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Written by Maria Margarita Mentzelopoulou.

Present-day European children have been through a lot: a global pandemic, a global financial crisis and wars in the EU’s neighbouring regions. In just a few years, once they become adults, they will have to face the consequences of the decisions taken today. Therefore whether these decisions have to do with the protection of the environment, public health policies or demographics, governments should seek to ensure that children are sufficiently empowered to contribute to responsible choices for their generation’s future.

According to EU and international instruments, children have the right to be heard and to have a say in all decisions that may affect them and their well-being, whether in their home, community, school, or in legal and administrative matters. Ensuring children’s right to express their views on matters relevant to them is a key objective of the European Union. Children’s participation can take many forms, in ways that are adapted to their age and maturity; for instance they can express their views through writing and speech but also through painting and drawing. The upcoming European elections in June 2024 further highlight the importance of engaging children in the EU’s democratic processes. Four Member States (Belgium, Germany, Malta and Austria) allow their 16-year-old citizens to vote.

Stakeholders call for more extensive consultations with children while stressing the need to make policy and decision making in areas concerning children both accessible and child-friendly. An open and inclusive consultation would provide children with the opportunity to contribute to the definition of new policy priorities and to the evaluation and revision of existing measures.

This briefing looks at the international and EU policy framework relevant to children’s participation in democratic life. It also gives practical examples of how this participation is enabled through local youth parliaments, municipal children’s councils and ad hoc consultations.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Children’s participation in the democratic life of the EU‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Chaque année, une centaine de véhicules sont signalés à contresens sur les voies rapides du pays. Rappel des règles à suivre dans de tels cas.

The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a new package to improve the rights of trainees, including a directive to tackle bogus internships — but not a ban on unpaid internships.

La Cour de répression des infractions économiques et du terrorisme (CRIET) a auditionné lundi 18 mars 2024, un présumé fournisseur d'armes aux groupes armés qui opèrent depuis quelques mois dans le Nord-Bénin. L'homme, âgé d'un peu plus de la quarantaine, n'a pas nié les faits mis à sa charge.

Un présumé fournisseur d'armes aux groupes armés devant les juges de la CRIET. Arrêté à Malanville dans le département de l'Alibori, et placé sous mandat de dépôt depuis quelques semaines, il a comparu pour la première fois lundi 18 mars 2024 devant le parquet spécial de la CRIET. A la barre, il n'a pas nié les faits. Devant les juges de la CRIET, il déclare être un logisticien qui fournit des armes aux groupes armés. C'est un conducteur de moto dont la particularité consiste à convoyer des armes dans la brousse pour les groupes terroristes.
Le ministère public après les déclarations du prévenu à la barre, a demandé à la Cour de se déclarer incompétente et de renvoyer le dossier à la commission d'instruction. Ceci au motif que les faits reprochés au prévenu sont de nature criminels. La Chambre correctionnelle qui connait du dossier selon le premier substitut du procureur, n'est pas compétente en la matière.
Le délibéré est renvoyé au 29 avril 2024.

F. A. A.

In a letter seen by Euractiv, agriculture ministers from five EU countries called on the Commission to propose draft legislation to limit the import of grains from Russia and Belarus, citing unfair competition and moral obligations.

Le conseiller fédéral Beat Jans a assuré mercredi au site neuchâtelois que certaines demandes d’asile, vouées à l’échec, pourraient être traitées en 24 heures d’ici fin avril.

L’ancien Premier ministre italien Enrico Letta, en charge du très attendu rapport sur le marché unique, souhaite proposer un outil ressemblant aux crédits d’impôt utilisés par la loi américaine sur la réduction de l’inflation (Inflation Reduction Act, IRA).

On International Women's Day on Mar. 8, thousands of Chilean women of all ages took to Santiago's central Alameda avenue to demonstrate peacefully for several hours and turn the Chilean capital into a stage for protest and demands for their rights. Some of them were women caregivers accompanied by dependent women. CREDIT: Orlando Milesi / IPS

By Orlando Milesi
SANTIAGO , Mar 20 2024 (IPS)

In Chile, as in the rest of Latin America, the task of caring for people with disabilities, the elderly and children falls to women who, as a result, do not have access to paid jobs or time for themselves.

Unpaid domestic and care work is crucial to the economies of the region, accounting for around 20 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Measurements by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) found that in 16 Latin American countries, women spend between 22.1 and 42.8 hours per week on unpaid domestic and care work. Men only spend between 6.7 and 19.8 hours.

