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Der FC Aarau verpflichtet Torhüter-Talent Melvin Frei vom FC Luzern. Er wird das Torhüterteam als dritter Goalie hinter Hirzel und Velickovic ergänzen.

UBS-CEO Sergio P. Ermotti, Glencore-Chef Gary Nagle oder die Sport-Stars Wendy Holdener und Nico Hischier. Dank dem Sport & Business Network SBN treffen Persönlichkeiten aus Sport und Wirtschaft aufeinander. Dahinter steckt eine Idee des Ex-Handballers Besfort Biljali.

UBS-CEO Sergio Ermotti, Glencore-Chef Gary Nagle oder die Sport-Stars Wendy Holdener und Nico Hischier. Dank dem Sport & Business Network (SBN) treffen Persönlichkeiten aus Sport und Wirtschaft aufeinander. Dahinter steckt eine Idee des Ex-Handballers Besfort Biljali.

Der FC Luzern gibt sich in Buochs keine Blösse. Mit einem 3:0 gegen den Erstligisten qualifiziert sich die Mannschaft von Udo Portmann souverän für die nächste Cup-Runde. Dazu erhalten die Luzerner drei Mutmacher.

Gleich zwei Freisinnige treten in Meilen gegeneinander an. Der Streit um die Nachfolge der FDP-Richterin spaltet die Partei – dabei hätte die Wahl geräuschlos über die Bühne gehen können.

Amna Idres Musa Mahamod leads the Al-Wifag Women’s Association in Toker, Sudan. Photographed for the Through Her Lens: Women Rising for Peace Exhibition. Credit: UN Women/Mona Elfateh

By Shuli Wong
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 17 2026 (IPS)

Women-led and women’s rights organizations (WLOs) in humanitarian settings are collapsing amidst a complicated predicament in which needs are surging and international support is dwindling.

These organizations are often the first responders in humanitarian and conflict settings, providing psychosocial and gender-based violence (GBV) support; however, 84 percent of WLOs surveyed report that women and girls in the communities they serve have reduced access to essential services, according to UN Women’s July 2026 Beyond the Breaking Point report.

The report surveyed 855 WLOs operating across 52 crisis- and conflict-affected countries and found that as women and girls face heightened risks and increased need for assistance, services and support have dwindled significantly. Nine in ten organizations say they cannot meet the current levels of need, and two in five expect to shut down either temporarily or permanently within the next year.

Galit Wolfensohn, UN Women’s Humanitarian Research and Knowledge Management Specialist

“The women’s organizations at risk of being shut down are on the frontlines of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises,” said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women Chief of Humanitarian Action. These organizations “operate where international actors cannot and stay long after global attention has moved on.” Despite the vital role of WLOs, support continues to be stripped away as international humanitarian funding declines.

Beyond the Breaking Point builds off UN Women’s alarm first raised in their 2025 report, At a Breaking Point. In it, they warned that half of WLOs surveyed in crisis zones risked closure within six months if current funding levels persisted. Fifteen months later, the situation remains the same. When asked what the warning in ‘At a Breaking Point’ generated from donors, Galit Wolfensohn, UN Women’s Humanitarian Research and Knowledge Management Specialist, told Inter Press Service it brought “greater recognition among donor governments and humanitarian partners of the severe consequences that funding reductions were having.” She added that the response has “not matched the scale or urgency of the crisis…the latest findings show that recognition alone is not enough.”

When examining the collapse of WLOs, Sudan offers an illuminating case to understand the on-the-ground impacts of the reduction of services. Over three years of conflict in Sudan have driven GBV needs to unprecedented levels, with the number of girls and women requiring GBV services quadrupling since the conflict began. However, two-thirds of WLOs in Sudan reported having to close or significantly reduce services, and half expect to close entirely within the next year without urgent financial support.

Salvator Nkurunziza, UN Women’s Representative in Sudan

Salvator Nkurunziza, UN Women’s Representative in Sudan, described how the escalation in hostilities and insecurity in El Obeid, Sudan, has significantly affected the ability of WLOs to operate. Many organizations, he explained to Inter Press Service, have “experienced losses of assets, equipment, and supplies, while disruptions to infrastructure and population displacement have constrained their operational capacity.” Furthermore, “the prevailing insecurity has restricted movement, complicated access to communities in need, and increased operational costs.”

