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François Bayrou devrait quitter Matignon à l’issue du vote de confiance le 8 septembre. La classe politique se divise sur la suite à donner aux événements.

Is the EU doing a good job? MEPs will review current challenges and plans to tackle them with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 10 September.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The Russian leader has, however, drawn a red line on Ukraine’s NATO membership, a position he has repeatedly underlined

Die rentenpolitische Debatte ist seit Jahren von Schwarz-Weiß-Denken, Alarmismus und moralischen Schlagworten geprägt. Das erschwert eine nüchterne Auseinandersetzung mit den realen Herausforderungen, die der Renteneintritt der Babyboomer unweigerlich mit sich bringt. Prognosen aus dem ...

The verdict follows a string of arrests of opposition leaders, rights activists and journalists, raising concern among Western allies

Frankreich, Großbritannien und Kanada wollen Palästina als Staat anerkennen. Sollte Deutschland ihnen folgen?

596977 OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Christophe Kamp (second from left) in North Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, accompanied by the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Gerard McGurk (second from right), 27 August 2025. OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Respecting and promoting language rights critical to building a sustainable, multiethnic society, says OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities in Prishtinë/Priština The Lund Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Public Life The Graz Recommendations on Access to Justice and National Minorities The Oslo Recommendations regarding the Linguistic Rights of National Minorities

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Christophe Kamp visited Kosovo from 25 to 29 August 2025, where he met with the authorities in Prishtinë/Priština. He also met representatives of non-majority communities, religious leaders and civil society organizations, as well as members of the international community.

The High Commissioner visited Prishtinë/Priština, Gjilan/Gnjilane, Parteš/Partesh, North Mitrovicë/Mitrovica and Gračanica/Gracanicë. Among others, he met with President Vjosa Osmani, Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Acting Minister of Communities and Returns Nenad Rasic, Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Sveçla and Kosovo Police Director Gazmend Hoxha. He heard from political parties and civil society organizations representing non-majority communities and had an exchange of views with Bishop Teodosije. He also met senior officials from the European Union Rule of Law Mission, the Kosovo Force and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.  

Kamp had the opportunity to gain first-hand insights into matters of relevance to his mandate on the situation of non-majority communities in Kosovo, including their participation in public life, as well as rule of law issues and language rights. While in the north of Kosovo, the High Commissioner was able to focus on the dynamics there and their effects on residents from all communities, particularly Kosovo Serbs.

In his engagements, the High Commissioner emphasized the need for meaningful dialogue and consultations with non-majority communities on issues affecting them and the importance of their effective participation in public life.

The office of the HCNM has been engaged in Kosovo on the implementation of the framework of language rights for several years, and during this visit Kamp met with the Rector of the University of Prishtinë/Priština to discuss the status of the Balkanistics Programme. 

The visit was organized with the support of and in close co-operation with the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

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Après avoir retiré ses hélicoptères de reconnaissance et d’attaque OH-58D Kiowa du service sans avoir pu les remplacer, l’aviation légère de l’US Army [US Army Aviation Branch] s’apprête à en faire autant avec ses 152 derniers AH-64D Apache, ce qui se traduira par la dissolution [ou la transformation] de onze escadrons répartis entre les 6th...

Cet article L’aviation légère de l’US Army démontre la capacité de l’hélicoptère d’attaque AH-64E à abattre des drones est apparu en premier sur Zone Militaire.

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ANALYSE - Plusieurs projets de loi, notamment budgétaires, devaient être débattus à l’Assemblée nationale ces prochaines semaines. Des textes, qui, en cas d’absence du gouvernement, resteront en suspens.

Keeping the Pretoria Agreement in a comatose state should not be seen as an end in itself.

Indigenous People’s Celebration in Canada. Photo courtesy of Chrystal Tabobandung

By Randa El Ozeir
TORONTO, Sep 2 2025 (IPS)

If European colonialism had never happened in Canada, matriarchy would still have been strong in Indigenous culture. Matriarchy was the backbone of society’s structure and line of dominance in Turtle Island (North America) before the arrival of Westerners.

In practice, Indigenous women in Canada have been victims of violence and discrimination. In theory, they were supposed, along with children, to enjoy full protection, as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) states in article 22.

“Traditional knowledge would be whole and complete. Our languages, ceremonies, governance systems, planet health, communities, cosmologies, land practices, water preservation, and harvesting practices would be alive and well,” says Anishinaabe Ancestral Knowledge Keeper Kim Wheatley, “Head/Leader of the Fireflower,” the Spirit name she carries.

The female role and influence in traditional Native American culture were powerful and pivotal. Wheatley cites how women’s main duty, “like all community members, was to live in harmony with creation, a life of committed purpose and passion based on the gifts they arrived with from the spirit world. Women were hunters, foragers, medicine folks, healers, educators, leaders, artists, fishers, ceremonialists, singers, dancers, artists, and governance holders—really the societal glue on how to provide for the greater good. They were the ones who made the big long-term decisions for the communities they were responsible for.”

Anishinaabe Ancestral Knowledge Keeper Kim Wheatley.

The story of Indigenous women in Canada is considerably incompatible with what Disney World tried to twist and distort in its popular animation “Pocahontas.” Chrystal Tabobandung, Founder of RAISE Indigenous cultural awareness and competence training with Ojibwe roots, sees the “hatred of white women towards us, as if we were less. We have been kicked out of our homes. We are suffering today and being sexualized by men and social media. Historically, white women envied us because of the roles we held in our communities and our traditional ways.”

