
File Photo: EU s High Representative and Vice-President Josep Borrell. Photo courtesy of European parliament website.
With these allocations, the EU represents the world’s largest provider of support to local NGOs in partner countries, Borrell noted.
Borrell also stated that it has been a leading donor for the protection and support of human rights defenders, with 53,000 defenders and their families taken care of through the website ProtectDefenders.eu since 2015.
“With the Neighbouring, Development, and International Cooperation Instrument, we have reconfirmed the centrality of our support to civil society and human rights defenders for the years to come,” according to Borrell.
“On World NGO Day, we honour all civil society actors who, every day, are at the forefront of the fight for human rights, the respect of democratic values and the rule of law. The EU commends their role in supporting and giving a voice to the most vulnerable as well as their essential contribution to building peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.”
As 2022 has been designated as the Year of Youths in Europe, Borrell affirmed that young people are crucial actors of change, adding that their commitment is needed to build a sustainable, fair, and equal world and to chart a better future for all.
“Today, with the unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation, international peace and the rule of law are under attack. The EU stands firmly by the Ukrainian and Russian people along with their civil society and youths, whose future and voices are threatened by President Putin’s disregard of democracy, human rights, and international rules,” Borrell stated.
The EU decided on Sunday to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov on the back of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It also agreed on a package of individual and economic sanctions covering Belarus.
Borrell added that countries that curtail NGOs’ activity through legal and administrative measures hamper universal human rights and fundamental freedoms.
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