Afrique

La commune d'Abomey-Calavi abrite un laboratoire National de Contrôle de Qualité des produits de santé et de l'eau.

Le Bénin dispose désormais d'un laboratoire national ultramoderne à Abomey-Calavi pour mieux assurer la sécurité sanitaire du pays. « Le gouvernement a fait l'option, il y a de cela 5 ans, de dédier un laboratoire exclusivement au contrôle de qualité des produits de santé notamment les médicaments, les dispositifs médicaux, les compléments alimentaires et évidemment les produits cosmétiques », a affirmé le ministre de la Santé, Benjamin Hounkpatin. Ce laboratoire permettra aussi le contrôle de la qualité de l'eau. Les travaux de ce laboratoire conforme aux normes internationales sont achevés à plus de 99 %.

« Nous avons déclenché depuis plusieurs années, une lutte acharnée contre les produits de santé notamment les médicaments falsifiés. C'est l'un des compartiments indispensables pour que cette politique que nous avons commencée, puisse aller à son terme », a ajouté le ministre de la Santé.

Selon Prof Achille Yemoa, directeur général de l'Agence nationale de Contrôle de Qualité des produits de santé et de l'eau (ANCQ), après la réception provisoire, il sera procédé à l'aménagement des locaux, à l'installation des équipements ainsi qu'à la formation du personnel technique. « La mise en service complète est prévue pour janvier 2026 avec les premiers contrôles sur les produits de santé et l'eau », a indiqué Prof Achille Yemoa.

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Written by Pieter Baert.

As many women and girls continue to face barriers in accessing affordable menstrual products, menstrual poverty remains a significant socioeconomic issue. To combat it, the EU Value Added Tax (VAT) Directive now allows Member States to apply reduced or zero VAT rates to sanitary products. On 4 November 2025, the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC) will hold a public hearing on this issue in light of the Parliament’s Gender Equality Week.

VAT rates on feminine hygiene products

Over the years, the tax cost of menstrual products has been a topic of growing public debate. Since these products are used exclusively by women, the issue has drawn attention for its gendered economic impact. Advocates of lowering or removing VAT on menstrual products argue that the tax places an unfair, systematic financial burden on women, and contributes to menstrual poverty. Unlike other consumer products, these goods are considered a biological necessity rather than a matter of choice.

In April 2022, a revision of the EU VAT Directive introduced greater flexibility for Member States to reduce VAT rates on female sanitary products. This change allowed Member States to lower the VAT rate to as little as 0 %, compared with the previous minimum rate of 5 % (Annex III, paragraph 3). The European Parliament urged Member States to take advantage of this increased flexibility. However, while several Member States have since reduced their VAT rates on such goods, levels remain divergent.

VAT rate on tampons (EU, July 2025)

Tax policy experts are generally cautious about VAT rate reductions, citing the likelihood for suppliers to bypass these reductions by increasing their profit margins instead. However, a recent study by academics from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, which looked at VAT rate cuts on menstrual products in Belgium, Germany, France and Austria, found that the tax reduction had been fully passed on to consumers over time. Moreover, low-income households had increased their purchase volume of menstrual products, highlighting the potential of such reforms to improve access for disadvantaged groups. Another recent study examining Germany’s 2020 VAT rate reduction on female hygiene products found that the tax cut was fully passed on to consumers, suggesting a perfectly inelastic demand. The VAT rate cut was estimated to have cost Germany 0.02 % of VAT revenue.

While reducing VAT rates can be one approach to making female hygiene products more affordable, some Member States and local governments have chosen to provide these goods for free in schools, public restrooms and other public spaces.

Gender-based price discrimination

A related phenomenon is that of gender-based price discrimination. Although not an explicit tax issue as such, this refers to the situation where women sometimes incur extra costs for products and services marketed to them compared with similar items for men, with the products differing often only in superficial aspects, such as colour, name or description. Common examples include shampoo, razors and hairdressing services. While no comprehensive EU-wide research has been conducted to assess the prevalence of such practices, a study by the German Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency examined over 1 500 products in Germany and found that female variants were priced higher in 2.3 % of cases, while male variants were more expensive in 1.4 % of cases.

