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Category: Education

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australians are waiting 12 years on average before seeking help for a mental health problem – new research

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Birrell, Researcher, Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney

    Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock

    Australians are waiting an average of 12 years to seek treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, our new research shows.

    While many of us are proactive in looking after our physical health, we appear to be seriously neglecting our mental health, suffering for many years before reaching out for help. Some people never seek help.

    In our research, the length of delay in seeking help varied depending on the type of mental health problem and other factors such as sex and age.

    But delays in getting help mean mental health problems can become more complex, severe and difficult to treat. So it’s important to understand why these delays occur – and how we can reduce them.

    Some key findings

    We used national data from the 2020–22 Australian National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, a nationally representative survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

    Among the information collected in this survey, respondents were asked about their history of mental health and substance use problems, and when they first sought help from a medical doctor or other professional regarding their symptoms (if at all).

    The survey asked about the most common types of mental health and substance use problems in the general population under three broad categories: mood disorders (for example, depression and bipolar disorder), anxiety disorders (such as social anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder) and substance use disorders.

    People with mood disorders waited an average of three years before seeking treatment, those with substance use disorders waited an average of eight, and people with anxiety disorders waited the longest to seek treatment – 11 years on average.

    We found people experiencing panic disorder, a type of anxiety disorder, had some of the shortest delays (an average of two years), while those with social anxiety disorder waited the longest (13 years).

    The average delay across all mental health and substance use disorders – 12 years – was calculated based on the prevalence of different conditions. Anxiety disorders, particularly social anxiety disorder, are the most common, which brought up this average.

    We found younger people were more likely to seek help.
    Perfect Wave/Shutterstock

    We also looked at how many people would eventually seek help across their lifetime. Nearly everyone with depression (94%) eventually sought help, but only 25% of people with an alcohol use disorder ever did.

    Women were less likely than men to seek help for alcohol or other drug-related problems but were more likely to reach out for help with anxiety or mood-related concerns.

    Gen Z and millennials were much more likely to seek help than older generations. Compared to people born before 1972, those born between 1992 and 2005 were more than four times as likely to seek treatment for a drug or alcohol problem, more than twice as likely to seek help for a mood disorder, and nearly four times as likely to seek help for an anxiety problem.

    Some limitations

    While the ABS survey is one of the largest and most comprehensive in Australia, it relies on people remembering and accurately reporting when they first experienced symptoms of a mental health or substance use problem, and when they first sought support.

    It was also conducted during the COVID pandemic, a time of heightened stress and increased mental health challenges. However, the impact of this is probably small, given people were asked about their experiences across their entire lifetime.

    The survey also didn’t measure less common (but very impactful) mental health problems such as psychosis or eating disorders.

    How do delays compare to other countries?

    While this data is not perfect, the delays we observed are mostly in line with those seen in other countries. In some ways we are actually doing better.

    The relatively short delays for seeking help for a mood disorder (for example, depression, for which the average delay was three years) are largely consistent with similar studies in the United States, New Zealand, Europe and Asia.

    It’s often several years between when someone first experiences a mental health problem and when they seek treatment.
    Erik Mclean/Unsplash

    While still lengthy, the average delay of 11 years to seek treatment for an anxiety disorder in Australia appears similar if not shorter than in many other countries (ranging between 10–30 years).

    What’s more, when it comes to seeking help for problems with alcohol, things seem to be improving. While overall delays remain long, and most people still don’t seek help for alcohol problems, the delay in getting help appears to have shortened over time in Australia.

    The average time to seek treatment for alcohol use disorder is now eight years shorter than the 18-year delay reported in 2007. This may be due to increased awareness and education around the impact of alcohol use.

    Why do people delay reaching out for help?

    There are a range of reasons someone may delay seeking help. Services are not always available and many carry high out-of-pocket costs. Fear and stigma play a significant role, while many people simply may not know where to seek support or what might help.

    Finding the right treatment can be hard and while some people recover without help, for many these delays come at a huge cost. Delays mean problems can become more complex, severe and difficult to treat.

    We need to actively encourage early help-seeking, as well as continue efforts to reduce the stigma associated with poor mental health. Expanding anti-stigma campaigns and education to encourage people to seek help early could assist with this.

    Alongside these efforts it’s essential that effective treatment services are accessible when people do reach out for help. There has been chronic underinvestment in the mental health treatment system over many decades, while prevalence rates have increased. We need continued and increased investment in mental health treatment, prevention and early intervention.

    Ultimately, by empowering future generations to be proactive about their mental health, we hope we can make going to the doctor for anxiety as normal as doing so for the flu.

    Services available across Australia include the National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline (1800 250 015), Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) and Head to Health. Each state and territory also has specialised mental health services.

    Louise Birrell receives funding from The National Health and Medical Research Council and The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

    Cath Chapman receives funding from The National Health and Medical Research Council and The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

    Katrina Prior receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

    – ref. Australians are waiting 12 years on average before seeking help for a mental health problem – new research – https://theconversation.com/australians-are-waiting-12-years-on-average-before-seeking-help-for-a-mental-health-problem-new-research-249159

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Should you be allowed to sue a judge? The High Court says no

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Parker, Honorary Professorial Fellow, Melbourne CSHE, The University of Melbourne

    Shutterstock

    Judges in Australian courtrooms have a lot of power. They can decide on someone’s guilt and the punishment for it, including lengthy prison time.

    But what if they get it badly wrong? Should you be able to sue a judge for damages?

    For several centuries the answer has been no in a “superior” court, such as a state Supreme Court, but possibly yes in an “inferior” court, such as a magistrates, district or county court, where most cases are actually heard.

    The High Court of Australia has now ruled that judges are immune from being sued for damages in every court and for all purposes. It is absolute, even if you have been falsely imprisoned.

    But how did this decision come to be, and what does it mean for fair judicial processes?

    The High Court case

    The story behind the ruling began with a legal property dispute between a couple called the Stradfords.

    Judge Salvatore Vasta in the Federal Circuit Court ordered that Mr Stradford should make “full and frank disclosure” of various financial documents. Mrs Stradford complained repeatedly that the disclosure was not complete.

    Judge Vasta adjourned proceedings briefly to allow them to discuss settlement. To give Mr Stradford something to think about, he said he hoped Mr Stradford had brought his toothbrush with him.

    Later that day, Judge Vasta sentenced Mr Stradford to 12 months’ imprisonment for contempt of court in disobeying the disclosure order. Judge Vasta mistakenly assumed a previous judge had already decided Mr Stradford was in contempt.

    Mr Stradford appealed the contempt conviction in the Full Court of the Family Court. It allowed the appeal, concluding “the processes employed [by Judge Vasta] were so devoid of procedural fairness […] and the reasons for judgment so lacking in engagement with the issues of fact and law to be applied” that it would be an “affront to justice” to permit the contempt declaration and the imprisonment order to stand.

    Armed with this finding, Mr Stradford sued Judge Vasta for damages for false imprisonment and won. Judge Vasta then appealed to the High Court, arguing that he was immune from being sued. In its ruling last week, the High Court agreed with him.

    Why can’t judges be sued?

    Immunity from being sued helps protect judicial independence, said the High Court.

    If, at the back of their mind, a judge thinks they might be sued for damages should they make a wrong decision, they might be swayed by that, rather than objectively and impartially applying the law to the facts.

    Immunity also helps to achieve finality in court proceedings and “quell disputes”. Finality is a consideration in all legal systems, and is the reason why some claims are time-barred if not brought within a specified period. You don’t want the same cases dragging on forever.

    The High Court noted that a disappointed litigant can appeal against a decision, but once all appeal avenues have been exhausted, that is that.

    The High Court has ruled judges can’t be sued for their decisions.
    Shutterstock

    If a judge has committed a crime, such as accepting a bribe, then the criminal law can be applied.

    But in the more likely case where the unsuccessful party argues there has been a mistake, or even that the judge was motivated by bias or malice, the only recourse is to appeal. They can’t sue the judge.

    The High Court noted also that a judge can be removed by parliament for misbehaviour or incapacity.

    But there are counter-arguments to which the court didn’t give much attention.

    For those who feel the outcome was wrong, appealing against a decision is very expensive. It’s simply not open to most people, due to the near-disappearance of legal aid in civil cases.

    And the removal of judges by parliaments is extremely rare, while not helping the litigant anyway.

    Is this good public policy?

    In other walks of professional life, indemnity insurance exists. If judges could be sued, but were insured, they would normally not pay compensation personally. And if they could not find insurance, perhaps something needs investigating.

    A compromise position would be possible. Any legal action against a judge could have to exceed a certain threshold of severity to proceed.

    For example, a plaintiff might have to obtain prior permission, and for that they might have to prove malice on the part of the judge or an error so extreme that the judge had been reckless, not merely negligent.

    But courts are different, it seems. Litigants do not make a contract with courts and are not consumers of a court’s services. They are engaging in a public process, where bigger issues are in play.

    The public policy arguments so resoundingly endorsed by the High Court aren’t based on data about what the public thinks, or would necessarily think if all the arguments were presented to them.

    None of this has improved Mr (or Mrs) Stradford’s financial position. No one is going to compensate them.

    Courts are, in a very real sense, a law unto themselves.

    Stephen Parker 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. Should you be allowed to sue a judge? The High Court says no – https://theconversation.com/should-you-be-allowed-to-sue-a-judge-the-high-court-says-no-249939

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Humanitarians underscore need for urgent and sustained support in Gaza

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    As the UN and partners continue to deliver life-saving assistance across the Gaza Strip, the scale of needs remains overwhelming, requiring urgent and sustained support, UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Monday. 

    OCHA cited Gaza’s Ministry of Health which stressed that oxygen supplies are critically needed to keep emergency, surgical and intensive care services running at hospitals, including Al Shifa and Al Rantisi hospitals in Gaza City. 

    “Health partners are engaging with the authorities to bring in generators, spare parts and equipment required to produce oxygen locally in Gaza,” the agency said. 

    Shelter and education

    Over the weekend, humanitarian partners working in the shelter sector distributed tarpaulins to more than 11,000 families in the north. 

    In Khan Younis, some 450 families are receiving sealing-off kits to create short-term shelters, kitchen sets and hygiene kits at the displacement site of Al Mawasi.  

    Educational activities also continue to expand, and more than 250,000 children have enrolled in distance learning programmes run by the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA.

    Some 95 per cent of school buildings across Gaza were damaged over the past 15 months of hostilities, according to UN partners working in the education sector. Students are currently attending classes in makeshift tents and open spaces, amid winter temperatures.  

    West Bank hostilities

    OCHA also reported on the situation in the West Bank, where casualties continue to be reported due to the ongoing operations by Israeli forces in Tulkarm and Jenin.          

    “These are the most extensive Israeli operations in the West Bank in two decades, causing high casualties and significant displacement, especially in refugee camps,” the agency noted.

    Critical infrastructure has also been severely damaged, driving humanitarian needs even higher.

    OCHA once again warned that the use of lethal, war-like tactics during these operations raises concerns over the use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards. 

    Settler attacks against Palestinians and their properties also continue to be reported across the West Bank. Israeli settlers attacked residents in several villages in Nablus governorate over the weekend – in one instance, setting a house on fire. 

    Humanitarians are mobilizing resources to support affected communities, OCHA said.

    Averting UNRWA collapse

    The head of UNRWA warned on Monday that if the agency collapses it will create a vacuum in the occupied Palestinian territory and send shockwaves through neighbouring countries.

    Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini was speaking in Cairo at the Fourth Meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.

    He said Israeli legislation targeting UNRWA’s operations is now being implemented.

    Last October, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, adopted two bills banning UNRWA from working in Israeli territory and enforcing a no-contact policy between national authorities and agency representatives. The laws took effect in January.

    Threat to peace and stability 

    Mr. Lazzarini warned against allowing UNRWA to “implode” due to the Knesset legislation and the suspension of funding by key donors. 

    “An environment in which children are deprived of education, and people lack access to basic services, is fertile ground for exploitation and extremism” he said.  “This is a threat to peace and stability in the region and beyond.”

    He said that alternatively, UNRWA could progressively conclude its mandate within the framework of a political process like that championed by the Global Alliance.

    “The agency would gradually transition its public-like services to empowered and prepared Palestinian institutions. This is the future for which we are preparing,” he said. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Holds Half-Day General Discussion on Gender Stereotypes

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today held a half-day general discussion on its proposed general recommendation on gender stereotypes.

    In opening remarks, Nahla Haidar, Committee Chairperson, said gender stereotypes created false beliefs, inhibitive gender roles and discrimination. The Committee hoped to prepare guidelines that would help States to address these stereotypes, and counter myths and common excuses as to why gender stereotypes continued to be perpetuated, such as cultural and religious reasons.

    Peggy Hicks, Director, Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in introductory remarks that the general recommendation would provide guidance on State obligations to address gender stereotypes as root causes of gender-based discrimination.  She expressed hope that it would strengthen standards, principles and guidance to eliminate all forms of gender stereotypes.

    In her introductory remarks, Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund, said that currently, around the world, there were immense pushbacks against women and girls in all their diversity.  In this uncertain moment, all parties needed to stand with women and engage actively in developing this general recommendation.  The work of the Committee saved and transformed lives; it needed to continue.

    Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Women, said gender stereotypes were barriers to the human rights of women and girls.  They restricted education, jobs, leadership, health and justice, fuelling inequality and violence, silencing women and denying freedoms.  General recommendation 41 presented a decisive opportunity to dismantle gender stereotypes at their core.

    Bandana Rana and Rhoda Reddock, Committee Experts and Co-Chairs of the Committee Working Group on gender stereotypes, also made introductory statements, calling on all stakeholders to support and provide input for the general recommendation.

    After the introductory remarks, the Committee held a panel discussion on gender stereotypes, hearing presentations from Adriana Quinones, Head, Human Rights and Development, United Nations Women; Joni van de Sand, Global MenEngage Alliance; Paola Daher, Women Deliver; Alexandra Xanthaki, United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights; and Marwa Sharafeldin, Musawah.

    Following the panel discussion, States parties, United Nations agencies, and civil society representatives delivered oral statements. Speaking were Malta, Andorra, Poland, Canada, Vanuatu, Cyprus, Japan, Chile, Maldives, Ukraine, Austria, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Bulgaria, Israel, Venezuela, Bolivia, Spain, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and Nepal.

    Also speaking were Consortium for Intersectional Justice, Observatorio Iberoamericano Contra la Violencia de Género, Duch Cedaw Network, WILPF, Center for Reproductive Rights, European Network of Migrant Women, Tania Sordo Ruz, Nordic Model Now, and Ilga World.

    The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women’s ninetieth session is being held from 3 to 21 February.  All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage.  Meeting summary releases can be found here.  The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.

    The Committee will next meet at 5 p.m. on Friday, 21 February to close its ninetieth session.

    Introductory Remarks

    NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chair, welcomed all participants to the meeting.  She said that the Committee was mandated to issue recommendations to States parties and provide guidance on themes related to women’s rights.  The discussions to be held today would focus on the Committee’s proposed general recommendation on general stereotypes, which the Committee urged all stakeholders to support.  Gender stereotypes created false beliefs, inhibitive gender roles and discrimination.  Measures needed to be implemented to combat them.  The Committee hoped to prepare guidelines that would help States to address these stereotypes, and counter myths and common excuses as to why gender stereotypes continued to be perpetuated, such as cultural and religious reasons.

    PEGGY HICKS, Director, Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said she could not think of a timelier topic.  The general recommendation on gender stereotypes would provide guidance on State obligations to address these stereotypes as root causes of gender-based discrimination.  She expressed hope that it would strengthen standards, principles and guidance to eliminate all forms of gender stereotypes.

    Gender stereotypes were justified under the banners of “tradition,” “culture,” “religion” or even “nature.”  They often stemmed from patriarchal systems that tolerated or affirmed unequal power relations, based on the idea that women were inferior to men.  Discriminatory practices against women and girls needed to be eliminated, regardless of their origins, including those perpetuated in the name of culture or religion.

    The impacts of gender stereotyping began in the family and were apparent in every aspect of the lives of women and girls.  Gender stereotyping normalised violence against women and girls, politicised their reproductive functions, and denied them equal participation in political life and economic opportunities.  Women who did not conform to gender stereotypes or who openly contested them were particularly exposed to discrimination, violence and criminalisation.  

    It was crucial to address stereotypes that manifested first in the family and were then perpetuated in education systems and all aspects of society, including virtual spaces.  Transforming education systems to eliminate gender stereotypes was essential; human rights-based education was a powerful tool to dispel stereotypes.

    The discussion would address the unique vulnerabilities faced by women and girls who experienced combined stereotypes based on gender and other grounds, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability and age.  The general recommendation needed to address how to rectify the impact of intersecting forms of stereotypes, resulting discriminations and corresponding State obligations.

    Gender stereotypes trapped men and boys, conditioning them to embrace harmful ideas of masculinity.  Men and boys needed to challenge unequal power relations and structures, recognising how patriarchy privileged them and how gender equality liberated all.  Combatting gender stereotypes demanded a comprehensive approach involving the transformation of laws, policies and societal structures.  

    The general recommendation would enable States parties to change and transform gender stereotypes, paving the way for the full realisation of all human rights for all women and girls.  The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was ready to support this work.  It had concrete analytical tools and the mandate and expertise to monitor these issues, provide technical assistance, and build the capacity of key stakeholders.

    NATALIA KANEM, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund, said it was currently a moment of grave import for the rights of women and girls. Around the world, there were immense pushbacks against women and girls in all their diversity.  Fierce opposition was threatening progress on several fronts.  It was welcome that maternal mortality had dropped by a third, and more than 160 countries had passed laws to address domestic violence. 

    However, the United Nations Population Fund regularly heard stories like those of Amena’s, who had been informed at age 13 by her parents that she was to be married.  The Fund had helped Amena to stand up for her rights and she was able to return to school.

    Gender stereotypes perpetuated stigma and shame around girls’ sexuality, and they posed significant risks to economic and social stability, contributing to the gender wage gap. Poverty often wore the face of a woman. Stereotypes also often led to gender-based violence, particularly online.  Discrimination severely limited the participation of women and girls in the digital space.  The ripple effects of these stereotypes drove political polarisation, fractured communities and exacerbated inequality.  They contributed to a world where progress and peace were illusive. 

    Gender discrimination was compounded by factors such as age, race and disability status.  The Fund was training healthcare workers to provide non-judgemental care for women, so women could make informed choices about their bodies and lives.

    Gender stereotypes were perpetuated in all segments of society.  The Fund was empowering girls to become leaders and was working to create a digital world that was safe and accessible for everyone.  It was also working with boys and men to ensure that they were not trapped by gender stereotypes.  It would continue to support policies and programmes that aimed to address harmful social norms.  The Committee needed to formulate processes that would give women their own money, self-agency and bodily autonomy.

    In this uncertain moment, all parties needed to stand with women.  All stakeholders needed to engage actively in developing this general recommendation.  This was not the time to roll back the clock on women’s rights.  The work of the Committee saved and transformed lives. It needed to continue.

    NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Women, said United Nations Women was proud to support general recommendation 41.  Gender stereotypes were barriers to the human rights of women and girls.  They restricted education, jobs, leadership, health and justice, fuelling inequality and violence, silencing women and denying freedoms.  

    Gender stereotypes’ impact was clear in politics, where women faced double standards, exclusion and relentless scrutiny.  They also fuelled violence and impunity, with women and girls too often being valued first as wives and daughters, and not as full human beings with rights.  Stereotypes further dictated economic power, with women being denied inheritance rights.

    United Nations Women commended its Member States for adopting strong regional frameworks to combat gender-based violence and discrimination, including the Belem do Para Convention, the Istanbul Convention, and the African Union Convention on Ending Violence against Women.  Commitments needed to translate into action.  Lifting reservations to the Convention, which weakened protections and kept barriers in place, was urgent.

    General recommendation 41 presented a decisive opportunity to dismantle gender stereotypes at their core.  The year 2025 marked 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.  It was also the final stretch toward the expiration date of the Sustainable Development Goals, which pledged to end harmful practices against women and girls. General recommendation 41 was a critical tool for transformation that needed to be acted on immediately.

    BANDANA RANA, Committee Expert and Co-Chair of the Committee Working Group on Gender Stereotypes, said the Committee, at its eighty-fourth session, had agreed to start the elaboration of a general recommendation on gender stereotypes.  Harmful gender stereotypes were one of the biggest stumbling blocks to gender equality.  They contributed to unequal representation in workplaces and policies, and contributed to gender-based violence. 

    The Convention called on States to challenge traditional norms that limited women’s’ representation in all areas of society.  The general recommendation would dismantle discriminatory stereotypes and provide guidance on addressing these stereotypes and creating a more just society.  Together, they could create more equitable societies, as envisioned by the Sustainable Development Goals.  Ms. Rana called on all stakeholders to actively contribute to the general recommendation, dismantle gender stereotypes, and build a future where everyone could thrive without barriers.

    RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Co-Chair of the Committee Working Group on Gender Stereotypes, said gender stereotypes were based on ideas, attitudes, belief systems and patriarchal structures that existed in all societies.  They reflected the notion of women being inferior to men. The Convention called on all States parties to modify social patterns and cultural practices that were based on stereotyped roles of men and women.  Stereotypes often changed, and new ones were regularly created.  Women’s structured inferiority moved with them to all activities where they predominated.  This issue was central to the equal valuing of women and men.  Ms. Reddock called on all stakeholders for support as the Committee developed the general recommendation.

    Summary of Statements by Panellists

    After the introductory remarks, the Committee held a panel discussion on gender stereotypes, hearing presentations from Adriana Quinones, Head, Human Rights and Development, United Nations Women; Joni van de Sand, Global MenEngage Alliance; Paola Daher, Women Deliver; Alexandra Xanthaki, United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights; and Marwa Sharafeldin, Musawah.