As WLOs across Sudan have had to either close or scale back operations, Nkurunziza explained that “women and girls lose access not only to critical support but also to safe spaces that provide protection, psychosocial assistance, information, and a sense of security.” WLOs act as trusted entry points for survivors of GBV seeking help, and when these services disappear and become harder to access, survivors “may be less able or willing to seek assistance.” When services disappear, it creates a vicious cycle that “can result in prolonged exposure to violence, increased psychosocial distress, and heightened protection risks,” including greater reliance on “negative coping mechanisms, like child marriage and other harmful practices.”

“What we are observing is likely only the surface, as the absence of quality services is deterring those in need from seeking help,” Fabrizia Falcione, UNFPA’s Representative in Sudan, said on help-seeking behaviors in GBV survivors. In El Obeid, UNFPA estimates that 55,712 women and girls are at an increased risk of GBV as of August.

Fabrizia Falcione, UNFPA’s Representative in Sudan

The situation described across Sudan aligns with broader patterns documented globally. UN-Women’s latest report found that 62 percent of organizations surveyed reported having to close or drastically reduce safe spaces and women’s centers, and 61 percent reported reductions in GBV case management services. The result of which has led to a widening gap between need and resources available, as many organizations “have been forced to prioritize the most urgent life-saving interventions,” Nkurunziza said.

Despite the operational and financial challenges, he remarked that many Sudanese WLOs “have demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability”. Organizations have “continued to provide services by reprioritizing activities, mobilizing community-based volunteers, utilizing remote modalities where feasible, and strengthening partnerships with other local actors to share resources and referral networks.” However, Nkurunziza was clear that these adaptive approaches “are not a substitute for sustained financial support.”

On a global scale, Wolfensohn outlined the changes that need to happen within the next six months to reverse the course of what was documented in the reports. “Donors must protect and increase funding for WLOs by providing direct, flexible, predictable and multi-year financing,” she said.

At the same time, Wolfensohn emphasized that funding alone is not sufficient: “women’s organizations must be recognized as essential humanitarian partners through meaningful participation and leadership in humanitarian coordination and decision-making.”

Reversing the current trajectory requires a type of accountability that does not yet exist: “measurable commitments, clear funding targets and greater transparency on how much humanitarian financing reaches local women-led organizations directly,” Wolfensohn said. Without decisive action, WLOs will be forced to scale back or close services globally.

“Reversing this trend is not only about sustaining organizations; it is about safeguarding access to protection services, GBV prevention and response, livelihoods support, and other critical assistance relied upon by women and girls in crisis settings,” Wolfensohn remarked.

In the weeks since Beyond the Breaking Point was published, Wolfensohn discussed the impact the report has had in increasing conversations between donors, governments, and humanitarian organizations. “The discussions generated by the report are helping to reinforce broader humanitarian reform agendas focused on localization, equitable partnerships and the meaningful participation of affected communities,” Wolfensohn said. However, she stopped short of claiming progress at the scale required to reverse the trends documented in the course, but “it should serve as a catalyst for action.”

UN organizations are already working in collaboration to close the funding gaps WLOs face in Sudan. According to Falcione, the approach is not only about advocacy, but also about working with WLOs “as genuine partners in the response.” Agencies like UNFPA and UN Women “support local and grassroots organizations in capacity development, institutional strengthening, leadership, and empowerment.” Falcione underscored the importance of strengthening the partnership, as WLOs “are not simply beneficiaries or implementing partners, they are essential actors in the humanitarian response.”

Over the course of fifteen months, UN Women’s reports have painted a picture from warning to confirming what happens when WLOs disappear. In Wolfensohn’s own framing, what comes next depends on measurement and follow-through. This requires donors publicly tracking what funds reach WLOs, and commitment to multi-year flexible financing. Recognition alone will not solve the problem, and supporting WLOs is the difference between a third report that documents reversals of these trends or repeats the same warnings.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Fachleute sind sich einig: Dass Kinder ihren Schulweg selbständig zurücklegen können, ist wichtig. Doch wann ist der richtige Zeitpunkt dafür? Diese Frage stellen sich viele Eltern zum Beginn des neuen Schuljahres. Eine einfache Antwort darauf gibt es nicht.

Travailsuisse schlägt Alarm: Höhere Inflation und steigende Krankenkassenprämien drücken die Kaufkraft. Der Arbeitnehmenden-Dachverband verlangt deshalb 2 Prozent mehr Lohn für 2027. In belasteten Branchen wie dem Gesundheitswesen sogar bis zu 6 Prozent.

