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Italy’s largest trade union calls on Minister for Universities to settle with non-national teaching staff

By
Henry Rodgers
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Italy’s largest trade union calls on Minister for Universities to settle with non-national teaching staff

As Commission deadline for implementation of discrimination case law of the Court of Justice of the EU approaches, Italy’s largest trade union calls on Minister for Universities to settle with non-national teaching staff

In its most recent initiative in defence of the rights of foreign language lecturers(Lettori) in Italian universities, FLC CGIL, Italy’s largest trade union, has written an open letter to Minister for Universities and Research, Anna Maria  Bernini, calling on her to pay the full compensatory settlements due for decades of discriminatory treatment within the deadline of the 60 days given by the European Commission.

 In its press release of 26 January, the Commission announced that it was moving infringement proceedings N.2021/4055 to the reasoned opinion stage and cautioned Italy to comply with the opinion within the two-month period prescribed or face referral of the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union(CJEU). The Commission opened the proceedings in September 2021 because of Italy’s failure to implement the CJEU ruling in favour of the Lettori in Case C-119/04. 

The letter to Minister Bernini sketches the legal history of the Lettori in their battle for parity of pay, referencing the 4 victories won before the CJEU. These run from the first and seminal Allué case of 1989 to the Commission’s 2006 victory in its enforcement case against Italy for non-implementation of the earlier Commission v Italy ruling of 2001. A fifth parity of pay case before the CJEU may now follow should Italy fail to comply with the terms of the Commission’s reasoned opinion of January 2023.

 “The time span encompassed within this brief legal history equates to 34 years,” writes FLC CGIL in its letter to Minister Bernini. The duration of Italy’s discrimination against the Lettori positions the case as the longest-running breach of the parity of treatment provision of the Treaty on record.

However, in light of Italy’s plans to limit the settlements due to Lettori to the years prior to 1995, the breach is likely to last even longer. In Case C-119/04 the Grand Chamber of the CJEU approved a last-minute Italian law of March 2004 which awarded Lettori a reconstruction of career from the date of first employment. In response, and in the most brazen of its attempts to evade the case law of the CJEU, Italy subsequently enacted the Gelmini law of 2010, a law which retrospectively interpreted the March 2004 law and read it to limit Italy’s liability to the Lettori for reconstruction of career only to the years prior to 1995.

On the point of law at issue, FLC CGIL comments:

“Scrutiny of Law n. 63 of March 2004 shows that it contains no provision to limit the reconstruction of career due to the Lettori under Case C-212/99 to the years prior to 1995. It follows therefore that the Court of Justice ruling in follow-on Case C-119/04 does not, or cannot, be read to condone such a limit. More seriously, it follows that the Gelmini Law’s retrospective interpretation of Law n. 63 of March 2004 seeks to undo the case law of the European Court of Justice, the pinnacle institution of the European Union.”

On December 13 last Lettori from universities all over Italy staged a  demonstration on Viale Trastevere in the vicinity of Minister Bernini’s offices on the left bank of the Tiber in Rome. The demonstration was to protest against the fact that Italy continues to deny Lettori their Treaty right to parity of treatment. Just a short walking distance from Viale Trastevere, on the right bank of the Tiber, is the Campidoglio. There, as the letter very pointedly reminds Minster Bernini, “in the Sala dei Conservatori the right to parity of treatment was signed into law as a provision of the historic Treaty of Rome on 25 March  1957”.

The FLC CGIL letter is particularly critical of the fact that the employers responsible for the discrimination against the non-national Lettori should be universities. “That the provenance of the discrimination should be universities, all with Faculties of Jurisprudence which teach EU law and therefore ought to be able to comprehend the rulings of the CJEU condemning discrimination against Lettori in the Italian universities, is most regrettable”, the letter states.

