The Impact of COVID-19 Management on Human Rights Defense in the Maghreb
We have published three reports that analyze the impact of the management of the COVID-19 health crisis and the climate crisis on human rights in Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. The documents propose a set of operational recommendations to guide future interventions in the defense and promotion of human rights in the region.
La conclusió dels tres informes és que la gestió de la pandèmia de la COVID-19 ha permès als estats augmentar el seu control sobre la població, incrementant així les violacions sobre drets civils i polítics.
Download the reports here:
The global trend towards more authoritarian forms of governance is evident in the North African region, making the work of defending and promoting human rights even more necessary today. However, the strategies in this regard are specific and different depending on the country and region in which we want to intervene.
The diagnoses were conducted by different teams of specialists in each of the countries, following a methodology that involved participatory consultations with key individuals from civil society, human rights institutions, and human rights defenders. This qualitative data collection process was complemented by a review of reports, statements, articles, and other relevant literature or sources.
Each diagnosis encountered different conditions in aspects such as geographical coverage, central study themes, gender representation, or the methods used for conducting interviews. In total, over 100 interviews were conducted, with the participation of 40 women, although there was very low representation of this gender in the diagnosis in Libya.
The process of diagnosis and the development of recommendations outlined in each report were based on the principle of collective intelligence and participatory deliberation tools (consultation and consensus), ensuring that all participants had an equal voice in the interviews and, above all, protecting the identity of interviewees.
These reports are part of the WAHDA project, which means “unity” in Arabic. The project focuses on promoting the active role of Tunisian civil society as a guarantee for the defense of civil and political rights and the promotion of social cohesion. Both dimensions are considered essential for advancing the country’s political transition and even regional stability. This project received funding from the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation and was reinforced by the work carried out under the IMCAN project, which means “opportunities” in colloquial Arabic. The IMCAN project was funded by the Barcelona City Council and aimed to promote the exercise of human rights by strengthening human rights defenders.
Both projects, led by NOVACT, had the active participation of the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH), and in the case of WAHDA, the Solidarity Foundation of the University of Barcelona (FSUB) and the University of Carthage were also involved. Other regional entities such as the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH) were also engaged in these initiatives.