Nach Finlay Tarlings tödlichem Unfall bei der Volta a Portugal verabschieden sich seine Eltern auf Instagram. Das 19-jährige Rad-Talent kollidierte mit einem Fahrzeug, wie neue Details zum Unfall zeigen.

Der britische Premierminister Andy Burnham fiel auf Nachrichten eines Betrügers herein, der sich als US-Präsident Trumps Stabschefin Susie Wiles ausgab. Erst später flog die Täuschung auf. Nun wirft der Vorfall Fragen zur Cybersicherheit auf.

Une fillette d'environ 6 à 7 ans a été accueillie, vendredi 14 août 2026, à l'orphelinat Jean Teko, dirigé par la chanteuse gospel Anna Teko, après un signalement faisant état de graves violences présumées.

Victime de violences physiques répétées, la situation d'une fillette a été révélée par Anna Teko dans une vidéo publiée sur les réseaux sociaux.

D'après les propos recueillis auprès de la fillette, celle-ci aurait subi des violences physiques répétées alors qu'elle vivait sous la responsabilité d'une tutrice.

L'enfant a notamment évoqué des coups, des privations de nourriture et des périodes durant lesquelles elle aurait été enfermée. Elle a aussi fait état de blessures aux doigts, dont certaines auraient été provoquées dans le contexte d'accusations de vol de nourriture.

À son arrivée à l'orphelinat Jean Teko, la fillette se serait montrée très éprouvée. Elle aurait beaucoup pleuré et ne souhaiterait plus retourner auprès de sa tutrice.

Anna Teko précise ne pas avoir assisté aux faits rapportés par l'enfant. Elle en appelle à une intervention des services compétents pour vérifier les déclarations de la fillette, déterminer les circonstances des faits et les mesures à prendre.

L'artiste souhaite surtout que la victime puisse rester en sécurité pendant que les services compétents examinent son cas. « Je demande aux autorités de faire leur travail, d'aider cette enfant à avoir la justice », a-t-elle déclaré.

Voilà un cas qui pourrait intéressser l'Institut national de la femme (INF)

M. M.

DIGITAL 00H : Avez-vous tenté votre chance ?

Le tirage DIGITAL 00H N°229 a livré son verdict !

Lundi 17 août 2026

Avez-vous joué ?

Avez-vous misé sur vos numéros porte-bonheur ?

RÉSULTAT : 35 • 63 • 05 • 50 • 15

Félicitations aux heureux gagnants !

Pas encore cette fois ? Gardez le sourire.

Rendez-vous à 08H pour le prochain tirage.

Jouez dans les points de vente de la LNB ou : Tapez *590# ou rendez-vous sur lnbloto.bj

Jouez avec modération et responsabilité. Le jeu doit rester un plaisir.

Die Schweizer Snowboard-Familie bekommt Zuwachs. Ladina Caviezel erwartet kurz nach ihrem Rücktritt ein Baby. Das teilen sie und ihr Mann Dario Caviezel mit.

Am frühen Samstagmorgen ist ein 21-jähriger Mann in der Stadt Luzern nach einer Auseinandersetzung von drei unbekannten Personen verprügelt und verletzt worden. Die Polizei sucht nach Zeugen.

Kaum fallen die ersten Tropfen, liegt er in der Luft: der Duft nach Sommerregen. Für viele weckt er Erinnerungen an Kindheit und Ferien. Doch woher kommt dieser Geruch und warum riechen wir ihn so gerne? Dies erklärt Meteorologin Daniela Schmuki im Podcast «Durchblick».

Marie Ngah Manga inscrit un doublé et le Cameroun s'impose facilement 3-0 face au Malawi et remporte son premier titre de championne d'Afrique des Nations féminine.

Marie Ngah Manga inscrit un doublé et le Cameroun s'impose facilement 3-0 face au Malawi et remporte son premier titre de championne d'Afrique des Nations féminine.

A poster depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as wanted by the International Criminal Court is displayed in a corridor of the European Parliament in Brussels, June 2026. Credit: Frédéric Pétry/HansLucas via AFP

By Andrew Firmin
LONDON, Aug 17 2026 (IPS)

In a recent Wall Street Journal piece, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to ‘dismantle’ the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Trump administration intends to pressure states into quitting the court, threatening sanctions, travel bans, visa restrictions and ‘increased scrutiny’ of states that receive its funding. At stake is the court’s ability to stand with victims of the gravest of human rights crimes.

