This year’s EU Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World is looking back at a year that has been remarkable for the persistence and variety of conflicts, and for widespread shifts away from an international rules-based order to one based on autocratic power, where self-interest takes precedence over solidarity.

The European Union promoted concrete action to strengthen global cybersecurity during the first substantive Plenary of the United Nations Global Mechanism on Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace, held from 20 to 24 July in New York.

As the threat from violent extremism is ongoing, fighting terrorism is one of the top priorities for EU member states and its partners.

The European Union is a reliable partner in worldwide efforts for arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.