Agrégateur de flux

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Les forces russes continuent à grignoter du terrain dans l’est de l’Ukraine et ont revendiqué, samedi 13 septembre, la prise de deux villages dans la région de Donetsk. Elles ont marqué une progression vers Kostiantynivka, un verrou stratégique sur la route de Kramatorsk – considérée comme la « capitale » du Donbass encore aux mains de Kiev. Ces derniers jours, la ville de Kostiantynivka a été la cible de bombardements quotidiens, qui ont fait au moins trois morts. De plus en plus d’habitants choisissent de fuir la région, certains gagnant un centre d'enregistrement des déplacés à Lozova, dans la région de Kharkiv.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe
 
The UN General Assembly voted on the “New York Declaration,” a resolution endorsing the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. 12 September 2025. Of the 193 UN Member States, 142 countries voted in favour of a resolution backing the document. Israel voted against it, alongside nine other countries – Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the United States – while 12 nations abstained. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/09/1165835

By James E. Jennings
ATLANTA, USA, Sep 16 2025 (IPS)

In a long past due move, the UN General Assembly voted 142-10 to approve a plan called “The New York Declaration” that hopes to revive the long dead Two State Solution for Palestinian Independence.

Many observers may see it as a welcome initiative to curtail Israel’s century-long colonial project in Palestine. The declaration was proposed by France, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Canada and a gaggle of other countries as way to establish a Palestinian state on the West Bank of the Jordan River.

But it is a cruel deception.

Just last year the UN General Assembly demanded that Israel end its so-called “security operations” in Gaza before the end of this month of September, 2025. Israel has ignored the deadline and has no intention of complying.

Nothing approaching peace for Palestine is likely to happen, no matter the overwhelming vote at the UN General Assembly. Why? Because creating a virtual state in Palestine is not a real state and therefore does not solve the problem.

The clever leaders from this group of countries, most of them apparently sincere, have figured out a way—in the absence of a realistic plan to restrain Israel—to merely kick the can of peace down the road. But it doesn’t mean it will happen.

It may be designed to attenuate Palestinian suffering and limit Israel’s endless denial of human and political rights, but it cannot succeed by prolonging the already decades-long and miserably failed “Peace Process.” The Oslo process took thirty years, and peace is farther away than ever.

You either have peace, or you don’t. It cannot be a process. Although post-war peace negotiations are sometimes long and tedious, if intentions are sincere the shape of an agreement takes only minutes to define and outline. Any meaningful agreement, whether between individuals or nations, requires a straightforward statement of goals and adherence to the principles of equality, and justice.

Yet despite UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ frequent statements that Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank Is illegal under international law and must stop, and bombing civilians is illegal and must stop, those standards are not being faced honestly by the coalition of nations operating now as “The New York Declaration.”

None of the great nations involved in this latest initiative are calling for Israel to withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank, much less to stop the genocide immediately. Why not?

The intent of this diplomatic maneuver led by France, the UK, Canada, and other countries is to avoid these pressing demands, not implement them. Rather, if the UN vote does succeed in getting Israel to temporarily stop bombing the hapless civilians in Gaza, the world can expect a great follow-up hubbub about a “Peace Process” for Palestine that may last years but will in fact sideline the principled demands of the General Assembly’s September 12 Resolution.

That in fact may be the point of this initiative, as sincere as President Macron and the others may be. The threat of UK Prime Minister Starmer to recognize a Palestinian state in September is hollow and just the same: to distract from the UN General Assembly’s demands by signing on to a “process” that will never end. It’s a good guess that, like Lucy in the Peanuts Cartoon, he will pull the football away in the nick of time, leaving Palestine like Charley Brown flat on the ground.

Creating a virtual state, not a real one, is just playing into Netanyahu’s hands. The key nations leading the agreement have not labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide as they should or called for an immediate halt to the killing and starvation.

Neither have the three leading military suppliers, Germany, the UK, and France, stopped sending weapons and technical military support components to Israel.

And for what? Not for advancing justice or even humanity, much less Palestinian political rights, but to smoothly guide the international community to an endorsement of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its military control of the entire Middle East.

They imagine that the countries of the Middle East, led by Saudia Arabia’s murderous crown prince Muhammad bin Salman, aka MBS, will eventually allow the Western powers to confirm Israel’s military hegemony in Gaza and the West Bank.

The vision endorsed by these leading countries fails to call Israel to account for its genocide in Gaza or its de facto takeover of the West Bank. If implemented, the people of Palestine will become merely “hewers of wood and drawers of water,” in the Biblical phrase, for Israel’s triumphant military umbrella over the Middle East region.

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States will be free to make money, and the US will pay for Gaza’s reconstruction. The world can expect a great hubbub about the “Peace Process” in the coming months that will sideline the principled demands of the General Assembly’s Resolutions.

