network partners and European institutions over the importance of ensuring that trade policies benefit decent work. Successfully winning funding for a project on social protection and decent work which will focus on building the capacity of Global Network members to advocate for social protection, particularly women, migrants, workers in the informal economy and people living with HIV/AIDS. Successfully completing the Global Network Europe, the European Dimension of Decent Work project, working on building and strengthening the advocacy capacity of civil society organisations in the Western Balkans on decent work and trade, migration, social protection and social dialogue, as well as increasing cooperation with ITUC/PERC. Being involved in the social dimension of the EU enlargement process by holding a three-hour briefing session with the new Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood policies, in cooperation with members the Olof Palme International Centre, the Czech Council for Foreign Affairs and Progetto Sviluppo, and hosting the EU Steering Group of the Civil Society Facility, set up by DG Enlargement.
Communications and organisation 12
2009-2010 highlights Overview Over the past year, communications and organisation actions have become more coherent with the policy aims of the organisation resulting in an increased awareness of SOLIDAR with external stakeholders. This has been achieved through the organisation of various events and conferences, the production of materials with a consistent visual identity and an increased media presence on key topics. An investigation into web 2.0 applications combined with a tool to encourage young people to engage and discuss EU topics through the EU4U project, supported by FEPS and the EU. We developed a website with discussion forums and will organise an interactive forum in Austria (July 2010) which will bring together winners of a video clip competition and other young activitsts, both in person and online through an event blog and live streaming, to discuss their views on Europe with EU decision makers, trade unionists and Socialist leaders. The highly successful new format SOLIDAR Silver Rose Awards Ceremony, celebrating 10 years of the event, took place on the 3 February 2010 in the European Parliament s Members Dining Room. The event brought together over 500 people to join in with celebrating the values of the awards: social justice and solidarity. The event was hosted this year by Véronique de Keyser MEP and celebrated the extraordinary struggles of the European Roma Rights Centre for their outstanding work promoting Roma rights and keeping this important questions in the public arena, Colombian trade unions CUT, CTC and CGT for their ongoing struggle, in dangerous circumstances, to stand up for workers rights and to improve the working conditions for workers in Colombia, and former Prime Ministers Gyula Horn from Hungary and Pierre Mauroy from France. List of publications 2009-2010: 10 priorities for 2009-2014 for the new European Commission and Parliament (June 2009) The Economic Crisis and its Impact on Developing Countries (June 2009) Together for Social Europe briefings on social services of general interest, social inclusion/active inclusion, migration/integration, decent work in Europe, volunteering (Sept 2009) Doing a decent job? IMF policies and decent work in times of crisis (Oct 2009) Decent Work, Decent Life: the campaign so far (Oct 2009) 16 Recommendations for the Europe 2020 Strategy (Nov 2009) 9 Challenges for the Spanish Presidency (Feb 2010) 5 Decent Work and quality jobs briefings on challenges to decent work for vulnerable groups in a selection of EU countries (Mar 2010) A new direction for Europe in the Western Balkans (Mar 2010) Social Protection in EU development cooperation strategy (Apr 2010) 13
Member Organisations Our structure 14 Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Deutschland, Germany Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreich Bundesverband, Austria Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bundesverband, Germany AWO International, Germany ARCI, Italy Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz, Spain Auser, Italy Baltic Platform - Johannes Mihkelson Centre, Estonia; Riga Education and Science Workers Trade Union, Latvia; Lithuanian Labour Education Society Community Service Volunteers, UK Fagligt Internationalt Center, Denmark Fédération Européenne de l Education et la culture, France Fédération Nationale Léo Lagrange, France Fonds voor Ontwikkelingssalmenwerking, Belgium Humanitas, The Netherlands Instituto Sindical de Cooperacion al Desarrollo, Spain International Solidarity Foundation, Finland International Federation of Workers Education Association Istituto Sindacale di Cooperazione allo Sviluppo, Italy Jeunesse au Plein Air, France La Ligue de l'enseignement, France Lega Provinciale Cooperative Bolzano, Italy Movimiento por la Paz MPDL, Spain Norwegian People s Aid, Norway Olof Palme International Center, Sweden Progetto Sud, Italy Progetto Sviluppo, Italy Schweizerisches Arbeiterhilfswerk, Switzerland Solidaridad Internacional, Spain Solidarité Laïque, France Solidarité Socialiste, Belgium Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland TSL Workers Educational Association, Finland Union Nationale des Associations Laïques Gestionnaires, France UNISON, UK Volkshilfe Österreich Bundesverband, Austria War on Want, UK
Affiliated Member Organisations Board of Directors (2009-2011) Ado Sah Rom, Romania Associação de Servicio de Apoio Social, Portugal Banana Link, UK COCIS, Italy DGB Bildungswerk, Germany Forum Solidarni Dla Postepu, Poland Foundation for European Progressive Studies, Europe Institut für Sozialarbeit und Sozialpädagogik, Germany Instituto de Estudios para o Desenvolvimento, Portugal Narodna Dopomoha, Ukraine One World Action, UK Pour La Solidarité, Belgium Rada Pro Mezinarodni Vztahy, Czech Republic Samaritan International, International Solidarité Syndicale, Luxembourg SOS Malta Union Aid Abroad, Australia President Josef Weidenholzer - Volkshilfe, Austria Vice-President Maria Jesus Herrera - Movimento por la Paz-MPDL, Spain Treasurer Lodewijk de Waal - Humanitas, The Netherlands Board members Sergio Bassoli - Progetto Sviluppo, Italy Ruth Daellenbach - Swiss Labour Assistance, Switzerland Erich Fenninger - Volkshilfe, Austria Tamara Flanagan - CSV, UK Rudi Frick - Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bundesverband, Germany Laila Nikolaisen - Norwegian People s Aid Heribert Röhrig - Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, Germany Jean-Marc Roirant - La Ligue de l Enseignement, France Secretariat Secretary General Conny Reuter Secretary General As of the Annual General Assembly 2009, SOLIDAR has 53 member organisations in 25 countries Staff Barbara Caracciolo Decent Work Project Officer Maurice Claassens Organisational Development Coordinator Julie Crespin Humanitarian Aid and Cooperation in the Field Officer Abigail Goundry Communications Officer Aurore Leconte Office Manager Andrea Maksimovic International Cooperation Coordinator Mathias Maucher Social Policy Coordinator Interns Anke Boone Intern Communications & Organisation Mauro Striano Intern Social Policy NN Intern International Cooperation
SOLIDAR is a European network of NGOs working to advance social justice in Europe and worldwide. SOLIDAR voices the concerns of its member organisations to the EU and international institutions across the policy sectors social affairs, international cooperation and lifelong learning. SOLIDAR Rue du Commerce Handelsstraat 22 1000 Brussels - Belgium T +32 2 500 10 20 F +32 2 500 10 30 E solidar@solidar.org www.solidar.org Responsible editor: Conny Reuter Printed on recycled paper SOLIDAR April 2010 This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of SOLIDAR and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.