Emmaus International and Emmaus Europe joint statement

Statement on the situation in Ukraine, 3 March 2022

For over a week Ukraine has been bravely facing an invasion of its territory by Russia. We reiterate that we stand in full solidarity with the Ukrainian people, victims of unjustified aggression that violates international law.

Regardless of what one might say or think about the origins of this war, one thing is clear: it is a new, dramatic and terrifying demonstration of the imperialist policies that have been developing since the end of the 20th century.

Our movement, created in the aftermath of the Second World War, works with the most excluded people in over forty countries. Over the last thirty years, we have sadly been eyewitnesses to these developments around the world. We have observed the development of inequalities in the distribution of wealth, the cynical and endless intensification of policies of exclusion of the poorest and most vulnerable people, especially those in exile, along with the rise of nationalism and fundamentalism, fostered and exploited by unscrupulous leaders.

The war in Ukraine is now affecting Europe, and we welcome its unanimous and effective response. The generosity of people is evident and we hope that this solidarity, expressed in the dark hours of this conflict, will continue in building a Europe of peace, justice and sharing.

It is with this hope that we wish to address this message today to the European institutions and the Member States of the European Union.

Like the Emmaus groups, which have been practising unconditional welcome since their creation, we call on you to unconditionally welcome all the people fleeing this conflict. We call for open borders, full respect for the principle of non-refoulement and for a broad application of the refugee status. We condemn, in particular, the refoulement or differentiated treatment of people according to their nationality or origin.

This protection must also be offered to all those who, in Russia or in other countries involved in this conflict, are fighting for peace and democracy and, as a result, are suffering repression.

Lastly, there is an urgent need to seek, by all available means, a de-escalation and an end to this conflict. We express our full support for all members of civil society in Ukraine, Russia and other countries who advocate peace. The road to peace is not always the easiest, quite the opposite. In the words of our founder, Abbé Pierre: “It is not from violence, mobilised to change others, that peace can emerge. But (…) from genuinely applying oneself (…) in the service of the welfare of all. Abnegation of people; and of nations”.

Patrick Atohoun, Chair of Emmaus International
Carina Aaltonen, Chair of Emmaus Europe

Defending human rights / Migration News Ukraine

The Ukrainian people’s struggle for democracy cannot be violently repressed by Russian imperialism.

The members of Emmaus Europe’s board, meeting on 24 February 2022, condemned the Russian attacks across Ukraine.

These attacks have escalated since the Euromaidan protest movement for democracy and the Ukrainian people’s resistance to Russian control.

The representatives of Emmaus Europe’s 17 member countries stand shoulder to shoulder with the two Emmaus groups in Ukraine: Oselya in Lviv, and Nasha Khata in Drohobych. The Ukrainian Emmaus groups work on a daily basis with the most deprived people, who are likely to be even more adversely affected by this conflict.

These groups, and the Emmaus groups on the borders of Romania and Poland, are also dealing with displaced people and refugees who are starting to arrive. In Europe, we must all prepare for the economic and energy supply repercussions of this war from an era that we believed long gone.

Emmaus is a pacifist movement and stands alongside democrats, whether in Ukraine, Belarus or Russia, where people are willing to be arrested in order to protest against the dictatorship and war wrongfully being fought in their name.

Defending human rights / Migration News Ukraine

Sixth African Union – European Union Summit

For a renewed partnership that takes into account the realities experienced by African and European civil society.

With only hours to go before the opening of the sixth African Union (AU) – European Union (EU) Summit, Emmaus Africa, Emmaus Europe and Emmaus International are calling on the decision-makers at the negotiating table to co-construct a truly ambitious partnership that places the protection of people and their social and environmental rights at the heart of their priorities.

At the last Summit held in Abidjan in 2017, the leaders of the AU and the EU, as well as those of their respective member States, had made economic opportunities for young people, peace and security, and mobility and migration the future priorities for cooperation between the two continents. Five years on, the Emmaus movement, which works in the field with excluded populations, is not optimistic about the progress made in these areas: “We have never had to do food distributions before. Now people don’t even have enough to eat. In the Emmaus groups in Africa, people come knocking on our door saying, ‘help us to survive’. And we haven’t received any help from the States during the pandemic, which has made the situation worse.” Patrick Atohoun, Chair of Emmaus International and leader of the Emmaus Pahou group in Benin, explains.

The Summit that opens tomorrow should lay the foundations for a new partnership between Europe and Africa. At the heart of this year’s discussions will be investment to address global challenges such as climate change and the health crisis, and the promotion of stability and security. To ensure that the decisions taken at the end of this Summit are geared towards reducing poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals that the States have set for themselves, three priorities should guide the discussions: involving European and African civil society in responding to the challenges of both continents, placing the general interest at the heart of public policies, and building an economic model that is truly at the service of people and their environment.

The democratic setbacks and conflicts that threaten many countries in Africa and Europe put security and peace-building issues at the centre of our concerns. We are alarmed by the political instability in many countries and the repression of citizens’ movements fighting for civil and political rights. In Europe as in Africa, leaders must work to prevent the confiscation of democracy, the centralisation of power and the sidelining of citizens in the development of public policies that affect them. It is only by listening to the realities experienced by the people and by placing the general interest at the heart of decisions that trust in institutions can be restored. Threatened by neo-liberalism as much as by authoritarianism, democracy is an essential condition for the stability of the African continent and a direct means of meeting challenges such as protecting ecosystems and reducing inequalities.

