Europäische Union

AMENDMENTS 89 - 575 - Draft opinion Establishing the European Competitiveness Fund ('ECF’), including the specific programme for defence research and innovation activities
Committee on Security and Defence
Riho Terras

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Peter Pellegrini lezárta a Pavol Gašpar elleni fegyelmi eljárást. Mindössze egyhavi, 15 százalékos bércsökkentéssel büntette az SIS igazgatóját.

A panel discussion kicks off the inaugural Caribbean Civil Society Organisations (CSO) conference in Kingston, Jamaica. Credit: Alison Kentish/IPS

By Alison Kentish
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Mar 5 2026 (IPS)

Civil society groups from across the Caribbean met in Jamaica in February 2026 for a landmark regional conference, with development leaders urging stronger governance, digital readiness and deeper partnerships to adapt to a shifting and increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.

Hosted by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) through its Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) in partnership with Global Affairs Canada’s Field Support Services Programme – Caribbean, the four-day event brought together 120 participants from 80 civil society organisations (CSOs) across 12 countries.

Held under the theme The Shift: Igniting Civil Society’s Next Chapter and coinciding with World NGO Day, the conference is focusing on what organisers call the “collective power” of community-based organisations (CBOs) to advance shared development goals for people and the planet.

‘Cornerstone of Resilience’

Opening the conference, CDB officials described CSOs as a “cornerstone of resilience” in a region increasingly vulnerable to climate shocks, economic uncertainty and social inequality.

“Across our borrowing member countries, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs) are often the first responders during crises and the most trusted advocates in marginalised communities,” said George Yearwood, BNTF Portfolio Manager at the Caribbean Development Bank. “They are steadfast champions of social justice, environmental stewardship, gender equality, youth empowerment and inclusive growth.”

Yearwood said the bank had seen that sustainable outcomes are strongest when “community voices are embedded from project identification through implementation and monitoring”, adding that the region must move “from commitment to concrete action”.

The CDB official said over its next strategic cycle, the bank plans to formalise engagement with CSOs, creating predictable platforms for dialogue, improving access to knowledge and digital tools, expanding financing and partnership opportunities and strengthening data-driven, gender-responsive programming.

The conference also responded to findings from a 2023 CDB assessment of community groups in Guyana, Jamaica and Saint Lucia, which revealed significant weaknesses in governance and organisational readiness. According to the Bank, 69 percent of groups assessed lacked constitutions, nearly half had no mission or vision statements and many reported gaps in proposal writing, resource mobilisation and awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Canadian High Commissioner to Jamaica, Mark Berman, said while Caribbean CSOs perform an indispensable role in tackling developmental challenges like climate vulnerability, youth unemployment and gender inequality, they need urgent support to deal with systemic challenges.

“We can’t do it without CSOs,” the High Commissioner said, while cautioning that “weaknesses in governance, strategic planning, resource mobilisation and digital readiness all risk limiting organisations’ ability to deliver and influence policy in a way that is meaningful within the context of modern society and the changes and challenges that we are now facing.”

To address those concerns, the conference programme featured sessions on governance reform, results-based management, social returns on investment, financial resilience, and the use of digital tools, including artificial intelligence, to strengthen advocacy and impact measurement.

Through its Local Engagement and Action Fund (LEAF), Global Affairs Canada has invested CAD 1.6 million across 11 projects in seven Caribbean countries, supporting crime prevention, workforce upskilling, youth empowerment, community resilience, environmental protection and climate-smart livelihoods.

Organisers say the conference was not only a capacity-building exercise but also a call to action for policymakers to embrace community-based organisations as partners in national development.

In a region grappling with climate change, fiscal constraints and shifting geopolitical alliances, speakers repeatedly returned to the concept of collective power. They say civil society’s next chapter will depend on stronger institutions at the grassroots level. “The Shift” is being billed as a move to ensure that community organisations, which are at the heart of Caribbean countries, are equipped, heard and valued.

The conference ended on March 27  with a formal World NGO Day ceremony bringing together government leaders, development partners and civil society representatives to recognise the contribution of NGOs to sustainable development across the Caribbean.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Excerpt:

Community groups are being heralded as the Caribbean’s cornerstone of resilience, but leaders warn they need stronger support to withstand climate shocks and growing geopolitical uncertainty.

Szabadlábra helyezték Michal Šúreket, a főügyészség ügyészét, és három rendőrt, akiket a Bűnbánó (Kajúcník) elnevezésű rendőrségi akció során vettek őrizetbe. Emellett indítványozták Ján Čurilla nyomozó és Pavol Ďurka előzetes letartóztatását.

Credit: UN Women/Marcela Erosa
 
From protection against gender-based violence to equal pay, women and girls remain unequal under the law, as impunity for violations of their rights persists worldwide, said UN Women.

By UN Women
NEW YORK, Mar 5 2026 (IPS)

On 8 March 2026, International Women’s Day, UN Women issues a global alert: justice systems meant to uphold rights and the rule of law are failing women and girls everywhere. Women globally hold just 64 per cent of the legal rights of men, exposing them to discrimination, violence, and exclusion at every stage of their lives.

This is one of the findings of the new United Nations Secretary-General’s report, “Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls”. The same report reveals that in over half of the world’s countries – 54 per cent – rape is still not defined on the basis of consent, meaning a woman can be raped and the law may not recognize it as a crime.

A girl can still be forced to marry, by national law, in nearly 3 out of 4 countries. And in 44 per cent of countries, the law does not mandate equal remuneration for work of equal value, meaning women can still legally be paid less for the same work.

“When women and girls are denied justice, the damage goes far beyond any single case. Public trust erodes, institutions lose legitimacy, and the rule of law itself is weakened. A justice system that fails half the population cannot claim to uphold justice at all,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

As backlash against longstanding commitments on gender equality intensifies, violations of the rights of women and girls are accelerating, fueled by a global culture of impunity, spanning from courts to online spaces to conflict. Laws are being rewritten to restrict the freedoms of women and girls, silence their voices, and enable abuse without consequence.

As technology outpaces regulation, women and girls face growing digital violence in a climate of impunity where perpetrators are rarely held accountable. In conflicts, rape continues to be used as a weapon of war, with reported cases of sexual violence rising by 87 per cent in just two years.

The UN Secretary General’s report also shows that progress is possible: 87 per cent of countries have enacted domestic violence legislation, and more than 40 countries have strengthened constitutional protections for women and girls over the past decade. But laws alone are not enough.

Discriminatory social norms – stigma, victim-blaming, fear, and community pressure – continue to silence survivors and obstruct justice, allowing even the most extreme forms of violence, including femicide, to go unpunished.

Women’s access to justice is also prevented by everyday realities such as cost, time, language, and a deep lack of trust in the very institutions meant to protect them.

This International Women’s Day 2026, under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” UN Women calls for urgent and decisive action: end impunity, defend the rule of law, and deliver equality – in law, in practice, and in every sphere of life – for all women and girls.

This year’s 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – the United Nations’ highest-level intergovernmental body that sets global standards for women’s rights and gender equality – is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reverse rollback of women’s rights and ensure justice.

“Now is the moment to stand up, show up, and speak up for rights, for justice, and for action – so that every woman and girl can live safely, speak freely, and live equally,” stressed Bahous.

International’s Women’s Day Commemoration and the opening of CSW70 will take place this year on the same day, back to back, on March 9 2026 in the UN General Assembly, starting at 9:00 a.m. EST and online.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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