In Case C-119/04, the Commission recommended that a  daily fine of €309,750 be imposed on Italy for its persistent discrimination against Lettori. The last-minute law introduced in March 2004 conceded that Lettori had a right to an uninterrupted reconstruction of their carers from the date of first employment, with the result that Grand Chamber of the CJEU spared Italy the recommended fines. However, following the handing-down of the sentence the provisions of the law were never subsequently enforced.

 Commenting on the possibility of a further case being referred to the CJEU for non-implementation of the ruling in Case C-119/04, the FLC CGIL letter points out:

“In such a scenario lawyers for the Permanent Representation would have to explain to the CJEU, why the Law of March 2004, which spared Italy the daily fines of EUR 309, 750 recommended by the European Commission, was never subsequently implemented as interpreted by the CJEU. “

The infringement proceedings were preceded by a pilot procedure, a mechanism introduced to resolve disputes amicably with member states.  Over a 10-year period it markedly failed to achieve its purpose. The move to infringement proceedings proper is credited to a nationwide census of discriminatory conditions in Italian universities conducted by Asso. CEL.L, a La Sapienza based union and an official complainant in the infringement proceedings, and FLC CGIL, Italy’s largest trade union. The Census results conclusively documenting the non-payment of the settlements due under the ruling in Case C-119/04 were deposited with the Commission.

Undoubtedly the most influential parliamentary question on the Lettori issue placed to the Commission during the mandate of the present European Parliament is the question submitted by Clare Daly and co-signed by 7 other Irish MEPs. The FLC CGIL letter to Minister Bernini cites the wording in the parliamentary question which focuses on the reciprocal responsibilities which come with the benefits of EU membership.

“Italian universities receive generous funding from the EU. Italy has received the biggest share of the Recovery Fund. Surely, the ethic of reciprocation demands that Italy obey the rule of law and implement the most recent CJEU ruling in favour of the lettori: case C‑119/04.”

John Gilbert is National Lettori Coordinator for FLC CGIL. A lettore at the University of Florence, his well-received speech to his colleagues at the protest outside Minister Bernini’s offices in December covered many of the points included in the FLC CGIL letter to the minister.

Mr Gilbert said:

“While the Ministry of Universities is located close to the venue where the historic Treaty of Rome was signed, the discriminatory policies against Lettori pursued by the ministry and the Italian government since the 1980s are worlds apart from the provision of the Treaty of Rome, which enshrines the principle of parity of treatment throughout the Union. Through updates of the nation Census we undertook with Asso. CEL.L we will monitor whether the settlements due under the ruling in Case C-119/04 are in fact made and will communicate our findings to Brussels”.

The letter to Minister Bernini has been copied to Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, and to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has taken a personal interest in the Lettori case. It will now be translated into all the mother tongues of the Lettori working in the Italian universities and handed in at their respective embassies in Rome.

Tragedy of March 9, 2023 Christian Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses of Hamburg-Winterhude

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Guest Author
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In these painful moments, the NGO CAP-LC (Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience) expresses its sorrow, support and solidarity to the Christian congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hamburg-Winterhude.

We are aware that your entire international community is saddened by this tragedy that will remain in the memory of all people.

We have a special thought for the children who were present during this tragedy marked by horror and incomprehension. A long work of reconstruction and accompaniment will certainly be given by your Church, your ministers and the parents.

We are convinced that your beliefs, your faith and your hope will allow you to overcome this ordeal (James 1: 12).

Your religion adheres to values that are common to all of us because they are based on universal principles:

– freedom of conscience and religion,

– refusal of any form of racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia,

– fraternity and pacifism.

Our NGO, which brings together people of different faiths as well as non-believers, agrees to quote your Holy Scriptures and to send you these two encouraging verses:

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
Do not worry, for I am your God.
I will make you strong. Yes I will help you;
indeed, I will uphold you with my right hand, the hand of justice.
All those who are angry with you will be ashamed and humiliated.
Those who fight against you will be reduced to nothing and will perish.(Isaiah 41:10-11)

We hope that this message of friendship will bring comfort to all your members.