    Many speakers expressed concern that currently, women’s rights were under threat from those with immense power.  There was a mounting backlash against diversity, inclusion and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex rights, and new policies and platforms for discrimination were emerging.  Stereotypes between men and women were becoming more apparent and legitimised.

    Speakers said gender stereotypes were key pillars of patriarchal domination and power. They did not emerge in a vacuum; they were used to determine roles and behaviours that conformed to power relations, and they became stubbornly resistant over time.  They had a negative impact on the full realisation of the rights of women and girls, including their rights to work, education, and sexual and reproductive health.  Persons who challenged traditional notions of the family faced discrimination.  Gender stereotypes often intersected with stereotypes related to race, class and other aspects. 

    Speakers expressed national measures implemented to address gender stereotypes and promote gender mainstreaming, and offered the Committee support in addressing gender stereotypes.

    One speaker said an increasing number of young men in the world thought that gender equality had gone too far.  Transforming stereotypes against men was crucial in advancing gender equality.  A key strategy in this regard was to promote masculinity rooted in concepts of care and environmental protection, they said. The general recommendation needed to elaborate on how transforming gender stereotypes was relevant to men and masculinities.

    Another speaker said the Committee needed to recognise that stereotypes were not perpetuated by the abstract concept of “culture”.  The general recommendation needed to recognise that women’s rights and agency came from culture.  The general recommendation needed to recognise that it was how culture was being used by elites that made it harmful. 

    The rights enshrined in the Convention belonged to all women, including lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women, one speaker said.  Womanhood needed to be recognised through self-identification.  The Committee needed to continue to eradicate stereotypes in international law regarding the definition of a woman.

    One speaker said that religion, law and the family were fields where transformative change was possible to dismantle gender stereotypes.  Religion was a source of law and it affected social norms and stereotypes.  There was patriarchal religious discourse and religious discourse that promoted gender equality.  States needed to make a choice about the religious discourse used in law and practice. The speaker noted efforts to combat gender stereotypes by changing interpretations of religious texts. 

    Several speakers gave recommendations regarding the content of the general recommendation.  One speaker said it needed to have a multi-layered institutional approach that was cognisant of power relations, while another called for the general recommendation’s scope to be expanded to promote counter narratives to gender stereotypes.  Another recommendation was for full effective and meaningful participation of women and girls to be captured in the general recommendation.

    Panel Discussion

    Representatives of States, United Nations agencies and civil society then took the floor, with speakers, among other things, expressing support for the elaboration of a general recommendation on gender stereotypes that would contribute to eliminating gender stereotypes and their adverse effects on women and girls, and to promoting the rights of all women and girls.

    Many speakers said gender stereotypes impeded the participation of women in all areas of public and private life and subconsciously affected how all behaved.  Stereotypes led to the subordination of women and girls, wage gaps, discrimination and gender-based violence.  They limited the potential of women globally and progress toward Sustainable Development Goal Five.  Women and girls continued to bear the brunt of conflict and climate change.  States had a responsibility to combat these stereotypes.

    Speakers said that in many countries, there was a pushback against feminism, which was misinforming the public and slowing progress. It was imperative to prevent backsliding.  In this context, the United Nations and other international bodies needed to expand, not restrict, definitions of gender, one speaker said.

    Some speakers said that in the digital world, harmful messaging and sexist discourse were affecting women and girls.  Online pornography and prostitution promoted violence against women and perpetuated stereotypes, while online hate speech reinforced gender stereotypes, silenced women’s voices, and limited their political participation.  The Committee needed to examine how gender stereotypes permeated online discourse. Some speakers said that artificial intelligence was perpetuating and amplifying harmful gender stereotypes against women.  Measures needed to be implemented to eliminate gender biases in artificial intelligence.  One speaker called for the promotion of women’s participation in the technological sector.

    Speakers expressed support for the elimination of all harmful stereotypes against women and girls.  All parties needed to cooperate to build a fair and equitable society for women and girls.  Governments needed to recognise the crucial role of civil society organizations in protecting women’s rights and countering stereotypes.  Stereotypes needed to be recognised and countered.  Stakeholders needed to reshape restrictive masculinities and reinforce positive gender norms.  International regional frameworks, including the Convention, needed to be implemented to build a more prosperous future for all.  Encouraging social awareness of stereotypes was crucial in combatting discrimination and promoting equality.

    Some speakers said gender stereotypes were cross-cutting, affecting various marginalised groups.  Intersectionality was a necessary lens for addressing gender stereotypes.  Speakers also called on the Committee to adopt a decolonial approach and embrace indigenous approaches to women’s rights, and consider the rights of lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women and girls.  One speaker said the Committee needed to oppose the patriarchy and contribute to dismantling it.

    The Committee needed to elaborate on biases in gender-based roles and their impact on society, one speaker said.  Another speaker called for the general recommendation to consider the link between stereotypes and women’s unpaid care work. The Committee needed to note the importance of awareness raising campaigns in breaking down stereotypes. One speaker said the general recommendation needed to challenge how gender stereotypes influenced security systems.

    Some speakers said the general recommendation needed to consider the cultural sensitivities of all States parties. Actions and decisions needed to align with States’ unique customs, they said.  One speaker called on the Committee to reflect on the positive influences of culture and religion on promoting women’s rights.

    Speakers presented legislative and policy initiatives to counter gender stereotypes and address intersectional discrimination; promote women’s participation in the workforce, political bodies and education, including in science, technology, engineering and maths education; revise textbooks to remove gender stereotypes; promote the access of women and girls to health and reproductive rights; combat human trafficking; repeal discriminatory laws; collect data on the prevalence of gender discrimination; promote the use of parental leave and the participation of men in care work; and empower vulnerable women.

    One speaker asked the Committee whether the general recommendation would consider the connection between unilateral coercive measures and gender stereotypes.

    Closing Remarks

    ANTTI KORKEAKIVI, Chief, Human Rights Treaties Branch, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed gratitude to all speakers for their invaluable contributions.  The dialogue had demonstrated how deeply gender stereotypes affected women and girls in all aspects of life.  The general recommendation had the potential to dismantle gender stereotypes and help women and girls to realise their potential.  The inputs of all stakeholders would inform the Committee’s efforts to elaborate the general recommendation.  The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights looked forward to the positive impact that the general recommendation would have on the lives of women and girls globally.

    NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chair, said all stakeholders’ inputs had been very valuable.  This general recommendation needed to ensure that no one was excluded from protection. The Committee would consider the Convention’s perspective on intersectionality, which was captured in the Committee’s general recommendation 28.  The current general recommendation needed to meet the requirements of women and girls all over the world.  Speakers had expressed a diversity of views on the subject, and the Committee would consider all these views.  In closing, Ms. Haidar thanked all speakers that had participated in the meeting, including more than 40 States parties.

    ___________

    CEDAW.25.052E

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    English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: NHRC, India organized a meeting of the core group in hybrid mode on ‘Recognizing progressive disabilities – Adopting a holistic approach to disability rights’

    Source: Government of India (2)

    NHRC, India organized a meeting of the core group in hybrid mode on ‘Recognizing progressive disabilities – Adopting a holistic approach to disability rights’

    NHRC, India Chairperson, Justice Shri V Ramasubramanian said that the improvement in disability-related laws, policies and their implementation need to be clearly understood

    Among various suggestions, encouragement for collaborative efforts with the private sector to provide quality employment for PwDs emphasized

    Need to revisit the 40% mark for benchmark disabilities to ensure a wide range of disability-suffering people get access to quality healthcare services

    Posted On: 17 FEB 2025 9:00PM by PIB Delhi

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India organised a core group meeting in hybrid mode on ‘Recognizing progressive disabilities- Adopting a holistic approach to disability rights’ in New Delhi today. It was chaired by NHRC, India Chairperson, Justice Shri V Ramasubramanian in the presence of Member, Justice (Dr) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi, Secretary General, Shri Bharat Lal, Shri Rajesh Aggrawal, Secretary, Dept. of Empowerment of Persons with Disability, other senior officers from the government and NHRC, domain experts and medical professionals.

    Justice Ramasubramanian noted that it took 30 years for the world to adopt a human rights approach to disability rights. Recalling the evolution of laws and policies related to seeking the welfare of disabled persons in the world, he said that in India, parallel to the international developments included the 1987 Mental Healthcare Act, the 1995 Persons with Disabilities Act, and the 2016 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.

    However, he said there may be a scope for improvement in disability-related laws, policies and their implementation. For this, he said that all the stakeholders needed to prioritise their suggestions for the improvement in disability-related laws, policies and their implementation requiring the intervention of the Parliament, NHRC and judiciary need to be segregated into three categories to evolve a clear action plan.

    NHRC, India Member, Justice (Dr) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi said that there is a need to strategise and find ways to improve the lives of persons with disabilities. Therefore, all the stakeholders including the Government need to come together and give them moral support to survive in a dignified manner. The issue of medical expenses needs to be taken into consideration and made available to the person.

    NHRC, India Secretary General, Shri Bharat Lal while setting the agenda for discussion, said that the Commission engages with many stakeholders including government officials, domain experts, researchers, academicians, and people working on the ground. He gave an overview of the three technical sessions- Defining and classifying progressive disabilities, Legal & policy framework for addressing disabilities and Promoting inclusive & equitable support services.

    Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Dept. of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment said that the 2011 Census reports 2.2% of India’s population as having disabilities. However, at times stigma leads to under-reporting, especially among the elderly, as disabilities in old age are often considered normal. While polio cases are decreasing due to institutional deliveries and improved care, disabilities from accidents and autism are rising, resulting in changes in the nature of disability orders. He said that regarding rights, there is a 4% reservation in government and PSU jobs and 5% in education for persons with disabilities (PwDs). He emphasized the need for better accessibility in buildings, transport, and digital platforms. India lags behind European countries in physical accessibility, though toilet facilities for PwDs have improved. Digital accessibility is relatively better.

    He stressed that education accessibility, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation can help 95% of people, which should be society’s priority. If there is a chance that a disability will improve or progress, a temporary certificate is given to them despite having a 5% or 80% disability. But if the disability remains the same or worsens, a permanent certificate will be given. Presently, more than 70% of certificates in the country are permanent.

    The participants included Dr Sunita Mondal, Additional Director General, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Rupali Roy, Assistant Director General, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Rajive Raturi, Consultant, Ms. Shivani Jadhav Representative, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), Dr Satendra Singh, Director-Professor of Physiology, University College of Medical Sciences & GTB Hospital, Ms Purva G. Mittal, Asst. Prof, University of Delhi, Shri Akhil S. Paul, Director, Sense International (India), Dr Vaibhav Bhandari, Founder, Swavlamban Foundation, Shri Vikas Trivedi, Member Secretary Rehabilitation Council of India, New Delhi, NHRC DG(I), Shri R Prasad Meena, Registrar (Law), Shri Joginder Singh, Director, Lt Col. Virender Singh among others.

    Some of the suggestions emanated from the discussions included:

    1. Encourage collaborative efforts with the private sector to provide quality employment for PwDs;
    2. Need to revisit the 40% mark for benchmark disabilities, as this holds back many beneficiaries from being able to access quality healthcare services and even a disability certificate;
    3. Create adequate healthcare and rehabilitation provisions, particularly for those requiring high support needs, consequently, alleviating the burden of caregivers;
    4. Necessity of establishing a clear and comprehensive definition of progressive disabilities and promoting the development and accessibility of assistive technologies;
    5. Need for more inclusive and comprehensive health insurance regimes and schemes, along with increased attention to financial accessibility;
    6. Need for prenatal and pro-natal diagnosis for early intervention;
    7. Reduce the cost of medical expenses;
    8. Enhance local production of medicines to make them more cost-effective;
    9. Awareness and training for doctors, and community-based workers including ASHA workers needs to be increased for proper care of PwDs;
    10. Ensure the availability of AI products to assist persons with disabilities;
    11. Better healthcare, policies, treatments, screenings, financial aid, psychological support;
    12. Create awareness against workplace discrimination;

    The Commission will further deliberate upon the suggestions and more inputs from different stakeholders to finalize its recommendations ensuring the protection of rights of the persons with disabilities.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Shri Dharmendra Pradhan attends Hindu College’s 126th Founder’s Day

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Shri Dharmendra Pradhan attends Hindu College’s 126th Founder’s Day

    Hindu College has carved an unparalleled legacy in shaping India’s intellectual, cultural and national identity – Shri Dharmendra Pradhan

    Students of Hindu College will become wealth-creators, job-creators, deep-tech innovators, policymakers and global citizens of tomorrow

    Posted On: 17 FEB 2025 8:57PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister for Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, attended an event celebrating Hindu College’s 126th Founder’s Day in New Delhi today. Academicians, staff members and students also were present at the event. He engaged with the students and faculty of the college during his visit to the exhibition on Skill Development and Entrepreneurship activities. While exploring ideas, prototypes, and business models, he expressed confidence that they will serve as flag-bearers of innovation, entrepreneurship, job creation, and wealth generation in the times ahead.

     

    While addressing the event, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan highlighted the esteemed legacy of Hindu College, describing it as a temple of learning and a cradle of educational excellence, innovation, diversity, plurality, democratic ethos, nationalistic spirit, and nation-building.

    He reflected on the college’s founding by Shri Krishan Dass Ji Gurwale, who sought to counter Macaulay’s efforts to dismantle India’s education system and culture. He emphasized how Hindu College has since carved an unparalleled legacy in shaping India’s intellectual, cultural, and national identity. The path of progress and prosperity on which India stands today, he asserted, has been paved by Hindu College.

    Shri Pradhan also remarked that while creating a legacy is easier, sustaining it requires relentless dedication. Congratulating the students, faculty, and staff for their unwavering ‘Sadhna’ in upholding the college’s tradition of excellence, he urged them to continue this commitment, striving to transform the institution into a global hub of solutions.

    He also underscored that Viksit Bharat 2047 is a collective goal for all Indians. The next 22-25 years, he noted, mark the Amrit Kaal, a crucial period for the Hindu College community. He emphasized that as India celebrates the centenary of its independence, Hindu College will also mark its 150th Founder’s Day. During this pivotal phase, the college must aspire to establish itself as an epicentre of research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and solutions to 21st-century challenges, he added.

    Expressing confidence in Hindu College’s role in shaping India’s future, he envisioned it emerging as a ‘Captain’ of India’s transformation in the coming decades. He expressed hope that its students will evolve into wealth-creators, job-creators, deep-tech innovators, policymakers, and global citizens of tomorrow.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: DoT and ITU Join Hands to Explore Future-Ready Infrastructure Planning with AI- Driven Digital Twin Technologies

    Source: Government of India (2)

    DoT and ITU Join Hands to Explore Future-Ready Infrastructure Planning with AI- Driven Digital Twin Technologies

    Letter of Intent (LoI) signed for collaboration between ITU and the Ministry of Communications, Government of India

    Strengthening India’s Global Digital Leadership: India proposes to host the ITU-Plenipotentiary Conference 2030

    Posted On: 17 FEB 2025 7:58PM by PIB Delhi

    Secretary (Telecom), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, Dr. Neeraj Mittal embarked on an official visit to Geneva today to further strengthen India’s global digital leadership and deepen engagements with key international stakeholders in the telecommunication sector.

    During his visit, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) signed a Letter of Intent (LoI), marking the beginning of a new phase of strategic collaboration. Through this LoI, both sides intend to initiate discussions regarding the conditions and modalities for carrying out common initiatives and projects, particularly to

    • drive innovation in digital twins, AI-driven solutions, virtual world technologies, and the transformative potential of IMT-2030 technologies;
    • promote the development of global standards and best practices to ensure seamless interoperability and scalability;
    • advance sustainable development through shared frameworks, capacity building, and cross-sectoral collaboration, and
    • Foster citizen engagement and participatory approaches to urban and infrastructure planning.

     

    Dr Mittal held various meetings with leadership of ITU. In his meeting with Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General, ITU, Dr. Mittal reaffirmed India’s commitment to digital connectivity, inclusion, and innovation. Key focus areas of discussion included India’s leadership in 5G/6G technologies, AI for Digital Transformation, cybersecurity frameworks, and ITU’s Partner2Connect initiative aimed at bridging the global digital divide. India also reiterated its pledge to support ITU’s initiatives by contributing to global connectivity projects and skill development programs.

    Further, with the aim of positioning India as a global hub for policy discourse on telecommunications and ICT regulations, Dr Mittal also proposed to host the ITU-Plenipotentiary Conference 2030 in India. India’s proposal was positively acknowledged, and discussions will continue at the upcoming ITU Council Meeting. India has successfully hosted WTSA -2024 in New Delhi in Oct 2024.

    Next-generation mobile communication technologies are evolving beyond traditional connectivity to become essential platforms for innovative infrastructure planning. By seamlessly integrating AI, Digital Twins, and real-time, ubiquitous connectivity into a unified ecosystem, these technologies generate pervasive intelligence, enabling open, interconnected systems that fundamentally transform how infrastructure is planned, collaborated on, and executed across critical sectors like transport, urban development, and healthcare. These advancements enable infrastructure planning to be more dynamic, adaptive, and sustainable, benefiting all sectors.

    The collaboration through the LoI  marks a significant shift in the telecom sector’s role—evolving from simply providing connectivity to becoming a platform that delivers accurate, reliable, and insightful data for infrastructure planning. It opens up opportunities to explore innovative business models, enabling a new ecosystem to deliver scalable, data-driven, and knowledge- based solutions across industries, driving sustainable growth and shaping the future of infrastructure.

    • Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building: Facilitate the exchange of insights from initiatives like DoT’s Sangam and ITU’s Citiverse to improve cross-sectoral data integration and collaborative planning.
    • Global Standards Development: Contribute to ITU-T Study Group 20 on IoT, digital twins, and smart cities to create global standards, APIs, and methodologies ensuring seamless scalability of AI-driven solutions.
    • Sandbox Environments and Demonstrations: Establish sandbox environments to test innovative digital twin technologies, conduct pilot projects, and adapt regulatory frameworks that validate the transformative potential of these technologies.
    • Citizen Engagement and Simulations: Use AI-powered platforms to engage citizens in real-time urban planning and infrastructure development, enhancing participatory governance and collaborative decision-making.
    • Mobile Phone Data (MPD) and Privacy: Exchange insights on privacy-enhancing techniques (PETs) and their use in ICT measurement, particularly in the context of building digital twins for urban planning.
    • AI Model Integration for Digital Twins: Customize AI models using country-specific datasets to deliver context-sensitive solutions for infrastructure development and urban mobility challenges.

     

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Department of Telecommunications and ITU Sign Letter of Intent to Collaborate on PhD Research Through Academic Dialogues with experts in Telecom Research

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Department of Telecommunications and ITU Sign Letter of Intent to Collaborate on PhD Research Through Academic Dialogues with experts in Telecom Research

    This partnership enables knowledge exchange between Indian researchers and global telecom experts

    “Through this collaboration, the DoT aims to empower Indian researchers and institutions to drive global innovation in telecom technologies of the future”: Dr Neeraj Mittal, Secretary (Telecom)

    This collaborations purposes to enhance India’s presence in the global telecom standardization and policy-setting ecosystem

    Posted On: 17 FEB 2025 7:53PM by PIB Delhi

    The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, Government of India, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) in Geneva (Switzerland) today to initiate discussions on a collaborative PhD fellowship scheme in the field of telecommunications and associated emerging technologies. This initiative aims to strengthen India’s contributions to global telecom research and standards by fostering closer ties between Indian academia and the ITU. The proposed scheme envisions supporting PhD fellowships over five years in the ITU focus areas.

    The signing of LoI followed Secretary (Telecom), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, Dr. Neeraj Mittal’s meeting with Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General, ITU and other key officials.  Dr. Mittal is on an official visit to Geneva (Switzerland) to further strengthen India’s global digital leadership and deepen engagements with key international stakeholders in the telecommunication sector.

    Brief on the Proposed Initiative

    India’s rapidly expanding telecom sector, the second largest globally, requires continuous innovation. The ITU, a UN specialized agency, plays a key role in shaping global ICT standards. The collaboration between DoT and ITU seeks to align Indian research with ITU priorities, amplifying India’s voice in global telecommunications, particularly for the benefit of developing nations.

    The DoT will coordinate with ITU through a designated focal point, identify and support participating universities, provide feedback on research topics, grant fellowships to PhD scholars, and facilitate their engagement with ITU, including study visits. A government-nominated member of their university’s advisory committee will supervise scholars.

    Exploring Academia and Global Telecom Standards

    With the signing of the LoI, the Government of India and ITU have expressed their intent to establish a collaborative initiative that encourages PhD scholars from premier Indian institutions to conduct research in strategic areas relevant to ITU Study Groups or priority areas. This partnership will facilitate knowledge exchange between Indian researchers and global telecom experts, ensuring that Indian innovations contribute to the development of future telecom technologies and international standards.

    Key Highlights of the Proposed Collaboration

    • International Exposure: Indian scholars will have opportunities to engage with ITU experts, participate in ITU Study Group meetings, and present research at international forums.
    • Institutional Collaboration: Participating Indian institutions will receive Government of India sponsored ITU-academia membership, providing access to ITU’s extensive research resources, databases, and global academic networks.
    • Guided Research: Scholars will work under the co-supervision of ITU-appointed experts and a DoT-nominated member in their Research Advisory Committee (RAC) to align their work with global research priorities.

    Strengthening India’s Role in Global Telecom Research

    India’s telecom sector is evolving rapidly with advancements in 5G, AI, IoT, cybersecurity, and quantum computing. By aligning PhD research with ITU’s focus areas, this proposed scheme will enhance India’s presence in the global telecom standardization and policy-setting ecosystem.

    Welcoming the signing of LoI, Dr. Neeraj Mittal said, “The signing of this LoI with ITU is a significant step toward fostering cutting-edge research and positioning India as a key contributor to global telecom standards. Through this collaboration, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India aims to empower Indian researchers and institutions to drive innovation in telecom technologies of the future”.

