Highlighted
Take a look behind the scenes of our FPS with the articles in this section.-
Highlighted
In Highlighted, we explore in depth various policy areas of the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. We distinguish these broad categories: people, planet, economy, peace and security, cooperation, services abroad and the corona crisis.
Human rights
Human rights are rights inherent in all people, without distinction. Every human being must enjoy equal rights, without any form of discrimination. Human rights are universal, inextricably linked, interdependent and indivisible.-
What are human rights?
Human rights are rights inherent to all people, regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status.
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Institutions
As an advocate of the universality of human rights, Belgium is actively committed to the promotion and protection of human rights in various organisations at the international level.
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Specific themes
Find more information on specific topics, such as the abolition of the death penalty, the fight against impunity including transitional justice, freedom of expression including freedom of the press, the fight against racism and discrimination, LGBTI, children's rights, gender equality and women's rights, human rights defenders, respect for human rights in the fight against terrorism, and business and human rights.
Peace and security
Conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding are essential elements of Belgium's policy for peace and security, as are counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and disarmament.-
Aerospace
Aerospace is above all an international matter. Consequently, the FPS Foreign Affairs closely monitors this sector and more specifically its international context.
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Corruption, money laundering and financing terrorism
Find out more about the Belgian fight against corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing.
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Disarmament and non-proliferation
Belgium considers international security as a top priority. Belgium is in favor of a global approach and balanced progress in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation, with a focus on both conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction.
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Election Observation Missions
Belgium has a long tradition of democratic institutions and human rights. In order to promote our democratic values, the FPS Foreign Affairs regularly selects Belgian citizens to take part in Election Observation Missions (EOM).
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Hybrid threats
In recent years, Belgium, along with the EU and NATO, have been confronted with a significant number of new so-called "hybrid" threats internally and in their part of the world.
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International organisations
This section contains information on the United Nations (UN), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union (EU).
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Peacebuilding grants
The Peace Building Unit manages the award procedure for funding projects in the “Peace Building” budget of the FPS Foreign Affairs.
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Peace operations
When participating in peacekeeping missions, Belgium lays the focus on quality.
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Sanctions
Find out more about sanctions in the UN Security Council and in the European Union, the Belgian sanctions policy, and the contact details of the Belgian authorities responsible for applying restrictive measures in the European Union.
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Terrorism
Terrorism is a global phenomenon that requires a concerted response from the international community.
Striving for a global solidarity
The world has to work towards striking a better balance between human, economic and environmental considerations. Future generations depend on it.-
Aid effectiveness
At the start of the new millennium, reflection on the sometimes only transient results of development cooperation efforts not only prompted a call for more support (Monterrey) and a tighter focus on goals aimed at eliminating poverty (the Millennium Development Goals), but also focused greater attention on systematically boosting the effectiveness of such support. In 2005, principles for achieving this were set out in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
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Asylum and migration
The FPS Foreign Affairs aims to develop, monitor and outline guidelines for the administration, progression, development and coordination of Belgium's foreign policy on migration, the fight against human trafficking and the link between migration and development cooperation.
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Energy
The FPS Foreign Affairs follows multilateral diplomacy in international organisations in charge of energy, either on a primary basis (International Energy Agency, Energy Forum, Energy Charter, International Renewable Energy Agency) or on a complementary basis (UN, OSCE, NATO and the International Atomic Energy Agency as regards the civil nuclear sector).
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Environment
The environment is one of the five pillars of Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and is also playing an increasingly central role within the United Nations. Below is a brief introduction to this policy theme.
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Food safety
Belgium’s actions on food security are both humanitarian and structural.
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Management of the international economy
Opening up to trade and international flows of capital makes economies interdependent. International efforts to manage the international economy are prior to the 2008 crisis, the COVID-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine which, due to globalisation, have affected and continue to affect the entire country. However, these economic integration efforts have intensified due to the pressure of the crisis.
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Raw materials
The agricultural commodities market has often been characterised by large price fluctuations. Since many developing countries are highly dependent on raw materials for their export income, these price fluctuations regularly had negative effects on their development.