Photo credit : Photo de Mike Labrum sur Unsplash

Shape and Dynamic Nature of Carbon-Based Molecules Are Different Than Scientists Thought

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SciTechDaily.com
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Carbon-Based Molecules Are Different Than Scientists Thought
In a recent study, scientists have shown that carbon-based molecules possess significantly greater dynamism than previously believed. Credit: Durham University

By DURHAM UNIVERSITY 

Scientists have demonstrated in a new study that carbon-based molecules can be much more dynamic than previously thought.

When a carbon atom forms four bonds to different groups, the molecule can exist in two mirror-image forms. These mirror-image forms are vital in medicine because they have different biological activities.

Usually, it is impossible to interconvert between these ‘enantiomers’ because to do so would require a bond to be broken, a process that needs too much energy.

The researchers from Durham University and the University of York demonstrated that if the chiral center was part of a dynamic molecular cage structure, then a simple rearrangement of the cage could lead to the inversion of the mirror image form of the molecule.

An animation by @SciCommStudios showing the dynamic inversion of sp3-C stereochemistry in fluxional barbaralane and their metal complexes.

In this way, carbon-based stereochemistry, which is normally considered to be fixed and rigid, became dynamic, fluxional, and responsive – a new paradigm in carbon-centered chirality.

The findings will be published today (March 13, 2023) in the journal Nature Chemistry.

The molecular cage has nine carbons atoms in its structure, which are held together by a pair of carbon–carbon double bonds and a three-membered cyclopropane ring. This combination of bonds allows some of the bonds in the structure to trade places with one another spontaneously.

Project lead investigator, Dr. Aisha Bismillah of Durham University, said: “Our dynamic carbon cages change their shape extremely quickly. They hop back and forth between their mirror-image structures millions of times a second. Seeing them adapt to match changes in their environment is truly remarkable.”

Further to uncovering this unique dynamic form of stereochemical interconversion, the researchers demonstrated that the preferences of the cage could be transmitted to nearby metal centers, opening the possibility that this type of responsive chirality might find uses in catalysis, and the synthesis of chiral molecules for biomedical applications.

Reflecting on the way in which these results overturn established ideas, Dr. Paul McGonigal of University of York, said: “The way our dynamic carbon cage interacts with other molecules and ions is fascinating. The cage adapts, giving the mirror-image structure with the ‘best fit’.

“We hope, in due course that this intriguing bonding concept will be found to apply in other contexts, and potentially used to underpin new applications for more dynamic molecular materials.”

Reference: “Control of dynamic sp3-C stereochemistry” by Aisha N. Bismillah, Toby G. Johnson, Burhan A. Hussein, Andrew T. Turley, Promeet K. Saha, Ho Chi Wong, Juan A. Anguilar, Dmitry S. Yufit and Paul R. McGonigal, 13 March 2023, Nature Chemistry.
DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01156-7

The research has been funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Leverhulme Trust.

Science & Technology

RUSSIA, Six years and five months of prison for a Jehovah’s Witness

By
Willy Fautre
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RUSSIA, Six years and five months of prison for a Jehovah’s Witness
Photo courtesy of: jw-russia.org - Sannikov Konstantin Yevgeniyevich

Konstantin Sannikov sentenced to six years and five months of prison

Despite Russia’s war in Ukraine and a decision of the European Court in 2022 urging Russia to stop all pending criminal proceedings against Jehovah’s Witnesses, Putin has not halted his repression policy against Jehovah’s Witnesses.

On 15 February 2023, the Sovetskiy District Court of Kazan sentenced Konstantin Sannikov to 6 years and 5 months in a penal colony. For conducting peaceful religious services of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the court found him guilty of extremism.

Throughout the preliminary investigation and trial – for more than two years – Konstantin has been in a detention center.

