EN 
NL Atmosphere report Africa Day 2022
After two years of waiting, Saturday 28 May was finally here. Africa Day could take place again! At 10:00 am, the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) opened its doors and, as ever, it was once again full of visitors. Three great rounds of workshops followed! Unlike previous years, there was no single theme last Saturday, but the overarching core value of Africa Day took centre stage: the important role of African voices in social discussions. The result was an extensive and, above all, diverse range of workshops.
Opinion in Trouw: Letterbox firm thwarts our development aid
How many people would be on the Malieveld if it became known that the government is wasting billions of euros because different ministries are constantly working against each other with their policies? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is: zero, no one. How do we know? This scenario has been playing out in complete openness for years.
FMS on Africa Day!
In a few days, it will be here: Africa Day. Have you already bought your ticket?
Together with our partners, it will be a jam-packed day with sessions on a variety of topics. As FMS, we are also organising two substantive sessions ourselves.
WECF & WEP talk Feminist Forest Preservation
"They should be left standing," urges John Baaki about the trees of the African tropical forest. A simple statement that captures the core of the complex puzzle that is forest preservation. Why is it so important to preserve the African forests and what role do Dutch policies have to play in protecting them? Preceding the Africa Day workshop by Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF), WECF Netherlands Director Christy Aikhorin sits down with longstanding partner John Baaki from Women Environmental Programme (WEP), to ask John all about WEP's work on gender, climate change and forest preservation - and how they are all interconnected.
Drought in Horn of Africa remains under the radar
Parts of the Horn of Africa are facing extreme drought. The worsening crisis by the day is not getting much-needed attention because of the war in Ukraine. Dire food shortages are exacerbated by rising grain prices. The drylands lack attention, financial support and a long-term vision with regard to climate adaptation.
Burkina Faso: from hope in the region to epicentre of conflict
On 23 January, a coup takes place in Burkina Faso by the military group Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration (PMSR). The democratically elected president Roch Kabore is deposed; he is no longer considered capable of addressing the worsening security situation. The leader of the PMSR, Paul Henri-Sandaogo Damiba, appears on TV to announce that they will take over the country's administration from here.
Netherlands and OECD countries toast without Africa to revise international tax system
The Taxes Committee debate will take place in the House of Representatives on Thursday, 17 March. Many of us already feel our eyelids getting heavier upon hearing the word 'taxes' and that is very understandable. However, those who look into it will realise that it is an eternal sin to ignore this topic. Indeed, the revision of the international tax system is on the agenda, something that affects almost every country in the world. But these implications are not the same for every country.
African voice is crucial
The African continent is rich in diverse cultures, nature and resources and also has an incredibly young population. This makes for endless opportunities and possibilities. Already highlighted in an earlier article, this is why African youth are eager to achieve a bright future for their countries. And it is important to hear these voices! For many years, we have organised Africa Day, where engaging these voices in social discussions has always been the core value.
Towards EU-Africa summit
Last December, President Macron spoke of establishing a "fair system of peace and prosperity" at the upcoming EU-Africa summit in Brussels on 17 and 18 February. Now that France holds the EU presidency and Macron will thus be the host of this sixth summit, he can really start putting this ambition into action. According to the African Union (AU), this is an important moment for establishing long-term cooperation that represents more than just a donor-and-receiver relationship.
Africaweek 2022 - ''If the EU does not stand up, others will fill the gap''
'For us, Africa is an equal partner in terms of efforts, aspirations and dreams to fight inequality, so our actions should reflect this reality,'' the Socialist & Democrats Group (S&D Group) said. In keeping with this thinking, Africaweek was organised last week, spread over three days. Through several panels that could be followed online, several important topics were discussed. These included the future of African infrastructure, women's empowerment, youth engagement in democracies, the climate crisis in both the EU and Africa and, above all, EU-Africa cooperation. The latter three were also followed by FMS.
