Africa

General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock of Germany addresses the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women. Only the fifth woman to preside over the UN General Assembly in its 80-year history, she praised the courage of those “who fought for every phrase, every word in the Beijing Declaration,” marking the 30th Anniversary of the pivotal international conference on women’s empowerment. Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe

By Shihana Mohamed
NEW YORK, Sep 29 2025 (IPS)

In her opening statement, Annalena Baerbock (Germany), President of the 80th UN General Assembly, only the fifth female to hold this position over 80 years, stated, “Our future as an institution will also be shaped by the selection of the next Secretary-General. And here we must pause and reflect. In nearly eighty years, this Organization has never chosen a woman for that role. One might wonder how out of four billion potential candidates, there could not be found a single one. … Like 80 years ago, we are standing at a crossroads.”

As the United Nations approaches its next appointment of a Secretary-General in 2026, the world is rallying behind a long-overdue milestone: the possibility of a woman leading the UN for the first time in its 80-year history. The momentum is undeniable.

Civil society campaigns like “1 for 8 Billion” are gaining traction, and 92 Member States have expressed strong support for a woman Secretary-General, with 28 of them formally called for female candidates. This is more than a symbolic gesture—it is a chance to reshape global leadership.

This moment is not just politically significant — it is foundational. The UN Charter, adopted in 1945, enshrines gender equality at its core, pledging “faith in fundamental human rights… and the equal rights of men and women.” That promise must now be fulfilled not only in principle but in practice.

But as the spotlight intensifies on the quest for a female Secretary-General, another critical issue risks fading into the shadows: the dilution of the UN Women mandate. This paradox must be addressed head-on. Because, while breaking the glass ceiling at the top is vital, it means little if the institution responsible for advancing women’s rights across the globe is quietly losing its power.

Empowering Women globally: UN Women’s Unique Mandate

The creation of UN Women was the culmination of years of negotiations among Member States and advocacy by the global women’s movement. In July 2010, the UN General Assembly unanimously voted to establish a new, dynamic UN Entity – UN Women – to strengthen, accelerate, and elevate the UN’s efforts in promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality. Then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the decision, calling it “a truly watershed day”.

UN Women was formed by consolidating four UN entities dedicated to gender equality: the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI), and the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW).

UN Women was designed to be a force multiplier—mainstreaming women’s rights across peace building, development, and human rights.

Over 15 years, UN Women has brought unmatched expertise and coordination to the global stage—supporting inclusive policies, empowering grassroots movements, and embedding gender equality across UN initiatives. From ending gender-based violence to advancing women’s leadership, it has become a driving force for transformative change.

Yet today, it faces chronic underfunding, limited political influence, and a shrinking mandate. In many cases, it is treated as a symbolic entity rather than a strategic one.

Merging at a Cost: Diluting UN Women’s Mandate

Now, a new proposal within the broader UN80 reform agenda threatens to further dilute the impact of UN Women: the potential merger of UN Women with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

While both agencies work on overlapping issues, particularly around reproductive health and women’s rights, their mandates are distinct. UN Women focuses on systemic change, policy advocacy, and institutional reform towards advancing the status of women and girls across the world. UNFPA, by contrast, centers on sexual and reproductive health and population dynamics.

A merger could offer some operational benefits such as streamlined programming, reduced administrative overhead, and stronger coordination in areas like gender-based violence. It might even amplify advocacy efforts where reproductive health and women’s rights intersect. But these gains come with serious risks and irreversible consequences.

This merger proposal has raised concerns among civil society groups and gender equality advocates like me, who fear that merging UN Women with a more service-oriented agency like UNFPA could dilute its policy leadership and weaken its systemic mandate.

If the merger is rushed or imposed from the top, decades of institutional knowledge, technical expertise, and trusted partnerships— built separately by UN Women and UNFPA—could be lost. It risks sidelining UN Women’s policy leadership, weakening its accountability role, and shifting resources from structural change to service delivery. In short, it could turn a transformative agenda into a technocratic one.

