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Least Developed Countries account for less than 1 percent of world trade. Credit: Ali Mkumbwa/Unsplash

By Deodat Maharaj
GEBZE, Türkiye, Aug 22 2025 (IPS)

Artificial intelligence and the use of frontier technologies are already transforming trade and boosting prosperity, particularly for developed and some developing countries. This ranges from the digital exchange of documents, the digitalisation of trade processes and leveraging online platforms to fast-track cross-border trade.

The rapid adoption of new technologies will further consolidate the dominance of world trade by developed economies, which currently account for roughly 74 percent of global trade, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The world’s 44 Least Developed Countries (LDCs), with a population of an estimated 1.4 billion people, are seeing a different trajectory altogether. According to the World Trade Organisation, they account for less than 1 percent of the world’s merchandise trade. LDCs continue to reel from the relentless onslaught of bad news, including increased protectionist barriers.

Deodat Maharaj, Managing Director of the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries.

UNCTAD has estimated that tariffs on LDCs will have a devastating consequence, possibly leading to an estimated 54 percent reduction in the exports from the world’s poorest countries.

In this dire situation, exacerbated by declining overseas development assistance, what does an LDC do to survive in this difficult trade environment?

To start with, they must continue to advocate globally for fairer terms of trade. At the same time, they need to be more aggressive in addressing matters for which they have control. Otherwise, the status quo will leave their people in a perpetually disadvantageous situation. Imagine paying three times more than your competitors just to ship a single crate of goods across a border. For millions of entrepreneurs in the world’s LDCs, it is the everyday cost of doing business. Technology offers a way out in reducing these high costs.

Indeed, when the international community gathered in Sevilla for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in July 2025, one truth stood out: Technology is no longer a luxury—it is a prerequisite for effective participation in global trade. The outcome document was clear that for the world’s 44 LDCs, bridging infrastructure gaps, building domestic technological capacity, and leveraging science, technology, and innovation are vital to unlocking trade opportunities.

So, given the challenges and opportunities, what forms the core elements of an action agenda for LDCs to leverage trade to generate jobs and opportunities for their people?

Firstly, there is a need to pivot to digital solutions, which can dramatically reduce trade costs and open new markets. According to the World Bank, paperless customs and single-window systems have been proven to cut clearance times by up to 50 percent, reducing bureaucracy that stifles commerce. In Benin, automating port procedures reduced processing time from 18 days to just three days (World Bank). E-commerce platforms, when paired with secure payment systems and targeted training, have shown remarkable potential.

Secondly, invest in digital infrastructure. The data suggest that LDCs still have a lot of catching up to do. The solution is for development partners and the international financial institutions to steer more resources in this area with a fixed percentage of resources, say, 15 percent of a country’s portfolio dedicated to boosting digital infrastructure.

Thirdly, focus on value addition and reduce transition away from the export of raw commodities. This in turn requires the human resource capacity to spur innovation and creativity. Boosting investment in research and development can pay rich dividends.

According to the World Economic Forum, LDCs invest less than 1 percent of GDP in research and development compared to developed countries. The Republic of Korea invests 4%.

Finally, for LDCs to enter the technological age, their businesses must lead the way. It is difficult to do so in some countries like Burundi, where internet penetration is a mere 5 percent of the population. The average internet penetration is around 38 percent. So, in addition to digital infrastructure, support must be provided to micro-, small and medium-scale enterprises to benefit from the opportunities provided by technology to boost trade, thereby creating jobs and opportunities. This includes the establishment of incubators to support this business sector, boosting their technological capacities to trade and profile their businesses on digital platforms, and helping them to deliver services created by the digital economy. Rwanda has been a pioneer in this regard.

Of course, technology alone will not address all the challenges faced by LDCs. However, by delivering cost-efficient solutions, it can help level the playing field and drive transformation. It is time for the international community and development partners to back their words with action in helping LDCs advance this agenda. Since LDCs represent an emerging market of 1.4 billion people, when they rise, everyone else will rise with them.

Deodat Maharaj, a national of Trinidad and Tobago is the Managing Director of the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries and can be reached at: deodat.maharaj@un.org

 

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Meteorológiai figyelmeztetéseket adott ki pénteken (8. 22.) délig a Szlovák Hidrometeorológiai Intézet (SHMÚ) a heves, nagy mennyiségű csapadékkal járó esőzések veszélye miatt Kelet-Szlovákiára (+a Nagyrőcei járásra). Az északi- (Poprád, Késmárk, Ólubló) és keleti- (Szinna, Szobránc, Nagymihály, Tőketerebes) határvidéken elsőfokú figyelmeztetés (40 mm csapadék), a többi járásban másodfokú riasztás (55 mm) van érvényben.