Challenging impunity

Established in 2002 following years of civil society advocacy, the ICC prosecutes atrocities, including crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes, when national or regional courts can’t or won’t. It prosecutes individuals, and national leaders enjoy no immunity. It has secured several convictions, including of warlords from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and Rwanda. Among ongoing cases, former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte awaits trial on crimes against humanity charges. Civil society plays a key role in collecting evidence. Filipino women-led groups, for example, have documented thousands of extrajudicial killings.

The court has 125 members, but the USA is among several powerful states, including China, India, Israel and Russia, that have never joined. US hostility intensified in 2020, when the ICC opened an investigation into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Afghanistan, including those committed by US forces.

A current US campaign could merit the court’s attention. In the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, the US military is bombing boats it claims are being used by drug cartels to smuggle fentanyl and other illicit substances. It started the strikes as a way of building pressure on then Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, but has continued after US forces invaded Venezuela and abducted him, now seemingly with the purpose of communicating US strength and contempt for international rules.

US forces have killed over 200 people. All are civilians, leaving little doubt the strikes are illegal under international law. Last October, a group of UN human rights experts concluded that the strikes amount to extrajudicial executions. UN human rights chief Volker Türk called for an investigation, saying he believed the campaign violated international law. The USA responded by lining up with Israel, North Korea and Russia to oppose Türk’s second term.

The victims include nationals of Colombia, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago, all ICC members. The ICC could investigate any strikes carried out in member states’ territorial waters or against vessels registered with them.

Defending Netanyahu

Donald Trump is also determined to defend his prize ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He’s said as much, undermining Rubio’s lofty rhetoric about sovereignty. In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for crimes against humanity and war crimes against Netanyahu, former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, later confirmed to have been killed by Israel. Israel doesn’t recognise the court, but the warrants stand because Palestine does.

Netanyahu’s warrant is back in the headlines because he’s due to visit New York for the annual high-level opening of the UN General Assembly in September. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called for his arrest, but the Trump administration has confirmed it will ignore the warrant. This may have fuelled the latest offensive, which goes further than the Trump administration’s 2025 decision to impose sanctions on nine ICC judges and officials. Early in his second presidency, Trump issued an executive order that declared a ‘national emergency’, arguing the court was a threat to the USA and Israel, and pledging sanctions against anyone who takes part in its investigations. The order was used to impose sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Fearing criminalisation, US-based organisations may feel pressured to end cooperation with the ICC. Last year, two US-based civil society organisations pulled out of the ICC’s annual meeting. Civil society is however fighting back. In July, two US groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing the sanctions violate constitutional free speech protections.

International system under attack

The Trump administration’s attack on the ICC is part of its broader assault on the international system, and particularly its human rights functions. It’s withdrawing from some bodies, defunding others, trying to bend others to its will, forming alternatives it controls, such as the Board of Peace, and showing outright hostility towards those seen to stand in its way.

The USA isn’t the only one. Three military-run Sahel allies – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – have begun their withdrawal from the ICC, a process that takes a year. They previously quit the Economic Community of West African States, including its Community Court of Justice, leaving victims of human rights atrocities amid jihadist insurgency with no international routes to justice.

Venezuela set the same course under Maduro. Last December, parliament voted to repeal the law ratifying the Rome Statute, the treaty through which states accept the court’s jurisdiction. That path hasn’t changed under US-compliant Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, whose government recently declared its withdrawal ‘irrevocable’. The US government has welcomed the decision, which will deny justice both to victims of Maduro’s repression and the families of Venezuelans killed in boat strikes.

Others have rallied to the court’s defence. A European Union spokesperson said the bloc ‘stands firm’ behind it. Hungary, which under right-wing nationalist Viktor Orbán had committed to pulling out, reversed that decision under its new government.

Time to rally round

The court faces this onslaught while leaderless. On 24 July, member states voted to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan following disciplinary proceedings triggered by a sexual abuse complaint from a former staff member. It’s vital that his replacement be a strong and independent leader who can continue the court’s work.

The ICC is under attack by the Trump administration because of its promise to hold the powerful to account. Its member states must defend the principle that no one is above the law by refusing to bow to US pressure.

Andrew Firmin is CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

For interviews or more information, please contact research@civicus.org

 

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Schock für Lazio in Rom! Trainer Gennaro Gattuso verliert sein Debütspiel mit 0:2 gegen den Zweitligisten Mantova und scheidet aus der Coppa Italia aus.

Schauspielerin Hayden Panettiere ist tot. Zurück bleiben ihre Tochter Kaya und ein Ex-Partner, mit dem sie tief verbunden blieb: Box-Champion Wladimir Klitschko.