Consolidating mandates could increase political vulnerability, leaving contentious issues like abortion and comprehensive sexuality education more exposed to donor-driven political interference and budget cuts.

Women-led organizations, already under strain from funding challenges, could face further instability. Additionally, while aimed at improving efficiency, the merger risks increasing bureaucracy and coordination costs.

This is not just an internal UN issue — it is a global one. Women’s rights are foundational to solving the world’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to conflict resolution.

Championing a female Secretary-General while weakening UN Women sends a dangerous message: that representation at the top is enough, even when institutions lack the power to drive real change.

Beyond Rhetoric: Toward Real Change

At the opening of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2025, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres acknowledged the urgency of the moment, warning: “Women’s rights are under siege. The poison of patriarchy is back—and it is back with a vengeance.

Slamming the brakes on action; tearing-up progress; and mutating into new and dangerous forms. But there is an antidote. That antidote is action. Now is the time for those of us who care about equality for women and girls to stand up and to speak out.”

This call to action should not be ignored. The antidote is not only symbolic leadership—it is institutional strength. To ensure that the UN’s commitment to women’s rights is not reduced to symbolism, the following steps are essential:

Safeguard UN Women’s Autonomy

Any restructuring must preserve UN Women’s distinct mandate. Mergers that dilute its policy leadership or reduce its visibility must be rejected. Women’s empowerment is not a subset of health—it is a global priority.

Strengthen Funding and Influence: Member States must increase core funding for UN Women and support its integration across all UN agencies. Political backing must match rhetorical support.

Institutionalize Feminist Leadership: The next Secretary-General—especially if she is a woman, as we strongly hope—must champion feminist principles in practice. That means elevating UN Women, embedding gender analysis across UN operations, securing its resources, and holding the system accountable for tangible results.

Mobilize Civil Society: Feminist movements and grassroots organizations must remain vigilant to ensure that women’s empowerment is not reduced to optics or absorbed into narrower agendas. They are the watchdogs and visionaries of global gender justice. Their voices must shape reform—not be sidelined by it.

Demand Transparency in Reform: The UN80 Task Force and other reform bodies must engage openly with stakeholders. Decisions affecting UN Women’s future must be transparent, inclusive, and grounded in human rights—not just cost-efficiency.

The UN was founded on the promise of dignity and equality for all. That promise cannot be fulfilled by elevating one woman while sidelining the institution meant to empower millions.

The appointment of a female Secretary-General would be historic — but it must be matched by a commitment to strengthen UN Women. Its mandate must be protected, not merged, or diluted.

UN Women must lead. It must set the agenda, hold agencies accountable, and speak with authority and conviction for women and girls worldwide. The UN has a choice: treat women’s empowerment as transformative—or reduce it to a footnote.

Headlines make history visible. Institutions make it real. Now is the time to act. UN Women must be empowered.

Shihana Mohamed, a Sri Lankan national, is a founding member and Coordinator of the United Nations Asia Network for Diversity and Inclusion (UN-ANDI) and a US Public Voices Fellow with The OpEd Project and Equality Now on Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls. She is a dedicated human rights activist and a strong advocate for gender equality and the advancement of women.

She had the opportunity to work under the leadership of Ms. Angela King, the first Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Assistant Secretary-General (OSAGI). She also works in close partnership with UN Women as a member of the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality and the Global Gender Focal Points Network.

The author expresses her views in this article in an entirely unofficial, private, and personal capacity. These views do not reflect those of any organization.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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"The future is food, not a bad habit," horticulture specialist Clarence Mwale tells the BBC.

"The future is food, not a bad habit," horticulture specialist Clarence Mwale tells the BBC.

"The future is food, not a bad habit," horticulture specialist Clarence Mwale tells the BBC.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu breaks South Africa's individual scoring record with 37 points as they beat Argentina 67-30 to return to the top of the Rugby Championship.