Credit: United Nations

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 22 2025 (IPS)

A system-wide UN survey of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), described as “grave violations of human rights”, has revealed that in 2024, there were 675 allegations reported.

A UN message to staffers last week says this is “widely believed” to be “significant underreporting” because the real numbers may be much higher.

In 2023, 758 allegations were received, compared to 534 the previous year and 265 in 2018.

Of the 2023 figure, more than half, 384, were related to UN staff and affiliated personnel. The remainder concerned personnel from partners and non-UN military forces not under UN authority.

Risks increased significantly last year, with the unprecedented rise in humanitarian crises along with significant reductions in funding, especially in high-risk and complex contexts where the UN operates, according to the UN.

The deadline for this year’s survey has been extended through September 5.

In a message to staffers, the UN Special Coordinator on Improving UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, says: “We would like to thank everyone who has completed the survey so far – your engagement reflects your strong commitment to our values ensuring a safe, respectful environment free from sexual misconduct”.

“Your voice matters. We encourage those who have yet to complete the survey to take advantage of this brief extension period to express your views. Your voice is important in identifying the challenges and in helping to strengthen our collective efforts to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse across the system.”

“Your feedback helps shape real change – last year’s inputs enabled targeted concrete actions to be taken to address specific instances of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment along with improvements to how we protect people from sexual misconduct.”

Why take part?

The UN says:

• “We use your input to make a difference in how we prevent and address sexual misconduct
• It’s confidential – all responses are anonymous
• It’s quick and easy – it takes just a few minutes of your time!
• It’s inclusive – once again, the survey is available in 7 languages (6 official UN languages and Portuguese), and we have updated survey language to ensure accessibility for both UN and NGO personnel.”

Although progress has been made since 2017 through the establishment of new frameworks, policies and procedures, says the UN, sexual exploitation and abuse continues to occur across the UN system, particularly with peacekeeping forces.

https://conduct.unmissions.org/resources

Asked for her comments, Shihana Mohamed, a founding member, and one of the Coordinators of the United Nations Asia Network for Diversity and Inclusion, told IPS UN-ANDI firmly opposes all forms of discrimination, abuse, racism, bias, and harassment – including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, and the abuse of power and authority.

“Sexual exploitation and abuse in the UN system are not isolated incidents—they are symptoms of deeper, intersecting patterns of racism, bias, and entrenched power imbalances that silence victims and erode institutional trust,” she pointed out.

The UN-ANDI survey revealed that 17% of staff of Asian origin experienced harassment or discrimination, including threats, emotional abuse, and even physical assault. When over 60% report experiences of racism and more than half feel invisible in their workplaces, the message is clear: systemic discrimination fuels a culture where abuse persists, and justice is out of reach.

These figures are not just statistics—they are a clear indictment of a system where systemic discrimination fosters a culture in which abuse is normalized, and justice is routinely denied, she argued.

“As a global norm-setting body, the United Nations cannot afford to merely uphold a stance of zero tolerance. It must actively pursue a reality of zero occurrence—embedding accountability into both its policies and the conduct of its personnel at every level”.

Protecting dignity requires confronting not only individual misconduct, but also the structures and cultures that enable sexual exploitation and other abuses to persist.

Justice, equity, and safety cannot be aspirational values—they must be lived, enforced, and institutionalized, declared Mohamed, a Sri Lankan national and recipient of the Public Voices Fellowship on Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls – Equality Now.

UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters: “Our approach, which is centered on the rights and needs of victims, continues.”

“We are intensifying efforts to uphold the rights of victims, and to end impunity. This also includes engagement with Member States to facilitate the resolution of paternity claims.”

Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, MBE, Founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), told IPS: It’s 25 years since the Windhoek conference and declaration, when member states and the UN pledged to end peacekeepers’ sexual abuse and exploitation of women and girls in the communities they are mandated to protect.

“We have had SCR 1325 (Security Council Resolution) and other security council resolutions. There have been countless practical recommendations to mitigate such abuses,” she said.

For example, there was a recommendation to take simple mouth swabs as DNA samples of any peacekeeping and UN personnel sent out. This way any allegations of SEA could be verified immediately. But the UN leadership rejected the recommendation at the time, citing the human rights and privacy concerns for the international staff, she pointed out.

Abusers are meant to be investigated and held accountable in their own home countries. But this rarely happens.

