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28 Oct

Belgium welcomes the publication of the EU database on exports of military equipment by EU Member States. This public database is a further step towards greater transparency in the field of exports and trade in military equipment. Transparency in arms exports is an important issue as it leads to greater accountability of states and better monitoring of their export control commitments. This transparency thus contributes to the fight against the diversion of arms to criminals, terrorists or any unauthorized person.

20 Oct

This Tuesday October 20 Minister of Development Cooperation Meryame Kitir participates to a ministerial roundtable aimed at mobilizing funding and political commitments to meet the needs in the Central Sahel region, particularly Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

18 Oct

The Tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) adopted a Belgian resolution aimed at combating the manufacturing and trafficking of falsified medical products. Trafficking in falsified medicines and medical products is a very lucrative business. This only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the demand for such products has increased exponentially. Globally, the most vulnerable are the first to suffer.

16 Oct

Former Minister Inge Vervotte has been appointed by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as member of the five-member board of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF).

13 Oct

Today we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for victims of human trafficking, especially women and children. The Trust Fund supports more than 3,500 victims of human trafficking every year through its NGO partners. With a contribution of 2 million euros, Belgium is the largest donor to the Trust Fund.

10 Oct

On the occasion of the 18th European and World Day against the Death Penalty, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès wishes to underline Belgium's commitment to the universal abolition of the death penalty.

09 Oct

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès and Minister of Development Cooperation Meryame Kitir are very satisfied with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the World Food Programme (WFP). WFP is one of Belgium's privileged humanitarian partners in order to respond quickly and efficiently in crisis situations. "Belgium has provided a record amount of 26.3 million euros in aid to the Nobel Prize Laureate for 2020," says Meryame Kitir.

07 Oct

This year Belgium will chair the fourth Review Conference of the "Open Skies" treaty from 7 to 9 October. This conference takes place every five years. The previous three conferences were organized by Germany (2005), the USA (2010) and Belarus (2015). The "Open Skies" treaty offers the possibility to carry out unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of the 34 states parties. In this way it is possible to fly over the territories of treaty states in order to make photo and radar images of each other's territory.

28 Sep

Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense Philippe Goffin and United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium Ronald Gidwitz signed a “preclearance” agreement on Monday that will allow passengers boarding flights from Brussels Airport to the United States to clear U.S. customs and immigration prior to embarkation in Brussels, and to save time upon arrival. This agreement, which has been under discussion for several years, will help further strengthen the already substantial trade and investment between the two countries and promote Brussels Airport as a trans-Atlantic hub.

25 Sep

This Friday September 25, Foreign Minister Philippe Goffin will co-chair a high-level event dedicated to the humanitarian impact of combined conflict, climate and environmental risks with the European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic and the Minister of Environment of Niger Almoustapha Garba. This event is organized in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.