Recruitment materials, travel documents, and job offer letters were seized during the raid.

"It feels good to be an inspiration," double Guinness World Record breaker Hilda Baci tells the BBC.

"It feels good to be an inspiration," double Guinness World Record breaker Hilda Baci tells the BBC.

"It feels good to be an inspiration," double Guinness World Record breaker Hilda Baci tells the BBC.

Credit: Forus - UN High-Level Political Forum 2025

By Sarah Strack and Christelle Kalhoulé
NEW YORK, Sep 26 2025 (IPS)

This September the UN turns 80, but the lessons of peace, justice, and cooperation are still unfinished. The world today faces the flames of inequality, conflict, ecological collapse and growing digital threats. In short, the very problems the UN was created to solve are once again staring us in the face.

That’s why the UN’s latest reform push, “UN80,” matters. Launched this spring, it promises to make the multilateral system more inclusive and accountable. But here’s the real question: can it align with 21st century’s needs? Will it be remembered as a budget drill or the start of a renewal that truly delivers for people where they live?

If this moment is going to count, three things must happen.

First, reforms must put people at the center, and we must avoid a reform by spreadsheet.

The UN is under financial strain. Geopolitical tensions are sky-high, negotiations are gridlocked, Member States are late on dues and membership fees, arrears run into the billions, and the UN’s mandate, efficiency, and effectiveness are under question.

“In a polycrisis world, shrinking the UN’s capacity is like cutting the fire brigade during wildfire season,” warns Christelle Kalhoulé, Forus Chair and civil society leader in Burkina Faso. “Reform cannot be about cutting corners. It must be about giving people the protection, rights, and solidarity they are being denied today.”

The UN80 Initiative marks the most sweeping reform effort in decades, with three tracks: streamlining services and consolidating IT and HR systems, reviewing outdated mandates, and exploring the consolidation of UN agencies into seven thematic “clusters.”

On paper, these reforms could bring overdue coherence. But the process has too often felt opaque, with key documents surfacing via leaks and staff unions flagging limited transparency and consultation.

Increasing the use of tools like AI is among the “solutions” being floated to “flag potential duplication” and shorten resolutions — yet without clear guardrails, there’s a risk of automating cuts and reinforcing bias rather than empowering people-first innovation. And the debate has too often been framed around cash flow, back payments, and cuts. The United States alone owes $1.5 billion in dues. Major donors are cutting ODA, and several UN humanitarian agencies are planning double-digit reductions in 2025 in their budgets.

As Arjun Bhattarai, Executive Director of the NGO Federation of Nepal warns: “Reform cannot be a synonym for austerity. Cutting budgets may make spreadsheets look tidy in New York, but it leaves communities in Kathmandu, Kampala, Khartoum, or Kyiv without support when they need it most.”

The danger is a reform focused on management efficiencies instead of reimagining what the UN must be to meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

Second, a better compass exists.

Despite its flaws, multilateralism remains indispensable. Without the UN, the world would be poorer when it comes to peace, cooperation, and collective problem-solving.

What makes the UN matter most, however, are not the halls of New York or Geneva, but the people and communities it exists to serve.

The UN was created “for the people and by the people”. Protecting, safeguarding and promoting healthy sustainable lives for communities must remain the core priority.

Our measure for reform is simple: a transformed UN must reduce inequalities, ensure fairer and more inclusive representation across its governance structures, deliver public goods fairly with accountability, and protect people better, faster, while safeguarding rights.

As Moses Isooba, Executive Director of the Uganda National NGO Forum, puts it: “A reformed UN must stand closer to the people than to the corridors of power. It must be measured not by the length of resolutions, but by the depth of hope it restores and the changes it makes for communities worldwide.”

If UN80 becomes a technocratic exercise in “doing less with less,” we will emerge with a smaller, weaker UN at precisely the moment we need it most.

