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News Projects

Euro-Arab Foundation Expert Contributes to Union for the Mediterranean’s Regional Strategy Discussions

Last Friday, February 14, Jusaima Moaid-azm Peregrina, researcher at the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, specialised in North Africa and the Middle East, participated as a guest expert in the event organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed).

Jusaima Moaid-azm Peregrina, researcher at the Euro-Arab Foundation, participating at UfM’s event on the 14th February 2025

The forum brought together more than 120 people from the 43 member states of the Union and aimed to reflect on strengthening cooperation in the North Africa and Middle East region in the coming years, taking into account the critical changes taking place in the region and new European policies, such as the EU Pact for the Mediterranean. Moaid-azm Peregrina participated in this consultative process, offering his views on the need to strengthen governance and inclusion in the UfM, and emphasising gender mainstreaming and the key role of civil society in the implementation of its policies.

Participants also focused on Palestine, and the reconstruction process to be faced in the Gaza Strip, once the attacks are finally brought to an end.

30 years of the Barcelona Process

28 November marks the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, a date that UfM will commemorate during Mediterranean Day, which is celebrated every year, but which will have a special character this year, 2025. Likewise, the Euro-Arab Foundation also celebrates 30 years of its consolidation as a foundation dedicated to promoting dialogue, cooperation and mutual understanding, as well as the transfer of knowledge for social change.

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News Projects VANGUARD

VANGUARD launches its efforts aimed at combating human trafficking

The VANGUARD project focuses its efforts on advanced technological solutions, combined with actions to raise awareness and understanding within society, aiding in the dismantling of human trafficking.

This week, on November 7th and 8th, the new European project in which the Euro-Arab Foundation participates, the VANGUARD project on human trafficking, was presented in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The VANGUARD project centers its work on advanced technological solutions, coupled with actions aimed at understanding and raising awareness within society to help dismantle human trafficking. Various interdisciplinary activities will be carried out throughout the program’s implementation, designed for the next three years, incorporating research and specific transfer and training actions.

VANGUARD, funded by the Horizon Europe Programme, is supported by a consortium of 22 organizations – universities, technological development centers, civil society organizations, and public authorities – from twelve European countries: Germany, Belgium, Spain, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Romania. The Spanish partners in this project are the Euro-Arab Foundation, ATOS, and the Local Police of Murcia.

A team from the Projects Department of the Euro-Arab Foundation attended the sessions in Thessaloniki, including researchers José Riera and Karen Hough, and the head of the Projects Department, Javier Ruipérez. Ruipérez presented the different projects in which the Euro-Arab Foundation has been working in recent years on the specific issue of human trafficking, such as INTERCEPTED, UNCHAINED, or BIGOSINT.

Intervention by the Director of the Projects Department of the Euro-Arab Foundation, Javier Ruipérez, on Human Trafficking:

Trafficking in human beings (THB) is a serious transnational organized crime with diverse dynamics that can take various forms: trafficking for sexual exploitation is the most common form in the EU (60%), followed by labor exploitation (15%), while other forms include forced criminality, forced begging, organ extraction, forced marriages, and others.

Between 2008 and 2019, the number of identified victims of human trafficking more than tripled worldwide, and the total number of victims is much higher than recorded.

Human trafficking not only affects EU Member States but it also has a multidimensional international impact, violating the fundamental rights of individuals and creating security issues in all areas.

Almost 46% of trafficking victims are adult women, and 2 out of 10 are underage girls. Additionally, one-third of all detected victims are girls and boys, and 20% are adult men (UNODC, 2020). More than half of trafficking victims within the EU are EU citizens, and most are victims of internal trafficking within their own country.

As indicated by UNODC, traffickers take advantage of certain vulnerabilities of the victims, caused not only by personal factors but also by economic, social, and societal factors (for example, economic recession, COVID-19 pandemic, conflict-induced migration, etc.), targeting marginalized individuals in difficult situations.”

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EN Standup News

«Stand Together Against Hate: A Multi-Agency Initiative»

On January 2024, the EU STAND UP project final meeting will be held in Brussels. Registration is open.

On Thursday 11 January 2024, the seminar “Stand Together Against Hate: A Multi-Agency Initiative” will take place in Brussels, at the Residence Palace, as part of the European project STAND-UP, an initiative to combat hate crime in the European Union.

This event, organised by STAND-UP project, will bring together organisations and experts in the field, with the aim of preventing and combating hate crime through the cooperation of law enforcement agencies and organisations working on these issues.

The seminar will present the results of various training programmes in different countries included in the project, creating an environment for in-depth discussions and exchanges. Experts such as Menno Ettema, Magdalena Adamowicz, Nataša Vučković, Akis Karatrandos will speak on the topic of hate speech crime. 

The Victim Support Handbook, developed within the framework of STAND UP activities in collaboration with public authorities and NGOs and CSOs, will also be presented in order to empower people affected by hate crimes.

The afternoon session is dedicated to a panel debate led by EPLO, GNCHR, TNDJUPOL, AGENFOR and FUNDEA.

In addition, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR) will present a policy paper outlining effective strategies and policies to combat hate crimes in the European Union.

Link to register for the seminar:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7Yi1RkCc_OYIchUt_AcPFay9JZgP3lsKfsEFyay9i4gdYMg/viewform

The main objective of the STAND-UP project is to improve inter-agency cooperation in the fight against hate crime through the design, development and implementation of a new inter-agency model led by public authorities.