Category: Child Poverty

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Deputy Prime Minister speech at Convention of the North

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Speech

Deputy Prime Minister speech at Convention of the North

The DPM gave the keynote address at the event in Lancashire.

Thank you everyone, it’s an absolute pleasure to be here at the Convention of the North again. 

I apologise if I go too Northern for you, but it’s good to be back in this region, and it is great to be here in Preston. 

A year ago, I was stood in front of this same Convention at Leeds Dock – talking about the change this country so desperately needs.  A lot has changed! 

But just like last year, we’re meeting today on the spot of real Northern success. 

For two centuries, this university has opened its doors. Not just for students across the country, but for the people of the proud city too. 

Over those last two centuries, this mill town – just like the rest of the North – has seen entire industries rise and fall. 

Today, as I look out towards our fantastic Northern leaders, businesses and innovators, I want you to know that I am determined to fight for a future that’s brighter and more ambitious.

Just over 6 months ago, this government was elected to deliver change. I know that the North is as impatient as anyone for that change – as I am too. 

The gears of change haven’t always been well-oiled, in fact, a decade of decline has seen them rusted.  As you work to improve the places you call home, you’re being resisted by a system that hoards power and investment away from where it needs to be – making regional inequalities worse, and not better. 

The truth is that for all the promises of levelling up, central government’s first instinct is too often to hoard power and hold our economy back.  Too many decisions affecting too many people are made by too few.  I’m here to help you break that system, and build a fairer one in its place. 

 Last year I promised this Convention that I would be a Deputy Prime Minister for the North. And working with many of you sat here today, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far. 

We’ve taken a hammer to business-as-usual in Whitehall, and within days of getting into government, Labour Secretaries of State were giving up newly won powers for the sake of our towns and cities, with the Prime Minister leading the charge.  It has not been comfortable!  But it wasn’t supposed to be.  After all, we are undergoing a generational power shift from Whitehall to the town hall.  

We’re putting support for business at the heart of this with funding rolled into integrated settlements. An Office for Investment working with mayors to develop funding opportunities and regional innovation funding.

In just six short months we are on track to complete devolution in the North.  This means decisions for the North, will be made by the North. So that Northerners will no longer be dictated to from Whitehall.   And this change will be irreversible.  And that’s important, because I know first-hand that decisions are made best by those with skin in the game. 

 That’s what our English Devolution White Paper is all about. Nothing less than a total rewiring of power in England.  For all the techy talk of devolution, the goal is simple:  We will give mayors the power to drive growth, to use new levers over planning, housing and regeneration to Get Britain Building. 

We are ending the begging bowl culture and giving local leaders flexibility over their spending. For the first time in British history, we have created a department-style integrated settlement giving Mayor Parker and Mayor Burnham over a billion pounds in flexible funding. 

 And next year, I am delighted that Liverpool, the North East, and South and West Yorkshire will all follow. This will be a game-changer for families across England, giving mayors the freedom and flexibility to make the right decisions for their place. 

 And you only need to look at what our Northern mayors are already achieving, to see why this is so important. Just look at Mayor Brabin’s SME Graduate Scheme, keeping homegrown talent in West Yorkshire, and her investment in bus routes getting people to work quicker and cheaper. 

Or Mayor Coppard’s Pathways to Work Commission, putting 10,000 residents in South Yorkshire back to work.  In York and North Yorkshire, Mayor Skaith is investing millions in high streets, supporting local business to thrive.  Mayor Rotherham is bringing award-winning TV and film productions to Liverpool, with investment in new studios. 

The success of our Northern mayors doesn’t stop there. In Greater Manchester, Mayor Burnham’s Bee Network is making it simpler and more affordable to get the bus and tram.  And further north, Mayor McGuinness has set up the first mayoral child support poverty reduction unit to support families across the North East. 

A future for the North, built by those that call it home. Uniting under the banner of Great North and a vision for a new era of Northern cooperation. This isn’t about pitting place against place.  This is about understanding what our towns and cities can achieve together. It’s about releasing Britain’s untapped potential. 

And don’t underestimate the effect of Cabinet Ministers having mayors at the end of the phone.  Let me tell you – not one of them will shy away from telling us how it is. 

It isn’t by accident that devolution sits in my department.  It is by design.  Because mayors aren’t just a helpful tool to unlock housing, transport and infrastructure, they are a critical levers in our mission of growth.  

Let me tell you why. All of you in this room are trying – like I am – to get Britain building again. Yes, building houses, but also building your business, building renewable energy, building data centres.  

All too often, we are met by a system that says: “don’t bother”. Well, I am determined to break that system.  And I am handing mayors the sledgehammer! 

Earlier this year we published a new national planning framework to break down the barriers to sustainable growth.  And today, I want to share more details on how we will go even further, in our Planning and Infrastructure Bill. 

Mayors are at the centre of our plans to build 1.5 million homes, by giving them the powers they need, mayors are an army to take on the blockers. We are backing them to work across huge regional geographies to get the job done.  It’s why we’re giving them the powers to call in applications on those large, strategic sites that will really turn the wheel on growth.  

And it’s why we’re putting grant funding for regeneration and housing in their hands. To enable mayors to deliver on their plans, we will forge a stronger partnership between them and Homes England. Over time, we will move Homes England to a more regionalised model so that the agency is even more responsive to the economic plan of an area. 

We’ve already committed to strategic authorities for the entire country – but we can’t waste any time in building the homes we desperately need. That’s why I can confirm that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill I will introduce to Parliament in the weeks ahead will allow councils without a mayor to come together and set spatial development strategies. 

This means bringing forward housebuilding powers as soon as we can.  I think there is huge potential here.  If we can get building, and boost productivity of just 11 city regions, we could add £20.5 billion each year to the Exchequer. Imagine the jobs, opportunities and growth that comes with it. 

But devolving powers is only half the plan, if we’re not matching it with investment, we won’t see the results. The history of our Northern towns and cities is one of great industrialists, and workers who grafted for something better. And it’s in that same image, that the North today can provide the growth this country needs. 

Here in Preston, people have decent jobs to be proud of – just look at the Eurofighter Typhoon programme. We cannot underestimate the impact that business investment like that can have on an area. This is a sector that is critical for our national security, and economic growth. 

Over in West Yorkshire, we’re backing the new Mass Transit Scheme with two hundred million pounds of funding to support its development. Anyone who expects the businesses of Leeds to meet their economic potential without a proper transport network needs to ask themselves why they expect the North to settle for less. 

And as we support the recreation of Doncaster-Sheffield Airport it’s the job of this government to ask how we can best support our nation’s regional airports. Teesside has shown that regional airports can prosper, and now it’s time to back South Yorkshire too. 

Up in Blyth, plans are also being delivered for Europe’s biggest AI data centre.  These projects are not just about driving growth for the sake of it but driving growth in the places where potential is greatest.  The places which once built Britain, and once again deserve to be the centres of economic and industrial excellence. 

[political content removed] I share the Chancellor’s determination to review the Green Book to properly recognise the potential of places across the country. This means a full review of what it means for a project to be value for money. 

Alongside this, our industrial strategy led by the Business Secretary, will see a complete rewiring of the state. The mayors’ local growth plans are the bedrock of our industrial strategy, underpinning how we drive growth in every town and city. And finally, harness the great potential of the North.

These plans are already underway. Every mayor is working with government to align priorities. Time is of the essence, which is why we’re wasting no time in publishing local growth plans, setting out these blueprints to deliver the manufacturing and green jobs of the future. 

That’s only part of our efforts to rebalance the economy. My Department and the Treasury are working with all strategic mayors with expert units laser-focused on unlocking devolution opportunities in skills, transport, and business support. 

And as we kickstart growth, it is only right that the workers who fuel the economy, get back what they put in. This government’s Employment Rights Bill means the biggest upgrade to rights at work in a generation. A bill that takes the very best standards from the very best businesses – and extends it to millions more workers.  

We are clear – better living standards is our number one mission. And we will succeed in our mission when working people can contribute to growth and benefit fairly from it. In some of the most deprived parts of the country – in places across the North – this legislation could save workers up to £600 in lost income. 

Giving people a stable income, a chance to get a mortgage, putting more money in people’s pockets which in turn can be spent on the high streets and in local businesses. Boosting town centres and local economies with regenerative effects – this is about building a new route to prosperity from the bottom up, and the middle out, not the top down.

Managers and senior decision-makers agree that this bill will boost productivity. Which is good for workers, and good for business. We all know that treating workers decently is just what good businesses already do.  We are backing business to level the playing field so that good employers aren’t undercut. Encouraging businesses to compete on quality and innovation in a race to the top.

Without our bill, more working days will be lost through ill-health, costing businesses money. Inaction isn’t an option.  Businesses have everything to gain from this bill but I recognise it will be a big change which is why where businesses have raised concerns we have listened. It’s why we introduced a statutory probation period.

We want businesses to be able to hire with confidence whilst still extending new protections for workers. These are plans which are pro-business, as well as pro-worker, which is why I am hell bent on making work pay. 

 And just as we’ll leave no worker behind, we’ll also be fighting for every single town, village and estate. Too many neighbourhoods have been underestimated and overlooked for too long.  

[political content removed]

When I first stepped into government, we inherited a burnt-out shell that they called levelling up.  It promised to rebalance the North and South. But when I got into government, the truth is, the money didn’t exist.  There was this warped idea that all places needed was a lick of paint and a chess board in the park. 

[political content removed]

We’re doing away with the sticking plaster policies of old and working towards national renewal.  To achieve that, we need to start empowering people to drive change in their communities.  And to anyone who doubts this ambition, to anyone who doubts the North, I say that our region has been underestimated and overlooked for far too long. 

 This government is only giving the North what it’s owed, and what it deserves. For too long, our outdated system of council funding has been stacked against the north.  The days of Ministers expecting the North to go cap in hand ends now. That’s why with Jim McMahon, our Minister for English Devolution and Local Government, we are making simpler and clearer structures and will fix the foundations of local government. He is already beginning to replace the funding formula to give the North nearly £840 million more this year.  That brings the North’s total increase to just over 8 per cent – the biggest rise of all regions in England, by a good distance. 

If this new formula had been applied under the last government, the North would’ve seen billions more in funding. Instead, councils saw cuts of 23 per cent. So we’re starting to right that wrong. 

And we realise that every council has different needs. That’s why we’ve set aside a cash-terms increase for local government of 6.8 per cent. That’s over £69 billion for local government. All councils are facing pressures, but it’s particularly hard for those that bore the brunt of austerity. And this year’s settlement marks a clear direction of travel for the rest of the Parliament. 

 But I know that the change this country needs can’t be micromanaged from Whitehall. It’s people in this room today – mayors, councillors, business owners and investors – who will drive us forward.  And as that happens, I can promise that the full force of the government will be behind you. 

Transferring power out of Westminster, getting Britain building, letting our towns and cities fire on all cylinders, doing whatever it takes to kickstart economic growth and leaving no one behind in that government-defining mission. 

Thank you.

Updates to this page

Published 28 February 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The UK’s food system is broken. A green new deal for agriculture could be revolutionary

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Benjamin Selwyn, Professor of International Relations and International Development, Department of International Relations, University of Sussex

William Edge/Shutterstock

The UK’s food system was described as broken in a recent parliamentary report – and it’s not hard to see why. High living costs, a health crisis of diet-related chronic disease, farmers’ incomes squeezed and low pay across the agricultural sector all play their parts.

And these elements are underpinned by an environmentally destructive mode of agricultural production – the longer the livestock-intensive system prevails, the greater the environmental, economic and social costs.

The opportunity cost of not dealing with the food crisis is severe. The Food, Farming and Countryside Commission found that the price of the UK’s unhealthy food system is around £268 billion a year – almost equivalent to the government’s entire expenditure on health. And farmers are also worried about the sector as they face an unpredictable climate, smaller profits and changes to tax relief policies.

I have researched how a green new deal for agriculture – namely a food system that complements rather than undermines the environment, while tackling social inequities – could begin to address these problems.

In 2024 the UK’s farming sector experienced its second-worst harvest on record. Huge levels of rain last winter disrupted farmers’ ability to grow crops and reduced yields.

The UK’s population faces a significant health crisis, exacerbated by the high cost of living. In 2022, around two-thirds of the population across all four nations were either overweight or obese.

Retailers, processors and distributors grab an exorbitant share of the final value of many agricultural products. Sometimes farmers make as little as 1p profit for each item they produce. And farm workers’ earnings can sometimes leave them facing absolute poverty.

What’s more, the UK farming sector is systemically inefficient. Dairy and meat products provide about 32% of calories consumed in the UK, and less than half (48%) of the protein. At the same time, livestock and their feed make up 85% of the UK’s total land use for agriculture.

To make matters worse, land ownership is highly concentrated – about 25,000 landowners, typically corporations and members of the aristocracy, own about 50% of England, for example.

What would change look like?

A green new deal for agriculture would require a significant reorientation of policy, akin to the 1945 Labour government’s establishment of the welfare state. Critics might decry the costs and difficulties – but the longer the government waits, the greater the economic and environmental costs are likely to be.

Read more:
Britain’s unearned wealth has ballooned – a modest capital tax could help avoid austerity and boost the economy

The government could introduce compulsory sale orders to spread land ownership more evenly. These would enable public bodies to obtain land that has been left derelict, vacant or that has been used in environmentally damaging ways. These measures could be supported by the establishment of community land trusts – non-profit, democratic organisations that own and work land for the benefit of local people.

And a green new deal for agriculture could start with the government using its ecosystems service payments, where farmers and landowners are paid to manage their land in an environmentally beneficial way, to stimulate a transition to more plant-based proteins. This could combat hardship among farmers and agricultural workers, and tackle food poverty and ill health in the population. It would also establish the basis for a more sustainable agricultural system.

Read more:
Subsidised community restaurants could help tackle the UK’s broken food system – here’s how

The UK think tank Green Alliance has mapped a green protein transition. It would entail an increase in “agro-ecologically” farmed land – that is, methods that bring a more ecological approach to farming. At present, this is about 3% of UK land, and it would have to rise to 60% by 2050. Under the plan, by 2030 10% of farmland would become semi-natural habitat, rising to one-third by 2050. This would protect land and facilitate natural restoration, and would also support agro-ecological farming methods.

In this scenario, Britons would be projected to eat 45% less meat and dairy, replacing them with alternative proteins – plants and synthetic foods such as those made from precision fermentation. This is a revolutionary technology producing proteins that can be used in new alternatives to meat and dairy.

Many conceptions of the protein transition from animal sources to more plant products ignore the necessity of improving farmers’ and agricultural workers’ incomes. But this will be crucial.

Ecosystems service payments should be broadened to include a focus on sustainable incomes. Farms can be paid directly by government for sustainable production to combat farmer poverty. And the real living wage of £12.60 an hour should be compulsory for agricultural workers.

As land use shifts from livestock grazing and feed crop production, more ground could be used for food crops for human consumption. There would then be more scope to change which food crops are produced – from wheat to legumes, for example.

Flour made from broad beans – which can be grown in the UK – packs a bigger protein punch than traditional wheat flour.
Narsil/Shutterstock

Research has shown that flour made from broad beans is higher in key nutrients – protein, iron and fibre – than wheat flour. Bread, pasta, pizza, cakes and biscuits could increasingly be produced using broad bean flour, underpinning a shift towards more nutritious diets.

A protein transition would also free up land for fruit and vegetable production for domestic consumption, reducing the UK’s heavy import dependence by using polytunnels and environmentally sustainable greenhouses.

Climate breakdown means that the frequency of poor harvests will increase. And the volatile economic and political global picture means that affordable food imports cannot be taken for granted.

A green new deal for agriculture could begin to remedy many of the problems the UK faces due to its broken food system. What’s needed is a coalition including courageous political parties, farmers, and workers within and beyond food production. Working together, these groups would be well placed to withstand the economic, political and environmental shocks that are on the horizon.

Benjamin Selwyn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The UK’s food system is broken. A green new deal for agriculture could be revolutionary – https://theconversation.com/the-uks-food-system-is-broken-a-green-new-deal-for-agriculture-could-be-revolutionary-250565

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council approves 2025/26 budget and sets out priorities to keep improving Manchester
Source: City of Manchester

Manchester City Council has today (Friday 28 February) set its budget for 2025/26 outlining its spending plans to deliver services, make lives better and improve the city.

The allocation of the £894 million revenue budget highlights the Council’s priorities, as well as the demands on services that councils across the country are seeing. In common with councils across the land, Manchester City Council remains under significant financial pressure as it grapples with the difficult legacy of 14 years of national Government cuts to our budgets. Manchester was one of the areas hardest hit by cuts in central Government funding and a Council Tax increase of 4.99% (2% of which is specifically earmarked to support adult social care) has been required to help balance the budget.

However, improved funding for 2025/26 under the new Government – which saw Manchester receive one of the biggest increases in the country – and indications that future funding will be more closely linked to challenges such as deprivation have left grounds for optimism.

The 2025/26 budget prioritises supporting those most in need with a significant spend on children and adults social services; helping residents out of poverty and support with the cost of living crisis; building new genuinely affordable homes and reducing homelessness; protecting and investing in Manchester’s libraries and leisure centres, investing in our 148 parks and green spaces; and investing in local neighborhoods and high streets. The council is allocating an extra £5 million to tackle fly tipping, clean up our streets and make sure the city is clean, green and tidy

Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig said:

“Our top priority is making sure that everything we do works towards making our city, and the lives of our residents, better. We’re pleased to be able to set a budget which continues to work hard for the people of Manchester – not just delivering the essential functions which they expect but also investing in making lives better and improving the city.

“We won’t forget the difficult cuts forced on us by previous governments since 2010 that left us £460 million worse off, but despite this we are putting residents first. From investing in new libraries and leisure centres, helping thousands of Mancunians with the cost of living crisis, expanding our youth offer, building much needed council and social housing to investing in neighborhoods and high streets right across the city, we will always spend what we have in a way that helps Manchester.

“Clean, green, safe and well maintained neighbourhoods are the bedrock of a great city, and that’s why we are investing an extra £5million in these much-needed services to reduce litter and flytipping that blights too many communities and make sure our streets are clean and tidy.”

Cllr Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Finance, said:

“It’s been a tough few years for local government finances and the impact of cuts since 2010 can’t be turned round overnight.

“But thanks to careful planning and taking some difficult decisions early, Manchester has withstood the buffeting and is able to bring forward positive plans for how we’ll use the spending power which we still have.”

Supporting the most vulnerable
- Providing assistance, support and protection to around 5,500 children (including 1,351 looked after children, 842 of them in foster care.)
- Supporting more than 3,500 vulnerable adults through care at home or residential placements, with thousands more benefitting from equipment and home adaptations to help them live independently.
- Supporting around 2,700 homeless households and helping others avoid becoming homeless
Providing good quality everyday services
- Carrying out 31 million waste collections a year and providing street cleaning and other environmental services.
- Maintaining and investing in almost 150 parks and other green spaces.
- Providing 23 libraries and 25 leisure centres.
- Maintaining almost 2,500 miles of roads and pavements.
Investing in the future of the city to make it an even better place to live
- Major regeneration schemes are progressing across the city – from the transformation of Wythenshawe Civic Centre in the south to the enormous opportunities being opened up in North Manchester through initiatives such as Victoria North and Holt Town.
- In the past year 600 new council, social and genuinely affordable homes were completed with another 1,500 on site and a further 1,450 with planning permission in the pipeline.
Continuing to lend a helping hand to people struggling with the cost-of-living while tackling the underlying causes of poverty.
- Last year alone we spent £42m on measures to tackle poverty and support Mancunians with the cost of living.
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Educational Improvements for Dundee Primary Pupils

Source: Scotland – City of Dundee

Dundee’s primary pupils are making significant educational progress during the earliest stages of their learning journey.

The Children, Families and Communities Committee will hear that since 2018/19 primary pupils living in the most deprived areas of the city have continued to show higher levels of literacy and numeracy attainment compared to the Scottish average.

There has also been improvement across all Primary 1, 4 & 7 pupils in the city in reading, writing, listening and talking, literacy, and numeracy.

The gap between pupils from the most and least deprived areas has remained relatively steady. This is mainly because of increased performance of pupils living in the least deprived areas.

There are several key strategies and actions to build on this success, actions are being taken to embedding ‘Every Dundee Learning Matters’ (EDLM) improvement strategy, redesigning Head Techer Learning Together Days, and creating stronger working links with Education Scotland Attainment advisors.

Children, Families and Communities Convener Stewart Hunter said: “This report highlights the great work going on in the city to make sure our primary pupils get good quality education from the start of their learning journey.

“It’s encouraging to see that the poverty-related attainment gap in Dundee is smaller than the national average and continuing to narrow, highlighting the great work taking place in our schools.

“We know how important it is to get it right for every pupil and we are committed to ensuring best practice across all our schools, we have several ways in which we are looking to achieve this, including using data to drive improvement and investment with our schools.

“I want to thank the staff who are doing a great job delivering for our young people and getting their education off to the right start.

“We will not become complacent, and we will continue to work to give every Dundee learner the best start to their learning journey.”

This Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels 2023/24 update provides information on the proportion of primary school pupils who have achieved the expected Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) levels in literacy and numeracy relevant to their stage in academic session 2023/24.

The report is focused of the % of P1, P4 and P7 pupils combined achieving expected Curriculum for Excellence Levels in both literacy and numeracy.

The Children, Families and Communities Committee will meet on Monday 3rd March.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Stability pact escape clause to promote militarism and war – P-000802/2025

Source: European Parliament

Priority question for written answer P-000802/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
João Oliveira (The Left)

The rising cost of living is making life harder for workers and their families. More than 90 million people in the EU are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, including 20 million children. Difficulties accessing housing are becoming more acute. And yet the Commission continues to give priority to militarism and make the arms race the driver of what it sees as a war economy.

During the Munich Security Conference, the President of the Commission announced that she would propose an escape clause for the stability pact for what she euphemistically called ‘defence investments’, which constitute nothing more than a boost for militarism, higher military expenditure, an arms race and war.

In the light of the above:

Will the Commission propose an escape clause that could also be used for investment intended to step up public services and state social functions, raise wages in public administrations, bolster pensions, investment in the expansion and renovation of public housing stock or restoring public control of strategic economic sectors?

Submitted: 21.2.2025

Last updated: 28 February 2025

MIL OSI Europe News –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Plan to tackle £70 million in unclaimed benefits in Highland

Source: Scotland – Highland Council

Independent research shows that there is an estimated total of £70 million of unclaimed benefits in the Highland area, including £6.9 million unclaimed pension credits affecting 3000 people.

This means that thousands of people across Highland are currently missing out on additional financial help they are entitled to. Securing these additional sources of income will support people to live independently and well in their communities.

Convener Bill Lobban added: “We are proposing the establishment of a Commission, funded by £0.300m of Reserves, to accelerate our approach to tackling poverty by identifying direct actions to shape service delivery, improve early intervention and develop integrated approaches to tackling poverty and inequality in Highland. The work would also link to other Council Delivery Plan themes such as employability, housing and health and wellbeing.”

Leader of the Council Raymond Bremner said: “Our proposed investment programme would target £0.870m to deliver direct support and consider ways to improve our collective approach to tackling poverty and inequality in the Highlands. This will be supported by increased funding of £0.250m to support new posts in existing Welfare services to help people draw down more of their entitled benefits.

“Proposals also include investing £0.320m to increase the provision of Pupil Equity Funding direct to schools and to provide targeted support within schools and the wider community to support those families experiencing poverty, as well as maximising the take-up of unclaimed welfare benefits.”

You can find help and advice with regard to welfare on our website. https://www.highland.gov.uk/welfare

Budget proposals will be considered by Council at its meeting on 6 March.

28 Feb 2025

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MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: February 27th, 2025 Heinrich, Vasquez Urge New Mexico Attorney General to Investigate Health Care Centers in Denying Medical Care to New Mexicans

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) sent a letter urging New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez to open an investigation into Ben Archer Health Centers refusing to provide medical care to individuals without “proof of citizenship.”

Heinrich’s office was alerted by constituents to Ben Archer Health Centers’ new practice of requiring “proof of citizenship” yesterday. His office then verified that Ben Archer was employing this practice at school-based health clinics, for scheduled appointments at standalone clinics, and for same-day appointment requests. In defense of their actions, Ben Archer leadership pointed to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” which was issued on February 19, 2025, but has no bearing on the provision of health care to non-citizens. In fact, New Mexico and federal law both require Ben Archer Health Centers and other similarly funded health centers in the United States to provide health care to all residents of the area the center serves.

In a post published to his social media yesterday morning, Heinrich condemned Ben Archer Health Centers for turning away patients without birth certificates on-hand at their clinics. Heinrich later welcomed news that the policy had been reversed, but has since received reports that the reversal is not being implemented consistently.

“We write to request that you investigate whether Ben Archer Health Centers’ (BAHC) denial of medical care to individuals unable to provide “proof of citizenship,” potentially denying care to U.S. citizens, violated federal or state law and to take appropriate legal action pursuant to those findings. BAHC operates 11 clinics throughout southern New Mexico and is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, alongside the State of New Mexico and Doña Ana County. This federal and state support creates not only an ethical, but legal obligation to provide quality primary health care to all New Mexicans, addressing the urgent needs of medically underserved residents in our state. We are concerned that similar actions could undermine medical care across New Mexico if BAHC is not held accountable for their neglect of this principal duty,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez.

On February 26, the lawmakers received multiple, verified reports of Ben Archer Health Centers denying medical care to New Mexicans who were unable to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. One report was from an insulin-dependent patient with diabetes who was unable to refill their insulin prescription, and another report was from a patient who states they were unable to refill their psychotropic medication at Ben Archer Health Centers’ onsite pharmacy. Another individual sent a photo of a public posting at a school-based clinic in Las Cruces stating, “any ineligible alien who entered the United States illegally or is otherwise unlawfully present in the United States does not qualify for federally funded services at Ben Archer Health Centers.”

Ben Archer Health Centers operate clinics at three of Las Cruces Public Schools’ (LCPS) high schools. After receiving calls from the New Mexico Department of Health and the Primary Care Association of New Mexico, Ben Archer took down the posted notices. However, in visits to Ben Archer Health Centers since the reversal, constituents have experienced inconsistent requirements to access health services.

“A west Texas measles outbreak killed a school-age child just yesterday, and New Mexico’s Department of Health has confirmed nine cases of measles in Lea County. At a moment when access to vaccinations and treatment are paramount, the last thing a family needs when attending an appointment at their local school-based clinic — funded by federal, state, and county dollars — is to be turned away unless they prove citizenship,” the lawmakers stated.

The lawmakers also emphasized that Ben Archer Health Centers appears to be violating both state and federal law.

