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New report shows 90 per cent of adolescent girls in low-income economies are offline

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United Nations News
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New report shows 90 per cent of adolescent girls in low-income economies are offline

“Closing the digital divide between girls and boys is about more than just having access to the internet and technology. It’s about empowering girls to become innovators, creators, and leaders,” said UNICEF Director of Education Robert Jenkins.

“If we want to tackle gender gaps in the labour market, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields (or STEM), we must start now by helping young people, especially girls, gain digital skills.”

Gender divide

The report, Bridging the Digital Divide: Challenges and an Urgent Call for Action for Equitable Digital Skills Development , takes a close look at the gender digital divide among young people aged 15-24.

It crunches the data on internet use, mobile phone ownership, and digital skills in mostly low, lower-middle, and some middle-income economies. Though more data is needed to better monitor, understand, and work toward digital inclusion, the report finds that girls are being left behind in an increasingly digital and connected world.

Skills deficit

While advancing access to the internet is important, it isn’t enough to boost digital skills training. For example, in most countries analysed, the number of young people with access to the internet at home, is much higher than the number of youths who have obtained digital skills.

Girls are the least likely to have the opportunities to develop the skills needed for 21st century learning and employment, according to the report.

On average across 32 countries and territories, girls are 35 per cent less likely than their male peers to have digital skills, including simple activities like copying or pasting files or folders, sending emails, or transferring files.

Phones for the boys

The report suggests that educational and family environments play a critical role in the gender digital divide.

For example, even within the same home, girls are far less likely than boys to access, or be able to make full use of the internet and digital technologies. Across 41 countries and territories included in the analysis, households are much more likely to provide mobile phones for boys than girls.

Barriers to accessing opportunities to higher learning and the labour market, pervasive discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes, and concerns over online safety, may further restrict girls’ digital access and skills development, said UNICEF.

To break through the barriers, they need early exposure and access to technology, digital and life skills training, that also helps neutralize the impact of harmful gender stereotypes, especially within families, and online violence.

UNICEF is calling on governments and partners to close the gender divide and ensure that girls can succeed in a digital world. Some of the recommendations include:

  • Teach digital skills equally to girls and boys in and out of school, including community programmes.
  • Protect girls’ safety online through virtual safe spaces, policies and laws, and education.
  • Promote girls’ access to peer learning, mentoring, internships and job shadowing in the digital/STEM world.

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Sudan envoy calls for ceasefire compliance, as concern mounts over West Darfur

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United Nations News
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Sudan envoy calls for ceasefire compliance, as concern mounts over West Darfur

Volker Perthes, who is also head of UN Transition Assistance Mission UNITAMS, welcomed the lull in fighting in some parts of the country between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), noting that “it is not being fully respected”.

He called on both sides to stick to the final day of the agreed ceasefire, “and facilitate humanitarian access” to the UN and partners, who are continuing to provide lifesaving aid as far as conditions allow.

Mr. Perthes, who is remaining in Sudan together with senior UN personnel, said in a statement he was “deeply concerned by recent reports of violence in El Geneina (West Darfur), which increasingly appears to also be taking on inter-communal dimensions with attacks on civilians and looting and distribution of weapons among local communities.”

UN premises looted

He said attacks had also resulted in “other mass looting, including of UN premises.”

He once again called for an immediate end to the conflict between the two factions, who are unable to agree on integrating their forces ahead of a long-awaited transition to civilian rule, before the violence and destruction escalates.

Calling for all humanitarians – their facilities and assets – to be protected, the UNITAMS chief told the generals that it was “crucial” for civilians to be able to safely leave areas of active fighting and have access to “essential supplies.”

He welcomed ongoing efforts by local authorities in the region to de-escalate tensions, and vowed to work with all parties, “towards a sustained ceasefire with a monitoring mechanism, political negotiations, and to alleviate human suffering.”

Speaking in Geneva, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the violence wracking Sudan had “taken a terrible toll on health”.

More deaths due to disease

“On top of the number of deaths and injuries caused by the conflict itself, WHO expects there will be many more deaths due to outbreaks, lack of access to food and water, and disruptions to essential health services, including immunization”, he said.

WHO estimates that one in four of the lives lost so far could have been saved with access to basic emergency medical treatment for the wounded.

“But paramedics, nurses and doctors are unable to access injured civilians, and civilians are unable to access services. In the capital Khartoum, 61 per cent of health facilities are closed, and only 16 per cent are operating as normal.”

24,000 births, no hospital care

Many patients with chronic diseases, like kidney disease, diabetes and cancer, are unable to access the health facilities or medicines they need and in the coming weeks, around 24,000 women will give birth in the capital, “but they are currently unable to access maternal care”, said Tedros.