    Key Benefits of the Collaboration

    This collaboration offers significant advantages for all stakeholders:

    • For DoT: Supports research aligned with national telecom goals, facilitating universal connectivity and ensuring India’s perspective in global standard-setting.
    • For ITU: Enables closer engagement with Indian academia, accessing a rich pool of research talent and valuable insights.
    • For Research Scholars: Provides invaluable experience through interactions with ITU experts, access to global resources, and opportunities for international collaboration.

    Way Forward: Positioning India as a Leader in Telecom Standardization

    The signing of the LoI marks the beginning of discussions on the specific details of the fellowship scheme, including potential deliverables, timelines, and implementation strategies. Both DoT and ITU recognize the importance of this collaboration in advancing telecom research and fostering cutting-edge technological innovations that benefit both India and the global community. By engaging with ITU’s key research priority areas, India aims to strengthen its capabilities in emerging telecom technologies, enhancing its role as a leader in global telecom research and standardization. This initiative will help India shape the future of telecommunications, ensuring its active participation in defining global standards and policies.

     

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Text of Vice-President’s Address at Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali (Excerpts)

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 17 FEB 2025 6:48PM by PIB Delhi

    Good afternoon all of you. If there has been some disruption in your normal activity, because as Vice-President of the country, I take it as my prime obligation to connect with young minds and important institutions. It is from that perspective I solicited this invitation.

    I am grateful that it was accepted. Professor Anil Kumar Tripathi, Director IISER, a man who brings on the table huge experience, commitment, and in his brief address he has revealed the object, the performance and the potential. Professor Renu Vig, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab University, has two distinctions.

    One, she is the first ever woman Vice-Chancellor of the Punjab University, a very prestigious university. I am sure we can applaud her, and, she is the 14th Vice-Chancellor, appointed by a Chancellor, who happens to be the 14th Vice-President of the country, that’s myself. Both of us missed number 13 very narrowly. Professor R.P. Tiwari, Vice-Chancellor, Central University of Punjab. Have you noticed something unique here? There are three Vices. So, Professor Anil Kumar Tripathi can be happy and delighted. Unless he says that prefix of Vice does not mean vice as it is defined in the dictionary, I would not reflect upon myself. But I can assure you, Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig and Vice-Chancellor R.P. Tiwari have no Vices.

    This is a unique Institution and 7 being in number. Having been Governor in the State of West Bengal for three years, I am aware of these Institutions and the seminal role they play in the evolution of the heart. Every institution is defined by the faculty, and I greet members of the faculty who are very distinguished and are futuristic in their outlook, whatever little I have gathered. We as a nation can take pride that we have an unparalleled legacy unknown to other nations. That long, and if we traverse our civilisational journey of 5000 years, we will find Bharat had been glory of the world,epicenter of knowledge and culture. People from all over the world flocked in pursuit of knowledge. That is your motto. What a motto you have picked up. Nalanda, Taxila, people came from all over the world in search of knowledge, shared knowledge and wisdom.

    We at the moment are at a very critical juncture, and I say so with some amount of nostalgia. I got into the seat of governance 35 years ago when I was elected to Parliament (Lok Sabha) and had the good fortune to be a Minister. I know the situation there. The mood of the nation. Our worrisome foreign exchange disturbed Jammu and Kashmir. I saw it all around, and our government didn’t last long, not because of me. And what I see now, 180 degree difference. The nation has an environment of hope and possibility. Our global image is very high.

    Leadership of the Prime Minister is globally acknowledged. And we have traversed against heavy winds. Difficult terrain. From fragile five economies to the world’s largest five economies at the moment. Ahead of those who ruled us for centuries, the Great Britain. It is a matter of time. That we will be marching ahead of Japan and Germany also to be the third largest in about a year or so. Such a jump. When I was elected first in parliament I had no courage to dream. Then that was the time, young boys and girls, where a Member of Parliament felt really an authority because he or she could give 50 gas connections or 50 telephone connections in a year. Imagine where we have come. In the shortest possible time, 550 million people of the country benefited from banking inclusions. They never had that account.

    Over 100 million households have toilets. Cooking gas in every house, electricity in every house, internet in every remote corner, health centres and education centres around, road connectivity, everything is happening. World class infrastructure we are seeing of global benchmark, and therefore, as I said this morning also, no nation in the world has grown as fast in the last 10 years as Bharat. This has created a challenge. A challenge of aspirational youth. They want more. They are entitled to more because they have tasted development. They see it on the ground. They know that per capita internet consumption of India is more than that of US and China taken together, that speaks of our access to technology and adaptability of technology.

    When it comes to direct transfers, a service delivery driven by technology, our direct digital transactions are four times the combined transactions of USA, UK, France and Germany. We are a nation where global entities, International Monetary Fund, World Bank are appreciating us. I recall my days in 1990 as a minister.

    Our gold had to be shipped in an aeroplane to be placed to two banks in Switzerland because our foreign exchange was around 1 billion US dollars. Now it is 700 times. And not a cause of concern, and therefore, the challenge is how do we meet aspirations of our young minds and my message to young minds. Seriously, look around, the opportunity basket which for you is getting larger and larger by the day. Come out of these silos and groove that are defined jobs only with the government or working in a corporate.

    Startups, unicorns are doing wonders. Let me tell you, IITs and IIMs have given these unicorns. But about 50% are from other institutes. I know the potential this country has because I have been to ISRO. Seen for myself. I have seen emerging space economy, there I came to learn for the first time when our rocket had to be put in space. It was not from Indian soil, and now we put rockets of other countries, USA also, developed countries also, Singapore also, from our and make money. Good value for money. Chandrayaan, Gaganyaan – They are defining us.

    I had the good occasion to have discussion with S. Somnathan, ISRO chairman, he was till recently, now V. Narayanan. Their fire, their zeal, their commitment, very different. In Bangalore, Govindan Rangarajan, Indian Institute of Science, and Dr. Clyde Shelby. I had the occasion to see personally what kind of innovations are being done for larger public welfare by scientific and industrial research. I say so because a country’s reputation, image, power is to be defined by research.

    Research is the bedrock of economic supremacy and global distinction. There was a time when we did not bestow attention on research and we thought somebody will give it to us with a price. And that someone will decide how much to give, on what terms to give but now, we have changed that. Nations that lead in research have global respect in economy, in strategy. And countries depend on them. Just imagine how far we have gone when it comes to meteorological predictions. We are one of the best in the world. As Governor-General of West Bengal, and the state is prone to cyclones, super cyclones, there was no mortality on high seas. The prediction was very accurate. Scientific prowess defines strategic prowess. Conventional wars are gone.

    And we have an ancient legacy of having been researchers, discoverers, giving to the world right from zero in arithmetic or mathematics. Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta laid foundations of global mathematics. Our scientific pantheon, Raman known by Raman effect, Bose, Sarabhai, Chandrasekhar, Shah, Bhatnagar, and our former president, they define India’s research mind, orientation. They exemplify commitment to research. And look at those days, we were in colonial shackles. Raman effect discovered against colonial scepticism.

    It stands as a testament to our Indian scientific beliefs. Cutting edge research is demand of the times. And the research has to correlate to fulfil the needs of the society. A research that is to be put on the shelf, a research that is for the self, a research that embellishes the profile, a research that contributes only to credentials is not the research. A research that only scratches the surface is not the research. The research has to be authentic.

    The research must create a wave. It must have positive, cascading impact on the lives of the people. Industries, business, trade and commerce are driven by research. At the moment, boys and girls, we are living in times we never imagined. You are facing those times as much as I am doing. We call them Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Blockchain, Machine Learning and the kind. Blockchain for some may be Blockchain. Machine Learning may be Machine Learning only. But look at the power these technologies have.

    And these technologies are known as disruptive technologies. But these technologies come with enormous challenges that can uproot us. But they come also with a basket of opportunities. And we must focus on unleashing opportunity out of these disruptive technologies. Our research has to come up to that mark. It is our good fortune that the government is alive to the situation.

    And we as a nation, home to one sixth of humanity, are at the moment focussing on these technologies. Our quantum computing. There is a reflection by the director. About 6 lakh or 8 lakh jobs will be created out of investment of 6 lakh crores. Quantum computing, there is allocation of 6,000 crores and 18,000 crores for green hydrogen mission. These are the opportunities for you people. Space economy, blue economy. These are the opportunities for you.

    And therefore research has to facilitate life of the ordinary person. To improve our industry, our administration. A nation of 1.4 billion and a rich human resource unrivalled in the world. If it is catalysed and activated by temperament of research, the results will be exponential, geometric and revolutionary. Because now Bharat is no longer a nation with a potential. Our rise is unstoppable for last few years.

    It is incremental. And therefore, there has to be a greater commitment that research in the country is in the big league, in the Platinum category. And for that, the faculty has to brainstorm. We cannot have satisfying moments. As reflected by a Greek philosopher much before Socrates’ era, Heraclitus, Boys and Girls, now we are having change every moment. Paradigm shift.

    We are virtually at an industrial revolution. Unknown to the humanity before. And if nations have to go ahead of others, we have to focus on research. There was a time in Silicon Valley otherwise we could hardly see an Indian. And there is now hardly a global corporate that doesn’t have an Indian man or woman at the peak. Our demographic dividend now requires universalist engineering, mathematics. And that is why, after more than three decades, a game-changing education policy was introduced. And that was to give you enough room so that you can go after your aptitude and distance from the package of just degrees.

    I will take the occasion to appeal to corporates that they must come forward to drive the engines of research. Liberally contribute because ultimately they are the beneficiaries. Alongside the government they should be making liberal contributions beyond their CSR funds. If you look at the global corporates, how much they invest you will be surprised. We take pride in the last five years. We have increased our research fiscal commitment in the corporates to 50% above.

    From 0.89% of their revenue to 1.32% of their revenue. I find it deficient. Investment has to be many times more. We take pride also because earlier things were not moving. Now things are moving. When things are moving, we notice a change. Patents have nearly more than doubled in the last ten years. But our patents must be in consonance with our demographic participation in the world. One-sixth we must have. Because we are one-sixth of humanity. And this one-sixth of humanity qualitatively is very different than one-sixth. And therefore, taking note of technology access and adaptability, we need to be in optimal performance mindset.

    Imagine a country where 100 million farmers, three times a year, get direct banking transfers. Young boys and girls were not aware, there was a time when corruption was the password for opportunity, recruitment or business licence. Power corridors were leveraged by lies and agents. All this neutralised. And neutralised also through technological applications. Because middlemen have been shown the door. So when I look at your institute, Director, science, education and research, the triangle, this defines your role. Pursuit of knowledge. It starts with education. Because education as a transformative vehicle is very powerful. It brings about equality. Any one of you can have unicorn and be in the big league of industry. You don’t have to look to the situation. That yes, my father was in the industry, that’s true. We need to fight by technology. That’s the sin we are facing. So education. In education, science is important.

    Because science unfolds your mind to generate creativity, innovation. And then the next step is research. A combination of these will unlock the enormous potential of Indian mind. Will make available avenues and vistas to our population. Every nation hopes to be self-reliant. But we as a nation are very large. Complex on occasions. When the nation is growing so fast, some of us, the number is very small. The traction is large. Put personal interest, commercial interest, political interest, above national interest. This can’t be allowed. This is unfair to boys and girls.

    This is unfair to everyone, because if in our democracy there is someone as a class more serious, significant stakeholder in democracy and growth, than any one of us sitting here, is the youth of the country. Because as we march for Viksit Bharat after 2047, you are the driving force behind engines of growth. And therefore we have to give new dimension now. Make in India, start up India. And look at technology. It has to get into healthcare.

    Technology has to get into education. Technology can catalyse that quality health and quality education is available to one and all. And if that happens, Bharat will be what it has been for centuries.Our lean period started in 12th century. Then marauders came, invaders came, recklessly destroyed our culture. They sacrileged our religious places to an extent that they put their own at the same place. Then came the Britishers who did not give us the education to rule ourselves. They gave us education and taught us history as suited to them. Now things have changed. We are much ahead of UK in economy. We have a bunch of institutions now all over the country. IITs, IIMs, Institutions like yours, and therefore we must have this ecosystem with ears and eyes on the ground. The litmus test is changing the life of the ordinary man. We all stand committed to that because that is our preamble.

    We the people of India want these things. I conclude for time constraint. What Vivekananda said, “Arise, awake, stop not till the goal is achieved”. A motto which you must have. From my side I can give it to you. Have no tension, Have no stress, Never fear failure. Failure is natural. Sometimes you will be surprised, Oh he has succeeded, he should not have succeeded, take it in stride. System is transparent, there will be aberrations. Sometimes you will find, Oh! my own success is unjustified. These are situations natural to us, and then Dr. Kalam whose heart was always in education. I recollect when he met his maker. He was with the students in the North East, and what he said I quote,

    “Dreams transform into thoughts, and thoughts result in action” and therefore my ultimate plea with you, If an idea occurs to you don’t allow your mind to be a parking ground for that idea because you fear you may fail. Get rid of it. Failure is a myth because there is no one who has not failed but they never took failure as failure. Chandrayaan 2 was failure for some who are critics, who are recipe for negativity. Chandrayaan II did not fail, It went that far, and Chandrayaan III did the rest. Let your innovations catalyse India’s scientific renaissance, and advance human progress because we are a country that believes in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – One Earth, One Family, One Future, that was our motto to the entire world.

    Once again, I am grateful to the Director for making available this opportunity to me at a very short notice. I understand that there has been some inconvenience, I would urge that you overlook it.
    Thank you so much.

    *****

    JK/RC/SM

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister launches Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs in Mumbai today

    Source: Government of India

    Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister launches Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs in Mumbai today

    Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman also inaugurates first ‘Sachal Aaykar Seva Kendra’ virtually

    FM Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman addresses and interacts with stakeholders in a post-budget meeting in Mumbai

    Increased capex, focus on reducing fiscal deficit and boosting consumption, saving and investment by the citizens: Union Finance Minister

    Posted On: 17 FEB 2025 5:56PM by PIB Mumbai

    : Mumbai, February 17, 2025

    Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched the Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs (MCGS – MSME) for facilitating loans upto Rs. 100 crore to MSMEs for purchase of machinery or equipment without collateral, in pursuance of the Union Budget 2024-25 announcement, at the post-budget stakeholders’ interaction in Mumbai, today.

    The Union Minister also virtually inaugurated the first ‘Sachal Aaykar Seva Kendra’ at Mumbai, to be operational in Navy Nagar Colaba from 18th and 19th February, 2025, and is designed to facilitate access to digital services, provide assistance for grievance redressal and to promote tax awareness.

    At the same function, Smt. Sitharaman also handed over ceremonial keys to the home owners benefitted by the SWAMIH Investment Fund of SBI Ventures Ltd. Union MoS (Finance) Shri Pankaj Chaudhary, Secretary (Finance) Shri Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary (DEA) Shri Ajay Seth, Secretary (Dept. of Expenditure) Dr. Manoj Govil, Secretary (Dept. of Financial Services) Shri M. Nagaraju, Secretary (DIPAM) Shri Arunish Chawla, CBDT Chairman Shri Ravi Agrawal and CBIC Chairman Shri Sanjay Kr. Agarwal were also present on the occasion.

    In her keynote address, Smt. Sitharaman stated that Government continues its post-COVID capital and asset-building strategy, with increased allocations for capital expenditure to drive infrastructure development. The Finance Minister outlined the major takeaways from the Budget 2025-26, emphasizing economic growth, responsible fiscal management, and key structural reforms aimed at realising the vision of Viksit Bharat.

    Increased Capital Expenditure

    Government’s emphasis post Covid for public expenditure in asset building continues and hence, capex is 10.2 percent more in Budget 2025-26 than last budget (Vote-on-account 2024-25).  The capex budget has been significantly increased and stands at around Rs. 16 lakh crore, stated the Finance Minister.

    Boost to R& D and STEM

    Highlighting the importance of research and development, the Finance Minister noted that significant steps have been taken to support R&D, especially in STEM fields, with private sector participation being encouraged. She also reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to ongoing reforms in manufacturing, Ease of Doing Business (EODB), and social infrastructure to strengthen economic foundations.

    Focus on Fiscal Consolidation, Reduction of Fiscal Deficit 

    The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to fiscal consolidation, with a clear roadmap to bring the fiscal deficit below 4.5%. Borrowings are focused on capital asset creation, ensuring sustainable economic growth. She assured, “We are on track to bring the Debt-to-GDP ratio down to 50% by FY 2030-31. This reflects our disciplined approach towards financial stability without compromising on education, healthcare, or infrastructure investments.”

    Boosting Consumption, Saving and Investment by the citizens

    “This Budget focuses on boosting consumption while ensuring economic momentum. By providing tax concessions, we are enabling taxpayers to spend, save and invest, giving them the freedom to make financial decisions that best suit their needs.”

    New I-T Act

    The Income Tax Act, 1961, is set to be replaced by the new law which is currently under review by the Select Committee. With 60,000 inputs received, it is one of the most comprehensive tax reform exercises undertaken and reflects the spirit of Jan-bhagidaari. The new law will reduce complexity by consolidating provisions, reducing the number of sections from 800 to 500, and simplifying language for better interpretation. “FAQs The Finance Minister praised the CBDT for completing this monumental task within six months, stating, “This is a landmark effort towards simplification and transparency in taxation. Our aim is to make compliance easier and more efficient for every taxpayer.”

    Opening up newer sectors for investments – Space, Energy, Nuclear Energy, Critical Minerals

    Newer sectors such as space and nuclear energy have been opened up for investments, ensuring global competitiveness and technological advancement. Stressing the importance of energy security, she remarked, “With the rise in data centers and industrial expansion, our energy sector must scale accordingly”, stated the Finance Minister. The MSME Loan Guarantee scheme now extends to critical minerals, with the Government signing MoUs with multiple countries for import of important critical minerals. Additionally, full exemption of Customs Duties on 25 Critical Minerals have been announced in the union budget. This will benefit sectors like space, defence, telecommunications, high-tech electronics, nuclear energy and renewable energy, where these rare earth minerals are critical.

    Education and Health

    Education and health remain key priorities, with more universities being considered for student loan support to enhance accessibility to higher education. The insurance sector has been opened up with necessary safeguards, ensuring broader participation while maintaining financial security. Union Budget 2025 increased the sectoral cap of insurance sector to 100% from 74%.

    PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana for better agricultural productivity

    Addressing food security, the Finance Minister highlighted the introduction of PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, which aims to improve agricultural productivity across 100 districts known for low agricultural output. This programme will help 1.7 crore farmers to enhance agricultural productivity, improve irrigation facilities and facilitate long-term and short-term credit “Strengthening food security in rural India is paramount, and this initiative will uplift our farmers and boost productivity where it is needed most,” she said.

    The interaction with stakeholders was followed by a press conference, the proceedings of which may be accessed here. 

     

    Rabee/ Sriyanka /Dhanalaxmi/PM

    Follow us on social media:  @PIBMumbai     /PIBMumbai     /pibmumbai   pibmumbai[at]gmail[dot]com

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: WAVES Anime & Manga Contest

    Source: Government of India

    WAVES Anime & Manga Contest

    Celebrating India’s Growing Passion for Animation and Comics

    Posted On: 17 FEB 2025 5:23PM by PIB Delhi

    Introduction

    The WAVES Anime & Manga Contest (WAM!) is a dynamic initiative that aims to harness India’s growing enthusiasm for anime and manga by providing a platform for creators to showcase their talent. Organised by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in collaboration with the Media & Entertainment Association of India (MEAI), WAM! encourages artists to develop localized adaptations of popular Japanese styles, catering to both Indian and global audiences. With opportunities for publishing, distribution, and industry exposure, the contest fosters artistic expression and nurtures emerging talent. The competition will feature state-level contests across 11 cities, culminating in a grand national finale at WAVES 2025 in Mumbai.

    WAM! is part of the Create in India Challenges, a flagship initiative under the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), which will take place from 1st to 4th May 2025 at Jio World Convention Centre & Jio World Gardens, Mumbai. WAVES serves as a premier forum for discussions, collaborations, and innovation in the media and entertainment industry, bringing together global stakeholders to explore new opportunities and shape the sector’s future. The Create in India Challenges, central to WAVES, have seen over 70,000 registrations worldwide, empowering emerging talents with a global stage to showcase their work. With WAM!, India reinforces its position as a vibrant hub for anime and manga, bridging artistic traditions with contemporary storytelling.

    Verticals and Categories

     

    Eligibility Criteria

    Events Calendar

    Date

    City

    Venue

    Registration

    22nd November, 2024

    Guwahati

    NEDFi Convention Centre

    Closed

    24th November, 2024

    Kolkata

    Heritage School

    Closed

    26th November, 2024

    Bhubaneswar

    Sri Sri University

    Closed

    28th November, 2024

    Varanasi

    Sunbeam Suncity School

    Closed

    30th November, 2024

    Delhi

    IIMC, Vasant Kunj

    Closed

    TBD

    Bengaluru

    TBD

    Click Here

    TBD

    Mumbai

    TBD

    Click Here

    TBD

    Ahmedabad

    TBD

    Click Here

    TBD

    Nagpur

    TBD

    Click Here

    TBD

    Hyderabad

    TBD

    Click Here

    TBD

    Chennai

    TBD

    Click Here

    1st – 4th May, 2025

    Finale

    Jio World Convention Centre & Jio World Gardens

    State Level Winners

    Participation Guidelines:

    • Scripts will be provided on the spot for all categories.
    • Only Manga category submissions can be in physical format. All other categories require digital submissions.
    • v Participants must create and submit their work within the specified timeframe and format:
    • Manga (Student & Professional): 2 pages, at least 4 panels each, ink and colour (physical/digital).
    • Webtoon (Student): 7 panels with ink and colour.
    • Webtoon (Professional): 10 panels with ink and colour.
    • Anime (Student): 10 seconds of animation based on the provided script.
    • Anime (Professional): 15 seconds of animation based on the provided script.