“BAHC’s unilateral decision to require documentation of citizenship as a prerequisite to providing health care at their clinics is not only unreasonably burdensome for New Mexican families, we believe it also violates the law… Despite their citing of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” as justification for their actions, that executive order has no bearing on health centers’ provision of heath care to non-citizens and does not supersede applicable law,” the lawmakers declared.

“We are aware of constituents who have been directly impacted by BAHC’s actions and can provide additional information upon request. While we believe that the vast majority of these vital health care providers are committed to serving vulnerable New Mexicans, we urge you to investigate these allegations against BAHC, determine the extent to which the practice is continuing, and hold them accountable on behalf of patients across our state,” the lawmakers concluded.

The text of the letter is here and below:

Dear Attorney General Torrez,

We write to request that you investigate whether Ben Archer Health Centers’ (BAHC) denial of medical care to individuals unable to provide “proof of citizenship,” potentially denying care to U.S. citizens, violated federal or state law and to take appropriate legal action pursuant to those findings. BAHC operates 11 clinics throughout southern New Mexico and is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, alongside the State of New Mexico and Doña Ana County. This federal and state support creates not only an ethical, but legal obligation to provide quality primary health care to all New Mexicans, addressing the urgent needs of medically underserved residents in our state. We are concerned that similar actions could undermine medical care across New Mexico if BAHC is not held accountable for their neglect of this principal duty.

On February 26, we received multiple, verified reports of BAHC denying medical care to New Mexicans who were unable to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. One report was from an insulin-dependent patient with diabetes who was unable to refill their insulin prescription, and another report was from a patient who states they were unable to refill their psychotropic medication at Ben Archer’s onsite pharmacy. Another individual sent a photo of a public posting at a school-based clinic in Las Cruces stating, “any ineligible alien who entered the United States illegally or is otherwise unlawfully present in the United States does not qualify for federally funded services at Ben Archer Health Centers.” BAHC operates clinics at three of Las Cruces Public Schools’ (LCPS) high schools. After receiving calls from the New Mexico Department of Health and the Primary Care Association of New Mexico, BAHC took down the posted notices. However, a brief phone call between LCPS Superintendent, Ignacio Ruiz, and Ben Archer’s Chief Financial Officer indicates BAHC will continue to demand proof of citizenship prior to rendering health services.

A west Texas measles outbreak killed a school-age child just yesterday, and New Mexico’s Department of Health has confirmed nine cases of measles in Lea County. At a moment when access to vaccinations and treatment are paramount, the last thing a family needs when attending an appointment at their local school-based clinic — funded by federal, state, and county dollars — is to be turned away unless they prove citizenship.

BAHC’s unilateral decision to require documentation of citizenship as a prerequisite to providing health care at their clinics is not only unreasonably burdensome for New Mexican families, we believe it also violates the law. BAHC advertises their status as a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. § 254b on the front page. of their website. Pursuant to subsection (a)(1)-(2) of that statute, health centers like BAHC are required to provide services for all residents within the area served by the center. Despite their citing of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” as justification for their actions, that executive order has no bearing on health centers’ provision of heath care to non-citizens and does not supersede applicable law.

Additionally, BAHC’s actions are likely in violation of NM Stat § 24A-1-20 (2024). Section 24A-1(A)-(B) of that statute provides that state or local health benefits, therein defined as “any health benefit for which payments, assistance or health care services are provided to an individual, household or family eligibility unit by…appropriated funds of the state, a county, a local government…,” must be provided to all non-citizens, regardless of immigration status, if they meet the eligibility requirements for those benefits. Again, BAHC’s website clearly states that, in addition to federal funding, they receive funding from New Mexico state agencies, including the Department of Health, the Children, Youth, & Families Department, and the Human Services Department, as well as Doña Ana County.

BAHC’s demands that patients produce proof of U.S. citizenship in order to receive basic health care appear to violate both state and federal law. Their actions also unquestionably run counter to BAHC’s mission statement emphasizing access to health services for underserved populations. Health Centers in New Mexico are currently serving over 331,000 patients, including 17,262 homeless, 18,934 school-based, and 6,596 Veteran patients. Altogether, over 15% of New Mexico’s residents are served by Health Centers with 51% of those residents being under the poverty line. We are aware of constituents who have been directly impacted by BAHC’s actions and can provide additional information upon request. While we believe that the vast majority of these vital health care providers are committed to serving vulnerable New Mexicans, we urge you to investigate these allegations against BAHC, determine the extent to which the practice is continuing, and hold them accountable on behalf of patients across our state.

Sincerely,

MIL OSI USA News –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai presides over third meeting of Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Details
2024-11-28
President Lai presides over second meeting of Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee
On the afternoon of November 28, President Lai Ching-te presided over the second meeting of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. In his opening statement, the president said that we are implementing mental health support programs this year to provide more support for young and middle-aged people, pointing out that the policy has served over 20,000 people since it was implemented just over three months ago. In terms of bolstering mental health resiliency, the president said we still have much to do, our government must lead by example, and the public and private sectors must work together, making every effort to ensure that no one is left behind. Noting that our goal is to reduce the standardized cancer mortality rate by one-third by the year 2030, President Lai stated that next year’s budget for cancer screening will be increased to NT$6.8 billion. He also stated that plans are in the works to establish a fund for new cancer drugs, adding that in the general budget we will allocate NT$5 billion, which will gradually rise to NT$10 billion. At the same time, he said, we are also actively promoting genetic testing and precision medicine. He expressed confidence that expanding preventive screening at the front end and providing advanced treatments at the back end will effectively fight cancer and improve the overall health of our citizens. A translation of President Lai’s opening statement follows: Today is the second meeting of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. First, I want to thank our two deputy conveners, our advisors and committee members, and our friends online for their enthusiastic participation. I also want to welcome Committee Member Chien Wen-jen (簡文仁), who was on leave for the previous meeting. I would also like to introduce three new committee members: Let’s welcome Committee Member Huang Chin-shun (黃金舜), president of the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations. During the pandemic, he led the nation’s pharmacists in promoting services including name-based distribution systems for masks and rapid-test kits and home delivery of medications. I am sure that he will be able to provide many valuable views regarding pharmaceutical safety and supply resilience. Let’s also welcome Committee Member Ko Fu-yang (柯富揚). During his time as secretary-general of the National Union of Chinese Medical Doctors’ Association, he led the Chinese medicine community in the transition from experience-based medicine to evidence-based medicine, and promoted the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. With his participation, the committee will be able to spur research and development in both modern and traditional medicine. Our third new committee member is Liao Mei-nan (廖美南), president of the Taiwan Nurses Association, who was unable to be here today. She has long been dedicated to raising the quality of nursing care and actively promoting a high-quality, friendly work environment for nurses. The committee will rely on her experience to strengthen the link between policy and practice in nursing care. I want to thank all the members of the committee once again for working together with the government. Since the last committee meeting, under the guidance of Minister without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has implemented various policies. At the beginning of October, for example, three major AI centers were set up to resolve three key AI application issues: implementation, certification, and reimbursement, helping advance Taiwan’s smart healthcare ecosystem. At today’s meeting, the MOHW will first deliver a report on the progress of certain items listed in the first committee meeting, followed by a joint report by the MOHW and Ministry of Education on bolstering public mental health resilience and a report by the MOHW on enhancing cancer prevention and treatment strategies. The World Health Organization has affirmed that “there is no health without mental health.” In a fast-changing, fast-paced society, the government should invest more resources in the field of mental health to safeguard the people’s overall health. We are therefore implementing mental health support programs this year and expanding the range of eligibility, from 15 to 30, to 15 to 45 years old, to provide more support for young and middle-aged people. That policy has served over 20,000 people since it was implemented just over three months ago. In terms of bolstering mental health resiliency, we still have much to do. From the workplace to the campus and every corner of society, our government must lead by example, and the public and private sectors must work together, making every effort to ensure that no one is left behind. Aside from mental health, in view of cancer being the leading cause of death in Taiwan for 42 consecutive years, our goal is to reduce the standardized cancer mortality rate by one-third by the year 2030. And so we must expand screening and advance treatment. Last year, the government subsidized screenings for five types of cancer, providing a total of 4.87 million screenings and detecting 11,000 cases of cancer and 52,000 cases of precancerous conditions. We have allocated an additional NT$4 billion beginning next year, bringing the total budget for cancer screening to NT$6.8 billion, to expand the scope of cancer screening eligibility and services. Plans are also in the works to establish a fund for new cancer drugs. In next year’s general budget we will allocate NT$5 billion, which will gradually rise to NT$10 billion, to provide reimbursement funding for a variety of new cancer drugs and reduce the economic burden on patients. These new measures will be reported on in detail moments from now by the MOHW. At the same time, we are also actively promoting genetic testing and precision medicine. Next generation sequencing, for example, has already been included in National Health Insurance coverage, which will help provide patients with precise, individualized treatment strategies. I am confident that expanding preventive screening at the front end and providing advanced treatments at the back end will effectively fight cancer and improve the overall health of our citizens. Today’s meeting will help the government understand viewpoints from many perspectives so we can promote policies that more closely meet the public’s needs. Let’s keep working hard together. Thank you. Following his statement, President Lai heard a report on the progress of certain items listed in the first committee meeting from deputy executive secretary and National Health Insurance Administration Director General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良), a joint report on bolstering public mental health resilience from Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) and Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao (林騰蛟), and a report on enhancing cancer prevention and treatment strategies from Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Chou Jih-haw (周志浩). Afterward, President Lai exchanged views with the committee members regarding the content of the reports.

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2024-11-28
President Lai presides over first meeting of Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee
On the afternoon of August 22, President Lai Ching-te presided over the first meeting of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. As the committee’s convener, the president presented committee members with their letters of appointment, and explained that the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee is not just about promoting a Healthy Taiwan, but also achieving a Balanced Taiwan. The president stated that the committee spans various areas of expertise, and also considers the balance of Taiwan’s northern, central, southern, and eastern regions. The president expressed confidence that by soliciting a wide range of suggestions, engaging in diverse dialogue, and forging a consensus, the committee can help to realize health equality and further elevate the standard of medical care in Taiwan. President Lai indicated that next year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s total budget will be increased, along with expanded investment in medical treatment and care. In addition, he reported that the central government budget has also added a National Health Insurance (NHI) financial assistance program, which will help to enhance the work environments of healthcare professionals. The president stated that we will also launch the Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan to help rear talent and develop smart medicine. These budgets and programs, President Lai stated, reflect the government’s determination to create a Healthy Taiwan, and prove that “Healthy Taiwan” is not just a slogan, and has already been turned into concrete action. A translation of President Lai’s opening statement follows: At the end of my first month in office, I announced that the Presidential Office will establish three committees in response to three major global issues of nationwide concern: climate change, health promotion, and social resilience. These committees will consolidate forces from different sectors to strategize on national development. At the beginning of this month, we convened the first meeting of the National Climate Change Committee. Today, we convene the first meeting of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. I would like to thank the three deputy conveners and all advisors and committee members for making a commitment to the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. I also want to thank our fellow citizens and friends joining us online to follow the committee’s proceedings. During my campaign, I was constantly thinking about what I could contribute to our people that is different from past presidents if I were fortunate enough to be elected. After a lot of thought, I felt that as a physician, I should utilize my professional background in health care and work together with people from all sectors of society to help create a Healthy Taiwan. Healthy Taiwan is our goal, and health is both a basic human right and a universal value. Health promotion not only involves the well-being of a nation’s people, but is also of great concern to humankind so that we may survive and thrive. Taiwan is a responsible member of the international community. Amid the challenges of the pandemic over the past few years, we have shared disease prevention supplies, technology, and experience with countries around the world, and have continued to contribute to the global public health system. Going forward, Taiwan must actively address critical health-related challenges, including cancer, transnational communicable diseases of unknown origin, antibiotic-resistant superbugs, a low birth rate, and an aging society. We are confident that, sharing countermeasures and experience with countries around the world, we can keep people healthy and make the nation stronger so that the world embraces Taiwan. I want to thank former Superintendent of National Cheng Kung University Hospital Chen Jyh-hong (陳志鴻), who is also a mentor of mine, for organizing five regional forums and a national forum for the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Alliance this past March and April. Over 1,200 healthcare professionals from all over the country attended the forums and shared their views. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), and I were also invited to attend the national forum and participate in full. I also want to thank the experts from various fields for their suggestions throughout this process, which became key reference points for promoting policies after we took office on May 20. The position paper on the table in front of you is a compilation of those valuable insights, which will be the foundation of our future actions. To implement the Healthy Taiwan initiative, we must also achieve a Balanced Taiwan. Therefore, the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee established today not only spans various areas of expertise, but also considers the balance of Taiwan’s northern, central, southern, and eastern regions to achieve nationwide health equality. I want to thank the nine advisors here with us today: Superintendent Wu Ming-shiang (吳明賢), Superintendent Chen Wei-ming (陳威明), Chairman Cherng Wen-jin (程文俊), President Chiu Kuan-ming (邱冠明), and Chairman Chang Hong-jen (張鴻仁) from northern Taiwan; Superintendent Chen Mu-kuan (陳穆寬) from central Taiwan; Superintendent Lin Sheng-che (林聖哲) and President Yu Ming-lung (余明隆) from southern Taiwan; and Superintendent Lin Shinn-zong (林欣榮) from eastern Taiwan. Your participation will give us a better understanding of viewpoints from around the country. The objective of Healthy Taiwan is to raise the population’s average life expectancy while simultaneously reducing time spent living with illness or disability, while also caring for physical, mental, and spiritual health. The 20 members of the committee are therefore drawn from a variety of fields of professional expertise. We have Superintendent Chen Shih-ann (陳適安) in the field of smart medicine, Vice-Superintendent Susan Shur-fen Gau (高淑芬) in pediatric psychiatry, medical and long-term care service integration specialist Superintendent Chan Ding-cheng (詹鼎正), and emerging infectious disease specialist Director Shen Ching-fen (沈靜芬). We have also invited Professor Tsai Sen-tien (蔡森田) to provide suggestions on optimizing healthcare services and health insurance sustainability, and invited President Chou Ching-ming (周慶明) and President Huang Cheng-kuo (黃振國) to continue promoting the Family Medicine Plan and report on primary care issues. We have also recruited President Li Yi-heng (李貽恒), who put forward the 888 Program for prevention and treatment of the “three highs” (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar) and kidney disease, pediatric health specialist President Ni Yen-hsuan (倪衍玄), women’s health care specialist Secretary-General Huang Jian-pei (黃建霈), and President Hung Te-jen (洪德仁), who is focused on community development. We also have Dean Shan Yan-shen (沈延盛) from the field of cancer prevention and treatment, psychiatric and mental health specialist Professor Su Kuan-pin (蘇冠賓), epidemiology expert and Emeritus Research Fellow Ho Mei-shang (何美鄉), and biomedicine and regenerative medicine specialist Professor Patrick Ching-ho Hsieh (謝清河). The committee also includes specialist in nutrition and health for all ages President Kuo Su-e (郭素娥), and expert in the promotion of physical activity and health Vice Chairman Chien Wen-jen (簡文仁). I also want to thank Chairman Lin De-wen (林德文) for participating as we work together to enhance the health and well-being of indigenous peoples. In addition, public sector participants include Minister of National Development Liu Chin-ching (劉鏡清) and Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀), as well as Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源), who is serving as executive secretary, and NHI Administration Director General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) serving as deputy executive secretary. Over 80 percent of the committee’s members are from the private sector, and I will take advantage of this opportunity to continue to combine the strengths of all stakeholders throughout society to promote a healthy lifestyle for one and all, and enhance medical care for all ages. At today’s first meeting of the committee, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will brief us on two topics: the first is the Healthy Taiwan vision plan, illustrating Taiwan’s current challenges and opportunities, as well as an action blueprint. The second issue is reform and optimization for NHI sustainability. Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of our NHI system. NHI is the pride of Taiwan, because health insurance can free citizens from the vicious cycle of poverty caused by illness, or illness caused by poverty. Since 2020, the NHI system has achieved a public satisfaction rate of over 90 percent. Next year, Taiwan will also become a “super-aged society,” which means that one of every five people will be a senior citizen 65 or older. Due to new pharmaceuticals of all kinds, the development of new technologies, and citizen expectations for an optimized medical practice environment, many aspects of health insurance operations will face an increasing number of challenges. The NHI system’s core values are health equality and mutual assistance for all. Better care for everyone, however, depends on sustainable NHI operations. We closely monitor NHI system point values, but also want to embody the greater values of the system. The government will continue to refine the budget system and management, rationally distribute medical resources and stabilize point values, and continue to optimize NHI finances to enhance the efficiency and quality of services. We also look forward to working with everyone to achieve sustainable NHI development, enhance health equality, and further elevate the standard of medical care in Taiwan. I also want to report that next year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s total budget will reach NT$370.2 billion, an increase of NT$31.8 billion over this year. The total budget is expected to allocate NT$60.7 billion to expand investment in medical treatment and care to create a Healthy Taiwan. The central government budget has also added an NHI financial assistance program that includes incentives for maintaining specified nurse-patient ratios across all three shifts and rotating night-shift nursing staff, and promoting smart information upgrades at medical facilities to enhance the work environments of healthcare professionals. We will also launch the Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan, investing funds to support medical institutions at all levels nationwide, rear talent, and develop smart medicine. Regarding the fund for new cancer drugs that many cancer patients care deeply about, in next year’s general budget we will allocate NT$5 billion for health insurance funding. In 2026, that figure is expected to reach NT$10 billion. We will also promote the fifth-stage national plan for cancer prevention and treatment, and beginning next year the budget for cancer screening will be increased by NT$4 billion, reaching NT$6.8 billion, to boost screening rates. I want everyone to know that these budgets and programs reflect the government’s determination to create a Healthy Taiwan. Since I took office, the government has created plans and programs to increase nursing staff levels and promote public mental health. We also launched an Acute Hospital Care at Home pilot project to provide integrated long-term and medical care services. Once again, I would like to thank everyone here today for participating, and thank our fellow citizens for their support. I also want our fellow citizens to know that Healthy Taiwan is not just a slogan, and has already been turned into concrete action. These are all concrete, substantive actions by a government team that has been in office for less than 100 days. I am confident that with the support and participation of our committee members and advisors, and through soliciting a wide range of suggestions, engaging in diverse dialogue, and forging a consensus, our actions to create a Healthy Taiwan will more closely align with society’s expectations, and we will move more quickly and steadily toward realizing our vision. Thank you. Following his statement, President Lai presented letters of appointment to the committee members, heard a report from Minister Chiu illustrating the Healthy Taiwan vision plan, and heard a report from Director General Shih on reform and optimization for NHI sustainability. Afterward, President Lai exchanged views with the committee members regarding the content of the two reports and the Rules of Procedure for Meetings of the Office of the President Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee.

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2024-11-28
President Lai attends opening of International Conference on Emergency Medicine 2024
On the morning of June 20, President Lai Ching-te attended the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Emergency Medicine (ICEM) 2024. In remarks, President Lai stated that one goal of his administration is to create an even healthier Taiwan and that we will continue to strengthen our capabilities in medicine and public health to enhance health for all and help make the world a better place. The president emphasized that the global disease prevention network is something every country should be a part of, and that if any country is missing from this network, the rest of the world will be at a disadvantage. The president then asked for the participants’ support for Taiwan to participate in the World Health Organization so that we may contribute even more to the global public health system. A transcript of President Lai’s remarks follows: I would like to begin by welcoming all guests from overseas to Taiwan. ICEM is the world’s largest conference on emergency medicine. Over 2,500 experts and academics from home and abroad have gathered here for this year’s conference. This not only underlines the importance of emergency medicine, but is also a testament to global cooperation in medicine. This year also marks TSEM’s [Taiwan Society of Emergency Medicine] 30th anniversary. I would like to thank Chairperson Ng Chip-jin (黃集仁), President Hsu Chien-chin (許建清), and everyone who helped bring ICEM to Taiwan. This conference will help expand people-to-people diplomacy, showing Taiwan’s development and contributions in emergency medicine to the world. I am confident that everyone here shares my belief that health is a basic human right. And to ensure this right, emergency medical professionals are indispensable. Before entering politics, I myself worked as a clinician. I know well that emergency rooms are at the frontline of hospitals, and often the last hope for those who need lifesaving care. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we all witnessed the rapid response and important support of emergency medical professionals, who gave their all for the health of others. I want to take this opportunity to express my utmost respect for your work. The theme of ICEM 2024 is Glocalization of Emergency Medicine: Global Wisdom and Local Solution. With that in mind, I hope that through clinical research, public health, smart tech, and other strategies, we can help reduce disparities in emergency medicine around the world. Here in Taiwan, we have made major progress in emergency medicine, from developing a cutting-edge trauma care system to implementing advanced strategies for disaster response. We are also committed to training highly skilled professionals in the field, as well as developing an advanced medical infrastructure. This conference will give Taiwan the opportunity to share our experience, and allow everyone to exchange best practices, engage in discussions, and promote the global development of emergency medicine. One goal of my administration is to create an even healthier Taiwan. We will continue to strengthen our capabilities in medicine and public health to enhance health for all and help make the world a better place. A healthier Taiwan also means a booming medical sector, and an even higher quality and diversity of medical services. Taiwan has had, and will continue to have, many medical accomplishments to share with the world. Today, all of you gather here to continue making global contributions through emergency medicine. The mission of IFEM [International Federation for Emergency Medicine] is to create a world where all people, in all countries, have access to high quality emergency medical care. On this point, the global disease prevention network is something every country should be a part of. If any country is missing from this network, the rest of the world will be at a disadvantage. I would like to ask for your support for Taiwan to participate in the World Health Organization, so that we may contribute even more to the global public health system. And as President Hsu Chien-chin has said, although the road is long, if we travel together, we can travel far. With this vision as our guide, alongside our friends from around the world, Taiwan will strive to achieve our common goals and realize quality healthcare for all. I wish ICEM 2024 great success, and all participants a rewarding experience. I also invite you to travel around Taiwan during your stay, and get to know our beautiful nation. Following his remarks, President Lai and the distinguished guests took part in the kick-off ceremony for the conference. IFEM President Ffion Davies was also in attendance at the event.

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2024-11-28
President Lai meets WHA action team
On the morning of June 1, President Lai Ching-te met with members of Taiwan’s World Health Assembly (WHA) action team. In remarks, President Lai stated that standing on the front lines, the team fought for the human right to health for both Taiwan and the world. He also thanked the international community for their support for Taiwan. The president said that Taiwan is an indispensable member of the international community when it comes to ensuring global health security. In addition, he said that one of the new government’s goals is to create a healthier Taiwan, as we want our people to live longer and healthier, and that we want to leverage Taiwan’s strengths in public health and medicine. He said we will continue to deepen our partnerships with other countries as we build an even more resilient global public health system, and that a healthy Taiwan will help make the world a better place. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I would like to warmly welcome our partners from the WHA action team back from Geneva, and express my appreciation for your hard work and efforts. Standing on the front lines, you fought for the human right to health for both Taiwan and the world, and we thank you for giving it your all. Your flight only just arrived at 7 a.m., but I can see that everyone is still in high spirits. You have truly put in your heart for Taiwan, and once again, I thank you all. It is regrettable that at this year’s WHA, constrained by political factors, a proposal item for Taiwan to join as an observer was not included in the agenda yet again. However, the hard work of our WHA action team over the years has already borne fruit. Last year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare signed MOUs with the public health agencies of the Czech Republic, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and bilateral talks this year included discussion on substantive cooperation. The bilateral talks carried out by our action team in Geneva were not only more numerous this year, but also involved officials of even higher level. The team also held professional forums addressing important issues of the WHA in cooperation with various medical and health organizations. This is all proof of Taiwan’s contribution toward global public health and the human right to health. The steps we take for Taiwan to participate in world health affairs will not falter. Support for Taiwan from the international community grows stronger year by year. This year, 26 member states of the World Health Organization and the European Union, which is an observer, directly or indirectly voiced their support for Taiwan’s participation in the WHA. Their support reaffirms that Taiwan is an indispensable member of the international community when it comes to ensuring global health security. Health knows no borders. Health is a basic human right. One of the new government’s goals is to create a healthier Taiwan. We want our people to live longer and healthier. And we also want to leverage Taiwan’s strengths in public health and medicine, as we deepen our cooperation with other countries and work together to advance the health of humankind and global sustainable development. I want to thank the member states for their support for Taiwan. I also want to once again thank the members of the WHA action team and our many friends, both here and outside of Taiwan, for their hard work on this issue. Moving forward, we will continue to deepen our partnerships with other countries as we build an even more resilient global public health system. So just as democratic Taiwan continues to shine its light upon the world, a healthy Taiwan will help make the world a better place. On that note, let us keep working together toward these goals. After President Lai concluded his remarks, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) presented a photo collage to show President Lai some of the highlights of the action team’s activities in Geneva.

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2024-11-28
President Tsai meets World Medical Association President Lujain Alqodmani
On the morning of December 11, President Tsai Ing-wen met with a delegation led by World Medical Association (WMA) President Dr. Lujain Alqodmani. In remarks, President Tsai thanked the WMA for its many years of speaking up for Taiwan on the international stage. President Tsai emphasized that we will continue to show how Taiwan can help by actively contributing to global health security. The president expressed her belief that with Taiwan’s achievements and capabilities in medicine and public health, we can join forces with many more countries to optimize the medical environment and make a more positive impact on the health of humankind. A translation of President Tsai’s remarks follows: I extend a warm welcome to President Alqodmani, who is visiting Taiwan once again. I am also glad to see WMA Secretary General Dr. Otmar Kloiber. Both of you are well acquainted with Taiwan and are our close friends. You have demonstrated your support through concrete actions. I would like to express my deepest thanks. The WMA is the largest international NGO that represents physicians. You staunchly defend health security and the rights and interests of physicians around the world with professionality and impartiality. I want to take this opportunity to thank the WMA on behalf of the Taiwanese people for its longstanding support of our participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Health Assembly (WHA). This May, for example, our WHA action team collaborated with the WMA to hold a forum on emergency medicine in Geneva in the lead-up to the WHA. We will continue to show how Taiwan can help by actively contributing to global health security. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan demonstrated the resilience of its public healthcare system and shared its experiences in combating the pandemic with the world. We have also shared our medical services and construction capabilities, two areas in which we excel, with our diplomatic allies to help enrich the lives of their people and enhance the quality and environment of healthcare. We hope that President Alqodmani and Secretary General Kloiber will continue to speak up for Taiwan on the international stage. I believe that with Taiwan’s achievements and capabilities in medicine and public health, we can join forces with many more countries to optimize the medical environment. Together, we can make a more positive impact on the health of humankind. I also want to thank the Taiwan Medical Association (TMA) for serving as a bridge of communication between the government and the medical community, which helps us in implementing many of our policies. We look forward to the TMA further expanding exchanges and cooperation between the medical and international communities. I am looking forward to exchanging ideas with you today. Your visit to Taiwan will no doubt lay the groundwork for further cooperation. I wish you all a successful trip.

