Today, the Frontex Consultative Forum on Fundamental Rights published its 12th annual report.
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Poland Hosts EIT’s Regional Innovation Booster Pilot to Help Close Europe’s Innovation Gap
The EIT Regional Innovation Booster is a new flagship initiative of the EIT, offering targeted support to startups and scaleups in modest and moderate innovator countries, helping them grow towards commercial success, access international markets, and attract further investment. With a view to launching a broader pilot in at least four countries from 2026, followed by full roll-out from 2029, Poland will host the pilot phase of the EIT RIB in 2025. The EIT RIB programme, developed together with national authorities, will simplify and connect Europe’s innovation support landscape. It will create country-specific support ecosystems by connecting existing funding and initiatives, offering the most promising start-ups a seamless path to commercial success and internationalisation. The EIT plans to invest at least €30 million in piloting the EIT RIB until 2028.
Poland is ready to lead innovation in the region — and the Regional Innovation Booster will help us do just that. It will empower our entrepreneurs, scaleup our ventures, and give Polish innovation the visibility and support it needs to thrive across Europe and beyond.
Michał Jaros, Secretary of State at the Minister of Economic Development and Technology of Poland
We are excited to expand our cooperation with Poland whose vibrant innovation ecosystem and strong ambition make it an ideal launchpad for the Regional Innovation Booster. By combining our community’s expertise with Poland’s strengths, we will build stronger pathways for startups to succeed.
Martin Kern, Director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology
The pilot phase will focus on ecosystem mapping, startup selection and mentoring, internationalisation support, and strategic alignment with Poland’s smart specialisation priorities. A joint EIT–Poland Task Force will oversee the implementation of the programme.
This new phase of cooperation will also be supported by the opening of the EIT Community Hub in Warsaw in May 2025 — strengthening the EIT Community’s presence to boost local engagement and enhance coordination with the EIT’s wider network.
The EIT and Poland
Poland has emerged as one of the EIT’s strongest cooperation partners, benefiting from extensive support through the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS). The new EIT Regional Innovation Booster will now provide deeper, more integrated support to help ventures grow and ecosystems scale.
Between 2023 and 2025, over €32 million in EIT grants have been committed to Polish entities, including €2.7 million directed specifically to SMEs. Currently, 79 Polish organisations are participating in EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) projects.
Moreover, between 2021 and 2023, the EIT supported the creation of 285 ventures, engaged 7,612 Polish participants in education and training activities, and helped launch 31 innovations through EIT-backed ventures based in Poland.
Building on this track record, the EIT Regional Innovation Booster aims to reduce fragmentation in Europe’s innovation landscape by aligning local, national, and EU-level initiatives into a seamless entrepreneurial support pathway — particularly in countries with untapped innovation potential.
Rising hunger in Gaza highlights urgent need for ‘unfettered’ aid supplies
Only around 6,000 tonnes of wheat flour have entered the war-torn enclave since Israel began to allow limited supplies back in last month.
However, 10,000 tonnes are urgently needed in the face of rising malnutrition, according to the UN aid coordination office OCHA.
“The only way to address the situation on the ground is by re-opening additional crossings,” said OCHA’s Olga Cherevko, speaking to UN News from Khan Younis.
Beyond food aid
She also stressed the need to allow “unlimited and unfettered supply of aid to enter,” which includes items that go beyond food such as shelter materials, fuel, cooking gas, “and other necessary elements to sustain life in Gaza.”
Ms. Cherevko urged the Israeli authorities to make the task of delivering aid easier by “providing a safe and enabling environment,” reducing waiting times for humanitarian missions and ensuring access to people in need.
We reiterate in the strongest terms possible that no one should be forced to risk their lives to receive aid – as people across Gaza are at risk of famine
People in Gaza are suffering from harsh living conditions. Since March, Israeli restrictions on border crossings have tightened, making it even more difficult for Gaza’s population – more than two million people – to access food.
Senior UN officials, including Secretary-General António Guterres and Humanitarian Affairs chief Tom Fletcher, have described the aid that has entered as merely “a trickle” or a “a drop in the ocean”.
Difficult decisions
Although markets are crowded with people, they lack two essential elements: liquidity and goods.
