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Drogue et autres produits psychotropes ainsi que des numéraires ont été saisis, vendredi 12 juillet 2024, suite au démantèlement de trois ghettos respectivement à Hlakomè, Agbatô et Kpankpan dans le 3è arrondissement de Cotonou. La police a arrêté également 5 individus.

La police est descendue, vendredi 12 juillet 2024, dans un bar à Hlakomè. Il a été retrouvé sur les lieux une importante quantité de drogues, incluant de l'héroïne, du chanvre indien finement travaillé surnommé CLOUD, des comprimés de marque ROYAL, une somme de 234 200 francs CFA et 150 Naïra. Le tenancier du bar a été arrêté.

A Kpankpan, une personne a été arrêtée en possession d'une importante quantité de graines et de feuilles desséchées de chanvre indien.

A Agbatô, trois individus ont été appréhendés dans un autre ghetto.

Les produits saisis dans ces 3 ghettos du 3è arrondissement de Cotonou ont été testés positifs à l'héroïne et au cannabis par l'Office Central de Répression du Trafic Illicite des Drogues et des précurseurs (OCERTID).
Les individus arrêtés ont été testés positif au test d'urine pour consommation de drogue.

De sources policières, les prévenus seront poursuivis pour « détention et consommation voire trafic de drogue », dans la suite de la procédure.
M. M.

C'est avec la bénédiction de l'Allemagne et de la Commission européenne que la Serbie relance le projet de mine géante de lithium de Rio Tinto dans la vallée du Jadar, malgré l'opposition de la population locale. Vendredi, le chancelier Scholz est attendu à Belgrade.

- Articles / Une - Diaporama, Courrier des Balkans, Lithium, Serbie, Environnement, Economie, Questions européennes

C'est avec la bénédiction de l'Allemagne et de la Commission européenne que la Serbie relance le projet de mine géante de lithium de Rio Tinto dans la vallée du Jadar, malgré l'opposition de la population locale. Vendredi, le chancelier Scholz est attendu à Belgrade.

- Articles / Une - Diaporama, Courrier des Balkans, Lithium, Serbie, Environnement, Economie, Questions européennes

Von der Leyen aims to boost Europe's competitiveness through tech, implementing existing regulation while boosting investments.

Ursula von der Leyen, qui devrait être réélue à la tête de la Commission jeudi (18 juillet), ne sera pas la seule femme dans les hautes sphères de l’UE, dont le corps dirigeant s’est féminisé. Tour d’horizon des personnalités, quatre femmes et un homme, déjà ou prochainement aux postes clés de l’UE.

Die pro-europäische Koalition „Wir setzen den Wandel fort - Demokratisches Bulgarien“ strebt Vereinbarungen zur Umsetzung von Reformen zur Korruptionsbekämpfung im Land an. Dies soll vor der Aufnahme von Verhandlungen über die Wahl einer regulären Regierung geschehen.

Mallaury Cousin chérit «Raoul» et «Binooz», lapins béliers, comme si c’était ses propres enfants. Rencontre chez elle, à Neuchâtel.

Die Slowakei ist mit der Vorlage ihres endgültigen nationalen Plans zur Emissionsreduzierung bis 2030 in Verzug. Bei Umweltschützern ruft der derzeitige Stand des Plans aufgrund seiner Ungenauigkeit Besorgnis hervor.

Women farmers in Helambu, Sindhupalchwok. Women, who are the primary growers, have to deal with changing patterns of snowfall and rain, which is affecting their agricultural activities. However, they feel like no one is listening to their concerns. Credit: Tanka Dhakal/IPS

By Tanka Dhakal
KATHMANDU, Jul 18 2024 (IPS)

A group aligned with the mayor of Chhayanath Rara Municipality in the Mugu district of Nepal’s Karnali Province physically attacked Aishwarya Malla for simply asking for a budgetary review of the local government.

“As a deputy mayor, I have the right to know where the budget is allocated, but the mayor’s team attacked me,” Malla said. “They did it only because I’m a woman, but they forget I’m also an elected representative with a responsibility to serve people, especially women and marginalized sections of our society.”

Malla has had an upward battle trying to get her voice heard.

Earlier in May, she requested just a few minutes to lay out her area’s issues related to climate change. She was in the nation’s capital, Kathmandu, where the International Dialogue on Climate Change was happening.

“If you want to know the ground reality, you have to give time to speak,” she said in her loud, passionate voice, but she didn’t get the chance. “We represent the women and lower sections of society, and nobody listens or wants to give us space.”

In Nepal, local governments have the responsibility to be the first and most accessible authority to serve people, and elected representatives run their constituencies.

In leadership positions (mayor and their deputies or presidents and their vice presidents), women’s representation as candidates is mandatory for political parties. However, only 25 local governments have women serving as either mayors or presidents. Out of 753 local governments, 557 have women as deputy mayors or vice presidents.

