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Ce fut l'un des plus grands sculpteurs du XXeme siècle, un pionnier du modernisme yougoslave célébré dans le monde entier. Depuis janvier, le musée de la Ville de Bjelovar consacre une exposition à Vojin Bakić.

- Articles / Croatie, Culture et éducation, Courrier des Balkans, Yougonostalgie

A series of recent cases raises the question of whether such punitive measures are necessary for maintaining the country's clean and orderly reputation.

Credit: United Nations

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, May 8 2026 (IPS)

The 10-month-old Middle East conflict—which has triggered a rise in the cost of living worldwide, and an increase in the prices of food, groceries and gasoline—is likely to impose burdens on hundreds of UN staffers, delegates, journalists and civil society representatives– and thousands more, during the General Assembly sessions beginning September.

The proposed increases are mostly due to the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the battle between the US and Iran, specifically targeting ships entering or departing– and halting oil exports and trade.

The UN’s Department of Operational Support (DOS) has decided “as mitigating cost savings measure to increase café prices by approximately 5% in general, any up to 20% for items, including sodas, cakes, oatmeal, pastries and soups”.

“This cost savings measure is meant to reduce the organization subsidy amount from $2.1M to $1M. The measures also include reduction in the hours of café operations to lower labor cost”.

The UN Staff Union (UNSU), responding to the price hike, said early this week, it “strongly objected to the proposed cafeteria price increases, which places an undue financial burden on staff already facing rising living costs and limited on-site alternatives”.

This concern is amplified by the fact that the cafeteria (run by an outside contractor) “benefits from substantial organizational subsidized support, and bears no overhead cost such as rent, utilities, and maintenance expenses”, says a message from UNSU released early this week.

Moreover, says UNSU, current economic data does not support increases of this magnitude. With year-over-year inflation between January 2025 and January 2026 at approximately 2.3–2.4%, even accounting for higher food and labor costs, there is no credible basis for price hikes in the range of 5–20%.

Fluctuations in oil prices further fail to justify such increases, given their limited impact on overall cafeteria operations. Taken together, these facts point to “disproportionate and unjustified measures passed on the staff, who have not received comparable salary increases”, says Narda Cupidore, President of the UNSU Staff Council.

In this context, shifting additional costs to staff is neither transparent nor justified, particularly in the absence of meaningful prior consultation as required under the Terms of Reference of the Headquarters Catering Advisory Committee.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one UN staffer told Inter Press Service: “At a time when there are reports of proposed salary cuts, as part of UN reforms, this hits us where it hurts us most –in our stomachs”.

Moreover, says UNSU, current economic data does not support increases of this magnitude. With year-over-year inflation between January 2025 and January 2026 at approximately 2.3–2.4%, even accounting for higher food and labor costs, there is no credible basis for price hikes in the range of 5–20%.

Fluctuations in oil prices further fail to justify such increases, given their limited impact on overall cafeteria operations.

Taken together, these facts point to disproportionate and unjustified measures passed on the staff, who have not received comparable salary increases.

The Staff Union calls for a suspension of the proposed price hikes at the Café and encourages the DOS to evaluate alternative financial strategies that could avoid passing on such a significant cost burden to staff.

“We remain committed to constructive engagement and continue to seek opportunities for open dialogue and clear answers from management. UNSU believes it is essential to be a partner in both the discussion and the solution, working collaboratively we can reach an outcome that is fair and minimizes the impact on staff. We will keep you informed of any developments.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Der süddeutsche Politiker hat sich 22 Jahre lang in Brüssel vertieft mit der Schweiz befasst. Falls die Schweizer die 10-Millionen-Initiative der SVP annehmen, wäre das für ihn noch nicht das Ende des neuen bilateralen Vertrags.

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Registration required : jean-michel.de.waele@ulb.be
Ivaylo Dinev – postdoctoral researcher (ZOiS, Berlin – Centre for East European and International Studies)
Petia Gueorguieva – Senior Assistant Professor NUB, Department of Political Sciences, New Bulgarian University
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- Agenda / Bulgarie, Belgique et Luxembourg, En ligne

En autorisant l'exportation d'armes létales et en renforçant sa participation aux dispositifs militaires régionaux, le Japon franchit un nouveau seuil. Alors que sa Constitution, rédigée sous occupation américaine, contraint le pays au pacifisme, il n'a pourtant jamais cessé de débattre des (…) / Chine, États-Unis (affaires extérieures), Défense, Armement, Seconde guerre mondiale 1939-1945, États-Unis, Japon

Until now, no one from the military top brass had received such severe punishments since early days of the anti-corruption campaign.

OPINION on the Council Decision amending Decision (EU) 2021/1764 on the Association of the Overseas Countries and Territories with the European Union including relations between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Urmas Paet

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

OPINION on the Council Decision amending Decision (EU) 2021/1764 on the Association of the Overseas Countries and Territories with the European Union including relations between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Urmas Paet

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

La coopération sanitaire internationale n’a jamais dissocié, dans sa pratique et son financement, l’impératif humanitaire des considérations géopolitiques qui le sous-tendent. L’aide en santé oscille, d’autant plus aujourd’hui, entre solidarité affichée et intérêt stratégique des États. À travers le financement de la lutte contre les grandes pandémies (VIH/SIDA, paludisme, tuberculose), il s’agit également de protéger ses propres frontières épidémiques, consolider des alliances diplomatiques et d’imposer des normes. Ainsi, la tension entre solidarité internationale et intérêt national est constitutive de l’histoire de la coopération sanitaire mondiale, sans qu’aucun acteur n’ait jamais pleinement résolu cette contradiction. Ce qui change avec l’America First Global Health Strategy (AfGHS), publiée en septembre 2025, c’est la rhétorique souverainiste qui s’est radicalement accentuée. Une des plus grandes puissances assume sans détour que son aide sanitaire est un instrument stratégique. Les mots « intérêt national », « accord bilatéral » et « America First » ne sont plus dissimulés derrière un vocabulaire humanitariste, ils structurent le document lui-même.

Cette note propose une lecture critique de l’America First Global Health Strategy. Elle a pour vocation d’en décrypter les mécanismes ainsi que les enjeux géopolitiques, sanitaires et idéologiques. Elle esquisse les perspectives ouvertes, plus spécifiquement sur le continent africain, face à cette recomposition de l’ordre sanitaire mondial.

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L’article La santé mondiale, nouvelle arme de la politique étrangère américaine est apparu en premier sur IRIS.