Ana Güezmes, director of ECLAC’s Division for Gender Affairs, told IPS that “in most countries women work longer total hours, but with a lower proportion of paid hours.”

“This work, which is fundamental for sustaining life and social well-being, is disproportionately assigned to women. This situation impacts women’s autonomy, economic opportunities, labor and political participation and their access to leisure activities and rest,” Güezmes said at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago.

The situation is far from changing as it is replicated in young women who devote up to 20 percent of their time to unpaid work.

Paloma Olivares, president for Santiago of the women’s organization Yo Cuido, works in her office in the working-class municipality of Estación Central, in the northeast of the Chilean capital. CREDIT: Orlando Milesi / IPS

 

Women left on their own as caregivers

Paloma Olivares, 43, chairs the Yo Cuido Association in Santiago, Chile, which brings together 120 members, only two of them men."Women caregivers are denied the right to participate on equal terms in society because we are forced to choose between exercising our rights or doing caregiving work. And we cannot choose because it is a job we do for a loved one, for a family member." -- Paloma Olivares

“Women caregivers are denied the right to participate on equal terms in society because we are forced to choose between exercising our rights or doing caregiving work. And we cannot choose because it is a job we do for a loved one, for a family member,” she told IPS.

“We are left in a position of inequality, of absolute vulnerability because you have to devote your life to supporting someone else at the expense of your personal life,” she said.

Olivares stopped working to care for Pascale, her granddaughter, who was born with cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus.

Three days after her birth, a bacterium became lodged in her central nervous system. She was hospitalized for almost a year and became severely dependent.

At the time, she was given a seven percent chance of survival. Today she is eight years old, goes to school and lives an almost normal life thanks to the work of her caregivers.

She is now cared for by her mother Valentina, who had her at the age of 15. Paloma was able to return to paid work, but her daughter abandoned her studies to take care of Pascale.

“When you start being a caregiver, friendships end, because no one can keep up. Even the family drifts away. That’s why most caregiving families are single-parent, the woman is left alone to care because the man can’t keep up with the pace and the emotional and economic burden,” she said.

Olivares participated from Mar. 12 to 14 in a public hearing, digital and in person, on the right to care and its interrelation with other rights, in a collective request of several social organizations and the governments of Chile and other Latin American countries before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR Court), based in San Jose, Costa Rica,

In the request for an opinion from the IACHR Court, “we asked the Court to take a stance on the right to care and how the rights of women in particular have been violated because there are no public policies in this regard. We want the Court to pronounce itself on the right to care and how the States should address it so that this right is guaranteed and so the rights of caregivers are no longer violated,” she explained.

It is expected that the Court’s pronouncement on the matter will come out in April and could establish minimum parameters regarding women caregivers for Chile and other Latin American countries.

 

Critical situation for women caregivers

Millaray Sáez, 59, told IPS by telephone from the southern Chilean city of Concepción that her son Mario Ignacio, 33, “is no longer the autonomous person he was. Since 2012 he has become a baby.”

She chairs the AML Bío Bío Corporación, an association of women in the Bío Bío region created in 2017 to address the question of female empowerment and today dedicated to the issue of caregivers.

“I have been a caregiver for 30 years for my son who has refractory epilepsy. He became prostrate in 2012 as a result of medical negligence,” said the international trade engineer who has become an expert in public policies on care with a gender perspective.

Sáez said “the situation of women caregivers is very bad, very precarious. There is a single cause, which is the work of caregiving, but the consequences are multidimensional…. from physical deterioration to the lack of legislation to protect against forms of violence, and ranging from the family to what society or the State adds.”

She also pointed to the economic consequences of dependent care.

She cited cases in which caregivers spend over 150 dollars a month on diapers alone for a person who needs them. And she pointed out that the government provides an economic aid stipend of just 33 dollars a month.

 

Teresa Valdés, head of the Gender and Equity Observatory of the Catholic University of Chile, praises the new registry of caregivers promoted by the Chilean government, but underlines the importance of municipal experiences and initiatives that promote homes and care centers to facilitate the lives of women caregivers. CREDIT: Orlando Milesi / IPS

 

The magnitude of the problem

It is a pending task to determine the number of women caregivers in Chile.

The government of leftist President Gabriel Boric created a system for caregivers to register and receive a credential that gives them access to public services.