“Yet those countries continue to provide peacekeepers. Why? There should be a rule that any incidents of SEA prevents that member state from contributing troops – until the trainings and conditions are addressed nationally”.

“We in the WPS community have also long called for increased recruitment and deployment of women as peacekeepers. The evidence shows that having just 5% more women in missions, correlates with 50% reduction of SEA. But despite the Elsie Initiatives we still see too few women recruited or given the opportunity to serve.”

The bottom line: when there is no political will or leadership honor to address such issues, they stay unresolved.

The tragedy is two fold: On the one hand we have incidents of young women being subjected to exploitation, and longer term trauma and likely ostracism, with no recourse. Their protectors became their abusers.

On the other hand, by not preventing or holding accountable the few perpetrators, the system denigrates itself and the thousands of extraordinary men and women who have dedicated their lives to service and to the protection of others, she noted.

“It’s hard to understand. But it is indicative of the abrogation of care and responsibility. The UN needs to take a firmer stance with troop contributing countries. They need to shift the shame and fear away from victims and on to the perpetrators.”

Perhaps if the peacekeepers were told that in case of any allegations, their families– mothers, daughters, wives– back home would be informed, they would think twice about abusing or exploiting local residents during deployment to war torn countries.

In a February 2025 report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says since 2017, “we have continued to devote considerable attention and effort to improving the way the sector addresses the issue”.

System-wide coordination structures, global standards, technical tools, training, improved reporting mechanisms, and increased country-level support and capacity have all contributed to enhancing prevention, response, and transparency.

“However, challenges persist, and we remain committed to addressing these”.

“Our approach, which prioritizes the rights and dignity of victims, remains a key objective of our strategy. Efforts are ongoing to ensure victims have a voice and better access to assistance and support”.

While the Trust Fund for Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse has been invaluable, very little funding remains in it. The Secretary-General urges Member States to make available adequate and sustainable support for prevention efforts and for victims and their children. Addressing the underlying issues such as inequality, extreme poverty, and lack of rule of law is crucial to ending this scourge.

The report also highlights the UN’s efforts to end impunity and ensure justice for victims. The Secretary-General calls on Member States to address accountability robustly and resolve outstanding paternity cases without delay. He remains steadfast and committed to effectively tackling this issue with the support of Member States.

“We will keep pushing forwards on this important issue,” said Guterres.

https://docs.un.org/en/A/79/789

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Elrendelte a bíróság a keddi (augusztus 19.) tragédia gyanúsítottjának, Iveta F-nek (33) az előzetes letartóztatását. A pozsonyi Főréven (Ružinov) kigyulladt egy lakótömbben található lakás, a tűz során két gyermek életét vesztette. A Noviny.sk közlése szerint az anya a kádba fojtotta a kislányait (†2, †5) és felgyújtotta a lakást.

Le Premier ministre Edi Rama a lancé une vaste opération visant à dégager les espaces publics des installations illégales. Cette « Renaissance urbaine 2.0 » ressemble surtout à une mise en scène au service d'un pouvoir de plus en plus autoritaire.

- Articles / Albanie, Une - Diaporama, Courrier des Balkans, Société, Politique, PS Albanie

Le Premier ministre Edi Rama a lancé une vaste opération visant à dégager les espaces publics des installations illégales. Cette « Renaissance urbaine 2.0 » ressemble surtout à une mise en scène au service d'un pouvoir de plus en plus autoritaire.

- Articles / Albanie, Une - Diaporama, Une - Diaporama - En premier, Courrier des Balkans, Société, Politique, PS Albanie

Noviny.sk: Pénteken (22.8.) reggel 6 óra körül holtan találtak egy férfit a pozsonyi Račianske mýto-nál (Récsei vám). A holttestnek, amely a szökőkúttól néhány méterre feküdt a földön, egy zsák volt a fején. Több rendőr tartózkodik a helyszínen, akik lezárták a környéket.

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Le 29 août 2025, le Bénin célèbrera sa Journée Nationale à l'Exposition Universelle d'Osaka (Japon), offrant aux visiteurs du monde entier une plongée immersive dans un univers où traditions, innovations et opportunités d'affaires se côtoient harmonieusement. Une vitrine exceptionnelle pour un pays en pleine mutation.

Placée sous le thème “Benin Horizons – A Journey of Culture and Opportunities”, la participation béninoise à Expo Osaka 2025 vise à montrer un pays qui conjugue modernité et enracinement culturel. Le pavillon du Bénin sera l'expression vivante de cette dualité, illustrée par la diversité de ses paysages, la richesse de son patrimoine, mais aussi par ses réformes économiques ambitieuses et ses projets structurants.

