NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Africa: New fleet to aid Nelson Mandela Bay waste collection efforts 

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    In a move to enhance waste management services, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has unveiled seven advanced waste collection trucks, which is an investment in the city’s public health infrastructure and an improvement in service delivery efficiency.

    Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Health, Thsonono Buyeye, commended the arrival of the new fleet, describing it as a crucial financial boost that will ease the financial pressures faced by the municipality’s waste management department.
    The municipality is located in the Eastern Cape. 

    Speaking at the unveiling ceremony held on Wednesday, Buyeye said the introduction of the state-of-the-art waste collection compactor trucks serves as a significant step forward poised at improving waste management services.

    “This investment demonstrates our unwavering commitment to providing efficient and effective services, thus underscoring the department’s dedication to maintaining a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment [for all residents],” Buyeye said.

    The MMC explained that, as part of the city’s strategy to reduce its reliance on outsourced waste collection services, the municipality has implemented a three-year fleet recapitalisation plan, which allocates R30 million annually starting this year.

    “This acquisition will significantly alleviate financial pressures on the municipality, which previously spent substantial amounts outsourcing waste management collection trucks, compromising its ability to deliver other essential public health services,” the MMC said.

    He added that the arrival of the trucks will significantly reduce the city’s financial burden previously placed on the municipality, due to outsourcing waste management.

    The new trucks are equipped with cutting-edge technology and enhanced capacity, enabling them to manage larger volumes of waste with greater speed and efficiency. The advanced lifting gear of the trucks allows them to effortlessly collect a wider range of waste types, ultimately enhancing the waste collection and management process.

    “As a municipality, we are thrilled, considering that the arrival of these trucks will significantly enhance our service delivery. Unfortunately, vandalism of municipal fleet, including waste collection fleet has been a great challenge.

    “However, we are positive that together with law enforcement, and the community, we can protect these valuable waste compactor trucks, as our goal is to ensure that public health services reach every corner of our city,” Buyeye said.

    Measures to prevent vandalism and theft

    To address the persistent issue of vandalism, the MMC said the municipality has implemented a comprehensive security strategy to protect the new waste management fleet.

    He said the municipality is also investigating recent incidents of vandalism that have affected the city’s existing waste collection vehicles.

    He said a robust security strategy has been put in place to safeguard against vandalism and theft, ensuring its longevity and effectiveness.

    The municipality also urged residents to work with the municipality, and law enforcement to protect and safeguard municipal assets that service all residents.

    “This collective effort is crucial in preventing vandalism and theft, which severely impacts the delivery of essential waste management services, particularly in high-crime areas,” Buyeye said. – SAnews.gov.za
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: SA’s narrative therapist nominated for Women Changing the World Awards

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    South Africa’s world-renowned Narrative Therapist and Psychosocial Specialist, Ncazelo Mlilo, has been nominated in the prestigious Women Changing the World Awards.

    The awards, according to a statement by psychosocial organisation, Phola, are like the Grammy Awards for recognising women across the world who are doing incredible work, making a positive difference in various industries and areas, including business, sustainability, leadership, health, education, product development, innovation, and technology.

    Mlilo, who is based in Johannesburg, has been selected for two categories, the People’s Choice Award for Non-Profit and Social Enterprise, and the Women in Therapy and Counselling Services Award.

    This recognition celebrates the groundbreaking work in mental health, her development of Afrocentric, culturally sensitive narrative-based methodologies, and her dedication to empowering communities worldwide.

    The awards ceremony will take place during a summit in London, in the United Kingdom on 2-3 April 2025.

    Mlilo has over 25 years’ experience in trauma counselling.

    She has worked with children, youth, women, families, and communities to address the effects of HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence (GBV), poverty, conflict, and other hardships.

    Mlilo co-created the Tree of Life (ToL) Methodology, currently used in over 60 countries including the USA, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Iran, India, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and across Africa.

    She has developed other methodologies like COURRAGE, the Narratives in the Suitcase Project, O.U.T.R.R.A.G.E.D. for GBV prevention.

    Mlilo trains over 1 000 mental health practitioners worldwide every year, with her work reaching an estimated 100 000 people, annually.

    She is also a prominent keynote speaker at international conferences, including the Trust’s Collective Narrative Practices Conference, held in 2024 in Australia, the Narrative Therapy Centre Conference, where she spoke about the Narratives in the Suitcase, held in Australia in 2023, among others.

    As a result, her work is the intervention of choice in these global institutions, like the Dulwich Centre Foundation in Australia and NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. – SAnews.gov.za
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks during his visit to Cox’s Bazar [as delivered]

    Source: United Nations

    I have come to Cox’s Bazar during this holy month of Ramadan on a mission of solidarity.

    Solidarity with Rohingya refugees.

    And solidarity with the Bangladeshi people and the local communities that so generously host them.

    Fasting and having an Iftar together with you are the proof of my deep respect for your religion and your culture.

    I am here to shine a global spotlight on the plight – but also the potential of Rohingya refugees.

    The more than one million Rohingya refugees here are proud.  They are resilient. And they need the world’s support.

    After decades of discrimination and persecution, we had a massive outflow eight years ago, following the massacres that took place in Rakhine state.  
     
    Many others arrived more recently, escaping brutal violations of human rights, triggered generalized anti-Muslim hate.

    This is especially significant as the world tomorrow officially marks International Day to Combat Islamophobia. 

    Rohingya refugees have come here for what people anywhere seek: protection, dignity, safety for them and their families. 

    I met and spoke with many of you today – and was inspired by your courage and moved by your determination.  

    Many shared harrowing accounts of their ordeals in Myanmar and their journeys here. 

    They want to go home — Myanmar is their homeland. And returning in a safe, voluntary, and dignified manner is the primary solution to this crisis. 

    My message to all parties in Myanmar is clear: exercise maximum restraint, prioritize the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law, and prevent further incitement of communal tension and violence – paving the way for democracy to take root and to create the conditions for Rohingyas to be able to go back home as they all want.   
     
    But the situation in Myanmar remains dire, including in Rakhine state.

    Until the conflict and systematic persecution ends, we must support those who need protection here in Bangladesh. 

    I have to confess that we are on the verge of a deep humanitarian crisis with the announced cuts by several countries of their financial assistance, we are facing a dramatic risk, a risk to reduce the food rations to the Rohingya refugees to a level that would be 40 per cent of 2025. 

    That would be an unmitigated disaster that we cannot accept because people will suffer and even people will die. 

    And so, my voice will not end until the international community understands that they have the obligation to invest now to support the Rohingya refugees here in Bangladesh and to make sure that the people who have already suffered so much will not have an additional problem.  We will do everything to solve the problem of food rations. 

    Humanitarian assistance is important – but we must recognize the enormous support of the Bangladeshi people sharing their land, forests, scarce water and meager
    resources.

    I was last in Cox’s Bazar in 2018 – and have seen many improvements in the camps.  

    But the challenges are great on so many levels. 

    These camps — and the communities that host them — are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

    Summers are scorching, and the chance of fires skyrocket.  

    In the cyclone and monsoon seasons – floods and dangerous landslides destroy homes
    and lives.  

    In addition to essential food aid, people here are also hungry for education, skills and opportunities for independence.
     
    Some Rohingya families feel they have no option but to risk everything on perilous sea journeys. 

    So we have a special obligation to ensure the aid reaches Rohingya refugees, and show
    that the world has not forgotten them. 

    That is why the cuts by the international community of the aid to Rohingya refugees is unacceptable. 

    I repeat: Cox’s Bazar is ground zero for the impact of budget cuts on people in desperate need and we must do everything to make sure that that does not happen. 

    The solution must be found in Myanmar.

    We will not give up until conditions allow for the voluntary, safe and sustainable return for all refugees here. 

    Until then, I urge the international community not to reduce the support to Rohingya refugees. 

    They must step up and guarantee your well-being.   

    This is the holy month of Ramadan, the month of solidarity.  It would be unacceptable that in the month of solidarity, the international community would reduce the support to the Rohingyas in Bangladesh.  We will do everything not to make it happen. 

    Ramadan Kareem. 
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Iran protests: Human Rights Council probe condemns online, app-based repression

    Source: United Nations 2

    Human Rights

    The Iranian Government has continued to ramp up efforts to restrict the rights of civilians including young children as part of a concerted effort to crush dissent, investigators mandated by the UN Human Rights Council said on Friday. 

    In their latest and final report, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran alleged ongoing serious rights violations by the Iranian authorities stemming from massive protests after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022.

    Ms. Amini, from the Iranian Kurdish community, had been arrested by the country’s “morality police” for allegedly not complying with rules on how the hijab should be worn.

    Allegations of crimes against humanity

    “In repressing the 2022 nationwide protests, State authorities in Iran committed gross human rights violations, some of which the Mission found to have amounted to crimes against humanity,” said Sara Hossain, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission.

    “We heard many harrowing accounts of harsh physical and psychological torture and a wide range of serious fair trial and due process violations committed against children, including some as young as seven years old.”

    Since April 2024, the State has increased criminal prosecution against women who defy the mandatory hijab through the adoption of the so-called “Noor plan.”

    “Women human rights defenders and activists have continued to face criminal sanctions, including fines, lengthy prison sentences, and in some cases the death penalty for peaceful activities in support of human rights,” the Independent Mission asserted.

    Speaking in Geneva on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council, Ms. Hossain noted that Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities “had been specially targeted in the context of the protests”, with “some of the most egregious violations…carried out in peak protest towns in minority-populated regions”.

