EU Parliament: the second "Week for life"The second "Week for Life", whose program is being drafted, will take place March 26-29. The initiative is co-organised by MEPs and COMECE (Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community) and will take place in the premises of the European Parliament in Brussels). A dedicated website enables participants’ registration and information (http://weekforlife2012.blogspot.com/). Various themes will be addressed by experts and by politicians representing civil society organizations from various countries. The item on the agenda of March 26 is the fight against cancer and the developments of palliative treatments. The following day will be discussed "sexual and reproductive health" in developing countries. On March 28 participants will delve into bioethical challenges and stem cell research in the framework of Horizon 2020, the EU research program for the period 2014-2020. Finally, the European Congress for Life will take place on March 29: members of civil society, pro-life associations and NGOs will hold debates with MEPs and experts. UNICEF and the EU Commission combat female mutilations Reducing traditional harmful practices and changing social norms and attitudes to end female genital mutilation in African countries is the purpose of a UNICEF project supported by the EU Commission. According to a report presented in the framework of International Woman’s Day the project has already delivered results. The project was carried out in Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Senegal and Sudan to step up public awareness through grassroot education programmes in schools and local communities, and encouraging large-scale discussion and national debate. Senegal, "where 28% of women aged 15-49 have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, astonishing progress has been made": in less than a decade over 5,300 communities have abandoned the practice, bringing the country "close to becoming the first in the world to declare total abandonment, expected by 2015". Encouraging data was brought also for the other countries involved in the UNICEF program, which "contributed to the spread of information on the psychological and physical consequences" of such practice, that violates fundamental human rights. Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs said: “I find it totally unacceptable that in the 21st century, this practice", that causes permanent damage, and is carried out even on girls aged 11-12, "is still taking place". According to the EU 3 million young girls in Africa and Asia risk being mutilated each year. Football players, FAO and the EU partners to save lives in the Sahel "To help hunger’s victims" in the Sahel region and "put them back on the path to self-sufficiency" is the objective of the "Together We Can Save Lives" campaign, kicked off by the European Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Association for European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL). The highlight of the campaign, that includes conferences, football matches, field visits, actions at fairs, exhibitions – is the European Match Day Against Hunger which will take place in 15 European countries on 31 March and 1 April – the 20th anniversary of ECHO, the European Commission’s humanitarian aid department when 20 European football leagues in matches played by over 300 professional football clubs will recall the ongoing campaign. Among the campaign’s Goodwill Ambassadors figure the renown Spanish football star Raúl Gonzalez Blanco, EPFL and English Premier League Chairman Sir David Richards, Spanish “La Liga” President José Luis Astiazarán and German “Bundesliga” Board Member and Foundation President Tom Bender. "Urgent action is needed in the Sahel where millions of people are facing hunger", they wrote in a joint message. The Commission intends to raise public awareness and bring aid to Burkina Faso, Ciad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, where famine risks causing hundreds of thousands of victims. Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said: "The European Commission is already engaged in the immediate response needed to avert a devastating food crisis that could affect nearly 12 million people in theSahelregion. Our alliance with the world’s most popular game and a trusted partner like FAO will stress the urgency to bring life-saving relief".
