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On 10-12 December, the European Citizens’ Panel on "European democracy / Values and rights, rule of law, security" will meet for the third and final time.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On 10-12 December, the European Citizens’ Panel on "European democracy / Values and rights, rule of law, security" will meet for the third and final time.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

By Anila Noor, Eliasib Amet Herrera and Shaza Alrihawi
Displaced, Dec 7 2021 (IPS)

Over the past two years, the global refugee response has been tested. The world is being rocked by the greatest pandemic in over a century, while waves of refugees have fled from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Belarus, and Tigray. So, where do we go from here? Next week, the international community will convene to take stock of the successes and shortcomings of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), a unique multilateral mechanism built to ensure the protection of one of the most vulnerable populations. This marquee Compact is up for review, but unlike other review processes, the participation of the people whose lives are shaped by the decisions to be made in the review process will be marginal. Unfortunately, only 1 in 50 of the invited attendees at the UNHCR High-Level Official’s Meeting (HLOM) to discuss the GCR are refugees.

Anila Noor

Decades of sideling refugees in discussions around migration and policies that impact their lives and futures has resulted in many failed policies. Refugees have been deprived of civil and political rights – and are therefore regularly excluded from multilateral arenas by their host country and/or their country of origin. The exclusive structures of international diplomacy exacerbate this culture of exclusion. Thanks to the work of the Global Refugee-Led Network (GRN), other refugee-led organizations and their allies, we are achieving more meaningful participation. Yet the fact that UNHCR’s highest-level meeting this year only includes 2% refugee representation indicates that we have considerable work to do to realize the GCR’s commitment to meaningfully engage refugees in policy processes. For us at the GRN, meaningful engagement requires active participation and inclusion in international and domestic conversations and policy decisions to account for a fuller range of the refugee experience and identities.

We urge the international community to raise the bar. UNHCR should commit to 25% refugee participation in the 2023 Global Refugee Forum and create a refugee seat in UNHCR’s governing body, EXCOM, by 2023. As representatives of affected populations, refugees add a unique perspective to the global debate on refugee policy that is not represented by Member States, UNHCR, or NGOs. By increasing our representation fully and meaningfully in these high-level discussions and bodies, we can help to shape policies that are informed by our lived experiences and drive systemic changes. Inclusive refugee policies and meaningful participation must span gender and sexual identities, religion, ethnicity, those with disabilities, youth and elders, those affected by sexual and gender-based violence, among other identities.

Eliasib Amet Herrera

If COVID-19 has taught us anything it’s that the best way to implement lasting solutions is to include and address the needs of the most vulnerable. Refugee policy is no exception. The conditions of forced displacement provide a perfect incubator for COVID-19, leading to a devastating impact on the refugee population. For this reason, we are calling for secure, equal, quality health treatment for forcibly displaced people, including access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

While COVID-19 made improving the global response to the refugee crisis more urgent, it also demonstrated the importance of refugee-led organizations (RLOs) in the refugee response. There is documented success in the power of including RLOs in the global vaccine rollout for refugees. In Uganda, the Refugee-Led Organisations Network, which brings together 34 RLOs in Africa, is on the frontlines of the COVID response, providing life-saving support to refugees and helping them to access vaccines. In the absence of specific government campaigns targeting refugee access to the vaccine, these groups have kept their community informed and protected – challenging vaccine misinformation, to translating crucial information about COVID-19 into refugees’ native languages. These kinds of refugee-led initiatives around the world are vital to fighting vaccine hesitancy and making sure refugees are protected.

Refugee engagement in the Afghanistan response once again demonstrated in real-time how including refugees can lead to better-informed policies. The Taliban’s recent seizure of Afghanistan put thousands of Afghans in grave danger, many of whom scrambled to flee the country to seek asylum abroad. This crisis is an existential test of the GCR, as the UN projects that up to half of a million Afghans could flee the country by the end of the year, which will require a global, coordinated refugee response. RLOs, like GRN’s Asia chapter, Asia Pacific network of Refugees (APNOR), have been using their personal experience and professional expertise to support Afghan refugees. APNOR was a first responder – coordinating legal aid, facilitating a hotline for psychological counseling, and supporting evacuation efforts for Afghans in danger. Having fled Afghanistan in the 90s, the refugee leaders had vital information from the ground about how the situation is progressing, as well as a unique understanding of the danger Afghans face under Taliban rule, and in the journey to seek asylum.

Shaza Alrihawi

However, it is groups like ours, formed within and profoundly committed to serving each other, that are most underfunded and under consulted. We need a global commitment to quickly alter systemic barriers and end the exclusion of affected communities from the spaces where their present and future are being debated. In global and regional fora, travel and visa issues are creating divisions in which only refugees resettled in the Global North are able to participate in decisive meetings held in Geneva, New York and the like. At local levels, safety issues also exclude girls, women, LGBTIQ+ persons, and other members of the refugee population. To promote inclusion across demographics, decision-makers must provide RLOs with flexible and direct funding to support women, youth, LGBTQI and other excluded refugee groups.