In August 2020, the FSB of Tatarstan initiated a criminal case under part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organizing the activity of an extremist organization) against Konstantin Sannikov, doctor of forensics and the father of 4 children. Conversations about the Bible among friends were regarded as organizing extremist activity. Sannikov was placed in a detention center, and his bank accounts were frozen. In August 2021, court hearings began. While in custody for about two years, he was never allowed a visit from his wife. During his imprisonment, his chronic illnesses worsened. In court, his boss spoke of him as a responsible and honest worker who had never been reprimanded, but, on the contrary, repeatedly received commendation, incentives and awards. The testimonies of secret witnesses did not correspond to reality and indicated personal aversion to this denomination.

On 20 February 2023, the Vakhitovsky District Court of Kazan found Andrey Bochkarev guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. He pleaded non-guilty. He was sentenced to three years and one month of imprisonment, but he was released in the courtroom, since he has actually served his long term in a pre-trial detention center!

During the first two months and a half of 2023, there were also a lot of suspended sentences to prison; appeal courts and the Cassation Court also confirmed the sentences to effective prison terms of many other Jehovah’s Witnesses who were already in pretrial detention.  LINK.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Russian Federation “must take all necessary measures to secure the discontinuation of all pending criminal proceedings against Jehovah’s Witnesses… and the release of all Jehovah’s Witnesses in custody” (§ 285).

Read more:

ECtHR, Russia to pay about 350,000 EUR to Jehovah’s Witnesses for disrupting their religious meetings

UNICEF warns of deepening inequalities in Europe and Central Asia

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United Nations News
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UNICEF warns of deepening inequalities in Europe and Central Asia
The COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters and ongoing conflict have deepened inequalities among children in Europe and Central Asia, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a report published on Thursday, calling for more robust support for boys and girls at risk of poverty and social exclusion. 

The report on children’s rights is the first of its kind to bring together existing data and analysis for all countries in the region, while highlighting critical data gaps that need to be filled. 

Data deficit 

UNICEF Regional Director Afshan Khan said the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, climate change and the current economic and energy crisis have plunged many families into uncertainty, affecting their well-being and that of their children. 

A NEW @UNICEF REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPACT OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, NATURAL DISASTERS AND ONGOING CONFLICT ON THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN ACROSS THE REGION, MAKING THEM MORE VULNERABLE TO INEQUALITIES.

HERE ARE 6 FACTS ABOUT CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN THE REGION.👇 PIC.TWITTER.COM/20QCRDCZTD— UNICEF Europe C.Asia (@UNICEF_ECA) March 9, 2023

“However, lack of data of how these events have affected children’s rights makes it difficult to assess how we can meet the needs of the most vulnerable children and families, so that no child in the region is left behind,” she added. 

At a disadvantage 

An estimated 35 to 40 million children across Europe and Central Asia are living in poverty, according to UNICEF. The report reveals inequalities in access to healthcare and education for some of the most vulnerable.   

For example, Roma children, along with some 11 million boys and girls with disabilities, are among the most disadvantaged when it comes to access to quality education. 

Preventable deaths 

Although the region includes countries with the lowest number of infant and child deaths globally, under-five mortality rates in some nations are higher than the global average.  More than half of these deaths are due to preventable and treatable diseases. 

Europe and Central Asia also have some of the world’s highest rates of children separated from their families, or in care homes.  Again, Roma children and those with disabilities are disproportionally represented in residential care. 

The pandemic caused severe disruptions to routine immunization services, with 95 per cent of countries showing backsliding in coverage.  “As a result, every year, almost one million children in the region do not receive their scheduled vaccinations,” UNICEF said. 

Toll on mental health 

The global crisis also affected children’s emotional and mental wellbeing, and suicide is now the second leading cause of death in high-income countries in the region, according to the report. 

UNICEF said air pollution is the single most significant environmental risk in the region, impacting an estimated four out of five children in Europe and Central Asia.  Additionally, communities also lack the knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves from the impacts of climate change.  

Ukraine war effect 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked an unprecedented exodus from the country, and the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe and Central Asia from other parts of the world also continues to increase. 