Details
2025-02-14
President Lai holds press conference following high-level national security meeting
On the morning of February 14, President Lai Ching-te convened the first high-level national security meeting of the year, following which he held a press conference. In remarks, President Lai announced that in this new year, the government will prioritize special budget allocations to ensure that Taiwan’s defense budget exceeds 3 percent of GDP. He stated that the government will also continue to reform national defense, reform our legal framework for national security, and advance our economic and trade strategy of being rooted in Taiwan while expanding globally. The president also proposed clear-cut national strategies for Taiwan-US relations, semiconductor industry development, and cross-strait relations. President Lai indicated that he instructed the national security and administrative teams to take swift action and deliver results, working within a stable strategic framework and according to the various policies and approaches outlined. He also instructed them to keep a close watch on changes in the international situation, seize opportunities whenever they arise, and address the concerns and hope of the citizens with concrete actions. He expressed hope that as long as citizens remain steadfast in their convictions, are willing to work hand in hand, stand firm amidst uncertainty, and look for ways to win within changing circumstances, Taiwan is certain to prevail in the test of time yet again. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: First, I would like to convey my condolences for the tragic incident which occurred at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung, which resulted in numerous casualties. I have instructed Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) to lead the relevant central government agencies in assisting Taichung’s municipal government with actively resolving various issues regarding the incident. It is my hope that these issues can be resolved efficiently. Earlier today, I convened this year’s first high-level national security meeting. I will now report on the discussions from the meeting to all citizens. 2025 is a year full of challenges, but also a year full of hope. In today’s global landscape, the democratic world faces common threats posed by the convergence of authoritarian regimes, while dumping and unfair competition from China undermine the global economic order. A new United States administration was formed at the beginning of the year, adopting all-new strategies and policies to address challenges both domestic and from overseas. Every nation worldwide, including ours, is facing a new phase of changes and challenges. In face of such changes, ensuring national security, ensuring Taiwan’s indispensability in global supply chains, and ensuring that our nation continues to make progress amidst challenges are our top priorities this year. They are also why we convened a high-level national security meeting today. At the meeting, the national security team, the administrative team led by Premier Cho, and I held an in-depth discussion based on the overall state of affairs at home and abroad and the strategies the teams had prepared in response. We summed up the following points as an overall strategy for the next stage of advancing national security and development. First, for overall national security, so that we can ensure the freedom, democracy, and human rights of the Taiwanese people, as well as the progress and development of the nation as we face various threats from authoritarian regimes, Taiwan must resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, strengthen self-sufficiency in national defense, and consolidate national defense. Taiwan must enhance economic resilience, maintain economic autonomy, and stand firm with other democracies as we deepen our strategic partnerships with like-minded countries. As I have said, “As authoritarianism consolidates, democratic nations must come closer in solidarity!” And so, in this new year, we will focus on the following three priorities: First, to demonstrate our resolve for national defense, we will continue to reform national defense, implement whole-of-society defense resilience, and prioritize special budget allocations to ensure that our defense budget exceeds 3 percent of GDP. Second, to counter the threats to our national security from China’s united front tactics, attempts at infiltration, and cognitive warfare, we will continue with the reform of our legal framework for national security and expand the national security framework to boost societal resilience and foster unity within. Third, to seize opportunities in the restructuring of global supply chains and realignment of the economic order, we will continue advancing our economic and trade strategy of being rooted in Taiwan while expanding globally, strengthening protections for high-tech, and collaborating with our friends and allies to build supply chains for global democracies. Everyone shares concern regarding Taiwan-US relations, semiconductor industry development, and cross-strait relations. For these issues, I am proposing clear-cut national strategies. First, I will touch on Taiwan-US relations. Taiwan and the US have shared ideals and values, and are staunch partners within the democratic, free community. We are very grateful to President Donald Trump’s administration for their continued support for Taiwan after taking office. We are especially grateful for the US and Japan’s joint leaders’ statement reiterating “the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity for the international community,” as well as their high level of concern regarding China’s threat to regional security. In fact, the Democratic Progressive Party government has worked very closely with President Trump ever since his first term in office, and has remained an international partner. The procurement of numerous key advanced arms, freedom of navigation critical for security and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and many assisted breakthroughs in international diplomacy were made possible during this time. Positioned in the first island chain and on the democratic world’s frontline countering authoritarianism, Taiwan is willing and will continue to work with the US at all levels as we pursue regional stability and prosperity, helping realize our vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Although changes in policy may occur these next few years, the mutual trust and close cooperation between Taiwan and Washington will steadfastly endure. On that, our citizens can rest assured. In accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances, the US announced a total of 48 military sales to Taiwan over the past eight years amounting to US$26.265 billion. During President Trump’s first term, 22 sales were announced totaling US$18.763 billion. This greatly supported Taiwan’s defensive capabilities. On the foundation of our close cooperation with the past eight years’ two US administrations, Taiwan will continue to demonstrate our determination for self-defense, accelerate the bolstering of our national defense, and keep enhancing the depth and breadth of Taiwan-US security cooperation, along with all manner of institutional cooperation. In terms of bilateral economic cooperation, Taiwan has always been one of the US’s most reliable trade partners, as well as one of the most important cooperative partners of US companies in the global semiconductor industry. In the past few years, Taiwan has greatly increased both direct and indirect investment in the US. By 2024, investment surpassed US$100 billion, creating nearly 400,000 job opportunities. In 2023 and 2024, investment in the US accounted for over 40 percent of Taiwan’s overall foreign investment, far surpassing our investment in China. In fact, in 2023 and 2024, Taiwanese investment in China fell to 11 percent and 8 percent, respectively. The US is now Taiwan’s biggest investment target. Our government is now launching relevant plans in accordance with national development needs and the need to establish secure supply systems, and the Executive Yuan is taking comprehensive inventory of opportunities for Taiwan-US economic and trade cooperation. Moving forward, close bilateral cooperation will allow us to expand US investment and procurement, facilitating balanced trade. Our government will also strengthen guidance and support for Taiwanese enterprises on increasing US investment, and promote the global expansion and growth of Taiwan’s industries. We will also boost Taiwan-US cooperation in tech development and manufacturing for AI and advanced semiconductors, and work together to maintain order in the semiconductor market, shaping a new era for our strategic economic partnership. Second, the development of our semiconductor industry. I want to emphasize that Taiwan, as one of the world’s most capable semiconductor manufacturing nations, is both willing and able to address new situations. With respect to President Trump’s concerns about our semiconductor industry, the government will act prudently, strengthen communications between Taiwan and the US, and promote greater mutual understanding. We will pay attention to the challenges arising from the situation and assist businesses in navigating them. In addition, we will introduce an initiative on semiconductor supply chain partnerships for global democracies. We are willing to collaborate with the US and our other democratic partners to develop more resilient and diversified semiconductor supply chains. Leveraging our strengths in cutting-edge semiconductors, we will form a global alliance for the AI chip industry and establish democratic supply chains for industries connected to high-end chips. Through international cooperation, we will open up an entirely new era of growth in the semiconductor industry. As we face the various new policies of the Trump administration, we will continue to uphold a spirit of mutual benefit, and we will continue to communicate and negotiate closely with the US government. This will help the new administration’s team to better understand how Taiwan is an indispensable partner in the process of rebuilding American manufacturing and consolidating its leadership in high-tech, and that Taiwan-US cooperation will benefit us both. Third, cross-strait relations. Regarding the regional and cross-strait situation, Taiwan-US relations, US-China relations, and interactions among Taiwan, the US, and China are a focus of global attention. As a member of the international democratic community and a responsible member of the region, Taiwan hopes to see Taiwan-US relations continue to strengthen and, alongside US-China relations, form a virtuous cycle rather than a zero-sum game where one side’s gain is another side’s loss. In facing China, Taiwan will always be a responsible actor. We will neither yield nor provoke. We will remain resilient and composed, maintaining our consistent position on cross-strait relations: Our determination to safeguard our national sovereignty and protect our free and democratic way of life remains unchanged. Our efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, as well as our willingness to work alongside China in the pursuit of peace and mutual prosperity across the strait, remain unchanged. Our commitment to promoting healthy and orderly exchanges across the strait, choosing dialogue over confrontation, and advancing well-being for the peoples on both sides of the strait, under the principles of parity and dignity, remains unchanged. Regarding the matters I reported to the public today, I have instructed our national security and administrative teams to take swift action and deliver results, working within a stable strategic framework and according to the various policies and approaches I just outlined. I have also instructed them to keep a close watch on changes in the international situation, seize opportunities whenever they arise, and address the concerns and hope of the citizens with concrete actions. My fellow citizens, over the past several years, Taiwan has weathered a global pandemic and faced global challenges, both political and economic, arising from the US-China trade war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Through it all, Taiwan has persevered; we have continued to develop our economy, bolster our national strength, and raise our international profile while garnering more support – all unprecedented achievements. This is all because Taiwan’s fate has never been decided by the external environment, but by the unity of the Taiwanese people and the resolve to never give up. A one-of-a-kind global situation is creating new strategic opportunities for our one-of-a-kind Taiwanese people, bringing new hope. Taiwan’s foundation is solid; its strength is great. So as long as everyone remains steadfast in their convictions, is willing to work hand in hand, stands firm amidst uncertainty, and looks for ways to win within changing circumstances, Taiwan is certain to prevail in the test of our time yet again, for I am confident that there are no difficulties that Taiwan cannot overcome. Thank you.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Transcript: Governor Hochul is a Guest on ‘Morning Joe’

Source: US State of New York

arlier today, Governor Hochul was a guest on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”.

AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

William Geist, MSNBC: Let’s bring in New York’s Democratic Governor, Kathy Hochul. Governor, great to have you here.

Governor Hochul: Thank you.

William Geist, MSNBC: So much to talk to you about, including your meeting with President Trump. But what do you think about the idea of former Governor Cuomo being the Mayor of New York City?

Governor Hochul: My job as the Governor of the State is to work with whomever the voters select as their candidate – their nominee for Mayor.

I’ve worked with Bill de Blasio. I’ve worked with Mayor Adams. My job is to work closely, unlike the past when it seemed like there always had to be this inherent battle between Albany and New York City. I reject that. And the people are better served when they have a Governor who’s willing to try and help the City, which I’ve been doing.

William Geist, MSNBC: Do you think Cuomo would be a good mayor?

Governor Hochul: God only knows. Who knows? We’ll see. We’ll see. And I don’t know if that’s going to be the case either. So a lot of unknowns, but my view is — my job is to work with whoever the voters want.

Jonathan Lemire, MSNBC: So Governor, speaking of the current Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, last week you put some guardrails in place to limit his power. We know that the Mayor is under investigation, and has received some sort of deal from the Trump DOJ. Do you feel like right now, you have left — you had the option to start a process to remove him from power, you opted not to. What would change your mind? Could you revisit that decision?

Governor Hochul: Certainly. And it’s an extraordinary power — to think that one individual can use her judgment and say that you’ve lost the public trust. And so it’s not one that you take lightly, but I also know there’s a lot of people in the City who are very concerned about the influence of the Trump Administration in our city.

They’re trying very hard to have control over everything, not just immigration, but even how I control the traffic in New York. So this is a concern. A lot of people are outraged. People are very concerned about this — worried. But I said, “If I can get some controls in place to give me line of sight into budget investigations, legal—” and this has to be approved by the City Council. I can’t even unilaterally do those controls.

I was just trying to create some safeguards or people can trial dial down the temperature a little bit — and just like I had to do last fall — calm it down and just let people know that we’re fighting for them, working for them, and not all this drama that seems to be just so prevalent all the time.

New Yorkers are just getting exhausted.

Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: Joe, jump in.

Joe Scarborough, MSNBC : Governor, you talked about traffic and we’ve had Congressman Mike Lawler on, who I think wants your job. And he’s been very critical of congestion pricing, your role in it. I know Donald Trump also has tried to get involved in traffic patterns in New York City.

Would love for you to respond to those criticisms from Congressman Lawler as well as pushback from Donald Trump on congestion pricing. And is it working?

Governor Hochul: First of all, I’d be happier if someone like a Mike Lawler and his six colleagues in Congress, the Republicans, instead of making sure that we have people in our state without health care — taking away thousands of individuals’, millions of individuals’ right to be able to get chemo treatments and insulin — to be able to get the health care they need like they voted on the other day saying, “We don’t care about Medicaid.” I’d rather they focus on that, but let me get back to congestion.

Joe Scarborough, MSNBC: Governor, can I, since you talked about that, I’m really glad you talked about that because this is a common misconception among Republicans, and I know because I used to be one. Most Republicans don’t understand how much rural health care is controlled, is powered by, is supported by Medicaid. Hospitals are shutting down when their Medicaid cuts providers massively in underserved rural communities like upstate New York. And areas where I lived in upstate New York, Medicaid often is where people send their parents in upstate New York if they need long-term care.

And so I am curious, you look at a map of America, and you see the dark red spots where Medicaid is used — upstate New York is one of those places. I’m wondering what would these Medicaid cuts that Republicans are promising right now, what would these Medicaid cuts do to people who lived in communities like I lived in, in upstate New York?

Governor Hochul: Joe, you hit on something that is so profound — is that the red parts of even New York and across America, these are the people who are going to be hit hardest by what the Republican members of Congress did, and by drinking the Kool-Aid and not even questioning the merits of destroying a program that so many of their own constituents, their own constituents rely on it.

If you go back memory lane, 2011, I got elected to Congress in the most Republican district in the State of New York, large swaths of upstate New York. You know how I did that? The Paul Ryan budget came out and declared war on Medicare, and I was able to take that as a long-shot Democrat that no one thought I had a chance to win and weaponize that and say, “You did this to these seniors up in Wyoming County and Orleans County and Niagara County. You’ve hurt the health care system. You’ve made sure this little child who’s got leukemia can never get treatment again because now their insurance company can drop them.” That’s how I won by a fairly good margin in a district that I had no chance in. That’s what we have to remember.

These Republicans need to own that vote starting now. Show up at their offices and say “Did you ask what the impact is, Joe?” I have rural hospitals on the verge of collapse. Doctors don’t want to go there. But that does not mean I don’t have high pockets of poverty. I have people who have major dental problems. I’m trying so hard to eradicate this. And I’ve got my own Republicans from New York working against me, against their constituents.

This is all about basic health care, maternal health care. This is about getting your insulin treatments. This is about trying to take care of your cancer. And this is about your grandma and grandpa and maybe your parents sitting in a nursing home because that’s the largest expense for Medicaid. So that’s what they need to own. As I’ve said before, Joe, they break it, they own it. And you now own this.

Joe Scarborough, MSNBC: And we’re going to get to congestion pricing. I just want to finish on one thought that again, I don’t think most Republicans that voted this way know, or if they do know — man, it sure is a vote against their own constituents, if they’re from rural areas and they represent upstate New York.

In rural America, almost 50 percent of children get their health care through Medicaid. About 20 percent of adults under the age of 65 get their health care from Medicaid. More people, especially children, a higher percentage of children and adults, get their health care in rural America from Medicaid than do people in urban areas. So they are specifically going after their own constituents, whether it’s upstate New York, whether it’s upstate in Michigan — it is remarkable that they are voting against their own constituents’ interests.

Governor Hochul: And I’m very happy to remind their constituents of that very fact: that their own elected leaders have betrayed them. And everything that was promised — remember how on day one of the Trump Administration, prices were going to go down? You know what the cost of eggs in New York City are, if you can even find them?

Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: You can’t find them.

Governor Hochul: It went up 40 percent since Donald Trump was elected. So instead of going down, they’re going up even higher. So people are starting to wake up. They’re saying, “Wait a minute, this is not what I thought I was voting for.” And it’s happening even sooner than I thought — literally in the first few months here. I thought this would take a little longer, but my God, they’re self destructing so fast.

Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: Yeah. Mike?

Mike Barnicle, MSNBC: Governor, we’re sitting here this morning in New York City, arguably one of the three most important cities in the world. And as Governor—

Governor Hochul: I’d say number one.

Mike Barnicle, MSNBC: Washington’s pretty important.

Governor Hochul: I lived in Washington, I get it. But we’re still number one.

Mike Barnicle, MSNBC: Okay. I don’t want to do geography with you.

Governor Hochul: And then there’s Buffalo.

Mike Barnicle, MSNBC: Yeah, there is Buffalo, yeah. You know, you’re talking about congestion, parking, traveling, talking subways here in New York, which is the easiest way to get around. And yet the Governor of New York plays an enormous role in New York City in terms of public safety. Finally, New York City, after two or three tries, has a really, really excellent Police Commissioner, Jessica Tisch. How do you, as Governor of New York, help New York City and help the police department, help the subways, help the concept of safety; reducing the concept of fear?

Governor Hochul: This is the most important thing I can do as Governor: to provide dollars for public safety and programming. We have spent over $1 billion on public safety — much of it for New York City. But, you know what we’re doing right now? I was told that we should have more police officers on the overnight trains. They couldn’t afford the overtime. We’re picking up the tab. No governor has had that level of cooperation to help solve city problems, probably in its history. But I know that if this city is paralyzed with fear and the thought of something happening to themselves or their children on the streets of New York, then all of a sudden it starts to suppress the vitality of the City and people don’t want to come here.

We have turned the corner on this. I will work with the Commissioner of Police. She is outstanding, and she’s just this down to earth, incredible person who says, “I understand how to get this done.” So, I put cameras in all the subway trains. They said, “It’s going to take two years.” I said, “you’re going to get it done now.” Every single car has a camera to keep an eye on things. I have National Guard all over the streets and also the subway. I said, “I need to have a physical presence to calm it down, especially over the summer and the fall, when things are very anxious,” and paying for the overtime. So, we are making a difference.

I want you to know that it may not feel it — and I’m not trying to tell everybody how they should feel — but the crowds are back, the energy is back and people are safer than they had been. And the numbers are just extraordinary, but we’re not stopping. We never, never say we’re done with fighting crime. We have to keep doing it, but I want to keep partnering with the city and our commissioner as well.

But congestion pricing — I love to talk about that too, because that is an area where we have a major conflict. I want you to process this distinction here. The Trump Administration has said that it should be up to the states to decide whether women can control their own bodies, right? States should decide whether they should control their own bodies, but they’re telling me as a state that I can’t control my own traffic? That I have to go to them for approval to control traffic in New York City and deal with a paralyzing congestion problem that — after decades of people talking about it — we finally got it done. And guess what? It is working.

Everybody should see this brochure that I designed. I’m very proud of this. But it shows all the numbers, the traffic—

Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: What was this for, this brochure?

Willie Geist, MSNBC: It was for a meeting you had.

Governor Hochul: Yeah, I did make it for the President. But I’m willing to share it with all of you.

Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: Okay.

Governor Hochul: I took this to the White House when I was there with the governors in the afternoon. I said to the President’s staff, I said, “I still need that conversation about congestion pricing that he promised me.”

So I got called back to go over there at 6:00 last Friday evening. I went over there and went in the White House by myself, and I was greeted by serious members of his cabinet who were in his office as well. We sat all together, but I said, “Mr. President, you’re a New Yorker.”

First of all, the most offensive thing I found in the letter from Sean Duffy was citing New Jersey, saying they don’t like this program. I said, “Mr. President, we’re both New Yorkers. What do we care what New Jersey thinks?”

Willie Geist, MSNBC: Easy, come on, I’m from Jersey.

Governor Hochul: It’s a lovely place, but you know what? Your ride in if you are taking the tunnels – it’s 48 percent faster. So, I want New Jersey residents to come here. Come, you’re part of an important part of our economy. And if you’re still driving — and although 90 percent of you take public transit, which is why I need to keep this money coming to investment — the vast majority of you are taking public transit, but if you’re driving, I just gave you the gift of time. Yes, I’m sorry there’s a cost to it, but that’s what the concept of congestion pricing is all about.

This city is in a different place than it was before congestion pricing. I need to continue proving this to the President.

Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: Ambulances can get to the hospital; that would be the bottom line.

Governor Hochul: Delayed buses are now down 48 percent. Kids are getting to school sooner. It has had a profound impact on the lives of New Yorkers. We have to fight to keep it going, and that’s why I’m taking it to the courts and I’ll take it wherever I can. And they’re telling us we have to have an orderly cessation by the end of March. I’m saying I’m going to have an orderly resistance. We are not turning off the cameras.

Willie Geist, MSNBC: And as you spoke New Yorker to New Yorker to the President of the United States, what did he say? How did he respond to your case?

Governor Hochul: He said it’s a terrible tax — terrible tax on the working class. And I said, “The vast majority of people go into that district, take public transit. You’re going to have to give me $15 billion to invest in a subway system then.” If I lose $15 billion that we’re able to leverage with the money brought in by congestion pricing, then I won’t be able to fix the stations and the repairs and the new buses I need.

And I said to everybody, and when he sent out his “Trump is the King” picture in the paper — if you saw that cover, that’s what they tweeted when he said “Long live the king,” when he killed congestion pricing. I said, “You know what? I need this to work. I need this to work. And we cannot be dictated to by someone who calls himself a king.” This is America. This is New York.

Mike Barnicle, MSNBC: What did he say?

Governor Hochul: I said that, yeah.

Mike Barnicle, MSNBC: But what did he say?

Governor Hochul: I just said — I don’t remember what he said. I just said, “It’s not about being a king. It’s not about being a king.” And I’m trying to find a common ground here. I want him to understand that this is a city that he cares about. And he understands it more than any president since FDR.

We haven’t had a New York president, but more than anyone, he’s got property here. He understands we want to make sure that this city keeps moving. So I was just trying to appeal to him as a New Yorker and say, “This is good for New York.” I said, I wasn’t sure it was going to work like this. Guaranteed I was, this is a little bit of an experiment, but I think other cities are going to look at what we’re doing here and say that we reduce congestion. We also improve the quality of life dramatically for everyone who lives in this district. So we’re a model and I just hope the President will give us another chance to prove this.

And as a lot of friends he has and business leaders and people that own the real estate and see what’s happening, they should be calling him up and talking about this. So it ain’t over.

Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: It ain’t over. New York State’s Democratic Governor, Kathy Hochul. Thank you very much.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: REPORT on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities for 2025 – A10-0023/2025

Source: European Parliament

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities for 2025

(2024/2084(INI))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU),

– having regard to Articles 9, 121, 148 and 149 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

– having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) proclaimed and signed by the Council, Parliament and the Commission on 17 November 2017,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 4 March 2021 entitled ‘The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan’ (COM(2021)0102) and its proposed 2030 headline targets on employment, skills and poverty reduction,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 17 December 2024 entitled ‘2025 European Semester – Autumn package’ (COM(2024)0700),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 26 November 2024 entitled ‘2025 European Semester: bringing the new economic governance framework to life’ (COM(2024)0705),

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 17 December 2024 for a joint employment report from the Commission and the Council (COM(2024)0701),

– having regard to the Commission recommendation of 17 December 2024 for a Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area (COM(2024)0704),

– having regard to the Commission report of 17 December 2024 entitled ‘Alert Mechanism Report 2025’ (COM(2024)0702),

– having regard to the Commission staff working document of 26 November 2024 entitled ‘Fiscal statistical tables providing relevant background data for the assessment of the 2025 draft budgetary plans’ (SWD(2024)0950),

– having regard to the Commission staff working document of 17 December 2024 on the changes in the scoreboard the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure Scoreboard in the context of the regular review process (SWD(2024)0702),

– having regard to its resolution of 22 October 2024 on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 4/2024 of the European Union for the financial year 2024 – update of revenue (own resources) and adjustments to some decentralised agencies [1],

– having regard to Mario Draghi’s report of 9 September 2024 entitled ‘The future of European competitiveness’,

– having regard to Enrico Letta’s report of April 2024 on the future of the single market [2],

– having regard to the La Hulpe Declaration on the Future of the European Pillar of Social Rights signed by Parliament, the Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Council on 16 April 2024,

– having regard to the Regulation (EU) 2023/955 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 establishing a Social Climate Fund and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 [3],

– having regard to the Regulation (EU) 2024/1263 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2024 on the effective coordination of economic policies and on multilateral budgetary surveillance and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97 [4], and in particular to Articles 3, 4, 13 and 27 thereof,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 17 January 2023 entitled ‘Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions’ (COM(2023)0032),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 20 March 2023 entitled ‘Labour and skills shortages in the EU: an action plan’ (COM(2024)0131),

– having regard to the 2020 European Skills Agenda,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 7 September 2022 on the European care strategy (COM(2022)0440),

– having regard to the Council Recommendation on access to affordable, high-quality long-term care [5],

– having regard to the EU Social Scoreboard and its headline and secondary indicators,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 3 March 2021 entitled ‘Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030’ (COM(2021)0101),

– having regard to the Commission report of 19 September 2024 entitled ‘Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE): upward social convergence in the EU and the role of social investment’,

– having regard to the Council Decision on Employment Guidelines, adopted by the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 2 December 2024, which establishes employment and social priorities aligned with the principles of the EPSR,

– having regard to the Tripartite Declaration for a thriving European Social Dialogue and to the forthcoming pact on social dialogue,

– having regard to Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union [6] (Minimum Wage Directive),

– having regard to the European Social Charter, referred to in the preamble of the EPSR,

– having regard to the EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation for 2020-2030,

– having regard to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),

– having regard to the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025,

– having regard to the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan 2020-2025,

– having regard to the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (A10-0023/2025),

A. whereas progress has been made towards achieving the EU’s employment targets, namely that at least 78 % of people aged 20 to 64 should be in employment by 2030, despite the uncertainty created by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the impact of high inflation; whereas, according to the Commission’s 2025 autumn economic forecast, EU employment has reached a rate of 75.3 %; whereas growth in employment in the EU remained robust in 2023; whereas in two thirds of the Member States, employment growth in 2023 was on track to reach the national 2030 target; whereas significant challenges nevertheless persist, such as high unemployment rates in some Member States, particularly among young people and persons with disabilities, as do significant inequalities between sectors and regions, which can negatively affect social cohesion and the well-being of European citizens in the long term;

B. whereas the European Semester combines various different instruments in an integrated framework for multilateral coordination and surveillance of economic, employment and social policies within the EU and it must become a key tool for fostering upward social convergence; whereas the Social Convergence Framework is a key tool for assessing social challenges and upward convergence within the European Semester and for monitoring social disparities across Member States, while addressing the challenges identified in the Joint Employment Report (JER);

C. whereas the Union has adopted the 2030 target of reducing the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion by at least 15 million compared to 2019, including at least 5 million children; whereas in nearly half of the Member States the trend is heading in the opposite direction; whereas one child in four in the European Union is still at risk of poverty and social exclusion; and whereas the current trend will not make it possible to meet the 2030 target; whereas public spending on children and youth should not be seen only as social expenditure but as an investment in the future; whereas the promotion of strong, sustainable and inclusive economic growth can succeed only if the next generation can develop their full educational potential in order to be prepared for the changing labour market, whereas to meet the 2030 Barcelona targets for early childhood education and care, the EU should invest an additional EUR 11 billion per year [7];