“The credential is the gateway to the Chile Cuida System. With it we seek to make them visible in services and institutions and to reward them for their work by saving them waiting time in daily procedures,” the Minister of Women and Gender Equity, Antonia Orellana, explained to IPS.

So far, there are 85,817 people registered, of whom 74,650 are women, or 87 percent of the total, and 11,167 are men, according to data provided to IPS on Mar. 14 by the Undersecretariat of Social Services of the Ministry of Social Development and Family.

But Chile has 19.5 million inhabitants, and “17.6 percent of the adult population has some degree of disability and, therefore, requires the daily care and support of other people in the home,” the minister said.

That means 3.4 million Chileans depend on a caregiver.

According to Orellana, facing the care scenario projected by the aging of the population will require the collaboration of everyone to “create and sustain an economic and productive system that generates decent work and formal employment, leaving no one behind.”

 

Other urgent demands by women

Sociologist Teresa Valdés, head of the Gender and Equity Observatory, told IPS that there are many social problems facing Chilean women today, “especially those related to access to health care, social security, unequal pay and access to different goods and services.”

Valdés regretted that the term “women caregivers” is used to refer to the role that women play and the tasks that are culturally assigned to them as a priority.

“We are all caregivers, all women work double shifts. The time-use survey shows that we work an additional 41 hours per week of so-called unpaid reproductive care work,” she said.

According to Valdés, the main advance in this problem is to include it in the debate because these are policies that require a lot of resources and extensive development, since they have to do with the structure of the labor market.

“Part of the proposal should be how to ‘de-genderize’, how care becomes a task of shared responsibility and not only that women have more time to take on the care tasks,” she said.

“When we call women caregivers, we are referring to the group most affected by the conditions of sexual division of labor and family reproduction,” she added.

The expert proposes progressively identifying ways to support women caregivers in order to provide them with available time and take care of their mental health.

She praised the programs promoted by some municipalities to free up time for these women to enjoy leisure and self-care.

“We have to move towards a cultural conception that we are all dependent. Today I depend on you, tomorrow you depend on me. Care is a social task in which I take care of you today so that you can take care of me tomorrow. And that is something that has to start from the earliest childhood,” she argued.

ERGNETI, 21 March 2024 – The 118th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place in Ergneti yesterday under the co-facilitation of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The EUMM and OSCE co-facilitators welcomed participants and commended their commitment to the IPRM format. They called for pragmatism to find mutually acceptable practical solutions that respond positively and effectively to the human security needs of women and men living on both sides of the administrative boundary line (ABL).

At the meeting, the co-facilitators advocated for the lifting of freedom of movement restrictions during the upcoming Orthodox Easter holiday season, while reiterating their calls for the full re-opening of crossing points for regular cross-ABL traffic. The EUMM and OSCE also called on participants to discontinue the practice of detentions and urged a humanitarian approach towards the resolution of existing detention cases.

Discussions also focused on the recent security developments at the ABL, including the installation of physical barriers, such as fences and barbed wire, as well as activities of security actors.

All participants agreed that the upcoming agricultural season necessitates continued dialogue and acknowledged the benefits of technical meetings on water irrigation issues.

As in previous IPRM meetings, the participants commended the work of the EUMM-managed Hotline, underscoring it is an essential tool to exchange information, defuse tensions and manage incidents in a timely manner.

The participants agreed to convene the next regular IPRM meeting on 16 May 2024 and to hold a technical meeting on water irrigation issues on 26 April 2024.

Alors que le vote final au Conseil de l’UE aura lieu lundi prochain (25 mars), l’avenir de la loi sur la restauration de la nature reste incertain, la position des principaux États membres n’étant toujours pas claire.

Transparent, fair policies and agreements tailored to the equitable sharing of groundwater can mitigate potential conflicts. Credit: Charles Mpaka/IPS

By Thokozani Dlamini
PRETORIA, South Africa, Mar 20 2024 (IPS)

Like surface waters, groundwater resources frequently cross international boundaries, potentially igniting disputes among nations that rely on this essential resource. Disagreements over shared groundwater can arise from various issues, such as inequitable resource distribution, competing water needs and economic dependencies, governance challenges, and the varying effects of climate change on water availability.

Effectively managed transboundary aquifers have the potential to nurture goodwill and collective action among nations, whereas mismanagement could lead to conflicts and negatively affect the sustainable utilization of these water reserves.