Host countries have been stretched to capacity to sustain equal access to quality basic services, with gaps in areas such as accommodation and sanitation facilities, health and protection services, and care and support for unaccompanied and separated children. 

Social protection programmes 

Last year, UNICEF published a report on how the economic fallout from the war has had an impact on child poverty in Europe and Central Asia.  Since then, the agency has been calling for countries to expand and strengthen social protection systems, including cash assistance programmes. 

In issuing its latest study, UNICEF urged governments to meet the needs of every child, especially the most vulnerable, and to prioritize children in the collection and analysis of data.

World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries

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United Nations News
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World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries
The Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) concluded on Thursday with countries adopting concrete measures to implement the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) – which aims to renew and strengthen commitments between LDCs and their development partners – marking a transformative turning point for the world’s most vulnerable countries. 

The Doha Political Declaration was adopted to a round of applause in the plenary hall of the Qatar National Convention Centre, where LDC5 has been under way since 5 March. 

Ushering in new era of solidarity, and enormous socio-economic benefits for world’s 46 least developed countries, today’s action comes nearly one year after the DPoA was adopted at the first part of the Conference on 17 March 2022 in New York.  

The Declaration outlines measures to promote transformation and unlock the potential of LDCs, including the development of a system of reserves or alternative means, ranging from cash transfers to comprehensive multi-hazard crisis mitigation and resilience-building measures for the least developed countries. 

“The commitments and responsibilities do not stop and start with the signing of the documents or attending Conferences. They must be integral to our efforts towards 2030 and extend for the full decade,” said Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations at the closing plenary meeting. 

‘We must go further still’ 

She pointed out that the five key deliverables from the DPoA – an online university, a graduation support package, a food stock holding solution, an investment support centre, and a crisis mitigation and resilience building mechanism – “will answer key challenges facing the LDCs, and set the path for a more prosperous, equitable future”. 

“But success is not automatic. But we must go further still,” stressed Ms. Mohammed. “To achieve these deliverables, LDCs will need massive financing – at scale, and directed where it matters most.” 

She noted that Secretary-General António Guterres had earlier proposed reforms to the international financial architecture, alongside an SDG Stimulus of at least $500 billion a year, to direct resources towards long-term sustainable development and just transitions. This funding could help LDCs tackle issues that are preventing them from realizing their potential. 

“If we are to have any hope of achieving the SDGs, we must put first those who are furthest behind on their development journeys,” stated the UN deputy chief. 

While in Doha, Ms. Mohammed also, engaged with Government officials, civil society representatives and UN Resident Coordinators from around the world. In her meetings, she underscored the importance of crisis mitigation and increasing resilience for LDCs, with the DPoA as the blueprint to uplift the most vulnerable countries. 

image770x420cropped - World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

This week at LDC5 

Under the theme ‘From Potential to Prosperity’, the LDC5 Conference aimed to drive transformational change to positively affect the 1.2 billion people who live in the LDCs. 

LDC5 welcomed some 9,000 participants, including 46 Heads of State and Government and nearly 200 ministers and vice-ministers, who called for urgent support from developed countries to advance socio-economic and environmental development in LDCs.  

Business leaders, together with civil society, youth and other partners, shared initiatives, and recommendations in a range of areas, from enhancing LDCs’ participation in international trade and regional integration to harnessing the power of science, technology, and innovation. 

The Deputy Secretary-General acknowledged this broad-based participation, saying: “Throughout this week we have seen what can be achieved through genuine partnership and multilateral dialogue. Each track — youth, South-South Cooperation, private sector, Parliamentarians, and civil society — has contributed energy, vision and ideas for lasting change.” 

Discussions at LDC5 centred on the implementation of the DPoA. The agreements reached this week will help LDCs address the current crisis, from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change, and help them get back on track with the SDGs and make progress towards graduation from the LDC category.

