Agrégateur de flux

Diogo Santiago, poète de son état, est invité par une université dans sa ville natale, Beira, où il n'est pas retourné depuis l'indépendance du Mozambique, en 1974. Ce sera un voyage initiatique où vont se retisser les souvenirs de son enfance et la mémoire de la lutte contre la colonisation portugaise (...) / Mozambique, Portugal, Mouvement de libération, Colonialisme, Culture, Littérature, Violence, Répression - 2022/10

The current port of San Antonio, on the central coast of Chile, on a day of full activity with its cranes deployed and loading two container ships with products for export. Credit: Orlando Milesi / IPS

By Orlando Milesi
SAN ANTONIO, Chile, Sep 30 2025 (IPS)

The port of San Antonio, Chile’s main port, is promoting a historic and sustainable expansion with its own investment and that of international consortiums, aiming to improve its current ninth place among the largest and busiest ports in Latin America.

The port, located in the Valparaíso region, 110 kilometers north of Santiago and in the municipality of the same name, San Antonio, is state-owned and currently operates with five concessions granted to private operators, receiving container ships carrying millions of products.

In 2024, it handled 23 million tons of import and export goods worth US$42.766 billion. It received 1,024 ships and 1.8 million TEUs, the unit of cargo in maritime transport equivalent to the capacity of a standard 20-foot container.“The most important thing is for the project to be inaugurated when demand requires it. We trust that, regardless of the government that comes in from next March, this project will follow the desired schedule. We are working as quickly as possible”–Juan Carlos Muñoz

For several years now, San Antonio’s cargo movement has tripled that of the historic port of Valparaiso, located 100 kilometers to the north, and serves an area stretching from the regions of Coquimbo, north of Valparaiso, to Maule, south of the Santiago metropolitan region.

This is a strip of land where 63% of Chile’s 19.7 million people live and where 59% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of this long South American country, which narrows between the Andes mountain range and the Pacific Ocean, is produced.

Chile has free trade agreements with 34 countries or trading blocs, representing 88% of global GDP. In 2024, its exports reached a record US$100.163 billion, and imports amounted to US$84.155 billion.

The San Antonio Outer Port project, which represents a major expansion of the current port, is key to strengthening international openness and solidifying connections with the main routes to and from Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

Copper, fruits, wine, salmon, fruit pulp, and other products are shipped out through San Antonio, while grains, vehicles, machinery, technological equipment, and chemicals are brought in.

“When you project Chile’s cargo movement, especially in the central macro-zone, you realize that by the years 2035-2036, the installed capacity in San Antonio and Valparaiso will be exceeded. Therefore, we must work on a port expansion because otherwise, we will have significant congestion of trucks and ships,” explained the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, to IPS.

Such congestion, he added, “is an inefficiency we cannot afford because it would significantly affect the country’s competitiveness.”

The Outer Port is a strategic and emblematic project for Chile’s development, according to Muñoz.

The major expansion includes two new semi-automated terminals, 1,730 meters long and 450 meters wide, with eight berthing fronts.

By 2036, when the expansion is fully operational, eight state-of-the-art 400-meter-long container ships will be able to dock simultaneously, and move six million containers annually. This capacity will double the current one.

San Antonio was chosen as the most suitable location for this unprecedented port expansion.

Currently, the project is progressing through environmental approval and a bidding process for the breakwater, along with updates to the infrastructure for protecting its docks from winds and waves—a fundamental aspect for the installation of concessionaires for the next 30 years.

Regarding the potential impact of the November presidential elections, Muñoz reminded IPS that “in this project, we are taking the baton from those who came before. And we plan to hand it over improved and advanced to those who come next, regardless of political color.”

“The most important thing is for the project to be inaugurated when demand requires it. We trust that, regardless of the government that comes, this project will follow the desired schedule. We are working as quickly as possible,” he explained.

Map showing the projected location of the Outer Port of the port of San Antonio, the main port in Chile, on the central coast of the Pacific Ocean. The expansion will almost triple its current capacity and will be fully operational in 2036. Credit: Courtesy of the San Antonio port

Key Definitions

The Exterior Port includes the construction of an L-shaped breakwater nearly four kilometers long. Two kilometers will extend out to sea, and the other two will follow the coastline.

