Article 2 Scope

support to and enhancement, in line with the overall democratic cycle approach, of participatory and representative democracy, including parliamentary democracy, and the processes of democratisation, mainly through civil society organisations at the local, national and international levels, inter alia by:

1. (i)

   promoting freedom of association and assembly, unhindered movement of persons, freedom of opinion and expression, including political, artistic and cultural expression, unimpeded access to information, a free press and independent pluralistic media, both traditional and ICT-based, internet freedom and measures to combat administrative obstacles to the exercise of these freedoms, including the fight against censorship, particularly through the adoption and implementation of relevant legislation;

2. (ii)

   strengthening the rule of law, promoting the independence of the judiciary and of the legislature, supporting and evaluating legal and institutional reforms and their implementation, and promoting access to justice, as well as supporting national human rights institutions;

3. (iii)

   promoting and strengthening the International Criminal Court, ad hoc international criminal tribunals and the processes of transitional justice and truth and reconciliation mechanisms;

4. (iv)

   supporting the transition to democracy and reforms to achieve effective and transparent democratic and domestic accountability and oversight, including in the security and justice sectors, and strengthening measures against corruption;

5. (v)

   promoting political pluralism and democratic political representation, and encouraging political participation by women and men, in particular members of marginalised and vulnerable groups, both as voters and as candidates, in democratic reform processes at local, regional and national level;

6. (vi)

   reinforcing local democracy by ensuring better cooperation between civil society organisations and local authorities, thus strengthening political representation at the level closest to the citizens;

7. (vii)

   promoting the equal participation of women and men in social, economic and political life, and supporting gender equality, the participation of women in decision-making processes and political representation of women, in particular in processes of political transition, democratisation and state-building;

8. (viii)

   promoting the equal participation of people with disabilities in social, economic and political life, including measures to facilitate their exercise of related freedoms, and supporting equality of opportunity, non-discrimination and political representation;

9. (ix)

   supporting measures to facilitate peaceful conciliation between segments of societies, including support for confidence-building measures relating to human rights and democratisation;

promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as proclaimed in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international and regional instruments in the area of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, mainly through civil society organisations, relating to, inter alia:

1. (i)

   abolition of the death penalty and the establishment of moratoria with a view to its abolition and, where the death penalty still exists, advocacy for its abolition and the observance of international minimum standards;

2. (ii)

   the prevention of torture, ill-treatment and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, as well as enforced disappearances and the rehabilitation of victims of torture;

3. (iii)

   support for, protection of, and assistance to human rights defenders, including addressing their urgent protection needs, in accordance with Article 1 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders; these objectives, including longer-term assistance and access to shelter, could be covered by a human rights defenders mechanism;

4. (iv)

   the fight against racism and xenophobia and discrimination based on any ground, including sex, race, colour, caste, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age, sexual orientation and gender identity;

5. (v)

   freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, including by means of measures to eliminate all forms of hatred, intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief and by fostering tolerance and respect for religious and cultural diversity within and among societies;

6. (vi)

   the rights of indigenous peoples as proclaimed in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, inter alia, by emphasising the importance of their involvement in the development of projects concerning them and providing support in order to facilitate their interaction with, and participation in, international mechanisms;

7. (vii)

   the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as proclaimed in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities;

8. (viii)

   the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) persons, including measures to decriminalise homosexuality, combat homophobic and transphobic violence and persecution, and promote freedom of assembly, association and expression of LGBTI persons;

9. (ix)

   the rights of women as set out in the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Optional Protocol thereto, including measures to combat all forms of violence against women and girls, particularly female genital mutilation, forced and arranged marriages, crimes of ‘honour’, domestic and sexual violence, and trafficking in women and girls;

10. (x)

    the rights of the child, as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto, including the fight against child labour, child trafficking and child prostitution, the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and the protection of children from discrimination regardless of their race, colour, sex, language, religion or belief, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status;

11. (xi)

    the rights of persons with disabilities, as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

12. (xii)

    economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to an adequate standard of living and core labour standards;

13. (xiii)

    corporate social responsibility, in particular through the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and freedom to conduct business, as set out in Article 16 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

14. (xiv)

    education, training and monitoring in the area of human rights and democracy;

15. (xv)

    support for local, regional, national or international civil society organisations involved in the protection, promotion or defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

16. (xvi)

    promotion of improved conditions and observance of standards in prisons, consistent with human dignity and fundamental rights;

strengthening of the international framework for the protection of human rights, justice, gender equality, the rule of law and democracy, and for the promotion of international humanitarian law, in particular by:

1. (i)

   providing support for international and regional instruments and bodies in the area of human rights, justice, the rule of law and democracy;

2. (ii)

   fostering cooperation of civil society with international and regional intergovernmental organisations, and supporting civil society activities, including capacity-building of non-governmental organisations, aimed at promoting and monitoring the implementation of international and regional instruments concerning human rights, justice, the rule of law and democracy;

3. (iii)

   training in and dissemination of information on international humanitarian law and support to its enforcement;

building confidence in, and enhancing the reliability and transparency of, democratic electoral processes and institutions, at all stages of the electoral cycle, in particular:

1. (i)

   through deployment of EU EOMs and other measures for the monitoring of electoral processes;

2. (ii)

   by contributing to the development of the electoral observation capacity of domestic civil society organisations at regional and local levels, and supporting their initiatives to enhance participation in, and the follow-up to, the electoral process;

3. (iii)

   by supporting measures aimed at the consistent integration of electoral processes into the democratic cycle, disseminating information on and implementing recommendations made by EU EOMs, working in particular with civil society organisations, as well as in cooperation with relevant public authorities, including parliaments and governments, in accordance with this Regulation;

4. (iv)

   by promoting the peaceful outcome of electoral processes, the reduction of electoral violence and the acceptance of credible results by all segments of society.