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When you parse the Paramount Leader’s video message to world leaders, any vestige of optimism begins to melt away

Mohammad Shtayyeh called on Berlin and other EU countries to formally recognise Palestine, arguing it would align with their support for a two-state solution

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IPI, in partnership with The Elders, cohosted a policy forum on “The UN at 80: Charting a Path for the Future of Multilateralism” on September 25th.

The multilateral system is facing its greatest crisis since World War II, creaking under the strain of disordered global power dynamics. The UN has long struggled with a host of threats to multilateral cooperation, including growing disregard for the rule of law, nuclear proliferation, the rise of nationalist policymaking, and backtracking on global climate action and efforts to promote gender equality. Now, in the face of unprecedented funding cuts, the UN is being forced to reduce costs while seeking to retain relevance and improve efficiency across its three pillars. Bold thinking and action are urgently needed for a fairer, more effective, and more responsive UN to emerge from this crisis.

At the event, The Elders introduced their new policy paper, speaking to the failures of the existing multilateral system and calling for bold reform. The paper advocates for renewing the international peace and security architecture, overhauling the international financial architecture, accelerating investment in global public goods, and selecting a woman as the next UN secretary-general. The Elders shared nine “calls to action” to drive forward the process of reform.

Read The Elders’ report>>

Opening Remarks:
H.E. Juan Manuel Santos, Chair of The Elders; former President of Colombia; and Nobel Peace Laureate

Speakers:
H.E. Mary Robinson, Member of The Elders; former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and first woman President of Ireland
H.E. Helen Clark, Member of The Elders; former Prime Minister of New Zealand; and former Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Nudhara Yusuf, Co-Chair of the Coalition for the UN We Need

Moderator:
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO, International Peace Institute

The post The UN at 80: Charting a Path for the Future of Multilateralism appeared first on International Peace Institute.

Le gouvernement a autorisé, ce mercredi 24 septembre 2025, la réalisation des études techniques, économiques et financières, topographiques, environnementales et sociales relatives au développement de la filière bovine.

La filière bovine du Bénin est considérée comme un pilier stratégique de développement rural, de création d'emplois et de sécurité alimentaire. Le gouvernement béninois envisage donc de structurer une nouvelle organisation afin de faire face aux difficultés rencontrées dans l'expression de son plein potentiel. Il s'agit entre autres de la faible productivité du cheptel et les rendements limités, l'insuffisance d'infrastructures modernes d'engraissement, d'abattage, de transformation et de distribution ainsi que la fragmentation de la chaîne de valeur.
C'est dans cet élan qu'une société brésilienne spécialisée en la matière a été identifiée comme partenaire pour la réalisation des études techniques et économiques sur le site de la ferme d'élevage de l'Okpara.
« Les études topographiques quant à elles, sont confiées à l'Institut géographique national tandis que celles d'impact environnemental et social, qui s'étendront sur un premier périmètre de 20 000 hectares, seront conduites par une autre entreprise qui en a l'expertise », précise le gouvernement.

Marina HOUENOU (Stag)

La commission des Budgets du Parlement cherche à prendre la tête de dossiers clés liés au budget 2028-2034 de l’UE. La bataille s’annonce intense, car plusieurs commissions et groupes politiques veulent peser sur les discussions autour de cette enveloppe de 2 000 milliards d’euros.

The post Au Parlement européen, les commissions prêtes à s’affronter pour peser sur le prochain budget de l’UE appeared first on Euractiv FR.

The compromise would ban conservation varieties from being cultivated outside their regions of origin

Europe has a chance to catch up with the US through its Life Sciences Strategy and pharma overhaul, the health commissioner said

In a rare interview, Merkel defended her record on Russia, stood by her refugee policy, and praised long-time CDU rival turned Chancellor Friedrich Merz

A travers un communiqué en date du jeudi 25 septembre 2025, le directeur général de l'Agence nationale du Domaine et du Foncier (ANDF) alerte sur une fausse annonce de vente de parcelles dans plusieurs villes du Bénin.

L'ANDF n'a lancé aucune opération de mise en vente de parcelles dans les municipalités de Porto-Novo, Cotonou et Parakou. Selon l'Administration foncière et domaniale, il s'agit « de faux grossiers et d'une tentative d'escroquerie à grande échelle, orchestrée certainement par des individus, sans foi ni loi en quête de gains faciles ».

« L'Agence nationale du Domaine et du Foncier n'a pas une mission de promotion immobilière. Elle n'est pas dans le commerce de terrains ni dans l'intermédiation pour les transactions foncières et immobilières », informe le directeur Victorien Kougblénou. Elle en appelle à la vigilance et à la prudence de tous, pour échapper à ce piège grotesque. Selon l'administration foncière, toutes les mesures sont déjà prises pour identifier les auteurs de ces manœuvres.

En Conseil des ministres ce mercredi 24 septembre 2025, le gouvernement béninois a approuvé le Plan stratégique 2025-2029 de l'Agence nationale pour l'Emploi.