The risk of diarrhoeal diseases is high, as the water supply is disrupted and people are drinking river water to survive, noted the WHO chief.

“With nutrition programmes suspended, 50,000 children are at real risk; and the movement of civilians seeking safety threatens the fragile health system throughout the country.”

Since the conflict began, WHO has verified 16 attacks on health, resulting in at least eight deaths so far.

Thousands fleeing the fighting  

As the fighting continues, the UN is preparing for a mass influx of refugees into countries across the region bordering Sudan, including the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told correspondents in New York on Wednesday.

The refugee agency UNHCR, estimates that some 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone.

“In South Sudan, our humanitarian partners are scaling up their presence in key response areas to help the most vulnerable people”, said Mr. Haq. “In Chad, UNHCR is working with the Government to assess the needs of people arriving in the country.”

UNHCR is calling on all countries neighbouring Sudan to keep their borders open to those fleeing the violence, in fear of their lives.

Pity the children: lives must take precedence

In a joint statement, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, and the Special Representative on Violence against Children, Najat Maalla M’jid, said they were alarmed at the reported numbers of civilian deaths, including children.

“The lives, protection and well-being of children must take precedence over combat operations, and we call on all parties to halt hostilities and to ensure full protection of all children.

“Parties should further refrain from attacking civilian infrastructures in accordance with international humanitarian law, especially those impacting children – this includes schools and medical facilities as well as water and sanitation systems”, said the two officials.

They also reminded military officers engaged in the fighting that “regardless of their roles, under no circumstances should children below 18 years be involved in armed conflict as the recruitment and use of children is prohibited under international law.”

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European Ombudsman publishes annual report for 2022

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Newsdesk
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windmill on grass field during golden hour

The Ombudsman has published her annual report for 2022 with transparency and accountability issues representing the largest percentage of complaints (32%).

The report provides an overview of key areas of the Ombudsman’s work, such as her suggestions to the European Commission, European Central Bank, and European Investment Bank for better managing moves by their staff to the private sector (so-called revolving doors). It also focuses on her work on access to documents, including her practical recommendations for the EU administration when it comes to recording work-related text and instant messages. Other subjects covered by the report include the inquiry into how the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) complies with its fundamental rights obligations and her call on the Commission to ensure a balanced representation of interests in relation to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.

In 2022, the Ombudsman opened 348 inquires, including four on her own initiative. The average length of an inquiry was under six months with nearly half (48%) of inquires closed within three months.

Overview of responses to public consultation on environmental decision making

The Ombudsman has also published an overview of the responses to her public consultation on transparency and participation in EU environmental decision-making.

Respondents pointed out cases where they faced difficulties accessing certain documents, such as those related to negotiations on draft legislation between the European Commission, European Parliament, and Council of the European Union. They also said that certain documents were frequently published late and that some information published by the EU administration was not user-friendly.

Schengen – the small village that changed Europe

By
Gaston de Persigny
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The Schengen Agreement known today was signed in a small village in the south-eastern part of Luxembourg – a place steeped in symbolism

Luxembourg can be crossed by car in just over an hour. Before you know it, you’ll be in nearby France, Germany or Belgium, only the most observant will notice the border sign and the flags of the Grand Duchy far behind.

This possibility is due in part to the country’s small size, but also to a Luxembourgish legacy: a treaty signed 38 years ago in the small village of Schengen in the south-east of the country. The now famous Schengen Agreement has dramatically changed the way we travel in Europe, and it continues to evolve today.

Not so little Luxembourg

At first glance, Luxembourg could be perceived as a commercial center where money is simply made. It takes up very little space on the map and is often inadvertently overlooked as a destination in favor of its neighbors. A founding member of what is now the European Union, this small country is home to one of the EU’s three capitals – Luxembourg (along with Brussels and Strasbourg) – and continues to play a key role in the union’s governance.

The country has the distinction of being a constitutional monarchy situated between the two giant republics of France and Germany, and has paid the price for its location in not one but two world wars, meaning it has plenty of rich and intriguing history to offer. It has a thriving local wine industry, an impressive restaurant scene, countless museums and monuments (from the UNESCO-listed fortress and old town center to the grave of General George Patton Jr.) and a seemingly innate love of seafood, cheese and all things sweet.

In 1985, Luxembourg played an important role in creating a landmark piece of legislation – the signing of the Schengen Agreement – a unilateral agreement guaranteeing border-free travel within European member states.

In the footsteps of this historical place, tourists can travel along the Moselle Valley – a quiet and unpretentious part of the eastern part of Luxembourg. The Moselle River lazily acts as a natural border between Luxembourg and Germany. The valley is clearly central to the country’s winemaking, with vineyards stretching across the low hillsides, broken only by towns and villages scattered across the hills.