Until we are included in all decisions about the lives we lead, policies will continue to fail. Our request for broad-based inclusion of refugees and resources to meet the full range of our experiences and identities is the only form of participation that will create sustainable change and enable a more effective global refugee response.

Anila Noor, Eliasib Amet Herrera and Shaza Alrihawi are steering committee members of the Global Refugee-led Network (GRN), a Refugee-Led Organization (RLO) composed of refugees groups in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, MENA, and the Asia Pacific.

 

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Zwei Thurgauer Bäckerinnen haben einen Kalender mit viel nackter Haut kreiert, um das Image des Berufs aufzupolieren. Während die Aktion bei der Migros auf Unverständnis stösst, kommt sie bei der Kundschaft sehr gut an. Der Kalender verkauft sich auch in Deutschland.

Der FCZ steht in der Super League an der Tabellenspitze. Hat Zürich wirklich das Zeug zum Meister? Dazu nimmt Blick-Fussballreporter Matthias Dubach in dieser Folge «Pro und Konter» Stellung.

DenníkN: Négy férfit vett őrizetbe a rendőrség a Bazini Járási Munka-, Szociális- és Családügyi hivataltól kicsalt 24 milliós COVID-segély ügyében – közölte Hamran István megbízott országos rendőrfőkapitány a JOJ TV "Elemzések pengeélen" (Analýzy na hrane) című műsorában.

Damit die nahenden Skiferien stressfrei und zum vollen Erfolg werden, wenn man im Vorfeld an alles denkt. Hier erfahren Sie, was beim Wintersport auf keinen Fall fehlen sll.

Veronika Remišová (Za ľudí) miniszterelnök-helyettes felszólította Zuzana Čaputová köztársasági elnököt, hogy egyértelműen álljon ki a COVID-19 betegség elleni kötelező oltás mellett. A Za ľudí párt jövő év elejétől kötelezővé tenné az oltást legalább a 60 évnél idősebbek számára.

Zwei Schwestern wurden im Sommer 2020 in einem Londoner Park ermordet. Zwei Polizisten, die den Tatort bewachen mussten, machten Fotos von den toten Frauen und verschickten diese sogar in Chats. Dafür müssen die Beamten nun in den Knast.

Le Conseil fédéral a été retoqué par le Conseil des États sur la cybersécurité. A-t-il vraiment pris l’ampleur du danger?

Die Kapitänin geht von Bord. Flurina Marti (30) tritt aus dem Unihockey-Nationalteam zurück.

Nachdem Lausanne-Goalie Mory Diaw auf Social Media rassistisch beleidigt wurde, fordert er Konsequenzen. Sein Klub stärkt ihm dabei den Rücken.

Musiker waren im Rahmen der nationalen Impfwoche mit einem deutschen Car im Land unterwegs. Das verstösst gegen geltendes Gesetz. Der Bund aber sieht die Schuld nicht bei sich.

Der Kosovo führt ab der kommenden Woche neue Corona-Regeln für die Einreise ein. Ab dem neuen Jahr dürfen dann nur noch Geimpfte mit mindestens einem Piks in den Balkan-Staat einreisen.

Les rumeurs quant au report ou l’annulation de la prochaine Coupe d’Afrique des Nations, prévue au Cameroun à partir de janvier 2022, ne cessent de se répandre, notamment que ledit pays semble ne pas achever à 100% les travaux liés à cet effet.

En effet, et à l’approche du grand tournoi continental, lesdites rumeurs sont fortement diffusées, et ce, malgré que le Cameroun a nié tout cela et a confirmé qu’il sera prêt à accueillir cette compétition dans les délais.

La CAF nie toutes les rumeurs

Ce mardi 6 décembre, la Confédération africaine de football a, quant à elle, répondu aux rumeurs portant sur la délocalisation de la CAN à un pays hors du continent africain, qui est le Qatar.

« Les responsables de la CAF n’ont pas discuté de ce genre d’allégation », a déclaré le chargé de communication de la CAF. « Nous ne pouvons pas passer tout notre temps et chaque jour à répondre aux rumeurs », a-t-il ajouté.

« Ces derniers jours, la CAF a envoyé certains de ses responsables au Cameroun. Ils seront poursuivis du Secrétaire général Véron Mosengo-Omba, qui les rencontrera dans le cadre d’une mission officielle qui est prévue pour bientôt. Nous nous préparons pour la finale de la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations au Cameroun ».

