Political Dialogue on Human Rights under Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement

Pētījums 06-05-2014

The aim of this study is to assess the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the EU’s political dialogue on Human Rights under Article 8 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement with the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP). Following a set of guiding questions, the study looks into the inclusiveness, comprehensiveness, effectiveness, alignment and impact of EU political dialogue in the area of HR, both within and beyond the Cotonou framework. Based on a systematic literature review of the legal provisions in place, as well as an analysis of the HR dialogue in practice in a selection of country-cases, the study offers an assessment of current practices and identifies the following four recommendations for improvement: i) develop a more strategic and structured approach to political dialogue; ii) enhance the legitimacy of the HR political dialogue; iii) ensure a result-oriented monitoring of HR dialogue and iv) fully exploit the potential of development programmes and financial instruments to underpin and strengthen the dialogue.