Largely, women leaders are forced to remain second in line of power. But as Malla says, women leaders are the ones whom people in need reach out to, but they struggle to find their space within the male-dominant local political sphere.

Aishwarya Malla (left), Deputy Mayor of Chhayanath Rara Municipality, and Shanti Malla Bhandari (right), Vice President of Guthichaur Rural Municipality. Credit: Tanka Dhakal/IPS

“This is affecting our efforts to find solutions and adaptive measures to the climate change impact in our community and the same is true of other issues too,” Malla said, expressing her frustrations.

Local Struggle on National Platform

During the International Expert Dialogue on Mountains, People, and Climate, organized by the government of Nepal on May 22–23, experts discussed the importance of locally led adaptation to tackle the impacts of climate change in the community. However, there was no representation from the local community.

Apsara Lamsal Lamichhane, vice president of Helambu Rural Municipality, Sindhupalchowk district, stood up and expressed her frustrations when the floor was opened for questions.

“We are the ones who are suffering from the dire impacts of climate change, and we are trying to find a way to adapt,” Lamichhane angrily said as her microphone was about to be cut off. “But the central government doesn’t even listen to us, and we don’t get a chance to present our ground reality on platforms like this.”

Apsara Lamsal Lamichhane, Vice President of Helambu Rural Municipality, Sindhupalchowk, during the International Expert Dialogue on Mountains, People, and Climate. Credit: Tanka Dhakal/IPS

She comes from one of the most vulnerable areas, where locals are facing the direct impacts of disasters exacerbated by climate change.

Lamichhane, Malla and other women in deputy mayor or vice president posts share the same complaint: that the provincial and central governments don’t listen to their concerns, including the losses caused by climate change.

“At the local level, the Mayor or President tries to silence us. In national discussions like this, we are invited but not allowed to speak. It’s our reality,” says Shanti Kumari Malla Bhandari, vice president of Guthicahur Rural Municipality in Jumla.

The Same Story on the International Stage

Just as there are internal obstacles to getting even a few minutes to present the issues local communities on the frontlines are dealing with, experts and leaders at the national level complain that in international climate forums, their voices are suppressed, and they don’t get enough space to present the reality of the climate plight.

Former Foreign Minister Dr. Bimala Rai Paudyal acknowledges that there is much to do to foster smooth discussion internally and to create a listening environment.

“We are working in isolation; there is an inter-ministerial communication gap, and yes, local representatives have to struggle much to make their voices heard,” Paudyal, who advocates for women’s representation in climate change discussions, says.

“Women are not only frontline victims of the climate crisis but also the first responders. We need to give them space, and then we can make our case in international forums. But there is a long way to go.”

To have better negotiation power in global forums, internal discussions need to prioritize local voices, she says. If we listen to each other here, then we can raise our collective voice with much conviction in international forums like the Conference of the Parties (COP) and climate finance committees.

According to Raju Pandit Chhetri, who works on climate finance negotiation, for countries like Nepal that are dependent on donor countries and agencies, negotiating on the global stage is not easy.

“There is already a giver-receiver relationship, and our psyche may be hesitant to negotiate strongly on climate finance issues. I think that kind of mentality may also exist at the national level too,” climate finance expert Chhetri said. “We have to break that wall of hesitation both internally and on the global stage.”

Note: This feature is published with the support of Open Society Foundations.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Excerpt:

Silenced and sidelined, women politicians in Nepal fight for their voices to be heard, especially as they represent a population most impacted by climate change.

La Russie envoie vague après vague des hommes en Ukraine pour gagner du terrain. La tactique fonctionne.

La Russie envoie vague après vague des hommes en Ukraine pour gagner du terrain. La tactique fonctionne.

La Russie envoie vague après vague des hommes en Ukraine pour gagner du terrain. La tactique fonctionne.

Lidia Brito, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By Busani Bafana
ADDIS ABABA, Jul 18 2024 (IPS)

Scientific research has led to social and economic gains worldwide, but the scientists who make it happen face significant challenges.

Science propels development, yet scientists need the freedom to research and advance technology and innovation. Is scientific freedom a cornerstone of development for African countries to remain globally competitive?”

Constraining Science

Growing societal polarization, erosion of democratic processes, and a rise in populism, misinformation, and disinformation are some of the factors curtailing scientific freedom in Africa, a new report by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has found.

In a study, African Perspectives on Scientific Freedom, launched at the Sixth Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in April 2024, UNESCO, highlights worrying trends that have increased pressure on the freedom and safety of scientists.