Par ailleurs, il convient de préciser que depuis la toute première édition de la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations en 1957, la Confédération africaine de football n’a jamais programmé cette compétition continentale en dehors du continent africain.

L’article Délocalisation de la CAN : la mise au point de la CAF est apparu en premier sur .

Written by Luisa Antunes with Laia Delgado Callico.

Substance-based medical devices (SBMD) are health products with physicochemical properties and without a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic mode of action – such as nasal and eye sprays, cough syrups, hand and vaginal creams, and toothpaste. To ensure these devices are safe to use, they were recently placed under new classification rules by the EU Medical Devices Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/745), which applies from May 2021.

To discuss this new regulatory framework and present current research on non-pharmacological health products, the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) organised a hybrid workshop ‘Medical devices made of substances: Opportunities and challenges‘, which took place on 16 November 2021.

Member of the European Parliament and STOA Panel member Patrizia Toia (S&D, Italy), opened the workshop, highlighting the importance of understanding the definition of SBMD and how to differentiate them from pharmacological products, as well as discussing ‘orphan devices’ – those which do not fall under any legislation. Paul Piscoi, Policy Officer with the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) at the European Commission moderated the event.

Panel 1 – The science of substance-based medical devices

Three presentations discussed the science of SBMD. Marco Racchi, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Pavia (Italy), focused on the importance of carefully defining the concept of non-pharmacological modes of action, and its distinction from therapeutic effect. A substance with a therapeutic effect is either a medicinal product or a medical device, depending on its mechanism of action. However, SBMD often have more than one mechanism of action concurring to the claimed therapeutic effect. Natural substances are composed of a very high number of molecules acting in synchrony and are best represented by the concept of ‘system’, something that is more than the sum of its components.

Annamaria Staiano, Professor of Pediatrics at the University Federico II, Napoli (Italy), highlighted the role of natural complex substances in paediatrics. Both structural and functional interactions can occur between the many natural substances contained in a therapeutic product. Professor Staiano presented the results of a clinical study using a medical device made of 100 % natural substances. It demonstrated a safe and effective clinical response, comparable to the standard of care and with at least equally high benefit-to-risk ratio.

Peter Malfertheiner, Professor of Medicine at the University Hospital Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) in Munich (Germany), discussed SBMD in the management of patients with gastrointestinal diseases. Professor Malfertheiner provided two examples of how natural substances can treat gastroesophageal reflux disease and metabolic syndrome. Current pharmacological management of patients with metabolic dysfunctions does not offer alternatives to the administration of as many drugs as the number of different metabolic disorders. Here, SBMD are a highly effective therapeutic option, a valid alternative to synthetic drugs, and complementary in certain conditions to conventional pharmacological therapies.

Panel 2 – Regulatory aspects of substance-based medical devices

The second panel focused on the regulatory aspects of SBMD. Olga Tkachenko, Policy Officer with DG SANTE at the European Commission, gave an overview of the new rules for SBMD defined by the Medical Devices Regulation. The new regulatory framework provides higher standards of evidence, more transparency and traceability, and greater alignment among actors, whilst also considering technological progress, such as cybersecurity and sales over the internet. Furthermore, the new rules serve to ensure the safety and performance of these devices, through appropriate risk classification and assessment procedures. The guidance documents issued by the Medical Device Coordination Group and guidance on therapeutics which are positioned on the borderline with medicines, which is currently under revision, will assist in the aligned application of these new rules.

Oliver Hartmann, Legal and Regulatory Affairs Manager at the Association of the European Self-Care Industry (AESGP), discussed the industry perspectives on a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework for SBMD. The first step in the assessment of an SBMD, as a borderline product, is to confirm its regulatory status and risk classification, by using proportionality and a case-by-case assessment. Clear and workable definitions of pharmacological, immunological and metabolic means are required: to apply the SBMD regulation; to distinguish SBMD from medicinal products; and to avoid an indirect, extended scope of the definitions, rendering a product category ineffective. Regulators require expertise in assessing the physical or mechanical mode of action together with knowledge of classification criteria and different legal definitions.

Emiliano Giovagnoni, Innovation and Medical Science Director at Aboca (Italy), focused on the opportunities for innovation in healthcare offered by SBMD. The new regulation increases the level of evidence needed to demonstrate the safety and the efficacy of SBMD following an evidence-based medical approach. The therapeutic properties of SBMD can be identified by describing their mechanisms of action in a scientific, but non-pharmacological, approach using biological sciences. Strengthening the post-marketing surveillance introduced by the regulation allows real-world evidence data to be collected to ensure a continuous reassessment of the efficacy and safety of products, even after placement on the market. The major challenge of implementation is defining pharmacological means and borderline products, particularly herbal products. While Chapter 1.2.4.4. of MEDDEV 2.1/3 Rev. 3 is dedicated to setting classification criteria for products containing ‘medicinal plants’, the criteria proposed to distinguish between a drug or a medical device do not follow a case-by-case approach. A revision of the framework for traditional herbal medicinal products is therefore required.