    Testimonies gathered inside and outside Iran for the report which has been shared with the Iranian Government pointed to men, women and children being held “in some cases at gunpoint” with “nooses put around their necks in a form of psychological torture”.

    Online surveillance

    The Mission – which comprises senior human rights experts acting in an independent capacity – noted that these measures “come despite pre-election assurances” by President Masoud Pezeshkian to ease the strict enforcement of mandatory hijab laws.

    This enforcement increasingly relies on technology, surveillance and even State-sponsored “vigilantism”, the investigators stated.

    “Surveillance online was a critical tool for State repression. Instagram accounts, for instance, were shut down and SIM cards confiscated, in particular of human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders,” explained the Independent Mission’s Shaheen Sardar Ali.

    Vigilantes and intrusive apps

    Ms. Ali pointed to the use of the “Nazer” mobile application “which is a particular app that the Government has instituted, where after vetting, sort of normal citizens can also complain – file a complaint – against someone who’s just passed by and hasn’t got the mandatory hijab. So, this technology that’s being used for surveillance is really very far-reaching and highly intrusive.”

    According to the Fact-Finding Mission, 10 men have been executed in the context of the 2022 protests and at least 11 men and three women remain at risk of being executed, amid “serious concerns over the adherence to the right to a fair trial, including the use of torture-tainted confessions, and due process violations”.

    The Mission’s report will be presented to Member States at the Human Rights Council next Tuesday.

    Independent Mission

    The Independent Mission was established by the Human Rights Council in November 2022, with a mandate to “thoroughly and independently investigate alleged human rights violations” in Iran related to the protests that began in September that year, especially with respect to women and children.

    It was also tasked by the Council to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged violations, as well as to collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of such violations and preserve evidence, including in view of cooperation in any legal proceedings.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Security Council Press Statement on Terrorist Attack in Pakistan

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Christina Markus Lassen (Denmark):

    The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack on a Jaffar Express Passenger Train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar near the city of Sibi, Balochistan province, Pakistan, on 11 March 2025 and the taking of passengers as hostages.  This reprehensible act of terrorism resulted in the grievous loss of at least 25 Pakistani nationals.  The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed that the attack was carried out by its Majeed Brigade.

    The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and the people of Pakistan, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.

    The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.

    The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.  They urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Pakistan in this regard.

    The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.  They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Why Peacekeeping needs digital transformation

    Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping

    This story was written by Mark McCarthy (right) and Parham Kouloubandi (left), from UN Peacekeeping’s Digital Enablement Team. Mr. McCarthy is a Senior Data Officer with working on the digital transformation of peacekeeping. Mr. Kouloubandi is an Associate Expert, with experience promoting digital innovation through data and artificial intelligence.

     

    Peacekeeping missions operate in diverse environments with varying mandates, making every mission distinct, but all share a need for data. It gives peacekeepers critical insights about their operating environments and the impact their work is having, letting them more safely and effectively advance peace and security goals for the communities they serve.  

    However, collecting and leveraging reliable data requires managing and analysing a flood of information. When missions do not have the capacity to do this, data remains unused and opportunities to inform and strengthen operations are missed. 

    This is why UN peacekeeping has been implementing a strategy for digital transformation, with help from member states. Efforts are bearing fruit – in terms of both effectiveness and efficiency – and need to be expanded. The peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is a case in point, where investments in digital tools are making an impact. 

    Detecting crises early 

    One example is its Flood Management Dashboard, created after devastating floods hit South Sudan in 2024, impacting more than 700,000 people and worsening conflict over land and resources. UNMISS’ Senior Climate and Security Advisor Johnson Nkem knew that data on flooding could improve UNMISS’s ability to understand flood damages and get early warning of areas at high risk of conflict, helping to prevent tensions before they arise. 

    He asked his team to develop a dashboard.  This meant creating a database, establishing a baseline to be able to see disruptions, and developing a system to track how floods impact communities. 

    The dashboard is now informing decision-making and enabling targeted conflict prevention measures. For example, the mission can organise peace dialogues in areas identified as high-risk, to help prevent conflict from emerging between “host” communities and communities displaced by the flooding. They can also more efficiently target resources to communities in need. “Given the positive impact the dashboard is already having, the team plans to add more data to broaden its usage beyond flooding. 

    Streamlining peacekeeping missions 

    Data is also helping UNMISS streamline their work. For example, UNMISS’s Political Affairs Division recognised that by digitising reporting and document management, they could reduce the time required for many tasks and make information more easily accessible. Since this would require building capacity across a diverse workforce, they took an inclusive and tailored approach to introduce digitisation.  

    “It’s necessary to work closely with colleagues to help them adopt the tools,” Guy Bennett, the Division’s Chief explained. The team focused on quick-wins and assisting staff throughout. The solutions were mostly simple but useful in enhancing efficiency and facilitating access to data and reports: SharePoint for structured document management, MS Forms to record meetings and Excel for standardised reporting. They showed that digital transformation is not about elaborate solutions and big changes, but leveraging existing resources where useful to assist staff. “Having buy-in from senior management is also essential,” said Bennett. “It underlines that efforts are not a short-term project but strategic.” 

     

    UNMISS experience shows the benefits that data and digitisation can have. It requires investments that pay off, by helping missions to take preventive action that can protect lives, better leverage information and save staff time, letting them focus on more critical tasks. The advantages are clear. 

    Given the rising challenges peacekeeping faces, with increasingly complex missions under scarcer resources, investment in data is more critical than ever. Member States can help missions face these challenges by supporting digitisation efforts and the recruiting of data specialists, including at the upcoming Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin. Together, the UN and its Member States can ensure data and technology are enhancing the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations and driving results for the people we serve. 

     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Unacceptable’ International Aids Cuts Could Force 40 Per Cent Reduction in Food Rations to Rohingya Refugees, Secretary-General Tells Ramadan Solidarity Event

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to a Ramadan solidarity event with Rohingya refugees, in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: 

    I have come to Cox’s Bazar during this holy month of Ramadan on a mission of  solidarity. Solidarity with Rohingya refugees. And solidarity with the Bangladeshi people and the local communities that so generously host them.  Fasting and having an Iftar together with you are the proof of my deep respect for your religion and your culture.

    I am here to shine a global spotlight on the plight — but also the potential of Rohingya refugees.  The more than 1 million Rohingya refugees here are proud.  They are resilient.  And they need the world’s support.

    After decades of discrimination and persecution, we had a massive outflow eight years ago, following the massacres that took place in Rakhine state.  Many others arrived more recently, escaping brutal violations of human rights, triggered generalized anti-Muslim hate.

    This is especially significant as the world tomorrow officially marks International Day to Combat Islamophobia.  Rohingya refugees have come here for what people anywhere seek:  protection, dignity, safety for them and their families.

    I met and spoke with many of you today — and was inspired by your courage and moved by your determination.  Many shared harrowing accounts of their ordeals in Myanmar and their journeys here.  They want to go home — Myanmar is their homeland. And returning in a safe, voluntary, and dignified manner is the primary solution to this crisis.

    My message to all parties in Myanmar is clear: exercise maximum restraint, prioritize the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law, and prevent further incitement of communal tension and violence — paving the way for democracy to take root and to create the conditions for Rohingyas to be able to go back home, as they all want.

    But the situation in Myanmar remains dire, including in Rakhine state.  Until the conflict and systematic persecution ends, we must support those who need protection here in Bangladesh.

    I have to confess that we are on the verge of a deep humanitarian crisis with the announced cuts by several countries of their financial assistance, we are facing a dramatic risk, a risk to reduce the food rations to the Rohingya refugees to a level that would be 40 per cent of 2025. That would be an unmitigated disaster that we cannot accept because people will suffer and even people will die.

    And so, my voice will not end until the international community understands that they have the obligation to invest now to support the Rohingya refugees here in Bangladesh and to make sure that the people who have already suffered so much will not have an additional problem.  We will do everything to solve the problem of food rations.

    Humanitarian assistance is important — but we must recognize the enormous support of the Bangladeshi people sharing their land, forests, scarce water and meagre resources.  I was last in Cox’s Bazar in 2018 — and have seen many improvements in the camps.

    But the challenges are great on so many levels.  These camps — and the communities that host them — are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.  Summers are scorching, and the chance of fires skyrocket.  In the cyclone and monsoon seasons — floods and dangerous landslides destroy homes and lives.

    In addition to essential food aid, people here are also hungry for education, skills and opportunities for independence.  Some Rohingya families feel they have no option but to risk everything on perilous sea journeys.  So we have a special obligation to ensure the aid reaches Rohingya refugees, and show that the world has not forgotten them.

    That is why the cuts by the international community of the aid to Rohingya refugees is unacceptable.  I repeat:  Cox’s Bazar is ground zero for the impact of budget cuts on people in desperate need and we must do everything to make sure that that does not happen.  The solution must be found in Myanmar.  We will not give up until conditions allow for the voluntary, safe and sustainable return for all refugees here.

    Until then, I urge the international community not to reduce the support to Rohingya refugees.  They must step up and guarantee your well-being.

    This is the holy month of Ramadan, the month of solidarity. It would be unacceptable that in the month of solidarity, the international community would reduce the support to the Rohingyas in Bangladesh.  We will do everything not to make it happen.