D. whereas despite a minimal reduction in the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU in 2023, approximately one in five still faces this challenge, with notable disparities for children, young and older people, persons with disabilities, LGTBI, non-EU born individuals, and Roma communities;

E. whereas significant disparities are observed among children from ethnic or migrant backgrounds and children with disabilities; whereas 83 % of Roma children live in households at risk of poverty; whereas the EU and national resources currently deployed are in no way sufficient for addressing the challenge of child poverty in the EU and, therefore, a dedicated funding instrument for the European Child Guarantee as well as synergies with other European and national funds are of the utmost importance in both the current multiannual financial framework (MFF) and the next one;

F. whereas the EPSR must be the compass guiding EU social and economic policies, whereas the Commission should monitor progress on the implementation of the EPSR using the Social Scoreboard and the Social Convergence Framework;

G. whereas poor quality jobs among the self-employed are disproportionately widespread while the rate of self-employment is declining, including among young people;

H. whereas there are still 1.4 million people residing in institutions in the EU; whereas residents of institutions are isolated from the broader community and do not have sufficient control over their lives and the decisions that affect them; whereas despite the fact that the European Union has long been committed to the process of deinstitutionalisation, efforts are still needed at both European and national level to enable vulnerable groups to live independently in a community environment;

I. whereas demographic challenges, including an ageing population, low birth rates and rural depopulation, with young people in particular moving to urban areas, profoundly affect the economic vitality and attractiveness of EU regions, the labour markets, and consequently, the sustainability of welfare systems, and further aggravate the regional disparities in the EU, and hence represent a structural challenge for the EU economy; and whereas, as underlined in the Draghi report, sustainable growth and competitiveness in Europe depend to a large extent on adapting education and training systems to evolving skills needs, prioritising adult learning and vocational education and training, and the inclusion of the active population in the labour market and on a robust welfare system;

J. whereas, as highlighted in the Draghi report, migrant workers have been an important factor in reducing labour shortages and are more likely to work in occupations with persistent shortages than workers born in the EU;

K. whereas 70 % of workers in Europe are in good-quality jobs, 30 % are in high-strain jobs where demands are more numerous than resources available to balance them leading to overall poor job quality; whereas in many occupations suffering from persistent labour shortages the share of low-quality jobs is higher than 30 %;

L. whereas the Letta report states that there is a decline in the birth rate, noting the importance of creating a framework to support all families as part of a strategy of inclusive growth in line with the EPSR; whereas the report notes that the free movement of people remains the least developed of the four freedoms and argues for reducing barriers to intra-EU occupational mobility while addressing the social, economic and political challenges facing the sending Member States and their most disadvantaged regions, as well as safeguarding the right to stay; whereas there is a need to promote family-friendly and work-life balance policies, ensuring accessible and professional care systems as well as public quality education, family-related leave and flexible working arrangements in line with the European Care Strategy;

M. whereas inflation has increased the economic burden on households, having a particularly negative impact on groups in vulnerable situations, such as single parents, large families, older people or persons with disabilities, whereas housing costs and energy poverty remain major problems; whereas housing is becoming unaffordable for those who live in households where housing costs account for 40 % of total disposable income; whereas investment in social services, housing supply – including social housing – and policies that facilitate the accessibility and affordability of housing play a key role in reducing poverty among vulnerable households;

N. whereas the EU’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises face particular challenges such as staying competitive against third-country players, maintaining production levels despite rising energy costs and finding the necessary skills for the green and digital transitions; whereas they need financial and technical support to comply with regulatory requirements and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the twin transitions;

O. whereas labour and skills shortages remain a problem at all levels, and are reported by companies of all sizes and sectors; whereas these shortages are exacerbated by a lack of candidates to fill critical positions in key sectors such as education, healthcare, transport, science, technology, engineering and construction, especially in areas affected by depopulation; whereas these shortages can result from a number of factors, such as difficult working conditions, unattractive salaries, demand for new skill sets and a shortage of relevant training, the lack of public services, barriers of access to medium and higher education and lack of recognition of skills and education;

P. whereas the Union has adopted the target that at least 60 % of adults should participate in training every year by 2030; whereas the Member States have committed themselves to national targets in order to achieve this headline goal and whereas the majority of Member States lost ground in the pursuit of these national targets; whereas further efforts are needed to ensure the provision of, and access to, quality training policies that promote lifelong learning; whereas upskilling, reskilling and training programmes must be available for all workers, including those with disabilities, and should also be adapted to workers’ needs and capabilities;

Q. whereas in 2022, the average Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) score across the OECD on the measures of basic skills (reading, mathematics and science) of 15-year-olds dropped by 10 points compared to the last wave in 2018; whereas underachievement is prevalent among disadvantaged learners, demonstrating a widening of educational inequalities; whereas this worrying deterioration calls for reforms and investments in education and training;

R. whereas the EU’s capacity to deal with future shocks, crises and ‘polycrises’ while navigating the demographic, digital and green transitions, will depend greatly on the conditions under which critical workers will be able to perform their work; whereas addressing the shortages and retaining all types of talent requires decent working conditions, access to social protection systems, and opportunities for skills development tailored to the needs; and whereas addressing skills shortages is crucial to achieving the digital and green transitions, ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth and boosting the EU’s competitiveness;

S. whereas it is essential to promote mobility within the EU and consider attracting skilled workers from third countries, while ensuring respect for and enforcement of labour and social rights and channelling third-country nationals entering the EU through legal migration pathways towards occupations experiencing shortages, supported by an effective integration policy, in full complementarity with harnessing talents from within the Union;

T. whereas gender pay gaps remain considerable in most EU Member States and whereas care responsibilities are an important factor that continue to constrain women into part-time employment or lead to their exclusion from the labour market, resulting in a wider gender employment gap;

U. whereas the JER highlights the right to disconnect, in particular in the context of telework, acknowledging the critical role of this right in ensuring a work-life balance in a context of increasing digitalisation and remote working;

V. whereas challenges to several sectors, such as automotive manufacturing and energy intensive industries, became evident in 2024 and a number of companies announced large-scale restructuring;

W. whereas there are disparities in the coverage of social services, including long-term care, child protection, domestic violence support, and homelessness aid, that need to be addressed through the European Semester;

X. whereas there is currently no regular EU-wide collection of data on social services investment and coverage; whereas collecting such data is key for an evidence-based analysis of national social policies in the European Semester analysis; whereas this should be addressed through jointly agreed criteria and data collection standards for social services investment and coverage in the Member States; whereas the European Social Network’s Social Services Index is an example of how such data collection can contribute to the European Semester analysis;

Y. whereas the crisis in generational renewal, demographic changes, and lack of sufficient investment in public services have led to an increased risk of poverty and social exclusion, particularly affecting children and older people, single-parent households and large families, the working poor, persons with disabilities, and people from marginalised backgrounds; whereas an ambitious EU anti-poverty strategy will be essential to reverse this trend and provide responses to the multidimensional phenomenon of poverty;

Z. whereas Eurofound research shows that suicide rates have been creeping up since 2021, after decreasing for decades; whereas more needs to be done to address causes of mental health problems in working and living conditions (importantly social inclusion), and access to support for people with poor mental health remains a problem;

AA. whereas there were still over 3 300 fatal accidents and almost 3 million nonfatal accidents in the EU-27 in 2021; whereas over 200 000 workers die each year from work-related illnesses; whereas these data do not include all accidents caused by undeclared work, making it plausible to assume that the true numbers greatly exceed the official statistics; whereas in 2017, according to Eurofound, 20 % of jobs in Europe were of ‘poor quality’ and put workers at increased risk regarding their physical or mental health; whereas 14 % of workers have been exposed to a high level of psychosocial risks; whereas 23 % of European workers believe that their safety or their health is at risk because of their work;

AB. whereas the results of the April 2024 Eurobarometer survey on social Europe highlight that 88 % of European citizens consider social Europe to be important to them personally; whereas this was confirmed by the EU Post-Electoral Survey 2024, where European citizens cited rising prices and the cost of living (42 %) and the economic situation (41 %) as the main topics that motivated them to vote in the 2024 European elections;

AC. whereas according to Article 3 TEU, social progress in the EU is one of the aims of a highly competitive social market economy, together with full employment, a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment; whereas Article 3 TEU also states that the EU ‘shall combat social exclusion and discrimination, and shall promote social justice and protection, equality between women and men, solidarity between generations and protection of the rights of the child’;

AD. whereas the new EU economic governance framework entered into force in April 2024 and aims to promote sustainable and inclusive growth and to give more space for social investment and achievement of the objectives of the EPSR; whereas, for the first time, the revision includes a social convergence framework as an integrated part of the European Semester;

AE. whereas under the new EU economic governance framework, all Member States have to include reforms and investments in their medium-term plans addressing common EU priorities and challenges identified in country-specific recommendations in the context of the European Semester; whereas the common EU priorities include social and economic resilience, including the EPSR;

AF. whereas European social partners, during Macroeconomic Dialogue, have denounced the lack of involvement of social partners in the drafting of the medium-term fiscal structural plans and ETUC, SMEUnited and SGIEurope have signed a joint statement for a material and factual involvement of social partners in the economic governance and the European Semester;

AG. whereas public investment is expected to increase in 2025 in almost all Member States, with a significant contribution from NextGenerationEU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and EU funds and will contribute to social spending, amounting to around 25 % of the total estimated expenditure under the RRF, securing growth and economic resilience [8]; whereas social investments and reforms in key areas can boost employment, social inclusion, competitiveness and economic growth [9]; whereas social partners are essential for designing and implementing policies that promote sustainable and inclusive growth, decent and quality work, and fair transitions and must be involved at all levels of governance in accordance with the TFEU;

AH. whereas the Member States should implement the Minimum Wage Directive without delay and prepare action plans that increase collective bargaining coverage in line with the directive, where applicable;

AI. whereas according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), on average across OECD countries, occupations at highest risk of automation account for about 28 % of employment [10]; whereas social dialogue and collective bargaining are crucial in this context to ensure a participatory approach to managing change driven by technological developments, addressing potential concerns, while fostering workers’ adaptation (including via skills provision); whereas digitalisation, robotisation, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) must benefit workers and society by improving working conditions and quality of life, ensuring a good work-life balance, creating better employment opportunities, and contributing to socio-economic convergence; whereas workers and their trade unions will play a critical role in anticipating and tackling risks emerging from those challenges;

AJ. whereas social dialogue and collective bargaining are essential for the EU’s competitiveness, labour productivity and social cohesion;

1. Considers that the Commission and the Council should strengthen their efforts to implement the EPSR, in line with the action plan of March 2021 and the La Hulpe Declaration, to achieve the 2030 headline targets; calls on the Commission to ensure that the JER 2026 analyses the implementation of all the principles of the EPSR in line with Regulation (EU) 2024/1263 and includes an analysis of the social dimension of the national medium-term fiscal structural plans related to social resilience, including the EPSR; welcomes, in this regard, the announcement of a new Action Plan on the implementation of the EPSR [11] for 2025 to give a new impetus to social progress; welcomes the fact that almost all Member States are expected to increase public investment in 2025, which is necessary to ensure access to quality public services and achieve the aims of the EPSR; recalls that the Member States can mobilise the RRF within the scope defined by the Regulation (EU) 2021/241 [12] until 31 December 2026 on policies for sustainable and inclusive growth and the young;

2. Stresses the importance of using the Social Scoreboard and the Social Convergence Framework to identify risks to, and to track progress in, reducing inequalities, strengthening social protection systems and promoting decent working conditions and supportive measures for workers to manage the transitions; stresses that in this regard, it is necessary to ensure a sustainable, fair and inclusive Europe where social rights are fully protected and safeguarded at the same level as economic freedoms; recalls that EU citizens identify social Europe as one of their priorities;

3. Regrets the lack of data on and analysis of wealth inequality and wealth concentration in the EU as this is one of the main determinants of poverty; points out that according to Distributional Wealth Accounts, a dataset developed by the European System of Central Banks, the share of wealth held by the top 10 % stood at 56 % in the fourth quarter of 2023, while the bottom half held just 5 %;

4. Welcomes the inclusion of analysis on the positive contribution of the SDGs and the European equality strategies in the JER 2025 and calls on the Commission to ensure that the JER 2026 includes both a section analysing the progress towards the SDGs related to employment and social policy, and another on progress towards eliminating social and labour discrimination in line with the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan 2020-2025, the EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation 2020-2030, the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025, and the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030;

5. Calls on the Member States to implement the updated employment guidelines, with an emphasis on education and training for all, new technologies such as AI, and recent policy initiatives on platform work, affordable and decent housing and tackling labour and skills shortages, with a view to strengthening democratic decision-making;

6. Reiterates the importance of investing in workforce skills development and occupational training and of ensuring quality employment, with an emphasis on the individual right to training and lifelong learning; urges the Member States to develop upskilling and reskilling measures in collaboration with local stakeholders, including educational and training bodies and the social partners, in order to reinforce the link between the education and training systems and the labour market and to anticipate labour market needs; welcomes the fact that employment outcomes for recent graduates from vocational education and training (VET) continue to improve across the EU; is concerned about young people’s declining educational performance, particularly in basic skills; welcomes, in this regard, the announcement of an Action Plan on Basic Skills and a STEM Education Strategic Plan; calls on the Member States to invest in programmes to equip learners with the basic, digital and transversal skills needed for the world of work and its digitisation as well as to help them to contribute meaningfully to society; recalls the important role that the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for displaced workers can play in supporting and reskilling workers who were made redundant as a result of major restructuring events;

7. Welcomes the announcement of a quality jobs roadmap to ensure a just transition for all; calls on the Commission to include in this roadmap considerations for measures linked to the use of AI and algorithmic management in the world of work so that new technologies are harnessed to improve working conditions and productivity while respecting workers’ rights and work-life balance as recognised in the JER [13]; calls on the Commission to propose a directive on the use of AI in the workplace that ensures that workers’ rights are protected and respected;

8. Stresses that the response to labour shortages in the European Union also involves improving and facilitating labour mobility within the Union; calls on the Member States to strengthen and facilitate the recognition of skills and qualifications in the Union, including those of third-country nationals; calls on the Commission to analyse the effectiveness of the European Employment Services (EURES) platform with a view to a potential revision of its operation;

9. Notes that the number of early leavers from education and training, people with lower levels of education, young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) and among them vulnerable groups, including Roma, women, older people, low- and medium-qualified people, persons with disabilities and people with a migrant or minority background, depending on the country-specific context, remains high in several Member States, despite a downward trend in the European Union; calls on the Member States to reinforce the Youth Guarantee as stated in Principle 4 of the EPSR; in order to support young people in need throughout their personal and professional development; reiterates the pivotal role that VET plays in providing the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for young people entering the labour market; emphasises the need to invest in the quality and attractiveness of VET through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+); recalls, therefore, the need to address this situation and develop solutions to keep young people in education, training or employment and the importance of ensuring their access to traineeships and apprenticeships, enabling them to gain their first work experience and facilitating their transition from education to employment as well as to create working conditions that enable an ageing workforce to remain in the labour market;

10. Considers that, although there has been an improvement, persons with disabilities, especially women with disabilities, still face significant obstacles in the labour market, and that there is therefore a need for vocational and digital training, while promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities, targeting the inactive labour force and groups with low participation in the labour market, including women, young people, older workers and persons with chronic diseases; calls on the Commission to update the EU Disability Strategy with new flagship initiatives and actions from 2025 onwards, such as a European Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee and the sharing of best practices such as the disability card, in particular to address social inclusion and independent living for people with disabilities, also ensuring their access to quality education, training and employment through guidance on retaining disability allowances;

11. Expresses concern that Roma continue to face significant barriers to employment, with persistent biases limiting their prospects; notes that the EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion, and participation highlights a lack of progress in employment access and a growing share of Roma youth not in employment, education, or training; emphasises the framework’s goal of halving the employment gap between Roma and the general population and ensuring that at least 60 % of Roma are in paid work by 2030; urges the Member States to adopt an integrated, equality-focused approach and to ensure that public policies and services effectively reach all Roma, including those in remote rural areas;

12. Stresses the need to pay attention to the social and environmental aspects of competitiveness, emphasising the need for investments in education and training for all to ensure universal access to high-quality public education and professional training programmes, as well as sustainable practices to foster inclusive growth; underlines that social partners should play a key role in identifying and addressing skills needs across the EU;

13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to include specific recommendations on housing affordability in the European Semester and to promote housing investment; urges the Member States to ensure that housing investments support long-term quality housing solutions that are actually affordable for low-income and middle-income households, highlighting that investments in social and affordable housing are crucial in order to ensure and improve the quality of life for all; stresses the need for a better use of EU funding, such as through European Investment Bank financial instruments, in particular to support investments to increase the energy efficiency of buildings; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take decisive action to provide an EU regulatory framework for the housing sector, together with an assessment of Union policies, funds and bottlenecks that should facilitate the construction, conversion and renovation of accessible, affordable and energy-efficient housing, including social housing, that meets the needs of young people, people with reduced mobility, low- and middle-income groups, families at risk and people in more vulnerable situations, while protecting homeowners and those seeking access to home ownership from a further reduction in supply;

14. Welcomes the announced European Affordable Housing Plan to support Member States in addressing the housing crisis and soaring rents; calls on the Commission to assess and publish which potential barriers on State aid rules affect housing accessibility; recalls that the Social Climate Fund aims to provide financial aid to Member States from 2026 to support vulnerable households, in particular with measures and investments intended to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, decarbonisation of heating and cooling of buildings and the integration in buildings of renewable energy generation and storage;

15. Considers that homelessness is a dramatic social problem in the EU; calls for a single definition of homelessness in the EU, which would enable the systematic comparison and assessment of the extent of homelessness across different EU Member States; calls on the Commission to develop a strategy and work towards ending homelessness in the EU by 2030 by promoting access to affordable and decent housing as well as access to quality social services; urges the Member States to better use the available EU instruments, including the ESF+, in this matter [14];

16. Calls on the Member States to design national homelessness strategies centred around housing-based solutions; welcomes the intention to deliver a Council recommendation on homelessness [15]; urges the Commission to further increase the ambition of the European Platform on Combating Homelessness, in particular by providing it with a dedicated budget;

17. Considers that EU action is urgently needed to address the persistently high levels of poverty and social exclusion in the EU, particularly among children, young and older people, persons with disabilities, non-EU born individuals, LGTBI and Roma communities; highlights that access to quality social services should be prioritised, with binding targets to reduce homelessness and ensure energy security for vulnerable households; calls on the Commission to adopt the first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy;

18. Recalls the Union objective of transitioning from institutional to community or family-based care; calls on the Commission to put forward an action plan on deinstitutionalisation; stresses that this action plan should cover all groups still living in institutions, including children, persons with disabilities, people with mental health issues, people affected by homelessness and older people; calls on the Member States to make full use of the ESF+ funds as well as other relevant European and national funds in order to finalise the deinstitutionalisation process so as to ensure that every EU citizen can live in a family or community environment;

19. Calls on the Commission to deliver a European action plan for mental health, in line with its recent recommendations [16], and to complement it with a directive on psychosocial risks in the workplace; calls on the Member States to strengthen access to mental health services and emotional support programmes for all, particularly children, young people and older people; requests a better use of the Social Scoreboard indicators to address the impact of precarious living conditions and uncertainty on mental health;

20. Calls on the Commission to address loneliness by promoting a holistic EU strategy on loneliness and access to professional care; calls also for this EU strategy to address the socio-economic impact of loneliness on productivity and well-being by tackling issues such as rural isolation; urges the Member States to continue implementing the Council recommendation on access to affordable, quality long-term care with a view to ensuring access to quality care while ensuring decent working conditions for workers in the care sector, as well as for informal carers;

21. Recognises that 44 million Europeans are frequent informal long-term caregivers, the majority of whom are women [17];

22. Recognises the unique role of carers in society, and while the definition of care workers is not harmonised across the EU, the long-term care sector employs 6.4 million people across the EU;

23. Is concerned that, in 2023, 94.6 million people in the EU were still at risk of poverty or social exclusion; stresses that without a paradigm shift in the approach to combating poverty, the European Union and its Member States will not achieve their poverty reduction objectives; believes that the announcement of the first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy is a step in the right direction towards reversing the trend, but must provide a comprehensive approach to tackling the multidimensional aspects of poverty and social exclusion with concrete actions, strong implementation and monitoring; calls for this Strategy to encompass everybody experiencing poverty and social exclusion, first and foremost the most disadvantaged, but also specific measures for different groups such as persons experiencing in-work poverty, homeless people, people with disabilities, single-parent families and, above all, children in order to sustainably break the cycle of poverty; stresses that the transposition of the Minimum Wage Directive will be key to preventing and fighting poverty risks among workers, while reinforcing incentives to work, and welcomes the fact that several Member States have amended or plan to amend their minimum wage frameworks; is concerned about the rise of non-standard forms of employment where workers are more likely to face in-work poverty and find themselves without adequate legal protections; stresses that an EU framework directive on adequate minimum income and active inclusion, in compliance with the subsidiarity principle, would contribute to the goals of reducing poverty and fostering the integration of people absent from the labour market;

24. Reiterates its call on the Commission to carefully monitor implementation of the Child Guarantee in all Member States as part of the European Semester and country-specific recommendations; reiterates its call for an increase in the funding of the European Child Guarantee with a dedicated budget of at least EUR 20 billion and for all Member States to allocate at least 5 % of their allocated ESF+ funds to fighting child poverty and promoting children’s well-being; considers that the country-specific recommendations should reflect Member States’ budgetary compliance with the minimum required allocation for tackling child poverty set out in the ESF+ Regulation [18]; calls on the Commission to provide an ambitious budget for the Child Guarantee in the next MFF in order to respond to the growing challenge of child poverty and social exclusion;

25. Is concerned about national policies that create gaps in health coverage, increasing inequalities both within and between Member States, such as privatisation of public healthcare systems, co-payments and lack of coverage; highlights that these deepen poverty, erode health and well-being, and increase social inequalities within and across EU countries; warns that this also undermines the implementation of principle 16 of the EPSR and of SDG 3.8 on universal health coverage, as well as the EPSR’s overall objective of promoting upward social convergence in the EU, leaving no one behind; believes that the indicators used in the Social Scoreboard do not provide a comprehensive understanding of healthcare affordability;

26. Underlines that employers need to foster intergenerational links within companies and intergenerational learning between younger and older workers, and vice versa; underlines that an ageing workforce can help a business develop new products and services to adapt to the needs of an ageing society in a more creative and productive way; calls, furthermore, for the creation of incentives to encourage volunteering and mentoring to induce the transfer of knowledge between generations;

27. Warns that, according to European Central Bank reports, real wages are still below their pre-pandemic level, while productivity was roughly the same; agrees that this creates some room for a non-inflationary recovery in real wages and warns that if real wages do not recover, this would increase the risk of protracted economic weakness, which could cause scarring effects and would further dent productivity in the euro area relative to other parts of the world; believes that better enforcement of minimum wages and strengthening collective bargaining coverage can have a beneficial effect on levels of wage inequality, especially by helping more vulnerable workers at the bottom of the wage distribution who are increasingly left out;

28. Calls for the Member States to ensure decent working conditions, comprising among other things decent wages, access to social protection, lifelong learning opportunities, occupational health and safety, a good work-life balance and the right to disconnect, reasonable working time, workers’ representation, democracy at work and collective agreements; urges the Member States to foster democracy at work, social dialogue and collective bargaining and to protect workers’ rights, particularly in the context of the green and digital transitions, and to ensure equal pay for equal work by men and women, enhance pay transparency and address gender-based inequality to close the gender pay gap in the EU;

29. Recalls the importance of improving access to social protection for the self-employed and calls on the Commission to monitor the Member States’ national plans for the implementation of the Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed [19] as part of the country-specific recommendations; recalls, in this regard, as the rate of self-employed professionals in the cultural and creative sectors is more than double that in the general population, the 13 initiatives laid down in the Commission’s 21 February 2024 response to the European Parliament resolution of 21 November 2023 on an EU framework for the social and professional situation of artists and workers in the cultural and creative sectors [20] and calls on the Commission to start implementing them in cooperation with the Member States;

30. Stresses that the role of social dialogue and social partners should be systematically integrated into the design and implementation of employment and social policies, ensuring the involvement of social partners at all levels;

31. Calls for the implementation of policies that promote work-life balance and the right to disconnect, with the aim of improving the quality of life for all families and workers, for ensuring the implementation of the Work-Life Balance Directive [21] and of the European Care Strategy; calls on the Commission to put forward a legislative proposal to address teleworking and the right to disconnect; as well as a proposal for the creation of a European card for all types of large families and a European action plan for single parents, offering educational and social advantages; calls, ultimately, for initiatives to combat workforce exclusion as a consequence of longer periods of sick leave, to adapt the workplace and to promote flexible working conditions and to develop strategies to support workers’ return after longer periods of absence;

32. Calls for demographic challenges to be prioritised in the EU’s cohesion policy and for concrete action at EU and national levels; calls on the Commission to prioritise the development of the Commission communication on harnessing talent in Europe’s regions and the ‘Talent Booster Mechanism’ in order to promote social cohesion and to step up funding for rural and outermost areas and regions with a high rate of depopulation, supporting quality job creation, public services, local development projects and basic infrastructure that favour the population’s ‘right to stay’, especially in the case of young people; highlights the importance of introducing specific measures to address regional inequalities in education and training, ensuring equal access to high-quality and affordable education for all;

33. Is concerned that, despite improvements, several population groups are still significantly under-represented in the EU labour market, including women, older people, low- and medium-qualified people, persons with disabilities and people with a migrant or minority background; warns that educational inequalities have deepened, further exacerbating the vulnerabilities of students from disadvantaged and migrant backgrounds; points out that, according to the JER, people with migrant or minority backgrounds can significantly benefit from targeted measures in order to address skills mismatches, improve language proficiency, combat discrimination and receive tailored and integrated support services; stresses the importance of strengthening efforts in the implementation of the 2021-27 Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion, which provides a common policy framework to support the Member States in developing national migrant integration policies;

34. Calls on the Commission and the Council to prioritise reducing administrative burdens with the aim of simplification while respecting labour and social standards; believes that better support for SMEs and actual and potential entrepreneurs will improve the EU’s competitiveness and long-term sustainability, boost innovation and create quality jobs; notes that SMEs and self-employed professionals in all sectors are essential for the EU’s economic growth and thus the financing of social policies; urges the implementation of specific recommendations to improve the single market; takes note of the Commission’s publication of the ‘Competitiveness Compass’ on 29 January 2025 [22];

35. Calls on the Commission to conduct competitiveness checks on every new legislative proposal, taking into account the overall impact of EU legislation on companies, as well as on other EU policies and programmes;