Most residents thus face three bitter choices: either seek food aid from the newly established US and Israel-backed distribution mechanism, which has already claimed dozens of lives in recent days; watch their children starve; or pay dearly for what’s left of the goods and looted humanitarian aid in markets.
“Prices are unnatural, much higher than in Europe,” civil servant Akram Yousef recently told our UN News correspondent in Gaza.
“The situation is very difficult, and we have been like this for two years. In addition to displacement, homelessness, bombing, destruction, and devastation, traders are raising prices, and citizens are unable to bear this burden. What can we do?”
More than 20 months of conflict have made living conditions in the Gaza Strip unbearable, and the cost of living is now among the highest in the world.
Ahmed Al-Bahri, who was displaced from Beit Lahia with his family, said a loaf of bread now sells for seven shekels, or roughly $2.
“There is no flour, no milk, no diapers for children, or anything to eat,” he said. “We live in a state of constant hunger. Where can I get seven shekels to buy a loaf of bread for my child? What is this child’s sin?”
A flour seller in Gaza.
Exorbitant fees
The cessation of Palestinian banks’ operations since the start of the war in October 2023 has exacerbated the suffering.
People are forced to use phone apps to withdraw money from their bank accounts and to access their pensions through local merchants who charge exorbitant commissions.
Mr. Youssef, the civil servant, said the commission for withdrawing his salary was 20 per cent, but over time it has increased to nearly 50 per cent.
‘We have become envious of the dead’
Several residents told UN News that the price of one kilogramme of flour is now 100 shekels, equivalent to roughly $29.
“If a salary is 2,000 shekels, it becomes 1,000 shekels after commission,” another man, Ashraf Al-Deiri, explained.
“The daily expenses of an average or small family are no less than 500 shekels (roughly $143). So, we are experiencing great suffering and need someone to have mercy on us and stand by us.”
A young man called Raed Tafesh expressed shock over the high prices, especially since most of his peers are unemployed and lack any source of income.
“We don’t earn a single shekel. We are not employed, and we don’t have jobs. We are dying slowly. We have become envious of the dead,” he said.
The tragic conditions are reflected in the eyes of mothers and fathers who see their children starving, such as Nimir Ghazal. She said her salary is not even enough to buy fruits, vegetables or any healthy food for her children.
“Sometimes I cry when my hungry children ask for a piece of bread. A kilo of flour costs 100 shekels, and lentils cost 50. One kilo is not enough for my family, but I buy it and share it among them,” she said.
UN efforts continue
On Monday, UN teams were able to collect some supplies, mainly flour, from the Kerem Shalom border crossing. The aid was bound for Gaza City when hungry and desperate people snatched it directly from the trucks.
There have also been previous instances of looting and attacks on truck drivers which the UN categorically rejects.
OCHA has emphasized that Israel, as the occupying power, bears responsibility for maintaining public order and safety in Gaza. This should include allowing more essential supplies to enter through multiple crossings and roads to meet humanitarian needs and help curb looting.
Colombia: Joint Press Release on negotiations on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement
Colombia: Joint Press Release on negotiations on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement
Colombia: Joint Press Release on negotiations on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement
Colombia: Joint Press Release on negotiations on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement Source link
Gang violence displaces a record 1.3 million Haitians
This represents a 24 per cent increase from December 2024 according to the UN agency, which also noted that this increase has produced the largest number of people displaced by violence on record there.
“Behind these numbers are so many individual people whose suffering is immeasurable; children, mothers, the elderly, many of them forced to flee their homes multiple times, often with nothing, and now living in conditions that are neither safe nor sustainable,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director General.
Existential challenges
These figures were released just ahead of a meeting on Wednesday at UN Headquarters in New York organized by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) examining how peace and stability can return to the island nation, following years of chaos and crisis.
The meeting discussed ways of consolidating peace at the local level and reducing the violence, particularly through the involvement of women and youth in local initiatives.
At a press conference prior to the meeting, ECOSOC President Bob Rae stated that the current situation in Haiti was “truly existential.”
“It’s important that we have a meaningful discussion about what we can do together to address these problems,” he said, emphasizing that it’s “not just about increasing firepower.”
Joining the briefing via videoconference, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, María Isabel Salvador, also stressed that this is a “multifaceted crisis” which must be addressed with similarly multifaceted and dynamic solutions.
