Agrégateur de flux

AMENDMENTS 1 - 285 - Draft report Recommendation for the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the EU’s diplomatic strategy and geopolitical cooperation in the Arctic
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Urmas Paet

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Die Regierung kann sich weder darauf einigen, Steuern zu erhöhen, noch will sie am Sozialstaat kürzen. Doch es gibt andere Möglichkeiten, um viele Milliarden zu sparen., Es herrscht ein breiter Konsens, der deutsche Staat könne sein enormes finanzielles Defizit in den kommenden Jahren nur durch eine Kombination aus höheren Steuern und weniger Ausgaben schließen. Doch das greift zu kurz. Denn es gibt eine zumeist wirtschaftlich und sozial klügere Option: den Abbau ...

La campagne débute pour les élections locales en Macédoine du Nord. Sur les 309 candidats en lice, moins de 11 % sont des femmes. À Skopje, seize prétendants briguent le fauteuil de maire. Ces élections sont le premier test politique depuis le retour au pouvoir des conservateurs du VMRO-DPMNE, en 2024.

- Le fil de l'Info / Politique Macédoine, Radio Slobodna Evropa, Macédoine du Nord, Politique

La campagne débute pour les élections locales en Macédoine du Nord. Sur les 309 candidats en lice, moins de 11 % sont des femmes. À Skopje, seize prétendants briguent le fauteuil de maire. Ces élections sont le premier test politique depuis le retour au pouvoir des conservateurs du VMRO-DPMNE, en 2024.

- Le fil de l'Info / Politique Macédoine, Radio Slobodna Evropa, Macédoine du Nord, Politique

Des dizaines de jeunes ont été interpellés dimanche au Maroc lors de manifestations organisées par le collectif GenZ 212, qui réclame des réformes du système éducatif et des services de santé publique. Ces mobilisations font suite au décès de huit femmes enceintes dans un hôpital public d’Agadir.

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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La Bosnie-Herzégovine est le seul pays des Balkans occidentaux à ne pas avoir encore touché les fonds du Plan de croissance européen, faute d'accord politique interne. En visite, la Commissaire européenne Marta Kos a rencontré la société civile, pour essayer de ne pas « désespérer Sarajevo ».

- Articles / Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso, Bosnie-Herzégovine, Médias, Questions européennes, Elargissement UE, Médias indépendants, Politique

Le système de défense Patriot permet notamment d'intercepter des missiles balistiques et de croisière à longue portée.

The post Défense : l’Ukraine reçoit un système antiaérien Patriot d’Israël appeared first on Euractiv FR.

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Bolsonaro’s conviction was the fruit of U.S. democracy promotion.

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I've thought long and hard about this one. I've looked at the Mexican experience in America and although I don't know the inside of it, you will find some families that have 3 generations living under one roof. Going to the supermarket and filling grocery carts piled high with food...and they're all sharing the bills. The guys go to work with brown bags and never grab something from fast food. Compared to the native experience its a 180 degree difference. Have we been programmed this way by business or is it a natural thing. I wonder. Too many stories of young men (at least) going off once they felt of age to join the military or go explore etc...plus you had child laborers for the longest time so they were adding to the family coffers at an extremely young age. Don't know if its societal evolution or a psyops as this instagram post implies.

 

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The latest flu floating around my area is a bear. Knocked me to my knees. Sorry bout that guys. I'm feeling better but damn it sucks getting old. I remember when I'd put on a sweatshirt and hit the gym and sweat this out. Those days are over. Fuck me it sucks. Is this enough guys?

Plusieurs centaines de manifestants, jeunes pour la plupart, ont à nouveau affronté samedi les forces de l'ordre malgaches dans la capitale Antananarivo, deux jours après qu'une manifestation antigouvernementale interdite a dégénéré en heurts et en pillages.