36. Considers that the social economy is an essential component of the EU’s social market economy and a driver for the implementation of the EPSR and its targets, often providing employment to vulnerable and excluded groups; calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen their support for all social economy enterprises but especially non-profit ones, as highlighted in the Social Economy Action Plan 2021 and the Liège Roadmap for the Social Economy, in order to promote quality, decent, inclusive work and the circular economy, to encourage the Member States to facilitate access to funding and to enhance the visibility of social economy actors; calls for the Commission to explore innovative funding mechanisms to support the development of the social economy in Europe [23] and to foster a dynamic and inclusive business environment;

37. Believes that, in this year of transition, with the implementation of the revised economic governance rules, the Member States should align fiscal responsibility with sustainable and inclusive growth and employment, notes that the involvement of social partners, including in the development of medium-term fiscal structural plans, should be enhanced to contribute to the goals of the new economic governance framework;

38. Welcomes the fact that the national medium-term fiscal structural plans, under the new economic governance framework, have to include the reforms and investments responding to the main challenges identified in the context of the European Semester and also to ensure debt sustainability while investing strategically in the principles of the EPSR with the aim of fostering upward social convergence;

39. Is concerned that compliance with the country-specific recommendations (CSRs) remains low; reiterates its call, therefore, for an effective implementation of CSRs by the Member States so as to promote healthcare and sustainable pension systems, in line with principles 15 and 16 of the EPSR, and long-term prosperity for all citizens, taking into account the vulnerability of those workers whose careers are segmented, intermittent and subject to labour transitions; insists that the Commission should reinforce its dialogues with the Member States on the implementation of existing recommendations and of the Employment Guidelines as well as on current or future policy action to address identified challenges;

40. Welcomes the establishment of a framework to identify risks to social convergence within the European Semester, for which Parliament called strongly; recalls that under this framework, the Commission assesses risks to upward social convergence in Member States and monitors progress on the implementation of the EPSR on the basis of the Social Scoreboard and of the principles of the Social Convergence Framework; welcomes the fact that the 2025 JER delivers country-specific analysis based on the principles of the Social Convergence Framework; calls on the Commission to further develop innovative quantitative and qualitative analysis tools under this new Framework in order to make optimal use of it in the future cycles of the European Semester;

41. Welcomes the fact that the first analysis based on the principles of the Social Convergence Framework points to upward convergence in the labour market in 2023 [24]; notes with concern that employment outcomes of under-represented groups still need to improve and that risks to upward convergence persist at European level in relation to skills development, ranging from early education to lifelong learning, and the social outcomes of at-risk-of-poverty and social exclusion rates; calls on the Commission to further analyse these risks to upward social convergence in the second stage of the analysis and to discuss with the Member States concerned the measures undertaken or envisaged to address these risks;

42. Recognises the cost of living crisis, which has increased the burden on households, and the rising cost of housing, which, in conjunction with high energy costs, is contributing to high levels of energy poverty across the EU; calls, therefore, on the Commission and Member States to comprehensively address the root causes of this crisis by prioritising policies that promote economic resilience, social cohesion, and sustainable development;

43. Warns of the social risks stemming from the crisis in the automotive sector, which is facing unprecedented pressure from both external and internal factors; calls on the Commission to pay attention to this sector and enhance social dialogue and the participation of workers in transition processes; stresses the urgent need for a coordinated EU response via an emergency task force of trade unions and employers to respond to the current crisis;

44. Calls on the Commission to monitor data on restructuring and its impact on employment, such as by using the European Restructuring Monitor, to facilitate measures in support of restructuring and labour market transitions, and to consider highlighting national measures supporting a socially responsible way of restructuring in the European Semester;

45. Calls on the Commission to monitor the development of minimum wages in the Member States following the transposition of the Minimum Wage Directive to determine whether the goal of ‘adequacy’ of minimum wages is being achieved;

46. Is concerned about the Commission’s revision of the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure (MIP) Scoreboard, particularly the reduction in employment and social indicators, which are crucial for assessing the social and labour market situation in the Member States; regrets the fact that youth unemployment is no longer considered as a headline indicator, despite its relevance in identifying and addressing specific labour market challenges and in adopting adequate public policies; stresses that social standards indicators should be given greater consideration in the decision-making process; regrets the fact that the Commission did not duly consult Parliament and reminds the Commission of its obligation to closely cooperate with Parliament, the Council and social partners before drawing up the MIP scoreboard and the set of macroeconomic and macro-financial indicators for Member States; stresses that the implementation of the principles of the EPSR must be part of the MIP scoreboard;

47. Considers that territorial and social cohesion are essential components of the competitiveness agenda, and legislation such as the European Instrument for Temporary Support to Mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) remain a positive example to inspire future EU initiatives;

48. Considers that the Commission and the Member States should ensure that fiscal policies under the European Semester support investments aligned with the EPSR, particularly in areas such as decent and affordable housing, quality healthcare, education, and social protection systems, as these are critical for social cohesion and long-term economic sustainability and to address the challenges identified through social indicators;

49. Stresses the need to address key challenges identified in the Social Scoreboard as ‘critical’ and ‘to watch’, including children at risk of poverty or social exclusion, the gender employment gap, housing cost overburden, childcare, and long-term care the disability employment gap, the impact of social transfers on reducing poverty, and basic digital skills [25];

50. Stresses the negative impacts that the cost of living crisis has had on persons with disabilities;

51. Urges the Member States to consider robust policies that ensure fair wages and improve working conditions, particularly for low-income and precarious workers;

52. Calls on the Member States to strengthen social safety nets to provide adequate support to those whose income from employment is insufficient to meet basic living costs;

53. Stresses the need for timely and harmonised data on social policies to improve evidence-based policymaking and targeted social investments; calls for improvements to be made to the Social Scoreboard in order to cover the 20 EPSR principles with the introduction of relevant indicators reflecting trends and causes of inequality, such as quality employment, wealth distribution, access to public services, adequate pensions, the homelessness rate, mental health and unemployment; recalls that the at-risk-of-poverty-or-social-exclusion (AROPE) indicator fails to reveal the causes of complex inequality; calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop a European data collection framework on social services to monitor the investment in and coverage of social services;

54. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

MIL OSI Europe News –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PRESIDENT OF INDIA GRACES CONVOCATION CEREMONY OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DESIGN, AHMEDABAD

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 27 FEB 2025 7:24PM by PIB Delhi

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, graced the convocation ceremony of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad today (February 27, 2025).

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that there are many problems all around us, and many of them require design tweaks an dnot great resources. Creative thinking can lead to solutions that can improve the ease of living, especially for the underprivileged communities. She highlighted that design is often a less noticed but crucial factor in social and economic development of our country. She was happy to note that the National Institute of Design has excelled in the concept of design with emphasis on ‘design as a service for the betterment of society’.

The President said that traditionally, in our country, design has been interwoven in the fabric of everyday life in all communities. We need to study and document knowledge systems, including design systems, of more traditional communities. Their cultural practices hold the key to some of the challenges that confront the world in 21^st century. Therefore, revitalizing the historical solutions drawn from India’s diverse cultures and leveraging them for innovation will benefit not only the nation but will also contribute to global progress.

The President said that our designers have demonstrated the power of design to create positive social change. They are making impactful design interventions in the social sector, bringing improvements in crucial areas such as healthcare, housing and sanitation. They are focusing their skills and expertise on addressing real-world problems, which often affect marginalised communities. This way, they are also helping bridge the urban-rural divide.

The President told the students that making beautiful things is a creative job and brings joy as well as monetary rewards. But they should never forget the functional aspect. There are problems that await their solutions. She further told students that their creative spark can change the lives of people. She advised them to spend some time in villages, and in remote areas if possible. She said that this would inspire new ways of looking at the world, and they could help people there with their learning. She urged students to think of the humble ‘charkha’ and then think of Gandhiji who rediscovered it and sought out people to enhance its design. She said that Gandhiji’s sole motive was to free millions of people from poverty. His notion of design had a beauty of its own.

Please click here to see the President’s Speech –

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MJPS/SR

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MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Inuit children in Nunavut face a preventable food security crisis

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Vandna Sinha, Adjunct Professor of Social Work, McGIll University & Associate Research Professor of Education, University of Colorado, Boulder, McGill University

Nunavut has the highest rate of child poverty and the highest rate of food insecurity of any Canadian province or territory. In 2022, around 80 per cent of Indigenous children aged between one and 14 in Nunavut lived in households experiencing food insecurity. In 2018, the rate of childhood food insecurity in Nunavut was almost six times higher than in Canada as a whole.

The Hamlet Food Voucher Program, funded through the Inuit Child First Initiative (ICFI), has recently offered some relief. This program gives families funds for groceries to meet the nutritional needs of Inuit children.

However, ICFI funding only runs until March 31, 2025. With Parliament prorogued, plans for further funding remain uncertain. That means starting April 1, many Inuit children in Nunavut may again go hungry. The Canadian government can make sure that does not happen by extending funding for ICFI and the food voucher program.

Long-term effects of food insecurity

Food insecurity can have harmful, and sometimes lasting, impacts on a young person’s physical health, mental health, academic performance and cognitive development. Infants and toddlers are particularly vulnerable because they are completely dependent on adult caregivers whose physical and mental health can also be impacted by food insecurity.

Recently, food security initiatives in Nunavut have been funded through the ICFI, which was launched in 2018. ICFI was meant to be a temporary measure to help families access essential services while an Inuit-specific framework is being developed.

Nutrition support for children has been one of the most requested services under ICFI. Initially, each family had to submit extensive documentation, and often faced months-long delays before receiving services and supports.

In 2023, municipal governments in Nunavut began to request, and receive, ICFI funding for nutrition supports for all Inuit children in their community. By December 2024, all but one community received funding for Hamlet Food Voucher Programs. These programs provide $500 per child for groceries and an additional $250 for children under four.

High grocery costs

The support provided through the Hamlet Food Voucher Program is significant, but $500 covers far less in Nunavut than in southern Canada. Groceries must be brought to Nunavut by plane or ship, and most communities have only one or two grocery stores. Accordingly, despite efforts to reduce prices through programs like Nutrition North Canada (NNC), the cost of groceries in Nunavut is much higher than in the rest of Canada.

Grocery prices in Nunavut are also rising much faster than in the rest of Canada. Our research shows that, between 2022 and 2024, the cost of a basket of goods in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut’s largest region, rose by 26 per cent (compared to 13 per cent across Canada) and is now more than double the average cost in Canada.

Even food subsidized through NNC is far more expensive: four litres of milk cost $9.95 in Qikiqtaaluk compared to a Canada average of $5.10. Prices for other items can be even higher: a February 2025 video from the hamlet of Grise Fiord shows a jar of jam selling for $35, pickles for $66 and a six-pack of apple sauce for $58.

The high rate of food insecurity in Nunavut reflects a vast gap between household incomes and the money required to support a basic standard of living. Nunavut saw sustained income growth between 2005 and 2019, and a declining percentage of people receiving social assistance. Still, employment rates remain lower than in other territories.

In 2023, the median income for households with two adults and two children was just under $36,000.

This was around 40 per cent of the $89,420 needed for a two-adult, three-child family living in social housing in Iqaluit to afford the “modest, basic standard of living” represented by the official poverty threshold.

The social assistance available to low-income Nunavut families is comparable to that in provinces with a lower cost of living. Even with $1,000 a month in food vouchers, a family of four making the median income remains far below the “deep poverty” threshold of 75 per cent of the official poverty line.

An Inuit-led solution

We have been interviewing service providers, grocery store employees and people co-ordinating Hamlet Food Voucher Programs. The interviews are part of an ongoing research project we are working on in collaboration with Sindu Govindapillai and Dheeksha Reddy from Qupanuaq, a service co-ordination program operated by the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation, and research team members Kelly Mitchell, Mohammad N. Khan, Josee G. Lavoie and Tracey Galloway.

Interviewees tell us that, because of the program, fewer people go without food and more families can cover rent, utilities and other necessities. People also told us that families are eating healthier, children are going to school more often and are more engaged when there, and families are less stressed. Other programs and services that were previously busy addressing food-related crises can now focus on providing medical care, fostering learning and keeping children safe.

The people we interviewed also make it clear the Hamlet Food Voucher Program is not enough to solve the problem of food insecurity in Nunavut. They stressed that food security initiatives must be paired with supports for healing, well-being and life-long learning.

Inuit plans for addressing poverty include such supports. They also include measures to increase community decision-making, reform income assistance, increase access to housing and strengthen local economies.

Until such a framework is fully implemented, the Hamlet Food Voucher Program must remain in place. Nunavut families currently face record levels of child poverty, rising food prices and a potential North American trade war that would further drive-up costs.

Losing food voucher support would be catastrophic for many households, particularly those with young children. The Canadian government must support Inuit leaders working toward a long-term solution to food insecurity in Nunavut. By funding the Hamlet Food Voucher program in the interim, it can help ensure that the children of Nunavut do not go hungry.

The ongoing research described in this article is funded by the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.

Financial support for this research was provided by CN and Mr. Dan Einwechter through the Einwechter Centre for Supply Chain
Management, Wilfrid Laurier University

Nicholas Li receives funding from a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Development Grant that helped support this research.

Jessica Penney does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Inuit children in Nunavut face a preventable food security crisis – https://theconversation.com/inuit-children-in-nunavut-face-a-preventable-food-security-crisis-250004

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: As Republicans Attempt to Undermine Social Security, Sanders, Warren, Schakowsky, Hoyle Introduce Legislation to Expand Social Security

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 – As Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress attempt to advance legislation to give massive tax breaks to billionaires and undermine Social Security, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions and Family Policy, and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), introduced the Social Security Expansion Act. The legislation would expand Social Security benefits by $2,400 a year and ensure Social Security is fully funded for the next 75 years by applying the Social Security payroll tax on all income above $250,000. Importantly, this legislation would not raise taxes by one penny on the over 91 percent of American households who make $250,000 or less.
These estimates reflect an analysis of the legislation conducted by the Social Security Administration at the request of Sen. Sanders in 2023.
Joining Sanders, Warren, Schakowsky and Hoyle on the Social Security Expansion Act are Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), as well as 17 cosponsors in the House including Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-D.C.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Christopher R. Deluzio (D-Pa.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Troy Carter (D-La.), James McGovern (D-Mass.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
“At a time when nearly half of older Americans have no retirement savings and over 26% of seniors are trying to survive on an income of less than $17,500 a year, our job is not to cut Social Security as many of our Republican colleagues want to do,” said Sanders. “Our job is to expand Social Security so that every senior in America can retire with the dignity that they deserve and every person with a disability can live with the security they need. The legislation we are introducing today will expand Social Security benefits by $2,400 a year, lift millions of seniors out of poverty and extend the solvency of Social Security for generations to come by making sure that the wealthiest people in our society pay their fair share into the system. Right now, a billionaire pays the same amount into Social Security as someone who makes $176,100 a year. Our bill puts an end to that absurdity. And by doing that, we can expand Social Security benefits and make sure that Social Security can pay out every single benefit owed to every eligible American for the next 75 years.”
“Social Security serves as a lifeline for millions of seniors, and hardworking Americans deserve to receive the benefits they paid into,” said Warren. “It’s a mistake for Donald Trump and his allies in Congress to focus on securing tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations when we should be focusing on expanding and increasing Social Security benefits so that everyone can retire with dignity.”
“Social Security is your hard-earned money; it is not an entitlement. President Donald Trump and his unelected billionaire sidekick Elon Musk think they alone can decide if you get your Social Security check. They had better think again. That is stealing. Americans pay into the program with each paycheck. We must expand Social Security benefits, not cut them, and I have a bill to do just that,” said Schakowsky. “The Social Security Expansion Act will protect the national treasure that is Social Security by extending the trust fund’s solvency for 75 years and expanding benefits by $2,400 a year so that everyone in America can retire with the security and dignity they deserve after a lifetime of hard work.”
“Protecting Social Security is our commitment to seniors who’ve worked their whole lives to earn it,” said Hoyle. “While Congressional Republicans continue to threaten cuts to Social Security, I am proud to join Senator Sanders, Senator Warren and Representative Schakowsky in introducing a concrete proposal that extends the program for another 75 years by having millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share like every other working American. The Social Security Expansion Act was my first bill in Congress, and I will not stop fighting until I see it passed into law.”
Social Security is the most successful government program in the history of our country. For 86 years, through good times and bad, Social Security has paid out every benefit owed to every eligible American on time and without delay. Before 1935, when it was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, about 50 percent of the nation’s seniors lived in poverty, as did countless Americans with disabilities and surviving dependents of deceased workers. Nearly 90 years later, the senior poverty rate is down to 9.7 percent and in 2023 alone, Social Security lifted 27.6 million Americans out of poverty, including more than 19.5 million seniors.
Despite this success, tens of millions of seniors are still struggling to get by, and many older workers fear that they will never be able to retire with security and dignity. While the average Social Security benefit is only $1,838 a month, nearly 40 percent of seniors rely on Social Security for a majority of their income; one in seven rely on it for more than 90 percent of their income; and nearly half of Americans aged 65 and 74 have no retirement savings at all.
By requiring millionaires and billionaires to finally pay their fair share into the program, the Social Security Expansion Act would ensure the fund’s solvency to the end of the century, help low-income workers stay out of poverty by improving the Special Minimum Benefit, restore student benefits up to age 22 for children of disabled or deceased workers, strengthen benefits for senior citizens and people with disabilities, increase Cost-Of-Living-Adjustments (COLAs) and expand program benefits across-the-board.
The Social Security Expansion Act has also been endorsed by over 25 groups, including: Social Security Works, MoveOn, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Strengthen Social Security Coalition, American Federation of Teachers, Justice in Aging, Income Movement, Public Citizen, Blue Future, Campaign for America’s Future, Labor Campaign for Single Payer, Indivisible, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AAFGE Council 215, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFSCME Retirees, American Postal Workers Union, People Power United, Left Click, Defeat Republicans, Progress America, The People United, Iron PAC, Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Other98 and Solidarity Action.
Read the bill text, here.
Read the fact sheet and full list of supporting organizations, here.
Read the Social Security Administration’s 2023 analysis of the legislation, here.
Read a 2021 analysis of what the world’s wealthiest people would pay under this legislation, here.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Colombia wants to ban Pablo Escobar and other narco-themed merchandise – here’s why

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ross Bennett-Cook, PhD Researcher, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University

When you think of Colombia, what images come to mind? For some, it may be coffee or perhaps the country’s diverse landscapes and cultures. For many others, it will be cartels, crime and cocaine.

Colombia’s history as a drug trafficking hub plays a major role in attracting visitors to the country – a form of travel known as “dark tourism”. But the Colombian government and much of the population are desperate to shake off this sordid association.

A new bill going through Colombia’s congress is proposing to ban the sale of souvenirs that depict notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar and other convicted criminals. The proposed law would mean fines for those who violate the rules, and a temporary suspension of businesses.

Colombia became a major producer of cocaine in the 1970s, fuelled by demand in North America. Led by Escobar, the Medellín cartel dominated this trade, controlling roughly 80% of the cocaine supply to the US.

In 1988, Time magazine famously dubbed Medellín the “most dangerous city” in the world. Car bombings, assassinations, kidnap and torture became part of everyday life. In a failed attempt to assassinate presidential hopeful César Gaviria in 1989, Escobar was even behind the bombing of a commercial flight that killed all 107 passengers and crew onboard.

By 1991, the homicide rate in Medellín was a shocking 381 for every 100,000 inhabitants, with 7,500 people murdered in the city that year alone. In comparison, there were a total of 107 homicides in London in 2024.

Nowadays, Medellín is much more peaceful. Since Escobar’s death in 1993, its homicide rate has dropped by 97% due to increased security crackdowns and peace deals between the narco gangs.

Colombia now has a booming tourism industry, breaking records for its highest number of visitors in 2024. Medellín has even become a trendy location for digital nomads due to its exciting nightlife, stunning landscape and excellent weather.

A tourist poses for a picture in the Comuna 13 neighbourhood of Medellín.
Anamaria Mejia / Shutterstock

Yet, when I visited Colombia in 2024, it was hard not to become infatuated by Escobar. His face is everywhere: on key rings, magnets, mugs and t-shirts, while you often see lookalikes posing for photographs. Even airports – the last place I would expect to be associated with drugs – stock Escobar souvenirs.

A quick look on TripAdvisor’s “best things to do in Medellín” shows Museum Pablo Escobar at number one. Almost every tour in the city is related to the notorious cartel leader, including visits to the neighbourhoods he controlled (and often terrorised), his hideout spots, and the location of his final shootout with the police.

Narco tourism’s boom can be largely attributed to the huge popularity of Narcos, a critically acclaimed series on Netflix that dramatised the life of Escobar. But shows such as Narcos have been criticised by some experts for glorifying the cartel lifestyle – focusing on money, glamour and sex rather than the harsh realities of life within Colombia’s drug trade.

According to dark tourism researcher Diego Felipe Caicedo, popular media related to narco culture often portrays cartel members as heroes managing to defeat the class structure established by the elite capitalist system.

This has resulted in a dissonant heritage of people like Escobar. To some, he is a Robin Hood-type figure who built houses and gave to the poor. To others, he is an evil figure and vicious murderer. And while Escobar did use some of his fortune to improve deprived neighbourhoods, many saw this as a tactic to buy loyalty and mask his criminal activity.

The romanticism of Escobar angers many in Colombia who hate the idea of a murderous drug tycoon being the most recognised image of the country. In a city where almost every family knows of someone affected by the violent consequences of the drug trade, victims in Medellín now live with reminders plastered across storefronts, vendor stalls and tourist’s t-shirts.

Yet those who rely on this souvenir trade are furious at the possibility of restrictions. In many developing tourist destinations, selling souvenirs is an accessible way of benefiting from tourism and can act as a gateway out of poverty.

The souvenir trade is one of supply and demand – vendors are only selling Escobar souvenirs because they are the most popular. So, perhaps the focus should be on changing the attitudes and interests of tourists, rather than penalising the vendors.

Controlling the narrative

Camille Beauvais, a researcher of Colombian history, suggests it is up to local authorities to take control of the narrative through commemoration and education. This could follow the example of the anti-mafia museum in Palermo, Italy, which is designed to recognise the courage of the city and its people in standing up to criminal activity.

Attempts like this could steer tourists away from sensationalist tours to a more nuanced and historically accurate representation of this turbulent time. But the Colombian authorities have, up to now, tried to ignore this important period in the country’s history.

It was only in 2022 that the Colombia Truth Commission released an official report on the root causes of violence in Colombia, including governmental and international failures in tackling narcotraffickers.

Read more:
Dark tourism: why atrocity tourism is neither new nor weird

However, some groups in Colombia have already tried to develop an alternate narrative. In 2019, the NGO Colombia ConMemoria (Colombia Remembers) created an online “Narcostore”, a fake souvenir website full of Escobar-themed products.

When visitors clicked to purchase the item, they were redirected to video testimonies of those affected by the drugs trade, many of whom had lost friends or relatives to Escobar’s terror. The site reached 180 million visitors worldwide.

Narco tourism does not seem to be disappearing. Fascination with true crime, drugs and cartels is as popular as ever. But perhaps these tourists should take a moment to consider how they might feel, if someone who had murdered their loved ones became a souvenir fridge magnet for people to remember their country by.

Ross Bennett-Cook does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Colombia wants to ban Pablo Escobar and other narco-themed merchandise – here’s why – https://theconversation.com/colombia-wants-to-ban-pablo-escobar-and-other-narco-themed-merchandise-heres-why-249916

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why Freetown’s celebrated tree planting scheme won’t work for other African cities, or the planet

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Milo Gough, Lecturer in African Studies, University of Oxford

More than a million trees have been planted in the city of Freetown in Sierra Leone since 2020. This reforestation scheme, known as “FreetownTheTreeTown”, has been celebrated for its innovative approach to climate action, with ambitious plans to plant another 5 million trees by 2030 and 20 million more by 2050.

A global network of mayors known as the C40 Cities and other urban development experts have called this a “highly replicable” solution for environmental crises across urban Africa.

Reforestation helps Freetown cope with excess heat, annual seasonal floods, landslides and other environmental problems. Because of its geography, squeezed between wooded mountains and coastline, and widespread poverty, the city is one of the most vulnerable in the world to the effects of the climate change.

Deforestation of Freetown’s mountains for wood, charcoal and housing space led to a landslide in 2017 that killed 1,100 people and left at least another 3,000 people homeless. FreetownTheTreetown is a response to this disaster.

Read more:
Sierra Leone mudslide was a man-made tragedy that could have been prevented

There are also important historical contexts. I’ve conducted research into the colonial history of Freetown and the changing historical meaning of its trees. From the spiritual meaning of trees in Indigenous west African cultures, through to their use in colonial planning schemes, trees in Freetown have been central to political struggles over the urban landscape.

Tree planting should not be viewed simply as a generic social good. Trees are embedded in wider structures of power. From colonial-era tree planting, which aimed to reorganise Freetown into a European style city, to the 21st century’s green capitalism – in which tree “tokens” have become commodities for their marketable “carbon offset” – trees are far from apolitical.

Tree planting projects alone cannot solve environmental problems in African cities. As the world heats up, reliance on fossil fuels must be reduced. Green capitalism’s tree planting schemes won’t cut greenhouse gas emissions at source.

Climate solutions

FreetownTheTreeTown is organised through an app, TreeTracker, used by community growers who plant and care for saplings that have been grown in a nursery. They use the app to tag the geographical location of each new tree and track tree growth with photographs.

The community growers, largely women and young people, receive payments from the city administration once every quarter in the form of tokens that can be exchanged for cash. Thanks to this community, the project has achieved a high tree survival rate of over 80%.

Inside Freetown’s tree planting scheme.

Since 2020, this project has received almost US$3 million (£2.4 million), largely from the World Bank and the Global Environmental Facility.

But the project is supposed to start covering its own costs through selling carbon offset tokens to foreign nations and companies. Buyers will buy these to “cancel out” their own carbon emissions. A polluting airline in the US, for example, could claim it has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions if it buys carbon offset tokens from FreetownTheTreeTown.

Read more:
There aren’t enough trees in the world to offset society’s carbon emissions – and there never will be

Carbon offset schemes have been criticised by academics and journalists for overstating the rate and speed at which they can reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. They’ve been accused of distracting attention from the necessary and difficult work of transitioning away from polluting energy sources.

Charcoal is the most important product of the deforestation of Freetown’s mountainous peninsula because the city’s residents use it as cooking fuel. It is, however, highly polluting. People living in informal communities are encouraged to move to cleaner cooking fuels. Some briquettes are even made from human waste. Freetown is genuinely trying to reduce its extremely low carbon emissions.

