STATEMENT ON STUDENTS, YOUNG PEOPLE, EDUCATION COMMUNITY BY COMMISSIONER MARIYA GABRIEL
The Russian military aggression against Ukraine is an act of war and constitutes a violation of international law, undermining European and global security and stability.
We, the European Union, stand by Ukraine and its people.
Thanks to our Erasmus+ students’ exchanges and the European Solidarity Corps volunteers, we have been promoting understanding and solidarity among people from all countries and all backgrounds.
Young Ukrainians have continuously worked for a better future, which is now at risk.
We are determined to supporting Ukrainian students, young people, teachers and educators in these extremely challenging times with the following measures.
First, I have asked for the greatest level of flexibility in the implementation of the Erasmus+ projects towards Ukrainian students and higher education staff. The Erasmus National Agencies may apply the force majeure clause for International Credit Mobility activities taking place in Ukraine and Russia. This will allow beneficiaries to cancel, postpone or move activities planned in the most flexible way.
Second, Erasmus National Agencies and participating organisations were instructed to contact individual participants, being currently in Ukraine or in Russia planning to leave to these countries within the coming weeks to explore available options.
Third, Ukrainian students abroad will be offered support adjusted to their needs and their safety would be guaranteed.
I thank all young people in Ukraine for their commitment in these most difficult times and I encourage everyone who can support Ukraine in all possible ways.
The European Sunday Alliance calls on political leaders to establish a European weekly common day of rest. “It strengthens the social cohesion of our communities, and it is indispensable to recover and to ensure both a better wellbeing and productivity of workers”, says the Alliance in a statement released on Wednesday 3 March 2022. Download the Statement
On the occasion of the International Day for a Work-Free Sunday, the European Sunday Alliances (ESA) urges the EU political leaders to put as a priority the establishment of a European weekly common day of rest for workers – by tradition on Sunday – as enshrined in Art. 2 of the European Social Charter.
“A full day of rest per week is indispensable to recover and to ensure both a better wellbeing and a better productivity of workers[and] it strengthens the social cohesion of our community”, reads the ESA statement.
Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, General Secretary of COMECE, explains that a synchronized common day of rest “enables people to spend time with their family and friends, to care for others, especially the most vulnerable, to play together with their children and friends, to enjoy contact with nature and to nourish their cultural and spiritual life and pursue other interests and hobbies”.
“Moreover – he continues – with the COVID-19 pandemic, the increasingly blurring of work-life balance, and the accelerating of an ‘always-on culture’, it is essential more than ever to have a clear and common day of rest”.
In the run-up to the International Day for a work-free Sunday, the Alliance carried out a social media, raising awareness about the unique value of Sunday for our society and on the importance of a common day of rest.
COMECE is a founder member of the European Sunday Alliance. The Alliance is a broad network of more than 100 national Sunday alliances, trade unions, employers’ organisations, civil society associations, Churches and religious communities in the European Union. The Alliance is committed to raise awareness about the unique value of Sunday for our society and on the importance of a common day of rest.
Your one-stop-shop in the world of EU financial markets focuses on ESMA’s Sustainable Finance Roadmap and its priorities, ensuring the coordinated implementation of the ESG mandate for 2022-2024.
In addition, you are invited to provide your input on the market structure for ESG rating providers in the EU through the Call for Evidence on ESG Ratings.
In its first Trends, Risks and Vulnerabilities (TRV) report of 2022, ESMA highlighted the risk of significant market corrections. For the first time, environmental risk has been added to the risk dashboard as a separate category.
Finally, ESMA also proposed Reforms to improve Resilience of Money Market Funds which would address, among other things, liquidity difficulties and threshold effects for constant net asset value (CNAV) MMFs.
Alerting that over one billion people aged 12 to 35, risking losing their hearing due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud music and other high volume recreational noise, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued new international safety advice on Wednesday to tackle the rising threat of hearing loss.
The new international standard for safe listening at venues and events was launched ahead of World Hearing Day marked on 3 March on the theme, To hear for life, listen with care! It applies to all places and activities where amplified music is played.