EU Directive 2004/113 already prohibits discrimination in access to goods and services based on gender. In 2023, in an answer to a parliamentary question, the European Commission said it had no plans at the time to introduce additional measures in that directive to address gender price discrimination.

Read this ‘at a glance note’ on ‘VAT policy and menstrual poverty in the EU‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Le débat autour de l’accord franco-algérien de 1968 s’intensifie. Après l’adoption d’une résolution du RN le dénonçant et la déclaration de Laurent Nuñez, ministre français […]

L’article Colonisation française de l’Algérie: Zemmour dérape dans un échange musclé avec un imam marseillais est apparu en premier sur .

Des milliers d'enfants adoptés aux États-Unis n'ont pas la citoyenneté américaine, bien qu'ils aient été amenés dans ce pays alors qu'ils étaient bébés, il y a plusieurs décennies. Aujourd'hui, beaucoup craignent d'être expulsés.

Une nouvelle ère s'ouvre pour le monde des affaires et de la tech en Afrique avec le lancement de Ewaji.com.

Ewaji est une plateforme d'avis clients robuste dédiée à renforcer la transparence, la crédibilité et la confiance entre les entreprises et leurs clients en Afrique. Dans un marché où la confiance influence plus de 70 % des décisions d'achat, la transparence devient un enjeu stratégique pour toutes les entreprises.

Pensé pour un écosystème entrepreneurial moderne, Ewaji.com contribue à faire briller en visibilité les entreprises en comptant sur les expériences clients partagées sous forme d'avis avec d'autres consommateurs sur sa plateforme. Au final, la note attribuée à l'entreprise sert à augmenter l'indice de confiance de celle-ci pour une relation équilibrée entre la marque et le consommateur.

Ewaji.com offre ainsi un espace fiable permettant aux consommateurs de partager leurs expériences, et aux entreprises de valoriser la satisfaction de leur clientèle.

Une plateforme pensée pour la transparence

Ewaji.com permet aux clients de publier des avis authentiques sur les services ou produits qu'ils ont utilisés ;
aux entreprises de collecter, afficher et gérer les retours de leurs clients ; et de renforcer la réputation en ligne grâce à un système d'évaluation clair et transparent.

Un outil puissant pour les entreprises africaines

Ewaji.com se positionne comme un véritable levier de croissance pour les commerces, petites et moyennes entreprises La plateforme aide les marques à prouver leur fiabilité auprès de nouveaux clients, améliorer leur service grâce aux retours collectés, augmenter leurs conversions grâce à la preuve sociale et se distinguer dans un marché de plus en plus digitalisé.

« Ewaji.com a été conçu pour aider les entreprises africaines à gagner la confiance des consommateurs tout en donnant une voix aux clients. La transparence est un élément clé dans le commerce moderne, et Ewaji.com apporte cette confiance au cœur des transactions », affirme un utilisateur de la plateforme.
Grâce à Ewaji.com, les marques bénéficient d'un avantage compétitif immédiat : plus de visibilité, plus de crédibilité, plus de clients.

À propos de Ewaji.com

Ewaji.com est une plateforme indépendante d'avis clients dédiée au marché africain. Elle permet aux consommateurs de partager leurs expériences en toute transparence et aux entreprises de développer leur réputation grâce à des avis vérifiés et publics. Ewaji.com ambitionne de devenir la référence de la confiance numérique en Afrique.

Sally Ncube, Equality Now, addresses the Standing Committee of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF). Credit: Equality Now

By Cecilia Russell
JOHANNESBURG, Nov 3 2025 (IPS)

Closing the chapter on child marriages is still a distant ambition in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, and despite great strides at developing and passing legislation to eradicate it, existing and emerging drivers are still at play, making youngsters vulnerable to the practice.

These were key messages from Equality Now at the Standing Committee Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) held in Kempton Park, South Africa, from October 24 to November 1, with the theme of Enhancing the Role of Parliamentarians in Advocating for the Signing, Ratification, Accession, Domestication, and Implementation of SADC Protocols.

Equality Now, in partnership with SADC-PF, launched two policy briefs—Protection measures for children already in marriage in Eastern and Southern Africa and Addressing emerging drivers of child marriages in Eastern and Southern Africa—for Parliamentarians’ consideration during a session aimed at sensitizing and increasing their knowledge on child marriage legislation and trends.

