The almost exclusive focus of CCI in Africa in the first quarter of this year has been on awareness raising regarding certain concerning provisions inside the 20-year binding EU - ACP Agreement a.k.a. Post-Cotonou Agreement. The reason is that France, holding the European Council Presidency from January - June 2022, expressed its aim to have the Agreement signed by April 2022. However, there are still a lot of questions unanswered about the implications of this binding Agreement on the national sovereignty of the ACP countries, especially when it comes to sensitive ethical issues regarding human rights, social and human development (e.g in areas like sexual and reproductive health and sexual orientation).
In that light, CCI with the help of Family Watch International and ADF International developed 16 Parliamentary Questions for the European Commission. After a consultation meeting with 6 Pro-Life Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on 11 January 2022 in the European Parliament in Brussels, the 6 MEPs divided the pre-developed 16 Parliamentary Questions and tabled them to the European Commission. As of today, all Parliamentary Questions are tabled and will be published here.
Further, CCI’s Executive Director Henk Jan van Schothorst went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 2-7 February 2022 at the moment that the AU Executive Council and the AU Heads of State meetings were held. CCI teamed up with Family Watch International colleagues in awareness raising among high-level African decision makers from e.g. DRC, Malawi, Senegal, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, etc. on the concerning provisions inside the EU - ACP Agreement.
Thereafter, CCI also visited Brussels in relation to the AU-EU Summit in Brussels on 17-18 February. CCI was able to share its advocacy materials regarding the concerning provisions inside the Agreement and obtained the contact details of a variety of African delegations, such as Nigeria, Angola, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
Just a few days ago, we have obtained great news that the signing ceremony has been postponed for a few months. This gives us more time to ensure that Life, Family, and Freedom are protected in the soon-to-be signed EU - ACP 20-years binding Agreement.