Over 1.5 billion people globally live with hearing loss, and according to recent estimates this number could rise to over 2.5 billion by 2030. WHO estimates that 50 per cent of hearing loss can be prevented through public health measures.
According to the UN health agency, many common causes of hearing loss can be prevented, including over-exposure to high volume sounds.
“Millions of teenagers and young people are at risk of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices and exposure to damaging sound levels at venues such as nightclubs, bars, concerts and sporting events,” said Dr Bente Mikkelsen, WHO Director for the Department for Noncommunicable Diseases.
“The risk is intensified as most audio devices, venues and events do not provide safe listening options and contribute to the risk of hearing loss”, she added.
The new WHO standard aims to better safeguard young people as they enjoy their leisure activities.
New recommendations
The Global standard for safe listening at venues and events, highlights six recommendations for implementation to ensure that venues and events limit the risk of hearing loss to their patrons, while still preserving high-quality sound and an enjoyable listening experience.
The six recommendations outline:
A maximum average sound level of 100 decibels.
Live monitoring and recording of sound levels using calibrated equipment.
Optimizing venue acoustics and sound systems to ensure enjoyable sound quality and safe listening.
Making personal hearing protection available to audiences including instructions on use.
Access to quiet zones for people to rest their ears and decrease the risk of hearing damage.
And, provision of training and information to staff.
Unsplash/Alireza Attari
A boy listens to music with headphones in Tehran, Iran
Make listening safe
The new standard was developed under WHO’s Make Listening Safe initiative, which was launched in 2015, and seeks to improve listening practices especially among young people.
WHO alerted that hearing loss due to loud sounds is permanent, underlining that exposure to loud sounds causes temporary hearing loss or tinnitus (ringing sound interference in the ears), and prolonged or repeated exposure can lead to permanent hearing damage, resulting in irreversible hearing loss.
Young people can better protect their hearing by:
Keeping the volume down on personal audio devices
Using well-fitted, and if possible, noise-cancelling earphones/headphones
Wearing earplugs at noisy venues
Getting regular hearing check-ups
Work together
Calling for the new global standard to be supported, WHO encouraged governments to develop and enforce legislation for safe listening and raise awareness of the risks of hearing loss.
The UN agency also advised that behaviour change can be motivated by civil society organizations, parents, teachers, and physicians, who can educate young people to practice safe listening habits.
“Governments, civil society and private sector entities such as manufacturers of personal audio devices, sound systems, and video gaming equipment as well as owners and managers of entertainment venues and events have an important role to play in advocating for the new global standard,” said Dr Ren Minghui, WHO Assistant Director-General.
“We must work together to promote safe listening practices, especially among young people”, he concluded.
(Photo: REUTERS / Maxim Shemetov)Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) kisses Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, as Svetlana Medvedeva (R), wife of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, looks on during an Orthodox Easter service in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow May 5, 2013.
The head of the World Council of Churches Rev. Ioan Sauca has asked Patriarch Kirill of Moscow to mediate so that the war between Russia and Ukraine can be stopped.
The letter was sent on to the Russian patriarch on March 2, the sixth day since the Russian invasion of its neighbor that has drawn widespread global condemnation from countries and at the United Nations.
“It is with great pain and with a breaking heart that I am writing to Your Holiness,” wrote Sauca. “The tragic situation of the war in Ukraine has brought tremendous suffering and loss of lives.”
The Russian Orthodox Church is the world’s biggest in the Orthodox tradition and Sauca is from the Orthodox Church of Romania.
Kirill is known to have the ear of Russian Presdient Vladimir Putin.
“The whole world is looking with concern and expects to see a sign of hope for a peaceful solution. I receive letters every day from different parts of the world, from church leaders and the faithful of our WCC constituency asking to approach Your Holiness to mediate so that the war can be stopped and the great suffering ended,” wrote Sauca.
He said that “in these times of hopelessness,” many people look to Kiril as someon who could bring a sign of hope for a peaceful solution.