    Competition Schedule and Prizes

    • All competitions will be held offline; participants must attend in person.

     

    • Registration opens at 9:00 AM, followed by a debriefing at 9:30 AM.

     

    • The competition will take place from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

     

    • Cosplay competitions and other performances will be held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on the same day.

     

    • The WAM! Finale will be held at the WAVES summit from May 1 to 4, 2025, at Jio World Convention Centre & Jio World Gardens, Mumbai.

     

    • Winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Anime Japan and other international events, supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

     

    WAM! Cosplay Competition

    The WAM! Cosplay Competition is open to individuals, including students, staff, and external participants, with no registration fees. Cosplays must be based on characters from anime, manga, gaming, or Indian comics, encouraging creativity and originality. Costumes and props should be self-made, with no restrictions on craftsmanship, but props and weapons must be non-functional and cleared during pre-event inspection. Participants must maintain decorum, with any offensive behavior leading to disqualification. Judging will be based on costume accuracy, craftsmanship, performance, creativity, audience engagement, and an interaction segment where participants may answer questions about their character or costume. Each performer will have 90 seconds for performance and 1 minute for introduction and interaction, with judges’ decisions being final. The top three cosplayers will receive cash prizes, and all participants will be awarded e-certificates.

    References:

    Kindly find the pdf file 

    *****

    Santosh Kumar/ Sarla Meena/ Saurabh Kalia

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Key Milestones Reached in Inverness Castle Transformation Project

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Issued by High Life Highland

    The Inverness Castle Experience has reached two key milestones: the completion of glazing on the new link building and the installation of the fully refurbished Rose Window in the South Tower Story Room. These achievements mark significant progress as the attraction prepares to open later this year.

    The contemporary link building, now wind and watertight, will house the Saltire Bistro, offering visitors a unique space to enjoy Highland hospitality. Designed by the renowned LDN Architects in collaboration with NARRO structural engineers, the structure draws inspiration from the Scottish Saltire, a proud emblem of national identity. Its elegant, interwoven roof beams, influenced by the expressed ceiling structures within the historic castle interiors, span the length of the building and sit between large glass roof lights, which bathe the space in natural light.

    The glazing, meticulously crafted and installed by specialist contractors, has been delivered to the highest standards under the supervision of Bancon Construction, the project’s main contractor.

    Adding to the sense of achievement, the stunning Rose Window, a cherished historic feature, has been fully refurbished and now takes centre stage in the South Tower Story Room. Suspended from the ceiling within a bespoke steel frame, the intricate window has been restored to showcase its original craftsmanship, creating a breathtaking focal point in the room where visitors will immerse themselves in the stories of the Highlands.

    Cllr Ian Brown, Leader of Inverness City and Area and Co-chair of the Inverness Castle Project Delivery Group, said: “We are delighted to celebrate these major milestones for the Inverness Castle Experience.”

    “The completion of glazing on the link building and the restoration and installation of the Rose Window highlight the project’s balance between contemporary design and respect for the Highlands’ heritage. Visitors will be able to savour the unique atmosphere of the Saltire Bistro in the new building, and marvel at the beautifully restored Rose Window as part of their journey through the experience in the South Tower.”

    Watch Jason Kelman, Principle Project Manager at The Highland Council give an update here.

    The Inverness Castle Experience project, opening later this year, will benefit from £30m investment to support its redevelopment from the Scottish and UK Governments, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and a range of other partners.

    The Inverness Castle project is part of the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal, which is a joint initiative supported by up to £315m investment from the UK and Scottish governments, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and University of the Highlands and Islands, aimed at stimulating sustainable regional economic growth.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Mr. Jens Wandel of Denmark – Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Reforms

    Source: United Nations MIL-OSI 2

    nited Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Jens Wandel of Denmark as Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Reforms.  He was previously appointed to this function from 2018 to 2020 during the implementation phase of the reforms. 

    The Secretary-General has tasked Special Adviser Wandel with delivering an internal review of the progress made and remaining gaps implementing the reforms.  Working within and across all three reform streams (Sustainable Development, Peace & Security and Management), the Special Adviser will work to deepen the impact of the three reforms, including by recommendations to the Secretary-General for the key departments, the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, and the United Nations High-level Committee on Management.

    Mr. Wandel has had a distinguished service within the United Nations.  He served as the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Executive Director (ad interim), the Secretary-General’s Designate for the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Assistant Administrator, Director of the Bureau of Management.  He also held various positions at the country level, including as Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Turkmenistan and other UNDP positions in Kyrgyzstan and Viet Nam.  He brings a wide range of experience across operational, programmatic and policy matters, which is critical for implementing the key outstanding elements of the reforms.

    Mr. Wandel holds a Master of Arts equivalent in political science (development and public management) from the University of Aarhus, Denmark.  He is fluent in English and Danish.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: When a bishop called on Trump to ‘have mercy’, she was following the old Christian tradition of parrhesia

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Morwenna Ludlow, Professor of Christian History and Theology, University of Exeter

    Ambrose.

    When Bishop Mariann Budde closed her sermon at the National Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral on January 21 she called on Donald Trump, who was sitting in front of her, “to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now”.

    Trump demanded an apology later the same day from “the so-called Bishop” who he said was “nasty in tone”. Republican congressman Mike Collins even suggested that Budde (a US citizen) should be deported.

    The bishop was building on a long tradition of Christian leaders using bold speech. But the idea of bold speech goes back further – to the concept of “parrhesia” in democratic Athens when every freeborn male citizen had the right to speak freely in public debates.

    French philosopher Michel Foucault highlighted that with the decline of democracy, parrhesia came to mean boldly speaking truth to power. For instance, in the Roman Empire, it meant having the bravery to speak to an emperor, a governor, or one’s master as if one was their equal.

    Early Christians picked up on this use of the term in the New Testament. The Acts of the Apostles describes the arrest of Peter and John for healing and preaching in Jerusalem and recounts that the assembled “rulers, elders and scribes” were amazed to hear such parrhesia from “uneducated and ordinary men”.

    The apostles were so popular that the council released them after vainly threatening them to keep quiet. Peter and John’s own community of followers was even said to be so inspired by their bold example that they prayed to be given parrhesia too, a prayer which was immediately answered by the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:29, 31). Parrhesia here is seen as a powerful divine gift which enables ordinary people to challenge dominant religious authorities.

    Several sermons on martyrs from John Chrysostom (who was apppointed as the archbishop of Constantinople in AD397) close with exhortations to emulate a martyr’s parrhesia. Chrysostom’s Discourse on Blessed Babylas and against the Greeks describes a bishop who reprimanded an emperor for murdering a child hostage. Chrysostom praises Bishop Babylas for moderate parrhesia, guided by reason, keeping anger and other emotions in check. It recalls the advice of the philosopher Plutarch in “How to tell a flatterer from a friend”: parrhesia must be respectful, in due measure and at the right moment.

    Babylas’s moderate parrhesia produces astonished admiration from the crowd, but it provoked the outraged emperor to order Babylas’ execution.

    Such stories set expectations for the behaviour of bishops even under Christian emperors. Scholars have shown how bishops have exploited their educational and social standing to leverage limited influence with governors and sometimes even emperors.

    Gregory of Nazianzus tells how his friend Basil, a 4th century bishop, faced down the rage of an imperial representative who “roared like a lion till most men dared not approach him”, threatening “confiscation, banishment, torture, death”. When Basil refused to back down, the astonished official declared that no-one had spoken to him with such parrhesia. “Perhaps you’ve not met a bishop before,” Basil replied. “Generally, we know our place and we submit to the law. But where the interests of God are at stake, we care about nothing else.”

    Two of the most famous examples of bishops who exercised parrhesia against imperial authority were the aforementioned Chrysostom and Ambrose (who became bishop of Milan in AD374). Both Chrysostom and Ambrose wrote substantial treatises which (among other things) defended the priest’s right to censure whomever was guilty of sin. Chrysostom warns that fear of powerful authorities causes people to flatter them rather than speaking the truth. Ambrose makes a similar point, reminding his audience that John the Baptist did not flatter King Herod, despite having reason to fear him. These comments resonate with Foucault’s observation that a speaker addressing someone more powerful must choose between flattery and parrhesia.

    Bishop Budde speaking at Washington National Cathedral.

    But the point of these examples is that by the 4th century there was a strong belief that part of the job of being a bishop was being prepared to speak boldly against wrongdoing – even if the wrongdoer was an emperor. And the power of their parrhesia was not so much the success (or otherwise) of their requests, but the way their bold speech sent ripples out into the wider community.

    It is here that we can identify resonances with the case of Bishop Budde. First, parrhesia involves a direct, public but personal appeal to someone who could normally expect to be in authority over the speaker (the Jewish council of elders, a Roman governor).

    The appeal is often made respectfully, but it is still risky and disruptive. It challenges the addressee’s declared vision of the truth, setting against it the speaker’s own sources of authority, including appeals to the divine.

    In Budde’s case too we find this tension between respect and challenge. In an interview for the New Yorker, Budde reflected that she “needed to honor the office of the President and the fact that millions of people placed their trust in him”.

    By addressing Trump respectfully, she acknowledged he had the authority to be merciful. But in drawing on the authority of scripture, Christian tradition and her episcopal role, she challenged the president’s moral authority on key questions of public policy.

    Basil’s parrhesia astonished the imperial representative, but gave his friend Gregory a model for his own episcopal ministry. Similarly, Budde had a two-fold audience in mind. She used parrhesia respectfully but firmly to challenge the authority of a powerful person who did not expect to be challenged and was outraged when they were.

    It is evident that Budde’s past experience of criticising Trump (she commented in the New York Times about Trump posing for a photo with a Bible in 2020) left her in no doubt that her “audacious” direct appeal to the president would bring anger on herself. But she also addressed a wider audience, intending that “people overhearing me talk to Trump” would hear words of solidarity and hope for them.

    The power of Budde’s speech does not depend on the success of her appeal for mercy but in the disruptive nature of her challenge to Trump’s moral authority and the way it rippled out into wider audiences, provoking astonishment, anger or praise.

    History prompts us to look harder at the power dynamics that create such varied and highly charged emotional responses. Now, as in the ancient world, it is in the absence of an open hearing for all, when bold speech is needed.

    Morwenna Ludlow will receive funding from the Leverhulme Trust for a project on ‘God and Good Speech’ for two years from September 2025. She is a priest in the Church of England and has an honorary role as Canon Theologian at Exeter Cathedral.

    – ref. When a bishop called on Trump to ‘have mercy’, she was following the old Christian tradition of parrhesia – https://theconversation.com/when-a-bishop-called-on-trump-to-have-mercy-she-was-following-the-old-christian-tradition-of-parrhesia-248494

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Geoengineering is politically off-limits – could a Trump presidency change that?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hugh Hunt, Professor of Engineering Dynamics and Vibration, University of Cambridge

    One possible plan involves adding clouds in the upper atmosphere to reflect away sunlight. Thiago B Trevisan / shutterstock

    Donald Trump’s second presidential term is likely to mean big changes for those of us interested in geoengineering. The term refers to deliberate large-scale manipulation of the climate, perhaps by blocking out some sunlight or directly removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Sometimes called climate engineering, we prefer the term “climate repair”.

    Trump is not the most natural supporter of climate change interventions. He is set to expand oil and gas production hot on the heels of the most terrible wildfires in California. At some point the US could see hurricanes on scales even more extreme than Katrina or Helene.

    Extreme weather will become harder to ignore. Trump could of course downplay any link to climate change but there’s a chance this might trigger him to decide emergency action is required and demand to know more about climate engineering options.

    After all, Trump is close to certain tech figures who like big technological solutions to global problems. He likes to act fast and is prepared to deal with democratic reactions later. In those circumstances he might feel that we should do whatever it takes to deploy new climate-saving strategies at speed.

    The most effective methods for cooling the planet involve making the Earth more reflective so that it absorbs less heat from the sun. One option, known as stratospheric aerosol injection, involves spraying sulphur dioxide into the upper atmosphere to mimic the cooling effect of volcanic eruptions.

    Clouds could also be altered to become more reflective, an option known as marine cloud brightening. We can even make ice in the Arctic more reflective by thickening it during the winter months so that it lasts longer in the summer, reflecting the sun’s heat back into space.

    The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines added so much ash to the upper atmosphere the world cooled by about 0.5°C for a year.
    James St John / Flickr

    These technologies sound rather fanciful. Some might find them scary. But with the devastation of hurricanes and wildfires, Trump could potentially instruct the US military to give aerosol injection a go. At present, the technology would rely on high-altitude jets to take millions of tonnes of sulphur dioxide up to the stratosphere above the Arctic, and the US has a lot of these planes.

    Alternatively, Trump might take the opposite path and say “this is just part of the natural cycle of weather”. Climate-change deniers or those who believe reducing emissions alone will work to hit the 1.5°C or even 2°C targets may be given a platform to convince us all that there is no need for geoengineering.

    Geoengineering as an investment

    Maybe there is a middle ground. Trump could decide to support geoengineering research to help the insurance industry. If insurance companies will benefit by having fewer storms and fires, then this would be good for the US economy. So perhaps some expenditure on research right now may be a strategic investment.

    Behind the scenes are deep discussions on geoengineering governance. There are some who argue that geoengineering is so risky for the climate (what if the world cools too much? are we prepared for any unintended consequences?) that it shouldn’t be researched – or at least the research should not be funded by governments.

    Others argue that global governance and democratic issues (who is in charge? who gets a say?) need to be addressed before any research can begin. Then there’s the “slippery slope” argument, that once we start then we’ll never stop.

    Until now these kinds of arguments have slowed the pace of research, but Trump could say that the current position is wrong, as it holds back our knowledge of something which might help the US economy. If Trump decides to unlock geoengineering as an opportunity, then he may not just provide funding but instruct the national labs to get on with research at pace, thereby accelerating our knowledge of the different options. With good data we can make informed decisions.

    How much would this cost? It turns out that geoengineering research is not very expensive and Trump may figure that the potential upside is huge. If he gets excited about it, then geoengineering might suddenly capture the imagination of the US public.

    There is increased interest around the world so the situation in the US is being watched closely. With additional funding and instructions from the new president, geoengineering would soon become established in the mainstream.

    Our team at the Centre for Climate Repair in Cambridge are not the only ones thinking about all of this. This is a hot topic and one which is likely to see significant changes in the coming year.

    Hugh Hunt is affiliated with the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge. The centre receives funds from various philanthropic sources.

    Shaun Fitzgerald receives funding from Philanthropists, Trusts and Foundations, and Government grants to work on a range of activities including greenhouse gas removal through and climate engineering.

    – ref. Geoengineering is politically off-limits – could a Trump presidency change that? – https://theconversation.com/geoengineering-is-politically-off-limits-could-a-trump-presidency-change-that-248589

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Remarks by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

    Source: United Nations Population Fund

    Ms. Nahla Haider, Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 

    Distinguished Members of the Committee, 

    Delegates, experts, friends,

    Greetings of peace! 

    We enter CEDAW deliberations on General Recommendation 41 on Gender Stereotypes at a moment of grave import for the human rights of women and girls and, indeed, their very bodily autonomy. 

    There is powerful pushback against the rights of women, in all their diversities, and particularly their reproductive rights. Across the globe, we discern fierce opposition that threatens decades of progress. 

    And what progress! 

    • Maternal mortality down by one third since the year 2000. 
    • Adolescent births have also dropped by a third over the same period.
    • More than 160 countries have passed laws to address domestic violence. 

    Yet within the halls of the United Nations, previously agreed longstanding language on gender equality, diversity and sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights comes under attack with increasing frequency. In this game of diplomatic chess, women and girls are the disposable pawns.

    That’s not hyperbole. Gender stereotypes are not merely societal nuisances; they are deep-rooted causes of discrimination that affect women and girls in profound ways.

    The effects show in stories we at UNFPA constantly hear from girls our programmes support, like Amina. 

    Amina was a bright girl who excelled in her studies. She dreamed of becoming a doctor. Yet when she was 13, her parents told her she was to be married. In her village, girls were expected to marry young and raise children. 

    It’s a familiar story – one that plays out day after day, year in, year out, in communities around the world. Not all will have happy endings. Indeed, failure to act upon harmful gender stereotypes can mean a death sentence for a girl coerced into marriage or forced to bear children before her mind and her body are ready.

    Fortunately, Amina’s story took a good turn when UNFPA helped her find her voice, stand up for her rights and return to school. Now, she is inspiring other girls in her village to imagine a different future and pursue their dreams.

    In this context, thank goodness for the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. CEDAW is a fundamental safeguard in our shared commitment to advancing gender equality. 

    Gender stereotypes remain an impediment to human progress. Stereotyping constrains women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and rights by controlling their bodies, denying them autonomy in healthcare decisions, and perpetuating stigma and shame around their sexuality.

    Harmful stereotypes pose significant risks to economic, social and political stability. 

    They limit the participation of women in the workforce, contribute to the gender wage gap, restrict leadership opportunities and decrease productivity.  

    Women still earn just 77 cents for every $1 dollar paid to men, not to mention their unpaid labor in the home. Is it any wonder that poverty so often wears a woman’s face?

    Stereotypes increase all forms of gender-based violence. Now, with the rise of unregulated technology, they are being amplified and weaponized. Biased algorithms and toxic online interactions add yet another layer of disadvantage, discrimination and often violence, severely limiting the opportunities, potential and participation of women and girls. This must change.

    The ripple effects of these pernicious stereotypes touch every aspect of our lives and our societies.

    They drive political polarization, fracture communities and undermine the very foundations of democracy. By reinforcing harmful divisions, fueling bitter conflicts and exacerbating inequality, stereotypes contribute to a more fractured and unstable world, where progress and peace become ever more elusive.

    Gender equality is a fundamental human right. Yet gender discrimination persists, and factors such as age, race, class, disability and sexual orientation intersect to compound challenges for women and girls. 

    What more must be done to end the stereotyping of women of African descent and other ethnic minorities, which remains so pervasive in popular culture?

    This flattening of identities and experiences can have deadly consequences. A Black woman is told by her doctor that he is uncomfortable treating her with adequate pain medicine. Even though the woman is herself a doctor, and familiar with all the protocols, she is denied life-saving care.

    What happens when systems fail to truly ‘see’ a woman with disabilities in all her complexity? When we fail to see that she, too, has needs and desires?

    I am reminded of Mary, a young woman in Uganda with a physical disability. She has dreams for her life but tells us that she always feels invisible. Healthcare providers often overlook her sexual and reproductive health needs, assuming that she’s not sexually active.

    A local organization, supported by UNFPA, provided Mary with accessible information about her body, reproductive health and healthy relationships. We also trained healthcare workers to provide the inclusive, non-judgmental care all women, regardless of their abilities, deserve.

    Empowered with knowledge and confident in her rights, Mary has become an advocate for other women with disabilities, challenging the stigma and stereotypes that so often limit their right to make informed choices about their bodies and lives.

    The gender stereotypes that CEDAW aims to dislodge are deeply woven into the fabric of our societies, perpetuated by everyone from governments and the media to schools and healthcare systems.

    And let us remember, stereotypes don’t just harm women and girls. They affect everyone. That’s why I expect men to step up. 

    Men need to be willing to step away from roles that privilege their power and choices over women’s. Gender stereotypes affect them, too – how they express or suppress their emotions, the interests and jobs they pursue, their financial responsibilities and their recourse to violence and aggression. This in turn shapes laws, policies and many aspects of life, ranging from healthcare to employment.

    At UNFPA, we are tackling harmful gender stereotypes head on.

    We fight for laws that protect women and girls. We work with communities to shift harmful social and gender norms, and we support comprehensive sexuality education to help young people develop healthy attitudes and behaviours and to empower girls to become leaders. Education is transformative.

    Technology, too, can transform lives. Together with partners, UNFPA is working to create a digital world that is safe and accessible to all. We are taking the lead in demanding that big tech respect women and girls and make the digital space gender bias–free.

    We also work with boys and men, so that they become allies in the fight for gender equality and are not themselves trapped by harmful gender norms.

    Fathers’ Schools in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNFPA and UN Women, are encouraging men to embrace their roles as engaged fathers while also creating pathways for women to thrive in the workforce.

    By shining a light on gender stereotypes as a grave human rights issue, setting clear international standards and holding States accountable, CEDAW, through this General Recommendation, can help drive societal change.

    Drawing on this General Recommendation, and in response to national demands, UNFPA will continue to support legislation, policies, and programmes that aim to eliminate discriminatory practices and social norms.

    Quoting Dr. bell hooks:

    “Stereotypes abound when there is distance. They are an invention, a pretense that one knows when the steps that would make real knowing possible cannot be taken or are not allowed.”

    Quoting Audre Lorde:

    “For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”

    People of CEDAW,

    Continue to formulate processes that give a woman her own money – that’s power, beyond empowerment. Wallet autonomy.

    Continue to deliver self-agency, self-determination and bodily autonomy. That’s part of human dignity.

    Fashion changes to match the female face of healthcare and caregiving, and also adapt to the female face of logistics, of shipping and other industries that are newly big employers of women.

    From menarche through menopause and across a woman’s life course, hopefully, to healthy longevity – break stereotypes and allow people to speak to what matters.

    Distinguished Delegates,

    In this uncertain moment, don’t fail to stand with women – all women – unapologetically, without reservation.

    The nature of your noble mandate calls you to be selfless, but allow me to add that you also need to look after your own self, with kindness.

    Sisters, I encourage you to renew your personal commitment to Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Women absolutely have the right to rest and leisure. 

    In closing, I urge each of you, whatever your role—whether in government, civil society, academia, United Nations agencies or other stakeholders—to engage actively in the development of this General Recommendation.

