Graça Machel added that a country’s freedom is not only a political issue, but also arises when people are freed from illiteracy, disease and poverty.

Mozambique’s former Minister of Education and founder of the Graça Machel Trust therefore insisted that development policies must be focused on the protection of women and children and based on educating and empowering women in economics and knowledge.

 Machel added that “in the twenty-first century, humanity is facing a paradox: we know virtually in real time what is happening on the other side of the world and such a high level of shared knowledge should bring us closer together and help us to develop the values of mutual respect and acceptance, regardless of how we dress or what religion we adhere to. We must guarantee and defend human dignity in every human being. In the twenty-first century we should champion and explore ways of cooperating and not ways of exploiting one another”.

 This afternoon Graça Machel will open the 2105 FPdGi Awards ceremony, which will be presided by Their Majesties King Felipe and Queen Letizia.

Machel will converse with journalist Xavier Aldekoa, who is correspondent to several African countries and author of the book Océano África.