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As the European Commission prepares to launch its industry alliance for small modular reactors, Euractiv France takes a closer look at the group's planned structure, work programme and remaining grey areas.

Italy’s far-right League leader Matteo Salvini called on the European People’s Party (EPP) at a meeting of EU far-right parties in Florence to collaborate and “liberate Brussels” from those who “occupy” it illegally. Salvini, whose party is a junior coalition...

Alors que le gouvernement allemand s’efforce de combler le trou budgétaire laissé par une récente décision du Tribunal constitutionnel, les solutions proposées au sein de la coalition tripartite divergent, mettant à l’épreuve les limites des partenaires de la coalition.

Beim Lebensversicherer Swiss Life kommt es zu einem grossen Wechsel an der Spitze des Unternehmens. Konzernchef Patrick Frost tritt per Generalversammlung 2024 Mitte Mai von seinem Posten zurück. Ersetzt wird er durch den aktuellen Finanzchef Matthias Aellig.

En marge de la COP28 à Dubaï, la France et une vingtaine de pays se sont engagés samedi (2 décembre) à « tripler la capacité de production d’énergie nucléaire entre 2020 et 2050 ».

Voters in Venezuela rejected the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) jurisdiction over the country's territorial dispute with Guyana and backed the creation of a new state in the potential oil-rich Esequibo region in a Sunday (3 December) referendum.

Volvos einstige Sporttochter Polestar rollt in den kommenden Jahren eine ganze Modellpalette in die Showrooms. Die Schweden unter chinesischer Flagge wollen moderner und mutiger als die Konkurrenz auftreten und scheuen auch vor unkonventionellen Lösungen nicht zurück.

Der Leiter der COP28-Delegation des EU-Parlaments, CDU-Politiker Peter Liese, hat im Vorfeld der Klimakonferenz China ins Visier genommen. Er sagte, Peking müsse aufhören, sich als Entwicklungsland darzustellen und solle wie „eine Supermacht“ zur Klimafinanzierung beitragen.

Closing the gap between what's needed and what's actually distributed is one of the main topics at the COP28 UN climate summit in Dubai on Monday. One problem is that no one knows how much is actually being spent.

On 22 November, the European Parliament sent strong positive signals to EU citizens and businesses when it voted on its amendments to the proposal for an EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). Encouragingly, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) supported measures that promote the circularity of beverage packaging and respect the complementary role of recycling and reuse.

L’Assemblée fédérale issue des élections commencera son travail ce lundi. Une journée marquée par des traditions pas forcément ancestrales. Décryptage.

The optics of a nine-fold increase of annual funding for Israel, in the middle of its devastating military campaign in Gaza, stands in contrast with the attempted suspension, delaying and constraining of EU development aid for the Palestinians.

Der Schnee ist da, die Kälte auch. Und diese bleibt mindestens heute auch noch den ganzen Tag über. Die Temperatur bleibt im Minusbereich.

Több ezer klímaaktivista vonult fel Brüsszel belvárosában az éghajlatváltozás veszélyeire figyelmeztetve, és azért, hogy határozottabb fellépést követeljenek az éghajlatváltozás elleni küzdelemben - írja a La Libre Belgique.

Im Winter greifen wir öfters zu Süssigkeiten als sonst. Meist passiert das ganz unbewusst. Unser Körper verlangt aus einem bestimmten Grund nach mehr Zucker im Winter.

Two Czech far-right parties confirmed a joint candidate list for the 2024 EU elections, with the reversal of the European Green Deal being among the top priorities, the parties announced on Saturday.

Three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters in the southern Red Sea, the US military said Sunday (3 December), as Yemen's Houthi group claimed drone and missile attacks on two Israeli vessels in the area.

Dr Jetn Sirathranont, member of the Senate of Thailand and AFPPD Secretary-General addresses the conference on International Conference on Demographic Resilience in Uzbekistan. Credit: UNFPA Uzbekistan

By Cecilia Russell
JOHANNESBURG & TASHKENT, Dec 4 2023 (IPS)

Lawmakers were reminded of the benefits of long-term planning and the benefits of evidence-based decision-making in policymaking while grappling with demographic trends, be they an aging population or one with significant growth in youth, like that of Uzbekistan.

The Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan outlined some of the key issues Uzbekistan faced, including improving and promoting programs for healthy living, creating inclusive and decent jobs, ensuring equal access to education for all, and continuing to reduce maternal and child mortality rates.

Legislators from Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Tajikistan, and Thailand attended the International Conference on Demographic Resilience in Uzbekistan with support from the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD). The discussions over the course of two days included discussions on demographic resilience, labor markets, education, and healthy aging.

“It is precisely through conferences such as this that AFPPD fosters dialogue and cooperation among legislators and provides a stage to bring together parliamentarians from across Asia, offering them an opportunity to collaborate and advocate for policies that promote sustainable development with emphasis on responsible and responsive demographic policies and a human rights-based approach to lawmaking,” Edcel C. Lagman, Acting Chairperson of the AFPPD, said in his opening address.

Lagman spoke of the significance of holding the conference in Uzbekistan.

“Central Asia is literally at the heart of the world. The Silk Road did not only aid in transporting goods and merchandise during ancient times; it was a key artery through which ideas and innovation flowed and reached far-flung corners of the world and thus influenced the rise and fall of empires and the growth of civilizations,” Lagman said.

“Central Asia is still one of the most multi-cultural regions worldwide, even as its current demographic profile is considered by the Eurasian Research Institute to be “very favorable for economic growth within the next three decades.” We all have much to learn from this diverse and dynamic region, particularly from our member nations, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.”

Oliy Majli, the chairperson of the Senate of the Republic of Uzbekistan speaks at the International Conference on Demographic Resilience. Credit: AFPPD

Zulaykho Makhkamova, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, expanded on a national programme running since 2022 on women’s empowerment, including offering economic, business, and job opportunities.

“We are reaching out to our girls in the remotest areas of Uzbekistan and offering them access to better education … to promote and encourage demographic resilience.”

Makhkamova told the conference that the country was also cooperating with the WHO and implementing best medical practices.

She stressed the importance of evidence-based planning, and with the UNFPA’s assistance, the country took a proactive stance.

“We know that our population is growing very quickly,” and therefore, social and economic indicators were crucial to understanding the dynamics of the country.

The country’s president had taken a clear stance on mother and child protection, gender equality support, and the expansion of economic opportunities for women, she noted.

Planning for healthy aging and a dignified death started before birth when parents planned their pregnancy and continued with proper care and nutrition in infancy, education and training in youth, quality work in adulthood, and care for the aging population, said Dr Jetn Sirathranont, member of the Senate of Thailand and AFPPD Secretary-General.

Dr Yongjie Yon, Technical Officer on Ageing and Health, WHO Regional Office for Europe, who moderated a session on the Decade of Healthy and Active Longevity in Uzbekistan, put it succinctly: “We are living longer than ever before. This is the cause for greater celebration and is a testament to our public health system.”

Elmira Basitkhanova, Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan, spoke about health initiatives in Uzbekistan, including conducting preventive medical examinations for 4.6 million people 55 years of age and older and promoting healthier lifestyles. This is just one of several interventions.

Delegates were reminded by Lisa Warth, Chief of the Population Unit, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), that “there are 11 million older people living in Uzbekistan today. In 2070, this will be 5 million more… And these are the very young youth students today that we’re investing in their education. So it’s really about starting to lay the foundation for their healthy aging.”

The key to this was health, but also a “crosscutting inter-departmental approach looking at education, employment, urban planning, intergenerational relations, and gender relations” when it comes to policymaking.

During their presentations, the representatives of Indonesia, Sri Wulan Jasmin, shared his country’s experience in addressing demographic resilience, and Surayyo Dustmurodzoda from Tajikistan shared their views on youth and labor policy, while both made specific recommendations for Uzbekistan.

“AFPPD will continue delegating members and contributing to similar regional and global events in the future with the platform provided for parliamentarians and policymakers to share knowledge, experiences, and best practices,” said Dr Usmonov Farrukh, interim Executive Director of AFPPD.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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