Luanda – Angola is attending the Paris Forum on Peace dedicated this year to reducing inequalities on the planet, with a delegation led by the Minister of State for the Social Sector, Carolina Cerqueira, who is representing President João Lourenço.
The forum created in 2018 focuses, in this edition, on approaches to reducing world fractures and the issues of the digital age, regulation in cyberspace, cybersecurity, the fight against terrorism, extremism and fake-news and the protection of minors and the negative effects of Covid-19 on world development.
Minister Carolina Cerqueira told ANGOP that the Forum is an important global platform for reflection on the most burning issues that affect the social and human development of millions of people, in a context of global health crisis caused by Covid-19, increasing food crisis resulting from climate change and armed conflict.
The minister also highlighted the fact that it promotes approaches to social networks and cybernetics as permeable means to violence and sexual crimes against children and the fundamental rights of people and institutions, as well as the need to strengthen multilateralism to encourage global cooperation in defence of peace and sustainable development.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the minister, 11 million girls in African countries were deprived of going to school, which represents an obstacle to their social inclusion and autonomy as adults.
As for the role of social networks, in a comprehensive discussion on the role of artificial intelligence in the 21st century, Carolina Cerqueira said that its pernicious role in encouraging cyber crimes of pornography and sexual violence against children is being debated in a very special way. She is of the view that vigorous measures must be taken against these practices that undermine the rights of children, the stability of families and social disruption.
In relation to emigration and population mobility, she said that this phenomenon is a global problem that affects, above all, the least developed countries and that more funding is needed to balance the demographic problem that should be included in the priorities of sustainable development and investment.
The minister referred that a large part of population mobility is due to climate change, drought, desertification, calamities and also other structural conditions, such as poverty, increased unemployment in less developed countries and armed conflicts that tend to proliferate on the African continent.
Carolina Cerqueira said that Angola will present, in the work panels, its experience in the various domains, in particular on the efforts of the Executive in the areas of human and sustainable development and initiatives for social inclusion, inclusion of minorities, and on education for peace at the institutional and associative level that grows substantially in the country.
The minister reaffirmed, on the other hand, that on the Angolan government’s agenda, the defence of children’s rights, gender equality and the promotion and empowerment of women have a great impact and will continue to be a priority for the country to move with the contribution, knowledge and potential of more than half of the population, made up of women and, on the other hand, guarantee a safe and prosperous future for the youngest.
The government official highlighted that the themes highlighted at the Paris Forum linked to the fight for men’s rights, values, democracy, women’s equality, freedom of worship, universal values that are more evident in the 21st century will allow for a wide discussion and exchange of views and experiences among participants in person and virtually.
The minister also highlighted the need for funding to defend women’s rights, educate girls, fight violence, support refugees, displaced people, populations affected by the pandemic, deprived of their rights and freedom.
The event gathers around 30 heads of state and government.
The programme also included the presentation of the International Observatory on Information and Democracy, an entity whose objective is to become, in terms of democratic deregulation, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for global warming.
The organisation intends, with the meetings, to reach “joint commitments” on how to make the Internet safer for children.
The Angolan delegation is also made up of the ambassador to France, João Miranda, and the director of the President’s Staff Office, Edson Barreto.
Source: Angola Press News Agency