“The LDCs have the most untapped potential in the world, from natural to human resources.” said Rabab Fatima, Secretary-General of the Conference and UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).  

“What we delivered this week can harness this potential and chart a prosperous future for people in LDCs.” 

She urged those present, upon leaving Doha, to consider “what we can contribute to implementing to Doha Programme of Action in our own context and capacities”.  Emphasizing that political commitment is the “fuel that will drive the engine of progress”, she welcomed expressions of national ownership of the DPoA and urged development partners to tailor their national cooperation policies in a manner that meets the expectations and aspirations of least developed countries.   

Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of Malawi and Chair of the Group of Least Developed Countries, described the Conference as “a triumph of style and of substance”.  The stakes could not have been higher when the Conference began, he said, recalling the many calls for stronger partnerships made over the past five days.   

Developed countries were reminded of their official development assistance (ODA) commitments, he said, stressing that it is time to fulfil that historic commitment to allocate between 0.15 per cent and 0.20 per cent of their gross national income. If this, and other promises in the areas of trade, investment and technology transfer can be honoured, then we will leave with fresh hope that the Doha Programme of Action will be implemented in full, he added. 

Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar, also delivered closing remarks as President of the Conference.  Noting the commitments pledged during the last five days, he stressed the need for practical measures and recalled his own country’s significant financial pledges. Qatar would place least developed countries at the heart of international cooperation, he said.

image770x420cropped 17 - World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries
UNDP/Yuichi Ishida

Commitments made at LDC5:

  • Qatar announced a financial package of $60 million: $10m to support the implementation of the DPoA and $50 million to help build resilience in the LDCs.
  • Germany dedicated €200 million in new money in 2023 for financing for LDCs.
  • Canada announced $59 million to deliver Vitamin supplements in 15 LDCs and ecosystem conservation in Burkina Faso.
  • The EU Commission announced cooperation agreements advancing sustainable investments in Africa totalling more than €130 million.
  • Finland announced an annual event called the United Nations LDC Future Forum in Helsinki, with the Office of the UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States – OHRLLS –, to ensure the latest thinking and research is being put to work to ensure progress on the most vulnerable states.
  • The Green Climate Fund announced a new project to give $80 million in equity to offer green guarantees to business in LDCs and bring down the cost of capital..
  • The United Nations World Tourism Organisation, announced a new €10 million Tourism for Development Fund for LDCs, supported by TUI Care Foundation, that will invest by 2030 to support sustainable tourism in LDCs as a key driver of development.
  • The Government of Kazakhstan pledged $50,000 to continue their work supporting the most vulnerable member states of the United Nations.

Archaeologists have come across a smiling sphinx near the temple of Hathor

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EuropeanTimes
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Archaeologists have come across a smiling sphinx near the temple of Hathor
Image of the sphinx found near the temple of Dendera and which could represent the Roman emperor Claudius. Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Monuments of Egypt/ BTA

An Egyptian archaeological expedition from Ain Shams University discovered a smiling sphinx during excavations near the Temple of Hathor in Dendera (Dandara), Qena District, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Monuments announced.

In the place where in the past there was a temple of the god Horus, the scientists came across a sanctuary carved in limestone. It consists of a two-level platform with a ramp and a small clay brick basin covered with plaster. The interesting statue was found during the clearing of the pool, specifies BTA.

The face of the statue has regal features, dimples and wears a traditional pharaonic headscarf in the shape of a cobra

“It’s a beautifully and precisely carved sphinx,” said Mahdou el Damati, professor of Egyptology at Ain Shams University and former tourism minister.

The face, which has royal features, is distinguished by its smile with two dimples, the scientist adds. The sphinx wears the nemes headscarf, traditional for pharaohs in Ancient Egypt, with a uraeus in the shape of a cobra.

Initial research suggests that the statue may belong to the Roman emperor Claudius, who ruled North Africa between 41 and 54 AD.

Under the sphinx was found a stone slab with inscriptions in Demotic and hieroglyphs. Relying on them could reveal the identity of the smiling man and shed new light on the area’s ancient past.