« La Journée Nationale offre au Bénin une tribune exceptionnelle pour affirmer son rayonnement, confie Jean-Michel Abimbola, ministre du Tourisme, de la Culture et des Arts. En célébrant notre présence au Japon, nous ouvrons une fenêtre sur notre patrimoine, notre créativité et notre vision ».

Un programme riche et structuré

Jeudi 28 août – Focus économique
La célébration débutera par une Journée économique à la mairie de Higashi-Osaka. L'événement mettra en lumière les atouts du Bénin en matière d'investissement, notamment à travers des panels sectoriels (agro-industrie, logistique, zones industrielles), des sessions B2G et des témoignages d'experts japonais. Une plateforme stratégique pour tisser de nouveaux partenariats économiques.

Vendredi 29 août – Journée Nationale
Moment central de la semaine, cette journée débutera par une cérémonie officielle avec discours, hymnes et performances artistiques.
Le public pourra apprécier Les Pépit'Arts, le duo Chudo Saito & Couleur Indigo, ainsi que Pépé Oleka, avant un déjeuner officiel et des visites de pavillons.
La journée s'achèvera par une réception diplomatique privée, réunissant décideurs et acteurs culturels autour d'un cocktail fusion et de nouvelles prestations artistiques.

30-31 août – Culture, design et immersion
Les jours suivants seront consacrés à l'expression artistique sous toutes ses formes :

Samedi 30 août : spectacles musicaux, défilés de mode et une keynote immersive dédiée à la destination Bénin, mettant à l'honneur ses produits phares comme l'ananas Pain de Sucre et la noix de cajou.

Dimanche 31 août : La scène sera donnée à la création contemporaine avec Larry Tchogninou, King Houndekpinkou (céramique et spiritualité), et Rosyne Club, pour un final sensoriel autour de l'art textile et du mouvement.

Une identité plurielle mise en scène

De la future capitale culturelle de Porto-Novo, aux plages symboliques de Ouidah, des palais royaux d'Abomey aux Tata Somba du Nord, en passant par les merveilles naturelles de la Pendjari ou encore les innovations urbaines de Sèmè City, le Bénin s'expose comme un territoire en dialogue constant entre tradition et avenir.
Yannis Adebiaye, Commissaire Général du Pavillon du Bénin, résume l'ambition de cette présence : « À Osaka, le Bénin se présente sur la scène internationale avec authenticité et ambition. Cette Journée Nationale est une vitrine stratégique qui illustre comment ce Monde de Splendeurs devient jour après jour une destination incontournable à découvrir ».

Un pavillon, une promesse
Conçu par l'Agence Bénin Tourisme, le pavillon national promet une expérience interactive autour de trois axes majeurs : tourisme et culture, innovation économique, et développement durable. Il s'agit de projeter le Bénin comme une destination d'avenir, riche de ses racines et ouverte sur le monde.

Une Expo sous le signe de l'avenir
L'Exposition Universelle Osaka 2025, du 13 avril au 13 octobre, accueillera plus de 160 pays sur le thème “Concevoir la société du futur”.
Avec sa participation, le Bénin affirme qu'il entend jouer un rôle actif dans la construction d'un monde plus juste, plus innovant, et durable.

Championnat professionnel, championnats amateurs et coupes... le chrogramme des compétitions nationales de football, saison 2025-2026, a été dévoilé par la Fédération Béninoise de Football. Le calendrier a été rendu public à l'issue de l'Assemblée générale ordinaire et extraordinaire de la FBF le 20 août dernier.
CALENDRIER COMPLET

La légende du football béninois, Razack Omotoyossi, a été inhumé ce jeudi 21 août 2025 à Lagos, au Nigéria.

L'ancien international béninois décédé le 19 août à l'âge de 39 ans a été conduit à sa dernière demeure, jeudi 21 août.

Le corps de Razack Omotoyossi a été retiré de la morgue dans la matinée avant que le corps ne soit mis en terre dans sa résidence à Lagos.

Il a ensuite été conduit dans sa résidence où proches et admirateurs ont pu lui rendre un dernier hommage. Dans une vidéo, on voit sa dépouille recouverte du drapeau béninois.

Attaquant au tempérament de feu, Omotoyossi a marqué son époque avec les Écureuils du Bénin dans les années 2000. Il avait notamment brillé lors des éliminatoires de la Coupe du monde 2010.
Razack Omotoyossi est marié et père de quatre enfants.
M. M.