    Ramadan Kareem.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World News in Brief: Fresh fighting in eastern DR Congo, global trade update, elections in CAR, Pakistan train hijack

    Source: United Nations 2

    Peace and Security

    Fresh fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has displaced tens of thousands of families, with children particularly at risk, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday.

    Over 850,000 civilians have been displaced in South Kivu province, nearly half of them children, according to the agency.

    Many are living in precarious conditions, sheltering in schools, churches or in the open, lacking clean water and sanitation, healthcare and education.

    Grave violations against children have also sharply risen, including sexual violence, killings, maiming and their recruitment by armed groups.

    “We are facing an unprecedented protection crisis. Children are being targeted. They are being killed, recruited, torn from their families and exposed to horrific sexual and physical violence,” said Jean François Basse, UNICEF’s acting head in the DRC.

    The fighting has also disrupted vital services and humanitarian operations, with the closure of Kavumu Airport near the provincial capital Bukavu and banks delaying critical aid operations.

    The region is also witnessing an uptick in cholera, measles and mpox outbreaks.

    UNICEF is working to re-open schools and support health centres, urging all parties to respect international law and ensure unhindered aid access.

    “We call on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities, protect children, respect international humanitarian law and guarantee rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access,” said Mr. Basse.

    New risks loom for global trade, warns UN body

    While global trade started 2025 on stable ground, challenges are mounting, according to the UN trade and development body, UNCTAD.

    In its latest Global Trade Update, which covers data through early March, the UN body reported record growth in 2024, with international trade expanding to $33 trillion, but looking to 2025, new risks loom, including trade imbalances, evolving policies and geopolitical tensions.

    The trade gap between developing and advanced economies is widening. While Asia and Latin America remain key trade drivers, growth has slowed in advanced economies, UNCTAD said.

    It added that nearshoring and friendshoring – business strategies where companies relocate their operations to a country geographically closer to their main market to reduce costs – reversed in 2024.

    UNCTAD noted that some governments are expanding tariffs, subsidies and industrial policies, reshaping trade flows.

    “The United States, EU and others are increasingly tying trade measures to economic security and climate goals while China is using stimulus policies to maintain export momentum,” it added.

    UNCTAD underscored the need for global cooperation and balanced policies in the face of growing trade uncertainty.

    “The challenge in 2025 is to prevent global fragmentation – where nations form isolated trade blocs – while managing policy shifts without undermining long-term growth. The actions taken now by governments and businesses will shape trade resilience for years to come,” it said.

    © UNDP/Tamara Tschentscher

    A container ship at the Mombasa Port in Kenya, a key transit for trade in the region.

    Voter registration starts in Central African Republic

    Meanwhile, the second and third phases of voter registrations are underway in the Central African Republic (CAR), supported by the UN peacekeeping mission there, MINUSCA.

    The campaign will cover nine of the country’s 20 prefectures and overseas centres.

    “Our peacekeeping mission has actively contributed to the launch of the operations by providing logistical support, including the deployment of equipment by plane from Bangui to the regions as well as several hundred electoral agents,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at the regular news briefing in New York.

    Peacekeepers are also helping secure the process by deploying to tense areas to enable all Central Africans to have access to registration centres, he added.

    Mission personnel also escorted road convoys carrying registration kits as well as electoral staff. They are also working in collaboration with UN Women to increase the number of women on the voter list by facilitating the issuance of identity documents.

    The voter registration exercise precedes local, legislative and presidential elections scheduled for later this year and in 2026.

    The local elections – to be held for the first time in nearly 40 years – are a key component of the Central African Peace Agreement and offer a unique opportunity for enhanced governance at the local level, Mr. Dujarric said.

    UN Security Council condemns Pakistan train attack

    UN Security Council members condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express passenger train, which was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar in Pakistan.

    The armed group Balochistan Liberation Army attacked the train near the city of Sibi in Balochistan province and subsequently took its passengers hostages.

    The standoff ended on Wednesday, with Pakistani security forces conducting an operation and killing the attackers. According to media reports, 21 hostages and four members of the security forces were also killed.

    In a press statement, members of the Security Council “reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”.

    They underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of such acts of terrorism accountable and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Pakistan in this regard.

    “The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed,” the statement added.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Youth Must Have Leadership Role in Dismantling Patriarchal Norms, Financing Gender Equality, Women’s Commission Hears as It Concludes First Week

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    Gender Justice Cannot Be Achieved without Ending Discrimination against Indigenous Women, Girls, Those with Disabilities, Speakers Stress

    The Commission on the Status of Women wrapped up its first week today, with a dialogue among youth representatives who stressed the need to include the next generation of leaders not only in conversations about women and girls’ empowerment but in leadership roles that fight for disability inclusion, finance gender equality, dismantle patriarchal norms and defend Indigenous voices. 

    The United Nations kicked off the sixty-ninth session of the Commission this week, focusing on accelerating the adoption of the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women.  Leaders gathered in Beijing 30 years ago to pledge to achieve gender equality and uphold women’s rights.  Discussions this session also focused on contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

    Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy of Ukraine and Chair of the meeting, said that 30 years after its adoption, the Beijing Platform for Action still mobilizes Member States, the United Nations, feminist movements, civil society organizations, young people and other stakeholders.  “It continues to be an unprecedented consensus on the actions needed to advance gender equality and women’s and girls’ human rights and their empowerment,” she said.

    However, 30 years after the 1995 World Conference on Women, no country has fully achieved gender equality.  That’s why Member States must recommit to its full implementation, she stressed, and identify synergies with other global commitments, working in partnership with civil society, young people, the UN and the private sector.  With just five years until the 2030 target date for achieving the SDGs, the Platform holds the key to unblock bottlenecks and accelerate much needed progress.

    Fenna Timsi, UN Youth Representative for Human Rights and Security of the Netherlands, said that today’s youth representatives represent large networks who have been on the frontlines of fighting for women and girls rights.  “They will reflect on the progress made since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, sharing insights, voicing challenges and proposing solutions to persistent issues such as gender-based violence, access to education and economic empowerment,” she noted.  The 2024 review and appraisal of the Beijing process with more than 150 States reporting on their actions is a “a clear testament” to the pact’s continued relevance and power. 

    30 Years after Landmark Women’s Conference in Beijing, Gender Equality an Unfulfilled Promise

    Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), delivering opening remarks, commended the young representatives for their activism and “for your constant reminder to us all to do more, to do better, to be better”. Thirty years on, gender equality remains an unfulfilled promise.  “But one thing is clear, you, young people, are not waiting,” she emphasized.  “Each of your contributions has spoken to a truth that we cannot ignore,” she said, stressing:  “Progress cannot be partial.  Change must be transformative and inclusive.”

    The Beijing Platform for Action remains the most powerful framework for gender equality, she went on.  “Since its adoption, we have seen strides — more women in politics, stronger laws against gender-based violence, greater access to education,” she described.  But progress has been too slow and too uneven.  Women still hold only 27 per cent of parliamentary seats, which, while up from 11 per cent in 1995, is not enough.  One in three women globally continues to face physical or sexual violence, “a crisis we cannot accept as inevitable”.  In the face of climate crisis, economic inequalities and humanitarian disasters, it is young women and adolescent girls who bear the brunt, are displaced, denied education, and made more vulnerable to violence. 

    World Not Designed for Women with Disabilities to Thrive

    Eva Chisom Chukwunelo, Amputee Peer Counselor at the Mobility Clinic Limited in Nigeria, said that all women, no matter where they come from, should have the right to education, healthcare and leadership.  But as a young woman with a disability, she wondered, “did that promise include me?”  At 17, she said she stood at the crossroads, between two versions of her life. “One moment, I was a teenage girl with dreams, and the next, I was a girl with a disability, unsure of what my future held,” she added.  “That was when I realized the world is not designed for women with disabilities to thrive, and if we do not demand justice, it never will be,” she said.  Gender justice is incomplete if it does not include women and girls with disabilities. 

    How many girls with disabilities are missing from classrooms, not because they lack intelligence, but because inclusion is seen as too expensive, she asked.  How many women with disabilities are absent from decision-making spaces, not because they lack vision, but because the world refuses to see their potential, she also wondered.  “If you are not counted, then you do not count,” she said, urging countries to disaggregate data by gender, disability and age.  Governments must actively engage young women with disabilities in policy creation and leadership.  Schools must be built for all learners, healthcare systems must train providers to respect and serve women with disabilities, and leadership spaces must be welcoming, “not just in words, but in action”. 

    Meaningful Youth Engagement Key to Shaping Policy

    “Meaningful youth engagement in the Beijing processes is crucial to shape policies that address our concerns, reflect our aspirations and make us part of the leadership, rather than just part of the conversation,” said Ema Mecaj, member of the Beijing+30 Youth Steering Committee.  Over the past few days, the voice of young people has been clear.  “We should not take this progress for granted, but we need to speak up for the challenges and voice the untold stories of many women and girls who daily face the impacts of misogyny and gender stereotypes,” she said. 

    She noted that, according to the World Bank, 712 million people live in extreme poverty, with women and girls being disproportionately affected by the adverse impacts of the climate crisis and displacement.  Globally in 2023, 51,000 women and girls were killed by their intimate partners or other family members. “These statistics are unacceptable and unfortunately reflect the broken reality,” she said.  As a medical student, she said that prevention strategies are needed to eradicate poverty, especially the feminization of poverty, and respond to technology facilitated gender-based violence.  