The total investment will be US$4.45 billion, of which $1.95 billion will be contributed by the state-owned San Antonio Port Company and US$2.5 billion by the private sector.

The transfer capacity will be expanded to six million TEUs per year.

In March, the project obtained a US$150 million credit from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, CAF, to finance enabling works such as the construction of the breakwater and to implement environmental compensation measures.

On Wednesday, September 24, Eduardo Abedrapo, president of the San Antonio port, confirmed during a visit to the port facilities by international journalists, including IPS, that two other consortia were prequalified, raising the number of bids for the initial works to five.

The tender process will close the receipt of bids in January 2026 and will award the contracts two months later.

The first contracts are for building the breakwater, carrying out the dredging, and related works.

The preliminary works are new access roads and a railway station to transport project construction material. Next comes the construction of the breakwater and the deep dredging (18.5 meters) of the harbor basin.

The breakwater will be 1,230 meters facing the sea and 2,700 meters extending inland and requires 16 million cubic meters of rock.

The companies prequalified so far are Van Oord (Netherlands), Jan de Nul (Belgium), China Harbour Engineering Company CHEC (China), Acciona-Deme (Spain-Belgium), and Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. (South Korea).

The container ship Valentina, 366 meters long, docked at pier 1 of the Chilean port of San Antonio in the middle of loading operations. Less than 10 minutes pass from when the truck arrives alongside the ship until it leaves the port having delivered the container. Credit: Orlando Milesi / IPS

Environmental Sustainability

The project aims to ensure port operational quality through execution that is sustainable with the social and environmental surroundings.

“Chile has a very sophisticated and complex environmental assessment system. Obviously, these works have a set of impacts in their construction and operation phases,” Abedrapo told IPS.

He emphasized that “the port will be 100% electric. From the point of view of particulate matter pollution, it will be the opposite, as it will strongly contribute to decarbonization.”

However, he admitted that a port emits noise and has other impacts on the marine ecosystem or life in the surrounding areas.

He explained that as a result of meetings with the San Antonio municipality and social and environmental organizations, it was decided to protect two water bodies located in the new port facility by declaring them urban wetlands. They had emerged naturally 50 years after the original port was established in 1912.

“This is a demonstration of the company’s commitment to safeguarding biodiversity in the area and coastal land. It means that major infrastructure developments can be perfectly compatible and harmonized with the safeguarding and improvement of environmental conditions,” he asserted.

The removal of 16 million rocks to build the breakwater, for example, includes their reuse. Part of the environmental efficiency involves using the removed material to fill in other platforms.

Trucks move among dozens of already unloaded containers that are waiting for customs procedures before being sent to their destination. In 2024, 23 million tons of products passed through the Chilean port of San Antonio. Credit: Orlando Milesi / IPS

Progress of the Major Expansion

The environmental qualification resolution for the Outer Port is still being processed, awaiting technical reports from the involved public services and the conclusion of a citizen consultation.

Abedrapo believes that in October 2025 the environmental assessment service will issue a report that must be responded to by those responsible for the San Antonio port.

“The environmental assessment service could, towards the first half of next year, make a decision regarding the environmental qualification resolution for the project,” he estimated.

Abedrapo maintains that the Outer Port will ensure the sustainability and modernization of Chile’s public port infrastructure with high levels of efficiency and modern equipment.

He highlights direct benefits for Chilean foreign trade, lower-cost imported goods, and a competitive logistics chain.

Meanwhile, in the operation of the current port, the improvement of the breakwater, built last century, has been completed with the placement of 5,100 cubic meters of concrete and 3,400 cubic meters of prefabricated blocks. The parapet wall was raised from 10.6 to 11 meters.

Ten million dollars were invested to increase the safety of port operations relating the effects of climate change.

The work, which began last May, also included the installation of 2,300 cubic meters of large-tonnage rockfill.

The Chancay Port in Peru

Minister Muñoz dismissed any concerns about potential competition with the port of Chancay in Peru, funded by China in Chile’s northern neighbor and located near Lima.