SADC countries adopted the Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children in Marriage in 2016; however, its domestication is uneven, children already in marriages need protection, and emergent drivers of child marriage need to be factored into the legal frameworks and policies.

Equality Now’s Divya Srinivasan addresses the Standing Committee of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF). Credit: Equality Now

Equality Now’s Divya Srinivasan elaborated on the context of the domestication of the SADC model law on child marriage, noting that seven out of 16 countries (or about 45 percent) set the minimum age of 18 without exceptions. Five out of the 16 SADC countries set the age of 18 with some exceptions, with, for example, Botswana specifically excluding customary and religious marriages from the protection.

“Four countries, or around 25 percent, including Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa, and Tanzania, provide for the minimum age of between 15 and 18. In these countries, the minimum age of marriage is different for boys and girls, with boys invariably having a higher age limit. In addition to these differences, all four countries allow for traditional and parental consent to lower the age of marriage,” Srinivasan noted.

Bevis Kapaso from Plan International said that since 2016, child marriage has dropped by 5 percentage points, going from 40 percent of all marriages to 35 percent in 2025, making it unlikely that the region will achieve SDG target 5.3, which aims to “eliminate all harmful practices, such as child marriage, early and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation” by 2030.

Most concerning was that the decrease was mainly urban, with the practice remaining fairly entrenched in rural areas.

This meant that children in marriages should be protected, and parliamentarians sensitized the drivers that were halting progress toward ending the practice.

Lawmakers should strive to ensure that married children have the right to void their marriages, retain their rights, access the property acquired during marriage, and not have their citizenship revoked, said Nkatha Murungi, an Equality Now Consultant.

“Children (in these circumstances) often end up stateless,” she said. While child marriage was a “symptom and a driver of entrenched inequality, poverty, and rights violations,” parliamentarians had a role to play in ensuring immediate, targeted measures to protect and empower children already in marriage, including the right to custody of their offspring and access to sexual and reproductive services.

Nkatha Murungi, an Equality Now Consultant, addresses the Standing Committee of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF). Credit: Equality Now

Murungi suggested that lawmakers should also become aware of emerging issues, such as climate change. She said that after the 2019 floods in Malawi, which affected more than 868,900 people and displaced 86,980 individuals, child marriage spiked. Parliamentarians, according to Equality Now, should integrate child marriage prevention into national climate change adaptation and disaster risk management strategies.

It also suggested a gender-sensitive approach to economic empowerment by “supporting climate-resilient economic opportunities and programs for women and girls in affected communities.”

Other concerning emergent and persistent drivers include conflict and insecurity and increased migration and displacement, which often remove children from protective oversight while persistent poverty and inequality drive children into marriage.

The policy brief also warned about the rapid growth of technology, which, “while enabling advocacy and awareness, also facilitates misinformation that normalizes harmful practices, including child marriage.”

Sylvia Elizabeth Lucas, a South African parliamentarian and Vice President of the SADC parliamentary forum, on the sidelines of the meeting, stated that protecting children is non-negotiable; she emphasized that practical legislation and implementation, guided by the “spirit of ubuntu” (compassion and humanity), can effectively protect girl children.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Murungi elaborated that it was important to look at why the traditional approaches were not resulting in the ending of child marriages. Poverty has always been considered a driver, but traditional efforts to end child marriage have not benefited those living in poverty. Education was key to empowerment, not only for keeping children in school and out of marriage but also for giving them options for their futures.

The forum was reminded that it was imperative that the SADC Model Law be updated in their countries to reflect some of these emerging drivers.

“It is also necessary for Parliament and the Executive at the national level to work together to promote anti-child marriage policies and laws and ensure that targeted policy responses fill all prevailing gaps,” the policy brief on emergent drivers concluded.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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La Commission électorale nationale autonome (CENA) a délivré, ce lundi 3 novembre 2025, le récépissé provisoire au parti Union Progressiste le Renouveau (UP-R) dans le cadre des élections communales de janvier 2026.

L'Union Progressiste le Renouveau entre en possession de son récépissé provisoire de déclaration de candidatures pour les communales 2026, suite à l'examen des dossiers déposés à la CENA.