If instead it becomes a justice-driven reimagining — linking architecture and finance to a clear vision of protection, equity, participation, and decentralization — it could renew the UN’s capacity to act as a backbone of international cooperation.

As Justina Kaluinaite, Policy and advocacy expert at the Lithuanian NGDO Platform, stresses: “The UN will survive another 80 years only if it learns to listen. True reform is not about doing more with less, but about doing better with those who have been left out.”

Third, put reforms through three simple tests.

When leaders meet in New York, we challenge them to have every reform proposal answering three questions:

1. The Inequality Question: Does this reform measurably narrow gaps — by income, gender, geography, or status — in who is protected and who benefits?

2. The Localisation Question: Does it move money, decisions, and accountability closer to communities, with transparent targets and timelines?

3. The Rights Question: Does it strengthen — not dilute — protection, gender equality, and human rights?

As Christelle Kalhoulé, sums it up: “The measure of UN80 should not be how much paper it saves, but how many lives it protects. History and the legacy we leave to future generations will not ask whether the UN balanced its budget in 2025; it will ask whether it stood with people.”

If leaders embrace this moment, the UN can emerge sharper, stronger, and more inclusive, with a justice-driven renewal of multilateralism, reclaiming its place as the backbone of global cooperation. If not, UN80 may go down in history as the moment when multilateralism chose retreat over renewal.

If UN80 is going to matter, it must prevent crises before they explode, deliver for both people and planet, give underrepresented countries and communities a real voice, keep civil society free and strong, and fix financing so money reaches those on the frontlines. The real test isn’t how tidy the org chart looks, it’s whether lives are saved, trust is rebuilt, and the UN proves it can still rise to the moment and be fit to serve this 21st century world.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Excerpt:

Sarah Strack is Forus Director and Christelle Kalhoulé is Forus Chair and civil society leader in Burkina Faso

Annalena Baerbock (centre), President of the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly, addresses the fourth UN High-Level Meeting on the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health (NCDs) titled “Equity and integration: transforming lives and livelihoods through leadership and action on noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and well-being. Credit: UN Photo/Eric Kanalstein

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 26 2025 (IPS)

World leaders convened in New York to deliberate over the efforts needed to address non-communicable diseases.

On September 25, the United Nations (UN) convened a high-level meeting on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and the promotion of mental health and well-being during the 80th session of the General Assembly (UNGA80).

Organized in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the conference brought together numerous heads of state and government, many of whom acknowledged that progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of reducing premature mortality from NCDs by one-third by 2030, will most likely not be achieved. Most participants also stressed the urgency of stronger global cooperation and financing to advance health promotion and disease prevention, while addressing the economic, social, and environmental factors driving premature NCD mortality.

According to figures from WHO, NCDs are the leading cause of premature deaths worldwide, claiming more than 43 million lives last year, with 18 million of these deaths occurring prematurely. Amina Mohammed, the Deputy-Secretary General of the UN, informed the panel that approximately one person under the age of 70 succumbs to an NCD every two seconds. Additionally, about 1 billion people globally live with mental health conditions and 2.8 billion more can’t afford a healthy diet. Roughly three-quarters of all NCD deaths are concentrated in low- and middle-income countries, with conflict and crisis-afflicted areas being the most vulnerable in the world.

“Every premature death from NCDs is lost potential,” said Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). “Every untreated mental health condition is a missed opportunity for inclusion and dignity. If we place solidarity, equity, and investment at the core of our response we can reverse current trends and ensure that NCDs and mental health conditions are no longer barriers to sustainable development, but drivers of shared progress for humanity.”

In recent years, progress in tackling NCDs and mental health challenges has slowed considerably, leading to the deepening of inequities around the world. In response, the UN announced three new targets: 150 million fewer global tobacco users, 150 million more people with access to mental health care, and 150 million more individuals with hypertension under control.