L'Agence nationale pour l'Emploi (ANPE) dispose désormais d'un Plan stratégique 2025-2029. Approuvé en Conseil des ministres, ce plan stratégique servira de boussole pour toutes les interventions sur la période de référence.

Il ambitionne qu'« A l'horizon 2029, l'écosystème de promotion de l'emploi au Bénin est un cadre assaini, innovant et inclusif d'encadrement optimal des jeunes ». Le Plan est décliné « en orientations stratégiques avec un plan d'action budgétisé et un cadre de mesure de performances dans une approche mixte impliquant l'ensemble des acteurs clés. Autant d'outils permettant de guider les actions de l'Agence pour une plus grande visibilité ».

« Pour l'opérationnaliser, des orientations stratégiques rattachées à un objectif stratégique sont définies, soutenues par un programme de mise en œuvre », informe le Conseil des ministres. Selon la même source, « l'ensemble du dispositif a pour finalité l'amélioration de la gouvernance, le développement d'un système d'information et de suivi du marché du travail ainsi que le renforcement de l'accès à l'emploi décent, durable de même qu'au volontariat ».

A.A.A

The Danish EU Presidency presents a timely opportunity to elevate water resilience on the agenda and capitalise on it as a competitive advantage

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

“By delaying our 2040 target, the EU puts global climate ambition at risk,” the green lawmaker Lena Schilling said

The director general of the EU executive’s financial services division told MEPs that the proposed “reparation loan” to Ukraine would “mobilise” frozen Russian assets without affecting their “ownership” – and would thus fall short of confiscation

Women stand in a damaged displacement settlement in Khan Younis, Gaza. Credit: UNFPA/Media Clinic

By the Peace Research Institute Oslo
OSLO, Norway, Sep 25 2025 (IPS)

The battlefield is no longer distant; for millions of women, it’s next door. An estimated 676 million women – nearly 17 percent of the global female population – lived within 50 kilometres of a deadly conflict last year, according to a new report from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). That is the highest figure recorded since the end of the Cold War.

https://www.prio.org/about

Women at risk

2024 marked a historic peak in women’s exposure to armed conflict. The number of women living in conflict zones has more than doubled compared to 1990, reflecting both the rising scale of global violence and the increasing reach of conflicts into densely populated areas.

The study found that last year, around 245 million women lived in areas where conflict caused more than 25 battle-related deaths, while 113 million women were located in zones with over 100 deaths.

Bangladesh recorded the highest absolute number of women exposed, with nearly 75 million living within 50 kilometres of conflict. The violence was primarily linked to nationwide protests in July and August, which culminated in the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

In Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, all women were affected, meaning entire female populations were directly exposed to deadly violence.

Living near conflict zones has severe consequences for women’s lives. Armed conflict undermines inclusion, justice and security, and is consistently associated with higher maternal mortality, greater risks of gender-based violence, reduced access to education for girls, and widening gender gaps in employment.

These impacts threaten women’s immediate safety, but also their long-term wellbeing and economic prospects, weakening the foundations needed for recovery.

‘Conflict doesn’t just happen on the battlefield – it reaches into women’s homes, schools and workplaces, disrupting the very foundations of their lives,’ said PRIO Research Director Siri Aas Rustad, who is the author of the report. ‘While some may find new roles in crisis, these opportunities are fragile. The hard truth is that war widens gender inequalities and leaves women at greater risk.’

Regional variation

The report highlights striking regional and national differences. In Lebanon in 2024, 100 percent of the female population lived within 50 kilometres of a conflict event where the death toll exceeded 100 – this means that all women in Lebanon are exposed to high-intensity conflict.

In the Palestinian territories, nearly 80 percent of women reside near areas with more than 100 fatalities, with the other 20 percent living in conflict areas with between 1 and 99 killed. Over one third of women live close to zones with more than 1,000 deaths. Syria shows a similarly severe pattern, with most women exposed to medium- and high-intensity conflict.

In Nigeria, the report reveals that women in Borno State face particularly high-intensity violence linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State, while women in the South-South region are increasingly affected by separatist violence.

Long-term toll

The developmental costs of the impact on women are profound. Countries with a high proportion of women living near conflict consistently score lower on the United Nations Human Development Index, underlining the long-term effects of violence on education, health and livelihoods.

Protracted conflicts, often overshadowed by more visible wars, steadily erode social and economic structures. At the same time, cuts in international aid threaten to further weaken infrastructure and deepen vulnerabilities

The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) is a world-leading institute for the study of peace and conflict. Through cutting-edge research, PRIO examines the drivers of violence and the conditions that enable peaceful relations between states, groups and individuals.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Devant les eurodéputés de la commission de la Santé du Parlement jeudi 25 septembre, le commissaire européen Olivér Várhelyi s’est dit ouvert à un système de taxation des produits riches en sucre, en graisses et en sel afin de contribuer au financement de la santé publique.

