Supporting civil society and social partners under GSP Project

The EU is funding three projects to strengthen the role and participation of civil society and social partners in ensuring that current EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences+ (GSP+) beneficiary countries - Armenia, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, the Philippines and Sri Lanka- effectively implement core international human rights and labour rights conventions.

The three projects are being implemented by three lead organisations, the Equal Rights Trust, Democracy Reporting International and the European Partnership for Democracy. Despite the different approaches, focuses and aims of the three, each strives to closely cooperate and join efforts where possible to avoid duplication, identify synergies and reinforce the impact of their actions.

Democracy Reporting International is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin. Democracy Reporting International promotes political participation of citizens, accountability of state bodies and the development of democratic institutions world-wide.

DRI’s three-year project (February 2017 – February 2020) supports and empowers civil society in monitoring the relevant conventions under the GSP+ process, as well as supports the implementation and reforms necessary for GSP+ beneficiary countries to meet their commitments under the 15 human and labour rights conventions.

As a small organisation DRI approaches the project with flexibility, allowing the focus in each of the 9 countries to be adapted according to the particular context. With local partner organisations DRI identifies the countries’ most pressing needs within the GSP+ framework and implements tailored activities, which include: raising awareness of the UN and ILO conventions; building the capacity of civil society organisations; convening multi-stakeholder dialogues for meaningful exchange among a wide range of participants; and conducting global comparative analysis.