Evaluating the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU
7 August 2024As Hungary took on the helm of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Plan International looks back on the last six months of the Belgian Presidency from 01 January to 30 June 2024. The organisation calls on Hungary to build on the progress made in the first half of this year across their six-month Presidency, in particular, the Belgian Presidency’s work to push for a Europe that prioritises the rights, needs and strengths of children and young people, especially girls and young women impacted by crises worldwide.
A girl in her classroom, Uganda, 2022. Copyright: Plan International / Quinn Neally. All rights reserved.
In January, following the publication of the Belgian Presidency’s priorities, Plan International (Plan) welcomed the clear commitment to promote a truly ‘global Europe’, publishing six recommendations and calling for a more robust approach to safeguarding the rights of girls and young women disproportionally impacted by crises.
With the Belgian Council Presidency’s conclusion on 30 June, Plan assesses progress made across its mandate, focusing on the EU’s role as a global humanitarian donor, and the extent to which the Presidency prioritised the rights of children and youth in crises, and made progress in advancing gender equality as a key driver of a truly global Europe.
Bold leadership and child participation at the European Humanitarian Forum
The need for strong humanitarian and diplomatic leadership was at the core of Plan’s recommendations, calling on the Presidency to ensure increased EU attention for neglected crises, humanitarian access, assistance and accountability. So too was the need to urgently increase not only the quantity but also the quality of humanitarian funding to meet the growing level of acute needs.
Plan warmly welcomed the focus at the 2024 European Humanitarian Forum (EHF) – co-organised by the Belgian Presidency with the EU Commission – on the increasing funding gap and on neglected crises. During the Forum, attendees heard from civil society, humanitarian organisations, international bodies and, critically, people from affected communities about some of the most serious humanitarian crises in our world. This included the deteriorating conflict in Sudan, the escalating humanitarian situation in the Sahel region, the severe devastation and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations in Gaza, access to schooling during the humanitarian situation in Colombia, and the protracted crisis in Myanmar and for the Rohingya.
For the first time, the Forum heard directly from children and young people about the realities they face. Often overlooked in humanitarian responses, but disproportionately affected by crises, children and young people have unique needs and capacities that vary by age, gender, ability, legal status, and other individual characteristics. Always best-placed to relay their own lived experience, the fact that they had a space at this year’s Forum as agents of change was a significant development, and a key advocacy recommendation of Plan as part of the Joining Forces alliance.
The participation of children and youth at high-level panels also underlined the EU’s commitment towards upholding a people-centred approach that is inclusive of children and in line with EU commitments for child participation, including the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, the Youth Action Plan in EU External Action, and the EU Humanitarian Action Communication. Plan supported the online participation of Baraa, a child advocate from Sudan, and the in-person participation of three young advocates – Daryna and Anastasia, from Ukraine and Gloria from Uganda. Moreover, the Forum also featured a dedicated session on “Children in Crisis”, focusing on how to better prioritise children’s rights, needs and protection in armed conflicts and prolonged crises.
Ramping up EU support to address humanitarian situation in El Salvador
Plan was glad to see a continuous focus by the Belgian Presidency on neglected crises both during but also after the EHF. Following the Forum, where Plan had collaborated with VOICE and peer organisations to create a video highlighting the realities in El Salvador, the Belgian Presidency partnered with Plan to organise a presentation of the situation to EU member states. On 19 June, on the eve of World Refugee Day and the release of UNHCR’s annual figures, Plan had the critical opportunity to present to the Council of the EU’s June meeting of its Working Party on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA) on the escalating humanitarian situation in El Salvador and the wider region.
Plan El Salvador shared their focused response to assist the growing numbers of people on the move, as well as how the EU and the international community must ramp up support to address the needs of those most affected, particularly women, children and young people. A Plan study revealed that one in five adolescent girls in Central America cited sexual and gender-based violence as a reason to flee their homes. In El Salvador, the situation is equally grim, with over 10,000 children involved in gang activities. Despite these severe needs, the country’s Humanitarian Response Plan was only 30% funded in 2023. Plan El Salvador repeated calls to better support the region and shared their unique programmatic model to support people on the move, with a focus on supporting children’s needs at different moments of their journey.
Children and armed conflict: EU releases critical guidelines
A week later, on 24 June, the Council of the EU released the updated EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict, at a moment when the impact of armed conflict on children is as clear as it is catastrophic – from Gaza to Sudan to Haiti. The 2023 UN Secretary- General report on Children and Armed Conflict had revealed that nearly 33,000 grave violations affecting more than 22,500 children, including a 35% increase in killing and maiming, with 2024 set to beat that grim record
Coming at a critical juncture, the guidelines also acknowledge the long-term impacts of armed conflicts, emphasising the need for accountability and recognising that children are not one homogenous group. They highlight the specific impacts on children with disabilities, the gendered dimension of grave violations, and the worsening effects of poverty and inequalities, among others. Ensuring an effective and transparent implementation of the guidelines will be essential. If this happens, they will have the potential to transform lives, becoming a guiding compass for the EU’s support to children affected by armed conflict, creating a safer and more hopeful future for them.
Sharing space with girls and young women as agents of change
Plan welcomed the Belgian Presidency’s acknowledgement of the specific experiences and needs of girls and young women in crises and fragile environments. On 31 January, Natanim, a young advocate from Plan Ethiopia, was invited to join a Presidency event on “Improving Educational Attainment and Learning for Girls”. In a powerful speech, she noted that the international community needs to give girls more than just textbooks but, rather, equip them with the tools to break down barriers and become the changemakers they are meant to be. It remains crucial that world leaders, including those across the EU and its member states, ramp up efforts to create spaces for girls and young women to occupy and help shape decision-making.
A few months later, on 11 April, the Global Gateway High-Level Education event brought key forces within the EU and wider international community together to discuss the EU’s role in transforming global education. Plan International joined a high-level panel to share insights from the organisation’s programmatic work and to stress the importance of addressing girls’ needs and the root causes of gender inequality through a gender transformative approach, with education as a main component.
These were two key examples throughout the Belgian Presidency’s mandate where the crucial role of girls and women in shaping the global EU agenda was recognised. A seminar on 21 March in Brussels under the “Women, Peace and Security” agenda focused on women’s inclusion in conflict resolution. Additionally, the African Union-European Union/AU-EU expanded cooperation for global health also emphasised the health needs of girls and women in crises, while in February, a high-level AU-EU dialogue focused on the current state of humanitarian crises and how responses could better address the needs of girls and women.
Belgian EU Council Presidency: progress across multiple fronts
The Belgian Presidency made considerable progress in advocating for the rights of girls and young women in conflict and humanitarian emergencies worldwide. Their focus on neglected crises, along with a strong emphasis on youth and gender perspectives, was commendable. However, there is still much to be done. Humanitarian response plans across the world are severely underfunded and likely to become even more stretched. The urgent need to increase and improve the quality of funding and to ensure affected populations are more actively involved in funding mechanisms remains a key priority
While the Belgian Presidency has set a solid foundation in re-affirming Europe’s responsibility as a humanitarian actor, continuous efforts are needed to implement the actions and enhance the effectiveness and inclusivity of humanitarian aid by making the humanitarian systems more efficient. Plan commends Belgium for the many successes across its Council Presidency and continues to call upon Hungary to build on this momentum to ensure that the rights and needs of children and young people, especially girls and young women impacted by in crises worldwide, are better protected and promoted.
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