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En novembre, il a obtenu de Madrid une nouvelle aide militaire d'un montant de 615 millions d'euros

The post Zelenskyy se rendra en Espagne pour s’entretenir avec Sánchez appeared first on Euractiv FR.

Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, addresses the opening of the Seventieth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 17 2026 (IPS)

The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) has brought together global leaders, gender equity advocates, and youth representatives at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters to advance efforts to strengthen mechanisms for justice, equality, and representation for women and girls worldwide. With challenges particularly pronounced in conflict zones, this year’s priority theme —“ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls — focuses on repealing discriminatory laws and addressing persistent structural barriers that prevent women and girls from being fully heard, represented, and treated equally.

At the opening of the session in March 9, the CSW adopted its Agreed Conclusions, which emphasized the need to improve access to justice for women and girls, following a week of spirited discussions among member states. During these discussions, several countries, including the United States, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, proposed objections in which they sought to modify language that strongly supported these reforms and to revisit provisions from previous agreements.

These efforts elicited significant pushback from other member states, who argued that such objections would undermine years of progress in gender equity reforms. The Chair of the CSW ultimately decided to preserve some core elements of previous agreements while incorporating progressive changes.

As the Commission convened to adopt the outcome, efforts to halt these changes were brought forward by the U.S., which argued that the provisions included “controversial” and “ideological” issues. These efforts ultimately failed, gaining votes from only the U.S. Other states, including Egypt and Nigeria, called for a delay in the voting process to allow time for continued negotiations.

“At a time of severe backlash on human rights and multilateralism, the adoption of Agreed Conclusions that safeguard long-standing gender equality standards is a powerful signal that global commitments still matter and that attempts to turn back the clock will not go unchallenged,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“While the loss of consensus is disappointing, a weakened text – or no outcome at all – would have sent an especially troubling signal to women and girls who continue to face barriers to access to justice, and multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. In a climate marked by widespread impunity, Amnesty reiterates its calls on states to step up resistance to attacks on gender justice,” added Callamard.

Women currently hold only about 64 percent of the legal rights afforded to men, with “discriminatory laws and patriarchal norms” continuing to impede progress towards justice. These disparities are particularly pronounced in conflict settings, where women and girls face heightened risks of violence, displacement, and exclusion from justice, opportunities, and decision-making.

“We meet at a time of multiple global crises, peace eludes us, and the world is extremely and increasingly fragmented. And gender inequality is compounded by the evils of war and conflict, from Afghanistan to Haiti, to Iran, Myanmar, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, and beyond,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the opening of the 70th session of the CSW. “When women and girls are denied justice, the damage goes far beyond any single case: it impacts the very fabric of our societies and good governance. Public trust erodes, institutions lose legitimacy, and the rule of law itself is weakened. A justice system that fails half the population cannot claim to uphold justice at all.”

Legal protections from discrimination and exploitation, and access to essential services are rapidly eroding, while female human rights defenders are increasingly under attack. Sexual and reproductive health rights are also being rolled back, and the UN has recorded an 87 percent increase in cases of conflict-related sexual violence over the past two years. Women and children in conflict zones continue to bear the heaviest burdens of violence and displacement. Currently, the number of women and girls living within 50 kilometers of deadly conflict is at its highest level in decades.

In commemoration of CSW70, IPS spoke with Anna, a 20 year-old Ukrainian activist and member of the UNICEF Global Girl Leaders Advisory Group. This initiative brings together 14 adolescent girl leaders from around the world who work to ensure that the perspectives of women and girls are represented in global decision-making, and present recommendations directly to the UNICEF Executive Board.

Anna was a teenager studying abroad when the conflict in Ukraine erupted, and was unable to return home to her family near the border. Since then, she has experienced significant challenges as a result of the war, compounded by limited access to essential services, such as education and psychosocial support, many of which have been disrupted or placed under strain by the war.

“When war begins, the changes in society are immediate and visible,” said Anna. “Frontlines move, cities are destroyed, and millions of people are forced to leave their homes. When many men go to the front, women often become the pillars holding communities together – running local initiatives, leading volunteer networks, managing businesses, and supporting families.”

Such shifts also bring structural struggles, as many women are forced to leave their homes and move with their children or elderly relatives. Such displacement can cause loneliness and uncertainty, Anna explained. While women take on more responsibility, inequality does not disappear. “Women still face salary gaps, stereotypes about leadership, and the expectation that they should both rebuild society and quietly carry the emotional labor of caring for everyone else. Stopping to fully process everything can feel impossible, because another responsibility, another task, or another crisis immediately takes its place.”

Anna speaking at a UNICEF-supported event dedicated to discussing the challenges and solutions for girls and young women in Ukraine who are not in education, employment or training. Credit: ISAR Ednannia /Serhii Piriev

In Ukraine today, roughly 32 percent of women aged 20-24 and nearly 49 percent of women aged 25-29 are left without access to education, employment, or training, compared to about 16.4 percent and 12.2 percent of men in the same age groups, respectively. In times of conflict, women are often the first to lose these opportunities and the last to regain them. Education for girls is often hardest-hit, as families are displaced and conflicts leave girls to take on added responsibilities to their families and support household incomes. Many are forced to drop out of school to keep their families afloat.

“My own educational journey has been deeply shaped by war. I was first displaced to Poland, and when I returned to Kharkiv for my senior year, continuing my studies was far from easy,” said Anna. “I consider myself incredibly privileged. I had a supportive family that believed in me and helped me keep going. But not every girl has that kind of support system – someone to catch her when she begins to fall behind.”

Additionally, the psychosocial strain of conflict and violence often leaves girls ill-equipped to engage in studies or training programs. With mechanisms for justice, healing, and empowerment for women and girls under attack, these challenges often go unheard, and impunity for sexual violence and abuse persists, leaving girls carrying significant amounts of trauma, anxiety, depression, and fear.

“Girls in crisis often carry a kind of psychological burden that is both invisible and personal – it is not only the direct exposure to violence, but the way war quietly settles into everyday life and into the body,” said Anna. “For many women and girls living near conflict zones, mental health is shaped by the constant proximity to violence. “You wake up, check the news, hear another siren, and feel what we call in Ukrainian a ‘ком в горлі’,’ or a lump in the throat.”

Sexual violence is particularly rampant near conflict zones, with Anna noting a persistent “climate of fear that reaches every woman who hears the story”. She added that many girls in Ukraine grow up with the knowledge that their bodies can become targets of violence. While girls are in school, studying for exams, or volunteering, many carry the awareness that women nearby have endured “unimaginable violence”.

According to a UN report, nearly 54 percent of surveyed countries reported having laws that do not correlate rape with the basis of consent, and roughly 75 percent of surveyed countries have laws that permit the forced marriage of a girl child. Additionally, 44 percent of countries lack laws that guarantee equal pay for women and girls. It is estimated that it could take 286 years to eliminate these gaps.

“The justice women and girls deserve, that is theirs by right, cannot wait. We must collectively pursue it, here at the United Nations, in our national laws and policies, in your court rooms and traditional justice mechanisms. In doing so, we must engage all of society, including men and boys and young people, to contribute to our collective effort for equality,” said Bahous.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Également dans l'édition de mardi : Merz contre Weber, le podcast de Sánchez, Kubilius, un préservatif géant

The post Naviguer dans le détroit de Budapest appeared first on Euractiv FR.

La Slovénie se rend aux urnes dimanche 22 mars, et la campagne est dominée par les « révélations » de comptes anonymes ou d'influenceurs liés à l'opposition sur les réseaux sociaux. Les sondages donnent celle-ci au coude-à-coude avec l'actuelle coalition de gauche. Six à sept partis pourraient entrer au Parlement.

- Articles / Jansa, Slovénie, Courrier des Balkans, Politique, Médias

Le Parlement albanais a voté contre la levée de l'immunité de l'ancienne vice-Première ministre Belinda Balluku, accusée de corruption. La Commission et plusieurs ambassades européennes critiquent ces entraves à la justice.

- Articles / Courrier des Balkans, PS Albanie, Albanie, Défense, police et justice, Questions européennes

Le Parlement albanais a voté contre la levée de l'immunité de l'ancienne vice-Première ministre Belinda Balluku, accusée de corruption. La Commission et plusieurs ambassades européennes critiquent ces entraves à la justice.

- Articles / Courrier des Balkans, PS Albanie, Albanie, Défense, police et justice, Questions européennes

In today's edition: Carbon pricing, Russian oil, car emissions

Les médias en ligne de la capitale consacrent l’essentiel de leurs analyses à deux sujets politiques majeurs : la pétition visant Modeste Bahati Lukwebo, deuxième vice-président du Sénat, après ses prises de position contre un éventuel changement de la Constitution, ainsi que l’appel au dialogue national.

Six mois après une attaque meurtrière attribuée aux rebelles des ADF, le centre de santé de Ntoyo, situé dans le territoire de Lubero au Nord-Kivu, a rouvert ses portes. Une reprise saluée par la population locale, mais qui demeure précaire face à d’importants défis logistiques et matériels.

Also, in Tuesday’s edition: Merz vs Weber, Sánchez pod, Kubilius, giant condom

Soixante-neuf agents de l’Institut supérieur de développement rural (ISDR) de Kongolo réclament le paiement de trente mois d’arriérés de salaire de base. Dans une déclaration faite lundi 16 mars à Kongolo, ils accusent le comité de gestion de mauvaise gestion et ont saisi la justice.

An economy dependent on fossil fuels planned to wind down, rather than expand, extraction.

Environ 600 personnes ont bénéficié d'un dépistage gratuit des maladies rénales à l'hôpital de Panzi, à Bukavu. Cette activité s'est déroulée du 10 au 13 mars dernier à l'occasion de la Journée mondiale du rein.

There's been widespread focus on foreigners trafficked into Cambodia's cyber-scam compounds. But a growing number of Cambodian nationals are being forced to work in the illegal industry as well.

Controversial pay-or-consent ad model accused of continuing to breach laws including the Digital Markets Act

Europe’s top milk producers clash over how to tackle falling prices

The rise of autonomous AI is raising questions about whether EU rules are already outdated

Europe has long ignored the extent to which its energy system is a security liability. As the situation in Iran escalates, confronting this reality is unavoidable

Pasquale Tridico tells Euractiv that Europe must stop doing “everything the Americans want”

Earth observation satellite operator Planet Labs on 10 March said it would start imposing a 14-day delay on the release of images from the Middle East. Officially, the US company said the decision was the result of "consultation with experts [...]