Europe‘s New Equality Champions

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Newsdesk
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Europe‘s New Equality Champions

Europe honors its new equality champions. This happened at a special event in the Berlemont building in Brussels on March 8, and the leaders in the fight for equality within the European Union were honored by European Commissioner Maria Gabriel.

The ceremony marked the beginning of a two-day forum of women entrepreneurs in Europe, which brings together representatives of various fields and businesses, inspiring speakers and investors, united by the idea of gender equality in the business climate of the European Union.

The awards were presented in three categories, with the prize for “Sustainable Champion” shared between Trinity College Dublin and Karolinska Institutet. The “Newcomer Champion” award went to Maynooth University of Ireland and the Irish Technical University was awarded the “Continuity Champion”.

During the ceremony, European Commissioner Gabriel outlined three valid steps towards improving the European business environment for women entrepreneurs. Among them are training, internships and jobs for women with STEM education, as well as the upcoming Women to invest program. Last but not least, among the highlights was an award for women innovators.

The beginning of the European Forum for Women Founders (European Women Founders Group) was set in the summer of 2022 in Sofia under the auspices of European Commissioner Maria Gabriel. Among the priorities of the forum are the challenges and opportunities for women in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship.

According to data from the European Commission from 2018, women make up 52% of the population of Europe, and only 30% of them are part of the entrepreneurs within the European Union. In 2021, start-up companies in Europe generated over 100 billion euros in venture capital investments, with only 2% of them going to teams led by women, and less than 10% to teams with leaders of different genders.

Photo: European Union

Haiti: Surge in gun trafficking fuels spike in gang violence

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United Nations News
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Increasingly sophisticated and high-calibre firearms and ammunition are being trafficked into Haiti, fuelling an ongoing surge of gang violence that has plagued residents for months, according to a new UN assessment released on Thursday.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, Haiti’s criminal markets: mapping trends in firearms and drug trafficking, warns that a recent increase in arms seizures alongside intelligence and law enforcement reporting, suggests trafficking of weapons is on the rise.

NEW UNODC REPORT: HAITI’S CRIMINAL MARKETS: MAPPING TRENDS IN FIREARMS AND DRUG TRAFFICKING.

GANG-RELATED VIOLENCE IN HAITI HAS REACHED LEVELS NOT SEEN IN DECADES, AND FIREARMS & DRUG TRAFFICKING ARE FEEDING THE CASCADING SECURITY CRISES.

MORE: HTTPS://T.CO/7C1CR3YTGZ PIC.TWITTER.COM/YRYTBWB8RA— UN Office on Drugs & Crime (@UNODC) March 3, 2023

‘Volatile situation’

“By providing a rapid assessment of illicit firearms and drug trafficking, this UNODC study seeks to shed light on the trafficking flows enabling gangs in Haiti and fuelling further violence in a volatile and desperate situation to help inform responses and support to the people of Haiti,” said Angela Me, Chief of the UNODC Research and Trend Analysis Branch.

Gang violence fuelling cholera

Gang-related violence in Haiti has reached levels not seen in decades, the UN Secretary-General stated in his January report to the Security Council – compounding the severity of a cholera outbreak, increasing food insecurity, displacing thousands, and keeping children out of school.

At the same time, the incidence of homicides, kidnappings, and displacement is rising across Haiti, which is suffering the worst human rights and humanitarian emergency in decades. Authorities reported 2,183 homicides and 1,359 kidnappings in 2022, almost double the number of cases for the previous year.

Porous borders

As the UNODC assessment has shown, Haiti remains a trans-shipment country for drugs – primarily cocaine – and cannabis entering via boat or plane at public, private, and informal ports, as well as clandestine runways.