Tensions in tree town

Tension between the conservation and exploitation of Freetown’s mountain forest has existed for centuries. Freetown was established by British colonists in 1792 as a site for the resettlement of formerly enslaved people from across west Africa. Mountain forests were cut down and turned into timber for the board houses of Freetown.

My research into the late 19th century history of Freetown has revealed that an enormous iroko tree with a trunk circumference of over 15 metres was a place of great spiritual and ritual significance in the area of Brookfields.

Read more:
Bringing forests to the city: 10 ways planting trees improves health in urban centres

Many formerly enslaved people from Yorubaland, in what is today south-western Nigeria, believed iroko trees were inhabited by powerful spirits. Witches were thought to hold meetings around them.

The Brookfields iroko tree was feared. But it was also respected. Processions of the Bondo, an all-female secret society, visited the tree with offerings, such as corn and pieces of cloth.

The colonial government planted new trees to demarcate the gridded streetscape of Freetown. But Freetonians did not like the new trees. They suspected them of harbouring mosquitoes and snakes. Twenty years after the first planting, most had been cut down by the city’s residents. The colonial government attempted to overwrite west African understandings of trees by imposing a new order.

Tree planting schemes must pay close attention to histories of government-led dispossession if they are to successfully transform cities. FreetownTheTreeTown has begun to tackle this history head on by co-creating this reforested city with its communities. This is important work. But, there must be caution about simply transplanting the technical solutions from Freetown to other cities across Africa.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

Milo Gough has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council through CHASE DTP.

– ref. Why Freetown’s celebrated tree planting scheme won’t work for other African cities, or the planet – https://theconversation.com/why-freetowns-celebrated-tree-planting-scheme-wont-work-for-other-african-cities-or-the-planet-247254

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How stigma, fear and the UK welfare system harm women in informal self-employment

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sally Jones, Reader in Entrepreneurship and Gender Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University

Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

Self-employment is often championed as a route out of poverty for the unemployed and those on low incomes, offering independence, flexibility and financial autonomy. However, for informally self-employed women in the UK, the reality is very different to these kinds of entrepreneurial success stories.

These women, working for themselves and “off the books”, can find they are trapped in a grey area – neither fully unemployed nor officially self-employed. And as such, they can struggle against a welfare system that both stigmatises and penalises their efforts to make a living.

My recent research along with my co-researcher Sara Nadin, sheds light on these often overlooked women, who work informally while claiming state benefits. It shows the precarious and gendered nature of informal self-employment and the difficulties of transitioning into formal work.

Informal self-employment is not an entrepreneurial aspiration but a necessity for the women in our study. Domestic responsibilities, a lack of formal qualifications and limited job opportunities can force these women into work that fits around their caregiving roles. From cleaning and childcare to sewing and catering, these women engage in work that remains invisible and unrecognised.

Their earnings – often meagre and inconsistent – help cover basic necessities, yet they live in constant fear of exposure and “getting caught by the taxman”.

The UK’s welfare system, with its strict and punitive conditions, places them in an impossible situation. If they declare their income, they risk losing benefits essential for survival. If they continue working informally, they face criminalisation and stigma as “benefits cheats”.

Angela (not her real name) is an unregistered child minder. She told us she recognises the drawbacks for everyone involved. She said: “I think it’s a shame that people have to go to these lengths to be able to cope financially. There should be better laws regarding employment, pay and conditions, so people choose that option instead of doing it unregistered or make a living on benefits. It is not good for anyone, the person doing it is under stress of being caught and the government and the country lose out on money.”

There is a paradox of visibility here too. On one hand, these women need to remain hidden to avoid welfare sanctions. On the other, they rely on word-of-mouth to attract business. This delicate balancing act forces them into an in-between space, where they can neither fully integrate into the formal economy nor retreat into unemployment.

And this is no short-term situation. The women we interviewed had been informally self-employed for an extended period – one for more than ten years.

While some women did say they wanted to formalise and grow their businesses, they felt the risks were too high. The unpredictability of their earnings, coupled with the loss of benefits, can make it financially unviable.

As one woman put it: “I’d like to make a proper go of it, but it’s really scary. What if I can’t get enough clients?”

A broken system

Successive UK governments have promoted self-employment as a route out of poverty and worklessness, yet welfare policies often work against women trying to become financially independent. The introduction of Universal Credit has exacerbated the issue, imposing strict minimum-income thresholds that self-employed workers can struggle to meet. This primarily affects women, who are less able to work full-time and more likely to be found in low-paid sectors of self-employment.

In fact, it has been argued that the UK’s Universal Credit welfare scheme actively limits claimants’ ability to get into formal self-employment. Instead of supporting entrepreneurship, the system has been found effectively to discourage it.

Policy changes could help break this cycle. Introducing an “earnings disregard”, where informal workers can earn a set amount without affecting their benefits, would provide a crucial safety net. And supporting women transitioning from informal to formal self-employment – through grants, tax breaks and accessible business education – could empower them to grow their businesses formally and sustainably, without fear of financial ruin.

Rather than criminalising those struggling to make ends meet, policymakers should recognise the valuable role these women play in their communities. Whether they’re caring for children, cleaning homes or helping busy families with their ironing, their services provide affordable options for other low-income families. This creates a grassroots support network for the formally employed that is overlooked and undervalued.

For real change to happen, the conversation around informal self-employment must shift. Instead of treating this work as a problem to be eradicated, it should be acknowledged as part of the broader economic fabric – one that deserves protection and support.

The women in this study are not merely informal workers. They are survivors navigating an unforgiving system. Their experiences challenge the simplistic notion that self-employment is a solution to poverty. Without changes to both welfare and self-employment policies, they will remain in the shadows – enterprising but invisible, offering valuable local services but criminalised.

It’s time for a policy rethink that values and supports all workers, regardless of where they fall on the economic spectrum.

Sally Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. How stigma, fear and the UK welfare system harm women in informal self-employment – https://theconversation.com/how-stigma-fear-and-the-uk-welfare-system-harm-women-in-informal-self-employment-250125

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Trump administration sets out to create an America its people have never experienced − one without a meaningful government

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sidney Shapiro, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University

A worker removes letters from the U.S. Agency for International Development building. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

The U.S. government is attempting to dismantle itself.

President Donald Trump has directed the executive branch to “significantly reduce the size of government.” That includes deep cuts in federal funding of scientific and medical research and freezing federal grants and loans for businesses. He has ordered the reversal or removal of regulations on medical insurance companies and other businesses and sought to fire thousands of federal employees. Those are just a few of dozens of executive orders that seek to deconstruct the government.

More than 70 lawsuits have challenged those orders as illegal or unconstitutional. In the meantime, the resulting chaos is preventing the government from carrying out its everyday functions.

The administration accidentally fired civil servants who were responsible for safeguarding the country’s nuclear weapons, preventing a bird flu epidemic and overseeing the nation’s electricity supply. A Veterans Administration official told NBC, “It’s leading to paralysis, and nothing is getting done.” A spokesperson at a nationwide program that provides meals to seniors, Meals on Wheels, which the government helps fund, said, “The uncertainty right now is creating chaos for local Meals on Wheels providers not knowing whether they should be serving meals today.”

Our recent book, “How Government Built America,” shows why the administration’s aim to eliminate government could result in an America that the country’s people have never experienced – one in which free-market economic forces operate without any accountability to the public.

Federal dollars built the federal interstate highway system and maintain it.
Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A combination of regulation and freedom

The U.S. economy began in the Colonial era as a mix of government regulation and market forces, and it has remained so ever since. History shows that without government regulation, markets left to their own devices have made the country poorer, killed and injured thousands, increased economic inequality, and left millions of Americans mired in desperate poverty, among other economic and social ills.

For example, approximately 23,000 people died from workplace injuries in 1913. In 2023, that figure was just 5,283, largely because the Occupational Safety and Health Administration began regulating workplace safety in 1971. Similarly, the rate of deaths in vehicle crashes per mile driven has decreased 93% since 1923, which can be mainly attributed to the ways government has made vehicles and highways safer.

Government funding and regulation have yielded countless economic benefits for the public, including the launch of many efforts later capitalized on by the private sector. Government funding delivered a COVID-19 vaccine in record time, many of the technologies – GPS, touchscreens and the internet – that are key to the functioning of the cellphone in your pocket, and the highway system that enables travel throughout the country.

Government management of the economy has prevented economic downturns and enabled quicker recoveries when they have occurred. Government regulations keep private businesses from engaging in reckless economic behavior that harms everyone, as happened in 2008 when loopholes in rules and enforcement allowed the banking industry to invest billions of dollars in worthless securities. The government then spent trillions to prevent major banks from collapsing and to stimulate the nation’s economic recovery.

More recently, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government spent $3.1 trillion to keep the economy healthy.

Food and water are safe because the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency act to protect people from becoming ill.

Because of government oversight, Americans can safely take the medications physicians prescribe to make them better. They can safely put money in checking and savings accounts knowing that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the National Credit Union Administration reduce the likelihood of the bank or credit union failing – and ensure they don’t lose everything if trouble arises.

The Federal Trade Commission works to ensure the advertising Americans see is not deceptive, and the Securities and Exchange Commission makes sure that the companies people invest in are not making false claims about their financial prospects.

Americans know that their children can get a free public education and student loans for college or trade schools to advance themselves economically. And government has helped millions of Americans pay for housing, food, medical care and the other necessities of life even if they work full-time or cannot because of age, illness or disability.

A person gets drinking water from a tap in Jackson, Miss.
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Not a perfect record

Admittedly, there is wasteful spending – as much as $150 billion a year in erroneous payments. That is a lot of money, but it’s a tiny sliver – just 2.2% – of the $6.75 trillion the federal government spent in the 2024 fiscal year. And government has not always been a positive force in society, either.

As we describe in our book, for a very long time the federal government aided and abetted slavery and then racial segregation. It also codified the treatment of women as second-class citizens, and discriminated against members of the LGBTQ community.

Yet government has addressed these failings as Americans’ understanding of equality has evolved. Over the past century, rights for women, racial and ethnic minority groups and people with a range of sexualities and gender identities have been recognized in constitutional amendments, federal laws, state laws and Supreme Court decisions.

As our book shows, the responses haven’t always been immediate, but the president and Congress have addressed policy mistakes and incompetent administration by making appropriate adjustments to the mix of government and free markets, sometimes at the behest of court cases and more often through congressional action.

Until now, however, it has never been government policy to shut down government wholesale by defunding agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development or threatening to do so with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education.

Many Trump voters cited economic factors as motivating their support. And our book documents how policies supported by both political parties – particularly globalization, which led to the flood of manufacturing jobs that went overseas – contributed to the economic struggles with which many Americans are burdened.

But based on the history of how government built America, we believe the most effective way to improve the economic prospects of those and other Americans is not to eliminate portions of the government entirely. Rather, it’s to adopt government programs that create economic opportunity in deindustrialized areas of the country.

These problems – economic inequality and loss of opportunity – were caused by the free market’s response to the lack of government action, or insufficient or misdirected action. The market cannot be expected to fix what it has created. And markets don’t answer to the American people. Government does, and it can take action.

Sidney Shapiro is affiliated with the Center for Progressive Reform.

Joseph P. Tomain does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Trump administration sets out to create an America its people have never experienced − one without a meaningful government – https://theconversation.com/trump-administration-sets-out-to-create-an-america-its-people-have-never-experienced-one-without-a-meaningful-government-250727

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: More Americans of all political stripes support government benefits for low-income people − and Black Lives Matter could be a big reason why

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Karyn Vilbig, PhD Student in Sociology, New York University

A protester leads a Black Lives Matter rally in San Francisco on June 3, 2020. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

For all the apparent division over Black Lives Matter, the movement may have had a widespread and positive impact on Americans’ support for policies that help the poor.

Since the Black Lives Matter movement launched in 2013, several studies using a range of datasets have all found that Americans’ views of Black people have become significantly more positive. As a sociologist who researches the safety net, I wondered how this might translate to support for policies that support low-income Americans.

That’s because perceptions of Black people have long been one of the best predictors of whether someone favors government aid for low-income people.

If this has held true, more positive views of Black Americans should translate into more support for social welfare programs. Indeed, since 2012, the share of Americans who support higher spending on these programs has grown by 12%.

It still wasn’t clear, though, whether that boost in support was due to some other factor – say, the dramatic economic fallout associated with the COVID-19 pandemic or the success of the government stimulus programs that followed – as opposed to shifts in racial attitudes.

So I decided to explore the extent to which these changes in attitudes about government benefits can be attributed to recent shifts in racial attitudes. I found that nearly all of the increase in support for these safety net programs since 2012 can be explained by changes related to Americans’ racial attitudes.

Who receives these benefits?

When Americans think about welfare beneficiaries, they usually picture Black people.

It’s true that Black Americans are overrepresented among those who receive government assistance. For example, Black people make up just 14% of the U.S. population but 30% of those enrolled in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

That being said, the majority of recipients of government aid are white.

For decades, however, TV shows, movies and the news media have portrayed Black people as impoverished recipients of government benefits. This has caused many Americans to incorrectly presume that these programs support mostly Black people.

Because so many Americans have traditionally held negative views toward Black people, the mental association between Black people and poverty has undermined support for government programs – and has perhaps even prevented the United States from developing the kind of robust social safety net that is found in many other affluent countries.

The ‘welfare queen’ myth advanced by President Ronald Reagan has been hard to dislodge in the American imagination.

Feelings toward Black people have shifted

Since 2012, however, Americans’ racial attitudes have dramatically changed.

In 2012, for example, 49% of Americans responding to the General Social Survey, a long-standing national survey that measures societal change, said Black-white differences in income, housing and jobs were due to a lack of willpower on the part of Black people. By 2022, the most recent year available, this number had fallen to 29%.

There’s been a debate about the exact cause of these dramatic changes. But many researchers credit the Black Lives Matter movement.

Black Lives Matter began in 2013 in response to the acquittal of the man who murdered Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager. It gained further momentum in 2014 with the police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. In 2020, following the police murder of George Floyd, it became the largest movement in U.S. history by number of protesters.

Past research has linked specific waves of Black Lives Matter protests to increased attention on racial inequality and decreases in racial prejudice.

Breaking down the data

Meanwhile, support for government benefits for low-income people has also grown in recent years.

To figure out whether increased support for Black people was tied into more support for government aid for the poor, I analyzed two national datasets by running a type of statistical analysis called “decomposition.”

A decomposition analysis takes the difference between two groups and breaks it into different parts to explain what’s behind that difference. For example, decomposition analysis has been used to explain the pay gap between men and women. These analyses often find that part of the gender pay gap can be explained by differences in the average number of hours men and women work and by differences in the payoff to a college degree experienced by men and women, among other things. Instead of comparing men and women, I compare Americans in 2012 versus Americans in 2020.

In my analysis, I found that improved attitudes toward Black people between 2012 and 2020, more than any other measure, explained increased support for welfare programs during that same period.

A second factor also helps to explain the increased support for the safety net: Americans are exhibiting greater alignment between their racial and social policy attitudes.

In the past, many Americans expressed support for racial equality in principle but opposed the policies that might actually achieve it. I found something new. In 2020, most Americans didn’t just say that they want racial equality in the abstract. They also expressed support for the programs they believed will bring it about.

Supporters of the Civil Rights Movement demonstrate against racial segregation outside a Woolworth’s store in New York City in 1960.
Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

GOP voters have changed, too

These progressive attitude shifts can even be found among Republican – albeit to a lesser extent. Republican politicians once appealed to voters by disparaging welfare recipients and Black people. In light of these attitude shifts, that approach no longer appears to be a recipe for political success in America.

Instead, Republicans have made opposition to immigration central to their campaigns. Immigration is an issue where Republicans perform well with voters, and this strategy has paid off at the voting booth.

But governing requires attention to more than just the issues that poll well.

Particularly when it comes to decisions about the safety net, Republicans find themselves in an awkward position. As recent budget debates in the House have made clear, the goal of dramatically cutting government spending conflicts with promises to protect the social programs Republican voters increasingly support.

The safety net may very well become a major liability for the Republican Party. To the extent that the GOP continues to back spending cuts for programs that help millions of low-income people, it will be out of step with many of its voters. But if it follows the lead of right-wing parties in Europe and supports the safety net, it will be at odds with many of its donors.

Karyn Vilbig received funding for this work from the American Sociological Association’s Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (ASA DDRIG).

– ref. More Americans of all political stripes support government benefits for low-income people − and Black Lives Matter could be a big reason why – https://theconversation.com/more-americans-of-all-political-stripes-support-government-benefits-for-low-income-people-and-black-lives-matter-could-be-a-big-reason-why-247764

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Over 326,000 children currently supported by Scottish Child Payment

Source: Scottish Government

£1 billion paid to help tackle child poverty

New figures, show that as of 31 December 2024, the families of 326,080 children under 16 years of age were receiving vital support from Scottish Child Payment. 

Over £1 billion has now been paid to parents and carers since the payment was introduced in February 2021. 

Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland and provides financial support for families, helping with the costs of caring for a child. It is a weekly payment, currently worth £26.70, for every eligible child that a parent or carer looks after who’s under 16 years of age.   

While visiting Craigour Park Primary school in Edinburgh, to talk to parents who receive Scottish Child Payment, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:  

“Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s top priority and a national mission.   

“Our investment in Scottish Child Payment has seen over £1 billion worth of these payments issued by 31 December 2024; that is money directly in the pockets of those families who need it most.

“Modelling published in February 2024 also estimates that the Scottish Child Payment could keep 60,000 children out of relative poverty this year.

“Scottish Child Payment is actively improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in Scotland – helping their families to access essentials and experiences they might otherwise miss out on because they live on a low income.

“In the coming year it is forecast we’ll invest a further £471 million, ensuring that this support continues to reach even more families and children who need it.”

Head Teacher of Craigour Park Primary, Sally Ketchin, said:

“We welcome payments like Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Grants. We can see the real difference this money makes to families in our community.”

Case study  

Ashley Forbes lives in Glenrothes with her three children.  She said:     

“The two-child cap came in for Tax Credits when I was pregnant with my third child. That meant I would be losing £60 a week when the baby was born so, obviously, that was quite a scary moment. It was huge.  

“I wasn’t working and my partner at the time was only working part-time so money wasn’t great. It felt like £60 was so much to lose, you know, when you have a baby with milk and all that stuff to buy.     

“And then when Scottish Child Payment came in, it was a huge relief. I have three kids and they grow so fast. It’s new shoes, new coats and new clothes all the time.  

“My eldest two do swimming as well which is a really important skill that you need in life. We wouldn’t be able to do this stuff without Scottish Child Payment.    

“I think Scottish Child Payment is great. We couldn’t do without it.”  

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: New Trilemma: Climate, Development and the Middle-Class | World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025

Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)

OECD countries are expected to spend a yearly budget of 2% of their GDP on green industrial policies in the coming years, a tenfold increase from pre-COVID times. As governments in advanced economies multiply efforts to combat climate change and restore the prospects of the middle class in their countries, they risk closing traditional global pathways to development.

How can we accelerate climate mitigation while reducing global poverty and protecting workers and consumers in advanced economies?

Speakers: Gilberto Tomazoni, Dani Rodrik, Haslinda Amin, Teresa Ribera, Al Gore

The 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum will provide a crucial space to focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency and accountability.

This Annual Meeting will welcome over 100 governments, all major international organizations, 1000 Forum’s Partners, as well as civil society leaders, experts, youth representatives, social entrepreneurs, and news outlets.

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/
YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/wef
Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/worldeconomicforum/
X ► https://twitter.com/wef
LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-economic-forum
TikTok ► https://www.tiktok.com/@worldeconomicforum
Flipboard ► https://flipboard.com/@WEF

#Davos2025 #WorldEconomicForum #wef25

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odUlRvV1UG8

MIL OSI Video –

February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: South Africa’s malnutrition crisis: why a cheaper basket of healthy food is the answer
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Julian May, Director DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security, University of the Western Cape

The death in early February of a 9-year-old South African boy, Alti Willard, who drank poison while scavenging for food in rubbish bins with his father, is a tragic reflection of the persistent food insecurity crisis in the country.

A child dying while trying to avert starvation is hard to comprehend, given the country’s economic and natural resources. South African has the capability to feed the entire nation. But it is grappling with a triple burden of malnutrition, comprising under-nutrition and hunger, micronutrient deficiencies, and unhealthy diets.

According to the most recent Food and Nutrition Security Survey, conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), food insecurity affects 63.5% of households in the country – 17.5% of them severely. Food insecurity is not just a matter of inadequate access to food. It is deeply intertwined with child malnutrition, meaning that food security is not just about having enough food; it’s about having nourishing food for children.

The link between household food insecurity and child malnutrition is stark. Among households with at least one child under the age of five suffering from stunting, food insecurity rates reach 83.3%.

Alarmingly, 1,000 children die each year due to preventable acute malnutrition. And 2.7 million children under six live in households where poverty levels prevent their basic nutritional needs from being met. Food poverty rates have worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. Food inflation has exacerbated the crisis.

The survey indicates that 28.8% of children under the age of five suffer from stunting, an indicator of chronic undernutrition. It means children are below the height expected for their age.

Read more: South Africa’s hunger problem is turning into a major health crisis

The South African Early Childhood Review 2024 reinforces these findings. This is an annual review of child development produced by the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town and Ilifa Labantwana, an early childhood development NGO. It highlights a rise in child malnutrition, particularly severe acute malnutrition. Between 2020 and 2023, these cases increased by 33%, with 15,000 children requiring hospitalisation in 2022/23 alone.

Based on our extensive research experience, policy advice and activism in food security, we argue that food insecurity transcends mere food supply issues. It is deeply intertwined with systemic inequality, food system dynamics, poverty and failures in policy.

Tackling these crises will need a profound change in the approach to food and nutrition security. It requires a shift from temporary relief measures such as the social relief of distress grant to sustainable, structural solutions that lower the cost of a healthy food basket. That would mean no child would have to search for sustenance in refuse bins.

Any solution so far?

South Africa has the highest number of people who relay on social grants. Some of these are aimed at addressing food insecurity and nutrition, particularly among children. Despite these safety nets, food insecurity persists, suggesting that they are either inadequately resourced or poorly targeted.

The grants include:
- Social grants: About 58% of children aged 14 and younger receive social grants, primarily through the child support grant. However, the youngest children, especially infants, are most likely to be excluded from the grant due to delays in registering infants after birth.
Read more: Poor South African households can’t afford nutritious food – what can be done

Enrolling eligible infants from birth requires better coordination between government departments. However, due to the size of the grant relative to the cost of ensuring child nutrition, and competing demands on the grant from other household needs such as housing and clothing, the grants are not enough to alleviate food insecurity.

Volunteers from the charity Hunger Has No Religion prepare hotdogs for hungry people in Coronationville, Johannesburg. Luca Sola/AFP via Getty Images.
- School and early childhood development feeding programmes: The National School Nutrition Programme reaches over 9 million children annually. Evidence suggests that children in these programmes have better nutritional outcomes than those who are not.
- Community and NGO initiatives: While home, school and community gardens, community kitchens and NGO-driven food relief programmes provide support, they lack sustainability and reach.
What needs to be done?

The HSRC and South Africa Early Childhood Review 2024 highlight the urgent need for comprehensive, multi-sectoral solutions:

Read more: 47% of South Africans rely on social grants – study reveals how they use them to generate more income
- Increase the value of the child support grant, currently R530 (US$28 a month, to align with the cost of a thrifty healthy basket of R945 (US$51).
- Ensure infants and young children are enrolled in the child support grant from birth through better collaboration between the departments of health, home affairs and social development. The recent reduction in the visa backlog shows what can be achieved.
- Establish the national multi-sectoral food security coordination body proposed in the National Food and Nutrition Security Plan to streamline policies across different government departments. Brazil followed a similar approach with success.
- Expand early childhood development nutrition programmes, register informal early childhood development centres, and increase subsidies to improve food provision in these centres.
- Address gender inequalities in food security by ensuring better economic opportunities for women engaged in food trade, including street vending, who are more likely to be heads of household.
- Expand community-based health services, using community health workers to monitor child growth and nutrition at the household level.
- Address neglected dimensions of food insecurity.
Read more: Africa’s worsening food crisis – it’s time for an agricultural revolution

For example, poverty negatively affects caregivers’ mental health, which in turn affects child nutrition. Caregivers experiencing food insecurity have higher levels of depression and hopelessness. This potentially affects their capacity to provide the care and attention that children require. Expanding income support and community health services to caregivers can mitigate this cycle.

Disabled children and caregivers are another example. They face additional challenges and must be specifically targeted for tailored support.

Finally, children of seasonal farmworkers are highly vulnerable when their caregivers are without employment and not receiving unemployment insurance fund payments. Immediate food relief can prevent fluctuations in the quality and quantity of their diets.

– South Africa’s malnutrition crisis: why a cheaper basket of healthy food is the answer
– https://theconversation.com/south-africas-malnutrition-crisis-why-a-cheaper-basket-of-healthy-food-is-the-answer-250308

MIL OSI Africa –
February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: South Africa’s malnutrition crisis: why a cheaper basket of healthy food is the answer
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Julian May, Director DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security, University of the Western Cape

The death in early February of a 9-year-old South African boy, Alti Willard, who drank poison while scavenging for food in rubbish bins with his father, is a tragic reflection of the persistent food insecurity crisis in the country.

A child dying while trying to avert starvation is hard to comprehend, given the country’s economic and natural resources. South African has the capability to feed the entire nation. But it is grappling with a triple burden of malnutrition, comprising under-nutrition and hunger, micronutrient deficiencies, and unhealthy diets.

According to the most recent Food and Nutrition Security Survey, conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), food insecurity affects 63.5% of households in the country – 17.5% of them severely. Food insecurity is not just a matter of inadequate access to food. It is deeply intertwined with child malnutrition, meaning that food security is not just about having enough food; it’s about having nourishing food for children.

The link between household food insecurity and child malnutrition is stark. Among households with at least one child under the age of five suffering from stunting, food insecurity rates reach 83.3%.

Alarmingly, 1,000 children die each year due to preventable acute malnutrition. And 2.7 million children under six live in households where poverty levels prevent their basic nutritional needs from being met. Food poverty rates have worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. Food inflation has exacerbated the crisis.

The survey indicates that 28.8% of children under the age of five suffer from stunting, an indicator of chronic undernutrition. It means children are below the height expected for their age.

Read more:
South Africa’s hunger problem is turning into a major health crisis

The South African Early Childhood Review 2024 reinforces these findings. This is an annual review of child development produced by the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town and Ilifa Labantwana, an early childhood development NGO. It highlights a rise in child malnutrition, particularly severe acute malnutrition. Between 2020 and 2023, these cases increased by 33%, with 15,000 children requiring hospitalisation in 2022/23 alone.

Based on our extensive research experience, policy advice and activism in food security, we argue that food insecurity transcends mere food supply issues. It is deeply intertwined with systemic inequality, food system dynamics, poverty and failures in policy.

