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Fatih Birol, der Chef der Internationalen Energieagentur (IEA), drängt die EU, auf dem bevorstehenden Weltklimagipfel eine Initiative für umweltfreundliches Kochen in Afrika zu unterstützen. In einem Interview mit Euractiv sagte er, dies sei "das wichtigste Thema" für den Kontinent.

Michal Šimečka, a Progresszív Szlovákia (PS) elnöke lemondott az Európai Parlament alelnöki posztjáról.

ÄNDERUNGSANTRÄGE 1 - 371 - Entwurf eines Berichts Umsetzung der Gemeinsamen Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik – Jahresbericht 2023
Ausschuss für auswärtige Angelegenheiten
David McAllister

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2023 - EP

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child significantly strengthened the legal basis for recognising children as actors with agency and a voice. In contrast to this, children in displacement contexts are still commonly portrayed as victims without agency. Children are dependent on adults, but that does not mean that they have no right to participate in decisions that affect their lives. This policy brief sheds light on the active role that children in displacement situations can take in their daily lives to shape refugee–host interactions and local integration in camp settings. It discusses how the role of children in the social integration of refugees can be strengthened and supported, indicating potential areas for intervention.
With 40 per cent of the displaced population worldwide being below the age of 18, children form a significant part of this group (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2023). However, there continues to be limited information on the perspectives and experiences of children in displacement situations, particularly those living in the Global South. Although there is some knowledge regarding interventions to support the integration of refugee children, not much has been said about their own initiatives with respect to social integration and mediating the circumstances that displacement and encampment entail.  
Children change the world around them and invariably impact the adult-dominated processes of migration and integration when they participate. Independently from adults, children negotiate and construct relations during their interactions in public and private spaces, such as in (pre-)schools, organised sporting events and in private meeting points. They develop friendships and share learning materials, food and language. Through their agency, children build relations that are critical for the process of integration. This can transcend adult-dominated notions about the safety and securitisation of displacement contexts, thus transforming the conflict rhetoric associated
with refugee–host community relations. The role of children has become even more salient in view of efforts to facilitate integration through the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), a key framework guiding refugee policy in many refugee-hosting countries in the Global South. At the same time, children’s unique growth and developmental needs have to be adequately understood and incorporated into integration policies and programmes.
In this policy brief, we call for a change in policy and pro¬gramming to recognise and support children’s critical role in social integration. We make the following recommendations to host governments, international agencies and local partners active in refugee camp settings to:
• Support more data collection and analysis of children’s actions in building relations that can foster integration in different displacement contexts.
• Ensure that children are included as a special category in policy frameworks. Their interests and needs should be taken into account by listening to their voices and providing platforms for exchanges with adults, policy-makers and practitioners.
• Create more opportunities for refugee and host community children to interact inside and outside of school environments.
• Support sensitisation programmes that bring together parents of refugee and host community children to understand the role of children in the integration process and to ensure that the views of adults as parents and guardians are also listened to and addressed.
• Address negative stereotypes and open conflicts between refugee and host community children that restrict free and positive interactions. This can include fostering dialogue and peaceful means to resolve conflicts as well as facilitating cooperation.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child significantly strengthened the legal basis for recognising children as actors with agency and a voice. In contrast to this, children in displacement contexts are still commonly portrayed as victims without agency. Children are dependent on adults, but that does not mean that they have no right to participate in decisions that affect their lives. This policy brief sheds light on the active role that children in displacement situations can take in their daily lives to shape refugee–host interactions and local integration in camp settings. It discusses how the role of children in the social integration of refugees can be strengthened and supported, indicating potential areas for intervention.
With 40 per cent of the displaced population worldwide being below the age of 18, children form a significant part of this group (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2023). However, there continues to be limited information on the perspectives and experiences of children in displacement situations, particularly those living in the Global South. Although there is some knowledge regarding interventions to support the integration of refugee children, not much has been said about their own initiatives with respect to social integration and mediating the circumstances that displacement and encampment entail.  