“Rather than generating competition between different ports and countries, there is instead complementarity. It is good for us that Peru has ports of this level because there are ships that visit several ports to make a route along a certain coastline attractive,” he claimed.

He insisted that the demand projections in Chile require investing in a large-scale port that anticipates them.

He added that Chile can also attract cargo from other South American nations through the proposed bioceanic corridors.

“The existence of other ports of similar scale in other countries on the Pacific coast means that shipping lines visiting this part of the world can have more than one port of call. Ports like those being developed by our brother country Peru are an attractive complement to the project we are carrying out here, in San Antonio,” he concluded.

Selon les Nations unies, 22 personnes ont été tuées et plus de 100 autres blessées depuis que les manifestations ont éclaté jeudi.

Earlier this month, an Italian court ordered that another Ukrainian arrested over the sabotage should be extradited to Germany to face charges

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is currently pursuing three major fraud cases in Greece

When asked about the matter, a European Commission source told Euractiv that they could not disclose the name of the company at this stage of the investigation

Les personnes handicapées sont dans nos maisons, dans nos familles.
Ce sont nos frères, ce sont nos sœurs. Trop souvent, par peur ou par excès de protection, nous les cachons. Nous pensons les protéger, mais en réalité nous les enfermons. Cela s'appelle la surprotection.

Or, le sport est une chance, une ouverture, une source de santé et de dignité.
Alors, vous qui avez un frère, une sœur, un ami en situation de handicap :

Encouragez-les à bouger, à marcher, à sortir.

Aidez-les à faire des exercices simples.

Faites-leur découvrir le sport, sous toutes ses formes.

Le sport, ce n'est pas seulement la compétition. C'est aussi l'effort, le mouvement, la joie de se sentir vivant. C'est la santé du corps et l'équilibre de l'esprit.

Ne les sous-estimez pas.
Ne les surprotégez pas.
Accompagnez-les, encouragez-les, motivez-les.

Donnez-leur ce petit électrochoc qui les fera sortir, qui les fera briller à travers le sport. Parce que le handicap n'enlève pas la capacité de rêver, d'agir et de vivre pleinement.

"We are starting to doubt ourselves," said a keynote speaker

REPORT on EU political strategy on Latin America
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Davor Ivo Stier

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

REPORT on EU political strategy on Latin America
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Davor Ivo Stier

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Within hours of the US proposal, Brussels and EU capitals supported the ceasefire prospect and reiterated its backing for a two-state solution

Amir Khan wants to build a legacy outside the ring as a boxing promoter as he brings a professional fight night to Nigeria.

FASO Réassurances SA (FASO RE), sis 4ème étage de l'immeuble Caisse des Dépôts et d'Investissement– CDI-BF – recherche des candidats pour le recrutement de son Directeur Général.
Date de prise de fonction : Janvier 2026.

Contexte du poste :
FASO Réassurances est une société nationale de réassurance d'économie mixte, née d'une joint-venture entre l'Etat et les sociétés d'assurances du marché Burkinabè. Elle est chargée de :
– la gestion, au nom et pour le compte de l'État, de la cession légale des primes ou cotisations des sociétés d'assurances exerçant au Burkina Faso ;

– la souscription des opérations de réassurances conventionnelles vie et non vie ;
– l'aide à la création et au fonctionnement d'institutions nationales d'assurances et le soutien au développement du marché de l'assurance burkinabè en fonction des besoins dudit marché ;
– les échanges et la coopération commerciale entre les compagnies nationales d'assurances et de réassurances ;

– la réalisation de toutes opérations sauf la souscription directe d'assurances et la fourniture de tous services de nature à faire progresser la réalisation de ses objectifs ;
Et d'une manière générale, la réalisation de toutes opérations financières, commerciales, industrielles, mobilières et immobilières pouvant se rattacher directement ou indirectement à l'objet social.

Sous l'autorité du Conseil d'Administration qui définit les objectifs globaux de la compagnie, le Directeur général devrait assurer la direction stratégique, opérationnelle et organisationnelle de la compagnie tout en garantissant sa croissance, sa rentabilité et sa solidité financière, conformément aux exigences règlementaires auxquelles elle est assujettie.

