EP High Level Conference - Towards a renewed partnership with Africa - Closing

EP High Level Conference - Towards a renewed partnership with Africa

High-Level Conference on Africa

Peace Nobel Prize winner Denis Mukwege speaks out against the use of rape and violence towards women as a weapon of war.
He is the founder of the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. As a gynaecologist, he helped thousands of women victims of sexual and gender-based violence in his country.
In 2014, the European Parliament awarded him the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought for his work. Four years later, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. He continues to raise public awareness on the issue of sexual violence against women during armed conflicts.

* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epyoutube.eu/SpeechMukwege

Dr Denis Mukwege speech on sexual violence in Congo | European Parliament

Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf called for international help to prevent a return to violence after 14 years of civil war in her country.
 
The first woman elected president of an African nation addressed the European Parliament in September 2006, just eight months after taking office.
 
She said Liberians were committed to putting the conflict  - which ended in 2003 - behind them. She talked about the devastation left by war, the challenges of rebuilding and reconciliation, and the need for international help for sustainable development.
 
* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epyoutube.eu/SpeechEllenJohnson

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf speech on Liberia | European Parliament

South African leader Nelson Mandela called for a swift end to the apartheid system and preached reconciliation.
 
It was July 1990. Just four months earlier he had been released, after 27 years in prison.
 
At the time, South Africa was still ruled by a white minority government. Four years after this speech, Mandela would become the first president of a democratic South Africa.

* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre:
http://epyoutube.eu/SpeechMandela

Nelson Mandela speech on apartheid | European Parliament

The EU is the world’s biggest investor in development. European finance and support transform lives every day. Global Europe is a €79.5 billion programme, which brings together all of the EU’s development funding.

Global Europe: €79.5 billion to support development around the world

The European Parliament believes that the challenges faced by EU and Africa should be seized as opportunities. The future EU-Africa strategy needs to see both continents work as equal partners towards a carbon-neutral and sustainable future. Issues like migration, good governance and education must be tackled hand in hand.

EU-Africa: a new partnership for the future

Every year since 1988 Members of the European Parliament have honoured human rights defenders with the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Nelson Mandela, Malala and Denis Mukwege have been among the laureates of the most prestigious EU human rights prize, named in honour of Russian dissident Andrei Sakharov.

Sakharov Prize: European Parliament’s award for human rights defenders

While the world is fighting Covid19, the EU is starting aid packages for the most vulnerable countries to prevent a deeper health and social crisis. A fund of €20 billion will to help partner countries respond to the crisis, support health, water and sanitation systems and back small and medium enterprises.

EU Covid19 aid on its way to third countries

12 September, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker gave his fourth and last State of the Union speech before Parliament in Strasbourg. He called for a strong and united Europe, warning against the dangers of populism. With eight months to go until the European elections, the debate outlined an ambitious path for the European Union of 27, Strasbourg.

State of the EU 2018

MEPs approved the shrinking of the House from 751 to 705 MEPs after Brexit, set a date for potential new members to join the EU, and voted on issues ranging from geo-blocking to female genital mutilation, to daylight savings time.

Post-Brexit plans to changing summertime: 5 numbers from Strasbourg

A resolution of the European Parliament calls for zero tolerance for female genital mutilation, affecting 140 million women worldwide and an estimated 500,000 women in the EU alone.

Zero tolerance for female genital mutilation

Over 180,000 migrants landed on the island of Lampedusa in 2016 alone. For years, migration has challenged MEPs as much as European citizens, for whom it has become a major concern. Meet the citizens of Lampedusa - fishermen, a doctor and an artist - and see how the migrant crisis has affected them.

Migration

Committees of the European Parliament are meeting to discuss youth employment in the EU, measures to control the flow of cash, the humanitarian situation in Libya, women and climate change and an EU wide disability strategy.

Coming up: from youth employment to the control of cash in the EU

It’s a busy week ahead as the European Parliament is set to welcome African leaders, a representative from the European Asylum Support Office, and even children to Brussels. Up for discussion are media in the age of artificial intelligence and a renewed push to eliminate violence against women.

Coming up: Children’s rights, artificial intelligence and much more

In the face of the migrants crisis, MEPs want the EU to initiate a new relationship with Africa to promote sustainable development and help curb illegal migration flows

EU-Africa: MEPs call for "reciprocal" partnership

The European Parliament’s Development Committee wants rules that force companies and subcontractors to respect the human, labour and social rights of their textile workers.

The human cost of fast fashion: the case for a binding framework

We all use electronic devices like mobile phones, but where do the materials that make them come from? Tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold are the four most common 'conflict minerals', known collectively as 3TGs. Their mining causes insecurity and human rights abuses in many regions. Armed groups clash over their illegal trade. Fairphone is one manufacturer which takes responsibility to ensure its supply chains extract minerals lawfully. The European Parliament is pushing for more transparency in supply chains through mandatory OECD due diligence systems.

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