Presentation of the French Republic's Human Rights Prize (Paris, December 12, 2013)
DRC – Action by MONUSCO (UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo)
European Union – Appointment of Ms. Danièle Nouy as head of the European Central Bank's Supervisory Board (December 11, 2013)
Presentation of the French Republic's Human Rights Prize (Paris, December 12, 2013)
Mr. Thierry Repentin, Minister Delegate for European Affairs, today presented in Paris the French Republic's Human Rights Prize for 2013. This prize, awarded by the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, is designed to pay tribute to the actions and projects on the ground aimed at promoting and protecting human rights. It involves our entire diplomatic network, which gathers nominations and identifies candidates from all over the world.
Five associations have been distinguished this year:
- Indigenous Social Justice (Australia): support for families of Aboriginal detainees who have died in prison;
- Grandir dignement (Madagascar): treatment of juvenile detainees in the region of Diego;
- Civic Assistance Committee (Russia): protection of women persecuted in Chechnya and Dagestan;
- Sabah (Sudan): protection of the rights of children in detention in Khartoum;
- Chadian Association for Non-violence (Chad): support for displaced populations in Dobeme (Logone Oriental).
France commends the action of these associations and pays tribute to the exemplary commitment of their members in support of human rights.
DRC – Action by MONUSCO (UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo)
France reaffirms its support for MONUSCO in its efforts to help the Congolese armed forces combat the armed group belonging to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.
MONUSCO operates in the eastern part of the DRC in accordance with the mandate set out in UNSCR 2098. Its operations contribute effectively to restoring the authority of the Congolese state throughout the territory and to protecting the civilian populations, who have suffered abuse for far too long. They also help to ensure progress toward peace, in accordance with the Addis Ababa Agreement.
We again commend the resolute commitment of Mr. Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC, to implementing, in an impartial manner, MONUSCO’s mandate.
European Union – Appointment of Ms. Danièle Nouy as head of the European Central Bank's Supervisory Board (December 11, 2013)
We welcome the appointment of our compatriot, Danièle Nouy, as head of the European Central Bank's Supervisory Board, a new organization tasked with overseeing the banks in the euro zone. She will have the primary responsibility of performing the stress tests on banks in 2014.
The European Parliament’s approval of her appointment at the summit on euro zone banking supervision justifies the importance we attach to this future mechanism, which should be fully operational by November 2014. Ms. Danièle Nouy will have all the legitimacy she needs to perform the banking oversight tasks, given her career in the Banque de France, where she most recently served as secretary general.
The single supervision mechanism, adopted on October 15, is the first pillar of the Banking Union. It demonstrates our desire to harmonize the functioning of our financial systems by placing solidarity and the protection of the citizen at the heart of this project. Our goal, which has already been stated at previous European Councils, is now the completion of the banking union by the end of the parliamentary term, notably through the adoption of a single resolution system. The EU finance ministers should reach an agreement on this point in the near future.
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