Missions principales :
– mettre en œuvre le plan stratégique de la société ;
– superviser les activités de souscription, de gestion des risques (notamment la rétrocession, la mise en place des process, procédures et politiques…), de gestion de sinistres et de développement commercial ;
– assurer la gestion financière de la société à travers la mise en œuvre d'une planification efficace des flux de trésorerie et des investissements à la fois rentables, diversifiés et sûrs (mise en place de tableaux de bord) ;
– assurer la mise en œuvre du plan informatique et de continuité d'activités de la société ;
– veiller au respect des normes prudentielles et mettre en œuvre les principes de bonne gouvernance d'entreprise ;

– encadrer les équipes de direction, gérer le personnel en instaurant une culture de performances et d'éthique ;
– représenter la compagnie auprès des parties prenantes (actionnaires, institutions financières, investisseurs, organisations professionnelles…),
– rendre compte régulièrement au CA, Autorités de régulation et toute partie prenante, des performances, risques et perspectives de la société à travers un système périodique et efficient de reporting (tableaux de bord de pilotage).

Profil recherché :

– Diplôme supérieur (BAC+5 minimum) en assurance, actuariat, finance, économie, droit ou équivalent ;
– Expérience confirmée (au moins 10 ans) dans l'assurance/réassurance, dont 5 ans dans un poste de direction d'une entreprise d'assurance, de réassurance ou de contrôle des assurances ;
– Compétences solides en stratégie, management, négociation et gestion du changement ;
– Maîtrise des marchés africains et internationaux de la réassurance ;
– Avoir la nationalité Burkinabè ;
– Jouir de ses droits civiques et être de bonne moralité ;
– Etre âgé d'au moins 50 ans au 31 décembre 2024.

NB : Parler couramment anglais serait un avantage.

Qualités personnelles :

– Expérience reconnue en Leadership, vision stratégique et orientation résultats ;
– Capacité de décision et capacité à gérer le temps et la pression ;
– Excellentes aptitudes relationnelles, communicationnelles et rédactionnelles ;
– Intégrité, rigueur et sens élevé des responsabilités ;

Candidature

Le dossier de candidature se compose comme suit :

1. Une lettre de motivation adressée au Président du Conseil d'Administration justifiant les conditions de compétence, d'expérience et d'ancienneté requises ;
2. Un curriculum vitae auxquelles sont jointes les copies certifiées conformes des titres, des diplômes et attestations de qualification ;
3. Un extrait d'acte de naissance ou de jugement supplétif en tenant lieu (et datant de moins de trois (03) mois) ;
4. Un casier judiciaire datant de moins de trois (03) mois ;
5. Un certificat médical, délivré par les Autorités Médicales agréées, attestant que le candidat remplit les conditions d'aptitude physique exigées.

Les dossiers de candidature seront transmis sous plis fermé confidentiel au plus tard le 15 octobre 2025 à 16h TU, à Monsieur le Président du Conseil d'Administration de la Société FASO Réassurances, 01 BP 5968 Ouagadougou 01, sis au 4ème étage de l'Immeuble de la Caisse des Dépôts et d'Investissements du Burkina Faso – CDI-BF, téléphone fixe (00226) 25.45.19.25.

Auf den Besuch des türkischen Präsidenten Recep Tayyip Erdoğan im Weißen Haus am 25. September hatte Ankara seit Jahren hingearbeitet. Die Begegnung mit US-Präsident Donald Trump war jedoch eine Mischung aus Schmeichelei und Zynismus. Zwischen wiederholten Komplimenten an die türkische Delegation machte Trump abfällige Bemerkungen über Wahlmanipulationen und drängte Erdoğan zum Verzicht auf russisches Gas und Öl. 

