Information Sheet 1
Name or Title of the ProjectStrategies on
Litigation tackling Discrimination in EU Countries (SOLID)
Information on Training
Seminars
Project partners
Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic
Minorities (Lead Partner)
European
Network Against Racism (Core Partner)
Public
Interest Law Initiative
European
Roma Rights Centre
Interights
National
Bureau against Racial Discrimination (LBR)
Documentation
and Advisory Centre on Racial Discrimination (DRC/DACoRD)
Aim
The project aims at
the achievement
of effective transposition and implementation of the European
Union Race Equality and
Framework Directives through empowerment, capacity building and partnership,
promoting equality for Ethnic and Racial Minority groups across the European
Union.
One sentence
description of what will be accomplished as a result of the action
Overview
The deadlines for the transposition of
the Race Equality Directive and the Framework Employment Directive have passed. Not all
countries have transposed the Directives, and of those that have there are a significant
number where this does not meet the minimum standards. The lack of
sufficient implementation in many countries leads to a lack of
access to justice for victims of discrimination, and significant legal uncertainty.
It is
in the interests of the European Union and the NGO community to have effective
and uniform transposition and implementation of the two Directives within the
EU, in order to achieve effective legal protection against discrimination and
remedies from legal protection.
For this to be realised, a holistic strategy needs
to be taken which includes, but is not restricted to, litigation and the
identification of test cases. The project will train groups of NGO
representatives from each of the 25 EU Member States, not only in the
standards of the Directives, but also in strategic litigation, and the
development of national strategies on litigation and support. This will create a cadre of trained
experts who can identify test cases and work in partnership with other
organisations, including National Equality Bodies, Trade Unions and other NGOs,
to support victims of discrimination.
We also aim to make a crucial connection between
NGOs and lawyers. Too many people within the NGO community believe that the law
is too remote and inaccessible,
while too many lawyers perpetuate this myth. It
is hoped that tThrough this approach gaps in transposition can be
filled, the resulting laws will be implemented effectively, and we will begin
to see real change in the experiences of communities that face discrimination.
Countries will be grouped
geographically, with training held in six regions across Europe (including
pilots). This will facilitate the creation of national and regional support
networks, and increase the regional networking of organisations. Specific
attention will also be paid to the national situation of each country, and there will be
specific sessions to enable you to apply the learning you have gained and
develop concrete actions at the national level.
National Strategies on Litigation and Support
A key objective of the SOLID project is to facilitate
the development of national strategies on litigation and support for each EU
member state. The development of national strategies is an important method of
ensuring the training is not a one-off event, and is able to have further
impacts beyond the life of the project, including longer term strategies of
sustainability. These strategies must be drawn up by the participants
themselves, working in collaboration, and the training will contain facilitated
sessions where participants working in the same country can collaborate to
produce a national strategy that is relevant and appropriate. The details of
the national strategies will be for the participants in the training to decide,
our role is to facilitate the process. In general, it would be envisaged that
strategies would include a 12 month action plan of activities possibly
including dissemination of learning, support for victims, identification of
test cases, networking, partnership, capacity building and support.
Recruitment
The SOLID Partners want to ensure that organisations
and individuals participating in the training are able to contribute to and
benefit from the goals of the SOLID project, particularly the development of
longer-term measures, in a strategic manner.
The process of recruitment and selection of training
participants is important in ensuring this can happen. Primary selection
criteria will relate to the organisation, as participation in the training is
for the benefit of organisations, not individuals. However, individuals
nominated by selected organisations need to be in a position to bring the
learning obtained back to the organisation, and to develop and implement the
National Strategy.
The training is targeted at organisations (mainly
NGOs, but this can include Trade Unions etc when appropriate) who work directly
with ethnic and racial minority groups and either (a) already offer support to
victims of race discrimination (not limited to legal support) or (b) be in a
position to offer this support. The organisation must be willing to commit to
the production and implementation of a national strategy on litigation and
support following the full training programme, including the development of a
longer term strategy. Organisations don’t have to work solely on race equality,
and you don’t have to be a lawyer!
In 2005 we will be holding 2
pilot trainings. The 1st Pilot will be held in Brussels, Belgium on
the 22nd –25th September, training people from Slovakia,
Belgium and Sweden. The 2nd pilot will be held in Budapest, Hungary
on the 27th-30th October with participants from Hungary,
Italy and the UK.