    Role of Boys and Men in Tackling Patriarchal Masculinities

     “We must stop placing the burden on women to endure and navigate the toxicity of patriarchal systems and instead confront patriarchal masculinities as the root cause of their oppression,” said Ahdithya Visweswaran, Governance Coordinator at Young Diplomats of Canada.  It is essential to tackle the ideological roots of patriarchal norms that perpetuate inequality and violence.  Young men and boys must see themselves not as inherent opponents, but as natural allies and co-beneficiaries of the gender equality agenda.  “Men and boys must no longer be seen as peripheral participants, but as indispensable stakeholders in this broader struggle for justice and equality,” he said. 

    But transformation cannot be simply achieved through narratives, it requires institutionalization, and the active participation of families, schools, communities and Governments, he stressed.  For far too long, efforts to engage men and boys have been limited to pilot programmes, often disconnected from the broader systems and the broader work that’s being done.  The socialization of boys is one of the most powerful yet underutilized tools for advancing gender equality.  “We’re shaped by the environments in which we are raised,” he said, adding that positive role models can cultivate a new generation of men who embrace equity, reject violence, and build healthier masculinities.  

    Systemic and Structural Discrimination against Indigenous Women

    Laura Huertas, Founder of ANYAR (Indigenous youth organization), said that many of the Beijing commitments have still not been fulfilled, particularly in rural areas, Indigenous areas, and in other marginal sectors of Latin America and the Caribbean.  There and in other regions of the Global South, socioeconomic and political inequalities persist, despite progress in terms of access to education, health, and political participation of women. 

    “Being an Indigenous woman in Latin America is not easy, because we face the forced displacement within our territories, systematic discrimination, and structural discrimination,” she said.  “In my territory alone, 76.9 per cent of people live in multidimensional poverty, and more than 62 per cent have to live outside their ancestral lands,” she said.  Beijing+30 is “a cry of resistance”, she said, adding that “we don’t want just hollow roundtables”. 

    Financial Freedom and Justice Key to Advance Women’s Agency

    Sanjana Chhantyal, Manager at the Criterion Institute, said that financial system was not designed for women and undervalues women’s care work.  “It decides what is valuable, and by extension, who is valuable,” she said.  Systemic barriers have prevented women from building wealth and acquiring financial assets such as land and property; yet financial institutions traditionally look for the presence of financial assets or collateral to decide who gets access to finance. 

    “Let us call it what it is, a poverty trap,” she said.  Gender equality cannot be achieved without financial freedom and financial justice for all women and girls.  “Financial independence supports our agency and our ability to advocate for our rights, step away from abusive situations and make choices about our health, education and careers,” she said.  Empowered women empower other women and their communities.  “Justice is not only about the absence of barriers, but also presence of opportunities,” she stressed. 

    __________

    *     The 9th & 10th meetings were not covered.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: No food deliveries to Gaza as border closures continue

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    The UN emergency food relief agency has not been able to transport any aid into the Gaza Strip, due to the ongoing closure of all border crossing points, which is now in its twelfth day, the UN Spokesperson said on Friday.

    There is also a shortage of fuel, which is affecting the movement of vehicles across Gaza and slowing down first responders, Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the regular news briefing in New York.

    “The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) notes that oxygen supplies and electricity generators are also critically needed to maintain life-saving operations at hospitals in Gaza,” he said.

    “At least two dozen additional generators are needed for health centres, as the ones currently in use need maintenance and spare parts,” he added.

    Rising food prices and fuel shortages

    Within the enclave, the World Food Programme (WFP) has food stocks sufficient to support active kitchens and bakeries for up to one month, as well as ready-to-eat food parcels to support 550,000 people for two weeks, Mr. Dujarric said.

    To stretch supplies, the agency is reducing the quantity of food parcels provided to families – a measure it had already implemented before the ceasefire, he added.

    A total of 25 bakeries are supported by the agency, but on 8 March, six of these bakeries were forced to close due to a shortage of cooking gas.

    The closure of border crossings has also triggered a sharp rise in food prices, with costs for staples such as flour and sugar rising, further limiting access.

    Rising displacement

    Meanwhile, the situation in the West Bank continues to deteriorate.

    OCHA has recorded a surge in settler violence in parts of the West Bank, “causing casualties, property damage and placing communities at high risk of displacement,” reported Mr. Dujarric.

    The Office also noted a sharp increase in the demolition of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank over the past week and a half, with the number of structures demolished during the first 10 days of Ramadan this year having already exceeded the total for all of Ramadan in 2024.

    Since Monday, operations in Jenin city also intensified, with more than 500 people displaced from three neighbourhoods in the eastern part of the city, he added.

    Urgent funding needed

    WFP is supporting over 190,000 people with monthly cash vouchers and has provided one-off assistance to thousands of those most in need.

    However, the agency requires $265 million in funding over the next six months to sustain operations that assist 1.4 million people in Gaza and the West Bank.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Without us, there is no future’: Youth take over UN Women’s Commission

    Source: United Nations 2

    Women

    “Support us and include us” to achieve real progress on advancing equal rights for all, young leaders told the Commission on the Status of Women, as the forum wrapped up the first week of its annual session at the UN Headquarters, in New York, on Friday.

    “Support us and include us in intergovernmental processes,” said Ema Meçaj, a medical student and member of Albania’s youth steering committee, who was among young men and women panellists from around the world at an interactive dialogue at the 69th session of world’s largest annual conference on women (CSW69), which runs from 10 to 21 March.

    In tackling gender-based violence and poverty, prevention is key alongside inclusion, Ms. Meçaj said, emphasising that efforts must centre on reaching the most vulnerable and recommending the establishment of a holistic approach to existing international commitments for gender equality.

    Broadcast of the interactive dialogue.

    Driving towards equality

    The dialogue rounded up a busy first week, with thousands of delegates from around the world seeing the adoption of a landmark declaration on Monday as they continue to take stock of the rights of women and girls and identify challenges and paths forward to realise gender equality while gauging progress on the historical 1995 Beijing Platform for Action.

    During the afternoon dialogue, youth leaders from Canada, Nepal, Nigeria and Panama identified challenges and proposed concrete solutions to pressing issues, from violence against women to equality for all, including Indigenous Peoples and women and girls with disabilities.

    They also described what the Beijing Platform for Action meant for them, from a blueprint for equal rights to a “cry of resistance”.

    Read our explainer on the UN Commission on the Status of Women here

    Gender justice for all

    Eva Chiom Chukwenele, an amputee peer counsellor at the Mobility Clinic Limited in Nigeria, said as a child, the Platform for Action meant that all girls would have the right to education, healthcare and leadership.

    “But, gender justice is incomplete when women with disabilities are not included,” she said. “The world was not designed for women with disabilities.”

    Lamenting the current dearth on data about them, she wondered “if there is no data, how can you be counted?”

    She proposed a range of actions, including inclusive data collection, accessible schools and sharing positive stories in the media to shed light on this “invisible” group.

    “When history looks back on this moment, will you be remembered as someone who broke all the barriers or as someone who allowed them to remain?” she asked the audience. “The time to act is now.”

    When history looks back on this moment, will you be remembered as someone who broke all the barriers or as someone who allowed them to remain?

    Men and boys are key players

    The active, central participation of men and boys is essential in collective efforts to realise gender equality, but this has been challenging, said Ahdithya Viseweswaran, coordinator of the Young Diplomats of Canada.

    “The stakes have never been higher,” he said. “We must stop placing the burden on women to endure and navigate the toxicity of patriarchal systems and instead confront patriarchal masculinities as a root cause of their oppression.”

    He proposed a framework for tackling the roots of inequality and violence, he said, with men and boys being seen as “indispensable” actors for change. At the heart of these efforts is reaching boys, who are not born with an inherent attachment to patriarchy, he said, adding that “we are shaped how we are raised.”

    “As men’s rights influencers and State actors weaponise their platforms to undermine the hard-won gains of gender equality, we cannot afford to falter,” he said.

    “Instead, we need to present young men and boys with a compelling alternative, one rooted in self-liberation, empathy and justice, a redefinition of masculinity that prioritises partnership over domination, liberation over oppression and shared humanity over rigid hierarchies.”

    Without us, there is no future

    We still have a long road to go … being an Indigenous woman in Latin America is not easy

    Laura Dihuignidili Huertas, a youth leader from the Guna Yala province in Panama, said collective action is key to changing the current grim realities as many of the commitments made in Beijing 30 years ago remain unfulfilled, especially in rural areas.

    “We still have a long road to go,” said Ms. Huertas, a human rights activist who founded ANYAR, a youth-led organization. “Being an Indigenous woman in Latin America is not easy.”

    Forced displacement, discrimination and poverty are among pressing daily challenges, she said, stressing that progress cannot be made if people are left behind and that the Beijing Platform for Action was “a cry of resistance”.

    “We want firm commitments and concrete results,” she said. “We are the generation that can make a reality of the dreams of Beijing, but this can only be possible if we rise up, organise and mobilise all those who have yet joined the fight because without us, there is no future.”

    UN Women/Ryan Brown

    Young people at the UN Headquarters, in New York, attending the Commission on the Status of Women.

    Leading and inspiring change

    Joining the dialogue, Sima Bahous, head of UN Women, applauded participants and encouraged their efforts to advance gender equality at a time when rights are being trampled.

    “You are leading and inspiring change,” she said.

    Young feminists are not just participants in change, but are mobilising online and off to work towards a future free of violence, inequality and poverty.

    “We cannot build a just future without those who will inherit it,” she said. “Let this be our call to action.”