“We believe that the international community’s response must match the scale, urgency, and complexity of the challenge. That’s why strong international security support must be accompanied by peacebuilding measures, humanitarian action and political support that could ultimately allow Haiti to make progress on the path to sustainable development.”
According to her, one way to reduce violence in Haiti is by empowering communities themselves, especially women and children, to lead bold new initiatives.
Violence spreads
Haiti has been experiencing a resurgence of violence since mid-February. According to the IOM, while Port-au-Prince remains the epicentre of the crisis with 85 per cent controlled by gangs, violence extending beyond the capital has intensified in the past few months.
Recent attacks in the Centre and Artibonite departments have forced tens of thousands of other residents to flee, many now living in precarious conditions and temporary shelters.
“Although about a quarter of all internally displaced people still live in the capital, a growing number of people are fleeing to other parts of the country in search of safety,” IOM said.
In the Artibonite department in western Haiti, over 92,000 people have been displaced – largely because of violence in Petite Rivière.
In the Centre department, the situation is even more “alarming” with a total of 147,000 displaced. This number has doubled from 68,000 in the past few months as a result of fighting in towns like Mirebalais and Saut-d’Eau.
As more and more people are forced to flee, the number of spontaneous displacement sites is also increasing. Since December, these sites have increased from 142 to 246.
Around 83 per cent of refugees are staying with host families, putting a strain on already overstretched households, particularly in rural communities.
Pay attention and act
Armed violence continues to severely disrupt access to basic services, according to UN aid coordination office, OCHA, creating a “a deepening humanitarian crisis.”
“We must act urgently. The strength of the Haitian people is impressive, but resilience cannot be their only refuge. This crisis cannot become the new normal,” added Ms. Pope.
The President of the General Assembly, Philémon Yang, spoke at the ECOSOC meeting about the importance of adjusting “not just our attention but our action” and coordinating efforts across the UN to maximize impact.
“We must do our utmost to ensure that Haiti is not abandoned to a future of fear and despair but instead is embraced by a global commitment to peace, opportunity and dignity,” he said.
Trade: Coreper endorses the Council’s negotiating position on FDI screening revision
Member States’ representatives (Coreper) endorsed the Council’s negotiating position on FDI screening revision.
Trade: Coreper endorses the Council’s negotiating position on FDI screening revision
Member States’ representatives (Coreper) endorsed the Council’s negotiating position on FDI screening revision. Source link
The world pledged to end child labour by 2025: So why are 138 million kids still working?
There are 10,000 children in Madagascar who, like Tenasoa, work in the largely unregulated mica industry. The silicate is used in paints, car parts, and cosmetics – to add a “shimmer” effect.
Alongside parents and grandparents, these children toil in dangerous conditions, inhaling harmful dust particles and entering structurally unsound tunnels. Many of them have dropped out of school – if they ever went at all.
“If we don’t work, we don’t eat,” Soja, Tenasoa’s grandfather, said. “It’s very simple. Men, women and children must all work to survive.”
In 2015, the United Nations set a goal to end child labour worldwide by 2025 but progress has been slow and halting, according to the Child Labour Report released on Wednesday by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The report estimates that 138 million children – a 12 million decrease from 2020 – are still engaged in child labour, leading both ILO and UNICEF to call for the rapid acceleration of progress.
“The findings of our report offer hope and show that progress is possible … But we must not be blindsided by the fact that we still have a long way to go,” ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo said.
Hazardous work
Since 2000, the number of children in child labour has been reduced by over 100 million, a promising decrease which proves that the world has a “blueprint” to end child labour. Much work remains, however.
“Far too many children continue to toil in mines, factories or fields, often doing hazardous work to survive,” said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF.
Child labour does not refer to all work done by children. Rather, it is work which deprives children of their childhood and is often dangerous to their health and development.
“It is important to understand that [child labour] is not household chores, it is not children helping their parents around the house…We are talking about work that is oftentimes hazardous,” Benajamin Smith, an ILO child labour expert told UN News.
Of the 138 million children in child labour, 54 million work in hazardous conditions, including mines.