“I write to Your Holiness as acting general secretary of the WCC but also as an Orthodox priest.
“Please, raise up your voice and speak on behalf of the suffering brothers and sisters, most of whom are also faithful members of our Orthodox Church.”
The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Wednesday demanding that Russia immediately end its military operations in Ukraine.
Known informally as the world’s “town hall”, the Assembly is where all 193 UN Member States have a voice. A total of 141 countries voted in favour of the resolution, which reaffirms Ukrainian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
Today’s #UNGA resolution reflects a central truth:
The world wants an end to the tremendous human suffering in Ukraine.
I will continue to do everything in my power to contribute to an immediate cessation of hostilities and urgent negotiations for peace. pic.twitter.com/vhAol1kyfi
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 2, 2022
Assembly President Abdulla Shahid struggled to read the results of the vote as ambassadors stood up and applauded as soon as he began speaking.
The resolution demands that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.”
It was sponsored by more than 90 countries and needed a two-thirds majority in the Assembly to pass.
Five countries – Belarus, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (more commonly known as North Korea) Eritrea, Russia and Syria – voted against it, while 35 abstained.
The voting capped off a rare special emergency session of the General Assembly that began on Monday, during which countries took to the podium to declare their positions on the crisis, now entering a second week.
‘Loud and clear’
Speaking afterwards to reporters, Mr. Shahid said the resolution reflected the international community’s grave concerns about the situation in Ukraine.
“I join Member States in expressing concern about ‘reports of attacks on civilian facilities such as residences, schools and hospitals, and of civilian casualties, including women, older persons, persons with disabilities, and children’,” he said, citing the text.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who also addressed reporters, stated he was duty bound to stand by the resolution and be guided by its call.
“The message of the General Assembly is loud and clear: End hostilities in Ukraine now. Silence the guns now. Open the door to dialogue and diplomacy now.”
Clock is ticking
The UN chief stressed the need to act quickly as the situation in Ukraine threatens to get much worse, adding “the ticking clock is a time bomb.”
A humanitarian appeal launched on Tuesday has been met with “record generosity”, he said, which will allow for a scale-up in the delivery of vital assistance, including medical and health supplies, as well as food, water and protection.
“Looking ahead, I will continue to do everything in my power to contribute to an immediate cessation of hostilities and urgent negotiations for peace,” Mr. Guterres told journalists.
Reason to believe
“People in Ukraine desperately need peace. And people around the world demand it.”
For Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, this was “a defining day,” recalling words from his statement in the Assembly.
“The UN is still alive and going through the process of catharsis,” he said. “I believe in the United Nations; now people in Ukraine have more reasons to believe in the United Nations.”
Everyone must commit to preserving the Earth’s “invaluable and irreplaceable wildlife,” the UN chief said on Wednesday in his message for World Wildlife Day.
“Each year…we celebrate the beauty and wonder of our planet’s wild plants and animals,” reminded Secretary-General António Guterres, describing the day as an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and “to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that their conservation provides to people.”
Beyond a moral duty to sustain the Earth, Mr. Guterres reminded that “humanity depends on the essential products and services that nature provides, from food and fresh water to pollution control and carbon storage”.
“By damaging the natural world, we threaten our own well-being,” he added.
Today, all around the world, wildlife is in peril as a quarter of species face extinction – in large part, because we have destroyed nearly half of the ecosystems in which they live.
“We must act now to reverse this trend,” underscored the UN chief.
Animals and plants that live in the wild have an intrinsic value and contribute to the ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic aspects of human well-being – and to sustainable development.
And everyone must recognize the “urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime and human-induced reduction of species,” he said.
Noting their “wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts,” Mr. Guterres drew attention to Sustainable Development Goal 15, which focuses on halting biodiversity loss.
“Let us remind ourselves of our duty to preserve and sustainably use the vast variety of life on the planet. Let us push for a more caring, thoughtful and sustainable relationship with nature,” he said.
Ecosystems in the spotlight
This year’s day also highlights the importance of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which was kicked off last year and runs until 2030.
Ecosystems are only healthy when their component species thrive.