Children change the world around them and invariably impact the adult-dominated processes of migration and integration when they participate. Independently from adults, children negotiate and construct relations during their interactions in public and private spaces, such as in (pre-)schools, organised sporting events and in private meeting points. They develop friendships and share learning materials, food and language. Through their agency, children build relations that are critical for the process of integration. This can transcend adult-dominated notions about the safety and securitisation of displacement contexts, thus transforming the conflict rhetoric associated
with refugee–host community relations. The role of children has become even more salient in view of efforts to facilitate integration through the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), a key framework guiding refugee policy in many refugee-hosting countries in the Global South. At the same time, children’s unique growth and developmental needs have to be adequately understood and incorporated into integration policies and programmes.
In this policy brief, we call for a change in policy and pro¬gramming to recognise and support children’s critical role in social integration. We make the following recommendations to host governments, international agencies and local partners active in refugee camp settings to:
• Support more data collection and analysis of children’s actions in building relations that can foster integration in different displacement contexts.
• Ensure that children are included as a special category in policy frameworks. Their interests and needs should be taken into account by listening to their voices and providing platforms for exchanges with adults, policy-makers and practitioners.
• Create more opportunities for refugee and host community children to interact inside and outside of school environments.
• Support sensitisation programmes that bring together parents of refugee and host community children to understand the role of children in the integration process and to ensure that the views of adults as parents and guardians are also listened to and addressed.
• Address negative stereotypes and open conflicts between refugee and host community children that restrict free and positive interactions. This can include fostering dialogue and peaceful means to resolve conflicts as well as facilitating cooperation.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child significantly strengthened the legal basis for recognising children as actors with agency and a voice. In contrast to this, children in displacement contexts are still commonly portrayed as victims without agency. Children are dependent on adults, but that does not mean that they have no right to participate in decisions that affect their lives. This policy brief sheds light on the active role that children in displacement situations can take in their daily lives to shape refugee–host interactions and local integration in camp settings. It discusses how the role of children in the social integration of refugees can be strengthened and supported, indicating potential areas for intervention.
With 40 per cent of the displaced population worldwide being below the age of 18, children form a significant part of this group (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2023). However, there continues to be limited information on the perspectives and experiences of children in displacement situations, particularly those living in the Global South. Although there is some knowledge regarding interventions to support the integration of refugee children, not much has been said about their own initiatives with respect to social integration and mediating the circumstances that displacement and encampment entail.  
Children change the world around them and invariably impact the adult-dominated processes of migration and integration when they participate. Independently from adults, children negotiate and construct relations during their interactions in public and private spaces, such as in (pre-)schools, organised sporting events and in private meeting points. They develop friendships and share learning materials, food and language. Through their agency, children build relations that are critical for the process of integration. This can transcend adult-dominated notions about the safety and securitisation of displacement contexts, thus transforming the conflict rhetoric associated
with refugee–host community relations. The role of children has become even more salient in view of efforts to facilitate integration through the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), a key framework guiding refugee policy in many refugee-hosting countries in the Global South. At the same time, children’s unique growth and developmental needs have to be adequately understood and incorporated into integration policies and programmes.
In this policy brief, we call for a change in policy and pro¬gramming to recognise and support children’s critical role in social integration. We make the following recommendations to host governments, international agencies and local partners active in refugee camp settings to:
• Support more data collection and analysis of children’s actions in building relations that can foster integration in different displacement contexts.
• Ensure that children are included as a special category in policy frameworks. Their interests and needs should be taken into account by listening to their voices and providing platforms for exchanges with adults, policy-makers and practitioners.
• Create more opportunities for refugee and host community children to interact inside and outside of school environments.
• Support sensitisation programmes that bring together parents of refugee and host community children to understand the role of children in the integration process and to ensure that the views of adults as parents and guardians are also listened to and addressed.
• Address negative stereotypes and open conflicts between refugee and host community children that restrict free and positive interactions. This can include fostering dialogue and peaceful means to resolve conflicts as well as facilitating cooperation.