“To achieve these targets we must strengthen primary healthcare as the foundation of universal health coverage,” said Mohammed. “We must work across sectors and partners to address the social, economic, and environmental determinants and the market forces that shape how people live. We must elevate psychosocial care in crisis settings. We must place people living with NCDs at the center of our efforts. We must be accountable for our commitments.”

Several speakers highlighted systemic weaknesses in national health systems, particularly the misallocation of funding for response efforts. Many emphasized that a key priority for future NCD-response efforts should be greater investment in disease awareness and prevention rather than treatment. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever remarked that prevention places a far lighter burden on national budgets than treatment and delivers high returns on investment by reducing productivity losses and alleviating pressure on healthcare systems.

“We must remember that health does not start in clinics and hospitals. It starts in homes, schools, streets and workplaces,” said Director-General of WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “In the food people eat, the products they consume, the water they drink, the air they breathe, and the conditions in which they work.”

Additionally, mental health services remain particularly underfunded, with global expenditure averaging just USD 2 per capita, falling to below 25 cents per capita in some developing countries. Prime Minister of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka informed the panel that mental health challenges affect nearly every Fijian family, with trauma, stress, and substance abuse particularly concentrated among youth, significantly hindering social development.

“Mental illness is one of the most persistent NCDs yet too often it remains invisible,” said Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua. “Its burden on health productivity and dignity is greater than any other chronic illness but stigma silences voices and delays urgent care. We are focused on transforming mental health from a whispered concern to national priority moving from outdated institutions and practices to modernized education and collaborative partnership…Our government alone cannot solve this issue so we are using an all of society approach as we engage families, community associations, churches and regional neighbors.”

Prime Minister of the Bahamas Philip Davis underscored the vulnerability of healthcare systems in low-lying coastal communities, noting that a single hurricane can wipe out years of economic growth in parts of the Bahamas, severely undermining the capacity of health systems to respond when they are needed most. Moreover, limited funding and support for gender-specific research often leave women and girls—who are disproportionately affected by NCDs and mental health challenges in developing countries—overlooked in response efforts.

Several speakers also underscored the importance of promoting healthy lifestyle habits as a key strategy for controlling NCDs and improving mental health. For example, President of Suriname Jennifer Geerlings-Simons urged for stricter limits on screen time and social media usage, warning of their damaging effects on mental health and social development, particularly for young girls.

Glenn Micallef, the European Commission’s Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sports, emphasized the role of arts and culture in preventing and managing NCDs, noting their links to social cohesion, reduced loneliness, and improved mental wellbeing among young people. He also highlighted the potential of emerging tools such as artificial intelligence and digital assistive technologies to expand access to the arts.

Furthermore, another key aspect of the high-level meeting was to promote physical activity as a course of action against NCDs and mental health challenges. According to the President of the International Olympic Committee and double Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry, eighty percent of adolescents and one-third of adults are not doing enough physical activity, which risks 500 million new cases of preventable diseases by 2030.

Physical activity is recognized as one of the most effective, low-cost, and high-impact forms of disease prevention and mental health management, saving millions of lives each year. “At a young age I was diagnosed with asthma and my parents did not want to put me on the number of drugs that was recommended,” recalled Coventry. “We went to another doctor who suggested swimming, and it worked. It taught me how to control my breathing, how to grow my lung capacity, and I never had to go on the level of dosage that was recommended when I was 2 years old.”

“This multiplier effect is being recognized,” added Coventry. “Development banks worldwide have pledged ten billion dollars by 2030 for sport and sustainable development projects. Their commitment reflects a growing recognition that investing in sport can generate ripple effects for health, education, inclusion, youth empowerment and so much more.”

During the meeting, member states deliberated over a political declaration on NCDs and mental health. The text calls encourages stakeholders to fast-track efforts to accelerate progress on NCDs and mental health and identified clear goals to achieve by 2030, including reducing the premature NCD mortality rate by one-third, 150 million fewer people using tobacco and 150 million more people with hypertension. This declaration is also among the first to clearly include mental health in its language.