    Focus on Afghan women and girls

    In a parallel side event, conference participants gathered to raise international support for and take stock of the rights of Afghan women and girls in light of a bevy of restrictive laws passed since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in the country.

    Upholding the Rights of Afghan Women and Girls Women, Peace, and Security is one of dozens of side events being held during CSW69. Check the full side events schedule here.

    Watch the full event on UN Web TV here

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Is this just a long, beautiful dream?’: Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab on her country’s future

    Source: United Nations 2

    After 14 years of war, Syria has entered a new and uncertain chapter. The country is devastated – 90 per cent of Syrians live in poverty.

    Despite the challenges up to one million people living in camps and displacement sites across the country’s northwest intend to return home within the next year.

    As those Syrians prepare to return home, they are beginning the difficult process of rebuilding and confronting the past.

    Ms. Al-Kateab, the filmmaker behind the award-winning documentary, For Sama, captured life under siege in Aleppo before fleeing the country in 2016.

    Since then, she has remained a powerful advocate for the Syrian people, co-founding Action For Sama, a campaign, advocating for human rights, dignity, and accountability for all.

    In this interview with UN News, as Syria stands at a crossroads, she shares her determination to make sure justice is not forgotten in the country’s next chapter. 

    This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. 

    UN News: Waad, how have you been processing the past few months?

    Waad Al-Kateab: I think it’s really confusing. We are over the moon, but at the same time, it was something that seemed so far away.

    I thought the ending of my story was dying in exile, not being able to go back, never being able to see this beautiful day. And it just happened out of the blue, without any indication. 

    © Abd Alkader Habak

    We were not ready, but that does not matter. It happened, and we are really happy.

    At the same time, the pain and grief we had to go through for the last 14 years – and for so many of us, even 50 years, when Hafez al-Assad was president – it was just too much to handle.

    I’m still thinking, is this real? Am I just having a long, beautiful dream?

    UN News: Have you been in contact with people on the ground in Syria? What have they been telling you?

    Waad Al-Kateab: Until now, because of my refugee status, I was not able to go back. But I’m working on this, and hopefully, at any second I will get citizenship in the UK, so I will be able to move freely.

    © UNICEF/Rami Nader

    My parents went back in January, and some of our friends too. I was also able to communicate with my family who were in Syria the whole time, whereas before, I couldn’t even call or send a message because I was worried of what the regime could do to them.

    It’s not easy – the country is tired, the economy is very bad, there’s no electricity, no water but what everyone has in common is the feeling that it’s definitely a new beginning.

    We’re afraid, but we’re not really scared. We can do anything we want.

    UN News: When you still lived in Aleppo, you spent years capturing both the resilience of people and the devastation around them. What moments have stayed with you from that time?

    Waad Al-Kateab: To be honest, the situation I couldn’t accept was when we were displaced out of Aleppo.

    I understood early on that we were fighting against a dictatorship that would stop at nothing. I was okay with that. I knew the risk I was taking, the risk my husband Hamza was taking, even our own daughter. 

    © UNOCHA/Mohanad Zayat

    We were fighting in our own way – me, with my camera, my husband, with his work in the hospital.

    Then came the siege – six months with no medication, no food, no basic services. And then, forced displacement. That, for me, was the most cruel thing: throw us out from our own country where we wanted to be.

    It was the moment which really broke me. Saying goodbye to everything – my home there, the hospital, the people we knew.

    For the past few years, I’ve forced myself not to picture going back because it didn’t seem possible. But now, it is.

    So many people I know went back. They send me pictures from the neighbourhood, the university: “See, it’s there. We are back.”

    And I can’t wait to be there myself.

    UN News: You talk about your excitement, your family’s excitement, and this chapter closing. Do you think the hardest part of the work has been done now?

    Waad Al-Kateab: Definitely. The hardest work has been done.

    Now, with this new chapter, there’s a lot to do, and it’s difficult in a very different way. But the shelling, the bombings – that’s over.

    There are so many important issues – transitional justice, detainees, the disappeared. There are very difficult conversations to have about revenge; and the economy – it has more than crashed.

    There are so many authorities, agendas and international players in a country starting from scratch. But now, we are in charge. It’s very heavy to carry but we’re here and we’re going to do it.

    I’m very hopeful and excited.

    UN News: You mention transitional justice, what does real accountability look like to you now?

    Waad Al-Kateab: Bashar Al-Assad was responsible, but there are many others – those who ordered killings, those who carried them out, those who helped him. And I’m not just talking about individuals, but also foreign governments and armies.

    There is no way to have a future in Syria if we don’t face what happened. For everyone responsible, it must start with an apology and end with accountability. 

    © ForSamaFilm

    Right now, militias and former regime soldiers still have weapons, trying to hide or defend themselves. This is very serious, and all weapons should be handed to the new government.

    For victims like us, now it’s about asking: what do we want? What can happen? How do we return to normal life? There is a lot to be done.

    UN News: You’ve lived in the UK for almost a decade now. You said you’d like to return. Would that be long-term?

    Waad Al-Kateab: To be honest, we never imagined this moment would happen, so we built a life away from Syria.

    Even in our conversations with our daughters, I wanted them to love Syria and understand what happened but also, I wanted to protect them.

    Now, I see they picked up way more than we realised, they picked up what we felt. For them, Syria was a place where people die.

    They don’t understand and they ask: “What if Assad is still hiding there? What if he’s waiting for us to go and then he kills us?”

    The discussion of going back has triggered many difficult things for them.

    For me and Hamza, we don’t have to think about it, we want to go back of course. So, we agreed on one visit and when we come back, we’ll talk – what we want, what they want. They definitely have an equal say.

    Whatever decision we take, one way or another, we will be back.

    UN News: With your advocacy, what role do you see yourself having in the rebuilding of Syria?

    Waad Al-Kateab:  We’ve done so much around the world – working with communities who know Syria well and others who know nothing about it. 

    For us, the biggest achievement has always been awareness and preserving the narrative of what happened. Now, more than ever, that’s a priority on the ground in Syria.

    For me, it’s not just about For Sama as a film, but about everything I’ve learned as a filmmaker – years of telling my own story and others’. Now, I want to bring it back to Syria through screenings and conversations, not just as a film event, but as a space to hear from people.

    This is part of transitional justice, especially acknowledgment – helping local communities talk to each other, understand each other’s experiences and start healing.

    UN News: What would be your message to the international community today?

    Waad Al-Kateab: Syria is not like any other conflict. People tried to compare it to Iraq or Afghanistan, but this is different. Even how the regime fell and what comes next is unknown.

    As the U.S. slashes foreign aid, Syrian civil society is at risk of collapse. Organizations that fought for justice and protected civilians for over a decade are now struggling. The international community must step up.

    A successful transition must be Syrian-led, free from armed groups or foreign influence.

    The world has a responsibility to support this in a way that reflects Syrians’ aspirations for peace, justice and accountability.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: The Future of Family Planning Convening Keynote Address by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem

    Source: United Nations Population Fund

    Excellencies, 
    Esteemed partners, 
    Dear friends, 
    Dear young people,

    I greet you in Peace, the noble purpose of the United Nations and the fervent wish of the women and girls UNFPA serves in over 150 countries around the world. 

    Thank goodness for the forward-looking initiatives of the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health. Thanks to the cohosts for bringing us together, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and FP2030.

    As you and I look to the future of family planning, we need a time frame. That outlook could span 10 years from now – which is basically tomorrow – or all the way to the end of the century. 

    For instance, I’m currently leading the Lancet Commission on 21st Century Threats to Global Health, established with co-chair Christopher Murray of IHME.  

    We need a longer-term perspective because the effects of threats like to health like pollution, climate change, antimicrobial resistance, or an inverted population pyramid will take decades to alter future trajectories. 

    Modeling at the future through the lens of our Lancet Commission, we’ve made bold to peek through the magnifying glass to discern what just might happen by the year 2100. 

    That’s why standing here with you, I have no qualms to make bold and posit what will be the features of family planning in an intermediate era, say maybe 20 to 30 years. 

    From the outset, the future of family planning is built upon the bedrock of human rights. That future we envision is one of equality for all. 

    The future of family planning will be characterized by self-agency, especially on the part of young people — who expect innovation and demand the modernization of our field. They’re impatient for safe, effective, convenient, reversible and affordable methods. On top of that, the contraceptive offerings should be products that are pleasurable, that incorporate fun.

    Let’s pose a fundamental question. Will we continue the expectation that it’s the woman with the womb who should bear eternal responsibility for planning the shape and the contours of the family of the future? 

    Which leads to another question: When will men step up and take their responsibilities? When will men be availed of reliable, quality commodities that are emblematic of sharing the burden as well as the triumphs of good family planning? 

    Second, in the future the clamor is for ready access. 

    I hope that this comes with the understanding that the risk proposition of hormonal or barrier methods will become so improved, that access will be through self-care. Through autonomous decision-making by fully empowered users of contraception who need no arbiter. Who need no permission from the husband, the significant other, the mother-in-law, the father, or any authoritative figure nominated by patriarchy. No doctor. No nurse. No gatekeeper’s intervention. 

    And of course, the means and methods to monitor and course correct must be there, if and when side effects would appear. Bodily autonomy demands just that. 

    Mind you, right now, nearly half of women lack the power to make their own decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. This must change – and we can change it – if we stand strong and stand together in upholding, protecting and advancing this fundamental human right for everyone – no exceptions, no exclusions. 

