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EU foreign ministers approved on Monday the launch of a new civilian mission to be deployed in Moldova to help Chișinău face foreign interference and hybrid threats.

La compagnie aérienne AIR FRANCE a été condamnée à verser 812.599 FCFA à un voyageur après une perte de bagage. Le jugement a été rendu le 24 mars 2023 par le Tribunal de commerce de Cotonou.

Un voyageur embarqué dans un vol Suisse-Cotonou de la compagnie aérienne AIR FRANCE, n'a pas retrouvé sa valise à l'arrivée le 17 juin 2022. Celui-ci adresse une sommation par exploit d'huissier le 03 novembre 2022 à la compagnie qui indique : « La valise n'a pas été retrouvée à la date de ce jour ; en effet, nous ne saurions vous donner les raisons pour lesquelles le requérant n'a pas pu avoir satisfaction jusqu'à ce jour ».
Le 13 décembre 2022, le voyageur de nationalité béninoise a saisi le Tribunal de commerce de Cotonou d'une demande en réparation pour perte de bagage. Le passager réclame une somme de dix millions neuf cent quarante-cinq mille deux cent cinquante (10.945.250) FCFA représentant la valeur des effets contenus dans la valise perdue et cinq millions (5.000.000) FCFA à titre de dommages-intérêts à la compagnie aérienne. Il indique que la valise non retrouvée contient des effets vestimentaires (habits, chaussures, trousseau de toilette) ; des effets de valeur tels que téléphone portable, ordinateur, numéraires, carte grise d'une voiture.
Pour AIR FRANCE, la demande du voyageur excède le plafond d'indemnisation prévue par la convention de Montréal régissant la matière. Mieux, le voyageur n'a pas fait la déclaration des objets tel que recommandé en matière de transport. La compagnie précise que bien qu'étant le seul directement en lien avec le passager, le transporteur n'est pas considéré comme étant responsable de tout. La perte de bagage peut résulter aussi bien du transporteur qui sort les conteneurs à bagages de la soute, que des agents de la société de gestion de l'aéroport qui les pose sur le tapis roulant que du contrôle aléatoire de la douane. « Qu'il y a lieu de faire application des principes de responsabilité de la convention de Montréal et de limiter l'indemnisation à moins de mille (1000) DTS, en tenant compte des justes proportions de la situation ».
Le tribunal de commerce de Cotonou a reconnu la compagnie AIR FRANCE responsable de la perte de bagage subie par le voyageur.
Selon le jugement le 24 mars 2023, le Tribunal « Condamne AIR FRANCE à payer (…) la somme de huit cent douze mille cinq cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (812.599) FCFA pour toutes causes de préjudices ; Déclare la présente décision exécutoire par provision, à hauteur de la moitié ; Condamne la compagnie AIR FRANCE aux dépens ».
M. M.

Après avoir annoncé une prochaine nouvelle loi d’immigration, qui a fait beaucoup du bruit en France, le gouvernement a fini par débrancher le projet et […]

L’article Projet de loi d’immigration – France : Macron veut « un seul texte » avant l’été est apparu en premier sur .

La Convention des Nations unies sur la cybercriminalité devient un véritable champ de bataille entre l’UE et d’autres pays occidentaux d’une part, et la Chine, la Russie et d’autres régimes autoritaires d’autre part.

Young girls chat while sitting under a mosquito net in Bienythiang, South Sudan. Credit: UNICEF/Mark Naftalin
 
World Malaria Day, April 25, is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. It was instituted by WHO Member States during the World Health Assembly of 2007.

By Arthur Ng'etich Kipkemoi Saitabau
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Apr 24 2023 (IPS)

For centuries, malaria has remained one of the deadliest diseases, inflicting great suffering on families and perpetuating the cycle of poverty in many communities and nations. The African region currently accounts for 95% of malaria cases and 96% of malaria deaths globally, with women and girls disproportionately affected by the disease.

Women are at higher risk of malaria due to biological, social, economic, and gender factors. They have limited access to healthcare, less decision-making power and control over household resources, which increases their susceptibility.

Gender-based economic disparities further worsen the situation by limiting women’s access to malaria prevention and treatment.

While significant progress has been made in the past decades in combatting malaria through the development of life-saving treatment regimens and the implementation of cutting-edge technologies to accelerate the discovery and development of new malaria vaccines, deaths due to malaria remain high.

In 2021 alone, an estimated 619,000 deaths were caused by malaria, highlighting the need for continued efforts to combat this disease.

In addition, COVID-related disruptions in the delivery of malaria curative and preventive services during the two peak years of the pandemic (2020-2021), led to approximately 13 million more cases of malaria and an additional 63,000 deaths caused by the disease compared to the pre-COVID-19 year of 2019.

To date, malaria cases and deaths have primarily been reduced through disease-focused approaches that tend to be reactive rather than proactive often initiated in response to malaria outbreaks.

This narrow focus on treating individual cases of malaria overlooks broader social, economic, environmental risk factors including gender-based inequalities.

As Member States work towards ambitious goals set during the 2015 World Health Assembly of reducing the global malaria burden by 90% by 2030, efforts need to prioritise the underlying factors that drive transmission through a multifaceted approach, particularly recognising the social determinants like gender inequalities.

The concept of people-centred health care is based on fundamental principles that prioritize human rights, dignity, participation, equity, and partnerships.

This approach aims to create a health care system where individuals, families, and communities receive humane and holistic care, while also having the opportunity to actively engage with the health care system.

As we work towards leaving no one behind and achieving the last mile, developing and adopting more people-centred approaches, that address gender and intersectionality concerns through an analysis of power dynamics, will be critical to make significant strides towards eradicating malaria for good.