Haiti’s porous borders – including 1,771 kilometres of coastline and a 392-kilometre land border with the Dominican Republic – are severely challenging the capacities of the under-resourced and under-staffed national police, customs, border patrols and coast guard, who are themselves targeted by gangs, UNODC said.

image1024x768 - Haiti: Surge in gun trafficking fuels spike in gang violence
UNODC- Indicative volume of firearms seized by source in Haiti (2020-2022).

The assessment also provides an overview of international, regional, and national responses to date, including efforts to increase support to Haiti’s law enforcement and border management.

It also spotlights the need for comprehensive approaches encompassing investments in community policing, criminal justice reform, and anti-corruption investigations.

Japan Tibet Support Group Warns China Not to Interfere in Tibetan Religious Matters

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Newsdesk
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Tokyo: Japan Tibet Support Group members passed a five-point resolution today, in which, among other things, the members warned China not to interfere in Tibetan religious matters, including the selection of high Tibetan Lamas, especially the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama. The resolution also called for the immediate withdrawal of the forced indoctrination of Tibetan children in Chinese boarding schools.

The Save Tibet Network and the Tibetan Community in Japan jointly organized the online Support Group`s annual meeting today in which ten major Support Groups and 28 people participated, including guest participants from the National and Local lawmakers and the Representative and staff of the Tibet House Japan.

Makino Seishu, former Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Save Tibet Network, welcomed the participants and gave a brief outline of the Tibet support network in Japan and his association with the Tibetan struggle for freedom and justice. In addition, he spoke on his meetings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and how all the members should work and follow the non-violent path espoused by His Holiness.

Representative Dr Arya Tsewang Gyalpo thanked the organizers, lawmakers, and participants for their interest and support for the Tibet issue. He spoke on the office’s activities and briefed them about the cultural revolution-like atrocities and desecration of religious objects happening in Tibet. He appealed to the lawmakers and the members to be more vocal on the human rights violations, religious persecutions, and elimination of Tibetan identity taking place in Tibet.

Ishikawa Akimasa and Nagao Takashi, current and former General Secretary of the Japan Parliament Support Group for Tibet, spoke on the importance of the Tibet issue as a struggle for freedom and justice through non-violence against a brutal communist regime. They assured their continued support and requested the support group members` cooperation in educating the Tibet issue to the Japanese public.

The representatives of the support groups spoke about the groups` activities and condemned the Chinese policy to eradicate Tibetan identity, religion, and culture. They expressed shock and outrage at China’s destruction of religious idols, prayer wheels, and flags and yet claiming authority over the selection of reincarnated Lamas.

Karma Choying, Secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), thanked the organisers for inviting him to talk and expressed gratitude to the members for supporting the Tibetan cause.

Taguchi Yoshinori and Arisawa Yuma, Chairperson and Vice Chair of the Local Parliamentarian Support Group for Tibet expressed their support and willingness to work with the support group members to create more awareness about the Tibet issue.

In the end, the members resolved to pass a five-point resolution and make an effort to realize the contents of the resolutions as follows:

We, the representatives and members of Japan Tibet Support Group, on this date of February 12, 2023, resolve and issue the following statements:

  1. The Chinese communist party (CCP) leadership must stop human rights violations in Tibet and must let the Tibetans exercise their fundamental rights. 
  2. The CCP leadership must stop the forced indoctrination of Tibetan children in communist environment boarding schools.
  3. The CCP leadership must implement the minority law, where minority nationals are allowed complete freedom to practice and preserve their language.
  4. The CCP leadership, who does not believe in religion, should refrain from interfering in Tibetan religious matters and stop claiming authority in selecting the Dalai Lama`s reincarnation.
  5. We, the representatives and members of the Japan Tibet Support Group, will protest and never accept any Lamas or Dalai Lama appointed by the CCP leadership.

The resolution is hereby passed unanimously on this date.

-Report filed by the Office of Tibet, Japan-

Screenshot 2023 02 13 at 11.09.52 AM - Japan Tibet Support Group Warns China Not to Interfere in Tibetan Religious Matters
Screenshot of the online participants. Photo: THJ
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