    As we contemplate the future, let’s take a look at how far we’ve come: from Bucharest in 1974, to the all-important rights-based 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (the ICPD), which put women and girls squarely at the center of development. 

    Jump to the London Summit on Family Planning in 2012, after which our collaborative efforts yielded remarkable results: 

    92 million more women in low and middle-income countries using modern contraception. 

    Since 2000, adolescent birth rates declined; maternal mortality fell by more than one-third; and globally, deaths of children under-5, halved. 

    Mothers are safer, babies are healthier, more women and couples can decide freely whether or when to have children, and more girls can stay in school and out of marriage. 

    Unfortunately, recently such progress has stalled, and in some places is actually going backwards.

    Therefore, another feature of the future of family planning is that it will support demographic resilience. 

    Voluntary, rights-based family planning is fundamental to building societies that can adapt to shifting population dynamics. 

    Did you know that two-thirds of people now live in countries where fertility rates are trending, at or below replacement level? And people are living longer, populations are aging and catering for that is of increasing concern. 

    In response, some governments are attempting to reverse universal access to contraception and instead, introducing pro-natalist incentives, telling women it’s their patriotic duty to bear more babies, even banning postpartum contraception in health facilities.  

    Such directives threaten women’s hard-won rights and choices. Furthermore, there is an abundance of evidence that shows that without child care and elder care and paid leave and social support, these types  of pro-natalist monetary incentives just won’t work. 

    Women, in all their sexual diversities, have inherent rights. These aren’t contingent on the demographic context. The solutions lie in expanding human rights, not in their constraint. 

    Next, I will also note that the future of contraception will cater for women in the direst of humanitarian circumstances. 

    Record levels of displacement are driving hardship and humanitarian need, with conflicts and climate induced disasters escalating seemingly everywhere you turn. 

    Family planning programmes must be able to continue to function during humanitarian emergencies, allowing women to make safer choices during uncertain times. 

    Consider Cecília, a mother of two daughters who UNFPA assists in Mozambique. She faced impossible choices when a cyclone destroyed her rural home and cut off essential services. Unable to access to family planning, she’s unexpectedly pregnant again, jeopardizing her ability to rebuild and get back on her feet, and she’s worried about her girls’ future. 

    The impact of humanitarian crisis is not gender-neutral. As livelihoods collapse and stress escalates, gender based violence explodes and child marriages surge.  Cecília said she dreads the nightfall, fearing for her girls’ safety in the darkness as they sleep on mats under a tree.  

    Climate change brings its own unique consequences to reproductive and maternal health. Extreme heat increases miscarriages and stillbirths, and food insecurity endangers maternal and newborn health outcomes. 

    Family planning considerations of the future should be part and parcel of humanitarian resilience and response efforts, right from the start of a crisis — and not an afterthought. 

    Dear colleagues, dear friends, 

    Ours is a time of unprecedented challenges and uncertainty. Should I repeat that? 

    Rampant opposition is undermining progress on gender equality and compromising the rights and choices of women and girls all around the globe.  

    Within the halls of the United Nations, longstanding agreed language on gender, diversity, and sexual and reproductive health and rights is increasingly coming under attack. The hostility is organized, very well funded, careless and relentless. 

    Uncertainties about donor investment – notably the recent abrupt terminations of funding for major global health and humanitarian work – pose a grave threat to the well-being of millions, particularly people marginalized and already furthest behind. 

    Despite it all, lastly, I’m happy to tell you my crystal ball reveals that the future of family planning is well-resourced. 

    Despite all the turmoil, we will remain focused, and united. The opposition may be rampaging, yet our commitment to upholding women’s rights is fiercer. Our understanding of community needs is deeper. Our intellectual heft is stronger. Our willingness to defend the rights and choices of people in all their sexual diversities is steadfast. 

    And our commitment to science, to data and evidence for good planning, means we’re unconquerable.  

    UNFPA and this community have weathered many a storm before, and we will not waver in standing with women and girls, with families and communities, and with all our partners in the SRHR sector. 

    The backsliding in global funding is not just about dollars and cents. It’s about a woman walking for hours to a rural clinic, and turned away because the shelves are bare. It’s about a desperate adolescent girl, coerced into early marriage because contraception was out of her reach. Long-term sustainable financing for family planning is crucial.  It’s lifesaving.  

    The UNFPA Supplies Partnership has pioneered successful approaches through financing innovations — mechanisms like Country Compacts, Matching Funds, and Bridge Funds— with the important added benefit of accelerating country-led domestic financing.  

    I applaud the wisdom of low and middle-income countries’ unprecedented investments to safeguard their family planning supplies, and to strengthen the supply systems.  

    I urge you to work where you are and where you have influence — in academia, in government, civil society, foundations, financial and private sector institutions, religious and traditional communities.  Work to close the financing gap, to end stigma and to turn our dream of well-resourced family planning into reality! 

    So then, 30 years after Cairo and Beijing and with scarcely five years to go until 2030:  

    What is the future of family planning? 

    We’ve made significant gains, yet formidable challenges threaten future progress—pandemics, climate change, conflict, declining donor investment, and then — the systematic attacks on women’s rights and bodily autonomy.  

    Our response must match the scale of these threats. This calls for intergenerational partnerships, that transcend geographic and sectoral boundaries and that leverage diverse expertise, resources and influence. 

    It will take an estimated $60 billion in new funding annually to end the unmet need for family planning in 120 priority countries by the year 2030. There ‘is’ no better return on investment—as much as $120 for  every $1 spent, and countless lives are transformed  for the better. 

    Let me assert that the future of family planning will be determined by the choices we make today – together, unapologetically, and with the fierce urgency that this moment demands. 

    Change starts with us and leads to a future where every woman and girl can exercise her reproductive rights and choices with dignity, security, and freedom. 

    Our UNFPA vision of the future?  

    Contraceptive technology and research will significantly advance, reaching the ideal of full effectiveness and free access without limitations or boundaries.  

    Countries of the global South will lead, streamlining access to contraceptive services and information, institutionalizing policies that integrate SRHR into essential healthcare. Finally, family planning becomes part of integrated women’s health services and education. 

    Every individual, every couple, regardless of location, socioeconomic status, or background, will know where to easily turn for a full range of high-quality, affordable contraceptive offerings seamlessly integrated into maternal health, HIV, and routine wellness care and checkups. 

    In the future, family planning is recognized and acknowledged as an accelerator of gender equality, family wealth building, and of real development for people in their own home villages and urban landscapes. 

    After centuries of all-too familiar barrier methods and over a hundred years of tried and true hormonal methods, the future cries out for innovation; let’s have much more research and development of solutions designed with women and with adolescents.  

    Now that’s a bright future. Now that’s a future we can all get behind.

    Dear friends, 

    It is said that: It’s only in winter that we know which trees are evergreen. 

    Thank you for being an astute and evergreen friend to women, to adolescents and to families.  

    The threads that bind this community are strong.  They are unbreakable. We’re in this for the long haul, together, and together we shall win.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Earlier food security gains in Gaza at risk; food insecurity concerns grow in West Bank

    Source: World Food Programme

    GAZA, Palestine – The following are the latest updates on food security and WFP operations in Gaza and the West Bank.

    Gaza

    • In the 42 days of the ceasefire starting 19 January, WFP delivered over 40,000 metric tons of food into Gaza and provided lifesaving assistance to 1.3 million people. In addition, over US$ 6.8 million in electronic cash assistance (e-wallets) supported nearly 135,000 people (26,600 households), helping families to buy what they needed most. 
    • Since March 2, WFP has not been able to transport any food supplies into Gaza due to the closure of all border crossing points for both humanitarian and commercial supplies.  
    • WFP currently has sufficient food stocks to support active kitchens and bakeries for up to one month, as well as ready-to-eat food parcels to support 550,000 people for two weeks.
    • WFP has approximately 63,000 metric tons of food destined for Gaza, stored or in transit in the region. This is equivalent two to three months of distributions for 1.1 million people, pending authorization to enter Gaza.
    • In the first week of March, WFP was able to sustain its activities in Gaza using stocks brought in during the ceasefire; WFP provided food assistance to some 73,000 vulnerable people across Gaza during this period.
    • As it did prior to the ceasefire, WFP is reducing the quantity of ready-to-eat food parcels provided to families to stretch its supplies and serve more people in need.
    • Right now, WFP supports 33 kitchens across Gaza providing a total of 180,000 hot meals daily.
    • A total of 25 bakeries are also supported by WFP, but on March 8 six of these bakeries were forced to close due to a shortage of cooking gas.
    • Commercial food prices have begun to surge since the March 2 closure of border crossings. In some cases, prices on staple items such as flour, sugar, and vegetables have increased over 200 percent. Traders have begun withholding goods due to uncertainty over when new supplies would arrive.  

    West Bank

    • WFP is increasingly concerned about growing food insecurity in the West Bank, where military activity, displacement, and movement restrictions are disrupting markets and limiting access to food. 
    • Tens of thousands of people in the West Bank have been displaced since mid-January.
    • These disruptions and the worsening economic conditions over the last year are putting upward pressure on prices. With rising displacement and unemployment, even basic food items have become unaffordable for many families. 
    • WFP is supporting more than 190,000 people with monthly cash vouchers and has provided one-off assistance to 16,000 people most in need. Humanitarian cash assistance can be delivered efficiently through local supply chains and markets. It also helps to stabilize the economy.   

    WFP needs US$265 million in funding for the next six months for operations to assist 1.4 million people in Gaza and the West Bank.