Le document a été remis par le Directeur général des élections, Abou Adam Soulé, au Secrétaire général de l'UP-R, Gérard Gbénonchi, en présence de la Directrice de la Communication Anique Djimadja et de Paul Douakoutche, membre du Bureau Politique.

Le Secrétaire général du parti a assuré que les informations complémentaires demandées seront fournies dans les plus brefs délais.

La CENA poursuit l'examen des dossiers des autres partis (FCBE, Moele Bénin, ‘'Les Démocrates'', BR). La campagne électorale est fixée du 26 décembre au 9 janvier 2026. Le scrutin est prévu pour le 11 janvier 2025.

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Chaque année, la Caisse nationale des retraites (CNR) rappelle aux bénéficiaires de pensions directes ou transférées qu’ils doivent actualiser leurs documents au cours du mois […]

L’article Retraite et pensions transférées : la CNR adresse un message important aux bénéficiaires est apparu en premier sur .

Les échanges commerciaux entre l’Algérie et l’Espagne connaissent un essor spectaculaire, marquant la pleine reprise des relations bilatérales après la crise diplomatique de 2022. Les […]

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Les anciens présidents Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo et Thomas Boni Yayi pourraient bientôt siéger au sein du futur Sénat de la République du Bénin. Ce sera, suite à l'adoption et à la promulgation de la proposition de révision de la Constitution déposée le 31 octobre 2025 à l'Assemblée nationale par les honorables Aké Natondé et Assan Séibou, respectivement présidents des groupes parlementaires BR et UP-R.

Le texte de proposition de révision de la Constitution prévoit la création d'une seconde chambre parlementaire et institue le Sénat comme organe de stabilité et de continuité de l'État. Selon la proposition, cette nouvelle institution aura pour mission de garantir la sauvegarde des acquis de développement, la cohésion nationale et la paix sociale, tout en participant à la consolidation du débat démocratique.

La composition du Sénat, telle qu'envisagée, fera la part belle à l'expérience et à la sagesse politique. Elle inclura les anciens présidents de la République, les anciens présidents de l'Assemblée nationale, les anciens présidents de la Cour constitutionnelle ainsi que les chefs d'état-major des forces de défense et de sécurité. C'est pour « tenir compte des exigences d'une telle chambre politique d'une part, et des expériences requises dans la gestion des dossiers d'Etat d'autre part ». À ces personnalités, seront ajoutés les membres désignés par le président de la République et le Président de l'Assemblée nationale.

Les anciens présidents Nicéphore Soglo et Boni Yayi devraient y siéger en tant que membres. Une perspective qui suscite déjà beaucoup d'intérêt dans la classe politique. Leur présence au sein du futur Sénat symbolisera la continuité républicaine et offrira à la Nation l'opportunité de bénéficier de leur expérience, de leur vision et de leur sens de l'État. Le projet de révision, s'il est adopté et promulgué en l'état, permettra de renforcer le pouvoir législatif.

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Le ministre algérien des Affaires étrangères, Ahmed Attaf, a révélé les dessous d’un épisode tendu au Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU, où le Maroc a […]

L’article Attaf dévoile comment le Maroc a tenté de « manipuler » la résolution de l’ONU sur le Sahara Occidental est apparu en premier sur .

Ahmed Attaf, ministre des Affaires étrangères, a pris position suite à l’adoption par l’Assemblée française d’une résolution. Cette dernière demande la dénonciation des accords franco-algériens […]

L’article Algérie – France : Attaf dénonce les surenchères politiques autour des accords de 1968 est apparu en premier sur .

The Amazon River in Brazil. Credit: Jhampier Giron M
 
The 30th "Conference of the Parties" (COP30) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place from 6-21 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil. It will bring together world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and civil society to discuss priority actions to tackle climate change. COP30 will focus on the efforts needed to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C, the presentation of new national action plans (NDCs) and the progress on the finance pledges made at COP29.

By Keith Tuffley
VILLARS, Switzerland, Nov 3 2025 (IPS)

As the world prepares for COP30 in Belém, all eyes are on Brazil’s proposed Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) – a bold plan to reward countries for keeping forests standing. It represents a vital part of the long-term vision we need for global forest protection.

But while TFFF builds the architecture for the decades ahead, a proven solution is already delivering results today through large-scale forest protection programmes – initiatives that link public policy, community leadership and carbon finance.