    This is not the time to roll back the clock on women’s rights and choices. Yes, compromise will be necessary. Yet set the essential boundaries. Hold fast to long-standing international norms. Stand up for women and stay inspired. 

    The pendulum swings. So, again, seek what inspires you. Because the march continues. And your work saves and transforms lives.

    Let us keep moving forward – together.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Remembering the Poly-1: what NZ’s forgotten homegrown school computer can teach us about state-led innovation

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Rickerby, Lecturer, School of Product Design, University of Canterbury

    The Poly-1. MOTAT , CC BY-NC

    Some 45 years ago, a team of staff and students at Wellington Polytechnic designed and built a desktop computer with an operating system customised for the needs of New Zealand schools.

    The Poly-1 was far ahead of international competition, but New Zealand failed to capitalise on the opportunity. At the time, public investment in a new knowledge-based industry ran counter to both “Think Big” industrial policy and the emerging neoliberal agenda in government.

    As New Zealand looks to scale up investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies, the story of the Poly-1 has enduring lessons about research and innovation policy – and the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration.

    Leading the world

    The Poly-1 was designed in 1980 as a learning device and teacher support tool. It was advanced for its time with colour graphics and powerful processors. It incorporated a networking feature, enabling up to 32 workstations across multiple sites to communicate over a real-time connection.

    Its tough, rounded fibreglass case with carry handles and integrated keyboard was ergonomically designed to handle the rigours of classroom use. A range of bold colour options were meant to make it more relatable for children.

    Fifty working prototypes were built in less than a year. A large group of volunteer teachers worked over the summer break to integrate course content and ensure it was ready for use in classrooms.

    In 1981, the Department of Education signed a NZ$10 million purchase agreement for 1,000 units per year over a five year period.

    The Poly-1 went into production under Polycorp, a joint venture with Lower Hutt-based Progeni. Manufacturing was backed by the state-owned Development Finance Corporation venture capital fund.

    Polycorp was poised for scale with a field-tested product and unique distributed learning model. Wide deployment in classrooms would position New Zealand as leading the world in maths education and applied computing.

    Blocking innovators and boosting importers

    Voicing outrage at this use of public funds, corporate lobbyists began publicly attacking “bureaucrats and boffins”. Privately, they put pressure on ministers sympathetic to a nascent deregulation agenda. They argued only the market could properly decide which computers were used.

    In 1982, then prime minister Robert Muldoon’s cabinet scuttled the deal, halting higher volume production and discarding two years of work.

    The beneficiary of the broken contract was Apple, which targeted New Zealand as its first education market outside the United States. It gave away free Apple II computers to schools, then followed up by offering larger volumes to the Department of Education at below cost.

    The Apple computers were unsupported by curriculum resources, lacked teacher training and were soon obsolete.

    By the mid 1980s, the rollout of computers in classrooms stalled as the Fourth Labour Government prioritised administrative reforms in education. Schools were left on their own to deal with hawkish IT vendors and distributors.

    Missed opportunities

    Relying on an underdeveloped market to serve the growing demand for computers in education led to anti-competitive practices and a devaluing of the teaching expertise behind the software and services.

    It’s unlikely the Poly-1 would have survived through the early 1990s as cheap IBM-compatible clones became widespread. But its ultimate end was a consequence of finance rather than technology.

    The collapse of the government-owned Development Finance Corporation in a complex tangle of failed property investments left Progeni directly exposed as a debtor to the BNZ, which was also teetering on the edge of collapse.

    In late 1989, Progeni was forced into receivership by the bank, which asset-stripped the company and sold it at a nominal value.

    Innovation is interdisciplinary

    The current government has recently announced major structural changes to New Zealand’s research and innovation system, including a new Public Research Organisation focused on advanced technology.

    Institutional reform is much needed and long overdue, but significant challenges remain. A narrow focus on science and technology driving economic growth is not enough. More attention to detail is needed to bridge from current capacity to a desired future state.

    The Poly-1 required collaboration with industrial designers and teachers to become market-ready – and the same is true today.

    Successfully commercialising research in AI and other advanced technologies requires contributions from experts across design, social science, arts and business.

    Like personal computers in 1980, AI is a new category with contested meanings. This has an impact on policy and the reception of new products.

    Discussions about state-led innovation often default to arguments about picking winners. But direct support for industries and firms is only part of the broader picture.

    In order to see economic and public benefits of investment in AI, the government has a role to play in coordinating interdisciplinary efforts across sectors. This requires visions for the future that are a practical response to the needs of individuals, businesses and communities.

    Countries like New Zealand have so far been consumers rather than producers of current generation AI. Changing this balance requires willingness to learn from past mistakes to support leadership in both innovation and regulation. Poly-1 still has lessons to teach us.

    Mark Rickerby was the recipient of an arts innovation grant from Manatū Taonga, Ministry for Culture & Heritage in 2021. He is a member of the New Zealand Game Developers Association (NZGDA).

    – ref. Remembering the Poly-1: what NZ’s forgotten homegrown school computer can teach us about state-led innovation – https://theconversation.com/remembering-the-poly-1-what-nzs-forgotten-homegrown-school-computer-can-teach-us-about-state-led-innovation-249577

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: YouTube at 20: how it transformed viewing in eight steps

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alex Connock, Senior Fellow, Said Business School, University of Oxford

    Chay Tee

    The world’s biggest video sharing platform, YouTube, has just turned 20.

    It was started inauspiciously in February 2005 by former PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim – with a 19-second video of Karim exploring San Diego Zoo.

    That year, YouTube’s disruption of the media timeline was minimal enough for there to be no mention of it in The Guardian’s coverage of TV’s Digital Revolution at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

    Twenty years on, it’s a different story.

    YouTube is a massive competitor to TV, an engagement beast, uploading as much new video every five minutes as the 2,400 hours BBC Studios produces in a whole year. The 26-year-old YouTube star Mr Beast earned US$85 million (£67 million) in 2024 from videos – ranging from live Call of Duty play-alongs to handing out 1,000 free cataract operations.

    As a business, YouTube is now worth some US$455 billion (2024 Bloomberg estimate). That is a spectacular 275 times return on the US$1.65 billion Google paid for it in 2006. For the current YouTube value, Google could today buy British broadcaster ITV about 127 times.

    YouTube has similar gross revenue (US$36.1 billion in 2024) to the streaming giant Netflix – but without the financial inconvenience of making shows, since most of the content is uploaded for free.

    YouTube’s first video: a 19-second look at the elephants of San Diego Zoo.

    YouTube has 2.7 billion monthly active users, or 40% of the entire global population outside China, where it is blocked. It is also now one of the biggest music streaming sites, and the second biggest social network (to Facebook), plus a paid broadcast channel for 100 million subscribers.

    YouTube has built a video Library of Babel, its expansive shelves lined eclectically with Baby Shark Dance, how to fix septic tanks, who would win a shooting war between Britain and France … and quantum physics.

    The site has taken over global children’s programming to the point where Wired magazine pointed out that the future of this genre actually “isn’t television”. But there are flaws, too: it has been described as a conduit for disinformation by fact checkers.

    So how did all that happen? Eight key innovations have helped YouTube achieve its success.

    1. How new creativity is paid for

    Traditional broadcast and print uses either the risk-on, fixed cost of hiring an office full of staff producers and writers, or the variable but risky approach of one-off commissioning from freelancers. Either way, the channel goes out of pocket, and if the content fails to score with viewers, it loses money.

    YouTube did away with all that, flipping the risk profile entirely to the creator, and not paying upfront at all. It doesn’t have to deal with the key talent going out clubbing all night and being late to the set, not to mention other boring aspects of production like insurance, cash flow or contracts.

    2. The revenue model of media

    YouTube innovated by dividing any earnings with the creator, via an advertising income split of roughly 50% (the exact amount varies in practice). This incentivises creators to study the science of engagement, since it makes them more money. Mr Beast has a team employed just to optimise the thumbnails for his videos.

    3. Advertising

    Alongside parent company Google/Alphabet, and especially with the introduction (March 2007) of YouTube Analytics and other technologies, the site adrenalised programmatic video advertising, where ad space around a particular viewer is digitally auctioned off to the highest buyer, in real time.

    That means when you land on a high-rating Beyoncé video and see a pre-roll ad for Grammarly, the advertiser algorithmically liked the look of your profile, so bid money to show you the ad. When that system works, it is ultra efficient, the key reason why the broad, demographics-based broadcast TV advertising market is so challenged.

    4. Who makes content

    About 50 million people now think they are professional creators, many of them on YouTube. Influencers have used the site to build businesses without mediation from (usually white and male) executives in legacy media.

    This has driven, at its best, a major move towards the democratisation and globalisation of content production. Brazil and Kenya both have huge, eponymous YouTube creator economies, giving global distribution to diverse voices that realistically would been disintermediated in the 20th century media ecology.

    5. The way we tell stories

    Traditional TV ads and films start slow and build to a climax. Not so YouTube videos – and even more, YouTube Shorts – which prioritise a big emotive hit in the first few seconds for engagement, and regular further hits to keep people there. Mr Beast’s leaked internal notes describe how to do sequential escalation, meaning moving to more elaborate or extreme details as a video goes on: “An example of a one thru three minute tactic we would use is crazy progression,” he says, reflecting his deep homework. “I spent basically five years of my life studying virality on YouTube.”

    6. Copyright

    Back in 2015, if someone stole your intellectual property – say, old episodes of Mr Bean – and re-broadcast it on their own channel, you would call a media lawyer and sue. Now there is a better option – Content ID – to take the money instead. Through digital rights monetisation (DRM), owners can algorithmically discover their own content and claim the ad revenue, a material new income stream for producers.

    7. Video technicalities

    Most technical innovations in video production have found their way to the mainstream via YouTube, such as 360-degree, 4k, VR (virtual reality) and other tech acronyms. And now YouTube has started to integrate generative AI into its programme-producing suite for creators, with tight integration of Google’s Veo tools.

    These will offer, according to CEO Neal Mohan, “billions of people around the world access to AI”. This is another competitive threat to traditional producers, because bedroom creators can now make their own visual effects-heavy fan-fiction episodes of Star Wars.

    8. News

    YouTube became a rabbit hole of disinformation, misinformation and conspiracy, via a reinforcement-learning algorithm that prioritises view time but not editorial accuracy. Covid conspiracy fans got to see “5G health risk” or “chemtrail” videos, because the algorithm knew they might like them too.

    How can the big, legacy media brands respond? Simple. By meeting the audience where the viewers are, and putting their content on YouTube. The BBC has 14.7 million YouTube subscribers. ITV is exploiting its catalogue to put old episodes of Thunderbirds on there. Meanwhile in February 2025, Channel 4 also announced success in reaching young viewers via YouTube. Full episode views were “up 169% year-on-year, surpassing 110 million organic views in the UK”.

    Alex Connock has worked or consulted for BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Meta.

    – ref. YouTube at 20: how it transformed viewing in eight steps – https://theconversation.com/youtube-at-20-how-it-transformed-viewing-in-eight-steps-250083

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Europe left scrambling in face of wavering US security guarantees

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

    European leaders are scrambling to respond to what looks like the end of reliable US protection of the continent. It is unclear what the “main European countries” (which includes the UK) might be able to agree at a hastily convened meeting in Paris on Monday February 17. But individual countries, including the UK and Germany, have come forward to put concrete offers on the table for Ukraine’s security, which could include putting their troops on the ground.

    This unusual circling of the wagons was triggered by the 2025 Munich Security Conference, which ended the previous day. It brought to a close a week of remarkable upheaval for Europe, leaving no doubt that two already obvious trends in the deteriorating transatlantic relationship accelerated further.

    What the world saw was unabashed US unilateralism when it comes to the war in Ukraine. Ominously, there was also a clear indication of the extent of American intentions to interfere in the domestic political processes of European countries – most notably the upcoming German parliamentary elections on February 23.

    None of this should have come as a surprise. But the full-force assault by Donald Trump’s envoys to Europe was still sobering – especially once all its implications are considered. What was, perhaps, more surprising was that European leaders pushed back and did so in an unusually public and unequivocal way.

    Over the course of just a few days, two of the worst European fears were confirmed. First, the Trump administration is pushing ahead with its idea of a US-Russia deal to end the war in Ukraine. And all the signs are that Washington plans to leave Ukraine and the EU out of any negotiations and to their own devices when it comes to post-ceasefire security arrangements.

    On February 12, the US president announced he had spoken at length with Russian president Vladimir Putin, and subsequently informed Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky of the conversation. The same day, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, confirmed at a press conference after a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels that direct negotiations between Russia and the US would begin immediately. They will not include any European or Ukrainian officials, he said.

    Hegseth also poured cold water on any hopes that there would be robust US security guarantees for Ukraine. He explicitly ruled out US troops for any peacekeeping forces deployed by other Nato members, or that any attack on those forces would be considered an attack on the whole alliance under article 5 of the Nato treaty.

    The European response was swift and, at least on paper, decisive. Right after Hegseth’s comments in Brussels, the Weimar+ group (Germany, France, Poland + Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the EU’s diplomatic service and the European Commission) issued a joint statement reiterating their commitment to enhanced support in defence of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    On February 14, the EU’s top officials – European council president António Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen – met with Zelensky on the margins of the conference. They assured him of the EU’s “continued and stable support to Ukraine until a just, comprehensive and lasting peace is reached”.

    The following day, Costa’s speech in Munich reiterated this commitment. Similar to earlier comments by Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, Costa underlined Europe’s determination to “to act better, stronger and faster in building the Europe of defence”.

    But these declarations of the EU’s determination to continue supporting Ukraine do not reflect consensus inside the Union on such a position. Weimar+ only includes a select number of EU member states, institutions and the UK, underlining the continuing difficulties in achieving unanimity on critical security and defence issues. Unsurprisingly, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, issued a scathing condemnation of the Weimar+ statement as a “sad testament of bad Brusselian leadership”.

    Orbán’s comments play right into many Europeans’ fears about another dark side of Trump’s agenda when it comes to transatlantic relations. As foreshadowed in the influential Project 2025 report by a coalition of conservative US thinktanks, the Trump administration is intent on weakening European unity. This will include preventing the UK from slipping “back into the orbit of the EU” and “developing new allies inside the EU – especially the Central European countries”.

    Opening up divides

    The US vice-president, J.D. Vance, used his speech in Munich to claim that the real threat to European security was not coming from Russia or China, but rather “from within”. He went on to chide “EU commissars” and insinuated that Europe’s current leaders had more in common with the “tyrannical forces on this continent” who lost the cold war.

    In Romania, where presidential elections were cancelled after evidence of massive Russian election interference emerged, opposition parties revelled in Vance’s comments that the move had been based on the “flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbours”. The vice-president has further exacerbated political divisions in a key European and Nato ally right on the border with Ukraine.

    Vance subsequently sought out Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD). The pair reportedly discussed the war in Ukraine, German domestic politics and the so-called brandmauer. This is the agreement between centre-right and left-wing parties in Germany to form a “firewall” to prevent extreme right-wing parties from joining coalitions, which has recently been weakened.

    Their meeting was widely criticised as yet another American attempt for the party to boost its chances at Germany’s upcoming parliamentary elections on February 23. Referring to Germany’s historical experience with Nazism, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz defended the need to hold the line against far-right political parties like the AfD.

    Polar shift

    There have been many watershed moments and wake-up calls for Europe in the past. What is different now is that a new multipolar order is emerging – and Europe is not one of its poles. Equally importantly, given the determination of this US administration to upend the existing international order, Europe is not a part of any pole anymore either.

    Simultaneously at stake are European unity and the transatlantic relationship. These are the two key pillars that have ensured European security, democracy and prosperity since the end of the second world war. Out of necessity, Europe will most likely have to adjust to a much-weakened transatlantic relationship. But the European project will not survive without unity.

    This is a critical juncture for Europe. The continent needs to define its future place and role in the dysfunctional love triangle of Trump, Putin and Xi, a triumvirate that will shape and dominate the new global order.

    Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

    – ref. Europe left scrambling in face of wavering US security guarantees – https://theconversation.com/europe-left-scrambling-in-face-of-wavering-us-security-guarantees-249978

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Feel like you’re in a funk? Here’s what you can do to get out of it – and how you can prevent it from happening in the future

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jolanta Burke, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Positive Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

    Whatever the reason, there are many things you can do to get out of a funk. Vectorium/ Shutterstock

    Are you feeling worn out? Struggling with lingering sadness, anxiety or feelings of indifference? If so, you might be stuck in a funk.

    There are many reasons you might find yourself in a funk – including returning home after a holiday, not being sure what your goals in life are and a lack of meaning and purpose driving you forward. Sometimes, there’s no clear reason why we find ourselves in a funk.

    Whatever the cause, don’t lose hope. There are many things you can do to turn the way you’re feeling around.

    Ready to make a change? The Quarter Life Glow-up is a new, six-week newsletter course from The Conversation’s UK and Canada editions.

    Every week, we’ll bring you research-backed advice and tools to help improve your relationships, your career, your free time and your mental health – no supplements or skincare required. Sign up here to start your glow-up at any time.

    1. Express yourself

    As obvious as it sounds, one of the best ways to get out of a funk is exploring the reasons you’re feeling this way.

    Try writing down your deepest thoughts and feelings without judgement – no matter how disjointed they are. Or, grab a paintbrush, spray paint, pencil or chalk and express your emotions through art. You might even choose to dance, letting your movements convey what you’re feeling and help you get to the root of your funk.

    Whatever form of self-expression works for you, all that matters is getting your feelings out. This will help you make sense of what’s causing your funk, and may make it easier to overcome.

    2. Remember the good times

    When we’re in a funk, we’re often overwhelmed by feelings of sadness or indifference. It can be hard to reduce these negative emotions – especially since negative feelings serve a purpose, by helping us understand what’s going on inside.

    Instead of trying to banish bad feelings, try instead to layer positive emotions on top of them. This may help balance your emotions out.

    You can do this by closing your eyes and savouring a happy moment from the past when you felt alive, vibrant and fulfilled. Use every sense as you relive those joyful memories.

    3. Connect with someone

    Research shows the most fulfilled people don’t bury themselves in their thoughts when feeling down. Instead, they look outward – engaging with others and their surroundings.

    So when you’re in a funk, try finding ways of connecting, even briefly, with the people around you. Even a simple conversation with a stranger might lift your spirits.

    Or take it a step further if you can and do something kind for someone – or try volunteering. This may help break you out of your low mood by giving you a sense of fulfilment?

    4. Heal in nature

    Nature is shown to improve wellbeing in many ways – such as lowering blood pressure, refreshing your mind and reminding you that you’re part of something larger than yourself.

    A walk in the park may have many benefits for your wellbeing.
    GoodStudio/ Shutterstock

    If you’ve been feeling down, try going for a walk in the park or find a quiet place to stop on a hike. Lift your head to the sky, listen for the birds singing, immerse yourself in the foliage and let the sound of water wash over you. All of these things are linked with better mental health.

    Preventing a funk

    Doing any of these activities even just once can make a difference to the way your feeling. The more often you do them, the better.

    And once you’ve broken out of your funk, there are things you can do to avoid slipping into one in the future.

    1. Build resilience

    Resilience isn’t just about bouncing back. It’s more about finding the right resources to help you get out of a funk – and knowing how to use these resources effectively.

    For example, if connecting with your friends helps boost your wellbeing, this would be considered one of your “resources” that can help break you out of a funk. Of course, schedules can get in the way, so you’ll need to to find a time that works best for everyone.

    This is what resilience is all about. Identifying your go-to resources for preventing those low feelings can help you create a ready-made toolkit to draw from whenever you feel a funk coming on. To build your tool-kit, think about the things that made the biggest difference in pulling you out of a funk the last time.

    2. Cultivate hope

    Hope isn’t just wishful thinking. It’s about cultivating the will to keep moving forward and finding a way to get there. It’s a pathway to a better life, keeping us focused on growth.

    But one of the challenges in building hope is the lack of a clear vision of where we want to be. To overcome this, take some time to imagine your best-case scenario – what your life would look like ten years from now if everything you’ve ever hoped for came true.

    Spend 20 minutes writing it down. Don’t stop to worry about spelling or grammar (this is just for you). Repeat this exercise as often as needed to create your ideal future.

    When you’re finished, write down how you can achieve what you hope for. Having a well-defined vision of your best possible self can help keep you motivated and prevent you from feeling stuck – and will also give you a reserve of hope to draw upon when facing hard times.

    3. Practise self-acceptance

    Most importantly, focus on practising self-acceptance. Everyone experiences rough patches, so don’t be hard on yourself for being in a funk — it’s just a temporary state.

    Embrace where you are and accept yourself fully, regardless of your current situation. And remember that self-acceptance doesn’t mean resignation. It’s about acknowledging, “It’s okay to be me,” while also envisioning how you want “me” to evolve in the future. With this mindset, you can work towards becoming the person you aspire to be.

    Unlike trees, which are rooted in place, we have the flexibility to grow and change. Remember this the next time you start feeling stuck.

    Jolanta Burke 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. Feel like you’re in a funk? Here’s what you can do to get out of it – and how you can prevent it from happening in the future – https://theconversation.com/feel-like-youre-in-a-funk-heres-what-you-can-do-to-get-out-of-it-and-how-you-can-prevent-it-from-happening-in-the-future-235986

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: AI vampires could save Buffy fan favourites like Angel and Spike from a reboot recast

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Valentina Signorelli, Associate Professor in Film and TV, University of Greenwich

    Buffy fans are rejoicing that a reboot of the series by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao is imminent, with Sarah Michelle Gellar set to reprise the title role.

    For millennials like myself who grew up devouring the show (to the point of creating a new academic field, Buffy studies), this news is extremely exciting. However, some critical details remain unclear.