Nach der zweistündigen Arbeitssitzung fand keine Pressekonferenz statt. Offiziell war nur von einer »positiven Atmosphäre« die Rede. Hinter verschlossenen Türen dürfte es jedoch um altbekannte Streitpunkte gegangen sein: die mögliche Aufhebung der CAATSA-Sanktionen im Zusammenhang mit dem Erwerb russischer S-400-Flugabwehrsysteme durch die Türkei, eine Rückkehr ins F-35-Programm, den Wunsch nach F-16-Kampfflugzeugen sowie die Lage in Syrien. 

Seit dem Angriff Russlands auf die Ukraine versuchen beide Seiten, die Spannungen abzubauen. Zu diesem Zweck wurde im Mai 2022 eigens der »Strategische Mechanismus« eingerichtet. Nach seiner Wiederwahl 2023 deutete Erdoğan mit der Zusammensetzung seines Kabinetts eine Bereitschaft zu engerer Zusammenarbeit an. Dennoch blieben die Ergebnisse der Jahre unter Präsident Joe Biden mager und spiegelten einen Mangel an gemeinsamer strategischer Ausrichtung wider. 

Für Ankara erscheint eine zweite Amtszeit Trumps aussichtsreicher. Die türkische Regierung hat sich demonstrativ kooperativ gezeigt. So hob sie noch vor Erdoğans Reise die 2018 verhängten zusätzlichen Strafzölle auf manche US-Importe auf. Am Tag vor dem Treffen unterzeichnete das staatliche Unternehmen BOTAŞ einen 20-Jahres-Vertrag mit dem US-Unternehmen Mercuria über die Lieferung von Flüssigerdgas. Bereits im Dezember war die Türkei neben dem Vereinigten Königreich das erste Zielland für US-Flüssigerdgaslieferungen. Auch eine Absichtserklärung zur zivilen nuklearen Zusammenarbeit sowie ein Großauftrag zwischen Boeing und Turkish Airlines setzten Akzente. Zudem signalisierte Erdoğan die Bereitschaft, das umstrittene griechisch-orthodoxe Seminar von Chalki bei Istanbul wiederzueröffnen.

Asymmetrische Beziehungen

Es überrascht nicht, dass Ankara die Logik des Deal-Making versteht. Erdoğan und Trump teilen denselben politischen Instinkt: eine von Opportunismus und Transaktionen statt Prinzipien geprägte Machtpolitik. Die Annäherung bleibt jedoch asymmetrisch. Während Washington das Tempo vorgibt, zeigt Ankara Kooperationsbereitschaft – nicht zuletzt aufgrund technologischer Abhängigkeit, wirtschaftlicher Schwäche und sicherheitspolitischer Zwänge, insbesondere in Syrien. Dort ist die Türkei de facto Nachbarin Israels, ohne jedoch eine gemeinsame Vision für die Zukunft Syriens zu teilen. 

Gleichzeitig möchte Washington mit einer revisionistischen Sichtweise das Kräfteverhältnis in Eurasien neu ausrichten. Die Trump-Regierung stützt sich dabei auf zwei Säulen: Erstens die Etablierung der Energiehegemonie durch den Export von US-Öl und -Gas. In diesem Sinne dienen Energieabkommen mit der Türkei nicht nur der Verbesserung der bilateralen Beziehungen, sondern auch der Festigung der globalen Abhängigkeit von fossilen Brennstoffen. Zweitens zielen die USA auf die Eindämmung des Iran, Russlands und Chinas ab. In diesem Zusammenhang lobt Trump wiederholt den Beitrag der Türkei zum Sturz Assads, obwohl Ankara eine direkte Rolle dabei weiterhin ablehnt. 

Darüber hinaus signalisierte Washington sein Interesse an einer Zusammenarbeit bei der Konfliktbewältigung und Stabilisierung in Somalia, Sudan und Libyen, wo Ankara militärisch und wirtschaftlich präsent ist. Selbst der mögliche Frieden zwischen Armenien und Aserbaidschan wird in Washington mittlerweile als logistisches Infrastrukturprojekt betrachtet. Ankara hofft dabei auf amerikanische Unterstützung beim Ausbau seiner Ost-West-Verkehrskorridore. 