The post La Commission envisage une taxe sur les aliments ultra-transformés appeared first on Euractiv FR.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The European Defence Agency (EDA), NATO and the Portuguese Navy co-organised the 15th Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS), the world’s largest event for testing unmanned maritime systems, held off the coast of Portugal. 

Running from 1 to 26 September in the waters south of Lisbon, the Portuguese-led exercise brought together 24 nations and tested some 300 uncrewed platforms across sea, air, and land domains.

It also marked the first time NATO’s military exercise ‘Dynamic Messenger’ was linked with REPMUS, combining operational training with experimental testing.

REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger 25 gave both militaries and industry the chance to trial robotics and artificial intelligence in real-world scenarios, including electronic jamming and dummy underwater mines.

“This was an opportunity to experiment on unmanned vehicles across all domains and in a real environment,” said Captain Nuno Palmeiro Ribeiro, Director of the Portuguese Navy Operational Experimentation Centre (CEOM). “What’s special about this zone is that we can do experimentation that is not possible elsewhere.”

Swarms, standards

Scenarios included Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) in coastal zones, electronic warfare in GPS-denied environments, and amphibious landings supported by robotic scouts and logistics drones. One highlight saw multiple uncrewed aerial vehicles performing ‘swarm’ operations, demonstrating the ability to operate autonomously in coordinated missions.

EDA, the EU agency tasked with strengthening defence cooperation among Member States, hosted seminars to highlight the importance of interoperability and ensuring allied and partner nations’ systems can work together. “Unmanned underwater vessels have different batteries, different chargers. We need to develop standards to improve interoperability and even interchangeability,” said Juergen Scraback, Head of EDA’s Maritime Domain Unit.

EDA is also establishing best practices. To address the lack of common regulations and safety procedures, the Agency is leading the Safety and Regulations for European Unmanned Maritime Systems (SARUMS) which provides a safety framework and guidance for design, operations, and legal compliance.

EDA has also supported a project to develop a swarm of biomimetic underwater vehicles for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (SABUVIS). EDA’s leadership in such projects emphasises its aim to accelerate Europe’s use of tested, mission-ready autonomous technologies in NATO and EU operations. 

 

Several start-ups supported by NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) used the event to test technologies for communications resilience, protecting undersea infrastructure and improving mine countermeasures. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Porto and NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation were also contributors.

Undersea warfare

The addition this year of Dynamic Messenger, led by NATO’s Allied Command Transformation and Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), added a more operational dimension. While REPMUS focused on experimentation and integration, Dynamic Messenger provided a live operational framework, showing how new technologies can be deployed with NATO fleets.

More than 2,000 participants from 22 NATO nations took part, alongside observers from 13 other countries including Australia, Brazil, and South Korea. Ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 also joined, highlighting the alliance’s focus on maritime readiness.

Unmanned systems are not intended to replace crewed forces, but to support them, taking on tasks such as high-risk reconnaissance or supply runs in contested environments.

With EDA now firmly embedded as a co-organiser in REPMUS, officials expect the annual event to continue serving not only as NATO’s largest unmanned systems exercise, but also as a platform for closer EU-NATO cooperation in defence technology. 

Le Premier ministre espagnol Pedro Sánchez a confirmé qu’il briguerait un nouveau mandat en 2027, et ce malgré la profonde fragmentation politique dans le pays et les enquêtes pour corruption qui visent son parti et son entourage.

The post Malgré les scandales de corruption, Pedro Sánchez sera candidat à sa succession appeared first on Euractiv FR.

Un régime de l'assurance agricole indicielle est instauré au Bénin. La décision a été prise ce mercredi 24 septembre 2025 en Conseil des ministres.

En plus de l'assurance agricole traditionnelle, un régime de l'assurance agricole indicielle est instauré au Bénin. A la différence de l'assurance agricole traditionnelle qui se base sur l'évaluation des pertes réelles sur le terrain après un sinistre, l'assurance indicielle selon le gouvernement, déclenche le paiement d'une indemnisation en fonction de l'atteinte d'un "indice" prédéfini. Lequel est corrélé au rendement des cultures ou à la production agricole.
Selon les chiffres du gouvernement, une expérience pilote menée au cours de la campagne écoulée, a permis à 2.341 riziculteurs sinistrés sur un total de 11 000, de bénéficier d'une indemnité conséquente. De fait, la formule suscite l'engouement des producteurs aussi bien pour les trois filières ciblées dans la phase pilote (riz, coton et bétail) que pour d'autres filières pour lesquelles 100.000 bénéficiaires sont impactés, renseigne le communiqué du Conseil des ministres.
Le gouvernement en adoptant le décret portant instauration du régime de l'assurance agricole indicielle en République du Bénin, entend créer les conditions réglementaires pour la généralisation de l'assurance agricole indicielle au Bénin.