    When Gellar addressed the rumour of a reboot in an Instagram post on February 6, her co-star David Boreanaz, who played Buffy’s first love interest, Angel, commented: “Excited for you and your journey. Enjoy the moments and continue to give back to fans.”

    His words, which seem to suggest he won’t be returning as Angel, allude to a significant challenge facing the reboot. What to do about now-visibly older cast members such as Boreanaz (now 55) who play ageless vampires? James Marsters, who played Buffy’s punk-rebel lover, Spike, faces a similar problem: he is now 62.

    However, in the two decades since the final episode aired, there have been significant advancements in technology that may offer a way around having to sideline or recast fan favourites. The solution could involve the use of AI de-ageing technology.

    AI vampires

    De-ageing technology isn’t new to Hollywood. AI rejuvenation has been used in a number of blockbusters over the last few years – take Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino in The Irishman (2019), for example. More recently, Tom Hanks was de-aged using AI for the graphic novel adaptation Here.

    AI has also been used to restore actors’ voices. This effect was used for the voice of Val Kilmer in Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Kilmer had lost his voice as a result of his battle with throat cancer.

    How de-ageing technology was used in The Irishman.

    A mixed voice-and-vision technique has also allowed The Mandalorian (2020) and The Book of Boba Fett (2021) to bring back a young Luke Skywalker. And Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021) controversially used AI to recreate the late chef’s timber for the voiceover.

    However, AI has yet to be explored in the unique context of the timeless vampire character – an archetype where immortality and daring beauty are defining traits, at least on TV.

    If done right, AI could de-age Boreanaz and Marsters, allowing the actors to return as Angel and Spike without breaking continuity or forcing abrupt casting changes.

    In return, this move could influence the vampire genre as a whole – not only bringing TV actors back to beloved roles but, more importantly, allowing them to carry their fan base with them into a new era.

    AI and gender in Hollywood

    Women have been disproportionately affected by AI’s impact on job security, as a 2024 Mercer study highlighted.

    Hollywood still has a gender disparity problem. In 2024, 70% of the top-grossing films had ten or more men in key positions behind the screen, compared with just 8% for women. AI is enhancing this gap, automating roles where women have greater representation (such as background acting and voice work), as well as excluding them from AI development and decision-making.

    Male actors, meanwhile, have seen their job security increased by the technology, as they’re able to retain leading roles in film sequels such as Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).

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    In the Buffy reboot, led by a now 47-year-old Gellar, we could witness an intriguing power reversal in both cases. If AI is not used, removing Boreanaz and Marsters from their roles, the show could still stand without them. Unlike her male co-stars, Buffy is human, so ageing isn’t a major issue for Gellar and her character. Twenty years later, fans would naturally expect to see her looking visibly older and facing new adventures.

    However, if AI de-aging is used to preserve Angel and Spike as we remember them in their often-sexualised signature look, then Buffy’s vampire lovers would look noticeably younger than her for the first time. This would provide an interesting twist to what film historian Steve Neale has defined as “masculinity as spectacle”, reversing traditional gendered cinematic power dynamics.

    By allowing AI to preserve Angel and Spike as immortal, the reboot could bridge generational and new fans while exploring the latest use of a controversial technology.

    Regardless of the outcome, we know Buffy doesn’t “have time for vendettas. The mission is what matters”. Let’s hope this new show can rise to the challenge and still slay in the 21st century.

    Valentina Signorelli is co-founder of Italian production company Daitona

    – ref. AI vampires could save Buffy fan favourites like Angel and Spike from a reboot recast – https://theconversation.com/ai-vampires-could-save-buffy-fan-favourites-like-angel-and-spike-from-a-reboot-recast-249403

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A short history of the separation of powers: from Cicero’s Rome to Trump’s America

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Vittorio Bufacchi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, University College Cork

    Studies in democracy: Cicero, left, and Donald Trump. Capitoline Museum/Mary Harrsch and EPA-EFE/Will Oliver, CC BY-SA

    In the four weeks since he was inaugurated for his second term as US president, Donald Trump has issued dozens of executive orders – many of which are now the subject of legal challenges on the grounds they exceed his authority under the US constitution. As a result, some will inevitably end up in front of the US Supreme Court.

    What the court rules – and how the Trump administration responds to its judgments – will tell us a great deal whether the separation of powers still works as US founding fathers intended when they drafted the constitution.

    The concept of separation of powers is incorporated into just about every democratic constitution. It rests on the principle of the separation of powers between the three fundamental branches of government: executive, legislature and judiciary.

    It’s what enables the political ecosystem of checks and balances to create the conditions for democracy to exist and freedom to flourish. But if one of the three branches of government dominates the other two, the equilibrium is shattered and democracy collapses.

    We owe this idea of constitutional democracy as a tripartite division of power to an 18th-century French political philosopher, Charles de Montesquieu. He was the author of one of the most influential books to come out of the Enlightenment period, The Spirit of the Laws.

    Published in 1748, this work gradually reshaped every political system in Europe, and had a powerful influence on America’s Founding Fathers. The 1787 US constitution was drafted in the spirit of Montesquieu’s recommendations.

    Modern democracies are more complex than those of the 18th century – and new institutions have developed to keep up with the times. These include specialised tribunals, autonomous regulatory agencies, central banks, audit bodies, ombudsmen, electoral commissions and anti-corruption bodies.

    What all these institutions have in common is that they operate with a considerable degree of independence from the three aforementioned arms of government. In other words, more checks and balances.

    Notwithstanding his immense influence, the idea of a separation of powers at the heart of democracy predates Montesquieu by many centuries. One of the earliest formulations of this idea can be found in Aristotle’s work, the Politics. This includes the argument that “the best constitution is made up of all existing forms”. By this Aristotle meant a mixed government of monarchy, aristocracy and democracy.

    But it was the Romans who developed a working model of checks and balances. The constitution of the Roman republic was characterised by the separation of powers between the tribune of the plebs, the senate of the patricians, and the elected consuls.

    The consuls held the highest political office, akin to a president or prime minister. But since the Romans did not trust anyone to have too much power, they elected two consuls at a time, for a period of 12 months. Each consul had veto power over the actions of the other consul. Checks and balances.

    The greatest advocate of the Roman republic and its constitutional mechanisms, was the Roman philosopher, lawyer and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero. It was Cicero who inspired Montesquieu’s work – as well as influencing John Adams, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton in the US.

    The Roman republic had lasted for approximately 500 years but came to an end following the violent death of Cicero in 43BC. He had devoted his life resisting authoritarian populists from undermining the Roman republic and establishing themselves as sole despots. His death (on top of the assassination of Julius Ceasar the previous year) are seen as key moments in Rome’s transition from republic to empire.

    Democracy under threat

    Today our democracies are facing the same predicament. In many different parts of the world this simple institutional mechanism has come under increasing attack by individuals hell-bent on curbing the independent power of the judiciary and the legislative.

    In Europe, following in the footsteps of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, the Italian far-right premier Giorgia Meloni has been pushing for constitutional reforms that reinforce the executive branch of government at the expense of the other two branches.

    Checks and balances: the three branches of government.
    TREKPix/Shutterstock

    The assault on the system of checks and balances has also been identified in Washington. The use and abuse of presidential executive orders is an indication of this growing political cancer.

    During his time as 46th US president, from January 2021 to January 2025, Joe Biden signed 162 executive orders – an average of 41 executive orders per year. By comparison, during his first term Donald Trump’s annual average was 55 executive orders. Barack Obama before him was 35.

    In his first 20 days since returning to the White House Donald Trump has already signed 60 executive orders. This has included pardoning some 1,500 people who were involved in the January 6 insurrection at the US capitol.

    But of much greater concern is the Trump administration’s veiled threats to overturn the landmark decision of the US Supreme Court from 1803, Marbury v. Madison, the case that established the principle that the courts are the final arbiters of the law.

    In recent weeks Trump has openly criticised federal judges who have tried to block some of his most executive orders. He’s been supported by his vice-president, J.D. Vance, who has been quoted as saying that “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power”.

    Meanwhile the president’s senior advisor, Elon Musk, accused a judge’s order to temporarily block the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency from accessing confidential treasury department data of being “a corrupt judge protecting corruption”.

    So democracy’s delicate balancing act is under serious pressure. If the separation of powers does not hold, and the checks and balances prove to be ineffective, democracy will be threatened.

    The next few months and years will determine whether the rule of law will be displaced by the rule of the strongest. At the moment the odds don’t look good for Cicero, Montesquieu and Madison.

    It takes a brave person to bet on democracy to win this contest, but we live in hope that America will remain the land of the free and the home of the brave.

    Vittorio Bufacchi is affiliated with the Labour Party in Ireland.

    – ref. A short history of the separation of powers: from Cicero’s Rome to Trump’s America – https://theconversation.com/a-short-history-of-the-separation-of-powers-from-ciceros-rome-to-trumps-america-249819

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Baltic Horizon Fund consolidated unaudited results for Q1-Q4 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Management Board of Northern Horizon Capital AS has approved the unaudited financial results of Baltic Horizon Fund (the Fund) for the twelve months of 2024.

    Our strategic ambitions
    In 2024, the Fund’s management team made the strategic decision to implement key performance indicators (KPIs) as a means to effectively measure and track performance. This decision stems from the recognition that clear and measurable benchmarks are essential for evaluating progress towards the Fund’s objectives. By defining specific KPIs, the team aims to enhance transparency, accountability, and facilitate decision-making processes.

    The focus of the Fund management team is and will be on these major objectives:

    • Portfolio occupancy of at least 95% by end of June 2025;
    • Loan-to-Value target at 50% or lower;
    • To consider disposing of non-strategic assets over the next 18 months;
    • Clear ESG and refurbishment strategy for the next 1-2 years with an aim to reach the portfolio’s NOI potential of EUR 18 million by 2027;
    • Maintaining 100% BREEAM or LEED certified portfolio;
    • Achieving not less than 4 stars from GRESB assessment.

    As we recap our goals for 2024, we can report the following achievements:

    We have successfully achieved 100% portfolio certification.

    Despite receiving a 3-star GRESB rating in 2024, we have thoroughly analysed the assessment results and developed an action plan to secure a 4-star GRESB rating in 2025.

    Although we did not reach our target of 90% portfolio occupancy by the end of 2024, we made significant progress, achieving an 86.5% occupancy rate based on lease signing date.

    We have recently announced our disposal strategy to reduce LTV level to the target level. Several disposal processes have already commenced as of February 2025, with the closing of transactions planned for later in the year.

    Looking ahead to 2025, we will continue with the same solid strategy and goals that will stabilize the Fund’s financial position and maximize the potential of its portfolio.

    Leasing performance

    In a challenging environment characterized by increasing real estate market vacancies across all Baltic states in recent periods, the Fund also faced outflows of some tenants, however it has demonstrated its adaptability and the attractiveness of its properties by renewing a significant amount of existing leases and signing a substantial number of new leases in 2024. This success was primarily attributable to significant deals with prominent anchor tenants such as Narbutas in Meraki (3,200 sq. m) and Apollo Group in Coca-Cola Plaza (2,200 sq. m), International School of Riga in S27 (3,680 sq. m) and significant leases in Galerija Centrs  signed with My Fitness (2,000 sq. m) and Expo GROUP (2,000 sq. m).

    The Fund team has been diligently negotiating with current tenants to extend lease agreements, while also actively engaging with new tenants to fill the vacancies.  These efforts have resulted in lease renewals of approximately 23,800 sq. m and a net lease inflow of approximately 4,800 sq. m

    During 2024, the Fund signed new leases for 22,743 sq. m, securing an annual rental income of EUR 2,945 thousand for future periods. Furthermore, 61 new tenants have been attracted to our buildings, while 69 existing tenants have decided to continue their cooperation with us.

    By the end of December 2024, the occupancy of the portfolio increased to 82.1%. Calculating based on the lease signing date, the occupancy already exceeds 86%. Signed premises will be handed over to tenants in 2025.

    Notably, less than 20% of the leases are set to expire during 2025, while the vast majority expire in 2026 and later. We aim to spread our lease terms evenly so that no more than 20% of our leases expire each year.  Recent successful leasing activity is reflected in the increase in the weighted average unexpired lease term until the first break option, which was 3.3 years as of 31 December 2024 (compared to 2.9 years as of 31 December 2023).

    Outlook
    In 2025 the Fund will focus on flexible and sustainable solutions to meet tenant demands and market conditions.

    Our key goals are increasing the occupancy of the portfolio and decreasing the LTV by way of repaying part of the bonds.

    In 2025, the Baltic commercial real estate market is anticipated to navigate both considerable challenges and emerging opportunities. Persisting economic uncertainty is expected to keep demand for commercial spaces subdued. Key factors influencing this trend include evolving consumer preferences, the continued expansion of e-commerce, and the sustained shift toward remote work, all of which are reshaping the need for office and retail properties.

    While economic forecasts cautiously suggest potential market stabilization in the coming year, a rapid recovery remains unlikely due to geopolitical uncertainties and evolving tenant and consumer needs. Recognizing these challenges, the Fund’s management strives to enhance financial stability by reducing leverage through partial bond repayment. This strategy aims to alleviate financial pressure, positioning the Fund for more sustainable financial performance.

    As part of this initiative, the Fund has announced a strategic plan to divest select assets, with the objective of reducing the LTV ratio to below 50% and fostering a more stable recovery. Up to three assets have been identified for potential disposal based on their life cycle, optimization potential, and alignment with the Fund’s long-term strategy. Among these, the Postimaja and CC Plaza complex in Tallinn has been introduced to the market, following the Fund’s successful achievement of 100% occupancy and WALT exceeding five years. Given limited opportunities for further value enhancement beyond its development potential—an avenue the Fund does not intend to pursue in the short term—the asset has been prioritized for sale. To facilitate the divestment process, the Fund has engaged Newsec Advisers UAB and Redgate Capital AS as financial advisors. The sales process was commenced in February, with the aim of closing later in the year.

    As of the date of release of this report, the Fund has a Letter of Intent (LOI) with a potential buyer and DD is in progress with Meraki property. According to LOI, the transaction would be finalized in spring 2025. At the end of 2024, the property had an occupancy of 86% and WAULT of 4.3 years. Due to anticipated vacancies in the office sector and an increasing supply, the Fund has decided not to proceed with the development of a second tower, for which the permit remains valid. The current market conditions, characterized by recovering investor activity, present an improved opportunity to sell the property. Potential buyers have also shown preliminary interest in Lincona and Pirita Center.

    If the divestment plan proceeds as anticipated, the Fund will be positioned to repay a significant portion of its bonds while continuing to invest in its remaining property portfolio. This will enable the Fund to concentrate on its core assets in alignment with its strategic objectives, providing a solid foundation for future growth.

    To achieve our goal of increasing portfolio occupancy, we are adapting to the evolving needs of our tenants and customers. The rise of e-commerce and online shopping has transformed the traditional concept of shopping centres. Visitors now seek not only to try on and purchase goods but also to enjoy entertainment and experiences.

    This trend is evident in the success of our food courts, such as Burzma and Dialogai, as well as the interactive exhibition Kosmopark, which attracted a significant number of visitors in Europa and now operates in Galerija Centrs. Following this success, we have signed a new 3-year lease with an entertainment operator to open a Danger Park on the second floor of Europa shopping centre in May 2025. We are also considering various entertainment concepts for Galerija Centrs. Additionally, we will continue to offer the community a variety of events and temporary pop-ups in both shopping centres.

    In line with our strategic goal to increase occupancy, we are reviewing the concept in Europa and seeking the best tenant mix. We are currently negotiating a lease with a 700 sq m. anchor fashion leader and have advanced discussions with several coworking operators who find the shopping centre and its location ideal for their concept, one of them has already signed a LOI for 1,300 sq m. We believe that the combination of entertainment and a wide range of catering options, which will expand from the food court to a newly planned restaurant zone on the first floor facing Konstitucijos Avenue, along with strategic changes to the tenant mix on the second and third floors, will maximize visitor flow and fully exploit the potential of the shopping centre.

    While the traditional shopping centre concept remains effective for Galerija, as evidenced by increasing foot flow and turnover, we are exploring additional concepts for currently vacant premises to complement our existing tenants and expand the range of services offered to visitors.

    Office tenants are currently looking not just for a place to work during the day, but rather for hybrid working spaces or built-to-suit solutions with increased expectation over ESG, workplace wellbeing features and easily reachable services, which become increasingly important. During the last year, we witnessed a higher demand for mixed-use projects that combine commercial spaces with services, including catering, medical clinics and fitness centres. We believe, that in the upcoming years demand for such concepts will grow further and will add value to the properties.

    We continue to adapt to market demands by diversifying our office tenant mix beyond traditional occupiers, integrating catering operators, medical clinics, and even kindergartens into our office buildings. This approach not only enhances tenant diversification but also meets the needs of both our customers and the surrounding communities.

    In the office sector, our primary challenge and focus in 2025 will be addressing the remaining vacancies in S27 and Upmalas. A significant milestone in 2024 was securing a lease agreement for approximately 3,680 sq. m. in S27 with the International School of Riga, a leading provider of international education serving students from preschool through high school, set to open at the end of 2025. Even in the current market conditions we are confident that the International School of Riga coming into the building together with the renovation and improvements that are being done will enable us to attract new tenant segments that recognise the value of synergy.

    Our commitment to supporting existing and prospective tenants, along with our ability to tailor office spaces to individual requirements, positions us well to lease the remaining areas in North Star and Meraki in the coming quarters.

     Our investments in green energy projects remain a key priority, and from Q1 2025, all our properties in Latvia and Lithuania will transition to using energy from remote solar panels. In Estonia, we are actively exploring solutions in our properties to reduce the reliance to gas. Additionally, we are evaluating new technologies and sustainability initiatives that align with our ESG strategy while enhancing energy efficiency, optimizing property performance, and reducing operational costs.

    Simultaneously, to reinforce its financial position, the Fund is committed to improving its debt service ratio and reducing loan-to-value levels. By focusing on increasing occupancy rates and optimizing property concepts, we aim to enhance asset performance and maximize net operating income. Adaptive leasing strategies, property repositioning, and targeted investments in high-demand segments will remain key priorities. These initiatives are designed to create long-term value for investors while ensuring the Fund remains resilient in a dynamic market environment.

    Baltic Horizon achieves a 100% BREEAM certified portfolio
    In 2025, we will continue advancing our social and environmental commitments. All our assets have been BREEAM-certified, and by the end of 2024, we achieved 98% green leases across our portfolio, with a target to further increase this share in the coming year.

    GRESB benchmarking
    Recently, we announced a 3-star GRESB rating of 80 points, falling 1.5 points short of the 4-star threshold. This decline, compared to previous years, reflects increasing industry-wide commitments, heightened requirements, and evolving best practices. The management team has conducted a thorough analysis of the assessment results and developed an action plan aimed at restoring the Fund’s 4-star rating in 2025.

    Net result and net rental income
    In 2024, the Group recorded a net loss of EUR 16.8 million compared with a net loss of EUR 23.0 million for 2023. The result was mainly driven by the property valuation loss. Earnings per unit for 2024 were negative at EUR 0.13 (2023: negative at EUR 0.19).

    The Group earned consolidated net rental income of EUR 11.6 million in 2024 (2023: 14.6 million). The results for 2023 include two months’ net rental income of the Domus Pro Retail and Office property (EUR 0.3 million) and five months’ net rental income of the Duetto properties (EUR 1.2 million), which were sold in February and May 2023, respectively.

    On an EPRA like-for-like basis, the portfolio net rental income in 2024 was 11.8% lower than in 2023, mainly due to vacancies in office properties in Latvia due to the expiry of the agreement with the main tenant in Upmalas Biroji BC and 100% vacancy of S27, as well as lower rental income in Europa due to the new anchor tenant IKI equipping the premises and opening in March.

    Portfolio properties in the retail segment contributed 53.3% (like-for-like 2023: 43.6%) of net rental income in 2024, followed by the office segment with 41.7% (like-for-like 2023: 50.9%) and the leisure segment with 5.0% (2023: 5.5%). 
    Retail assets located in the central business districts (Postimaja, Europa and Galerija Centrs) accounted for 42.2% of total portfolio net rental income in 2024. Total net rental income attributable to neighbourhood shopping centres was 11.1% in 2024.

    In 2024, investment properties in Latvia and Lithuania contributed 44.4% (like-for-like 2023: 41.8%) and 22.8% (like-for-like 2023: 31.1%) of net rental income, respectively, while investment properties in Estonia contributed 32.8% (like-for-like 2023: 27.1%).

    Investment properties
    At the end of Q4 2024, the Baltic Horizon Fund portfolio consisted of 12 cash flow generating investment properties in the Baltic capitals. The fair value of the Fund’s portfolio was EUR 241.2 million at the end of December 2024 (31 December 2023: EUR 250.4 million) and incorporated a total net leasable area of 118.3 thousand sq. m. The change in portfolio value was mainly driven by the changes in exit yields and upward adjustments of the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). During 2024 the Group invested approximately EUR 6.0 million in tenant fit-outs.

    Gross Asset Value (GAV)
    As of 31 December 2024, the Fund’s GAV was EUR 256.0 million (31 December 2023: EUR 261.1 million). The decrease compared to the prior year was mainly related to the negative revaluation of the Fund’s investment properties of approx. EUR 9.5 million and was partly offset by the private placement of new units which took place in September and resulted in a cash increase of approx. EUR 6.29 million.

    Net Asset Value (NAV)
    As of 31 December 2024, the Fund’s NAV was EUR 98.1 million (31 December 2023: EUR 109.5 million). The NAV decrease was mainly due to the revaluation of investment properties. At the end of September 2024 new units were issued resulting in approx. EUR 6.29 million of new equity. As of 31 December 2024, IFRS NAV per unit amounted to EUR 0.6833 (31 December 2023: EUR 0.9156), while EPRA net tangible assets and EPRA net reinstatement value were EUR 0.7267 per unit (31 December 2023: EUR 0.9546). EPRA net disposal value was EUR 0.6797 per unit (31 December 2023: EUR 0.9122).