Trotz der überlappenden Interessen und auch Wünsche wurde ein echter Durchbruch beim Treffen noch nicht erzielt. Der Widerstand im US-Kongress gegen eine enge Zusammenarbeit mit der Türkei, insbesondere im Rüstungsbereich, und Meinungsunterschiede innerhalb der Trump-Regierung erschweren einen »Reset«.

Auch innerhalb der Türkei ist der Kurswechsel umstritten – sowohl innerhalb von Erdoğans Allianz als auch in den Oppositionslagern. Die außenpolitische Debatte schwankt zwischen antiwestlichen Stimmen, Spannungen sowie engem Interesse innerhalb von Erdoğans Regime, wirtschaftlicher Notwendigkeit und Rüstungsbedarf.

Die zentrale Erkenntnis dieses Treffens ist somit bemerkenswert banal und doch bedeutsam: Die alte Ordnung hält nicht mehr, aber eine neue ist noch nicht in Sicht. Washington und Ankara klammern sich aneinander – ob aus Überzeugung oder mangels Alternativen, wird die Zeit zeigen.

Der Plan sieht vor, Hunderte Milliarden Euro eingefrorener russischer Zentralbankguthaben in der EU zu mobilisieren, um das ukrainische Haushaltsdefizit zu decken und langfristige Sicherheitsbedürfnisse zu finanzieren.

Participants at the Non-Governmental Organizations Forum meeting held in Huairou, China, as part of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China, on 4-15 september 1995. Credit: UN Photo/Milton Grant

By Naureen Hossain
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 30 2025 (IPS)

Thirty years since the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the resolve that defined and united the world toward a global agenda for gender equality make it just as relevant in 2025.

The Beijing Conference represents a turning point for the global movement in gender equality. It is marked by the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which is still held up as a landmark document in presenting a comprehensive blueprint to achieve gender equality.

The Beijing Conference was just “one stop in a long and continuing journey of feminist advocacy,” said Sia Nowrojee, a Kenyan women’s rights advocate with more than thirty years’ experience.

“Even though it’s thirty years later, it’s absolutely relevant. It was the culmination of twenty years of advocacy and gender equality.” Nowrojee is the UN Foundation’s Associate Vice President of their Girls and Women Strategy division.

The Beijing Conference was the first time that the international community integrated gender equality into the global development and rights agenda. It was recognition that securing the rights and dignities for all women and girls would be integral to achieving widespread development. This was key for the countries that had emerged in the post-colonial era.

Sia Nowrojee, UN Foundation’s Associate Vice President of Girls and Women Strategy. Credit: UN Foundation

The leadership of advocates from the Global South was instrumental to the Beijing PoA. Representatives from Africa, Asia, and Latin America pushed for the measures that make the framework as inclusive as it is. Nowrojee gave the example of girls’ rights being recognized thanks to the efforts of African feminists in the lead-up to Beijing.

Hibaaq Osman, a Somali human rights activist and founder of El-Karama, considers that the Global South activists had been uniquely prepared to participate as they had lived through their countries’ great political upheavals against colonialism and racism.

Osman attended Beijing 1995 as part of the Center of Strategic Initiatives of Women, a civil society network.

Hibaaq Osman, a Somali human rights activist and founder of El-Karama. Credit: UN Foundation

“For me, as a young woman, I was shocked by the things that I heard. I was raised to believe that everything was a privacy. But to hear a woman speaking for herself and sharing things that I never thought you could share with others, including violence against women… It absolutely opened my eyes and made me see, ‘Oh my god, I can actually share things with other women,’” Osman told IPS.

For Osman, the Beijing conference represented the possibilities of what could be achieved through a shared agenda and a shared sense of hope. The unique energy from that conference drove her advocacy work through groups like the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) and then El-Karama, which is working to end violence against women in the Arab region and South Sudan.

General view of the opening session of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Credit: UN Photo/Milton Grant

Beijing 1995 also provided the expectation of accountability from governments and policy makers if they did not implement the PoA. “That had never happened before. There was a mechanism for the first time…,” said Osman. “You can hold governments and policymakers accountable. But you also have the connection with grassroots. That it was no longer the individual woman that could claim that she was the leader, but having accountability to your own people, I think that whole thing was fantastic.”

“I think the legacy of Beijing 1995 honestly, it gave us a legacy of getting out of our corners and just wide open to the rest of the women. And I think that vision, that framework is still working.”

Delegates working late into the night to draft the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Credit: UNDP/Milton Grant

The success of the Women’s Conferences also demonstrated the UN’s role as a space to build up the gender equality movement, Nowrojee remarked. The UN has also served as a platform for emerging countries to raise their issues to the international community and to shape global agendas on their terms.

Prior to Beijing, the UN World Conference on Women had previously been held in Nairobi (1985), Copenhagen (1980) and Mexico City (1975). These were also key forums for people from all parts of the world to build relationships and for there to be a “cross-pollination of ideas and experiences”, laying down the groundwork for what was later achieved in Beijing.

Nowrojee was 18 years old when she attended the Nairobi 1985 Conference as part of a school/youth delegation. The experience was formative in listening to women’s activists from the region impart their wisdom and insights.

“To see the world’s women come to my home and talk about the fact that we mattered was life-changing for me,” Nowrojee said. “I made friends who I still work with and love and see today. And I think there is that sort of personal part, which is both personally sustaining, but it’s a critical part of feminist movement building.”

Each conference built up momentum that saw no sign of slowing down. Osman and Nowrojee explained that as gains were being made at local, national and global levels, this encouraged those in the movement to act with urgency and go further. This provided them the spaces to learn how to refine the messages for local contexts.

Delegates at the Fourth UN World Conference on Women in Beijing 1995. Credit: UNDPI /UN Women

The gains towards gender equality should be noted: the codification of women’s rights around the world, their increased participation in politics and in peace negotiations. Evidence has shown that investing in women’s participation in society through health, education and employment leads to economic growth and prosperity. More women in the workforce mean greater economic gains and stability. Increased social protections for women lead to more stability in communities.

And yet, there was backlash to the momentum. Recent years have seen the rise of anti-rights and anti-gender movements gain greater traction, combined with increasing attempts to strip women of their rights. UN Women has warned that one in four countries are reporting a backlash to women’s rights.

Nowrojee remarked that the autocratic leaders that champion these movements target women’s rights because it threatens their own agenda. “If you are silencing half the human family, and you are hampering their ability to make decisions about their bodies, to participate in political process… these are very, very effective ways of undermining democracy, development, peace and the achievement of all the goals and values that we hold dear.”

“They understand that if you bring women down, you are bringing society down, because women are the core of society,” Osman added.

The modern movements are also well-funded and well-organized. But there is an irony to it in that they use the same tactics that feminist movements have been using for decades by organizing at the grassroots level before moving their influence up to the national level and beyond. But this should not be where activists fall to despair. Instead they should understand, Osman and Nowrojee remarked, that women in this space already know what actions need to be taken to regain lost momentum.

“I’m sure that Sia and I and many, many others who were part of that are also thinking about today and what’s happening, and we know the space for civil society is shrinking,” Osman said. “The space for democracy, human rights, justice, reproductive rights, for all of that, there is absolutely a rollback, But it’s not going to delay us. We are just going to be more sophisticated and ask ourselves “Where are the blocks, how do we build… diverse constituencies?”… So it is hard, but we are not slowing down whatsoever.”

Today, it may seem the pursuit of gender equality is an ongoing struggle that faces the threat of autocratic movements that sow distrust and division. For the people who championed the women’s rights movement and can recall a time before the Beijing PoA, they are all too aware of what is at stake. The leaders in modern movements today need to look back to the past to take lessons, and to take courage.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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The watchdog said Red.es unfairly favoured contracts for entrepreneur Carlos Barrabés, a businessman linked to Sánchez’s wife

La présidente de la Commission européenne a déclaré mardi 30 septembre que l’Ukraine allait bientôt recevoir 2 milliards d’euros pour l’achat de drones, sans toutefois préciser d’où proviendrait cet argent.

The post Ursula von der Leyen annonce que l’Ukraine recevra bientôt 2 milliards d’euros pour l’achat de drones appeared first on Euractiv FR.