On the Nobel Peace Prize laureates: Statement by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso

EU News 408/2014

European Council
The President
STATEMENT
EUCO 204/14
PRESSE 514
PR PCE 179
Brussels, 10 October 2014

We wholeheartedly congratulate Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi - the winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

Today's decision pays tribute to the undisputable right to education for all children, equal rights for women and the important campaign against their oppression.

We are delighted for Malala, who so courageously stood up for her rights and paid a high price for something that many in our countries take for granted. But we cannot forget the millions of other children around the world who are denied their right to education. This is a victory for all of them. Young boys and girls who aspire to learning.

And we are delighted for Kailash Satyarthi, who staunchly has advocated children' rights across the globe. As the first donor of development aid worldwide, the EU and its member states have constantly worked to root out poverty, one of the prime causes of child labour.

The decision equally sends a strong message to those who try to impeach on the fundamental right to education, by violence, suppression and cowardly threats.

But Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi will not be threatened and neither will the European Union. We urge all leaders worldwide to redouble their efforts for the education of all children and to intensify the fight against poverty.

The European Union, when it received the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize with gratitude and humility, decided to use the award money precisely for this purpose by dedicating it to children in conflict zones under the EU's Children of Peace initiative.

Source and additional information:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/145051.pdf

• Tweet