This is where the impact of colonialism has come in, right from earlier contact, and changed over time. Women in Europe were not to be seen, not to be heard. They were in the background, and they were very resentful at the fact that, here, Indigenous women had a voice, a seat at the table to make decisions regarding safety, child rearing, politics, and even where to camp.”

Socio-Economic Inequality

The effect of the forced Western social and business model has shattered too many Indigenous communities, and the shift to a Western male-dominant lifestyle has altered the whole picture.

Wheatley believes that over the last 150 years, “The foundation of species became a risk. The destruction of lands and waters through endless resource extraction, racism, misogyny, the vulgarity of political decision-making on women’s bodies, the ever-rising violence against women and girls, and the list goes on and on. We see a dramatic disparity in the socio-economic realities. Our People have vast, complex political systems, governance structures, balanced leadership models, extraordinary, vibrant trade practices, endless creativity, and intimate relationships to lands and waters. Deep moral teachings that contribute to the greater good based on long-standing visioning practices.”

While women can and do run for leadership roles, the colonial system does not support traditional governance and practices. The Indian Act is still law in Canada and is one of the recognized leading racist legal documents in the world. This Act oversees how and what a First Nation community can do within reserve confines and what happens when you leave.”

Chrystal Tabobandung, Founder of RAISE Indigenous cultural awareness.

The differences among Indigenous women vary according to their distinct nations. In Canada, there are over 630 recognized First Nations communities.

“Our nations’ women do things differently based on nation-to-nation teachings that are tied to tradition and culture as opposed to roles,” explains Tabobandung. “There are so many divergent oppressive systems that disconnect them.

They do not necessarily work together, but regarding huge social issues, like murdered and missing Indigenous women and sex trafficking, they do come together. They are active in marches and rallies. They stand up against injustices and reconnect with their tradition and their culture. The more voices that are coming out, the more people feel courageous, strong, and able to come forth with their personal experiences.”

How does lack of access to safe drinking water affect Indigenous women? According to Wheatley, “The water crisis in First Nations communities is under-recognized as a continuous assault on a basic human right. Women who live off-reserve have greater opportunities for employment, housing, and other socio-economic possibilities that simply are not available on many reserves for a wide variety of reasons. Educational facilities are far more accessible, along with social services that are integral to supporting families.”

“The proximity of travel to/from work, social gatherings, support spaces, cultural activities, educational options, and greater social interactions are much more accessible in urban areas,” continues Wheatley. “This contributes to a greater sense of well-being. In small towns, racism may not support greater opportunities, but in cities with larger populations, the odds increase in a woman’s favor.”

Reconciliation and Preserving People’s Culture

In her opinion, Wheatley sees that the Truth and Reconciliation Report was a gift to Canadians, challenging their comfort in historic amnesia and continued ignorance of cultural genocide committed by the highest leadership in this country.

“Anytime we have a voice from ‘our people’ to say how we need to look at restitution and restoration of our sovereignty, it is the right path. We do not need to be told how to heal… We need to tell the country how to support our healing. This is what the report does beautifully. It is as comprehensive as the country can digest at this time and yet… few of the ‘calls to action’ have been addressed meaningfully to date.”

Ten years have passed, yet not much has changed, Wheatley adds.

“This country has continuously operated under the fallacy of the Doctrine of Discovery and theft of land that was never theirs to take.”

The Western Eurocentric perspective has been imposed even on terminology and on what an Indigenous person uses. Tabobandung says, “Only in the past couple of generations have we empowered our children to have voices and ask questions. I grew up in a smaller town where colonialism impacted us, but we were still able to carry down our teachings and our stories. People who have been removed from their culture or have become disconnected in any way wouldn’t know these teachings.”

In British Columbia, Indigenous people are knowledgeable about their culture.

“They really project the importance of their Indigenous women,” says Wheatley. “If there is any movement for any Indigenous or Aboriginal rights to change in the court system, it will take place in precedence in British Columbia and will set that precedent for all other nations across Canada.”

Is There a Way Out?

Wheatley believes the solution between the government and Indigenous people has not been prioritized. “

Hence, Third World conditions exist as a norm in many [Indigenous] communities. To reconcile the crimes of the past in Canada, the perpetrators need to take responsibility, but that continues to be a threat to colonial intrusion and imposition on lands that are rightfully ours!”

Everyone takes Reconciliation differently.

Tabobandung heard different voices; some people are more extreme than others. On the ground, the fait accompli is that Indigenous people, Westerners, and other immigrants are practically sharing their lives on Turtle Island.

Tabobandung finds herself in the middle

“You have this Western business, social, and political model, and your model. How would you balance this? Many First Nations people have had this difficulty, especially those who come from Northern rural, remote communities. You have to know who you are and have deep roots. It is really hard to make that transition, especially in the Western Eurocentric system, where they want to get rid of us; they want to integrate us into the Westernized society so that we don’t exist anymore. Some get to a point where they find peace and balance.”

“I am Anishinaabe. I am Ojibwe. I refuse to acknowledge myself as Indigenous, First Nation, or Aboriginal,” says Tabobandung. “Our people are older than the terminologies the federal government imposed upon us. I walk softly and gently upon the earth. Culture has saved me, knowing that I am First Peoples to this land, in this territory, and knowing that a system is trying to annihilate my people, and knowing that I am still here thriving and surviving.”

This is what motivates her.

“It is why I walk with my head held high. It is why I educate myself as much as I can on anything. I paint indigenous paintings and do indigenous art to pass that knowledge down.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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