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Eloy Alfaro de Alba (with gavel), Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the Month of August, chairs the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

By IPS Correspondent
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 21 2025 (IPS)

Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the surge in unprecedented executions in Saudi Arabia in 2025. Humanitarian experts have underscored the Saudi Arabian monarchy’s use of the death penalty to silence peaceful dissent among civilians and impose justice for minor offenses, with little to no due process.

On August 11, Human Rights Watch (HRW) raised the alarm on the rise in executions of civilians and foreign nationals in Saudi Arabia. Their new report highlighted the June 14 execution of journalist Turki al-Jasser, who worked to expose corruption and human rights violations linked to the Saudi monarchy.

Following al-Jasser’s execution, Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry issued a statement in which it accused al-Jasser of committing “terrorist crimes” and “destabilizing the security of society and the stability of the state”. This follows the 2024 execution of Abdullah al-Shamri, a Saudi political analyst, after appearing as a political commentator on broadcast news for prominent media organizations.

“The June 2025 execution of Saudi journalist Turki al-Jasser, after seven years of arbitrary imprisonment on fabricated charges over his online publications, is a chilling testament to the kingdom’s zero tolerance to peaceful dissent and criticism, and a grim reminder of the peril journalists face in Saudi Arabia,” said Sylvia Mbataru, a researcher of civic space at CIVICUS Global Alliance.

HRW reports that Saudi authorities are pursuing the death penalty against Islamic scholar Salman al-Odah and religious reformist activist Hassan Farhan al-Maliki on vague charges related to the peaceful and public expression of their beliefs.

“Behind closed doors, Saudi Arabia is executing peaceful activists and journalists following politicized trials,” said Abdullah Alaoudh, senior director of countering authoritarianism at the Middle East Democracy Center. “These state-sanctioned killings are an assault on basic human rights and dignity that the world cannot afford to ignore.”

Figures from HRW show that as of August 5, Saudi authorities had carried out over 241 executions in 2025. including 22 alone on the week of August 4. Amnesty International reports that 2024 set a new record for annual executions in Saudi Arabia, documenting at least 345. The human rights organization Reprieve projects that if executions are carried out at the same rate, 2025 could exceed all prior records.

“Saudi authorities have weaponized the country’s justice system to carry out a terrifying number of executions in 2025,” said Joey Shea, researcher for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at Human Rights Watch. “The surge in executions is just the latest evidence of the brutally autocratic rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”

Estimates from Reprieve show that roughly 162 of this year’s recorded executions were for minor drug-related offenses, with over half involving foreign nationals. HRW reports that none of these executions followed due process, making it highly unlikely that any of those executed received a fair trial.

“Saudi Arabia’s relentless and ruthless use of the death penalty after grossly unfair trials not only demonstrates a chilling disregard for human life; its application for drug-related offenses is also an egregious violation of international law and standards,” said Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty. This report exposes the dark and deadly reality behind the progressive image that the authorities attempt to project globally.”

Earlier this year, Amnesty International, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, and Justice Project Pakistan documented the cases of 25 foreign nations who were on death row or have been executed in Saudi Arabia for drug-related offenses. The investigation found that the majority of individuals on death row were not afforded their fundamental human rights, such as access to a legal representative, interpretation services, and consular support. Additionally, Amnesty International reported that in many of these cases, individuals from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds faced heightened risks of discrimination in legal proceedings.

Furthermore, it was reported that at least four of these cases involved the use of torture and ill treatment in detention facilities to extract confessions from individuals charged with drug-related crimes. For many of these individuals, their families were not informed of the status of their convictions and were only notified of an execution the day prior. In all cases of execution, Amnesty International reported that the bodies of executed individuals were withheld by Saudi authorities.

The recent surge in executions has drawn immense criticism from human rights groups for violating international humanitarian law. Although Saudi Arabia has not acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a multilateral treaty adopted by the UN that promoted an inherent right to life and due process, it has ratified the Arab Charter on Human Rights, which obligates that Saudi Arabian security forces are only to use the death penalty for the “most serious crimes”.

Mandeep Tiwana, the Secretary-General of CIVICUS Global Alliance, informed IPS that the current civic space conditions in Saudi Arabia are listed as “closed”, indicating that civilians hold little to no power and are bereft of the ability to represent themselves in governmental affairs and peacefully dissent. “This means that those who criticize the authorities or engage in protests of any kind or seek to form associations that demand transformational change can face severe forms of persecution including imprisonment for long periods, physical abuse and even death.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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