Effectively managed transboundary aquifers have the potential to nurture goodwill and collective action among nations, whereas mismanagement could lead to conflicts and negatively affect the sustainable utilization of these water reserves

Therefore, it is crucial to have robust governance strategies in place for fair and sustainable resource distribution. Open and transparent communication among nations, coupled with cooperative initiatives such as mutual monitoring and knowledge exchange, is essential to alleviate tensions and ensure the responsible use of groundwater.

By embracing such collaborative measures, states can move towards a more peaceful and cooperative management of shared groundwater resources.

In the Southern African region, groundwater is a lifeline for most of the population. Estimates suggest that over 70% of roughly 350 million inhabitants depend on it as their primary water source.

UNESCO’s data reveal a stark reliance on groundwater, with 60% of the rural populace and 40% of their urban counterparts turning to subterranean supplies for daily water needs.

These figures not only illuminate the fundamental role of groundwater in sustaining livelihoods but also underscore the need for its judicious management, especially when it comes to shared resources across borders.

The high dependency on groundwater for such a large population mandates a collaborative and sustainable management approach to prevent disputes and ensure water security for both present and future generations in Southern Africa.

Indeed, fostering peace among nations sharing groundwater resources calls for proactive and Integrated strategies. Key among these is the creation of robust governance mechanisms designed to manage these resources fairly and sustainably.

Transparent, fair policies and agreements tailored to the equitable sharing of groundwater can mitigate potential conflicts. Additionally, maintaining open and participatory communication channels between member states is instrumental in addressing issues and negotiating solutions that benefit all parties involved.

This dialogue should aim to build a consensus and trust, which is vital for cooperation and long-term peace. Implementing such measures can promote a collaborative environment where shared groundwater resources are a bond rather than a barrier between states.

The Southern African Development Community has taken proactive steps to address the challenges associated with the transboundary nature of groundwater resources.

The SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses is a key instrument designed to foster cooperation and sustainable management of shared watercourses, including surface water and groundwater. The protocol’s objectives are to promote the equitable and reasonable utilization of water resources, the sustainable development of those resources, and coordinated water resources management, including the protection of the environment.

Furthermore, establishing the SADC Groundwater Management Institute by Member States as a Centre of Excellence for sustainable groundwater management signifies a strong regional commitment to addressing groundwater issues.

The institute aims to enhance the capacity of Member States in the sustainable development and management of groundwater resources, to reduce the vulnerability of SADC Member States to impacts of climate variability, and to improve groundwater governance in the region.

This is achieved through promoting information sharing, providing training and research opportunities, and supporting the implementation of groundwater management policies and strategies across the SADC region. These efforts reduce potential conflicts and enhance peace among Member States by ensuring that groundwater resources are managed effectively and equitably.

In the SADC region, there are approximately 30 Transboundary Aquifers. The Eastern Kalahari Basin Transboundary Aquifer stretches across Botswana and Zimbabwe and is a prime example of transboundary aquifer collaboration.

To effectively govern this essential shared resource, these countries have established cooperative frameworks and crafted pivotal agreements.

Pioneering these efforts is the ‘Joint Aquifer Management Strategy, ‘ an initiative headed by the SADC Groundwater Management Institute. This strategic framework is dedicated to fostering sustainable practices in groundwater management, ensuring equitable access, and underpinning cooperation between bordering nations.

It provides comprehensive guidelines for systematic groundwater monitoring, equitable resource allocation, and robust conflict resolution mechanisms, setting a precedent for transboundary water cooperation.

The SADC Groundwater Management Institute marked another significant achievement in advancing cooperation among nations sharing transboundary aquifers with the initiation of the Conjunctive Transboundary Water Resource Management Project in the Shire River Basin, a vital watercourse traversing Malawi and Mozambique.

This groundbreaking project yielded two pivotal documents: the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis Report and the Joint Action Plan. These frameworks are instrumental in charting a course for both countries towards the sustainable stewardship of the Transboundary Aquifer.

Transboundary aquifers epitomize vital water reserves and are a peace and international cooperation conduit. Through joint stewardship and equitable utilization of these groundwater resources, nations chart a course towards stability and shared affluence.

As we observe World Water Day, we celebrate these subterranean reserves that stitch together the fabric of nations, underscoring their pivotal role in fostering harmony, resilience, and sustainable progression across boundaries.

In honouring our interconnected water heritage, let us renew our dedication to a future where water serves as a bridge to concord and flourishing for all individuals. United in our efforts, we can elevate transboundary aquifers to beacons of hope and symbols in our collective journey towards a secure, water-sustained world.

