THE CONFERENCE OF INGO COMMITTEES

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE

The fields of interest of the Human Rights Committee are:

1. Monitoring of the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Social Charter and other relevant instruments
2. Human rights education
3. Protection of human rights defenders
4. National minorities
5. Sinti and Roma
6. Combating xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia
7. Media

This Committee covers civil, political and social rights. Its purpose is to consider the application of the Council of Europe’s main texts and the monitoring mechanisms. It mainly follows a legal approach.

Chair: 
Gabriel Nisim (The World Catholic Association for Communication - SIGNIS)

Vice-Chair:
Brižit Kan (International Council of B'nai B'rith - ICBB)

CIVIL SOCIETY AND DEMOCRACY COMMITTEE

The fields of interest of the Civil Society and Democracy Committee are:

1. Promoting organised civil society
2. Monitoring the instruments governing the legal status of NGOs
3. Responsibility and transparency of political institutions and citizen participation
4. Promoting democratic standards
5. Peace and conflict resolution
6. Local and regional democracy

Chair:
Antonella Valmorbida (Association of Local Democracy Agencies - ALDA) 

Vice-Chair:
Veysel Filiz (COJEP International – Pluri-cultural Youth Council)

CULTURE, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The fields of interest of the Culture, Science and Education Committee are:

1. Formal and informal education
2. Life-long learning
3. Inequalities in access to education
4. Intercultural and inter-religious dialogue
5. Arts
6. Heritage
7. Youth-related issues

Chair: 
Edouard Jagodnik (European Federation of Schools - FEDE) 

Vice-Chair: 
Sabine Rohmann (The Robert Schuman Institute for Europe)

SUSTAINABLE TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Fields of interest of the Sustainable Territorial Development Committee are:

1. Sustainable development indicators
2. Urban transformation
3. Rural world
4. Transport and mobility (service, accessibility and freight)
5. Development and town and country planning
6. Environment (climatic changes, natural resources, pollution, natural and industrial risks)

This committee covers all the dimensions of sustainable development: environmental, economic, social and cultural. It mainly follows a societal approach.

Chair: 
Anne-Marie-Chavanon (International Federation for Housing and Planning - IFHP)

Vice-Chair:
Georg Mäschig (European Network of Geography Teachers’ Association - EUROGEO)

SOCIAL COHESION AND ERADICATION OF POVERTY COMMITTEE

The fields of interest of the Social Cohesion and Eradication of Poverty Committee are:

1. Welfare and labour policies
2. Extreme poverty
3. Health
4. Family-related issues
5. People with disabilities
6. Elderly people
7. Migration, integration, co-development
8. Ethical financing, fair trade

In Western Europe, falling unemployment is not actually being accompanied by a decline in poverty, income inequalities are widening and the number of people living below the poverty line is increasing. At the same time, problems with food supplies are plunging entire countries into famine. The expertise of the INGOs, which are very active in this area, is vital: we have examples of best practice to pass on and solutions to offer.

This is an area where INGOs’ responsiveness is particularly significant.

Chair:
Irene Donadio (International Planned Parenthood Federation – European Network – IPPF-EN)

Vice-Chair: 
Antonina Nikolaevna Dashkina (International Federation of Social Workers - Europe - IFSW)

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