Tackling these crises will need a profound change in the approach to food and nutrition security. It requires a shift from temporary relief measures such as the social relief of distress grant to sustainable, structural solutions that lower the cost of a healthy food basket. That would mean no child would have to search for sustenance in refuse bins.

Any solution so far?

South Africa has the highest number of people who relay on social grants. Some of these are aimed at addressing food insecurity and nutrition, particularly among children. Despite these safety nets, food insecurity persists, suggesting that they are either inadequately resourced or poorly targeted.

The grants include:
- Social grants: About 58% of children aged 14 and younger receive social grants, primarily through the child support grant. However, the youngest children, especially infants, are most likely to be excluded from the grant due to delays in registering infants after birth.
Read more:
Poor South African households can’t afford nutritious food – what can be done

Enrolling eligible infants from birth requires better coordination between government departments. However, due to the size of the grant relative to the cost of ensuring child nutrition, and competing demands on the grant from other household needs such as housing and clothing, the grants are not enough to alleviate food insecurity.
- School and early childhood development feeding programmes: The National School Nutrition Programme reaches over 9 million children annually. Evidence suggests that children in these programmes have better nutritional outcomes than those who are not.
- Community and NGO initiatives: While home, school and community gardens, community kitchens and NGO-driven food relief programmes provide support, they lack sustainability and reach.
What needs to be done?

The HSRC and South Africa Early Childhood Review 2024 highlight the urgent need for comprehensive, multi-sectoral solutions:

Read more:
47% of South Africans rely on social grants – study reveals how they use them to generate more income
- Increase the value of the child support grant, currently R530 (US$28 a month, to align with the cost of a thrifty healthy basket of R945 (US$51).
- Ensure infants and young children are enrolled in the child support grant from birth through better collaboration between the departments of health, home affairs and social development. The recent reduction in the visa backlog shows what can be achieved.
- Establish the national multi-sectoral food security coordination body proposed in the National Food and Nutrition Security Plan to streamline policies across different government departments. Brazil followed a similar approach with success.
- Expand early childhood development nutrition programmes, register informal early childhood development centres, and increase subsidies to improve food provision in these centres.
- Address gender inequalities in food security by ensuring better economic opportunities for women engaged in food trade, including street vending, who are more likely to be heads of household.
- Expand community-based health services, using community health workers to monitor child growth and nutrition at the household level.
- Address neglected dimensions of food insecurity.
Read more:
Africa’s worsening food crisis – it’s time for an agricultural revolution

For example, poverty negatively affects caregivers’ mental health, which in turn affects child nutrition. Caregivers experiencing food insecurity have higher levels of depression and hopelessness. This potentially affects their capacity to provide the care and attention that children require. Expanding income support and community health services to caregivers can mitigate this cycle.

Disabled children and caregivers are another example. They face additional challenges and must be specifically targeted for tailored support.

Finally, children of seasonal farmworkers are highly vulnerable when their caregivers are without employment and not receiving unemployment insurance fund payments. Immediate food relief can prevent fluctuations in the quality and quantity of their diets.

Julian May receives funding from the National Research Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). He is a National Planning Commissioner (NPC) and serves on the Council of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). He was chair of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Food and Nutrition Security Survey and the NPC lead on the Early Childhood Review, 2024.

Thokozani Simelane received funding from the Department of Agriculture. This was for the National Food and Nutrition Security Survey on which the article is partially based. He was the principal investigator of the National Food and Nutrition Security Survey. He is a member of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) Community of Practice that is developing the research and innovation standard for higher education institutions in South Africa.

– ref. South Africa’s malnutrition crisis: why a cheaper basket of healthy food is the answer – https://theconversation.com/south-africas-malnutrition-crisis-why-a-cheaper-basket-of-healthy-food-is-the-answer-250308
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Kenya Upgrades East Africa’s busiest trade and transport route from Kwa Jomvu to Mariakani Under Global Gateway Initiative
Source: European Investment Bank
- Key road upgrade will predominantly increase two lane carriageway to four and six lane dual carriageway.
- The project will contribute to improving road safety, reducing emissions and boosting regional trade.
- The EUR 140 million (Ksh 19 billion) project is receiving Team Europe support with a €50 million (Ksh 6.8 billion) loan from EIB Global, a €50 million (Ksh 6.8 billion) loan from KfW, a €20 million (Ksh 2.7 billion) grant from the EU, and approximately €20 million (Ksh 2.7 billion) from the Government of Kenya.
The European Investment Bank (EIB Global), the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Kenya and the German Development Bank (KfW) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), together with President William Ruto, launched the works for upgrading of the road section from Kwa-Jomvu to Mariakani, in the Southeast of Kenya. The works involve converting the predominantly two-lane road to a four and six lane dual carriageway.

Within the Mombasa – Mariakani area, the road forms the main axis to Nairobi, and is part of the Northern Corridor, which links the port of Mombasa with the landlocked Eastern and Central African countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The road rehabilitation and upgrade are part of the Global Gateway EU – Africa Strategy. In a Team Europe approach, EIB Global and KFW are supporting the project with concessional loans of up to €100 million (Ksh 13.6 billion), while EU is providing a grant of €20 million (Ksh 2.7 billion). The Kenyan Government is contributing with approximately €20 million (Kshs 2.7 billion).

Upon completion, the upgraded road will benefit an average of 20,000 vehicles per day travelling through Mariakani. Moreover, the enhancement of the road will contribute to reducing emissions and the number of road accidents.

Speaking during the launch ceremony in Mariakani, President William Ruto said: “I would like to thank our Team Europe partners for their support in developing as well as expanding this road infrastructure which will ease movement of goods to and from the port, thus increasing efficiency.”

The EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Sikela said:” This Global Gateway project is a great example of quality infrastructure made possible by the cooperation between the Kenyan government and the European union. Together, we are not just building infrastructure, we are accelerating Kenya’s economic development and supporting trade co-operation in the East African Community more broadly.”

European Investment Bank Vice President, Thomas Östros commented on the launch: “Sustainable transport is key to growth and inclusion as it connects people and enables trade. Projects such as this one brings together important aspects of sustainability and safety, as well as accessibility, resilience, and efficiency. Road transport plays an important role in the Kenyan economy, affecting all sectors – and society as a whole. At the EIB, we are glad to support the national government in realizing its development agenda, which is in line with the EU-Kenya partnership strategy and the Global Gateway initiative.”

The Director of the German Development Bank (KfW) in Nairobi, Kristina Laarmann highlighted: “We all know that the Mombasa port serves as a major gateway for East Africa by connecting Kenya to significant trade routes in East and Central Africa. This is why this project is so important. It will not only create jobs during the construction phase. It will also stimulate job opportunities and local businesses after completion. By widening the carriageways, traffic jams and the average time to pass the road section will be reduced. Ultimately, this shall also lead to a reduction in transport costs and savings in vehicle operating costs.”

The Kwa Jomvu – Mariakani project is part of the wider upgrading of the Northern Corridor, which is East Africa’s busiest trade and transport route. This is part of the EU Global Gateway transport investment that also includes the ongoing Mombasa – Kilifi Road and Kitale – Morpus road, while the upgrading of Isebania-Kisii-Ahero highway and associated feeder roads have been completed.

The road project feeds into the European Union’s wider support for the creation of twelve strategic transport corridors across Africa under the €150 billion Global Gateway EU-Africa Investment package to boost trade.

Background information

About EIB Global:

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives.

EIB Global is the EIB Group’s specialised arm devoted to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner in Global Gateway. We aim to support €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027, around one third of the overall target of this EU initiative. With Team Europe, EIB Global fosters strong, focused partnerships, alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the Group closer to people, companies and institutions through our offices around the world.

About KfW:

KfW Bankengruppe, founded in 1948, is the German promotional bank and one of the world’s leading promotional banks. It is 80% owned by the Federal Government and 20% by the federal states. The business sector KfW Development Bank carries out Financial Cooperation (FC) projects with developing countries and emerging economies on behalf of the German Federal Government, especially of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). KfW Development Bank employs approximately 1,200 people at the head office in Frankfurt am Main as well as 400 specialists at more than 60 international locations, who cooperate with partners all over the world. Their goal is to combat poverty, secure peace, protect the environment and the climate as well as ensure fair globalization. KfW Development Bank is a competent and strategic adviser for current development policy issues.

About EU:

The European Union has set out the Global Gateway, which is a new European Strategy that helps its partners build better connectivity infrastructure for any society. With this strategy the EU is creating sustainable and trusted connections for people and the planet to tackle the most pressing global challenges from climate change and protecting the environment, to improving health security and boosting competitiveness and global supply chains.

In Kenya, the European Union has cooperated in the transport sector for more than 30 years. This has delivered significant improvements for the Northern and Ethiopia/South Sudan corridors as well as improvements in Rural and Urban Roads. More than €550 million have been provided as EU grants, which have enabled and strengthened the trade flows between Kenya and its neighbours.

For More Information:

EU-Africa: Global Gateway Investment Package

EU-Africa: Global Gateway Investment Package – Strategic Corridors
MIL OSI Europe News –
February 28, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: London leaders unveil Growth Plan to turbocharge productivity and add more than £100bn to London’s economy
Source: Mayor of London
- London Growth Plan aims to put an extra £11k a year in the pocket of every Londoner and provide £27bn extra tax revenue to fund vital public services in the capital and across the country
- The plan targets restoring London’s productivity growth back to 2% per year – making London’s economy £107bn larger by 2035
- Plan’s inclusive growth ambitions include a 20% rise in household income for the lowest earning 20% of Londoners
- £21m additional funding this year will revitalise local high streets
- The Mayor and London Councils issue joint call on UK Government for more investment and devolution to boost local and national growth
The Mayor of London and London Councils have come together today (Thursday 27 February 2025) with local leaders from business, education and the voluntary sector to launch a bold new plan to turbocharge economic growth and increase prosperity across the capital.

Developed together with London & Partners – in collaboration with businesses, trade unions and London’s communities – the London Growth Plan sets out a blueprint to kickstart the capital’s productivity, which has flatlined since the 2008 global financial crisis.

The plan aims to restore productivity growth to an average of two per cent a year in the next decade, which would make London’s economy £107bn* larger by 2035 and put an extra £11,000 on average in the pockets of the near-nine million Londoners. This would also mean the capital contributing an extra £27.5bn in taxes to the Treasury in 2035, providing vital revenues for investment in public services.

London’s productivity grew by an average of 3.16 per cent each year between 1998 and 2007, but between 2008 and 2022, average productivity growth was just 0.12 per cent a year. Growing productivity is the key to higher wages, higher living standards and increased investment in public services in London and across the UK.

The new plan focuses on inclusive economic growth to make sure that more Londoners can contribute to and benefit from the capital’s success. Helping more Londoners into work, bringing down housing costs and improving public transport are all vital to reducing poverty in London, improving living standards and driving growth. The plan aims to achieve a 20 per cent rise in the household weekly income (after housing costs) of the lowest earning 20 per cent of Londoners – which would mean more than a million London households would have an extra £50 to spend each week, on average, after paying for housing costs.

The London Growth Plan outlines huge opportunities for turbocharging the capital’s economy and harnessing the growth potential of sectors such as AI, life sciences, robotics, clean tech, quantum computing and the creative industries. Key drivers to deliver the plan’s growth ambitions for the capital include a renewed focus on nurturing world-class talent, helping Londoners get the skills they need for productive careers, backing business innovation with new investment and technology, taking a bolder approach to housing and infrastructure, and reinvigorating London’s local high streets.

A long-term strategic relationship between London and the UK Government will be a crucial part of delivering the plan. London is the engine of the UK economy and, with national support, this plan can harness its economic power and potential for the benefit of all Londoners and the whole country, helping to fund investment in public services across Britain.

Priorities in the London Growth Plan include:
- Backing business: London government will help to power ‘industrial innovation corridors’ around the capital – supporting new space, facilities and infrastructure to ensure innovation can thrive. This will build on the potential of the WestTech Corridor (anchored in White City going through Old Oak and Park Royal), the UK Innovation Corridor (anchored in the Knowledge Quarter going towards Cambridge) and the Thames Estuary (anchored in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park going out to Essex and Kent). A new proposed London Tech and Inclusive Growth Fund could provide up to £100m loan and equity funding for high-growth small and midsize enterprises.
- Talent and skills: An Inclusive Talent Strategy will build the capital’s skilled workforce to unleash the potential of Londoners and – in turn – London’s economy. This will help create at least 150,000 high quality jobs, with a focus on fair pay and good work, to deliver Mayoral manifesto commitments. As well as supporting more people into work and ensuring all Londoners can get the skills or training needed to progress their careers, the strategy will help attract world-class talent to study and work in the capital. New rent-controlled Key Worker Homes will also help London to attract and retain its essential workforce.
- Housing and infrastructure: Local leaders will work with UK Government to extend and upgrade London’s public transport network, prioritising transformational projects to unlock new affordable homes and growth – including the Docklands Light Railway extension to Thamesmead, the Bakerloo line extension and the West London Orbital. The plan also calls for more devolution of London’s suburban rail services. This will be reinforced by the next London Plan, which will prioritise growth, increase housing delivery and ensure better digital connectivity.
- Inward investment and promotion: London will take the lead in implementing national reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme, exploring the development of a major joint fund to invest in places that encourage innovation, including venture capital. The plan will also support London’s goal to be a net-zero city by 2030, attracting significant institutional capital for green infrastructure. There will be support to set up a new quantum tech incubator, London Life Sciences Week will be backed to become a key global event for the sector, and London leaders will explore a new business visitor centre to promote the capital’s world-leading offer by bringing companies together with agencies and developers.
- High streets and local economies: £21m additional funding this year will support boroughs with town centre regeneration, including potentially creating a publicly owned High Street Estate Agency to bring empty properties back into use. The plan also reiterates the Mayor’s commitment to revitalising neighbourhood policing so that the capital’s high streets always feel welcoming and safe.
Delivering the London Growth Plan will be a genuine partnership between the Mayor, local government leaders and central government, working in coalition with universities, incubators, accelerators, venture capitalists, innovation districts, corporate innovators, capital markets and international investors.

London’s leaders want central government to help unleash the capital’s economic potential by giving the Mayor and boroughs more freedoms to fund their own growth priorities, and the flexibility to spend money in the best way to drive good growth. This is on top of continuing to lobby the Government to secure agreements with our biggest international trading partners that ensure London’s key sectors can continue to grow and thrive.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “This growth plan provides a golden opportunity to turbocharge growth and unlock London’s full potential – for the benefit of all Londoners and the whole country.

“It’s a blueprint for how we can help to create 150,000 good jobs, build more affordable homes, deliver major new transport upgrades and skill up Londoners for the well-paid jobs of tomorrow. From AI, life sciences and climate tech to our financial and creative industries, London is home to many of the best businesses in the world, which we want to back to grow and thrive over the next decade.

“Ultimately, growth means little if people cannot feel the benefits or see the positive change it brings to their area. So our goal is to deliver economic growth in every corner of our city that helps to raise living standards, puts more money in people’s pockets and enables us to invest in our public services, as we continue to build a fairer and more prosperous London for all.”

Cllr Claire Holland, leader of London Councils, added: “The London Growth Plan is a blueprint to drive inclusive economic growth in the capital and across the UK, boosting productivity and ensuring more Londoners can feel the benefits of growth.

“It sets out our ambitions to unleash growth in the industries of the future, deliver new housing and infrastructure to support the London economy, and develop a new Inclusive Talent Strategy, helping more people to get into work and get the skills they need to progress.

“Boroughs are resolutely pro-growth and are committed to working with business, the Mayor of London and national government to turbocharge growth in every corner of our city.”

Laura Citron, chief executive of London & Partners, concluded: “This is a huge moment for our city: a shared vision, a clear plan, and now the momentum to make it happen. As the capital’s growth agency, we’ll be working closely with investors, entrepreneurs, partners, and places across the city to drive growth for London and Londoners – attracting investment, scaling our businesses, bringing in visitors and world-class events, while telling London’s story brilliantly. Our city is built on reinvention, and this is our next big chapter.”

London’s universities and research institutes will be key partners in nurturing the talent and innovation required to deliver the Plan’s growth targets. The Plan highlights University College London’s Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory and Imperial’s recent purchase of the Victoria Industrial Estate in the proposed WestTech innovation corridor as examples of the specialist spaces needed to support inclusive growth.

Prof Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, said: “Universities like Imperial play a critical role in attracting and nurturing world-class talent, fuelling inclusive growth, and strengthening London’s position as a global leader in innovation. That’s why the best innovation ecosystems have world-renowned research universities at their heart.

“The WestTech Corridor, anchored by Imperial College London, will be central to delivering the Mayor’s ambitious London Growth Plan, driving a vibrant innovation ecosystem in West London and acting as a powerful engine for investment, economic growth and job creation across the UK and the wider world.”

Dr Michael Spence, President and Provost at UCL, said: “Innovation, driven by universities working with local government and businesses, has huge potential to spur growth and create jobs in London. The London Growth Plan reflects the importance of universities like UCL in helping to attract, nurture and realise inclusive growth in our capital city.

“UCL’s campuses are at the heart of London’s innovation corridors, driving the talent pipeline alongside our cutting-edge facilities delivering world class research. Within ten minutes of our Bloomsbury campus, one of the world’s largest and most collaborative innovation districts is taking shape in the Knowledge Quarter, with huge potential to bring together life science, technology, healthcare and academia in one place. On Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, UCL East is at the heart of the UK’s newest culture and learning quarter at East Bank, a driving force behind cultural and creative industries innovation and regeneration in London.”

The newly published London Growth Plan has also been welcomed by leading voices from across the capital’s business community.

Karim Fatehi OBE, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “LCCI welcomes the Mayor’s London Growth Plan to maximise London’s economic potential and maintain its position as the best city in the world to do business. Businesses of all sizes are the lifeblood of the London economy, and measures such as the London Tech and Inclusive Growth fund will help them grow and attract investment.

“We especially welcome the Growth Plan’s focus on skills – giving Londoners access to industry-relevant training, employment and careers support. This inclusive strategy will ensure London’s economic success means prosperity for all Londoners.”

Laura Timm, London Policy Representative at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “FSB is delighted to see a strong, ambitious and upbeat Growth Plan that hones in on three key FSB drivers for small business growth—namely, access to targeted finance, cultivating a high-functioning skills system, and presenting opportunities for small firms to win public procurement contracts.

“Over 99 per cent of all firms in the capital are small in size but significant in growth potential. We look forward to working with the Mayor of London, the Deputy Mayor for Business and other stakeholders in implementing the Growth Plan – which we hope will create the environment that helps a local small firm take on their first apprentice, seal an exporting opportunity, and tackle the scourge of business crimes up and down our high streets.”

John Dickie, Chief Executive of Business LDN, said: “The bold ambitions set out in the London Growth Plan rightly focus on unlocking the city’s full potential so that businesses can succeed and Londoners thrive. Delivering on this agenda will require the city to double down on existing efforts to tackle barriers to inclusive growth such as housing and skills where we have the agency to act.

“The Government needs to ensure London has the tools it needs to turbocharge growth and help the UK get out of the economic slow lane. This means stepping up by providing long-term, flexible funding to unlock vital infrastructure and affordable housing so that the city remains an attractive place to live, work, visit and do business.”

Read more at www.growthplan.london.
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
February 28, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Eugene Doyle: Yellow Peril! Red Peril! ‘We cannot hide anymore’. Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea.

Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle

The Western media went into overdrive this week to work the laconic Kiwis into a mild frenzy over three Chinese naval vessels conducting exercises in the Tasman Sea a few thousand kilometres off our shores.

What was really behind this orchestrated campaign?

The New Zealand government led the rhetorical charge over the Hengyang, the Zunyi and the Weishanhu in mare nostrum (“Our Sea”, as the Romans liked to call the Mediterranean).

“We cannot hide at this end of the world anymore,” Defence Minister Judith Collins said in light of three Chinese boats in the Tasman.

Warrior academics were next . “We need to go to the cutting edge, and we need to do that really, really fast,” the ever-reliable China hawk Anne-Marie Brady of Canterbury University said, telling 1 News the message of the live-firing exercises was that China wants to rule the waves.

The British Financial Times chimed in with a warning that “A confronting strategic future is arriving fast”.

Could this have anything to do with the fact we are fast approaching the New Zealand government’s 2025 budget and that they — and their Australian, US and UK allies — are intent on a major increase in Kiwi defence funding, moving from around 1.2 percent of GDP to possibly two percent? A long-anticipated Defence Capability Review is also around the corner and is likely to come with quite a shopping list of expensive gear.

The New Zealand government led the rhetorical charge over the Hengyang, the Zunyi and the Weishanhu in mare nostrum (“Our Sea”, as the Romans liked to call the Mediterranean). Image: www.solidarity.co.nz

What’s good for the goose . . .
It is worth pointing out that New Zealand and Australian warships sailed through the contested Taiwan Strait and elsewhere in the South China Sea as recently as September 2024. What’s good for the goose is good for the Panda.

And, of course, at any one time about 20 US nuclear submarines are prowling in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean and South China Sea. Each can carry missiles the equivalent of over 1000 Hiroshima bombs — truly apocalyptic.

Veteran New Zealand peace campaigner Mike Smith (a friend) was not in total disagreement with the hawks when it came to the argy-bargy in the Tasman.

“The emergence apparently from nowhere of a Chinese naval expedition in our waters I think may be intended to demonstrate that they have a large and very capable blue water navy now and won’t be penned in by AUKUS submarines when and if they arrive off their coast.

“I think the main message is to the Australians: if you want to homebase nuclear-capable B-52s we have more than one way to come at you. That was also the message of the ICBM they sent into the Pacific: Australia is no longer an unsinkable aircraft carrier.”

According to the Asia Times, China fired the ICBM — the first such shot into the Pacific by China — just days after HMNZS Aotearoa sailed through the Taiwan Strait with Australian vessel HMAS Sydney.

Smith says our focus should be on building positive relationships in the Pacific on our terms. “Buying expensive popguns will not save us.”

China Scare a page out of Australia’s Red Scare playbook
For people good at pattern recognition this week’s China Scare was obviously a page or two out of the same playbook that duped a majority of Australians into believing China was going to invade Australia. They were lulled into a false sense of insecurity back in 2021 — the mediascape flooded with Red Alert, China panic stories about imminent war with the rising Asian power.

As a sign of how successful the mainstream media can be in generating fear that precedes major policy shifts: research by Australia’s Institute of International & Security Affairs showed that more Australians thought that China would soon attack Australia than Taiwanese believed China would attack Taiwan!

Once the population was conditioned, they woke one morning in September 2021 with the momentous news that Australia had ditched a $90 billion submarine defence deal with France and the country was now part of a new anti-Chinese military alliance called AUKUS. This was the playbook that came to mind last week.

There are strong, rational arguments that could be made to increase our spending at this time. But I loathe and decry this kind of manipulation, this manufacturing of consent.

I also fear what those billions of dollars will be used for. Defending our coastlines is one thing; joining an anti-Chinese military alliance to please the US is quite another.

Prime Minister Luxon has called China — our biggest trading partner — a strategic competitor. He has also suggested, somewhat ludicrously, that our military could be a “force multiplier” for Team AUKUS.

We are hitching ourselves to the US at the very time they have proven they treat allies as vassals, threatened to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal, continue to commit genocide in Gaza, and are now imposing an unequal treaty on Ukraine.

[embedded content]
Australia’s ABC News on Foreign Minister Winston Peter’s talks in China. Video: ABC

Whose side – or calmer independence?
Whose side should we be on? Or should we return to a calmer, more independent posture?

And then there’s the question of priorities. The hawks may convince the New Zealand population that the China threat is serious enough that we should forgo spending money on child poverty, fixing our ageing infrastructure, investing in health and education and instead, as per pressure from our AUKUS partners, spend some serious coin — billions of dollars more — on defence.

Climate change is one battle that is being fought and lost. Will climate funding get the bullet so we can spend on military hardware? That would certainly get a frosty reaction from Pacific nations at the front edge of sea rise.

The government in New Zealand is literally taking the food out of children’s mouths to fund weapons systems. The Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme provides nutritious lunches every day to a quarter of a million of New Zealand’s most needy children.

Its funding has recently been slashed by over $100 million by the government despite its own advisors telling it that such programmes have profound long-term wellbeing benefits and contribute significantly to equity. In the next breath we are told we need to boost funding for our military.

The US appears determined to set itself on a collision course with China but we don’t have to be crash test dummies sitting alongside them. Prudence, preparedness, vigilance and risk-management are all to be devoutly wished for; hitching our fate to a hostile US containment strategy is bad policy both in economic and defence terms.

In the absence of a functioning media — one that showcases diverse perspectives and challenges power rather than works hand-in-glove with it — populations have been enlisted in the most abhorrent and idiotic campaigns: the Red Peril, the Jewish Peril and the Black Peril (in South Africa and the southern states of the USA), to name three.

Our media-political-military complex is at it again with this one — a kind of Yellow Peril Redux.

New Zealand trails behind both Australia and China in development assistance to the Pacific. If we wish to “counter” China, supporting our neighbours would be a better investment than encouraging an unwinnable arms race.

In tandem, I would advocate for a far deeper diplomatic and cultural push to understand and engage with China; that would do more to keep the region peaceful and may arrest the slow move in China towards seeking other markets for the high-quality primary produce that an increasingly bellicose New Zealand still wishes to sell them.

Let’s be friends to all, enemies of none. Keep the Pacific peaceful, neutral and nuclear-free.

Eugene Doyle is a community organiser and activist in Wellington, New Zealand. He received an Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian award in 2023 for community service. His first demonstration was at the age of 12 against the Vietnam War. This article was first published at his public policy website Solidarity and he is a regular contributor to Asia Pacific Report and Café Pacific.

This article was first published on Café Pacific.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Diamond Mining Drives Angola’s Economic Growth Agenda

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 27, 2025/APO Group/ —

Angola is aiming to increase diamond production to 17.53 million carats by 2027 as part of its National Development Plan 2023–2027, planning to leverage mining revenues to boost food security, employment creation and poverty reduction.

The country expects diamond revenue to rise from $1.4 billion in 2024 to $2.1 billion in 2025, increasing the sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP. With over 24 operational diamond mines, 54 exploration projects and strong governmental support for industry expansion, Angola’s diamond sector presents an opportunity for economic transformation.

The upcoming African Mining Week (AMW) – Africa’s premier event for the mining sector – will showcase lucrative diamond prospects in both well-established and emerging markets across Africa, including in Angola.

Unlocking Angola’s Untapped Potential

Recent discoveries, project launches and foreign investments underscore Angola’s potential as a global diamond mining powerhouse. According to state diamond firm ENDIAMA, the country holds over 732 million carats (https://apo-opa.co/4gU61Zy) of untapped diamond reserves valued at more than $140 billion. To capitalize on these resources, ENDIAMA will launch a diamond production and processing pilot at the Luachimba facility in 2025, reinforcing the sector’s contribution to sustainable development. Additionally, mine development and feasibility studies at the Xamacanda facility are underway as ENDIAMA seeks to expand independent production.

