London was yesterday the scenery of a very important event: a conference on Somalia, co-hosted by the UK and Somalia, and attended by fifty-four friends and partners of Somalia.
We met at a pivotal moment for Somalia. Last year Somalia’s eight-year transition ended and Somalia chose a new, more legitimate Parliament, President and Government.

Security is improving, as Somali and AMISOM forces, and their Ethiopian allies, recover towns and routes from Al Shabaab. The number of pirate attacks committed off the coast of Somalia has drastically reduced.
The EU has been a long-time partner to Somalia, with more than 1.2 billion euro being provided since 2008 to support the Somali people basic needs and improve the security of the country. We give a great deal of support to the security sector – including  the AMISOM – that I will talk about later this morning.

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These are busy days in Washington DC with the World Bank (WB) – International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings going on. We are witnessing a very enriching debate around the post MDGs process and the impact of the global economic crisis on the path to growth of developing countries.
 
But today I’d like to focus on another discussion taking place in these meetings:  the one around education. Yesterday I took part in the Learning for All Ministerial Roundtable, where we proposed concrete steps to accelerate progress toward ensuring that all children can go to school and learn.  The debate focused on those countries which have the most children out-of-school, namely: Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Nigeria, Yemen, and South Sudan. As a former Minister of Education I have difficulties to accept that despite of the significant investments, there is little progress in reaching global education targets. In those countries there are still 61 million children without access to basic education. Read the full entry

Last week I had the pleasure to host a preparatory meeting between donors of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The meeting was held for two very good reasons: to assess the fund’s impact on people in poor countries; and to review the progress made on reforms.
The Global Fund has achieved impressive results in limiting the spread of these three pandemics. However, we are by no means near the end of our journey. Just one example: The number of people dying of AIDS-related causes fell to 1.7 million in 2011, from 2.2 million in the mid-2000s. But 1.7 million deaths are still far too many. Read the full entry

Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture of Nigeria

Let us make 2013 a watershed moment for food and nutrition security. Let us also acknowledge that complex, global issues require bold programmes and commitments at all levels. The MDGs continue to be as relevant today as they were when the world set out to achieve them, 13 years ago. As the global community rallies together to shape the post-2015 agenda let us also not lose sight of the progress we have made against hunger and poverty to date.  Read the full entry

You may have already heard about the Communication “A decent life for all: ending poverty and giving the world a sustainable future” . Commissioner Janez Potočnik and I presented its main messages  yesterday and answered to questions from several European journalists.
Now I would like to know what the citizens are thinking about this initiative. I am sure that many of you have very interesting remarks and questions and I would like you to participate in this debate.  So I would like to invite you to send your questions about EU’s proposal on the future framework of development policy after 2015, when the Millennium Development Goals come to an end, and then I will reply to you by video. Read the full entry

Mali has lived in these past few months some of its darkest hours.  Security, democracy and stability were threatened by recent developments and I am glad to see European Union’s contribution to their support. By providing €50 million to support the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA), the European Union has sent a strong message to safeguard the country’s unity and territorial integrity. Read the full entry

At the occasion of the Human Rights Day I wrote the following foreword to the report  ”Delivering on Democracy” on EU’s contribution to the reinforcement of Human Rights. I  invite you to read it, as well as the report itslef.

The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, despite its financial limits representing just 0.78 % of EU Official Development Assistance, has led to strategic results and symbolic effects, and has had important influence in consolidating democracy and opening the door to change, bringing a breath of fresh air to pro-democracy activists and defenders.
I can only commend the formidable altruistic work and outstanding commitment of our partners, that turns theory into practice in the field, often to the detriment of their personal well-being and, sadly, often at the risk of their lives. Our engagement is guided by the following principles: First, the Treaty of Lisbon is clear: ‘the Union’s action on the international scene shall be guided by the principles which have inspired its own creation and which it seeks to advance in the wider world: democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect for human dignity’. Read the full entry

I’m seating in the new headquarter of the African Union in Addis Ababa, discussing energy potential of Africa, while the lights went off. This happened less than 2 weeks ago. We continued the debate in the dark for a couple of minutes before the power was restored. The power cut, so frequent in Africa, reminded to all of us the challenges we have to overcome to plug Africa into reliable energy supply. We could continue the debate with full lighting after few minutes, but half of African population is less fortunate; 550 mln people do not have access to electricity on the continent and they literally live in the dark.
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I met today with Dr Denis Mukwege, a doctor from the DR Congo who founded a hospital for rape victims and is a fierce advocate for women. Few weeks back I was shocked to learn he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. Today, his spirits are running high again and he is willing to come back to his patients and to his country.

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It is a great honour for the European Union, for all Member States and all 500 mln citizens to be awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace prize. It is a great occasion to remind ourselves that the EU is a unique project that works for the benefit of its citizens; the project that allowed us to unite in peace after devastating wars.

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