Brussels, 05/08/08: In the run up to the SAARC summit of South Asian Heads of State or Governments on 2-3 August, the members of social movements, labour unions, women's groups and civil society organisations gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 18-20 July 2008, as part of the process of Peoples SAARC, to forge a vision for a Peoples Union of South Asia. After discussions and debates for three days at plenary sessions and over thirty workshops, the civil society representatives issued a “Colombo declaration” calling upon the government representatives attending the SAARC summit of 2-3 August to seriously address the concerns and demands of the people of the region, in areas such as human rights, free movement of peoples, food security, the setting up of regional institutions and mechanisms such as a South Asian Tribunal of Justice, fighting the neo-liberal instruments and achieving climate justice. Responding to the concerns regarding the food crisis, the SAARC summit issued a statement on food security.

Click here to read the Colombo declaration issued by Asian civil society organisations.
Click here to read the Colombo statement on food security issued by the government representatives from South Asia.

Brussels, 04/08/08: Food security was one of the main topics at both the "Peoples SAARC" meeting on 18-20 July (a gathering of social movements, labour unions and women's groups from South Asia), and at the SAARC Heads of State Summit on 2-3 August.

Regarding the numerous concerns expressed by civil society, government representatives present at the SAARC Summit issued a statement in which they affirmed their commitment to increase food production and to invest more in agriculture-related activities. They also announced that an extraordinary meeting of agriculture ministers of the SAARC member states would be held in November in India.

In mid-July, Commissioner Louis Michel announced that the European Commission would  provide € 1 billion to help farmers in poor countries.

• Click here to read the Colombo declaration issued by Asian civil society organisations at the "Peoples SAARC".
• Click here to read the Colombo statement on food security issued by the government representatives from South Asia.

Brussels, 01/08/08: On 25 July, the third edition of the European Development Days (EDD), scheduled to take place in Strasbourg on 15-17 November 2008, was officially launched by the co-organisers: the European Commission and the French Presidency.

In a press release, the European Commission announced that the role of national authorities in development as well as the role of media in development would be two of the main discussion topics during the 3-day event. New challenges for development, such as the food crisis, would also be the focus of debates.

In the run up to the EDD, Louis Michel and the President of the AU, Jean Ping, will be co-chairing a conference on the issue “Media and development” on 11-13 September in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

• Click here to visit the the EDD homepage

2886th External Relations Council meeting. Brussels, 22/07/08:

The Council adopted the following conclusions:

1. The Council regrets that the Zimbabwean people were unable to vote freely in the election on 27 June, the result of which the EU regards as illegitimate. The Council notes that the election observation missions of the Pan-African Parliament, the African Union and the SADC concluded that the elections had not complied with AU standards and had not reflected the will of the Zimbabwean people.

2. Recalling the warning given by the European Council on 19 June, the Council has decided to penalise those responsible for the campaign of violence which has marked these elections, by amending Common Position 2004/161/CFSP to extend restrictive measures (a visa ban and the freezing of funds) to individuals who do not yet appear on the list annexed to that Common Position, and by adding bodies linked to them. The Council has also decided to reinforce the travel bans against the individuals appearing on the sanctions list. In the coming weeks, the relevant Council bodies will examine the measures which might be taken against others responsible for violence, and other bodies linked to them.

Brussels, 16/07/08: In a meeting at the European Parliament on 15 July, the French presidency outlined its priorities in the field of Human Rights. As the number one priority in the field, the French listed women’s rights and the fight of violence against women. The French presidency aims to foster the implementation of international agreements within the UN (the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security and 1820 on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict) and to set out practical guidelines for the international cooperation and assistance programmes of the EU. When it comes to the inclusion of civil society, the French presidency is planning a “European Forum of non-governmental organisations on Human Rights” to be held in Paris from 10–13 December 2008.