Known as jurisdictional REDD+ (JREDD+), these programmes are designed to mobilise finance now, where it matters most.

The world doesn’t have time to wait. Forests are disappearing at the rate of 10 million hectares a year. To stay on track for 1.5°C, UNEP estimates that tropical regions need $66.8 billion in annual investment in forests by 2030. The good news is that the framework to mobilise that capital is already in motion, through the Forest Finance Roadmap and a portfolio approach that aligns multiple, complementary tools – including TFFF, JREDD+, and restoration finance.

The roadmap is clear – and it’s already working

The Forest Finance Roadmap, launched by 34 governments and partners under the Forest Climate Leaders Partnership, provides a practical framework for aligning policy, capital and accountability. It recognises that no single mechanism can close the gap: we need a suite of solutions that reward both reduced deforestation and long-term forest maintenance.

That portfolio already exists in Brazil. The federal government’s commitment to launch TFFF demonstrates long-term ambition. Meanwhile, states such as Tocantins, Pará and Piauí – among others – are advancing JREDD+ programmes that can channel private finance directly to communities, Indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers – with independent monitoring, benefit-sharing, and verified results under the ART-TREES standard. Tocantins alone covers 27 million hectares across the Amazon and Cerrado, one of the most biodiverse yet threatened regions on Earth.

Why JREDD+ matters now

JREDD+ is a state- or nation-wide approach that rewards verified reductions in deforestation. It links finance directly to government policy and land-use planning, helping entire regions shift from deforestation to sustainable production. Crucially, it also ensures transparency, permanence and equity: credits are issued only after independent verification, and benefits are shared with local communities through Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes.

In practice, JREDD+ allows public and private capital to flow into credible, measurable results – the kind of results that investors, regulators, and communities can trust. It also provides the connective tissue between policies like the EU Deforestation Regulation and the voluntary carbon market, helping companies meet emerging disclosure requirements under TNFD and SBTN while supporting real-world impact.

Complementary, not competing

It’s tempting to frame TFFF and JREDD+ as alternatives. In reality, they are complementary – two sides of the same forest finance coin. TFFF will reward nations for maintaining low deforestation rates, creating long-term incentives for forest-rich countries. JREDD+, on the other hand, generates near-term performance-based finance for verified emissions reductions. Together, they form the backbone of the Forest Finance Roadmap’s portfolio approach: one tool builds long-term durablity, the other creates immediate impact.

This complementarity is already visible on the ground. In Tocantins, upfront investment from Silvania, the nature finance platform backed by Mercuria, has helped establish the state’s environmental intelligence centre (CIGMA), enabling real-time deforestation tracking, and supported more than 40 consultations with Indigenous and traditional communities. These investments are already helping reduce deforestation pressures and build the systems that will sustain long-term forest protection – exactly the kind of early action TFFF will later reward.

From promises to performance

As COP30 approaches, the conversation about forests must shift from ambition to execution. Brazil’s leadership – from national policy to state implementation – is already delivering a blueprint for others to follow. We have the plan. We have the proof of concept. What’s needed is action – to channel capital into JREDD+ now, while supporting the long-term vision of TFFF. Together, these approaches can close much of the forest finance gap by 2030 and anchor a new era of durable, high-integrity nature finance.

The world will gather in Belém to discuss the future of the Amazon. But the real test is what happens after. Whether COP30 is remembered as a turning point or a missed opportunity depends on how quickly we act on the solutions already in our hands

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Excerpt:

Keith Tuffley was Partner at Goldman Sachs Australia, Managing Director at UBS, and CEO of The B Team. He is current CEO of Race to Belém

In Pakistan, journalism is a risky profession—and the danger only intensifies if you’re a woman, young, and a freelancer, says 30-year-old Saba Chaudhry, a journalist from a village near Narowal, in Punjab province. “You have to be careful about what you write and who might read it—you can become the target of a malicious campaign […]

Le JNIM continue d'imposer le blocus sur le carburant et tente d'isoler la capitale malienne, plongeant le pays dans l'impasse. Avec des experts, la BBC analyse la stratégie de ce groupe et les facteurs qui favorisent la progression de ses opérations.

