Australia – Catherine Colonna’s visit to Australia (December 4-5, 2023)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna will visit Australia on December 4 and 5. Following on from ministerial consultations held in the 2+2 format on January 30, and ahead of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations, this visit represents an important step toward rebuilding the French-Australian partnership.

In Canberra, the minister and her Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, will adopt a bilateral road map based on the three pillars announced by President Macron and the Australian Prime Minister in the joint statement they issued in Paris on July 1, 2022: defense and security, resilience and climate action, and education and culture.

At the National Press Club of Australia, the minister will elaborate upon the “Pacific” aspect of the Indo-Pacific strategy presented by President Macron in the speech he gave in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on July 27. She will present the ambitions we have for our partnership with Australia in the region.

She will also have a meeting with representatives of the National Archives of Australia, the National Library of Australia, and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies on the subject of records relating to the d’Entrecasteaux expedition (1791-1794), which are held at the National Archives of Australia,

In Melbourne, the minister will inaugurate two flagship projects that are part of the French-Australian road map. The first of these two projects, at Swinburne University of Technology, relates to the energy transition, and the second one, at the National Gallery of Victoria, is cultural in nature.

Global Health – World AIDS Day (December 1, 2023)

On the occasion of World AIDS day, France reaffirms its longstanding commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS. A founding member of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, established in 2002, France – which together with Brazil spearheaded the establishment of Unitaid in 2006 – was one of the very first countries to lead an international effort based on the values of solidarity and universal access to treatment, accompanied by a financial effort commensurate with the challenges involved.

While considerable progress has been made over the past 30 years, France deplores the fact that in 2022, more than 630,000 people died from HIV-related causes and 1.3 million people contracted HIV.

Against this backdrop, France calls on all international stakeholders to step up their efforts to end this pandemic by 2030, in keeping with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

For its part, France is maintaining its resolute commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS:

• as the second-largest provider of funds, historically, to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, with nearly €6.7 billion provided to date, and an unprecedented contribution of €1.6 billion for 2023-2025.
• through its support for civil society organizations, notably by funding 20% of L’Initiative for 2023-3035. This program operates in 40 of the most vulnerable countries.
• as the largest donor to Unitaid. France funds 56% of its efforts to promote innovative treatments, diagnosis and prevention.

This multilateral, solidarity-based approach is central to the French Global Health Strategy for 2023-2027 released in Lyon this past October by Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna together with Minister of Health and Prevention Aurélien Rousseau and Minister of Higher Education and Research Sylvie Retailleau.

Horn of Africa – Flooding (December 1, 2023)

In the wake of the strong rains and flooding that affected several countries in the Horn of Africa, leaving several hundred people dead and more than a million displaced, France offers its condolences to the victims’ families. It offers its heartfelt solidarity to Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, which were particularly impacted by these disasters.

Russia – France condemns the Russian Supreme Court’s addition of the “international LGBT movement” to the list of extremist organizations (December 1, 2023)

France strongly condemns the Russian Supreme Court’s addition of the “international LGBT movement” to its list of extremist organizations. This exposes members of associations that defend the rights of LGBT+ people to criminal prosecution and significant prison sentences.

This decision is the latest serious, unacceptable violation of human rights in Russia. It deprives LGBT+ people of the few ways they still have to protect their rights, following the recent toughening of laws against them.

France expresses its full support for LGBT+ people facing state-sponsored homophobia in Russia, based on despicable propaganda.

As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna announced in September, France has set up a €2 million fund to provide support to those who defend the rights of LGBT+ people. France reiterates its commitment to the universal decriminalization of homosexuality, the defense of LGBT+ rights and the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.