If just one keystone species disappears, an entire ecosystem can start to decline and die, which is why actions to protect individual species must go hand-in-hand with restoring entire ecosystems.
Press remarks by Executive-Vice President Dombrovskis at the informal video conference of economy and finance ministers
European Commission Speech Brussels, 02 Mar 2022 Merci Bruno.
It is only 5 days since our last meeting in Paris. But in that time, the situation in Ukraine has escalated dramatically. This is why we met again today. To take stock and, above all, we must ensure we remain strong and united in our response.
Russia’s barbaric act of aggression against Ukraine – a sovereign and independent European country – is now increasingly targeting civilians.
I express my condolences to the Ukrainian people for their losses. I salute their courage and determination to defend their homeland and our European values.
We stand by Ukraine, providing all support we can.
Over the past days, we moved forward with the most powerful package of EU sanctions ever. They are designed to weaken Russia’s economic base, deprive it of critical technologies and markets, cripple Putin’s ability to finance his war machine. We are targeting the ruling elite.
The effects are evident.
The rouble has plummeted. Capital controls have been imposed and equity trading at the Moscow stock exchange has been suspended.
Just today, we agreed to exclude seven important Russian banks from the SWIFT system. We also banned the transactions of Russia’s central bank and froze its assets. We can and must go further if needed, in light of the situation on the ground.
The sanctions will have an immediate impact on our economy. It is difficult to quantify this impact as the situation is unfolding fast. There are many unknowns.
Growth will be affected. We will see an impact on energy prices and supply chains, including for raw materials.
Confidence will be knocked. There will also be direct fiscal costs.
But we are in a strong starting position, with strong fundamentals.
Clearly, this is a price worth paying for democracy and peace.
We estimate the direct impact on the EU-wide financial system to be contained. Direct exposure of the EU financial sector to Russia is overall limited.
But we are more exposed when it comes to energy.
We expect gas and electricity prices to remain high this year.
The overall impact on inflation and the economy is significant and is not expected to abate soon. So we will be in a high price and high inflation environment longer than we originally thought.
The Commission plans to present an Energy Communication next week to address these issues.
On the fiscal side, there will be immediate costs. Our economic and material support to Ukraine, our assistance to a large number of refugees, and our continued support to the economy to deal with high energy prices: all this will weigh on national budgets.
So the wider impact on the economy will also affect public finances.
We showed during the pandemic how strong we are when we act in a united and coordinated way. It is important now that we coordinate our policy response and stay agile.
Today we presented fiscal guidance for the period ahead. The so-called “general escape clause” of the Stability and Growth Pact remains active in 2022. This allows fiscal policy to adjust to the evolving situation and address immediate challenges posed by this crisis. As regards 2023, the GEC is due to be deactivated but we will assess this in light of the Spring Forecasts.
More broadly, we will monitor economic developments closely and adapt as needed.
One final word on support to Ukraine. We are progressing swiftly on the new emergency MFA of EUR 1.2 billion. I hope to sign the Memorandum of Understanding early next
The first disbursement of EUR 600 million, without conditions, could come still in March.
We are in close touch with the IMF and US Treasury to coordinate every next step on financial support to Ukraine and also concerning sanctions against Russia.
We are also in close contact with the EIB and EBRD who are also working on providing further support.
On day seven of the Ukraine crisis, UN-led efforts to ramp up support to the country’s embattled health workers have continued, with the first shipment of lifesaving supplies due to arrive in neighbouring Poland in the coming hours.
Initial concerns about a lack of medicines to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes, gave way on Wednesday to an alert from the World Health Organization (WHO) that “people will die” if they do not get oxygen and other supplies for urgent emergency care.
“Some of us have been in this game a long time and we’ve developed very thick skins, but when you see nurses mechanically ventilating infants in basements of hospitals, even the toughest of us, we struggle to watch that,” said Dr Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s Emergencies Programme. “And those heroes that are there, (they’re) mainly women in those basements who are taking care of those kids.”
