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On January 27, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès launched the new Belgian passport. A document that is even more secure thanks to new security and personalization techniques. The new Belgian passport will also be recognizable thanks to its original design, which honors one of the jewels of our culture: the heroines and heroes of comic strips.

This Thursday 20 January, Dorien Nijs will travel to Strasbourg and the European Parliament where she will present Belgium's citizens' panel recommendations at the plenary session (21 and 22 January) of the Conference on the future of Europe. Sophie Wilmès, in her capacity as Minister for European Affairs, will be present at the Brussels-Midi railway station this morning to express her support and wish her good luck.

Statement by Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

Faced with its colonial past in Central Africa, Belgium has decided to embark on a necessary journey of research, truth and memory. The research project concerning the segregation suffered by the metis from Belgian colonization for the implementation of the parliamentary resolution 'Metis' is taking place in two phases. After a first phase, which started on September 1, 2019, a cooperation agreement has just been concluded between the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and the State Archives, on a detailed historical research on the role of the authorities in the way metis were treated during the colonial period.

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès and Minister for Development Cooperation Meryame Kitir reiterate Belgium's commitment to the protection and promotion of all human rights for everyone. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès has decided to grant a voluntary contribution of 400,000 euros to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for a programme to combat illicit arms trafficking in North Macedonia. Illicit arms trafficking from the Balkans remains a major concern for Belgium in order to ensure security in Europe and the region.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès has decided to grant 300,000 euros to the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel mines.

25 November 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the international campaign '16 days of activism against gender-based violence'. This campaign runs from 25 November (International Day against Violence against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day) and aims at eradicating violence against women and girls worldwide.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Major Cities Policy, Meryame Kitir, is going on a working visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from November 23 to 28. The visit focuses on women's rights, gender equality and gender-based violence. Meetings with Congolese women and local and international organizations working on these topics will be central to the visit.

Earlier this month, a fuel truck exploded in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. More than 100 people were killed and more than 100 injured, with many people suffering from severe burns. Following the accident, Sierra Leone submitted a request for assistance to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, including a specific request for medical equipment.