Although there was strong consensus for the declaration from member states and regional alliances, it ultimately failed to receive a formal endorsement by the end of the meeting, with some member states voicing their objection, including a veto from the United States. The declaration will now be put to vote at the General Assembly.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Charles Mwesigwa led a degrading network exploiting vulnerable women in glamorous parts of Dubai.

All boxing activities in Ghana are suspended following the death of super-middleweight Ernest Akushey 11 days after a bout in Accra.

All boxing activities in Ghana are suspended following the death of super-middleweight Ernest Akushey 11 days after a bout in Accra.

KS et KD / Conseil e.a.
Mission Eulex Kosovo : le Tribunal rejette le recours en indemnité dirigé contre des institutions et un organe de l’Union européenne

Zunaira, a UNICEF Youth Advocate, speaks at an event in UNICEF House at the sideline of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Credit: Tadej Znidarcic/UNICEF

By Naureen Hossain
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 26 2025 (IPS)

The UN General Assembly High-Level Week (22-30 September) has been an opportunity for the world to convene on the most pressing issues of the day, from multilateralism, global financing, gender equality, non-communicable diseases, and AI governance.

Climate change is also a key issue this year as countries present their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP30 in November. At this year’s Climate Summit, held on September 24, over 114 countries spoke at the General Assembly to present their NDCs before the UN Secretary-General and leaders from Brazil, the hosts of COP30.

While these climate action plans are an indication of their commitment to climate change, countries must go further demonstrate their commitment through action.

For some young people, like 15 year-old Zunaira, there is a disconnect between the statements made by leaders and the actions they actually take. Even in climate forums like COP29, “there [were] only policies made… only declarations made, but there [was] no real action.”

“In every country it’s like this, you know; they only speak empty words, and empty promises are made with us as young people and children,” she told IPS.

UNICEF‘s Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) measures the climate risk to children, focusing on both their exposure to climate and environmental hazards and their underlying vulnerability. The index evaluates 56 variables across 163 countries to determine which nations place children at the highest risk from climate impacts. It estimates that about 1 billion children currently reside in these high-risk countries. 

Zunaira believes that world governments and leaders need to include children’s voices and perspectives when planning effective climate policies. She observed that perhaps only three percent of the member states that attended COP29 actually included and listened to children’s voices in their policy discussions.

This is not a new demand either, as she remarked that other youth climate advocates have called for increased child engagement in previous conferences, but this was hardly reflected in negotiations.

Zunaira is in New York to participate in UNGA through UNICEF’s Youth Advocates Mobilization Lab, an initiative which recognizes the achievements of UNICEF’s youth advocates, providing child advocates the opportunity to network and share ideas and experiences.

UNICEF’S climate advocate, 15-year-old Zunaira, is with others during high-level discussions at UNGA80 in New York. Credit: UNICEF/Instagram

The 15 year-old climate advocate from the Balochistan province of Pakistan shared her research into the impacts of flooding on girls’ education, based on her experiences in 2022.

The 2022 Pakistan floods, which affected over 33 million people and killed 647 children, devastated communities that were not built to adapt to the extreme changes brought on by climate change. The link between extreme weather and climate change is apparent to Zunaira and other young people like her, even if some members in the community don’t recognize it right away and write it off as just a natural phenomenon.

Through a policy research programme hosted by UNICEF Pakistan, Zunaira investigated the impact of the floods on girls’ education when she was only 12 years old. She visited Sakran, one of the flood-prone areas in the state, where she interviewed people at a nearby village in the Hub district of Balochistan. Here she spoke to 15 secondary school-aged girls. She described how the devastation of the floods literally washed away the huts that used to be their schools.

