Policy paper - 10th Ministerial Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs - Freedom of Association: A strong commitment is necessary (2008-11-3)

On the occasion of the 10th Ministerial Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, 3-4 November 2008, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) calls the Ministers to make substantial commitments to ensure the protection and promotion of freedom of association in the region, a key to more Democracy in the Euro-Mediterranean Region.

Freedom of association is the precondition for the existence of civil society in the region that has a key role to play in the democratic, economic and social development of their countries. It also is a precondition for the participation of civil society in the development of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean, a role that has been welcomed on a number of occasions by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

Despite this fact the EMHRN is concerned that freedom of association is being frequently violated across the South Mediterranean region on a variety of issues such as:
- Registration without prior authorisation or administrative refusals or delays to register groups as associations
- Dissolution of associations by the administrative authorities
- Interference in the daily running of an association, as for example, government officials attending general assembly
- Restrictions in access to foreign funding without prior authorisation
- Restrictions in associations’ participation in regional or international meetings prior authorisation
- Associations’ freedom of assembly

The EMHRN calls on all Foreign Ministers to commit their governments to ensure that their national legislation and practice on freedom of association conforms with their international human rights commitments. It furthermore calls on the Ministers to agree on a strong EuroMed regional initiative aiming at promoting and protecting good practices in this field.