On the west bank of the Moselle lies the little Schengen. With roughly 4,000 inhabitants, it’s certainly not the big-name, bright-lights destination one might expect for an agreement that’s changing the way people travel in Europe. Yet it was here, on a gloomy morning on June 14, 1985, that representatives of Belgium, France, Luxembourg, West Germany (then) and the Netherlands gathered to officially sign the agreement for this revolutionary new borderless zone.

The background

The number of European treaties, alliances, cross-alliances and counter-treaties that arose in the second half of the 20th century is mind-boggling. The list screams red tape, but understanding the various alliances at the time is of great importance in creating the Schengen environment.

As World War II drew to a close in 1944, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands united to create the Benelux. These three countries recognize the benefits that working together will bring in the coming, inevitably difficult decades, and hope to boost trade through a customs agreement.

Based on the Benelux, in 1957 the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) – an extended customs union of the six founding countries (Benelux and West Germany, France and Italy).

At the beginning of the 1980s, the EEC had 10 member states, and while only fast border checks were in place between them, the reality was that it still held up traffic, required human resources and was increasingly seen as unnecessary bureaucracy. However, the concept of one-way travel without internal borders divides members, with half of them insisting on free movement only for EU citizens and thus remaining committed to internal border checks to distinguish between EU and non-EU citizens EU.

As Martina Kneip, head of the European Schengen Museum, explains: “The idea of open borders in 1985 was something extraordinary – a utopia. No one believed that it could become a reality.”

The remaining five member countries (Benelux, France and West Germany) that wish to carry out the free movement of people and goods are left to initiate the creation of the area to which Schengen will give its name.

Why Schengen?

As Luxembourg takes over the presidency of the EEC, the small country has the right to choose the place where the signing of this treaty takes place. Schengen is the only place where France and Germany share a border with a Benelux country

As a meeting place for three countries, the choice of Schengen is steeped in symbolism. To ensure it was neutral, the signatories gathered aboard the ship MS Princesse Marie-Astrid to write their proposal. The ship is anchored as close as possible to the triple border that runs down the middle of the Moselle River.

Nevertheless, the signing of Schengen failed to attract much support or attention at the time. Apart from the five EEC member states who are against it, many officials, from all countries, simply do not believe it will come into force or succeed. So much so that not a single head of state from the five signatory countries was present on the day of the signing.

From the beginning, the agreement was undervalued, “considered an experiment and something that wouldn’t last,” according to Kneipp. Added to this is the inevitable red tape which ensures that the complete abolition of internal borders in the five founding states will not take place until 1995.

The Schengen area today

Today, the Schengen area consists of 27 member states. Of these, 23 are members of the EU, and four (Iceland, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein) are not.

As then, as now, Schengen has its critics. A migrant crisis has undermined the Schengen idea, giving opponents of open borders plenty of “ammunition” to attack the inclusion efforts put forward by the agreement. Nevertheless, the Schengen area continues to grow, although the accession process remains cumbersome. Policy still determines who can join, as new members must be accepted unanimously. Bulgaria and Romania have repeatedly been vetoed to join Schengen due to concerns about corruption and the security of their external borders.

  However, for many the pros of the Schengen area far outweigh the cons. As Kneipp notes: “The Schengen Agreement is something that affects the daily lives of all Schengen member states – around 400 million people.”

What is happening to Schengen itself?

Since Schengen is far from any major thoroughfares, chances are you’ll only end up there if you make a conscious effort to visit. It is about 35 km by car from Luxembourg City and the route goes through forests, farmland and down the Moselle valley. The scenery changes noticeably as you descend the rural hills towards the town of Remich. From here to the epicenter of Schengen – the European Museum – the road is pleasant, winding between the vine-covered slopes and the Moselle River. Here, the story of the creation of the Schengen area is skillfully told through interactive exhibitions and monuments.

Be sure to check out the showcase of official caps of border guards from the member states at the time they joined the area, each demonstrating a national identity sacrificed for the sake of Schengen functioning.

In front of the museum, parts of the Berlin Wall are placed to remind us that walls – in this case the world-famous reinforced concrete wall of one of the founding members of the agreement – do not have to stay in place forever. In front of the museum you will find three stelae or steel plates, each with its own star commemorating the founders. Finally, there are the striking Columns of Nations, which beautifully depict iconic landmarks from each member of the Schengen area.

Of course, there is more than just international law in this peaceful border village. Visitors can extend their stay to enjoy a cruise on the Moselle River, hiking or cycling in the surrounding hills, or try a crémant (the region’s revered white sparkling wine) for a true taste of Schengen life – the little a village whose name will remain forever in history.

Photo credit: consilium.europa.eu

More action needed in the EU to reduce the impacts of chemical pesticides

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Newsdesk
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