Le JNIM continue d'imposer le blocus sur le carburant et tente d'isoler la capitale malienne, plongeant le pays dans l'impasse. Avec des experts, la BBC analyse la stratégie de ce groupe et les facteurs qui favorisent la progression de ses opérations.

Les élections locales ont tourné à la démonstration de force pour le VMRO-DPMNE. Le parti de droite, déjà majoritaire au Parlement, contrôle désormais la quasi-totalité des municipalités. Dans le même temps, la gauche traditionnelle s'effondre, au profit de nouvelles voix contestataires.

- Articles / Une - Diaporama - En premier, Politique Macédoine, Courrier des Balkans, Une - Diaporama, Macédoine du Nord, Politique

Parliamentarians from the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) and the Forum of Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development (FAPPD) met in Cairo. Credit: APDA

By Hisham Allam
CAIRO, Nov 3 2025 (IPS)

Inclusive legislation, empowered youth, and anti-violence policies are inseparable aspects of sustainable development and were the key messages at a conference of the Inter-Regional Meeting of Asian and Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development held in Cairo on October 24, 2025.

The forum spotlighted urgent regional collaboration on sexual and reproductive health, youth inclusion, gender-based violence, and sustainable development. The gathering underlined the pressing need for legislative reform and multi-sector engagement to tackle complex social challenges amid shifting demographics and development imperatives.

The meeting, jointly organized by the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) and the Forum of Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development (FAPPD), with close collaboration from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with the support of the Japan Trust Fund (JTF) and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), convened a high-profile roster of leaders and experts.

Key figures included Dr. Abdel Hadi al-Qasby, member of the Egyptian Senate and chair of the meeting; Dr. Mohamed Al-Samadi, Secretary General of the FAPPD; Professor Takemi Keizo, former Japanese Health Minister and Chair of APDA; and Dominic Allen, Deputy Regional Director for UNFPA Arab States Office.

Sessions homed in on strengthening sexual and reproductive health (SRH) as a cornerstone of social and economic progress, with UNFPA’s Dr. Hala Youssef highlighting SRH’s role in boosting productivity and well-being.

“Healthy individuals contribute to a more productive economy,” she said. The forum candidly addressed the region’s demographic challenges, barriers in access to care, and declining donor funding that threaten gains in maternal health and family planning.

Youth empowerment emerged as a strategic priority throughout the forum, with policymakers acknowledging that the region’s overwhelming majority under 30 must be engaged as active partners in shaping their future, rather than passive recipients of policy decisions.

Dr. Rida Shibli, former member of the Jordanian Senate, underscored this shift in mindset, stating, “Youth are partners, not just beneficiaries,” and advocating for structured, inclusive platforms that effectively empower young people to influence policy.

Tunisia’s progressive reforms—featuring the establishment of youth councils and vocational training programs—were highlighted as leading examples of meaningful youth engagement fostering both opportunity and participation.

The forum’s candid discussion on gender-based violence (GBV) underscored its pressing public health implications.

Mohamed Abou Nar, Chief Programs and Impact Officer at Pathfinder International, warned that despite the existence of comprehensive legal protections, enforcement remains inconsistent and inadequate.

He declared, “GBV is a public health emergency,” emphasizing the need to implement survivor-centered health services and legal reforms grounded in robust community involvement and multisectoral collaboration.

Hibo Ali Houssein, MP from Djibouti, reflected on the tension between progressive laws and enduring cultural norms that limit justice access for GBV survivors, while Bahrain’s Dr. Mohammed Ali called for legislative alignment to optimize private sector contributions, stating, “The private sector must provide capital, spark innovation, and create jobs within frameworks mandating sustainability.”

Country-specific achievements illustrated the forum’s depth. Cambodia is swiftly moving towards graduating from Least Developed Country status by 2027, with economic and regional partnerships propelling its long path to upper-middle-income status.

MP Chandara Khut stated plainly, “Peace has brought stability, which in turn nurtures development and growth.”

Sarah Elago, the representative from the Philippines, made a clear call on funding for adolescent pregnancy and maternal health, stating that “development is measured by dignity, equality, well-being, and everyday experiences of women, youth, and the people—not merely by numbers.”

The delegates called on parliamentarians, governments, and partners to convert dialogue into concrete action, emphasizing transparency, accountability, and regional solidarity as key drivers toward shared goals.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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