Minderjährige seien besonders anfällig für die Manipulation durch terroristische Organisationen. Daher müssen mehr Maßnahmen ergriffen werden, um schnell auf diese wachsende Bedrohung zu reagieren, so die spanische Ratspräsidentschaft.

France, Britain, the US and Nato have urged Israel to minimise Palestinian deaths, as it prepares to invade Gaza and publishes photos of Israeli victims. Ursula von der Leyen and Roberta Metsola will visit Israel on Friday.

Alors que l'électricité a été coupée dans la bande de Gaza, Adnan Al Bursh, de BBC Arabic, a rencontré les habitants de la région et découvert leur première nuit dans l'obscurité.

An image illustrating the ‘No-senior zone’ in a Korean café. Credit: The Nation

By Hyunsung (Julie) Lee
SEOUL, Oct 13 2023 (IPS)

Growing up in a culture that values respect for elders, I was acutely aware of the importance of caring for our aging population. However, my journey to understanding the gravity of this issue truly began with a personal anecdote. I watched my grandmother, a pillar of strength throughout my childhood, gradually withdraw from the vibrant world in which she once thrived. The cheerful twinkle in her eyes began to dim, replaced by an eerie sense of isolation.

This experience opened my eyes to a stark reality: a disturbing surge in elderly suicide rates hidden beneath the facade of cultural reverence for seniors in Korea and Japan. In 2021, these rates reached 61.3 deaths per 100,000 people in Korea, primarily driven by profound social isolation.

Suicide deaths in Korea. Credit: Statista

Some may argue that these figures are insignificant, but the persistence of a high suicide rate cannot be dismissed. Moreover, they are poised to become even more critical as we approach a world where, according to WHO, the elderly population over the age of 60 is expected to double by 2050, and those 80 years or older are projected to triple.

So how severe are the elderly suicide rates due to isolation in Korea and Japan? Well, research highlights that this is due to the significant rise in the elderly population. Such an increase has been concurrent with the rising elderly suicide rates. The Global Burden of Disease study emphasizes that the global elderly suicide rate is almost triple the suicide rates across all other age groups. For example, in South Korea alone, there has been a 300% increase in elderly suicide rates.

If the world’s elderly population has increased overall, why is it that the elderly suicide rates within Korea and Japan have been especially severe? This was particularly confusing as I believed that due to cultural and social standards of filial piety and respecting your elders, such suicide rates would be low. However, I found the answer to my own question when I visited Korea in July this year.

When I arrived in the country, one of the first things I did was to visit a cafe to meet with a friend. However, as I was about to enter the cafe, I saw a group of elderly men and women leaving the cafe while comforting each other, saying, “It’s okay; it’s not the first time we’ve been rejected.” As I later found out, this was because the cafe was a ‘no-senior zone.’

Similar to how some places are designated as ‘no-kid zones,’ this cafe, and others, did not allow people over the age of 60 to enter.  According to Lee Min-ah at Chung-Ang University, “The continuous emergence of ‘no-something zones’ in our society means that exclusion among groups is increasing, while efforts to understand each other are disappearing.”

I also discovered that age discrimination is also present in other aspects of the elderly’s life, more specifically, in the workplace. According to a survey by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, in 2018, 59 percent of the Korean elderly found it difficult to be employed due to age restrictions, and a further 44 percent experienced ageism within their workplace. The increase in discrimination against the elderly has heightened their sense of isolation, eventually leading to cases of suicide in extreme circumstances.

Jung Sook Park, the Secretary General of World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGo) with the author Hyunsung (Julie) Lee.

Interview with Jung Sook Park, the Secretary General of WeGo at the Seoul Global Center

I wanted to learn more about the current action being taken to help the elderly feel more included in our society, as I believed this would be key to preventing isolation-related suicide cases. To gain further insight, I decided to interview Jung Sook Park, the Secretary General of the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGo).

