Story & photos by Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
IN this year’s celebrations of the European Union Day, the rights of children and youth took center stage as EU Ambassador Franz Jessen underscored the need to uphold these set of privileges, which form part of the core values of the EU.
On May 9, the EU Day celebration worldwide was focused on the promotion of the rights of the younger members of society.
According to Jessen, the EU takes children’s and youth’s rights seriously, being a key supporter of the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. It has consistently advocated for its implementation within the EU and in third-world countries.
Ambassador Jessen said the EU is committed to enforce children and youth’s rights to protect them from threats, such as violence, child labor, armed conflict and sex tourism.
In the Philippines, the EU has supported several projects addressing a variety of issues confronting Filipino children and youth. These are linked, not only to poverty, lack of inclusive growth and vulnerability to natural- and human-induced disasters, but also, to the lack of opportunities for youth and children to participate in development.
Since 2009 the EU, through its European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, has provided grant assistance amounting to €3 million (P156 million), which benefitted children in many parts of the country. He said rights of children are part of human rights, which the EU and its countries must respect, protect and fulfill.
“The EU…[has] embedded the promotion of the rights of the child into the overall EU human-rights policy, and it is a key priority in our external human-rights policy,” he said.
The ambassador was joined by five youth leaders trained by Plan International, a partner of the EU Delegation in implementing programs for children and the youth.
Youth voices heard
ONE of the youth leaders, Hannie Grace, 17, who is a Supertyphoon Haiyan survivor from Guiuan, Eastern Samar, was a speaker during the EU Day reception.
Hanie Grace was engaged through Youth Reporter, a participatory youth media project under Plan International’s Typhoon Haiyan Program. Youth Reporter became a platform for Hannie Grace and other children affected by the disaster to raise their voices about issues affecting their communities through the use of creative media, like video and photography.
In 2015 she represented the Youth Reporter in Germany to receive the special prize in the Ulrich Wickert Award for Child Rights for their work in raising child-rights awareness in their communities.
Today, she is still actively involved in community engagement as a youth representative of the Barangay Livelihood Committee, and as a peer educator talking about one of the most defining issues girls face in the Philippines: teenage pregnancy. She is currently in senior high school taking the humanities and social sciences track, and serves as the photojournalist of their campus newspaper.
The EU is guided by the principles set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Treaty of Lisbon introduced an objective for the EU to promote the protection of the rights of the children.
More than two weeks ago, EU delegations all over the world launched a campaign to “leave no children behind”. The EU has adopted guidelines that take on a system-strengthening approach, ensuring each institution or service is better able to protect and promote children’s rights.
The EU makes sure children and the youth are aware of their rights, can voice their opinions, are consulted and listened to, and receive information about EU policies that could affect them.
His second home
FOR the first time, Ambassador Jessen and all the EU member States joined the Far Eastern University chorale group in singing the national anthem during the reception night held in Makati City.
In his speech, the ambassador said that since his arrival in the Philippines, which he described as “beautiful country”, he had the opportunity to develop “friendly relations with a large number of personalities from the government, the political, economic and cultural scene”.
“My family and I already consider the Philippines our second home. Here, I would like to offer a special thanks to the diplomatic community. Please let me highlight the wonderful group of honorary consuls who make the life of diplomats in Manila so much more interesting and enjoyable,” he said.
EU-Asean 40th year
“2017 is also an important landmark for Philippine diplomacy, with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Asean under [the Philippines’s] chairmanship,” he added.
“Furthermore, we are hopeful Foreign Affairs and Security Policy High Representative and Vice President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini will come to the Philippines this summer to show the EU’s continuous commitment to Asean integration,” he emphasized.
Jessen further explained: “Finally, the EU-Philippine Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in July 2012 is expected to be ratified soon by the two parties. [This] will pave the way for further strengthening of our bilateral relations in a large number of areas, such as trade development cooperation, research and innovation, as well as political issues.”
The past year has been fascinating in many ways, he recalled.
“Today, it was exactly a year ago President Duterte was elected. Since then, he and the government have worked hard to make their vision for the Philippines materialize. Where possible, the EU has supported this process of change, through our development assistance, preferential trade arrangements and enhanced political dialogue,” he said.
This year, however, he pointed out, is very special for the EU, given the fact they are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties.
“It is also [significant] because the EU and the Asean commemorate their 40th anniversary of relations. It is a fortunate coincidence that this celebration takes place during the Philippine Chairmanship of the Asean,” he added.
In the area of culture, Ambassador Jessen said this year will mark the 20th anniversary of the Cine Europa annual film festival.
He said Cine Europa in the Philippines has actually been the most successful EU-funded film festival in a partner country, illustrating keen interest and enthusiasm, especially of young Filipinos, for European culture. “Let me thank all of you who have contributed to the strengthening of the EU-Philippines relations since the opening of our delegation office in the Philippines in 1991. I am confident our friendship and cooperation will continue to flourish in the coming years,” Jessen concluded.
Image credits: Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco