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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On May 21st, 2025, Tesla dropped its most impressive humanoid robot demo yet—a slick video of its Optimus robot cooking dinner, folding laundry, and taking out the trash. It wasn’t just choreography this time. The robot moved with coordination, handled tools with finesse, and followed natural language instructions—sparking online comparisons to “Rosie” from The Jetsons, the 1960s cartoon housekeeper who could do it all.
But while American audiences were still replaying the demo, across the Pacific, a different robotic future was quietly taking shape. Backed by strategic state funding and a relentless manufacturing machine, Chinese firms have been scaling up their own humanoid robots—less flashy, perhaps, but increasingly functional. And cheaper.
The question looms: Is Tesla about to deliver the first real Rosie? Or will China’s mass-market “Red Rosie” quietly win the race to your living room?
Optimus Evolves: From Viral Gimmick to Domestic AssistantTesla’s latest version of Optimus marks a stark evolution from its earlier dance-floor debut. In this newest release, the robot is shown preparing food, loading a dishwasher, and cleaning up—a transition from gimmick to genuine utility.
The leap forward lies in how it learns. Optimus can now observe third-person videos online, interpret them using computer vision and large language models, and reproduce tasks in physical space. Instead of needing line-by-line coding, it learns by watching—much like humans do.
Tesla says this model is being trained for a wide variety of applications, domestic and industrial alike. Elon Musk claims Optimus will enter mass production by 2030, with a target price of around $20,000 per unit, and ambitions for up to 1 million units per year.
It’s still early-stage—there are no retail units, no delivery timelines—but Optimus now looks less like science fiction, and more like a near-future consumer appliance.
Meanwhile, in Shenzhen: China’s Scaled-Down, Scaled-Up ApproachWhile Tesla’s Optimus captures headlines and likes, Chinese robotics firms are quietly building something more pragmatic: general-purpose service robots optimized for cost, volume, and immediate use.
China is already the world leader in industrial robot deployment, commanding over 50% of global installations. But in the last three years, its domestic firms have moved aggressively into humanoid and service robotics—deploying robots into hospitals, hotels, warehouses, and nursing homes.
Companies like Fourier Intelligence, UBTECH, and Unitree have each rolled out bipedal humanoids that can perform basic chores, support the elderly, or deliver goods in indoor settings. Some of these are already in commercial pilot use and priced below $10,000, made possible by China’s vast electronics supply chain and vertically integrated production ecosystems.
The difference isn’t just corporate—it’s strategic. China’s robot push is state-coordinated, part of national policy under the “Made in China 2025” initiative. Robotics R&D receives heavy subsidies, public-private partnerships accelerate prototyping, and domestic robot firms are given preferential access to procurement contracts.
It’s not about viral moments. It’s about building infrastructure.
Two Philosophies: Innovation vs. Execution
The contrast reveals fundamentally different approaches to robotics development:
United States (Tesla, etc.) China (Various firms) How Robots Learn Robots watch videos and follow spoken instructions Robots follow set rules and also try to imitate behaviors What Robots Do Take on complex, advanced tasks Perform simple, practical tasks for everyday use Building Scale & Cost Small scale, prototype phase Large scale mass production, focuses on low cost Government Support Minimal direct backing, mostly private investment Strong government policies and funding support Typical Use Areas Factories and high-tech industries Hospitals, delivery, elderly care, and logistics Current Deployment Mainly in development, no public use yet Actively testing in real places like hospitals and hotelsTesla embodies Silicon Valley’s moonshot culture—bold technical leaps paired with viral marketing moments. Chinese firms follow a more methodical approach rooted in manufacturing pragmatism and coordinated state strategy.
Reality Check: Are We Living in The Jetsons Yet?Rosie from The Jetsons vacuumed floors, managed schedules, offered life advice, and kept the family sane. Today’s robots—Optimus included—are still bound by brittle generalization and narrow use cases. They can follow a recipe, but can’t yet adapt to a toddler running underfoot or an unexpected spill.
Technically, we’re on the verge of semi-autonomous domestic robots that perform specific household tasks—but only under controlled conditions. And they can’t yet feel, intuit, or comfort, which limits their value in caregiving or companionship.
So yes, Rosie is coming—but she’ll start out as a kitchen intern with limited mobility and zero sarcasm. Full-blown domestic androids with emotional intelligence? That’s still science fiction.
The Bottom Line: Star Power vs. Industrial EngineTesla’s Optimus demonstrates what’s possible when cutting-edge AI, robotics engineering, and brand hype converge. But Chinese firms—state-backed, efficiency-optimized, and supply-chain fluent—may reach ordinary consumers faster.
Tesla might be the one to dream up Rosie. But China might just mass-produce her first.
The future of domestic robotics may not arrive with a viral video—but it may come stamped with “Made in China” and priced for mass adoption rather than headlines.
Le projet d’avion de combat européen se poursuivra, les Allemands et les Espagnols — qui collaborent avec la France sur ce projet — appelant à respecter la répartition des tâches établie initialement. Mais la France maintiendra-t-elle sa participation ?
The post Projet d’avion de combat européen : l’Allemagne reste ferme face à la France appeared first on Euractiv FR.
Dimanche 28 septembre, les Moldaves se rendent aux urnes pour une élection qui pourrait déterminer si le pays poursuit son rapprochement avec l’UE ou choisit une orientation pro-russe, alors que de vastes campagnes de désinformation, probablement appuyées par le Kremlin, influencent la campagne.
The post La Moldavie se prépare à un scrutin décisif sur fond de désinformation russe appeared first on Euractiv FR.
Quatre mois après son entrée en fonction, le président roumain Nicușor Dan peine à concrétiser les promesses qui l’ont porté au pouvoir. Ses difficultés, notamment dans ses relations avec le gouvernement, commencent à susciter de sérieuses interrogations.
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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:
Malgré de vives critiques de l’opposition et d’institutions internationales, le parlement slovaque a adopté une modification de la Constitution défavorable aux personnes LGBT et faisant primer le droit national sur le droit européen.
The post Slovaquie : le parlement adopte un amendement anti-LGBT à la constitution appeared first on Euractiv FR.
Prishtinë / Priština, 26 September 2025
As part of its efforts to strengthen the analytical and operational capacity of the Kosovo Police, from 23 to 25 September, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo delivered an advanced training on criminal analysis to 20 analysts from the Department of Intelligence and Analysis and other analytical units within the Kosovo Police. The course aimed to enhance their ability to identify, assess, and respond to complex criminal activity by applying the advanced techniques in criminal behaviour analysis.
Participants explored a range of specialized topics, including competing hypotheses, crime pattern analysis, financial analysis, psychological profiling, and intelligence gathering and dissemination. The training emphasized a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating modern technology and innovative methodologies to strengthen crime prevention and investigative outcomes.
Delivered through expert-led lectures, practical exercises, case studies, and group discussions, the training offered hands-on experience in applying analytical tools to real-world criminal scenarios. Participants learned to develop and test hypotheses, detect crime patterns, and gain a deeper understanding of criminal motivations.
“Enhancing the analytical capabilities of the Kosovo Police is a key to advancing intelligence-led policing,” said Ambassador Gerard McGurk, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.
“This training contributes to more effective investigations, supports public safety, and underscores our strong partnership and shared commitment to building a modern, responsive, and professional police service,” he added.
The skills gained will support enhanced operational decision-making, improved investigative accuracy, and more effective crime prevention strategies.
This initiative reflects the OSCE Mission’s continued commitment to supporting Kosovo’s law enforcement institutions in building professional, accountable, and community-oriented policing services.
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.
Dans le cadre de l'accord sur les indications géographiques, qui a été séparé de l'accord commercial plus large en 2022, l'UE devrait également protéger les produits traditionnels indiens, notamment le riz basmati.
The post L’accord entre l’UE et l’Inde sur les aliments traditionnels n’est pas à l’ordre du jour pour 2025 appeared first on Euractiv FR.