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Volonteurope, with the support of the CINGO Committee for the European Social Charter and FIDH
Kimbé Rèd - French West Indies (F.W.I.)
Venue : Mimi Hotel (Jolly Alon), 37 Maria Cebotari str. Room Governor,
Registration here
The European Committee on Social Rights’ 2024 Annual Report notes that the Chisinau Conference offers States Parties an opportunity to clarify through declarations that the European Social Charter applies to the full scope of their territories, including non-metropolitan ones. Such declarations would help address a colonial legacy within the Charter system, whereby people living in non-metropolitan territories enjoy significantly lower levels of social rights protection than those in metropolitan areas. The failure to fully extend the Charter to Overseas Territories (OTs) constitutes a structural injustice.
Millions of people—many of whom are racialised or otherwise marginalised—are excluded from core social rights protections, representing a major blind spot in Europe’s human rights architecture. This exclusion has concrete consequences. In 2025, it led to the dismissal of the collective complaint FIDH v. France concerning access to safe drinking water and a healthy environment in the French West Indies, and to the exclusion of French OTs from the Cost-of-Living Report. These developments triggered political backlash in the French Parliament, yet the situation remains unresolved. This practice raises serious concerns regarding non-discrimination under international human rights law, including the ECHR, and undermines the coherence and credibility of the Charter system as a whole. Its implications extend to all Council of Europe member states.
The Social Rights Committee of the CINGO, together with Volonteurope, Kimbé Rèd FWI and FIDH, will coordinate this session and request visibility support, funding, and participation from Council of Europe representatives.
The session will:
• Explore the legal and practical exclusion of OTs from Charter protections
• Present civil society findings
• Feature lived experiences
• Propose specific, time-bound measures to be integrated into the 2026–2030 Action.
Programme
11:30–11:35 | Welcome & Opening Remarks
Gerhard ERMISCHER, President of the Conference of International NGOs (CINGO) of the Council of Europe
Sabrina CAJOLY, Founder and Executive Director of Kimbé Rèd-French West Indies (F.W.I.) / Official member of Volonteurope
11:35–11:45 | Institutional Context and Legal Framework
Aoife NOLAN, President of the European Committee of Social Rights of the Council of Europe
11:45–12:00 | Civil Society Evidence & Findings
Maryse ARTIGUELONG, Former Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) (2016 – 2025)
Sabrina CAJOLY, Founder and Executive Director of Kimbé Rèd-French West Indies (F.W.I.) / Official member of FIDH
12:00–12:10 | Upholding the principles of equality and universality of rights
Paul GALLES, Chair of the Sub-Committee on the European Social Charter, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
12:10–12:45 | Panel Discussion & Interactive Q&A
Convener: Gerhard ERMISCHER
12:45–13:00 | Proposed Actions, Proclamations, and Closing remarks
Convener: Gerhard ERMISCHER