    Broadcast quality video available at this link.

    #                 #                   #

    The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, via @wfp_media 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: UNNAMED ROAD, BUCHFELDE (Grass Fire)

    Source: Country Fire Service – South Australia

    Issued on
    15 Mar 2025 18:59

    Issued for
    Buchfelde in the Mid North.

    Warning level
    Advice – Threat is Reduced

    Action
    The threat of this fire has reduced however people are reminded to take care in the area. Smoke will reduce visibility in the area and there is a risk of falling trees and branches.

    For updates, check the CFS website at cfs.sa.gov.au or phone the Information Hotline on 1800 362 361.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ELLISONS RD/CALLENDALE RD , FOX (Grass Fire)

    Source: Country Fire Service – South Australia

    Homes that have been built to withstand a bushfire, and are prepared to the highest level, may provide safety.

    You may lose power, water, phone and data connections.

    Fire crews are responding but you should not expect a firefighter at your door.

    What you should do

    • Check and follow your Bushfire Survival Plan.
    • Protect yourself from the fire’s heat – put on protective clothing.
    • Tell family or friends of your plans.

    If you are leaving

    • Leave now, don’t delay.
    • Roads may become blocked or access may change. Smoke will reduce visibility.
    • Secure your pets for travel.
    • If you become stuck in your car, park away from bushes, cover yourself, get onto the floor as the windows may break from the intense heat.

    If you are not leaving – prepare to defend

    • Identify a safe place inside, with more than one exit, before the fire arrives. Keep moving away from the heat of the fire.
    • Bring pets inside and restrain them.
    • Move flammable materials such as doormats, wheelie bins and outdoor furniture away from your house.
    • Close doors and windows to keep smoke out.
    • If you have sprinklers, turn them on to wet the areas.
    • If the building catches fire, go to an area already burnt. Check around you for anything burning.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Anti-Secession Law a strong, effective deterrent to ‘Taiwan independence’

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Two decades ago, China’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), voted to adopt the Anti-Secession Law with an overwhelming majority.
    It was a milestone event in mainland-Taiwan relations as the law embodies both the will of the state and the common interests of Chinese people across the Taiwan Strait, and codifies the fundamental policy to foil “Taiwan independence” and advance national reunification.
    To mark the 20th anniversary of the law’s enforcement, a symposium was held in Beijing on Friday, stressing firm action against “Taiwan independence” separatist activities and external interference.
    Against the backdrop of the current situation in the Strait, the symposium has sent a clear signal and offered an important guide for compatriots across the Strait to press forward together on the right path.
    Since it took effect, the law has achieved remarkable results in safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, in cracking down on separatist activities seeking “Taiwan independence” and in guarding against foreign interference, among others.
    It is emphasized in the law that both sides of the Strait belong to one and the same China, and that resolving the Taiwan question is China’s internal affair. The law also clearly draws a legally-binding red line, stipulating the use of force to foil separatist forces and their activities seeking “Taiwan independence” if such a red line is breached.
    The law has brought powerful deterrent effect on separatist forces. Over the past 20 years, they have not dared to cross the red line, though they have tried various plots and tricks. In recent years, the mainland has further enriched the legal framework for punishing “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, forming an even stronger deterrent to separatist forces aimed at “Taiwan independence.”
    The law also envisions vast space and prospect for the peaceful reunification of the motherland and the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. However, for some time, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities and the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces have propagated secessionist fallacies, pushing Taiwan to the brink of perils.
    The mainland is willing to strive toward peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the utmost efforts. Meanwhile, it will leave no room for any separatist activities seeking “Taiwan independence” in any form.
    The separatist forces should wake up to the fact that the Anti-Secession Law is neither a “scarecrow” nor an ornament, and their provocative acts to test or even cross the red line will be met with resolute countermeasures. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s man-made forest, grassland areas lead globally

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    China boasts the world’s largest man-made forest and grassland areas, a fact that demonstrates its commitment to ecological conservation, according to a report released by the Ministry of Natural Resources on Friday.
    The country’s planted forests cover a total area of 92.4 million hectares, and its grasslands span 263.2 million hectares, with both figures ranking first globally, per the report.
    China has seen achievements in ecological protection and resource conservation in recent years, with a total forest area of 283.7 million hectares and forest coverage exceeding 25 percent of the country’s total land area, the report shows.
    In this year’s government work report, the country has pledged to make coordinated efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, pursue green development, boost economic growth, and accelerate the green transition across all areas of economic and social development.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China launches new satellites

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    China on Saturday launched a Long March-2D carrier rocket, placing a remote sensing satellite into space.
    The rocket blasted off at 12:11 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and sent the Gaojing-3 02 satellite into the preset orbit.
    The mission also launched the Tianyan-23 satellite.
    It was the 564th flight mission of the Long March series rockets.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Shanghai’s first wholly foreign-owned hospital granted license

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    DeltaHealth Hospital·Shanghai has been granted an operating license in Shanghai, making it the city’s first wholly foreign-owned hospital and China’s first foreign-owned cardiovascular specialty hospital.
    The license for wholly foreign-owned medical institutions was issued by the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission on Friday, as the latest development following China’s expanded opening-up policy in the healthcare sector.
    The hospital, established as a joint venture in 2016, specializes in cardiovascular care and was included in Shanghai’s medical insurance system in 2018.
    In May 2024, Swire Pacific Limited completed a transaction to become the largest shareholder of DeltaHealth.
    In September 2024, China issued notice of the pilot program for expanding opening up in the healthcare sector, with Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin designated among the nine provinces and municipalities to launch wholly foreign-funded hospital trials.
    Experts believe this will help bring advanced medical technologies and services from overseas, meeting the growing demand for high-quality healthcare in China.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s central bank to grow financial ecosystem that supports tech innovation

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China’s central bank will work to cultivate a financial ecosystem that supports technological innovation, the central bank said on Friday.

    The bank will provide targeted support for key national technology initiatives and small and medium-sized enterprises in the field of tech, according to a statement issued by the People’s Bank of China.

    It will enhance the quality and effectiveness of green financial services further, providing strong support for the green, low-carbon development of China’s economy and society.

    It will also enhance its capability to provide financial services for the elderly care sector, and develop digital finance actively and steadily.

    Efforts will be made to defuse financial debt risks associated with financing platforms, supporting local governments to promote the market-oriented transformation of those platforms, the bank said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s express delivery sector posts fast growth

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China’s courier sector experienced rapid expansion in the first two months of 2025, with significant growth in delivery volume and capability-building, according to an industry index released by the State Post Bureau on Friday.

    The express delivery development index was 368.6 during the period, an increase of 11.8 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the bureau.

    China’s express delivery volume remained high throughout the first two months, as the sector entered one of its busiest periods during the Spring Festival holiday. From January 28 to February 4, the business volume of express delivery enterprises reached 1.15 billion parcels, a year-on-year increase of 31 percent.

    The bureau projected that the volume of courier services and business revenue would surge by 24.6 percent and 16.6 percent from a year earlier, respectively, in the first two months.

    The sub-index for development strength also improved during the period, as relevant enterprises focused on building logistics infrastructure, expanding delivery channels, and achieving breakthroughs in unmanned delivery vehicles, the bureau said.

    The index is compiled based on data from major logistics firms operating delivery services. It reflects the overall business activities and trends in the country’s courier sector.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s humanoid robot craze sparks surge in rentals

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Two humanoid robots walk forward at the exhibition hall of Unitree Robotics in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Feb. 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

    In a mesmerizing display at a recent show in Hangzhou, eastern China’s leading tech hub, a dozen humanoid robots twisted and twirled in perfect sync, their joints clattering to the rhythm of joyful music as they captivated the audience and drew waves of cheers.

    The spectacle reflects a growing trend, with businesses and individuals increasingly renting humanoid robots for performances, exhibitions, and livestreams to grab public attention.

    These robots shot to fame earlier this year when a fleet from Unitree, a Chinese robotics startup, mesmerized audiences with a synchronized dance in colorful jackets at the Spring Festival Gala, one of China’s most-watched broadcasts. The overwhelming public attention and ensuing robot craze have since turned them into a sought-after commodity in the rental market.

    “Orders for Unitree’s G1 humanoid robot rentals have been surging since early February, with bookings already lined up through late March,” said Gao Lai, who has been engaged in the robot rental business for over a decade. His company provided the rented robots for the show in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province.

    “The daily rental price for a humanoid robot ranges from 8,000 to 15,000 yuan (about 1,115 to 2,091 U.S. dollars). With the booming demand, we anticipate our earnings to rise by 80 percent this year,” Gao added.

    In terms of presale, Unitree’s G1 model starts at 99,000 yuan, while the H1 model has a starting price of 650,000 yuan.

    Industry insiders told Xinhua that the growing demand for robots in business events, exhibitions and shows is fueling the expansion of the robot rental market, which holds great potential.

    On Xianyu, one of China’s largest second-hand goods trading platforms, renting a Unitree robot can cost thousands of yuan, often covering transportation, machine adjustments and on-site support.

    In Hangzhou’s Yuhang District, where the recent show took place, local authorities plan to host more robot shows and tutorial sessions in rural areas by renting robots.

    “Dancing with robots grabs attention, and we hope to partner with companies to introduce AI to rural communities,” said Zhang Jingcan, a district official.

    “The concept of humanoid robots is nothing new. Since the first one was developed in Japan in the 1960s, they’ve been a focal point of global competition,” said Xiong Rong, a professor at Zhejiang University and head of Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center.

