Africa Day 2026 - Saturday November 21st

As global power dynamics evolve and some donors retreat, health diplomacy is playing an increasingly vital role in strengthening collaboration between Africa and Europe. This session examines how resilient health systems, equitable partnerships, and collaborative preparedness efforts can enhance collective health security. Drawing on lessons from Uganda’s adaptable surveillance systems, the Netherlands’ recognition that international health directly impacts domestic well-being, and the understanding that defense alone cannot ensure safety, the discussion will emphasize the interdependence of diplomacy, development, and security in global health. 

The current global context is marked by increasing complexity, unpredictability, and volatility. Geopolitical tensions, economic disruptions, and overlapping global crises have exposed the vulnerabilities of existing development finance frameworks. These challenges underscore the urgent need to forge new, strategic partnerships for development financing, including through cooperation between African countries and the European Union.

This side event explored how to ensure that Global Gateway and similar strategies meet the full scope of their ambition, with a specific focus on perspectives and priorities from African countries.

The global shift to reduce carbon emissions and change to renewable energy is driving a rapidly growing demand for critical minerals like cobalt, copper, and lithium. Many of these are excavated in African countries. Good news? Join our inspiring and knowledgeable panellists to explore who benefits from the scramble for critical minerals in African countries. We will explore different levels of benefits and costs, from local to global. Linking the small-scale and artisanal mining sector in Zambia to research on the social impact of critical minerals mining and the policies and practices needed for a responsible energy transition, the just transition requires action on all levels.

Attend a LIVE podcast recording and ask your questions to Mpanzu Bamenga! Jos Hummelen (The Africast) will talk with him about his personal book “Dromen van mijn zus” (“Dreams of My Sister”) — a conversation on hope, equality, and the future of international cooperation.

Please note: the main guest of this session has changed. Unfortunately, Jan Pronk will not be present this year. The conversation with him will still take place and can be listened to later via this link.

As the global landscape continues to evolve, multilateral cooperation faces increasing challenges. This session examines African and European perspectives on the current state and future of multilateral collaboration, as well as Africa’s role in it. Can we reimagine a multilateral system that is more inclusive, representative, and effective?

Speakers: Steven Collet (deputy Director-General for International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Murithi Mutiga (Program Director, Africa of International Crisis Group), Noor Cornelissen (moderator)

It is an understatement to say that the space for civil society is shrinking worldwide. Every year, the world map turns a little redder in the overviews of organisations such as Freedom House and Civicus, which monitor civil society space. This year, the Advisory Council on International Affairs published a report with the telling title “Shrinking civil society space: freedom and security under pressure”. This does not only concern countries in the global south. Fundamental freedoms are also under pressure in Europe and North America. Civicus now also describes the situation in the Netherlands as “narrowed” and points to the restriction of the right to demonstrate and the Transparency of Civil Society Organisations Act (WTMO) as problematic, among other things.

This session will focus on what it means in concrete terms for organisations and their employees on the African continent when space “shrinks”. But also how we could reclaim this space.