Member of the European Parliament Simona Bonafè (S&D, Italy) closed the workshop, noting that the approval of the regulation was a major step forward for the European health system and demonstrated the European political will to recognise the important role that SBMD play in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Within the Green Deal framework, Simona Bonafè emphasised that natural complex substances have a lower impact on the environment since they are 100 % biodegradable.

The full recording of the workshop is available here.

Your opinion counts for us. To let us know what you think, get in touch via stoa@europarl.europa.eu.

Blick begleitet Romy Tschopp auf dem Weg an die Paralympics. Teil 3: So übt die Para-Snowboarderin mit der inkompletten Querschnittlähmung auf dem Bike-Trail für den Winter.

L’interminable feuilleton de l’escalade entre l’Algérie et le Maroc se poursuit. Après les multiples déclarations faites par plusieurs hauts responsables algériens, c’est autour de l’ANP, via sa revue « El Djeïch », de commenter les derniers rapprochements entre le royaume chérifien et Israël.

La dernière visite du ministre de la Défense de l’état hébreu au Maroc, a fait réagir plusieurs hauts responsables algériens. Cette visite a été notamment qualifiée d’une haute trahison, du royaume marocain, envers ses obligations envers la cause palestinienne.

Alliance avec Israël : El-Djeïch charge le Maroc

L’influente revue de l’ANP, El-Djeïch, a écrit dans son dernier numéro que « le Makhzen, dans son alliance avec l’entité sioniste, passe au dernier chapitre dune trahison et d’un complot contre la cause palestinienne ». Cette sortie fait suite à plusieurs autres déclarations, dont celle du président du Sénat, Salah Goujil, qui a affirmé que « l’Algérie est visée ».

Toujours dans le même numéro, il est ajouté que le Maroc est un « mauvais voisin », et que « sa soumission »envers Israël, l’a mené jusqu’à « permettre à l’entité sioniste de prendre pied dans la région, ce qui lui a été, jusque-là, difficile et interdit ».

L’Algérie, estime la même source, et « malgré les complots des ennemis », restera « un État fort et respecté, fidèle à ses principes, en particulier celui de la non-ingérence dans les affaires internes des autres États ».

On y lit aussi dans le même numéro de la revue de l’Armée Nationale que l’Algérie se montrera plus forte et plus unie « face à ceux qui tentent de nuire à notre peuple et de saper notre État ».

Pour conclure, la revue El-Djeïch affirme que « la guerre déclarée et la guerre cachée qui sont livrées contre notre pays sont vouées à un échec catastrophique face à la prise de conscience du peuple de la sensibilité de cette période ».

L’article Alliance Israël – Maroc: « dernier chapitre de la trahison » (El-Djeïch) est apparu en premier sur .

Le film algérien « Until the end of time » (jusqu’à la fin des temps) débarque sur Netflix. Ce long métrage réalisé par Yasmine Chouikh en 2018 avait reçu plusieurs prix lors des festivals internationaux.

Aujourd’hui la plateforme de streaming offre à ses abonnés, notamment ceux Algériens, l’occasion d’apprécier le travail de la jeune réalisatrice. Le film devrait être disponible sur Netflix à partir de jeudi.

Un amour né dans un cimetière

Le film relate l’histoire de deux septuagénaires Djohar, une veuve aigrie, lassée par et Ali un fossoyeur, interprétés respectivement par Djamila Arres et Boudejmaâ Djillali qui se rencontrent dans un cimetière reculé de Sidi Boulekbour. Johar décide de se rendre pour la première fois au village pour se recueillir sur la tombe de sa sœur. Voulant que sa dernière demeure soit à côté de sa sœur, elle demande à Ali de lui préparer ses funérailles.

Cependant, au fil du temps, et face aux regards interrogateurs et curieux de Ali, Djohar Commence à voir différemment la vie et les deux personnages apprennent à se connaître.

Pour rappel, le film « Until the end of time » avait décroché plusieurs prix nationaux et internationaux à savoir le prix « Annab d’Or » au Festival d’Annaba du Film Méditerranéen; le Khindjar d’or du Festival International du Film de Mascate, l’Alhambra d’argent au Festival du Cinéma de Grenade ainsi que le « Wihr d’Or »lors de la 11e édition du Fiofa.

L’article Une première. Un film 100% algérien débarque sur Netflix est apparu en premier sur .

European Union finance ministers agreed on Tuesday (7 December) to change EU rules so that they can cut the Value Added Tax (VAT) on goods and services linked to fighting climate change, health protection and the transition towards a more digital economy.