Honorine, aged 13, is one of these children. She works from 10am to 5pm every day in a gravel quarry in Benin. Paid by the number of buckets of gravel she collects, she is saving her wages, hoping to train to be a hairdresser one day.
A young boy in Thailand takes a break while working in intense heat as a labourer.
Behind the statistics
The report notes that child labour is intergenerational. Children in child labour systems often struggle to access education, something which in turn compromises their future opportunities and creates a cycle of poverty and deprivation.
Federico Blanco, ILO expert and lead author of the Child Labour Report, noted that it is important to think of child labour as not just statistical.
“Behind every number, let’s remind ourselves that there is a child whose right to education, protection and decent future is being denied,” Mr Blanco said.
Nur, a 13-year-old Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh, was pulled out of school by his parents in order to help support his family financially. A case worker at a nearby UNICEF-funded centre identified Nur and convinced his family to put him back into school.
“I once dreamt of becoming a teacher. I thought I would never be able to become one. But now I feel that I can learn and become a teacher like I always wanted to,” Nur said.
‘A holistic approach’
In the report, UNICEF and ILO called for integrated policy solutions which work across governmental sectors, addressing the problem from an educational, economic and social perspective.
The report also highlighted that ending child labour cannot be accomplished without also thinking about the conditions that drive families to send their children to work – namely, poverty.
Upholding parents’ rights – including the right to collectively bargain, the right to safe work – is also key for ending child labour.
“The ILO looks at [child labour] in quite a holistic way because it is just as important [for] tackling child labour to make sure that the adults have good working conditions because poverty is really at the heart of child labour,” Mr Smith said.
Taking a country-driven approach is especially important due to regional disparities in child labour – the report noted that while all regions saw decreased numbers, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for two-thirds of child labour worldwide.
Childhood dreams – underfunded and unfulfilled
Attempts to end child labour face significant headwinds as a result of funding shortages.
“Global funding cuts threaten to roll back hard-earned gains. We must recommit to ensuring that children are in classrooms and playgrounds, not at work,” Ms. Russell said.
Adwara, aged 10, dreams of being in class. He attended school for a few years and tried to balance work and school but with eight siblings, helping support his family was non-negotiable. Eventually, his teacher told him not to return – he was missing too much school.
Now, he works in a gold mine in Ethiopia, earning approximately $35 per day: “I’d like to go to school,” he said. “I’d like to become someone.”
Myanmar on the ‘path to self-destruction’ if violence does not end
Since then, “there has been no end to the violence, even though thousands have been killed and thousands more injured,” said UN Special Envoy to Myanmar, Julie Bishop, on Tuesday, briefing the General Assembly.
“I have stressed consistently that without a ceasefire, a de-escalation of violence and a focus on the needs of the people, there can be no inclusive lasting peace,” she said.
Call for ceasefire
Having spoken with survivors among the rubble of homes, hospitals and schools, Ms. Bishop said they “wanted the fighting to end so they could live in peace,” as armed clashes continue to obstruct the aid and reconstruction effort.
Although some parties to the conflict have announced ceasefires, “they have largely not been observed,” she said.
Reiterating her call for an end to hostilities she said civilian protection “must be the priority and inclusive and sustainable peace a shared goal.”
Without and end to the violence she said Myanmar would continue on “the path to self-destruction.”
Contested elections
Ms. Bishop warned that unless there is an end to the violence and an inclusive and transparent electoral process, all that could result from any election – which the junta is planning to contest – would be “greater resistance and instability.”
“It is inconceivable how an election could be inclusive,” she said, with so many political leaders still being held by the regime.
Ms Bishop also reiterated the UN’s call for the release of all arbitrary prisoners, including democratically elected leaders Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi.
Rohingya’s plight
With up to 80 per cent living in poverty, the situation of the mostly Muslim Rohingya minority in both Myanmar and Bangladesh remains dire.
Caught in the crossfire between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, Rohingya civilians in their historic homeland of Rakhine State are being subjected to forced recruitment and other abuse.
As aid dwindles, Rohingyas living in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar face real consequences, including cuts to food rations and education.
“A viable future for Myanmar must ensure safety, accountability, and opportunity for all its communities, including Rohingya, and must address the root causes of conflict, discrimination and disenfranchisement in all its forms,” said Ms. Bishop.
