BRUSSELS – Belgian APPG member Hon. Fatma Pehlivan, MP (Belgium) submitted a question in the Belgian Parliament regarding the rise of anti-SRHR movements, which was answered by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development Cooperation, Hon. Alexander De Croo. The Minister stressed that he, as well as the Minister for Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders and the European Commission, are aware of this activity, and the fact that it goes on in EU Member States.
The response also detailed that in order to combat the threat of ultra-conservatism, Belgium is to play an ‘active role’ in the defence and promotion of SRHR, especially given that for many years, the country has been an advocate for SRHR in development cooperation and humanitarian aid - both at European and an international level. The conclusion was that giving augmented visibility to these issues and their potential solutions as well as a crucial voice to civil society on the subject will certainly contribute effectively to diminishing the influence of intolerant ideologies.
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