According to UNICEF, her findings “highlighted that floods had exacerbated educational inequalities” and “[forced] girls into temporary shelters and disrupting their education.”

“The study also highlighted some promising interventions and called for better disaster preparedness in schools and flood-resistant infrastructure to safeguard girls’ education. The research underscored the urgent need for integrated strategies that combine climate resilience with gender equity.”

Zunaira remarked that with the devastation brought on by the floods, for many children there was no school to return to. She and many other students lost out on schooling because of the disruptions. In some cases, the next closest school would be up to 25 miles away from where some students lived, so there is seemingly little justification for sending them back to school.

There is also the need to invest in building up climate-resilient infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather conditions like flooding. Local communities need both the investments and resources to fulfill this, otherwise there may be little reason to build up a new school again only to see it get washed away again.The need for climate adaptation is something the international community must support, as seen with the Fund for for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD).

Zunaira’s message to world leaders is that they must encourage and include children and youth in climate discussions. They also should not reduce the lived experiences to statistics and should be conscientious of the lives forever changed or lost because of a climate disaster.

“You should think of this… it is not just a statistic. It’s something that life has lost, and thousands of homes and thousands of people, you know, have been displaced and lost their lives. So this is something that the world leaders must know: that they are not only statistics; they are real lives.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Excerpt:

UNICEF’S climate advocate, 15-year-old Zunaira, believes that children’s voices and concerns should be integrated into country’s NDCs. Children she says are not a statistic, they are ‘real people’ and need to be front and center of climate planning.

Le Premier ministre belge a rejeté la proposition visant à utiliser les avoirs de la Banque centrale de Russie immobilisés dans l’UE afin de financer le « prêt de réparation » récemment annoncé par la Commission pour aider l’Ukraine.

The post Le Premier ministre belge opposé à l’utilisation des avoirs russes gelés pour aider Kiev appeared first on Euractiv FR.

One resident said the cemetery in the capital had been left littered with discarded bottles and cans.

Dans le cadre du réajustement des emplois de temps, 111 aspirants aux métiers d'enseignant (AME) ont été redéployés dans plusieurs collèges du département de l'Atlantique. La liste a été signée par le directeur Départemental des Enseignements Secondaire, Technique et de la Formation Professionnelle de l'Atlantique.

Cotonou accueille les 27 et 28 septembre une conférence de haut niveau suivie d'une table ronde de mobilisation autour des enjeux nutritionnels en Afrique.

Le Bénin s'apprête à devenir le centre d'un dialogue international crucial. Les 27 et 28 septembre, la capitale économique accueille une conférence internationale sur la nutrition, suivie d'une table ronde de mobilisation des ressources, réunissant experts, décideurs politiques, organisations internationales et société civile.

Placé sous le leadership du Président de la République du Bénin, l'événement se veut ambitieux et tourné vers l'action. Le thème central : « Investir dans la nutrition : un choix stratégique pour la santé et le développement durable des générations », souligne la volonté d'agir dès maintenant pour prévenir les effets durables de la malnutrition.

Organisé dans les espaces du Sofitel Hôtel de Cotonou et sur la Place de l'Amazone, le sommet réunira des représentants de haut niveau des Nations Unies ; des ministres et décideurs politiques africains ; des chercheurs et universitaires de renom ; des acteurs du développement, du secteur privé et de la société civile.

Panels, échanges, et bonnes pratiques

Le point d'orgue de la conférence : une intervention exceptionnelle de la Professeure Esther Duflo, prix Nobel d'économie 2019, qui reviendra sur les coûts économiques et sociaux de la malnutrition, et sur la nécessité d'investir intelligemment dans la nutrition.

Au programme du Sommet, un panel sur le fardeau intergénérationnel de la malnutrition ; une session dédiée aux progrès du Bénin ;et des études de cas venues d'ailleurs, comme l'exemple du Vietnam, reconnu pour ses succès en matière de lutte contre la malnutrition infantile.