Like democracy, the economy must be seen to be at the service of people and their environment. We call on the States to take (back) their role as arbiters in the economic field: to invest in public services, fight against a weakened and asymmetric legal system that prioritises the economic interests of large corporations and favours their impunity, and stop the unlimited privatisation of common goods. In view of the food and climate crises we are facing, the leaders present at the Summit must agree on “investments” that do not undermine the social and environmental rights of the populations concerned. Europe must also commit to limiting these exports when they destroy local production chains. In Europe as in Africa, cooperation must allow for the relocalisation of economies.

Africa is probably the continent most exposed to the consequences of climate change, despite it being responsible for only four percent of global greenhouse gas emissions[1]. This environmental damage exacerbates existing economic and social inequalities. We call on the EU and the AU to listen to the voices of civil society on both continents in the global response to this issue. According to William Kodzo Tsolenyanu, Chair of the Emmaus Africa region: “Through its daily actions, the Emmaus movement proves every day that there are credible alternatives in terms of an ethical economy and agro-ecological transition.” The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the close links between environmental degradation and the appearance of major health risks. Here too, ambition and accountability will be needed to meet the health challenges.

As Koné Nantegue, Secretary of Emmaus International and leader of the Emmaus Jekawili group in Côte d’Ivoire, explains, “Africa is facing the impact of the health crisis on its economies with resilience. Reforming health systems and investing in research are already becoming priorities.”

In the face of global inequalities in the right to health and access to care, the Emmaus movement is committed to creating community mutual health organisations for those lacking access to care. Leaders should take inspiration from these alternatives to work towards universal social protection and also to build people’s capacity to insure themselves. It goes without saying that lifting the patents on Covid-19 vaccines will help achieve this goal more quickly. The EU must stop obstructing this request from several States.

Finally, the issue of migration will be on the agenda of this Summit. And we fear, once again, that this will be an opportunity for European States to use their development aid as a bargaining chip in return for controlling the borders of the African continent with Europe, while at the same time investing billions in closing the borders on arrival in Europe. Emmaus Africa calls on African governments not to be complicit in these policies.

We are concerned about a vision of Europe that promotes the rule of law on its territory but considers that this rule of law stops at its borders and does not concern the people exiled on its territory, as Emmanuel Macron did in his speech to launch the French presidency of the EU. For Carina Aaltonen, Chair of Emmaus Europe, “investments and efforts must finance the dignified welcome and integration of people wishing to live in Europe, as offered by the Emmaus groups in Europe, rather than deadly border closure policies.” We would like to highlight that ensuring legal channels for immigration to Europe is the surest way to fight against the criminal networks that have developed as the number of visas granted to Europe has been reduced. Future cooperation policies must be genuinely based on respect for human rights and on a dialogue with civil society to promote an entirely different kind of migration governance.

Patrick Atohoun, Chair of Emmaus International
Carina Aaltonen, Chair of Emmaus Europe
William Kodzo Tsolenyanu, Chair of Emmaus Africa

[1] https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/q-and-a-organizing-for-climate-justice-in-sub-saharan-africa

Defending human rights / Migration European Union News

Breaking free of the vicious circle of poverty and prison

In France and in many other European countries, a prison sentence usually leads to poverty upon release. The Emmaus groups regularly host such people who are struggling to rebuild their lives and thus we are well aware of this situation. Emmaus France and Caritas France have worked together to look into this issue, launching a high-quality survey. Take a look at their proposals to break free of this vicious circle now!

Emmaus started out in 1949 when Abbé Pierre met Georges, a former prisoner and the first Emmaus companion, and suggested that he “help him help others”. Loyal to our tradition of unconditional welcome, the Emmaus movement has always reached out to people who have had issues with the law. Over 1,000 such people are hosted by the 296 French groups every year. Emmaus denounces the idea that prison is the answer to all of society’s issues and we also help the recently-released to reintegrate social and professional life.

In the groups across Europe many of our companions have spent time in prison.

In addition to our communities and get-back-to-work structures, Emmaus in France has also created special structures to help these people, such as the recent farming initiatives. Such structures offer accommodation to people who have been in prison for a long time as well as work on an organic farm and socio-professional support. Thanks to our partnership with the French Ministry of Justice this scheme is beginning to take off: 5 new projects are currently in development, to be added to the 4 existing farming initiatives. These initiatives were recently praised by the Council of Europe Development Bank in their paper ‘Beyond Bars and Walls: Modernising Prison Systems to Unlock Social Inclusion’.

Based on their field experience and in order to ensure the ‘voice of the voiceless’ continues to be heard, Emmaus France and Caritas France decided to look into how the links between prison and poverty are formed and grow over time. Prison is often the last link in a long chain of exclusion. The French State itself is a repeat offender in that it has been condemned several times by French and European courts for the poor living conditions in French prisons.

The team carried out a quantitative and qualitative study into this topic. The study adopts the approach that detained persons are legitimate respondents who can put forward solutions of their own to the issue of poverty and prison. This approach enabled us to remain objective and to analyse the various facets of poverty experienced by detained persons: economic poverty but also social, professional, cultural and spiritual poverty.

The results of this survey highlight the existence of a vicious circle between poverty and prison, mainly due to past and current policies for prisons which have focused on the repression of detainees rather than working towards their rehabilitation as members of society. It came as no surprise to see that poor people were overrepresented in prisons, that their situation gets worse during detention and that they are often not properly prepared for their release. We have now launched a vast advocacy campaign, presenting our 25 clear proposals to stakeholders from civil society and from the political sphere.

The full report and podcasts of discussions with former detainees can be found here in French, and the synthesis of the report in English here.

An event to present and debate these findings is scheduled to be held on 17 February in Paris. The event (in French only) will be available online and will be recorded so that you can watch it at your leisure (click here).

France News Tackling Poverty / Solidarity