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Post date: Mar 03, 2017 8:21:35 AM
By Stephanie Hingtgen
Following the Athens Stock Exchange meeting, our two economic policy groups visited the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR), where we met with Angeliki Argyropoulou-Chryssochoidou, 1st Vice President, as well as Aikaterini Tsampi (Legal advisor), Katerina Pantou (Secretary), and Angelina Spanou (Intern).
The GNCHR is an independent advisory body to the Government of Greece on matters of human rights; their work involves monitoring human rights developments, conducting and promoting research, and formulating policy advice. They also work in close partnership with European and international human rights organizations as well as numerous NGOs. While the Commission consults for the Government, they lack the power to intervene; their only available tools are writing and speaking to increase awareness of human rights issues.
GNCHR has spent a significant amount of time monitoring and reporting on human rights developments in the refugee crisis. They described significant human rights challenges for refugees around Athens and on the islands, where refugees have had to endure freezing winter weather conditions with inadequate shelter and resources. They noted that while Greek citizens have taken excellent care of newly arrived refugees, they have grown tired of the persistent challenge as they face their own economic hardships. GNCHR is unable monitor all of the refugee locations due to resource constraints, but they work closely with NGOs to observe and communicate with them about human rights developments.
We also discussed GNCHR’s work related to the impacts of austerity measures on Greek citizens. They have participated in a working group since 2010 that is focused on this issue and were one of the first stakeholders to produce a report on the human rights impacts of austerity. The report, which gained international attention, recommended that a mechanism be incorporated into economic policy decision-making so that human rights can be considered and monitored. This recommendation is not only relevant to Greece, but to the European Union as a whole. I was extremely impressed with this group’s efforts. After hearing about the high quality and large volume of work they do, I was shocked to learn that they employ only four staff members, and the President and two Vice Presidents volunteer their time due to the group’s extremely limited budget. I look forward to following their excellent work at http://www.nchr.gr.
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