WeGo is an international association of local governments, smart tech solution providers, and institutions committed to transforming cities worldwide into smart and sustainable cities through partnerships. I believe that by interviewing the Secretary General of WeGo, I would be able to learn more about the specific solutions that governments and organizations are implementing collaboratively.

Through my interview, I gained an understanding that the South Korean government and social organizations are currently focusing on addressing age discrimination, recognizing it as a key factor in isolationism.

Park mentioned that one specific approach to resolving this issue involves the use of ‘meta spaces’ and technological wristbands. She emphasized that in today’s technology-driven world, enabling the elderly to adapt to such technology could bridge the generation gap between the younger and older generations. She further explained that meta spaces, allowing for anonymous communication, and technological wristbands, which could include features like a metro card and direct access to emergency services, would facilitate the elderly’s integration into modern society. Park concluded that enabling the elderly to adapt efficiently to the current social setting could break down the generational barrier between youth and the elderly, fostering a direct connection between these two disparate groups.

During my research, I coincidentally came across a website called Meet Social Value (MSV). MSV is a publishing company that specializes in writing and publishing insightful articles about contemporary social issues. Their most recent article, titled ‘Senior,’ delves into the social challenges faced by the elderly in Korean society and explores solutions involving inclusive designs and spaces.

MSV serves as a prime example of how contemporary social organizations are taking steps to address the issue of elderly discrimination. This is especially significant because, through youthful and trendy engagement on social media, it becomes easier to raise awareness of this issue among younger generations.

Meet Social Value’s most recent article, titled ‘Senior,’ delves into the social challenges faced by the elderly in Korean society and explores solutions involving inclusive designs and spaces.

As I continued my research, I started pondering what I, as an 18-year-old, could do to contribute to resolving this issue. Even though I’m still a student, I wanted to find ways to make a difference, especially after witnessing age discrimination and its consequences firsthand.

I found the answer to my question when I learned about the initiatives undertaken by the government of Murakami City and the Murakami City Social Welfare Council to bridge the gap between the youth and senior citizens. They introduced the Murakami City Happy Volunteer Point System, which aimed to encourage more people to assist seniors through various volunteering activities such as nursing facility support, hospital transportation services, and operating dementia cafes, among others. The system rewarded volunteers with points that could be exchanged for prepaid cards, creating an incentive for more individuals to get involved in helping their senior citizens.

Taking this into consideration, I believe that the younger generation, especially students, may contribute by creating such an incentivization system. For example, students may create senior volunteering clubs within their schools and take turns volunteering and connecting with elderly citizens every weekend. By doing so, clubs may incentivize their members through points which may later be traded for a snack or lunch at the school cafeteria. Through small incentives, this may naturally encourage more students to participate and thus naturally allow for the youth to create a relationship with the elderly, hence contributing to mitigating the issue of elderly isolation.

The webpage of the Murakami City Happy Volunteer Point System contains the system’s details.

In Korea’s battle against ageism, we find ourselves at a turning point. To navigate this societal shift successfully, we must recognize that age discrimination not only undermines the dignity of our elders but also hampers our collective progress. The solution requires a comprehensive approach. Policy reforms are crucial, emphasizing stringent anti-ageism measures in the public space and the workplace. Equally significant solutions are awareness campaigns to challenge stereotypes and foster inter-generational understanding.

However, true change starts with the youth. By confronting our biases and engaging in volunteering activities, we can break down barriers and celebrate the diverse experiences each age group brings. Through such efforts, we can create a society where age is not a determinant of worth but a source of strength and wisdom. It’s a journey demanding our collective commitment, but one that will lead us towards a more inclusive and harmonious future for all.

Edited by Hanna Yoon

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
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Excerpt:

In this, the fourth of IPS' Youth Thought Leaders series, the author looks at suicide rates in older persons and concludes we should break barriers and celebrate the diversity each generation brings.

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