Debate: Human rights and democracy in the world – annual report
Date: TUESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2022
Speaker: Josep Borrell Fontelles
Language: EN

Unfortunately, 2021 will not be remembered as a positive year for human rights, democracy or international humanitarian law, and 2022 has already started in quite a turbulent way. As we stand here in this Hemicycle in the beautiful town of Strasbourg, girls in Afghanistan are being prevented from going to school, and human rights defenders are going to jail. In Belarus, political prisoners remain locked up and independent media repressed. In Myanmar, the military openly ignores the result of democratic elections and spurns the rule of law. In northern Ethiopia, a humanitarian emergency is happening before our eyes and human rights abuses and violation of international humanitarian law is widespread. Fundamental freedoms are being eroded in many parts of the world. Look, for example, at how in Russia they are trying to silence Memorial or the violations of the rights of the Uyghur and other minorities in China. So, we are seeing a lot of attempts to reshape the core principles of human rights, democracy and multilateralism and against this background, the European Union has the obligation to show leadership and to act. To act, what does it mean in practice? Well, let me cite our Human Rights Defenders’ mechanism ‘ProtectDefenders.eu’, which has already supported nearly 53 000 human rights defenders at risk and their families since it was launched. Some will say, keep this money in your pocket. No. These 53 000 people will be very much thankful for our effort. It’s not enough, but it’s quite important. This mechanism, reinforced by our network of human rights, focal points in our delegations, provides vital support to thousands of human rights defenders. Last year, the European Union took again the lead in human rights fora to address the most pressing human rights situation in Belarus, Myanmar, in Afghanistan, in Ethiopia, with respect to climate change, presenting the creation of a new special rapporteur on climate change and human rights. And then, don’t forget, the global human rights sanctions regime is a landmark achievement that this Parliament was calling for. Thanks to this mechanism, we adopted restrictive measures targeting individuals and entities in China, in Korea, in Libya, in South Sudan, in Eritrea and Russia, including in the case of Aleksei Navalny, and against the Wagner Group and its members. I think these are important steps that have to be mentioned, and indeed fighting impunity, strengthening the rule of law and closing the accountability gap remains among the main priorities of our new financial framework, the new Global Europe instrument that will provide EUR 80 billion, in a seven—year budgetary term, including a thematic programme on democracy and human rights. That is key to help us to put our political priorities into action.  I don’t want to forget citing the European Union election observation mission as an integral part of our commitment to defend democracy and promote our values. We will soon deploy new observation missions in Colombia, in Timor Leste and in Lebanon. So, a great thanks to all Members of the Parliament who have been participating and will participate in this mission. Finally, but not least, let me mention the Gender Action Plan III. It is one of our most ambitious political priorities to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment, and I hope to report progress in our next debate.  Thank you for your cooperation, thank you for the attention you paid to our work, and I am looking forward to our exchange.