What will happen to the people in Gaza is left out of the calculation. Be warned. Pay attention. It is a cruel deception.

James E. Jennings is President of Conscience International, a former aid worker in Gaza, and a longtime advocate for Palestinian human and political rights.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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La droite et le centre veulent constituer un bloc central pour les prochaines elections municipales. Mais avec quel leader ?

Windmills are at the backdrop of a highway in Ninh Thuận, Vietnam. Governments should invest in renewable energy and infrastructure as part of financing for development to close SDG gaps in Asia and the Pacific. Credit: Unsplash/Moc Diep

By Heather Lynne Taylor-Strauss and Eiichiro Takinami
BANGKOK, Thailand, Sep 16 2025 (IPS)

Over the past two decades, foreign direct investment (FDI) has been the single largest and most stable source of external development capital in Asia and the Pacific (see Figure).

In 2022 alone, FDI flows into the region exceeded US$300 billion, outpacing official development aid (ODA), remittances and portfolio investment flows. Even in 2023, when global investment slowed under higher interest rates and geopolitical uncertainty, FDI into the region remained close to $290 billion.

Figure: External capital inflows to developing countries in Asia and the Pacific

Source: Created by ESCAP based on World Development Indicators, UNCTAD, and IMF data.

For a region facing a $1.5 trillion annual financing gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this is more than a statistic. It is a reminder that the future of development finance and achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development depends on whether countries can effectively attract and channel FDI.

From the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) in 2015 to the most recent Sevilla Commitment agreed at the International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), the global community is aligned to leveraging FDI for sustainable development. In fact, the Sevilla Commitment elevated the role of FDI.

While the AAAA positioned FDI as complementary to public finances for sustainable development, the Sevilla Commitment identified FDI as a key source of development capital, devoting an entire subsection to scaling up FDI.

ODA, portfolio investments and remittances all play important roles. But none match the stability, scale or transformative power of FDI. While ODA is vital for humanitarian and social priorities, donor budgets are increasingly squeezed by competing demands such as defence spending and climate adaptation.

Portfolio investments represent a large volume but are more susceptible to global economic events and often seek short-term returns. Personal remittances are stable and sustain household welfare. However, remittances are primarily consumption-oriented and often are not channelled to building productive capacity. FDI is different. It can build renewable energy plants, expand digital infrastructure, and create jobs. It is not just money flowing in; it is productive capital tied to long-term development.

Nonetheless, not all FDI is equal. Its impact depends on whether investments are effectively channelled towards SDG priorities. To accomplish this, investment promotion agencies (IPAs), with their mandates to promote, attract, and facilitate FDI, play a crucial role. With the right strategies and tools, IPAs can ensure that the FDI contributes to sustainable development needs.

The following three areas are particularly important for action by the IPAs.

1. Aligning and implementing IPA’s investment attraction strategies with SDGs.

IPAs need to create medium-term investment promotion and attraction strategies that are aligned with their SDG priorities. This involves IPAs finding their country’s “niche” target sectors to attract investments.

Aligning strategies with the SDGs is essential because many corporate investors now value alignment as part of their ESG investment criteria. Over the past several years, ESCAP has supported its member States in developing and implementing practical, targeted investment promotion and attraction strategies. These projects have enabled IPAs to narrow their focus, identify niche opportunities, and connect with high-potential investors.

2. Leveraging regional cooperation on investment promotion.

While IPAs often compete for investors, regional cooperation can be even more powerful—especially in attracting cross-border investments that require scale. By pooling markets and aligning promotion efforts, countries can present themselves not as fragmented destinations but as part of a larger, integrated investment destination. This approach not only makes the region more attractive to global investors but also enables each country to highlight its comparative strengths within wider value chains.

ESCAP has been at the forefront of advancing such cooperation. In South East Asia, the ASEAN Regional Investment Promotion Action Plan (RIPAP) 2025–2030 was endorsed by all ASEAN member States as the first region-wide initiative to jointly promote investment opportunities.

In Central Asia, ESCAP and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation launched the Boosting Exports through FDI programme, which helps countries attract investment that strengthens regional value chains and to become more competitive. Regional collaboration of this kind demonstrates that cooperation—not just competition—can unlock larger, more sustainable flows of FDI.

3. Developing impact measurement tools.

Developing and utilizing impact measurement tools can help IPAs demonstrate how their work is contributing to advancing the SDGs. With database systems and tools, IPAs can track growth in sectors like green industries or progress on digital transformation, making their impact more visible. For example, Investment Fiji has tailored its Customer Relationship Management system to more effectively monitor how the investment they have helped facilitate contributes to the SDGs.