Deadline for applications: Monday
31st May 2005
Information sheet
2
Training Seminars
of the SOLID project in 2005 - Information sheet on criteria & application
form
Please read this
before completing the application form
In
2005 the SOLID project will be holding 2 pilot trainings. In 2006 we will hold
4 trainings.
The 1st Pilot will be held in Brussels
on the 22nd-25th September 2005, training people from Slovakia,
Belgium and Sweden.
The 2nd pilot will be held in Budapest,
Hungary on the 27th – 30th October 2005 with participants
from Hungary, Italy and the UK.
Deadline for applications:
Monday 31st May 2005
The SOLID project will train people from all EU
countries. However we are currently only recruiting participants from the
Slovakia, Belgium, Sweden, Hungary, Italy and the UK. If you would
like information regarding the 2006 training, which will cover all remaining EU
countries, please contact us at the address below to register your interest,
and we will forward the relevant information.
Selection
Criteria & Process
Criteria
The selection criteria cover both the organisation
and the individual. While the primary selection relates to the organisation, it
is also necessary to ensure that individuals nominated by selected
organisations are in a position (both in terms of their position in the
organisation and their skills) to bring the learning obtained back to the
organisation, and to develop and implement the national strategy.
The partners wish to achieve a balance of
backgrounds and experience within the training and within the NGOs from each
country especially in relation to the role of the organisation in the
development and implementation of the national strategy on litigation and
support and this
will be taken into account in selecting participants. We will also
take into account what other training organisations and individuals have been
or will be involved in, especially under the Community Action Programme, in
order to ensure that different projects complement one another. In this context
it may be appropriate to select the same participants where this brings added value
and synergy between projects.
Organisation
Criteria
1.
The participating organisation must be an NGO. (The
project is targeted at NGO’s, rather than the private sector, lawyers,
judiciary etc. Other training projects cover these areas, and the SOLID project
will complement these) THE SOLID PROJECT DEFINES THE TERM ‘NGO’ BROADLY[1]
2.
The NGO must have a legitimate interest in
contributing to the fight against discrimination on the grounds of racial and
ethnic origin with a view to promoting the principle of equal treatment;
3.
The NGO must either (a) already offer
advice/support to victims of race discrimination (not limited to
legal support) or (b) be in a position to offer this
advice/support. Priority will be given to organisations falling into category
(a). This does not have to be the sole purpose of the organisation, and in
addition to Race Equality NGO’s, applications will be accepted from
organisations working on a number of grounds of discrimination, organisations
working on Human Rights more generally and single identity organisations.
4.
The organisation must be willing to commit, with
other participants, to the production and implementation of a National Strategy
on Litigation and Support following the full training programme, including the
development of a longer term strategy (see Information Sheet 1 for key further
details);
Individual
criteria
As well as wanting to ensure we have a mixture of
organisations, including community organisations as well as those already
involved in litigation, we also wish to ensure a mixture of skills and
backgrounds (including legal and non-legal), and the selection criteria and
process will take this into account.
1.
Sufficient
link to the NGO represented (ideally an employee of the NGO, although other
links, such as lawyers or case workers who work with the organisation, will be
considered);
2.
Relevant experience working in/with an NGO on
advocacy. This can include (i) actual litigation experience (ii) lawyers or
non-lawyers with some knowledge of the legal issues and (iii) those with NGO
community activist experience. Advocacy is defined as “Action in support of or
on behalf of individuals and/or communities facing social exclusion, inequality
and discrimination, that aims at securing the rights of such individuals and groups
through means of support, lobbying, empowerment, PR, campaigning, litigation
etc.”
3.
A
strong interest in discrimination law and its enforcement;
4.
Sufficient
language skills in English to participate fully in the training (including
writing, reading and speaking skills).[2]
Selection
Process
Selection will be made by the SOLID Project
partners on the basis of the above criteria.
The application form can be downloaded, and should
be completed and signed by the applicant. It must also be signed by the appropriate
representative of the organisation (Chair of Board or equivalent), clearly
stating the organisation’s willingness to make the commitments outlined above.
The
completed application form and any supporting material must be submitted by fax
or by post (e-mail will not be accepted unless scanned original signatures are
included) to the address on the application form by:
Monday 31st May 2005
Travel
& accommodation
The SOLID project will reimburse reasonable travel
costs for participants to travel to the training and provide accommodation and
subsistence for the duration of the training. This is on the condition that
participants attend all the sessions of the training. Absence from any part of
the training without good cause and prior agreement will mean that we will be
unable to reimburse costs.