    Interest-bearing loans and bonds
    As of 31 December 2024, interest-bearing loans and bonds (excluding lease liabilities) were EUR 149.0 million (31 December 2023: EUR 143.5 million). Annual loan amortisation accounted for 1.5% of total debt outstanding. In July 2024, the Fund successfully signed the Meraki loan with Bigbank for a total amount of EUR 10.3 million. A major part of the loan was used to repay short term bonds in the amount of EUR 8.0 million maturing in July 2024.

    As of 31 December 2024, the Fund’s consolidated cash and cash equivalents amounted to EUR 10.1 million (31 December 2023: EUR 6.2 million).

    Cash flow
    Cash inflow from core operating activities in 2024 amounted to EUR 9.9 million (2023: cash inflow of EUR 11.4 million).  Cash inflow from core operating activities decreased mainly due to the sale of Duetto and Domus Pro properties in H1 2023 and higher vacancies, mostly in S27 and Upmalas Biroji. Cash outflow from investing activities was EUR 7.0 million due to investments in existing properties and transaction costs (2023: cash inflow of EUR 19.9 million due to sales of assets). Cash inflow from financing activities was EUR 1.0 million (2023: cash outflow of EUR 30.5 million). In Q4 2024, the Fund prepaid loans in the amount of EUR 2.7 million and paid regular amortisation and interest on bank loans and bonds.

    Key earnings figures 

    EUR ‘000 Q1-Q4 2024 Q1-Q4 2023 Change (%)
    Net rental income 11,588 14,617 (20.7%)
    Administrative expenses (2,373) (2,617) (9.3%)
    Net other operating income 18 44 (59.1%)
    Losses on disposal of investment properties (863) (4,047) (78.7%)
    Valuation gains (losses) on investment properties (15,581) (21,876) (28.8%)
    Operating profit (loss) (7,211) (13,879) (48.0%)
    Net financial expenses (10,344) (9,750) 6.1%
    Profit (loss) before tax (17,555) (23,629) (25.7%)
    Income tax 774 656 18.0%
    Net profit (loss) for the period (16,781) (22,973) (27.0%)
           
    Weighted average number of units outstanding (units) 143,562,514 119,635,429 20.0%
    Earnings per unit (EUR) (0.12) (0.19) (39.1%)

    Key financial position figures

    EUR ‘000 31.12.2024 31.12.2023 Change (%)
    Investment properties 241,158 250,385 (3.7%)
    Gross asset value (GAV) 256,048 261,138 (1.9%)
           
    Interest-bearing loans and bonds 148,989 143,487 3.8%
    Total liabilities 157,953 151,606 4.2%
           
    IFRS NAV 98,095 109,532 (10.4%)
    EPRA NRV 104,333 114,205 (8.6%)
           
    Number of units outstanding (units) 143,562,514 119,635,429 20.0%
    IFRS NAV per unit (EUR) 0.6833 0.9156 (25.4%)
    EPRA NRV per unit (EUR) 0.7267 0.9546 (23.9%)
           
    Loan-to-Value ratio (%) 61.8% 57.3% –
    Average effective interest rate (%) 6.7% 5.2% –

    During Q4 2024, the average actual occupancy of the portfolio was 81.0% (Q3 2024: 80.1%). The occupancy rate increased to 82.1% as of 31 December 2024 (30 September 2024: 80.5%).

    Overview of the Fund’s investment properties as of 31 December 2024

    Property name Sector Fair value1 NLA Direct property yield Net initial yield Occupancy rate
    (EUR ‘000) (sq. m) 20242 20243
    Vilnius, Lithuania            
    Europa SC Retail 35,946 17,092 2.3% 2.8% 80.6%
    North Star Office 19,548 10,734 6.5% 7.0% 91.8%
    Meraki Office 16,3804 7,833 1.2% 1.5% 86.3%
    Total Vilnius   71,874 35,659 3.0% 3.6% 85.2%
    Riga, Latvia            
    Upmalas Biroji BC Office 19,224 11,203 3.7% 4.2% 64.1%
    Vainodes I Office 15,900 8,128 8.8% 8.8% 100.0%
    S27 Office 11,360 7,303 (0.6%) (0.9%) –
    Sky SC Retail 4,900 3,260 8.6% 8.5% 100.0%
    Galerija Centrs Retail 60,020 19,423 3.2% 4.1% 84.7%
    Total Riga   111,404 49,317 3.7% 4.5% 71.0%
    Tallinn, Estonia            
    Postimaja & CC Plaza complex Retail 21,800 9,232 3.7% 6.7% 100.0%
    Postimaja & CC Plaza complex Leisure 13,190 7,869 4.8% 4.3% 97.7%
    Lincona Office 13,100 10,767 6.4% 7.4% 88.5%
    Pirita SC Retail 9,790 5,425 6.7% 9.2% 97.1%
    Total Tallinn   57,880 33,293 4.9% 6.7% 95.3%
    Total active portfolio   241,158 118,269 3.8% 4.7% 82.1%
    1. Based on the latest valuation as of 31 December 2024 and recognised right-of-use assets.  
    2. Direct property yield (DPY) is calculated by dividing annualized NOI by the acquisition value and subsequent capital expenditure of the property.
    3. The net initial yield (NIY) is calculated by dividing annualized NOI by the market value of the property.
    4. Meraki value measured at disposal price. Market value according to independent property valuators Newsec is EUR 17,490,000.

    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

    EUR ‘000 01.10.2024 01.10.2023 01.01.2024 01.01.2023
    – 31.12.2024 – 31.12.2023 – 31.12.2024 – 31.12.2023
    Rental income 3,779 3,755 15,136 17,743
    Service charge income 1,145 1,487 4,744 6,008
    Cost of rental activities (2,205) (2,348) (8,292) (9,134)
    Net rental income 2,719 2,894 11,588 14,617
             
    Administrative expenses (644) (631) (2,373) (2,617)
    Other operating income (expenses) 3 29 18 44
    Losses on disposal of investment properties (245) (237) (863) (4,047)
     Valuation losses on investment properties (3,052) (7,250) (15,581) (21,876)
    Operating profit (loss) (1,219) (5,195) (7,211) (13,879)
             
    Financial income 169 29 196 104
    Financial expenses (2,789) (2,538) (10,540) (9,854)
    Net financial expenses (2,620) (2,509) (10,344) (9,750)
             
    Profit (loss) before tax (3,839) (7,704) (17,555) (23,629)
    Income tax charge 457 (53) 774 656
    Profit (loss) for the period (3,382) (7,757) (16,781) (22,973)
           
    Other comprehensive income that is or may be reclassified to profit or loss in subsequent periods
    Net gain (loss) on cash flow hedges (446) (759) (1,003) (1,273)
    Income tax relating to net gain (loss) on cash flow hedges 1 64 52 123
    Other comprehensive income (expense), net of tax, that is or may be reclassified to profit or loss in subsequent periods (445) (695) (951) (1,150)
             
    Total comprehensive income (expense) for the period, net of tax (3,827) (8,452) (17,732) (24,123)
             
    Basic earnings per unit (EUR) (0.02) (0.06) (0.13) (0.19)
    Diluted earnings per unit (EUR) – – (0.12) –
                 

    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

    EUR ‘000 31.12.2024 31.12.2023
    Non-current assets    
    Investment properties 241,158 250,385
    Intangible assets 4 11
    Property, plant and equipment 5 4
    Derivative financial instruments 1 295
    Other non-current assets 1,225 647
    Total non-current assets 242,393 251,342
         
    Current assets    
    Trade and other receivables 2,800 2,591
    Prepayments 802 402
    Derivative financial instruments – 621
    Cash and cash equivalents 10,053 6,182
    Total current assets 13,655 9,796
    Total assets 256,048 261,138
         
    Equity    
    Paid in capital 151,495 145,200
    Cash flow hedge reserve (420) 531
    Retained earnings (52,980) (36,199)
    Total equity 98,095 109,532
         
    Non-current liabilities    
    Interest-bearing loans and borrowings 98,491 64,158
    Deferred tax liabilities 1,898 2,774
    Other non-current liabilities 1,446 1,079
    Total non-current liabilities 101,835 68,011
         
    Current liabilities    
    Interest-bearing loans and borrowings 50,736 79,584
    Trade and other payables 4,473 3,343
    Income tax payable 14 6
    Other current liabilities 895 662
    Total current liabilities 56,118 83,595
    Total liabilities 157,953 151,606
    Total equity and liabilities 256,048 261,138

    For additional information, please contact:

    Tarmo Karotam
    Baltic Horizon Fund manager
    E-mail tarmo.karotam@nh-cap.com
    www.baltichorizon.com

    The Fund is a registered contractual public closed-end real estate fund that is managed by Alternative Investment Fund Manager license holder Northern Horizon Capital AS. 

    Distribution: GlobeNewswire, Nasdaq Tallinn, Nasdaq Stockholm, www.baltichorizon.com

    To receive Nasdaq announcements and news from Baltic Horizon Fund about its projects, plans and more, register on www.baltichorizon.com. You can also follow Baltic Horizon Fund on www.baltichorizon.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and YouTube.

    This announcement contains information that the Management Company is obliged to disclose pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the above distributors, at 19:30 EET on 17 February 2024.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A new theory explains how water first arrived on Earth

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Quentin Kral, Astrophysicien à l’observatoire de Paris-PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité

    How did Earth become a blue planet? NASA, CC BY

    When Earth first formed, it was too hot to retain ice. This means all the water on our planet must have originated from extraterrestrial sources. Studies of ancient terrestrial rocks suggest liquid water existed on Earth as early as 100 million years after the Sun’s formation–practically “immediately” on an astrophysical timescale. This water, now over 4.5 billion years old, has been perpetually renewed through Earth’s water cycle. My research team has recently proposed a new theory to explain how water first arrived on Earth.

    A mystery billions of years in the making

    Astrophysicists have been grappling with the question of how water arrived on our young planet for decades. One of the earliest hypotheses suggested that Earth’s water was a direct byproduct of the planet’s formation, released via magma during volcanic eruptions, in which most of the emitted gas is water vapor.

    However, this hypothesis evolved in the 1990s following analysis of Earth’s water composition and the discovery of the potential role of icy comets, pointing to an extraterrestrial origin. Comets, which are mixtures of ice and rock formed in the distant reaches of the solar system, are sometimes ejected toward the Sun. When warmed by the Sun, they develop striking tails of dust and gas that are visible from Earth. Asteroids, located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, were also proposed as potential progenitors of Earth’s water.

    The study of cometary and asteroid rocks via meteorites–small fragments of these bodies that have fallen to Earth–has provided key insights. By analyzing the D/H ratio–the proportion of heavy hydrogen (deuterium) to standard hydrogen–scientists found that Earth’s water more closely matches that of “carbonaceous” asteroids, which bear traces of past water. This shifted the focus of research toward these asteroids.

    The asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter, while the Kuiper Belt extends beyond Neptune.
    Pline/Wikipedia, CC BY

    Recent studies have centered on identifying the celestial mechanisms that could have delivered these water-rich asteroids to the dry surface of early Earth. Numerous theories have emerged to explain the “perturbation” of planetesimals–large, icy bodies in the asteroid and Kuiper belts. These scenarios propose gravitational interactions that dislodged these objects, sending them hurtling toward Earth. Such events would have required a complex “gravitational billiards” process, suggesting a tumultuous history of the solar system.

    While it is evident that planetary formation involved significant upheavals and impacts, it is possible that Earth’s water delivery occurred in a more natural and less dramatic manner.

    A simpler hypothesis

    I started with the assumption that asteroids emerge icy from their formation cocoon, also known as the protoplanetary disk. This cocoon is a massive, hydrogen-rich disk filled with dust, where planets and initial belts form. It envelops the entire nascent planetary system. Once this protective cocoon dissipates–after a few million years–the asteroids warm up, causing their ice to melt or, more precisely, to sublimate. In space, where pressure is nearly zero, the water remains in vapor form after this process.

    A disk of water vapour is then superimposed on the asteroid belt orbiting the Sun. As the ice sublimates, the disk fills with vapor, which spreads inward toward the Sun due to complex dynamic processes. Along the way, this vapor disk encounters the inner planets, immersing them in a kind of “bath”. In a way, the disk “waters” the terrestrial planets: Mars, Earth, Venus and Mercury. Most of this water capture occurred 20 to 30 million years after the Sun’s formation, during a period when the Sun’s luminosity increased dramatically over a brief period of time, increasing the degassing rate of asteroids.

    Step-by-step illustration of a new model for water distribution on the inner planets of the solar system, including Earth. Five million years after the Sun’s birth, asteroids in the main belt release water vapor due to solar energy. This vapor gradually spreads into the inner solar system, eventually enveloping the planets, which capture part of it to form oceans between 10 and 100 million years later.
    Sylvain Cnudde/Observatoire de Paris — PSL/LESIA, Fourni par l’auteur

    Once water is captured by a planet’s gravitational pull, many processes can occur. On Earth, however, a protective mechanism ensures the total mass of water has remained relatively constant from the end of the capture period until today. If water rises too high into the atmosphere, it condenses into clouds, which eventually return to the surface as rain–a process known as the water cycle.

    The quantities of water on Earth, both past and present, are well documented. Our model, which begins with the degassing of ice from the original asteroid belt, successfully accounts for the amount of water needed to form oceans, rivers and lakes, and even the water buried deep within Earth’s mantle. Precise measurements of the D/H ratio of water in the oceans also align with our model. Moreover, the model explains the quantities of water present in the past on other planets–and even on the Moon.

    You might wonder how I arrived at this new theory. It stems from recent observations, particularly those made with ALMA, a radio telescope array of over 60 antennae located in Chile, on a plateau five kilometres above sea level. Observations of extrasolar systems with belts similar to the Kuiper Belt reveal that planetesimals in these belts sublimate carbon monoxide (CO). For belts closer to their star, such as the asteroid belt, CO is too volatile to be present, and water is more likely to be released.

    Building the model

    It was from these findings that the initial idea for the theory began to take shape. Moreover, recent data from the Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS-REx missions, which explored asteroids similar to those that might have contributed to the formation of the initial water vapor disk, provided key confirmation. These missions, along with long-standing observations from ground-based telescopes, revealed substantial amounts of hydrated minerals on these asteroids–minerals that can only form through contact with water. This supports the premise that these asteroids were initially icy, even though most have since lost their ice (except for larger bodies like Ceres).

    With the foundation of the model in place, the next step was to develop a numerical simulation to track the degassing of ice, the dispersion of water vapor, and its eventual capture by planets. During these simulations, it quickly became clear that the model could account for Earth’s water supply. Additional research on past water quantities for Mars and other terrestrial planets confirmed the model’s applicability to them as well. It all fit, and the results were ready for publication!

    As researchers, it’s not enough to design a model that works and seems to explain everything. The theory must be tested on a larger scale. While it’s now impossible to detect the initial water vapor disk that “watered” the terrestrial planets, we can look to extrasolar systems with young asteroid belts to see if such water vapor disks exist. According to our calculations, these disks, though faint, should be detectable with ALMA. Our team has just secured time on ALMA to investigate specific systems for evidence of them.

    We may be at the dawn of a new era in understanding the origins of Earth’s water.

    Quentin Kral ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

    – ref. A new theory explains how water first arrived on Earth – https://theconversation.com/a-new-theory-explains-how-water-first-arrived-on-earth-246516

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Goma is threatened by conflict and a volcano: we’ve created a handbook to help hotspots like these

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Evan Easton-Calabria, Senior Researcher at the Feinstein International Center, Tufts University, and Research Associate at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford

    The city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was taken over by the M23 rebel group in January 2025. This was a tragic escalation of a decades-long conflict that’s led to mass displacement and deaths.

    Goma, a city of two million, hasn’t just been overtaken by rebels. It’s also just 12 miles (19km) from one of the most dangerous active volcanoes in the world: Mount Nyiragongo.

    Mount Nyiragongo can have lava flows of more than 60 miles (96km) per hour. This is far faster than any human can run. When it last erupted in 2021, thousands of families were displaced and at least 250 people died. An earlier eruption in 2002 left 13% of the city covered in lava.

    The DRC illustrates how millions of people in fragile, violent and conflict-affected parts of the world are at risk of both human-made and natural disasters. A changing climate makes people even more vulnerable to hazardous events. When these disasters interact, they can multiply and increase negative impacts.

    For example, if Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the near future – some research suggests it is likely to do so before the end of 2027 – and there is active conflict at the time, will anyone trust early warning messages? Or feel safe enough to flee on roads where civilians have already been attacked?

    These are some of the questions and scenarios that people working in disaster risk reduction grapple with. Situations like those in the DRC inspired a new UN handbook on early warning systems and early action in fragile, conflict-affected and violent contexts.

    It’s been published by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction-World Meteorological Organization Centre of Excellence for Disaster and Climate Resilience. The handbook provides guidance and case studies to increase disaster preparedness and action in some of the world’s most complex environments. Important work being done by the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, the World Bank and others exemplifies the growing awareness of these threats.

    I was the lead drafter of the UN handbook and had the opportunity to interview dozens of humanitarians. I also spoke to meteorologists, disaster risk reduction experts and government officials to learn how they help build and use early warning systems in fragile, conflict-affected and violent contexts.

    Here is what I learned:

    • early warning systems – hazard monitoring, forecasting and prediction, disaster risk assessment, communication, preparedness and early action to help people avoid harm – must be provided as a basic service for all, even in conflict zones

    • for early warning systems to be inclusive and effective, they must be trusted by affected communities

    • early warning systems in the places that most need them are drastically underfunded by governments and international actors – and require long-term collaboration and investment

    • early warnings and the early action they enable are a critical tool that can minimise suffering.

    Key takeaways

    Increasingly, work in the humanitarian sector seeks to address the intersecting vulnerabilities that arise from both conflict and climate impacts.

    What this work has made clear is that, first, early warning systems and early action must be available for everyone. Early warnings are the result of a chain of information. This goes from the systems that monitor and forecast weather conditions or hazards to the experts who analyse them to the actors who share this information.

    Early warnings come in many forms. It could be an alert on your phone when a flash flood or other hazard is predicted, or an evacuation message before a volcanic eruption.

    The UN secretary-general has called for Early Warnings for All by 2027. This is an initiative for everyone on Earth to be covered by early warning systems. However, countries affected by fragility, conflict and violence like the DRC lag far behind in receiving investments needed to prepare for current and future risks.

    Second, early warning systems need to be trusted by affected communities, which means co-producing messages and actions with communities and community leaders. Doing so would help take into account the nuanced dynamics in complex contexts.

    In many countries where people experience fragility, conflict and violence, systems of authority have been eroded. In fact, governments may be a party to a conflict, increasing mistrust over any warning messages received. The Red Cross has a new handbook that helps practitioners navigating these and other tensions. Involving communities and community leaders helps with identifying existing early warning mechanisms that can be used for hazards, understanding risks related to conflict or violence, and developing action plans.

    Conflict and peacebuilding experts within civil society and government, and even conflict actors, should be engaged in developing early warning systems. This helps reduce the risk of misunderstandings and misinformation, and ensures that conflict dynamics are taken into account.

    Third, in the places where it’s most needed, early warning systems face funding gaps and limitations. Fewer than 50% of countries classified as least developed, and only a third of small island developing states, have multi-hazard early warning systems (meaning the alarm can be sounded for different hazards, ranging from heatwaves to flooding). Nineteen of the top 25 most climate-vulnerable states are affected by fragility, conflict and violence. All of them are least developed countries, and few have adequate early warning systems.

    This illustrates the scale of vulnerability in these areas.

    Near Goma, the Virunga Supersite monitors and researches Mount Nyiragongo and other hazards in the densely populated region. The Supersite, supported by several organisations, has helped build collaboration between the Goma Volcano Observatory and global institutes studying and monitoring volcanic hazards.

    This is good practice, but the work is routinely hampered by a lack of access due to conflict. The staff also face a variety of risks, including intimidation, violence and kidnapping.

    More collaboration to monitor hazards and generate early warnings and early action is needed. The World Meteorological Organization’s ongoing work with the DRC government to improve early warning systems in the country exemplifies a valuable partnership that can save lives. This is all the more important following recent pauses in US humanitarian funding as resources for post-disaster responses will likely be more limited. There is also an urgent need to address the broader conflict that has plagued regions including the eastern DRC for decades.

    Looking ahead

    The knowledge and resources available to predict and mitigate the impacts of disasters before they take place need to be fully utilised. This is especially important in areas like eastern DRC where an existing humanitarian disaster could evolve into an even larger catastrophe if a volcanic eruption were to occur.

    Early warnings and the early action they enable can reduce suffering, save lives and minimise the cost of disaster response. They are needed in the places already experiencing disasters, too.

    Evan Easton-Calabria was a consultant for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

    – ref. Goma is threatened by conflict and a volcano: we’ve created a handbook to help hotspots like these – https://theconversation.com/goma-is-threatened-by-conflict-and-a-volcano-weve-created-a-handbook-to-help-hotspots-like-these-249453

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Deeply religious African countries (surprisingly) provide little state support to religion – unlike countries in Europe

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By David Jeffery-Schwikkard, PhD Candidate (Theology and Religious Studies), King’s College London

    In most of the world, countries with religious populations are more likely to have governments that support religion through laws and policies. These laws might include religious education, funding for religious institutions, and laws based on religious values. Not so in sub-Saharan Africa.

    In a recently published research paper, David Jeffery-Schwikkard, who studies secularism, argues that sub-Saharan African countries provide little state support for religion, even though their populations are among the most devout globally.

    These findings unsettle many common misconceptions about the role of religion in politics. The Conversation Africa asked him a few questions.