At a press conference in Geneva, head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that 36 tonnes of materials for trauma care and emergency surgery were on their way from a WHO hub in Dubai – enough to meet the needs of 1,000 patients.
Additional health supplies will also be available for another 150,000 people, the WHO Director-General added, and the UN agency is also hoping to deliver oxygen from neighbouring countries to where it’s needed.
Out of reach
Prior to the conflict, the UN health agency distributed emergency supplies to 23 hospitals in Ukraine, but Tedros cautioned that prepositioned materials in Kyiv were “currently inaccessible”.
At least three major oxygen plants in Ukraine have now closed, Tedros added.
“There is an urgent need to establish a corridor to ensure humanitarian workers and supplies have safe and continuous access to reach people in need,” insisted the WHO chief, who also expressed serious concern at “several” unconfirmed attacks on hospitals and health infrastructure, since the Russian offensive began last Thursday.
“Attacks on healthcare are in violation of international humanitarian law,” he said, before underscoring the “sanctity and neutrality” of health care, health workers, patients, supplies, transport and facilities. “The right to safe access to care, must be respected and protected,” he said.
Echoing concerns for Ukraine’s most vulnerable civilians who have been exposed to shelling and bombing, Dr Ryan noted that “if you’re a 65 or 70-year-old in ICU, no-one can carry you down the stairs to the basement…and they’re being cared for by doctors and nurses while the bombs are falling around them.”
He added: “People’s bodies and people’s bones have been broken and people’s lives are being lost and there isn’t a health service available to deliver lifesaving care, and we can’t supply that health service at the moment. So something has got to move and something has got to change to create the conditions in which that can happen.”
COVID surge
As the exodus of Ukrainians continues away from the conflict, Tedros explained that conditions were ideal for increased COVID-19 transmission both within Ukraine and beyond its borders.
Key priorities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus include ensuring that vaccinations are maintained where possible, and that COVID therapeutics and antivirals are made available, Dr. Ryan said.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering greets Tibetans on Losar, Tibetan New Year 2149. Image: Tenzin Jigme/CTA
Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration extends Losar greetings to Tibetans inside and outside Tibet on the occasion of traditional Tibetan New Year- Losar 2149 – the year of the Water-Tiger. The Tibetan New Year begins from 3-5 March 2022.
As the newly elected 16th Kashag observes its first celebration of the joyous occasion of Tibetan New Year, the 2149th Water-Tiger Losar, I, on behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration, extend warm greetings to all the Tibetan brothers and sisters in Tibet and throughout the world celebrating Tibetan new year.
Wishing you a year loaded with good health and may all your aspirations, hopes, and wishes are fulfilled.
As the world’s most successful refugee community, we owe our success story principally to the sacrifices, guidance and visionary leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and secondly to the sacrifices being made by the Tibetans inside Tibet facing the persecution. We also owe our gratitude to the older generation of Tibetans whose lifelong hard work and contributions set forth the path of development in achieving the international recognition and acknowledgement that we enjoy today. Once again I would like to reassure you all that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in excellent health.
As for my responsibility as the Sikyong since assuming the office on 27th May 2021, the 16th Kashag has as per the commitments outlined in my manifesto, performed and continued to perform the tasks diligently and lawfully while taking into account the strategies to swiftly achieve our long term vision. I urge the collective effort and cooperation of the Tibetan people in resolving the collective goal.
To hinder our remarkable progress, China has repeatedly penetrated its tentacles in our community often by planting spies to sabotage our cause. Keeping this in view, we have to be mindful not to indulge in the pettiness of regionalism and parochialism, and instead deviate all our focus and effort to speak out against the human rights crimes committed by China against Tibetans and other ethnic minorities. Likewise, the administration assures transparency, credibility and efficiency in its activities.
To uphold the smooth running of our democracy in exile, I strongly urge each of us to diligently perform our fundamental responsibilities in accordance with the noble wishes of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Once again I wish you all peace, prosperity and happiness and pray for the longevity of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I also hope that the issue of Tibet is swiftly resolved and the Tibetans inside and outside Tibet reunite soon.
