The Europe External Programme with Africa and Europe External Policy Advisors, both called EEPA, are two closely associated Belgian-based

non-governmental organizations A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

that aim to encourage the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

's involvement in

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

in general (EEPA/Advisors) and, in particular, in the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004 ...

and North Africa (EEPA/Africa).

Creation and history

''Europe External Policy Advisors'' (EEPA/Advisors) states that it was created in 2003. It was registered with the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

in July 2015 with ID number 719135118053-50, as an international Belgian-based non-governmental organization (AIBSL). ''Europe External Programme with Africa'' (EEPA/Africa) was registered with the

in January 2018 with ID number 574620429651-88. In 2020, the two organisations shared their street address, website and the EEPA acronym.

Leadership and structure

Mirjam van Reisen, an international relations and human rights professor at

Tilburg University Tilburg University is a public research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg in the southern part of the Netherlands. Tilburg University h ...

, is stated by EEPA/Advisors to have been its founding director in 2003. In 2020, van Reisen continued to be the director of EEPA/Advisors and was the secretary-general of EEPA/Africa. , EEPA/Africa was led by Paddy Maguinness, who had earlier been one of EEPA/Africa's employees in Ireland, an international development policy member of EEPA/Advisors in 2013, and had been deputy head of the Irish NGO

Concern Worldwide Concern Worldwide (often referred to as Concern) is Ireland's largest aid and humanitarian agency. Since its foundation 50 years ago it has worked in 50 countries. According to its latest annual report, Concern helped 28.6 million of the world's ...

. In May 2020, EEPA/Advisors had three part-time employees and in January 2021, EEPA/Africa had seven part-time employees. Neither had persons accredited to access the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...

(EP). Eritrean human rights lawyer Daniel Mekonnen states that he worked for EEPA/Africa during 2016–2018.

Aims

EEPA/Advisors describes its aims as influencing European foreign policy supporting development and human rights. EEPA/Africa describes it aims as using research and distribution of information to promote

and justice in Africa, especially in the

and North Africa, and by influencing

(EU) actions and policy towards Africa.

Actions

EEPA/Africa published daily ''situation reports'' on the Tigray conflict starting on 17 December 2020. Its 18 December report stated that the

Negash Negash is a village in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, which straddles the Adigrat to Mekelle road north of Wukro. It is located in Wukro woreda. History Negash is considered to be the earliest Muslim settlement in Africa; a cemetery from ...

mosque had been "first bombed and later looted by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops".

References

External links

* {{official website Horn of Africa Non-governmental organizations