Greece - Universal Periodic Review

UPR 39, November 1, 2021
Recommendations by Canada

Recommendations

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Thank you, Madam President.

Canada welcomes the launch, in April, of a national tracing and protection mechanism for unaccompanied children in precarious conditions, undertaken by Greece and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Canada recommends that Greece:

1. Ensure that the legislative and policy responses as well as the operational practices responding to migration are consistent with international human rights and refugee law, particularly the principles of non-refoulement and non-penalization of irregular entries.
2. Take additional measures to improve sanitation within refugee camps.
3. Ensure adequate access to education in accordance with Article 13 of the ICESCR for migrant children and unaccompanied minors by implementing EU directives requiring member states to integrate children into their national school systems within three months of their identification.
4. Promptly seek adoption and implementation of the National Action Plan for Gender Equality 2021-2025, and strengthen the monitoring of and compliance with its pillars.

Canada commends Greece for implementing labour law reforms, introducing a four-month parental leave for both parents. This reform eliminated a disincentive to hiring women as the gender more likely to take this form of leave.

Canada applauds positive steps taken to protect the rights of transgender persons, including the abolition of medical requirements initially attached to legal gender recognition.

Background

Canada welcomes the active efforts taken by the Greek government to enhance the promotion of human rights in Greece. We commend Greece for the positive steps taken in respect to gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and the integration of migrants.

Greece continues to face challenges due to the influx of migration. Steps have been taken in recent years to manage the influx, while remaining mindful of Greece’s international human rights obligations. Canada welcomes the July 2019 National Integration Strategy, which will foster the social inclusion of populations with migrant backgrounds and contains provisions regarding education, labour market integration, racism, and xenophobia.

Despite positive steps, important challenges remain. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that the January 2020 new domestic asylum law introduced more restrictive procedures that may compromise the general legal principle that detention of asylum seekers should be exceptional. In February 2020, following Turkey’s announcement that it would no longer stop migrants from traveling to the European Union, Greece announced that it would temporarily interrupt asylum applications, which contradicts the principle of non-refoulement, according to Human Rights Watch.

Reports by Médecins Sans Frontières highlighted unsanitary conditions in refugee camps, especially a lack of access to adequate water, and poor hygiene. Moreover, in refugee facilities, vulnerable groups, such as children and unaccompanied minors, continue to face additional challenges. According to a March 2021 report by the Greek Ombudsman, 86% of school-age children seeking asylum in Greece were not attending school.

With respect to gender equality, in 2021, Greece ranked 98^th on the Global Gender Gap Index, on par with the score obtained 15 years ago. In 2020, Greece remained last among EU countries on the gender equality ranking compiled by the European Institute on Gender Equality. Canada welcomes the ongoing consultation by the Greek government on the National Action Plan (NAP) for Gender Equality 2021-2025, which is an important element of Greece’s efforts to address domestic violence and gender gaps.