 

Thokozani Dlamini is SADC-GMI Communication and Knowledge Management Specialist

 

EU leaders in Brussels this week are poised to finalise plans on using approximately €3bn in annual profits from frozen Russian assets to buy ammunition and weapons for Ukraine.

L'Indice Harmonisé des Prix à la Consommation du mois de février 2024 a enregistré une hausse pour ressortir à 112,1 contre 110,5 par rapport au mois précédent. Cette hausse est imputable à l'augmentation des prix de certains produits.

Le niveau général des prix à la consommation au Bénin en février 2024 est en hausse. Selon le bulletin mensuel de l'INStaD, l'indice est ressorti à 112,1 % contre 110,5 en janvier. Cet accroissement a été enregistré en raison de l'augmentation des prix des biens de la fonction « Produits alimentaires et boissons non alcoolisées » (+3,1%). Les principaux groupes de biens dont les prix ont contribué à cette augmentation sont : « Céréales non transformées » (+9,1%), en lien avec la hausse saisonnière des prix du maïs en grain et du sorgho ; « Sel et condiments » (+4,5%), en raison de la rareté saisonnière du piment frais.

Le bulletin mensuel de l'INStaD informe aussi que « l'évolution observée sur le mois a été modérée essentiellement par la baisse des prix de certains groupe de produits ». Il s'agit des « Légumes frais en fruits ou racine » (-5,2%), à cause de la disponibilité de l'oignon frais dont l'offre s'est améliorée sur les marchés ; des « Huiles » (-4,3%), liée à la baisse du prix de l'huile de palme en raison de la saison des noix de palme ».

« Le taux d'inflation au niveau national au titre du mois de février 2024, suivant la définition adoptée dans l'espace UEMOA, est ressorti à +2,0% contre +2,5% un mois plus tôt, soit un recul de 0,5 point de pourcentage », informe le bulletin mensuel.

A.A.A

EU initiatives against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine have always excluded the agricultural sector. This is meant to avoid side effects on global food security, as Russia is the world's largest exporter of wheat and a major player in the global fertiliser market.

Alors que la Russie se heurtait à des obstacles croissants dans son invasion de l’Ukraine, certains ont commencé à évoquer l’idée que son président, Vladimir Poutine, pourrait perdre le pouvoir qu’il détient depuis un quart de siècle.

La Cour des comptes européenne a averti que la stratégie de la Commission de compter sur les États membres pour s’assurer que l’argent de la facilité pour la reprise et la résilience est correctement dépensé augmentait le « risque d’irrégularité, voire de corruption ».

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Acting Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Clarisse Pasztory and Speaker of the Assembly of Albania Lindita Nikolla signed a Memorandum of Understanding today to renew and strengthen the partnership between the two institutions. The Memorandum creates a general framework and sets guidelines for the co-operation between the Presence and parliament with regard to the programme “Support to Parliament of the Republic of Albania”.

“The Assembly will continue to strengthen the successful partnership with the OSCE Presence to advance democratization reforms and Albania’s European integration”, Nikolla stressed at the signing event.

“We are proud to stand as a steadfast partner of the Albanian Assembly. We stand ready to work together in enhancing the quality of legislation, legislative services, political representation and oversight. The OSCE in Albania remains committed to supporting the Assembly in these efforts,” said Pasztory.

According to the Memorandum, the Presence will support the Assembly to improve its legislative, oversight and representative functions, as well as the parliamentary administration to fulfil their functions in an efficient, effective and inclusive way. The Presence and the Assembly will also co-operate to enhance parliament’s interaction with citizens, and to develop and introduce innovative tools for an integrated and transparent legislative system that improves access to consolidated laws and parliamentary records.

The Presence is a long-term partner of the Assembly of Albania, in line of its mandate to assist Albania’s efforts to consolidate effective democratic institutions and to promote the rule of law and human rights in conformity with the OSCE principles, standards and commitments.

Next time you go by a construction site, look carefully. You might be witnessing exploitation of workers. Urgent action is needed, and the European Commission cannot simply look away.

Water is essential to human life, to the health of our ecosystems and to European economies, yet it is under increasing stress due to overexploitation, rising demand and the effects of climate change.

La Bulgarie a le potentiel pour devenir un fournisseur majeur de batteries au plomb et saisir les opportunités économiques de la transition écologique, mais les politiques de l’UE donnent la priorité aux batteries lithium-ion — une « faille » selon certains acteurs du secteur.