Strategic Investments and Global Partnerships

In November 2024, Maden International Group, a subsidiary of the Sovereign Fund of the Sultanate of Oman, entered the Angolan market by acquiring stakes in Catoca and Luele Mines from Russia’s Alrosa. The milestone introduces fresh capital and expertise, potentially unlocking Angola’s greater diamond production and GDP expansion. Further affirming Angola’s potential, De Beers announced in October 2024 the discovery of eight new diamond project targets as part of its ongoing exploration activities. The discovery follows a strategic partnership with ENDIAMA, Angola’s National Agency of Mineral Resources, Sodiam and the Institution of Geologists in Angola, to conduct airborne surveys, drilling and testing of new kimberlite targets. Angola is also assessing new diamond and critical mineral prospects in partnership with Rio Tinto.

High-Grade Diamond Discoveries

In August 2024, Lucapa Diamond Company discovered a 176-carat diamond at the Lulo Mine – one of the world’s largest – marking the fifth diamond over 100 carats found at the site in 2024. The discovery underscores Angola’s potential for high-grade diamond production, following 20 significant discoveries at Lulo in 2022.

Amid these market developments, AMW represents an ideal platform for global investors and mining stakeholders to connect with Angolan regulatory authorities and projects to explore the country’s vast diamond potential. AMW will facilitate investment discussions, deal signings and strategic partnerships, reinforcing Angola’s position as one of the world’s highly attractive diamond investment destinations.

African Mining Week serves as a premier platform for exploring the full spectrum of mining opportunities across Africa. The event is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energy 2025 conference (https://apo-opa.co/4ieTYqQ) from October 1 -3. in Cape Town. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com

MIL OSI Africa –

February 27, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China outlines priorities for rural reform, all-around revitalization

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

On Feb. 24, 2025, the State Council Information Office holds a press conference in Beijing on further deepening rural reform for solid gains in rural revitalization across the board. [Photo by Liu Jian/China SCIO]
As spring farming begins across the country, China released its annual rural policy blueprint on Sunday, referred to as the “No. 1 central document,” aiming to further deepen rural reform and advance all-round rural revitalization.
In order to expound on this document, the State Council Information Office held a press conference on Monday, which was attended by Han Wenxiu, deputy director in charge of routine work of the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission and director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group.
Han said that, with a focus on deepening rural reform, the document highlights two “bottom-line tasks” — ensuring the supply of grain and other important agricultural products and consolidating the achievements in poverty elimination — and four “key tasks” — developing local industries, advancing rural construction, improving the rural governance system, and optimizing the rural resource allocation system.

Villagers sow corn seeds and mulch a field in Buying village, Suining city, Sichuan province, Feb. 18, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
“China’s grain supply, overall, does not surpass demand; instead, it remains in a state of borderline sufficiency,” Han said. He emphasized that this year’s document continues placing the highest priority on ensuring national food security.
Han noted that, to ensure stable and bountiful grain production, China will make efforts to increase yield per unit and improve grain quality on the basis of stabilizing the area of land dedicated to grain cultivation this year.
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs shows that in 2024, China’s grain output exceeded 700 billion kilograms for the first time despite natural disasters, up 11.09 billion kilograms year on year.
Also speaking at the press conference, Zhu Weidong, deputy director of the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission and deputy director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, said that China will launch an inter-provincial compensation mechanism. Through this mechanism, the central government will coordinate the transfer of grain and compensation between grain-producing and grain-consuming provinces, so as to financially support major grain-producing areas.

Farmers work in a field in Yacha town of Baisha Li autonomous county, Hainan province, Feb. 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
According to the document, to consolidate the progress made in poverty eradication, China will strengthen monitoring and assistance mechanisms to prevent lapse or relapse into poverty, while enhancing the long-term management system for the substantial assistance assets accumulated through poverty alleviation efforts over time.
A database for registering and managing assistance assets will also be established, with a comprehensive supervision system outlining asset management responsibilities, Han noted.
He emphasized that, while this year marks the final year of the five-year transition period for effectively integrating the efforts to consolidate and build on the achievements in poverty alleviation with rural revitalization, “assistance policies will not abruptly cease after the transition but will be refined in categories.”
According to the document, mechanisms for preventing rural residents from lapsing or relapsing into poverty and a system of multi-tiered support for low-income rural residents and underdeveloped areas will be established.
“Preventing large-scale lapse or relapse into poverty is not just a task of this year, but a long-term, ongoing commitment that must be maintained beyond the transition period,” Han said.

An aerial drone photo taken on July 12, 2024 shows the Carp Brook scenic area in Puyuan village, Zhouning county, Fujian province. [Photo/Xinhua]
The document also emphasizes developing local industries tailored to specific conditions to boost income.
Official data reveals that last year, the per capita disposable income of farmers in poverty-alleviated counties grew faster than the national average; the per capita disposable income of rural residents reached 23,119 yuan, a real growth of 6.3% compared to the previous year; and the income gap between urban and rural residents further narrowed to a ratio of 2.34 to 1.
In terms of reforms for other key tasks, Zhu noted that efforts will be made to address the urgent needs of rural residents. Boarding schools and essential small-scale schools will be better run to optimize education resource allocation, the management of nutrition improvement plans for rural compulsory education students will be comprehensively enhanced, medical workers and services will be encouraged to move to rural areas, and the basic pension for both urban and rural residents will be gradually raised.
Moreover, more high-quality cultural and sports activities will be provided, and outdated customs like hefty bride prices will be gradually addressed.
Zhu said that China will move forward with well-organized trials to extend rural land contracts by another 30 years upon the expiration of the second-round contracts. Furthermore, he emphasized that urban residents are forbidden from purchasing rural houses and residential land, and the transfer of contracted land management rights must be conducted voluntarily, with compensation, and in accordance with the law.
Han noted that cities with the necessary resources are encouraged to gradually include agricultural migrants with stable employment in their urban housing security policies.
Han highlighted the document’s approach to talent development which combines local cultivation with the introduction of external expertise. He explained that the policy document emphasizes providing skills training for farmers while also creating a supportive environment and enhancing public services to attract talent who can contribute to rural development. “People are the key to rural revitalization,” he said.
Data shows that more than 12 million people nationwide have returned to their homes in rural areas or moved to rural areas to engage in entrepreneurial activities.

MIL OSI China News –

February 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Completes the First Review Under the Extended Credit Facility and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility with the Republic of Madagascar
Source: IMF – News in Russian

February 26, 2025
- The IMF Executive Board today completed the First Reviews under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangement for the Republic of Madagascar, allowing for an immediate disbursement of US$101 million.
- Madagascar’s performance under the ECF and RSF programs has been adequate albeit uneven. The implementation of an automatic fuel price adjustment mechanism will create fiscal space for social spending and investment. The reform of JIRAMA remains a priority.
Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed today the First Reviews under the 36-month Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement and under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangement. The ECF and RSF arrangements were approved by the IMF Executive Board in June 2024.

The completion of the reviews allows for the immediate disbursement of SDR 36.7 million (about US$48 million) under the ECF arrangement and of SDR 40.7 million (about US$53 million) under the RSF arrangement.

At the conclusion of the Executive Board discussion, Mr. Nigel Clarke, Deputy Managing Director, and Acting Chair, made the following statement:

“Madagascar continues to face important development needs amid its high poverty rate and vulnerability to climate shocks. A faster pace of reform is needed to spur growth, which remains well below its medium-term potential. Program performance at end-June 2024 was broadly assessed as mixed, stressing the need for continued strong political ownership to support program implementation.

“The continued implementation of the automatic fuel pricing mechanism will help contain fiscal risks and create space for more public investment and social spending. In addition, further efforts are needed to continue improving domestic revenue mobilization and firmly secure the financial recovery of JIRAMA.

“Reinforcing public financial and investment management processes is critical to improve budget execution and traceability. Better cash flow projections and management should facilitate spending and limit the accumulation of arrears. Continued improvements in governance, building on the ongoing Governance Diagnostic Assessment, and the implementation of the newly published Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2025-30 will support efforts to fight corruption and promote transparency.

“The central bank (BFM) should stand ready to raise its policy rates to keep inflation on a downward path. Further improvements in the liquidity management framework and better communication about monetary policy decisions would bolster BFM’s credibility.

“Further building adaptation and resilience to climate shocks as well as mobilizing climate finance should continue to be a key priority. The new decree on environmental and social impact assessments provides a framework to evaluate and select investment projects, which should be applied to new investments, including road projects.

IMF Communications Department

MEDIA RELATIONS

PRESS OFFICER: Tatiana Mossot

Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

@IMFSpokesperson

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/02/26/pr-2547-madagascar-imf-completes-the-1st-rev-under-ecf-rsf

MIL OSI
MIL OSI Russia News –
February 27, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Bridging Tax Gap Demands Urgent Attention, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Group of 20 Side Event

Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Group of 20 (G20) side event — Domestic Resource Mobilization: Bridging the Tax Gap, held in Cape Town, South Africa, today:

It is a pleasure to join you for this important discussion on domestic resource mobilization and bridging the tax gap. This challenge stands at the heart of financing sustainable development and demands our urgent attention.

We are not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have an estimated $4 trillion sustainable development financing gap annually. Domestic public finance is essential for financing the Sustainable Development Goals, increasing equity and strengthening macroeconomic stability.

Robust fiscal systems, including both tax and expenditure, drive economic growth, industrial transformation and environmental sustainability — contributing to alleviating poverty and reducing inequalities. Beyond raising revenue, taxation remains fundamental to fairness, trust and sovereignty.

Yet, after significant increases in taxation in developing countries in the decade before 2009, average tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratios for all developing country groups are below 2010 levels, remaining far below those of developed countries.

Successive shocks over the last two decades have severely impacted the mobilization of domestic resources for development. As global crises intensify, it becomes more critical than ever to increase countries’ taxation capabilities.

The good news is that there is a large unmet tax potential in many developing countries. Many Governments have invested in tax reforms, demonstrating how nations can unlock unmet potential.

Strengthening tax systems requires sustained investment in capacity development based on country needs and priorities. As economies evolve, so must tax systems.

The increasingly digitalized economy presents new opportunities but also poses new challenges to an international tax system that has been designed for traditional business models.

We must develop future-ready tax policies that ensure global fair taxation without imposing excessive burdens — both on taxpayers and tax authorities. Many organizations — including the UN, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Bank and regional and national tax bodies — are supporting countries in this effort.

Initiatives like Tax Inspectors Without Borders help countries enhance domestic revenue mobilization. The Addis Tax Initiative and broader multilateral and regional efforts provide platforms for collaboration, knowledge-sharing and technical assistance.

However, political will remains insufficient — with countries not investing enough in tax system reform and administration capacity, and donors not delivering promised assistance for supporting revenue mobilization.

The fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla in June offers a pivotal moment to turn commitments for domestic tax reforms into actions and make tax systems more fair, transparent, efficient and effective.

In our interconnected world, strengthening countries’ fiscal frameworks must go hand in hand with international tax cooperation. Every year, billions of dollars that should fund education, healthcare and infrastructure are lost to tax avoidance and evasion, illicit financial flows and financial crime.

Africa alone loses approximately $88.6 billion annually to illicit financial flows — around 3.7 per cent of the continent’s GDP — draining resources vital for economic development.

The G20 has played an important role in advancing tax transparency and tackling tax avoidance. Expanding the automatic exchange of information and enhancing transparency in beneficial ownership remain paramount.

But, more must be done to ensure that all countries — particularly those with limited administrative capacity — can fully participate in shaping global tax norms.

The ongoing negotiations on a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation present a historic opportunity for progress towards a fair, inclusive, and effective international tax system.

Through the Pact for the Future, Member States have committed to improving the inclusiveness and effectiveness of tax cooperation under the UN. Ensuring that international tax rules reflect the diverse needs, priorities and capacities of all countries is central to this effort.

The two early protocols in the UN Convention — on taxation of income from cross-border services in a digitalized and globalized economy and on preventing and resolving tax disputes — can demonstrate an inclusive and impactful approach.

The UN process can strengthen global cooperation, enhance legitimacy, certainty, resilience and fairness of international tax rules, while addressing challenges in domestic resource mobilization and ensuring that all countries have a seat at the table.

Today’s discussion is an opportunity to drive forward these critical issues. The United Nations remains fully committed to these efforts. Together, we can build a fairer, more transparent and more effective international tax system — one that provides every country with the means to invest in its future and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

February 27, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: State of the Planet speeches, 2025

Source: Green Party

At this year’s State of the Planet address, Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick announced the party’s plans to deliver a Green Budget this year to offer an alternative vision to the Government’s trickle-down economics and austerity politics.

Chlöe’s speech:

Mihi atu ki a koutou e pupuri tonu ana ki te mana o te whenua nei, tēnā koutou Ngāti Whātua.

Tēnā koutou, Auckland Central to the world.

Across the past year, I have been in front of dozens of audiences like this, and time and again, I have asked people one simple question.

I’ve asked people to raise their hand if they are excited about the future.

Every single time, fewer than half a dozen people in a sea of hundreds put their hand up.

This, my friends, is our problem.

Trickle-down politicians and their donors have spent at least forty years coming after our public services, our media and our democracy, but it’s clear now more than ever that their real target has been our hope.

The hope that better is possible.

These guys want you exhausted and angry and disillusioned. It means you’re disempowered. Too exhausted to think at the end of the work day.

Too angry to see the problem clearly.

Too disempowered to look around and see all the other exhausted and angry people, and to understand that if we all spent a moment to find our common problems and common solutions, everything could change.

So, conveniently, all across the world, after decades of privatising and underfunding the public services people need to live healthy lives and participate in society, after decades of creating the conditions of poverty and extreme vulnerability and isolation and mental ill health… After creating this exhaustion and anger and despair, the right wing knows those feelings have to go somewhere.

So they’ve painted targets.

Those painted targets are not the people actually responsible for causing poverty and homelessness and unemployment and understandable, deep rage.

No.

The chosen targets are indigenous peoples, fighting for survival after centuries of injustice and violent theft. Those chosen targets are our rainbow communities, who every day prove that all these social norms are just made up. The chosen targets are migrants – regular people, like you and me, who just want to provide for themselves, their families and their community.

Let me be crystal clear: if you’re struggling to get by, your beef isn’t with someone else struggling to get by.

Your beef is with the system that forces almost everyone you know into a life of struggle, and, more precisely, your beef is with those who profit from it.

It’s Pride Month. We’ve seen some of the most aggressive and intentional targeting of our takatapui, rainbow and queer community in a long time. Some of that has been driven by a self-declared apostle who

lives in a mansion and drives nice cars, funded by huge tithing from people without much to spare.

The followers of this self-declared apostle have been rejected from most of regular society time and again. Some of them have been scooped up into the flock after exiting prison, because after decades of successive Governments giving up on real rehabilitation, there simply isn’t anything or anywhere else.

So people who have nothing else, and nowhere else to belong, are given refuge.

And internal pain is warped outwards.

Instead of being channelled towards dismantling the rules that allow a handful of people to take an immense amount of wealth off the back of our collective work, that anger is – so conveniently for those profiteering from the status quo – channelled towards people just trying to live their own quite regular or quite fabulous, lives.

These extreme microcosms of hatred can teach us a lot about where we’re at as a society. More importantly, I think, when we peel back the distractions, it lays bare the solutions.

We cannot give up on our fellow human beings.

You do not get human rights because someone deems you worthy or good. You get human rights because you are human.

When we uphold each other’s basic dignity, no matter what, we create the conditions for connection and true justice.

We all need somewhere to belong, and human history tells us there’s almost always a politician or self-appointed apostle willing to capitalise on and warp rejection and fear and anger for their own personal gain.

The anger comes from a real place of material deprivation: housing insecurity, food insecurity, income insecurity. Straight up insecurity.

That anger can either destroy us as we fight each other, much to the entertainment of those laughing their way to the bank, or it can be turned into the solidarity necessary to change the rules of this game.

Our country is considered one of the wealthiest in the world on a per person basis.

So why can’t regular people afford to go to the dentist?

It’s not because of the gays, or the migrants, or tangata whenua.

It’s because that wealth isn’t fairly shared.

It’s because way back when the public health system was being created, the lobby was already so strong to privatise dentistry.

Why can’t regular people afford decent housing?

Because over decades, politicians and property speculators – sometimes one in the same – have made intentional decisions to sell off your human right to housing to the highest bidder.

And why is the planet that all of this is happening on being allowed to burn while billionaires pile up ill-gotten treasure?

Because almost everybody’s focus, understandably, is on just trying to get by. It’s hard to think about, let alone contend with, how a handful of people are ransacking the climate necessary for our collective survival in order to make a quick buck. You’re just out here trying to survive.

That’s what we mean when we say that the same economic system that’s exploiting people is also exploiting the planet.

What’s a right-wing government’s response to this exploitation and exhaustion? Well, obviously, it’s more exploitation and exhaustion. It’s more punishing beneficiaries and tax cuts for the rich.

It’s fast-tracking offshore profits plundered from our natural environment.

It’s banging the ‘growth’ drum while intentionally being silent on what kind of growth, and for whom.

Seriously. Just last week when we were in Parliament, I asked the Prime Minister why after decades of this “growth” he’s so fixated on, 10% of the people in this country own 60% of our nation’s wealth.

It will shock you to learn Christopher Luxon didn’t answer the question.

Instead, he went on and on about celebrating successful people.

That would maybe make sense if we were talking about people in isolation, which the right wing so desperately wants us to do.

But we’re not, and we can’t, because, my friends, we live in a society.

Poverty, and all the social ills that stem from it, don’t come from nowhere.

It comes from a tolerance of extreme inequality.

If you’re totally sweet with 311 households holding more wealth than the bottom two and a half million New Zealanders, you’re totally sweet with the child deprivation, homelessness and poor health that comes with it.

Inequality and poverty aren’t just connected: deep inequality creates poverty.

Where would all this pent-up anger go if it wasn’t directed to other people just struggling to get by? If hustle culture didn’t teach us to lap it all up in self loathing?

What if we realised our shared power in working together, instead of fighting each other?

If we ensured the wealthy paid their fair share, instead of swallowing trickle-down fairytales?

We don’t live in a game of Monopoly. We can and should change the rules when they don’t work for the majority of people.

In the last year alone, we have seen tens of thousands of people turn up in the streets to prove our country’s values of care for each other and the planet we live on. For Te Tiriti.

2024 was the year of activism. 2025 must be the year of organising. Of channelling that energy into a shared goal: to change this Government, to uproot the trickle-down nightmare and to build an economy that supports life, instead of exhausting it.

In December, the Greens released He Ara Anamata, our Emissions Reduction Plan. We showed how to reduce emissions five times faster than the Government’s proposal. We proved you can not only reduce emissions and the cost of living, but also improve quality of life.

Today, I am proud to announce that in May, the Greens will be releasing the Budget we would be rolling out in Government.

Our budget will not be a defence of the status quo.

Our budget will show you how we already have everything we need to ensure everyone enjoys our basic rights to a clean environment and stable climate. Everyone is housed, everyone gets healthcare, everyone gets education. Everyone gets the genuine opportunity for a good life.

That’s because we believe in the public good. And we’re sick of this Government’s pathetic pandering to privatisation.

Forty years ago, a few politicians made the decision to shred our social safety net. They began selling off the things we all used to own and look after together. They privatised profit and socialised cost.

The problems we are confronted with today are not natural. Humans made the system that created them, and we can recreate it.

The gap between an economy that exploits people and the planet and one that supports us both is collective action. As long as regular people are suspicious of and fighting each other, a handful of powerful people will get incredibly rich at all of our expense.

Nobody is coming to save us. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

It’s time to claim your hope – to claim your power. Look to your fellow New Zealanders with curiosity and kindness. The pathway to our freedom is intertwined.

So, raise your hand: who here is excited about the future?

And are you willing to work for it?

Are you willing to believe in and work to uphold the dignity of your fellow New Zealanders, even and especially those who you have not met? Those not even born yet?

Solidarity doesn’t require us to be the same. It simply requires you to see in someone else our shared humanity, and to behave accordingly.

Together, we are unstoppable.

I am so honoured to introduce you all now to my wonderful co-leader – the Honourable Marama Davidson. Nau mai, hoki mai Marama!

—

Marama’s speech:

Mā te oranga o te taiao, ka ora ai te iwi. Mō te takitini, kāore mō te torutoru anake.

E te whānau, I am so grateful to be here today. I am well, and feeling better each day.

My mokopuna are rongoā. My mokopuna, just by being the embodiment of my ancestors – are a reminder of all that we love. Of all that we must protect.

Over the many months of cancer treatment, one of the most profound experiences of healing was daytime nana naps with my moko babies. Where I had any assortment of my three babies, asleep and at peace with the shared vibrations of our heartbeats and gentle breathing. Getting to enjoy this has been a precious blessing.

I am grateful to the wonderful health care professionals who have been there for me each step of the way.

I am grateful to my whānau, who are my rock. And to every single person who reached out with aroha and support. To the breast cancer community, thank you for being there for all of us. To those who are going through treatment or have just heard the worst news of their lives – nunui te aroha kia koutou.

I haven’t spoken publicly about this before, but today I’m going to let you in on a secret. I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few days before the State of the Planet speech last year. I remember standing at this exact podium – knowing I would need to step away from public life for a bit. Taking leave when my voice was needed the most was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

This job is and continues to be an enormous privilege. To be able to come back to it, blows my mind.

But the space to recover and put my health and whānau first was both necessary, and something I am beyond grateful for. Not everyone has the support I had. I will never take that for granted and I will always work to embed the political change we need so that everyone can put health first. Like better pay and conditions for our health workers, decent income support, and secure housing for all.

Ehara taku tū i te tū takitahi, ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, ehara taku taumaha i te taumaha takitahi. We all depend on each other when times are rough. People want to care for each other – manaakitanga is what makes us human. Within whānau and communities, to care and be cared for is the basis of connection.

These are the values the Green Party wants to bring to politics as well.

Being on the sidelines of politics last year was surreal. When the hikoi for te Tiriti happened, it was during medical treatments and I needed to stay home. But seeing people come together with such vibrant unity, made me so proud that I grabbed my ‘tino’ flag and took a photo in my garden so I could feel part of the movement.

While the hīkoi was in response to a Government that continues to disregard the promises this country was founded on, it was so much more than a protest. It was the ultimate example of how to show up: with our tūpuna, for our mokopuna and for each other. The wairua shown at the hīkoi is the best of us.

As Moana Jackson said, te Tiriti o Waitangi is about the rightness that comes from people accepting their obligations to each other. This is a profound vision on which to build a country. Aotearoa can be a place where everyone is supported to thrive, and no one is left behind – including Papatūānuku.

And I take inspiration from this vision not only here in Aotearoa, but globally.

The world feels like a bit of a scary place right now. I worry for the future of my three mokopuna, and all the mokopuna to come. My heart breaks for children in Gaza, for all children growing up in war zones, for children in detention centers, and for children and their whānau throughout the world who are hungry, cold and homeless.

At a time when the world needs to be coming together to solve climate change – the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced – instead we can barely come together to solve easy challenges like making sure every child has healthy kai.

We can do better. Our mokopuna deserve better.

Last year was the hottest year on record. That means that my mokopuna, and all the babies of the world today, will never see a normal climate. They have been born into climate change. And no matter where they are born, here in Aotearoa or far across the sea, they need us – their adults – to step up to this challenge right now. They deserve to inherit a thriving planet, not a destroyed one.

Now I want to draw this back to Te Tiriti, because these things are connected. Te Tiriti is a promise that carries through the generations. Te Tiriti is an enduring guarantee of iwi and hapū sovereignty over taonga like our lakes, rivers, seas, soils and native forests. And that means protecting those living systems for our mokopuna – so they too can exercise tino rangatiratanga.

Te Tiriti is the best defence Aotearoa has against the plundering of our environment for the profit of the few. This is why the far right is so intent on ripping it up and pretending it doesn’t matter. But that short term exploitation only enriches the pockets of a tiny group of people, while destroying nature for the rest of us.

When our gorgeous conservation land is trampled for mining, when our rivers become too polluted to swim in, when we can’t go down to the moana to harvest kai because there aren’t enough fish left – everyone misses out. And when a tiny group of oil executives are more interested in a growing balance sheet than a stable climate, every single child in the world misses out.

Our mokopuna deserve better!

At the heart of the political change we seek is manaakitanga, collective caring for people and planet. And crucially, the humility to understand that common human experiences are much more important than any flash job title or made-up markers of status. A serious illness throws that into sharp relief. Because what matters most when things are tough is our care for one another. I know that people are doing the best they can with what they have.

But the dominating economic system, means that wealth and power are not shared equally. These inequities further divide communities when instead we need to come together. By making sure everyone gets the care they need, we can ensure nobody is left behind to fall through the cracks. Care and justice for ALL people is what binds us together and helps us build a future where all of us thrive. This vision will be at the centre of our Green Budget.

This is what our politics should reflect. A politics of care. A hunger for doing what is just. This is the legacy of our late and great friend, Green MP Fa’anānā Efeso Collins whose one year anniversary of passing we have been reflecting on over the past week. Gone too soon our friend, we miss you deeply.

Efeso spent his life building bridges between the Pacific communities he loved and the rest of Aotearoa.

During Efeso’s maiden speech in Parliament, he shared with us his translation of a saying in Sāmoan: E le tu fa’amauga se tagata. No one stands alone, no one succeeds alone — and, for him, and the Green Party, no one suffers alone.

This is manaakitanga.

And this is what inspires me e te whānau. This is the hope for our mokopuna.

But collective care is not part of this government’s plan. They are showing us each day they stand for the few and not for the many. They are completely out of touch with the community.

We have seen this in the choices to gut school lunches. To gut housing for those who need it the most. To gut our health system and put more and more pressure on our health workers. To gut benefits so that more and more children fall through the cracks and below the poverty line. For absolute shame!

Our mokopuna deserve better.

We can deliver better by channeling community power and finally putting people and planet ahead of profit.

This country can afford to feed our tamariki nutritious kai. We could choose to provide lunches in every school – using fresh local kai and made by people who are connected to that school. We could choose to make sure every person in this country has a safe, warm home. Poverty is a political choice and we can choose to end it.

We can do all of this by putting our values of manaakitanga at the heart of political decisions. By honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi and the promises of kotahitanga and care as the foundation this country was built on.

And when we do that, we will show the world what it looks like to put care for people and planet first. Together, we can build the future all our mokopuna deserve.

And that mahi is why I am so so grateful to be back with you all. Kia kaha tatau – ka whawhai tonu, mō te whenua, mō te taiao, mō ngā mokopuna – ake, ake, ake

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 27, 2025