From asset recovery to data protection, the rule of law plays an important role in issues of accountability, transparency, and justice. Through the Rule of Law Youth Network (RoLYN), the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe encourages the active participation of young professionals, by including youth perspectives on the rule of law in various South Programme V activities.
In April, two activities took place which saw the involvement of RoLYN representatives. On the 16 and 17 April, a working group was set up to develop the Human Rights Education for Youth (HEY) course on Data Protection and Privacy Rights in Tunis, Tunisia, with the participation of Ikram Yassamine Mekidiche, Journalist at the Algerian Ouest-Info Journal. Recently launched by the North-South Centre, HEY is a new programme aimed at strengthening young people’s capacities to act for human rights. On the 23 and 24 April, a Roundtable took place on asset recovery, seized asset management, and the role of international cooperation in Amman, Jordan, with the participation of Ishraq Afaneh, Assistant Investigator at the Jordanian Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission. The event brought together representatives from financial intelligence units, law enforcement, and judiciary bodies (Jordanian, Lebanese, Moroccan, Palestinian, and Tunisian) to exchange good practices and experiences.
At the HEY working group on data protection, which focused on developing a course for youth on data protection and privacy rights, the key takeaway for Ikram was that strong data protection isn’t just about compliance, but also about ethical responsibility. This should be reflected in everyday practices and decisions, particularly as “in today’s digital world, strong data protection is essential to defending human rights like privacy, freedom of expression, and access to justice”. As a RoLYN member participating in initiatives highlighting the importance of protecting personal data, Ikram feels that she has become increasingly aware of how critical data protection is for safeguarding human rights in legal and advocacy contexts. She further highlighted the differences in data protection laws and contexts between Europe and the Southern Mediterranean, emphasizing the need to consider the challenges faced by young people from the Southern Mediterranean. Educating young people on data protection is essential to Ikram because, in an increasingly digitalized world, “it empowers them to make informed decisions, protect their dignity, and demand greater accountability from [data controllers and processors]”.
During the roundtable on asset recovery, Ishraq found the discussion extremely interactive, providing her with an opportunity to exchange perspectives and insights particularly with regard to inter-agency cooperation, showcasing practical legal tools used in various jurisdictions to recover assets, applicable to Ishraq’s field of work. She referred particularly to a practice by Belgian authorities entailing the return of assets to suspects in exchange for a financial contribution, which in her view offers a workable solution for asset management for long trials and ensures a form of accountability and monetary compensation. She also had the opportunity to specifically convey her expertise on digital currency and asset recovery. On the relationship between asset recovery and environmental protection, Ishraq said that “asset recovery is closely linked and related to the protection of the environment, especially if assets are proceeds of environmental crimes that include illegal logging, illicit mining, or industrial pollution”.
Including the youth dimension in the round table and the working group not only allowed for an enriching and active youth perspective in the discussions. For the two RoLYN members, participating in these initiatives also emphasized for them the importance of addressing topics like asset recovery and data protection. The exchanges further gave Ikram and Ishraq insight into different approaches to these issues and provided practical tools to address asset recovery and data protection in their daily work.
Launched in March 2024 as an initiative of the Council of Europe’s North-South Centre, RoLYN engages young representatives in a series of capacity-building activities exploring the links between corruption and environmental degradation. The activities of the RoLYN, the HEY working group on data protection, and roundtable on asset recovery, are supported by the joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe South Programme V, “Protecting human rights, the rule of law, and democracy through shared standards in the Southern Mediterranean” – co-financed by both organisations and implemented by the Council of Europe.
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