“When the voices of scientists are silenced, or societies’ ability to produce relevant and unbiased knowledge, to think critically, and to distinguish truth from falsehood is undermined. Without the freedom and safety of scientists, the trust in science and culture of science-driven decision-making are eroded,” said Gabriel Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human  Sciences, in a foreword to the study.

UNESCO developed a Recommendation for Science and Scientific Researchers, which noted that for science to reach its full potential, it is crucial that scientists “work in a spirit of intellectual freedom to seek, explain and defend scientific truth as they perceive it and enjoy the protection of their autonomous judgment against undue influence.”

This followed findings that scientific freedom is being constrained by among other factors, declining civic discourse and armed conflicts. As a result of these constraints, UNESCO launched a new programme on the promotion of scientific freedom and the safety of scientists in 2023 to collect data to inform decision-making.

Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts the rights of all individuals to “share in scientific advancement and its benefits.” While the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights calls for the protection of the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its application. The Convention explicitly refers to scientific freedom in requiring member states to undertake to respect the ‘freedom indispensable to scientific research’.

There is a caveat. UNESCO says scientific freedom must be exercised alongside responsibility, which is the duty of scientists to conduct and apply science with integrity, in the interest of humanity, in a spirit of stewardship for the environment, and with respect for human rights.

Science ecosystems in Africa are operating in a challenging environment, underscoring the need to restore trust in science and the recognition of scientists in advancing human development, UNESCO says.

Highlighting the restrictions of research freedom, Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Daya Reddy, who reviewed the African Perspectives on Scientific Freedom report, noted the need for increased collaboration between scientists and policymakers to foster science, technology, and innovation.

Reddy said the study focus area was for Africa to develop guidelines and recommendations on scientific freedom after gaining a better understanding of the state of scientific freedom in six African countries profiled under the pilot study. The study assessed scientific freedom in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. It found that scientific freedom was not uniformly understood and appreciated in different national contexts, which necessitated the creation of a robust framework of laws and policies to promote research and publication.

A lack of resources and a critical mass were identified as some factors impinging on scientific freedom which did not have an explicit profile or presence in policies and legal frameworks in the six countries. This is despite the fact that most national constitutions protected a range of human rights and freedoms, such as the freedom of expression, opinion, and information, but were silent on scientific freedom. The Democratic Republic of Congo is an exception and asserts in its constitution, the freedom of access to research results, while protecting the interests of its authors.

Despite representing 12.5 percent of the global population, Africa was contributing less than one percent to global research output and the continent was spending even less on Research and Development. In 2006, African Heads of State and government agreed to commit one percent of the national GDP to research and development to boost scientific innovation. However, none of the African countries have met this threshold, pointing to pervasive low spending on scientific research in Africa.

Building a culture of science

We need to build a culture of science to accelerate sustainable development in Africa, says Lidia Brito, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences. She argues that scientists play a crucial role in promoting the well-being of society and for science to deliver its full potential, scientists must be able to work freely, without any restrictions.

“Science needs space to develop. There is also the need to interact with society to understand their needs and then through scientific endeavors to come up with solutions but in a co-designer, co-participating mode, Brito told IPS, emphasizing that guaranteeing that scientists have the freedom in terms of finance and infrastructure, and the space to develop their scientific programmes is key.

“We want science and scientists to be these heroes who come up with solutions to the pressing challenges we are facing globally,” Brito said.

But how do we promote the culture of science given that in Africa there is poor investment in research and development?

The UNESCO report, African Perspectives on Scientific Freedoms, calls for more investment in science, in scientific organizations, and the training of more researchers in Africa. This will be possible through an enabling environment that fosters the growth of science and scientists to operate.

“It is also about protecting the profession of scientists and about creating a conducive environment to retain the scientists in the scientific career, which is particularly important for women scientists, Brito said, adding that many times women start their careers in science but then leave because the work environment is not conducive for them.

The study noted the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, and research in Africa as an issue that needed to be addressed. Fewer than 31 percent of scientists in Sub-Saharan Africa are women, according to UNESCO.

Plugging the brain drain

Besides, Africa is experiencing a brain drain of its scientists, attracted by better conditions in other countries, especially the global North. The World Economic Forum (WEF) found that Africa has fewer than 100 scientists per million inhabitants and will need to increase this to the global average of 800 by training millions of scientists, technicians, and engineers to post-graduate levels over the next few years.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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La présidente sortante de la Commission européenne, Ursula von der Leyen, qui cherche à obtenir un second mandat, présente ce jeudi matin (18 juillet) son programme pour les cinq années à venir dans l’espoir de recueillir une majorité de votes nécessaires.

The Council's reached an agreement on its position on the 2025 EU draft budget. In total, the Council's position for next year's budget amounts to €191.53 billion in commitments and €146.21 billion in payments. 

Press briefing ahead of the upcoming Foreign Affairs Council will take place on 19 April 2024 at 14.30.

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