As traditional development aid budgets plateau, FDI remains the most stable and transformative capital for building productive capacity. FDI has already been instrumental in driving SDGs in areas such as transitioning to clean energy, accelerating digital connectivity, and generating decent jobs needed for inclusive growth. But to fully realize this potential, governments and IPAs must be strategic, collaborative and impact-driven.

ESCAP stands ready to support its member States and their IPAs in developing and implementing FDI promotion and attraction strategies aligned with SDGs.

Heather Lynne Taylor-Strauss is Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP; Eiichiro Takinami is Junior Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Le Parquet national antiterroriste (Pnat) a annoncé mardi dans un communiqué le rapatriement en France de trois femmes et de dix enfants depuis les camps de prisonniers jihadistes dans le nord-est de la Syrie. "La France remercie les autorités syriennes de transition ainsi que l'administration locale du Nord-Est syrien qui a rendu possible cette opération", a déclaré le porte-parole du ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères.

Les apprenants de la commune d'Adja-Ouèrè ont démarré la rentrée scolaire sous de bons auspices ce lundi 15 septembre 2025. Pour la cinquième année consécutive, la Nouvelle Cimenterie du Bénin (NOCIBE) a distribué kits scolaires et pris en charge les frais de scolarité de plus de 12.000 apprenants répartis dans 37 écoles et 2 collèges (Massè et Issaba).

La Nouvelle Cimenterie du Bénin (NOCIBE) a lancé officiellement, lundi 15 septembre 2025 à Adja-Ouèrè, sa tournée de distribution de fournitures scolaires au niveau des écoles maternelles, primaires et collèges de Massè et Issaba. La cérémonie s'est tenue au CEG Massè-Centre, en présence d'élèves, parents, enseignants et des autorités.

Dans ses mots de bienvenue, le maire Cyrille Adégbola a salué une initiative devenue une tradition. « Nous savons qu'à Massè, les élèves et écoliers s'habillent bien et ont de jolis sacs chaque année (…) grâce à la NOCIBE », a-t-il rappelé.

« La joie qui nous anime est ineffable. Nous promettons de faire bon usage de ces kits », a déclaré Mahafous Moussari, au nom des écoliers et élèves bénéficiaires.

La NOCIBE soulage, depuis 2021, les parents à travers les kits scolaires et la prise en charge intégrale des frais de scolarité, selon le représentant de Jean-Philippe EQUILBECQ, Directeur adjoint de la NOCIBE.

« Ce geste de solidarité illustre bien la volonté du Président Directeur Général général de la Nouvelle Cimenterie du Bénin, M. Latfallah LAYOUSSE, d'offrir aux familles les mêmes chances de réussite. La construction d'infrastructures scolaires et leurs équipements en mobiliers, le don de fournitures et manuels scolaires, la distribution des tenues de sport aux apprenants et des uniformes kaki, toute cette kyrielle d'actions sociales de la NOCIBE vise un seul objectif : l'accès à une éducation équitable, gratuite et de qualité afin de faire des enfants des citoyens modèles », a ajouté Constant Assogba.

Des résultats déjà visibles

« Nous tenons ici à saluer vos efforts également dans la construction des infrastructures pour les salles de classe parce qu'aujourd'hui, ce projet social a dynamisé un peu la zone (…). Aujourd'hui, l'arrondissement de Massè suscite l'engouement des parents des communes voisines qui préfèrent envoyer leurs enfants dans les écoles et collèges de Massè », se réjouit le maire d'Adja-Ouèrè.

Les résultats scolaires s'améliorent et les effectifs augmentent grâces aux œuvres sociales de la NOCIBE, selon les autorités. « Grâce à ces œuvres, l'effectif des élèves du CEG Abadago et de Massè augmente chaque année. On peut dire le double », a noté le président de l'Association des Parents d'Elèves (APE), Joseph Houndjo.

La NOCIBE « accompagne » ainsi « les efforts du gouvernement au développement de l'éducation sur le plan national, communal et en particulier de l'arrondissement de Massè », a estimé Vincent Baba, le représentant du Directeur Départemental des Enseignements Secondaire, Technique et de la Formation Professionnelle du Plateau.

Pour Rodrigue Koutounou, Sécretaire général de la Préfecture du Plateau, représentant le Préfet, « il est important de remercier la NOCIBE pour cette grande notion qu'elle a de la responsabilité sociétale de l'entreprise ».

Si les progrès sont notables, les attentes restent élevées. Le maire Cyrille Adégbola a insisté sur la nécessité d'un suivi rigoureux. Il a aussi exhorté les élèves à prendre leur responsabilité pour des meilleurs résultats. L'Association des parents d'élèves a plaidé pour des infrastructures scolaires supplémentaires notamment au CEG Massè et CEG Abadago.

Des blouses de couleur blanche ainsi que des fiches de préparation de cours ont été remises aux enseignants lors de la cérémonie.
Marc MENSAH

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