This can involve engaging with communities and stakeholders to identify their needs and develop evidence-based malaria control strategies that promote equity and inclusion.

Additionally, promoting participation of marginalized groups in decision-making and ensuring malaria interventions respect human rights and promote social justice.

Not only will this help advance Sustainable Development Goals towards gender equality but importantly will also contribute to decolonising global health and empowering communities that remain most impacted by the disease.

Unpacking the Gendered Dimensions

A people-centred approach to malaria prevention aims to prioritize the well-being of individuals and communities by establishing reliable health systems. However, power dynamics must be taken into account to prevent the perpetuation of power imbalances, hierarchies, and inequalities.

This means engaging with communities and other stakeholders to identify their needs and priorities and working together to develop evidence-based malaria control strategies.

The Community Directed Intervention (CDI) approach exemplifies the importance of extensive community engagement to identify local needs and priorities for malaria control. This includes community meetings, involving leaders and women groups, and conducting surveys on malaria burden and risk factors.

Developing evidence-based strategies through community engagement results in increased community ownership and participation, leading to higher uptake of interventions and reducing malaria transmission.

Addressing the power dynamics associated with malaria prevention requires acknowledging and tackling gendered dimensions linked with malaria prevention.

Women in some communities may lack access to education, employment, and decision-making power, which can limit their ability to protect themselves from malaria.

Additionally, cultural beliefs and practices may contribute to the unequal distribution of resources for malaria prevention and control, with men accessing more resources than women.

This underscores the importance of addressing gender roles in malaria control initiatives and empowering women to take an active role in protecting themselves and their families.

Intersectionality also has important implications for malaria control as gender intersects with other social categories to create specific vulnerabilities and challenges. For instance, women from lowest income groups are least likely to get access to healthcare.

To address these challenges, it is important for more malaria control programs to conduct systematic social and gender analysis, hearing from those affected, to better understand the subtle nuances of gendered and intersectional dimensions of power both within households and communities.

This approach can then help to identify the specific barriers and opportunities for women’s participation in malaria control initiatives. By unpacking the gendered dimensions in communities, public health officials can design targeted interventions that promote women’s empowerment, address gender inequalities, and increase women’s involvement in malaria control programs.

Confronting not Reinforcing Power Dynamics

A people-centred approach to malaria control can empower individuals by providing education and training on malaria prevention and control. It can emphasize inclusivity and centre the experiences and knowledge of those who have been historically excluded or marginalized due to factors such as racism, sexism, classism, and other systems of power.

To avoid reinforcing power dynamics in malaria control, it is crucial to involve and empower marginalized groups in decision-making. This involves consulting communities to identify their needs and priorities, promoting participation of women and marginalized groups, and designing interventions that promote equity and inclusion.

The foundation for improving community dialogue and community-led actions towards malaria elimination has been established over the years.

A case in point is the successful elimination of malaria in Cambodia’s last mile, which relied on communities in high-risk areas agreeing to increased testing, regular fever screening, and in some cases, taking preventive antimalarial medication.

A people-centred approach recognizes the significance of communities in designing and implementing malaria control programs, considering their unique social, cultural, and environmental contexts that can impact malaria transmission and control.

One illustration is the use of local languages and cultural practices to build trust and improve communication on malaria prevention and control measures through empowerment of community health workers who understand and can tailor interventions to their specific contexts.

On the other hand, a people-centred approach, which does not consider power dynamics, can unintentionally reinforce social hierarchies and exclude vulnerable populations from accessing preventative and curative treatment for malaria.

For instance, a malaria control program that only involves male community leaders and village chiefs in decision-making when distributing bed nets reinforces patriarchal power and favour wealthier households, while excluding marginalized groups such as women and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

In conclusion, achieving malaria elimination through people-centred approaches requires a holistic approach that actively considers issues of gender, intersectionality, and balance of power. It is crucial to ensure that these approaches do not perpetuate existing inequalities, but instead centre the experiences and knowledge of marginalized groups.

By acknowledging and addressing the ways in which different forms of oppression intersect and compound to create experiences of marginalization and exclusion, we can make meaningful strides towards malaria elimination.

To achieve this, sustaining a commitment to inclusivity, equity, and social justice is imperative in all efforts aimed at eradicating malaria and improving the health and well-being of communities affected by this disease.

This includes actively involving marginalized groups in decision-making processes, addressing social determinants of health, tailoring interventions to specific cultural and contextual factors, and promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

By taking a proactive and inclusive approach, we can ensure that malaria control efforts are effective, equitable, and sustainable, leading to more just and healthier communities.

Arthur Ng’etich Kipkemoi Saitabau is Post-Doctoral Fellow of the United Nations University – International Institute for Global Health.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria are sticking to their import bans for Ukrainian grain, allowing only conditional onward transit. Their markets have been flooded with grain from Ukraine because the intended land transit routes for its grain exports have become exceedingly expensive and complicated and traffic on the shipping routes has been reduced despite the grain deal. The EU Commission now plans to introduce temporary restrictions to bring the blockade to an end.

Hunters in northern Italy caught the she-bear JJ4 who killed a jogger, but her fate now is undecided. After a court responded to protests by suspending the orders to shoot her, a decision about whether to carry out the death sentence is due for May 11. Commentators see the case as an opportunity to reflect more generally on human coexistence with wild animals.

China's ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, has sparked outrage in countries of the former Soviet Union after saying in a TV interview that they have no "effective status" in international law. There is "no international accord to concretise their status as a sovereign country," he said. Commentators also condemn his comments as a major faux pas.

While Western countries are evacuating their citizens from Sudan, fighting between the army of de facto President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo continues. The death toll now exceeds 400. A ceasefire to mark the Muslim religious holiday Eid al Fitr on Friday did not stop the hostilities.