As the Covid-19 pandemic entered a peak phase in China and was becoming more and more threatening in Europe, Tunisia very quickly deployed a preventative response, conscious of its health system’s weakness to contain such a crisis. The first measures were thus put in place on 26 January, with the installation of thermal cameras and, as of early March, the development of isolation practices for symptomatic people and 14-day self-confinement for asymptomatic people from at-risk areas.

In light of Uganda’s recent experience with dealing with the Ebola Virus Disease, the country has very quickly developed a comprehensive plan to contain the spread of Covid-19. Preventive measures were taken as of March 18th, before any cases were recorded in the country. By the time Uganda had recorded its first case on March 22nd, health workers were already on high alert and the promotion of preventive behaviours, such as regular hand washing, was already largely implemented.

Au vu des circonstances exceptionnelles qui touchent l’ensemble de la planète, dues à la menace grave et imminente que représente la « pandémie COVID19 » pour la santé et la vie humaines, et sur la base des diverses mesures de prévention prônées par l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé (OMS) et adoptées par de nombreux pays pour en endiguer la propagation (procédures visant à réduire les contacts humains, mesures de mise en quarantaine ou de confinement, etc),.. Le Forum Tunisien pour les Droits Economiques et Sociaux (FTDES) et Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) expriment leurs profondes préoccupations quant au maintien de l’activité dans les industries à forte intensité de main-d’œuvre, notamment le secteur du textile.

ASF has helped create and revitalise networks of observers in the DRC. They are independent, they exist and are managed autonomously by their members. ASF and these networks work together to empower populations impacted by the activities of extractive companies. Today, we invite you to meet its members. They talk about the reasons behind their activism and their daily struggle to defend their communities and their rights.

The signatories strongly condemn all violation of human rights of those seeking asylum in the European Union. On no account does the protection of the EU’s external borders exempt EU Member States from their obligations under European law. None of the current Greek practices of suspending registration of asylum applications, pushing back refugees arriving from Turkey, deporting refugees back to their countries of origin or countries of transit where they will face continued persecution or containing refugees in overcrowded camps without access to basic needs and access to law, are compatible with international and European laws on human rights.

Annie Masengo speaks to us about her struggles within the Congolese League against Corruption (LICOCO). She tells us about the observations that led her to engage in the fight against corruption, an endemic phenomenon in the natural resource sector, and of the importance of all community members, regardless of gender, being able to make their voices heard.

Avocats Sans Frontières, active in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2002, would not be able to act without its partners. It is for this reason that, today, we wanted to give voice to them. These men and women told us about their everyday life, their realities and their convictions. Through a series of profiles, meet these figures who represent the Diocesan Commission for Justice and Peace in Boma, the Congolese League against Corruption and the Network of Observers.
Today, Ghislain Lukambo speaks to us about his actions within the Congolese League against Corruption (LICOCO). He tells us about the reasons that led him to engage in the fight against corruption, an endemic phenomenon in the natural resource sector, and of the importance for all community members, regardless of gender, to be able to make their voices heard.

Avocats Sans Frontières, active in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2002, would not be able to act without its partners. It is for this reason that, today, we wanted to give voice to them. These men and women told us about their everyday life, their realities and their convictions. Speaking today is Marceline Nzati, a sister at the Diocesan Commission for Justice and Peace in Boma (DCJP). She told us about herself, and about the importance for local populations to regain control over the management of natural resources and of the role that women can play in reclaiming these questions.

Makala, which means “coal” in Lingala, is the central prison of Kinshasa. It is also one of Africa’s main penitentiaries: there are around 8,500 inmates in a complex of pavilions and brick and metal shacks, initially designed to accommodate 1,500 people. It is a small town, an ecosystem, where all can be valued, exchanged, and negotiated down to the floor space to sleep on. Some cells of 100 m2 house 200 inmates, many of whom sleep on the floor. They are underfed and have serious problems of malnutrition. The beatings and the ill-treatments can sometimes lead to death. The extreme overcrowding and the insecurity inevitably create conflicts which will only be handled with violence.

ASF and I Watch are united in promoting the principles of respect and protection of human rights in the context of the business industry. In this context, on the 26 July 2018, we brought the activities of the Perenco Group in the governorate of Kebili in Tunisia, and their compliance with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, to the attention of the French National Contact Point (NCP) of the OECD.