Defending Human Rights

Advocacy, Policy and Research

In 2019, SolidarityNow continued its advocacy work on issues concerning the rights and integration of asylum seekers and refugees, as well as other marginalized populations, including the homeless and unaccompanied children. We also continued working on building counter narratives and combating xenophobia and racism.

Our evidence-based advocacy relies heavily on data and information collected with advanced tools from SolidarityNow’s programs and work on the ground and is disseminated through strong links and extensive networks to mobilize decision makers and the public.

SolidarityNow, in the context of its strategy, is revising its CRM system to enhance this evidence-based policy and is now proceeding with phase 1 of the process.

Indicatively, the Advocacy Unit’s actions towards authorities and governmental bodies included more than 100 meetings with officials as well as collaborating CSOs, trade unions and other actors. In addition, we have drafted or co-signed more than 15 letters, submitted comments in consultation processes and participated in more than 50 advocacy groups.

Either acting individually or as a member of NGO networks we are proud of our advocacy on national and international levels - towards 6 Ministries, the Municipality of Athens and Members of the Parliament, European Commissioner Johansson and the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi.

More specifically, we have addressed:

The Ministry of Migration Policy regarding its national Integration Strategy and the decision to terminate accommodation contracts for recognised refugees.

The Ministry of Health regarding the gaps in the provision of healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers including limitations and delays in the provision of healthcare services in camps and problems with accessing the healthcare system.

The Ministry of Citizen’s Protection regarding the non-issuance of AMKA (National Insurance Number) for asylum seekers and refugees, a fundamental requirement for their access to the labor market and healthcare system.

The Ministry of Administrative Reconstruction for the promotion of more accountable, responsive, and inclusive governance while fighting corruption and empowering citizens.

The Ministry of Labor and Social

Affairs and the Municipality of Athens

concerning their priorities for combating homelessness and promoting social housing.

The Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs on issues of access to education for refugee children living in camps and urban settings.

Members of the Parliament, who received our comments regarding the draft law about International Protection, despite the short consultation period. In the document we outlined our objections on the restrictions of individual rights and procedural guarantees that the law brings in the Greek asylum system.

Commissioner Johansson about the dire situation in the hotspots of the Aegean islands and managed to establish channels of communication.

The High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Grandi, urging him to address with Greek authorities’ significant concerns regarding access to asylum procedures, provision of basic services and inadequate protection of children.

In 2019, the Advocacy Unit organized or coorganized more than 10 roundtable discussions, workshops, conferences and dialogues attended by Greek authorities, EU institutions, European and national civil society actors, academics as well as international organisations, with hundreds of participants from almost all EU-Member states. Highlights include:

✦ The organisation of a roundtable discussion in the framework of the Convergences Forum on the thematic of the “Enhancement of employability of socially excluded population’’. Invited speakers included representatives of Social Cooperatives, the Labor Ministry, the Municipality, and the National Center for Social Research.

✦ Two events in Athens and Thessaloniki respectively, to launch a new report on “Attitudes Towards National Identity, Immigration, and Refugees in Greece’’. The report presented the results of a research conducted by the Social Change Initiative and More in Common in the framework of a European project, in which SolidarityNow participated and which aims to change negative public narratives on migration.

✦ A roundtable Conference on “Child Protection and EU Funding for migrant populations in Greece: A reality check and the way forward’’. The discussion was focused on child protection challenges that the Greek State encountered in the aftermath of the so-called refugee crisis of 2015 that revealed chronic deficiencies of the reception, asylum, and child protection systems of the country.

Similarly, in terms of international and European networks, we have attended more than 15 workshops and events, in Greece, Belgium and other European cities. Among them:

The ECRE Annual General Conference which focused on the future of asylum in Europe and how we can assess and capitalize on recent changes at EU level.

The International Civil Society Forum

for a Resilient Civil Society Able to Build

on EU Values, organized in Bucharest at the conclusion of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The “Go local: Supporting regions, cities

and rural areas in migrants’ inclusion”

Conference, organized by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs. SolidarityNow’s Head of Advocacy was a key speaker at the workshop “Facilitating access to quality basic services for people with a migrant background”.

Other selective highlights include:

In 2019 SolidarityNow’s Advocacy Unit started working more systematically on the homelessness and decided to develop its capacity on the issues of shelter and housing more broadly. In line with this decision, a member of the team assumed the role of a Board Member at the Greek Network for the Right to Shelter and Housing, thereby representing SolidarityNow and participating at the Network’s meetings and advocacy initiatives.

Furthermore, SolidarityNow became a member of FEANTSA, the European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless, enabling its advocacy work on the issue of homelessness to reach a broader audience while sharing information and best practices with other European organisations.