    “Powered by AI, our robots are making progress faster than I anticipated,” said Wang Xingxing, CEO of Unitree Robotics. “We’ve upgraded the software algorithms in our humanoid robots to make them more agile and improve their dancing skills.”

    However, some uncertainties exist when applying humanoid robots in more complicated scenarios at home or in businesses that require more flexible and diverse human-robot interactions.

    “Humanoid robots will reach new heights by the end of this year, and if all goes well, we could see them deployed in some service or industrial sectors next year or the year after,” said Wang. “However, home-use models might see slower adoption due to higher security requirement.”

    Emphasizing the importance of security in robot applications, Xiong said: “Only by ensuring the safety of human-robot interactions, the robot itself, and the data can we achieve large-scale production.”

    Many industry insiders agree that the ultimate goal for humanoid robots is to evolve into general-purpose robots capable of adapting to diverse environments and performing a wide range of tasks without relying on specific sites or tools. Achieving this goal will require advancements in AI, high-end manufacturing and new materials, driven by academia and industry collaboration.

    With surging demand and continuous innovation, China’s humanoid robot market is forecast to see exponential growth in the following years, clinching a significant share of the global market.

    According to a report on the humanoid robot industry released at the 2024 World AI Conference in Shanghai, China’s humanoid robot market was estimated at 2.76 billion yuan last year. By 2029, it is expected to reach 75 billion yuan, accounting for 32.7 percent of the global market. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Italian film acclaimed in China for portrayal of women’s struggles

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The acclaimed Italian film “There’s Still Tomorrow” premiered in China recently, with its creators attending screenings in Beijing and Shanghai.

    A still from “There’s Still Tomorrow.” [Photo courtesy of China Film Group]

    The 2023 Italian period comedy-drama film, co-written and directed by Paola Cortellesi in her directorial debut, is set in post-war 1940s Rome. It follows Delia, a working-class wife and mother who challenges traditional family norms and aspires to a better future for herself and her daughter after receiving a mysterious letter.

    Cortellesi, along with collaborating screenwriters Giulia Calenda and Furio Andreotti, attended the premiere and special screening events in Shanghai and Beijing from March 8-9, coinciding with International Women’s Day celebrations.

    “Reflecting on the past is to look forward to the future,” Cortellesi said at the Beijing event. She revealed that she drew inspiration from her grandmother’s story and the lives of countless women from that era in Italy. The June 2, 1946 referendum also played a significant role, marking the first time Italian women voted on whether Italy should be a monarchy or a republic, and elected representatives to the Constituent Assembly, a body tasked with drafting Italy’s post-war constitution. “My grandmother lived in a time when women’s rights were far inferior to men’s,” she said. “Their stories, struggles and fights should be told.”

    The director also dedicated the film to her daughter and daughters of her generation. “They should bear witness to the rights women hold today because they must understand that these rights did not naturally exist nor will they last forever,” she emphasized. “Without this awareness, they won’t be able to defend the rights they have now or fight for more in the future.”

    Creators of “There’s Still Tomorrow” pose for a photo with the audience in Beijing, March 9, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Hero Films]

    Calenda told China.org.cn that the film reflects the Italian tradition of finding humor in tragedy. “We believe that the heavier and more serious the theme, the more effectively it can be conveyed through comedy,” she said. “This film aims to give a voice to women who have never had one — women who have always worked, raised children, cared for the elderly, and managed households, yet received no recognition.”

    “Previous great Italian directors, when depicting the most severe, tragic and ugly phenomena, always approached them with absurdity and satirical humor. The power that emerged from this was often unexpected. In our creative process, we consciously — or unconsciously — drew inspiration from the post-war neorealist style,” added Andreotti.

    Shot in black-and-white, “There’s Still Tomorrow” pays homage to the neorealist style of the 1940s and 1950s. The creators chose this format to reflect the essence of the era. They conducted extensive research, hired a historian, studied films and documents, and even examined the dialect spoken in Rome during that era.

    Director Cortellesi emphasized that the film’s ending goes beyond a love story, conveying a deeper message. “Compared with the protagonist being saved by a man, I would rather see her rebirth through self-awakening,” she said. “That’s more important than love.”

    A poster for “There’s Still Tomorrow.” [Photo courtesy of China Film Group]

    “There’s Still Tomorrow” has earned over $50 million worldwide, becoming Italy’s most successful film of 2023 and the ninth highest-grossing film in Italian history. It won six David di Donatello Awards, Italy’s top film honors, in 2024, as well as other global accolades. These included the People’s Choice Award Gala-Best Film at China‘s Pingyao International Film Festival. On China’s major review site, Douban, the film holds a high score of 9.4/10 based on more than 170,000 user reviews.

    At the Beijing premiere, Liang Hong, a scholar, writer and professor in the School of Liberal Arts at Renmin University of China, described the film as “a profoundly impactful women’s film with a touch of dark humor.” She noted: “It uses lightness to convey weight and laughter to express tears. The film’s powerful conclusion leaves a lasting impact as if the director is speaking directly to the audience, encouraging each of us to take action.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Hohhot offers handsome cash rewards to boost birth rates

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    A city in northern China has promised cash rewards in a latest effort to boost birth rate and cope with the ageing society.

    Hohhot, capital of north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, will offer a one-time subsidy of 10,000 yuan (about 1,394 U.S. dollars) for couples having their first child, according to a new regulation released on Thursday.

    A second child will receive 10,000 yuan per year until he/she reaches five years old. For the third child or more, the annual subsidy is 10,000 yuan until the child turns 10, with the total amount reaching 100,000 yuan, a relatively high amount compared with other cities.

    Yang Zhong, deputy director of the city’s health commission, said the measures are aimed at boosting birth rate and spurring population growth. “These policies come as a powerful measure to deal with the current local population development situation,” he said.

    Data shows that China’s population on the mainland stood at 1.40828 billion by the end of 2024, a decrease of 1.39 million from the previous year, representing the third consecutive decline since 2021.

    Figures show that Hohhot, about two hours’ train ride north of Beijing, has a population of around 3.6 million. The city’s birth rate showed a declining trend from 2019 to 2023, Yang said. The birth rate stood at 5.58 births per 1,000 people in 2023, though it slightly picked up in 2024 as more couples were willing to have babies in the Year of Dragon.

    Though experts say the result of the birth incentive is still to be tested, many couples have welcomed the policy.

    Yang Lixin, 30, who works at a private firm in Hohhot, already has a five-year-old. “The policy made us more assured in making our mind to having a second child. The subsidies can reduce the financial costs, especially for maternity and childcare,” she said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Have you seen Joseph?

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Police are working to locate Joseph, aged 24, as we have concerns for his welfare.

    We believe Joseph was involved in a car crash on Tihoi Road/SH32 near Waimanoa Road, just north of Lake Taupō on Wednesday 12 March, at around 2pm.

    Police would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the crash or was in the area at the time and may have seen Joseph following the crash.

    After initial enquiries at the scene, we have reason to believe Joseph is injured.

    Police urge anyone with information regarding Joseph’s whereabouts to contact Police on 105 either over the phone or online.

    Please use the reference number 250311/5175.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fatal crash: Cook Street, Howick

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Police can confirm the driver involved in a serious crash in Howick yesterday evening has died.

    The driver, the sole occupant of the car, collided with a building near the intersection with Cook and Picton Streets, just before 6:30pm.

    Police are making inquiries into the death on behalf of the Coroner.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fatal crash, Cromwell

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Police can confirm one person has died following a crash on State Highway 6, Cromwell this morning.

    The two-vehicle crash, involving a motorcycle and a car was reported at about 10:30am.

    One person died at the scene and a second person sustained serious injuries.

    The road remains closed while the Serious Crash Unit conduct a scene examination.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Vehicle sought in relation to Beatty Street homicide

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Police investigating the death of a man at a Beatty Street address overnight are now asking for anyone who sees this vehicle to come forward.

    The black Ford Territory, registration DBN472, was last seen being driven by a man, who Police are also looking to speak to in connection with our enquiries.

    If you see this vehicle please call 111 immediately, quoting reference number 250315/0371.

    If you have any other information to share about this vehicle or its driver, please do so through our 105 service.

    ENDS 

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Release: National botches health funding numbers

    Source: New Zealand Labour Party

    Health Minister Simeon Brown’s claim that the Government has put $16.68 billion into the health system over three years is wrong.

    Simeon Brown has repeatedly claimed the Government is putting “$16.68 billion more put into our health system over three years” when the actual amount is half that at $8.4 billion.

    “The Health Minister should learn how to read government accounts. He should be referring to spending over three government budgets – some of that money will not be spent until 2030 – not three years,” Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said.

    He made the $16.68 billion claim in a speech to the BusinessNZ Health Forum, in the media, and in Parliament.

    “This is rich coming from a government that delights in calling others in the health sector financially illiterate but can’t read their own budget,” Ayesha Verrall said.

    “The Government has not funded the health system enough to keep up with costs, and services are being cut as a result.

    “We know that front line staff are bearing the brunt of the chaotic cuts at Health New Zealand and patient care is suffering because of it.

    “New Zealanders are feeling it in their back pocket too. The cost of going to your GP has gone up, costs for prescriptions have gone up and it’s harder to get an appointment.

    “This is what happens with a minister doesn’t understand what life is like for patients, carers and healthcare workers,” Ayesha Verrall said.

    Stay in the loop by signing up to our mailing list and following us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –