ASFE Association, always by your side when abroad

France is dismayed by the announcement that Russia has added the NGO Reporters sans frontières (Reporters without Borders - RSF) to its list of “undesirable organizations.” This decision is part of the Russian authorities' campaign of repression against all critical voices, in absolute defiance of the freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
France calls for the immediate, unconditional release of all those who are being persecuted on political grounds and calls on Russia to abide by its (…)

France strongly condemns the destruction by the Israeli authorities of a school under construction in the north of the West Bank, funded by the French Development Agency in conjunction with the European Union. We are holding the Israeli authorities to account for this demolition.
The school, being built as part of the French Development Agency's rural development programme, was soon due to house some 100 Palestinian children.
This is the second demolition of a project financed by the (…)

Four years after the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, France reaffirms its solidarity with Afghan people and its determination to activate all the levers it has available to improve the fate of the Afghan population. The decisions taken by the Taliban over the past year demonstrate once again their flagrant disrespect for the obligations set by the United Nations Security Council in its resolution 2593 in 2021 – obligations which France will continue to call on the Taliban to honour. (…)

France utterly condemns the Israeli authorities' decision to validate the E1 settlement plan, which provides for the construction of more than 3,000 homes to the east of Jerusalem.
France calls on Israel to abandon the plan, which constitutes a serious violation of international law. Its implementation would cut the West Bank in two and seriously endanger the two-state solution, which alone is capable of guaranteeing lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians.
France (…)

As fighting continues unabated in North Darfur, Sudan, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped in and around the city of El Fasher besieged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). All trade routes and supply lines have been cut off, and humanitarian organisations have been unable to deliver lifesaving aid for over a year. Even communal kitchens, which have been feeding civilians across the country on the frontline of the humanitarian response, have had to shut down due to food shortages. (…)

The Israeli government's recent announcement that it would pursue a military occupation of northern Gaza would be both rash and disastrous if implemented, and the Israeli hostages and Gaza's civilian populations would once again be its primary victims.
In order to avoid that situation, at the UN Conference in late July the signatory countries of the New York Declaration expressed their support for the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission whose aim would be to ensure (…)

France condemns the Israeli strike that killed a team of journalists from the Al Jazeera news channel who were doing their job of reporting the news in the Gaza Strip.
France expresses its deep concern over the heavy toll paid by journalists in Gaza. Since the start of the conflict, more than 200 have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.
France reiterates its commitment to the freedom of the press, the freedom of speech and the protection of journalists and media professionals. Journalists (…)

Negotiations between the two parties continue, with the coordinated support of France and the United States.
As it pledged at the Paris Conference on Syria last February, France remains invested in a peaceful transition process that makes it possible to build a free, united, sovereign, stable, inclusive Syria that is fully integrated in its regional environment.
To that end, we and our American partners are engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the representatives of northeastern Syria and (…)

Joint statement on behalf of 29 partners on aid to Gaza and restrictions facing NGOs
The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation. Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised.
However, due to restrictive new registration requirements, essential international NGOs may be forced to leave the OPTs imminently which would worsen the humanitarian (…)

Joint statement delivered by Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, Slovenian Permanent Representative to the UN, on behalf of Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.
We, the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Greece and Slovenia, have called for today's urgent meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Gaza. We condemn the Government of Israel's decision to further expand its military operations in Gaza.
This plan risks violating international humanitarian law. We call on (…)