    How prevalent is religion in countries in sub-Saharan Africa?

    A population is normally considered very religious if most people say religion is “very important” in their lives or report attending religious services at least once a week.

    In surveys conducted between 2007 and 2018 by the Pew Research Centre, 46% of respondents outside sub-Saharan Africa said religion was very important in their lives. Within sub-Saharan Africa, the average is nearly twice that: 89%. Ethiopia and Senegal are among the most religious countries in the world. In both cases, 98% of people said religion was very important. Of the 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa for which Pew has data, Botswana (71%) and South Africa (75%) are the least religious. Yet even these countries are far above the global average.

    What does this matter for how states are run?

    Generally, countries with religious populations have states that provide a lot of support to religion. This is what you would expect, since religious citizens probably want more state support for their religions.

    What this means, though, is that commentators often assume that religious citizens are a threat to secular states. This then shapes how analysts make sense of public displays of religion. One example of this is in South Africa, where many people assumed that former president Jacob Zuma, who often used religious rhetoric, would pursue religious laws and policies.



    Read more:
    TB Joshua scandal: the forces that shaped Nigeria’s mega pastor and made him untouchable

    These assumptions are especially common in analyses of religion and politics in Africa. Yet, while it is easy to identify laws or policies in sub-Saharan Africa that are religious, one can easily overlook the fact that having some of these laws is not unusual globally. In other words, having some pro-religion laws and policies doesn’t necessarily mean that countries are governed by religious beliefs.

    Thus one might focus on Ghana’s support for Hajj, while forgetting that the UK reserves seats in the House of Lords for the Church of England, and that Germany collects taxes on behalf of churches. Yet the UK and Germany are rarely seen as religious states. Some level of state support for religion does not mean that a country is governed by religious beliefs.

    Why are African countries different?

    Contrary to the global trend, countries in sub-Saharan Africa provide very little state support to religion – less than half the global average. This is as measured by the Religion and State Project at Bar Ilan University, based on the number of different types of support provided, such as reserving political positions for religious leaders or funding religious schools.

    One of the most popular explanations for the scant support for religion is that states in sub-Saharan Africa lack the necessary financial and administrative capacity. These states, the argument goes, would provide more support if only they had more money and were better able to implement their policies.

    However, data from the World Bank shows that this is not the case: overall, there is no relationship between state capacity and support for religion.



    Read more:
    Catholic synod: the voices of church leaders in Africa are not being heard – 3 reasons why

    A more plausible explanation is that religious actors in these countries tend to lack moral authority. Moral authority, as theorised by American political scientist Anna Grzymala-Busse, is the extent to which people see religious actors as defenders of the nation.

    Several factors are conducive to moral authority. These include whether people share the same ethnicity or religion, whether religious actors have control over education, and whether they have sided with the “right side” in moments of national crisis.

    Can you give an example?

    Consider Rwanda and Mozambique.

    Until 1994, the Roman Catholic Church in Rwanda enjoyed moral prestige. The church controlled a significant share of the education system and had supported the independence movement against Belgium. Most Rwandans were Catholic. And indeed, the church maintained a very close relationship with the state after independence in 1962.

    Yet this moral authority was forfeited after the church was seen to be complicit in the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, which claimed about 800,000 lives. Today, the government keeps a careful distance from religion, despite 90% of Rwandans reporting that religion is very important in their lives.



    Read more:
    Rwanda’s genocide could have been prevented: 3 things the international community should have done – expert

    Mozambique provides a contrast to Rwanda, yet with similar outcomes. The Roman Catholic Church denounced the liberation movement’s struggle against Portugal. The country has no religious or ethnic majority. At independence, formal education was scarce.

    There was therefore little reason for Mozambicans to see the church as a defender of the nation. On the contrary, religious institutions were persecuted after independence. Like Rwanda, Mozambique provides extremely little state support for religion, despite being one of the most religious countries internationally.



    Read more:
    Between state and mosque: new book explores the turbulent history of Islamic politics in Mozambique

    These factors – religious diversity, limited enrolment in schools controlled by religious organisations, and moments of political crisis in which those organisations can misstep – make it less likely that religious actors are held by citizens as integral to national identity. And while sub-Saharan Africa is extremely varied, common historical influences, such as the legacies of colonialism, may make these factors more likely.

    What can we learn from this?

    Clearly, we need to be more careful in how we interpret the role of religion in politics. While it might be tempting to see religious fervour as a threat to secular democracy, it is not necessarily so. A politician might use religious rhetoric, but this does not mean that it will translate into religious laws. Equally, some state support for religion is not unusual globally. Analyses of single policies need to keep this in mind.



    Read more:
    Christianity is changing in South Africa as pentecostal and indigenous churches grow – what’s behind the trend

    This research also upends the way many people normally think about secularism. Many people in Europe have become less religious. Consequently, European states are offered as models of secularism. However, this has it backwards.

    Despite their electorates being less religious, European states are more involved in religion than their counterparts in sub-Saharan African. If secularism is the separation of religion and the state, then countries in sub-Saharan Africa – which maintain a secular state despite widespread religion – are in fact the exemplar.

    David Jeffery-Schwikkard 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. Deeply religious African countries (surprisingly) provide little state support to religion – unlike countries in Europe – https://theconversation.com/deeply-religious-african-countries-surprisingly-provide-little-state-support-to-religion-unlike-countries-in-europe-245490

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Goma is threatened by conflict and a volcano: we’ve created a handbook to help hotspots like these

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Evan Easton-Calabria, Senior Researcher at the Feinstein International Center, Tufts University, and Research Associate at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford

    The city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was taken over by the M23 rebel group in January 2025. This was a tragic escalation of a decades-long conflict that’s led to mass displacement and deaths.

    Goma, a city of two million, hasn’t just been overtaken by rebels. It’s also just 12 miles (19km) from one of the most dangerous active volcanoes in the world: Mount Nyiragongo.

    Mount Nyiragongo can have lava flows of more than 60 miles (96km) per hour. This is far faster than any human can run. When it last erupted in 2021, thousands of families were displaced and at least 250 people died. An earlier eruption in 2002 left 13% of the city covered in lava.

    The DRC illustrates how millions of people in fragile, violent and conflict-affected parts of the world are at risk of both human-made and natural disasters. A changing climate makes people even more vulnerable to hazardous events. When these disasters interact, they can multiply and increase negative impacts.

    For example, if Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the near future – some research suggests it is likely to do so before the end of 2027 – and there is active conflict at the time, will anyone trust early warning messages? Or feel safe enough to flee on roads where civilians have already been attacked?

    These are some of the questions and scenarios that people working in disaster risk reduction grapple with. Situations like those in the DRC inspired a new UN handbook on early warning systems and early action in fragile, conflict-affected and violent contexts.

    It’s been published by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction-World Meteorological Organization Centre of Excellence for Disaster and Climate Resilience. The handbook provides guidance and case studies to increase disaster preparedness and action in some of the world’s most complex environments. Important work being done by the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, the World Bank and others exemplifies the growing awareness of these threats.

    I was the lead drafter of the UN handbook and had the opportunity to interview dozens of humanitarians. I also spoke to meteorologists, disaster risk reduction experts and government officials to learn how they help build and use early warning systems in fragile, conflict-affected and violent contexts.

    Here is what I learned:

    • early warning systems – hazard monitoring, forecasting and prediction, disaster risk assessment, communication, preparedness and early action to help people avoid harm – must be provided as a basic service for all, even in conflict zones

    • for early warning systems to be inclusive and effective, they must be trusted by affected communities

    • early warning systems in the places that most need them are drastically underfunded by governments and international actors – and require long-term collaboration and investment

    • early warnings and the early action they enable are a critical tool that can minimise suffering.

    Key takeaways

    Increasingly, work in the humanitarian sector seeks to address the intersecting vulnerabilities that arise from both conflict and climate impacts.

    What this work has made clear is that, first, early warning systems and early action must be available for everyone. Early warnings are the result of a chain of information. This goes from the systems that monitor and forecast weather conditions or hazards to the experts who analyse them to the actors who share this information.

    Early warnings come in many forms. It could be an alert on your phone when a flash flood or other hazard is predicted, or an evacuation message before a volcanic eruption.

    The UN secretary-general has called for Early Warnings for All by 2027. This is an initiative for everyone on Earth to be covered by early warning systems. However, countries affected by fragility, conflict and violence like the DRC lag far behind in receiving investments needed to prepare for current and future risks.

    Second, early warning systems need to be trusted by affected communities, which means co-producing messages and actions with communities and community leaders. Doing so would help take into account the nuanced dynamics in complex contexts.

    In many countries where people experience fragility, conflict and violence, systems of authority have been eroded. In fact, governments may be a party to a conflict, increasing mistrust over any warning messages received. The Red Cross has a new handbook that helps practitioners navigating these and other tensions. Involving communities and community leaders helps with identifying existing early warning mechanisms that can be used for hazards, understanding risks related to conflict or violence, and developing action plans.

    Conflict and peacebuilding experts within civil society and government, and even conflict actors, should be engaged in developing early warning systems. This helps reduce the risk of misunderstandings and misinformation, and ensures that conflict dynamics are taken into account.

    Third, in the places where it’s most needed, early warning systems face funding gaps and limitations. Fewer than 50% of countries classified as least developed, and only a third of small island developing states, have multi-hazard early warning systems (meaning the alarm can be sounded for different hazards, ranging from heatwaves to flooding). Nineteen of the top 25 most climate-vulnerable states are affected by fragility, conflict and violence. All of them are least developed countries, and few have adequate early warning systems.

    This illustrates the scale of vulnerability in these areas.

    Near Goma, the Virunga Supersite monitors and researches Mount Nyiragongo and other hazards in the densely populated region. The Supersite, supported by several organisations, has helped build collaboration between the Goma Volcano Observatory and global institutes studying and monitoring volcanic hazards.

    This is good practice, but the work is routinely hampered by a lack of access due to conflict. The staff also face a variety of risks, including intimidation, violence and kidnapping.

    More collaboration to monitor hazards and generate early warnings and early action is needed. The World Meteorological Organization’s ongoing work with the DRC government to improve early warning systems in the country exemplifies a valuable partnership that can save lives. This is all the more important following recent pauses in US humanitarian funding as resources for post-disaster responses will likely be more limited. There is also an urgent need to address the broader conflict that has plagued regions including the eastern DRC for decades.

    Looking ahead

    The knowledge and resources available to predict and mitigate the impacts of disasters before they take place need to be fully utilised. This is especially important in areas like eastern DRC where an existing humanitarian disaster could evolve into an even larger catastrophe if a volcanic eruption were to occur.

    Early warnings and the early action they enable can reduce suffering, save lives and minimise the cost of disaster response. They are needed in the places already experiencing disasters, too.

    – Goma is threatened by conflict and a volcano: we’ve created a handbook to help hotspots like these
    – https://theconversation.com/goma-is-threatened-by-conflict-and-a-volcano-weve-created-a-handbook-to-help-hotspots-like-these-249453

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Deeply religious African countries (surprisingly) provide little state support to religion – unlike countries in Europe

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By David Jeffery-Schwikkard, PhD Candidate (Theology and Religious Studies), King’s College London

    In most of the world, countries with religious populations are more likely to have governments that support religion through laws and policies. These laws might include religious education, funding for religious institutions, and laws based on religious values. Not so in sub-Saharan Africa.

    In a recently published research paper, David Jeffery-Schwikkard, who studies secularism, argues that sub-Saharan African countries provide little state support for religion, even though their populations are among the most devout globally.

    These findings unsettle many common misconceptions about the role of religion in politics. The Conversation Africa asked him a few questions.

    How prevalent is religion in countries in sub-Saharan Africa?

    A population is normally considered very religious if most people say religion is “very important” in their lives or report attending religious services at least once a week.

    In surveys conducted between 2007 and 2018 by the Pew Research Centre, 46% of respondents outside sub-Saharan Africa said religion was very important in their lives. Within sub-Saharan Africa, the average is nearly twice that: 89%. Ethiopia and Senegal are among the most religious countries in the world. In both cases, 98% of people said religion was very important. Of the 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa for which Pew has data, Botswana (71%) and South Africa (75%) are the least religious. Yet even these countries are far above the global average.

    What does this matter for how states are run?

    Generally, countries with religious populations have states that provide a lot of support to religion. This is what you would expect, since religious citizens probably want more state support for their religions.

    What this means, though, is that commentators often assume that religious citizens are a threat to secular states. This then shapes how analysts make sense of public displays of religion. One example of this is in South Africa, where many people assumed that former president Jacob Zuma, who often used religious rhetoric, would pursue religious laws and policies.

    Read more: TB Joshua scandal: the forces that shaped Nigeria’s mega pastor and made him untouchable

    These assumptions are especially common in analyses of religion and politics in Africa. Yet, while it is easy to identify laws or policies in sub-Saharan Africa that are religious, one can easily overlook the fact that having some of these laws is not unusual globally. In other words, having some pro-religion laws and policies doesn’t necessarily mean that countries are governed by religious beliefs.

    Thus one might focus on Ghana’s support for Hajj, while forgetting that the UK reserves seats in the House of Lords for the Church of England, and that Germany collects taxes on behalf of churches. Yet the UK and Germany are rarely seen as religious states. Some level of state support for religion does not mean that a country is governed by religious beliefs.

    Why are African countries different?

    Contrary to the global trend, countries in sub-Saharan Africa provide very little state support to religion – less than half the global average. This is as measured by the Religion and State Project at Bar Ilan University, based on the number of different types of support provided, such as reserving political positions for religious leaders or funding religious schools.

    One of the most popular explanations for the scant support for religion is that states in sub-Saharan Africa lack the necessary financial and administrative capacity. These states, the argument goes, would provide more support if only they had more money and were better able to implement their policies.

    However, data from the World Bank shows that this is not the case: overall, there is no relationship between state capacity and support for religion.

    Read more: Catholic synod: the voices of church leaders in Africa are not being heard – 3 reasons why

    A more plausible explanation is that religious actors in these countries tend to lack moral authority. Moral authority, as theorised by American political scientist Anna Grzymala-Busse, is the extent to which people see religious actors as defenders of the nation.

    Several factors are conducive to moral authority. These include whether people share the same ethnicity or religion, whether religious actors have control over education, and whether they have sided with the “right side” in moments of national crisis.

    Can you give an example?

    Consider Rwanda and Mozambique.

    Until 1994, the Roman Catholic Church in Rwanda enjoyed moral prestige. The church controlled a significant share of the education system and had supported the independence movement against Belgium. Most Rwandans were Catholic. And indeed, the church maintained a very close relationship with the state after independence in 1962.

    Yet this moral authority was forfeited after the church was seen to be complicit in the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, which claimed about 800,000 lives. Today, the government keeps a careful distance from religion, despite 90% of Rwandans reporting that religion is very important in their lives.

    Read more: Rwanda’s genocide could have been prevented: 3 things the international community should have done – expert

    Mozambique provides a contrast to Rwanda, yet with similar outcomes. The Roman Catholic Church denounced the liberation movement’s struggle against Portugal. The country has no religious or ethnic majority. At independence, formal education was scarce.

    There was therefore little reason for Mozambicans to see the church as a defender of the nation. On the contrary, religious institutions were persecuted after independence. Like Rwanda, Mozambique provides extremely little state support for religion, despite being one of the most religious countries internationally.

    Read more: Between state and mosque: new book explores the turbulent history of Islamic politics in Mozambique

    These factors – religious diversity, limited enrolment in schools controlled by religious organisations, and moments of political crisis in which those organisations can misstep – make it less likely that religious actors are held by citizens as integral to national identity. And while sub-Saharan Africa is extremely varied, common historical influences, such as the legacies of colonialism, may make these factors more likely.

    What can we learn from this?

    Clearly, we need to be more careful in how we interpret the role of religion in politics. While it might be tempting to see religious fervour as a threat to secular democracy, it is not necessarily so. A politician might use religious rhetoric, but this does not mean that it will translate into religious laws. Equally, some state support for religion is not unusual globally. Analyses of single policies need to keep this in mind.

    Read more: Christianity is changing in South Africa as pentecostal and indigenous churches grow – what’s behind the trend

    This research also upends the way many people normally think about secularism. Many people in Europe have become less religious. Consequently, European states are offered as models of secularism. However, this has it backwards.

    Despite their electorates being less religious, European states are more involved in religion than their counterparts in sub-Saharan African. If secularism is the separation of religion and the state, then countries in sub-Saharan Africa – which maintain a secular state despite widespread religion – are in fact the exemplar.

    – Deeply religious African countries (surprisingly) provide little state support to religion – unlike countries in Europe
    – https://theconversation.com/deeply-religious-african-countries-surprisingly-provide-little-state-support-to-religion-unlike-countries-in-europe-245490

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Attorney’s Office Announces Departure of Darcie N. McElwee as U.S Attorney

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    First Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff is now Acting U.S. Attorney

    PORTLAND, Maine: The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced today the departure of Darcie N. McElwee as U.S. Attorney following termination by the new administration.

    Under the Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff is now the Acting U.S Attorney for the District of Maine. As Acting U.S. Attorney, he is the chief federal law enforcement official in the state of Maine.

    Wolff is a career prosecutor who became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2002. He has served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney and Senior Litigation Counsel, and prior to joining the District of Maine he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Maryland for four years.

    Wolff received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. Before joining the Department of Justice, he clerked for U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz in the District of Maryland and worked as an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of an international law firm.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Tatyana Golikova and Veronika Skvortsova opened the Center for Cognitive and Psychoemotional Health of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Tatyana Golikova and Veronika Skvortsova opened the Center for Cognitive and Psychoemotional Health of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia

    February 17, 2025

    Tatyana Golikova and Veronika Skvortsova opened the Center for Cognitive and Psychoemotional Health of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia

    February 17, 2025

    Tatyana Golikova and Veronika Skvortsova opened the Center for Cognitive and Psychoemotional Health of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia

    February 17, 2025

    Tatyana Golikova and Veronika Skvortsova opened the Center for Cognitive and Psychoemotional Health of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia

    February 17, 2025

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    Tatyana Golikova and Veronika Skvortsova opened the Center for Cognitive and Psychoemotional Health of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia

    Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova and the head of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency Veronika Skvortsova opened the Center for Cognitive and Psychoemotional Health of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, which was created as a reference model for further scaling throughout the country.

    The center was opened on the basis of the Federal Center for Brain and Neurotechnology of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, which combines the latest diagnostic and rehabilitation technologies, scientific and human resources potential and is one of the leading medical institutions in the country.

    “Today we have looked a little into the future. This is a unique innovative, scientific, educational, medical and production complex that allows us to develop the latest technologies. The technologies that have become possible here will be distributed throughout the Russian Federation, to those medical institutions that will use these methods and promote them. This is a huge part of the work that the Federal Medical and Biological Agency has done on behalf of the head of state. The development of these technologies became possible as a result of the implementation of the national project “Healthcare” and within the framework of the national projects “Long and Active Life” and “New Health Preservation Technologies” that have been “moving across the country” since January 1, 2025 – a technological leadership project that is designed to develop and promote technologies related to both maintaining health and achieving goals throughout the country,” said Tatyana Golikova.

    The tasks of the Center for Cognitive and Psychoemotional Health include scientific activities, development of new methods of treatment and diagnostics, implementation of new standards of therapy, creation of a system of objective assessment and support of human cognitive health.

    The best specialists are gathered here – neurologists, psychologists, psychotherapists, rehabilitation specialists and psychiatrists – for comprehensive work on the preservation and restoration of cognitive functions.

    In addition, the center’s work focuses on interaction with healthy people. Its goal is to prevent cognitive and psycho-emotional disorders, as well as to draw attention to the need to take care of one’s own mental health.

    “It is important that this reference center for cognitive and psycho-emotional health was created in the high-tech Center for Brain and Neurotechnology, which allows, when signs of ill health are found, to accurately identify the cause of these signs using a variety of diagnostic methods – genetic, morphological, visualization methods, neurophysiology and other functional methods. Thus, to help each person in a personalized, most targeted way,” Veronika Skvortsova emphasized.

    For the first time, a multidisciplinary approach and correction methods and protocols that have proven themselves in neurorehabilitation carried out at the Federal Center for Brain and Neurotechnology of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia have been applied to the correction of cognitive and psychoemotional disorders, which traditionally belong to the field of neurology and psychoneurology. It is rehabilitation approaches that have proven effective in the correction of neurological syndromes.

    A technological algorithm has been created that allows any person, healthy or sick, to undergo testing for basic cognitive functions – memory, attention, speed of thinking and others, to identify anxiety, subdepression, depression, internal excitement and so on.

    The structure of the center includes a scientific department of cognitive disorders, which has access to all the advanced diagnostic and treatment capacities of the Federal Center for Brain and Neurotechnology, and they are also available to the center’s patients. This allows for not only treatment, but also educational and scientific activities. Educational programs have been developed for training specialists of multidisciplinary “cognitive” teams, transfer of the center’s methods – both on the basis of the Brain Center and in a remote format.

    Many cognitive and psycho-emotional health disorders in adulthood and old age have their roots in problems that appear in childhood. Therefore, the Center for Cognitive and Psycho-Emotional Health also accepts children, for which purpose multidisciplinary teams have been created, consisting of leading pediatric neurologists, speech therapists, physical and rehabilitation medicine doctors, and psychologists.

    In addition, the Center for Cognitive and Psycho-Emotional Health implements advanced instrumental methods on unique equipment, mainly of domestic development. In particular, this is a biofeedback complex for improving the psycho-emotional state using machine learning algorithms, devices for visual color-pulse therapy and transcranial electrical stimulation, which help reduce tension, improve sleep and increase resistance to stress.

    This year, it is planned to open 10 such centers in the Federal Medical and Biological Agency system in all federal districts. Round-the-clock telemedicine communication has been established, special educational programs have been developed for each module.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –