Rose Achiego & Vatican News English Africa Service
Chairman of the Dialogue Reference Group, Archbishop Martin Kivuva of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa delivering a press statement at Ufungamano House, Nairobi, said that Kenyans were extremely unhappy with the corruption in the country.
A concerning lack of transparency
“This Dialogue Reference Group is appalled at the downward spiral of descent into the madness of uncontrolled corruption being witnessed in our nation. This trend is immoral and is contrary to the teachings of God, and we fully condemn it. The information in the public arena indicates that the country has received more than 190 billion Kenya Shillings to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there has been great lack of transparency and accountability in the expenditure of these funds, which has lent credence to accusations that most of the money has been misappropriated. It is inconceivable for us that a Kenyan can sit and plot how to steal money meant to save the lives of Kenyans!” said Archbishop Kivuva flanked by other religious leaders.
Parliament needs to exercise its duty of oversight
The Group reminded the country’s Executive and Parliament not to abet corruption by neglecting their duty of oversight and vigilance over public funds.
“The reports of corruption touching on the Covid-19 funds are a condemnation on the Executive and Parliament, who have the sworn duty to protect the lives and resources of Kenyans. We remind you that every time you abet corruption by failing to exercise your oversight mandate, you are breaking your oath of office,” the Church leaders said.
Public expenditure, procedures and documentation must be transparent
Archbishop Kivuva said that the Dialogue Reference Group had noted that corruption in Kenya is perpetuated by bureaucratically instigated opacity in public finance manifested by the lack of details, clarity and information on matters such as expenditure, procurement and disbursements among others.
The Group has made an urgent appealed to the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, to act swiftly and save the situation.
Team Europe: The EIB`s lends EUR 10 million to Credo Bank under its Georgia Outreach Initiative to support MSMEs
The EIB will lend EUR 10 million in synthetic local currency to Credo Bank, the leading actor on microfinance market in Georgia predominantly servicing enterprises in rural areas and agricultural sector;
This is the second loan under the EIBs Georgia Outreach Initiative launched to improve access to finance for the countrys MSMEs.
Loans will be available under flexible terms to help maintain liquidity of MSMEs to continue operating and preserve jobs;
The loan comes as a part of the immediate response to Covid-19 pandemic launched by the EU and its Team Europe and is facilitated by an EU grant.
The European Investment Bank will lend EUR 10 million to Credo Bank, the leading actor on microfinance market in Georgia, and provide more affordable loans to countrys micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), predominantly from the agriculture sector. This is the second loan granted under the EIBs Georgia Outreach Initiative. Launched in December 2019 the Initiative improves financial inclusion and access to finance for underserved MSMEs in Georgia by supporting smaller banks in the country to improve their service offers.
The loan from the EU bank will be available to MSMEs in synthetic local currency to shield them from risks related to the depreciation of the currency. A grant from the European Union will complement the EIB loan to promote the local currency financing and cover part of the foreign exchange risk related costs.
The EIB loan will support MSMEs to overcome problems induced by the Covid-19 pandemic by supporting MSMEs with much-needed working capital and additional liquidity by creating additional sources of finances, available under flexible terms, to preserve jobs and vital agricultural production in the country.
The investment is a part of the European Union`s Team Europe immediate response to Covid-19 pandemic, launched in over 100 partner countries around the world, to which the EIB alone pledged EUR 6.3 billion.
Lilyana Pavlova, Vice President of the EIB, responsible for the bank’s activities in Georgia said: “With this loan the European Investment Bank and Team Europe are delivering on their pledge to support Georgia overcome the challenges brought by Covid-19 pandemic. Through our partnership with Credo Bank we will provide liquidity in local currency in order to keep businesses running during the crisis, and support their early and speedy recovery, thus, contributing towards a more resilient economy and strengthening the national financial sector. This will all be crucial for any future sustainable development of Georgia.”
Carl Hartzell, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, said: Improving living conditions in rural areas is an important priority of EU-Georgia cooperation. This loan will have a strong focus on the local agricultural sector, which is key from a local food production and employment perspective.
Zaza Pirtshkhelava CEO of Credo Bank said: I would like to sincerely thank the European Investment Bank for years of successful cooperation to improve financial inclusion in Georgia, for standing by the bank and its customers during the most volatile times and the European Union for the complementary grant to the transaction. This long-term local currency finance will be directed to assist farmers survive current constraints induced by Covid-19 pandemic and will highly contribute to uninterrupted agriculture production and food security in the country.
The project, involving the construction and operation of a new biomass boiler at the Figueira da Foz pulp and paper plant, is a major step in the company’s recent decarbonisation strategy Funds are provided under the Investment Plan for Europe.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will support The Navigator Company, a major Portuguese industrial group and Europe’s leading pulp and paper manufacturer, with a €27.5 million loan for the construction and operation of a new biomass boiler at their integrated mill facility located in Figueira da Foz, a cohesion region in Portugal.
This project is the first major step of The Navigator’s decarbonisation strategy, launched recently with the aim of making the company carbon neutral by 2035 (15 years ahead of the EU target of 2050) in line with the Paris Agreement, the EU Green Deal and Portugal’s Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality.
Replacing the existing equipment with a new biomass boiler is part of the company’s investments for offsetting carbon emissions and is seen as crucial for preserving and improving its competitiveness and market presence in a cyclical business sector, especially now amid the far-reaching economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This EU bank financing is provided under the Investment Plan for Europe. The Figueira mill only uses feedstock from forests that are either certified by internationally accredited forest certification systems or considered to be controlled wood. This project will also contribute positively to supporting rural economies and employment in Portugal through the further development of a forest and bioeconomy value chain.
“We are very pleased to support the Navigator Company’s ambitious decarbonisation strategy and their efforts in modernizing production to make it more sustainable and to strengthen their competitiveness. While boosting economic recovery from COVID-19, this project will promote circular economy and help the EU reach its objective of climate neutrality by 2050” said EIB Vice-President Emma Navarro, responsible for the operations in Portugal as well as for the Bank’s climate action. “Climate action and cohesion, along with sustainable growth, continue to be key priorities for the EIB, even amid this pandemic. We are glad to support a project that is strongly contributing to these goals in Portugal and in Europe”.
This is the eighth transaction between the EIB and The Navigator Company with the last operation signed in 2018. In that project, the EIB Group supported The Navigator Company’s investments in innovation and climate action, such as the financing of the modernisation of the Figueira da Foz mill and the upgrade of their production technologies. As a result, energy consumption and the amount of chemicals used were reduced, as were greenhouse gas emissions thanks to fossil fuels being replaced with the greater use of renewable biomass energy.
The EIB is the world’s largest multilateral provider of climate finance. Its goal is to be a leader in mobilising the finance needed to limit the average global temperature increase to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels to meet the Paris Agreement’s objectives. On 14 November 2019, the EIB Board of Directors approved its new climate objectives and the new energy lending policy. The Bank will gradually increase its financing for climate and environmental objectives by up to 50% by 2025, with the goal of ensuring that the EIB Group mobilises at least €1 trillion in the critical decade between 2021 and 2030 to promote investments helping to meet these objectives. It also announced its intention to align all EIB Group activities with the Paris Agreement. To this end, the EIB will cease financing fossil fuel-based projects from late 2021.
Inequality, an issue which “defines our time”, risks destroying the world’s economies and societies, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a hard-hitting speech on Saturday.
Mr. Guterres was delivering the 2020 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, held online for the first time, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The lecture series, held annually by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, on the birthday of the first democratically-elected President of South Africa, aims to encourage dialogue by inviting prominent personalities to discuss major international challenges.
The COVID-19 spotlight
Mr. Guterres began by noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has played an important role in highlighting growing inequalities, and exposing the myth that everyone is in the same boat, because “while we are all floating on the same sea, it’s clear that some are in superyachts, while others are clinging to the drifting debris.”
While we are all floating on the same sea, it’s clear that some are in superyachts while others are clinging to the drifting debris – António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations
Global risks ignored for decades – notably inadequate health systems, gaps in social protection, structural inequalities, environmental degradation, and the climate crisis – have been laid bare, he said. The vulnerable are suffering the most: those living in poverty, older people, and people with disabilities and pre-existing conditions.
Mr. Guterres pointed out that inequality take many forms. Whilst income disparity is stark, with the 26 richest people in the world holding as much wealth as half the global population, it is also the case that life-chances depend on factors such as gender, family and ethnic background, race and whether or not a person has a disability.
However, he noted that everyone suffers the consequences, because high levels of inequality are associated with “economic instability, corruption, financial crises, increased crime and poor physical and mental health.”
The legacy of colonialism and patriarchy
UN Photo/Evan SchneiderProtests have been occurring daily in New York City against racism and police violence, following the death of George Floyd.
Colonialism, a historic aspect of inequality, was evoked by the Secretary-General. Today’s anti-racist movement, he said, points to this historic source of inequality: “The Global North, specifically my own continent of Europe, imposed colonial rule on much of the Global South for centuries, through violence and coercion.”
This led to huge inequalities within and between countries, including the transatlantic slave trade and the apartheid regime in South Africa, argued Mr. Guterres, and left a legacy of economic and social injustice, hate crimes and xenophobia, the persistence of institutionalized racism, and white supremacy.
Mr. Guterres also referred to patriarchy, another historic inequality which still resonates: women everywhere are worse off than men, and violence against women is, he said, at epidemic levels.
The UN chief, who described himself as a proud feminist, said he was committed to gender equality, and has made gender parity a reality across senior UN posts. He also announced his appointment of South African international rugby captain, Siya Kolisa, as a global champion for the Spotlight Initiative, which aims to engage men in fighting violence against women and girls.
‘Everyone must pay their fair share’ of tax
Turning to contemporary inequality, Mr. Guterres said that the expansion of trade, and technological progress, have contributed to “an unprecedented shift in income distribution”. Low-skilled workers are bearing the brunt, he warned, and face an “onslaught” from new technologies, automation, the offshoring of manufacturing and the demise of labour organizations.
Meanwhile, he continued, widespread tax concessions, tax avoidance and tax evasion, as well as low corporate tax rates, mean that there are reduced resources for social protection, education, and healthcare – services that play an important part in reducing inequality.
Some countries have allowed the wealthy and well-connected to benefit from tax systems, but “everyone must pay their fair share”, said Mr. Guterres, and governments need to tackle the “vicious cycle” of corruption, which weakens social norms and the rule of law, and shift the tax burden from payrolls to carbon, which would help to address the climate crisis.
A New Global Deal
UNICEF/UN0143514/Karel PrinslooA student learns with the help of a computer tablet provided by UNICEF at a school in Baigai, northern Cameroon, Tuesday 31 October 2017.
Although climate change is a global problem, the effects are felt most keenly by those countries which are least to blame. The issue is likely to become more pronounced in the coming years, and millions risk malnutrition, malaria and other diseases; forced migration, and extreme weather events.
The only way towards a fair and sustainable future for all, he suggested, involves what he called a “New Social Contract”, which allows young people to live in dignity; women to have the same prospects and opportunities as men; and protects the vulnerable, and a “New Global Deal”, which ensures that power, wealth and opportunities are shared more broadly and fairly at the international level.
As part of the New Social Contract, labour market policies would be based on constructive dialogue between employers and workers, and would ensure human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The Secretary-General called for new social safety nets, including universal health coverage, the possibility of universal basic income, boosted investment in public services, and, to reverse long-standing inequalities, affirmative action programmes and other policies to address inequalities in gender, race or ethnicity.
The UN chief explained that quality education for all, and the effective use of digital technology, will be crucial to achieving these aims. This would mean doubling education spending in low and middle-income countries by 2030 to $3 trillion a year: within a generation, all children in low- and middle-income countries could have access to quality education at all levels.
Governments also need to transform the way children are taught, said Mr. Guterres, and invest in digital literacy and infrastructure, and help them to prepare for a rapidly changing workplace that is being upended by technology.
The Secretary-General outlined some of the ways that the UN is supporting these efforts, including The Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, launched at the United Nations in June, which promotes ways to connect four billion people to the Internet by 2030, and “Giga”, an ambitious project to get every school in the world online.
‘We stand together, or we fall apart’
The UN chief ended his major strategic vision statement, by invoking the importance of international cooperation and solidarity. “We belong to each other”, he said. “We stand together, or we fall apart”.
The world, he concluded, is at breaking point, and it is time for leaders to decide which path to follow. The choice presented by Mr. Guterres, is between “chaos, division and inequality”, or righting the wrongs of the past and moving forward together, for the good of all.
Now is the time to implement policies and commitments to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the new President of one of the UN’s main bodies said on Thursday.
Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan outlined his priorities for the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as the UN marks its 75th anniversary amid the global economic and health crisis.
Challenging times
“The ECOSOC’s central mandate is to promote ‘better standards of life in larger freedoms’ through international economic cooperation. Never before has the fulfillment of this mandate been more challenging, or more imperative, as it is today,” he told a virtual ceremony.
Mr. Akram said the pandemic and associated global recession will make it difficult to realize the SDGs. The 17 goals provide a roadmap to a better future for all, by 2030.
Meanwhile, global warming is accelerating. He warned that unless countries meet agreed targets on climate change, the planet could become uninhabitable for all living things.
Simultaneous response needed
“The broad policy decisions to address each of these three simultaneous challenges have been taken. Commitments have been made. What is needed now is implementation”, said Mr. Akram.
“This should be the focus of our deliberations. And, since we need to respond simultaneously, there must be synergy between our responses to the health, development and climate challenges.”
Address rising inequality
The new ECOSOC President also wants countries to address rising inequality, both within and between nations.
“The legacy of colonialism, racism and foreign occupation is a major systemic cause of inequality”, he said.
“I will propose to the Council that we convene a special meeting in 2021 – the 20th Anniversary of the Durban Conference against Racism – to address the root causes of global inequality. Similarly, the 10th ECOSOC Youth Forum should be dedicated to promoting a vision of a more equal, peaceful, united and dynamic world order.”
Support developing nations
Mr. Akram also proposed that the Council should promote action on financing for COVID-19, the SDGs and climate action goals.
However, if the world is to “build back better” after the pandemic, he underlined the need for developing countries to have greater access to renewable energy and other sustainable infrastructure, as well as advanced technologies.
“The ECOSOC should help to build a coordinated approach to ensure the required capital flows to developing countries to recover from the current recession and revive the prospects of achieving the SDGs”, he said.
“In preparation for the annual Forum on Financing for Development next April, I intend to convene a few informal meetings and consultations to advance these objectives.”
New ECOSOC Bureau
This is the second time Mr. Akram has assumed the ECOSOC Presidency, having taken the helm in 2005.
Three Vice-Presidents have also been elected to serve alongside him on the ECOSOC Bureau, which proposes the Council’s agenda and devises a programme of work, among other duties.
They are Ambassador Collen Vixen Kelapile of Botswana, Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl of Switzerland, and Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya of Ukraine.
Mr. Akram praised his predecessor, Mona Juul of Norway, for her leadership of the Council during what he described as “these extraordinary times”.
Ms. Juul in turn offered a few words of advice, having steered the Council through the initial phases of the pandemic, and at a time of global upheaval against racial injustice, the climate crisis and rising inequalities.
“Be ready to embrace change!”, she told Mr. Akram and the new Bureau. “Let us change for the better and make our recovery based upon values, not value. On compassion, courage, and cooperation.”
Although the pandemic is changing the world, Ms. Juul stressed it has not changed global commitment to realizing a better future for all.
She said now is the time to “fix the world’s fragilities”, from access to universal health coverage and quality education, to reversing environmental degradation, and power imbalances that disproportionally affect women and girls.
“To recover better, we must build forward. To a greener, fairer, more inclusive and more resilient tomorrow,” she said. “If we do not change now, then when?”
Following the agreement in the Council on the EU’s long-term budget and the Recovery Fund, the European Parliament will vote its political response tomorrow, 23 July, in the plenary session.
Five political groups in the European Parliament, EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens and GUE-NGL, agreed on a common response to the Council’s deal. The EPP Group Vice-Chair Siegfried Muresan, responsible for budgetary issues said ahead of the plenary vote:
“I take note of the agreement reached in the Council on the EU’s budget and the recovery fund however, the ball is in the European Parliament’s court now. Simply put, we does accept the EU budget proposal in its current form. The 27 national leaders secured their national interest, now it’s up to the EP to secure the interest of Europe as a whole.
Five political groups in the EP hold a broad majority to enter the negotiations with the Council in order to deliver an EU budget that serves our citizens.
Five key points are difficult to accept for the EPP Group.
Firstly, the EPP Group does not accept the EU budget as it stands. We demand increases, especially in the areas that have suffered the biggest cuts, like Erasmus, Horizon, Just Transition Fund, Defence Fund or the Healthcare. Secondly, it is unacceptable that the rule of law clause has been considerably weakened. It is a priority that this mechanism is strengthened and allowed to be activated by “reversed qualified majority”. Thirdly, more commitment is needed to put in place new own resources as soon as possible in order to pay for the interest rates and start the repayment of NGEU. Fourthly, the EP must be involved in the decision on the recovery facility through delegated acts. And finally, should there be no agreement between the Council and the EP by the end of October, a ‘Plan B’ budget must be available to ensure continuity of the current programmes.
One thing is clear, the European Parliament will have the last word on the EU budget and there will be no agreement in the EP without negotiation and improvements.”
As reported by the European Conservatives and Reformists, after the adoption of the EU Mobility package by the European Parliament without any amendments, ECR Transport coordinator Roberts Zīle MEP said:
“What is seemingly symbolically ironic, is that on the day when chancellor Merkel takes over the reigns of Council presidency, singing a rhapsody of solidarity, the newly approved road freight transport rules – originated from then French minister Macron – demonstrate a stark protectionism that will not only erode the integrity of the EU Single Market but furthermore exemplify division against higher and lower income Member States.
Zīle has continued saying: “Moreover, these rules, namely the compulsory return of the trucks to the Member State of establishment, will generate an enormous ecological burden crippling the whole Green Deal idea in its core. Sadly enough, even the coronavirus disturbances and health and safety risks had not stemmed the rules disbarring drivers to rest in their truck cabins, that would often provide much better health safety than poorly maintained ‘multi bed per room’ hostels.
Kosma Zlotowski, ECR´s co-shadow rapporteur, also criticised the new regulation as being “incompatible” with the spirit of “economic integration” and the single market’s principles:
“The Mobility Package is a clear example of economic protectionism. It discriminates against transport companies from countries such as Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Baltic States. These rules go against the very freedoms, which includes services, on which the values and success of the European Union have been built. Sadly, the Mobility Package is a sign that this process is being abandoned. Of course, the fight is not over. Certainly, Member States will bring their complaints concerning these regulations to the European Court of Justice. Contrary to the intentions of the initiators of these changes, the costs of the Mobility Package will affect consumers across Europe and have a negative impact on the prices of all goods. In times of crisis brought about by the coronavirus epidemic, this could be a barrier to the swift recovery of the EU economy.”
RenewEurope organizes online event with top officials of the EU institutions
Rural areas must play a more prominent role in the Covid-19 recovery and reconstruction plan. With the right vision and appropriate policies in place, rural communities have the potential to drive the transition to a greener and more resilient Europe, to the benefit of both urban and rural dwellers.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank, Michel Barnier, Head of the European Commission Task Force on future relations with the United Kingdom and former European Commissioner for Regional Development and Iratxe García Pérez, President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament will share with you their vision for harnessing the potential of rural areas.
The future is not just urban. Learning from the experiences of the Common Strategic Framework, engaging directly with stakeholders and anticipating the post-Brexit and new enlargement challenges, we must give a fresh new impetus to our vision for rural areas.
At a moment when the European Union is ready to take decisive steps to draw up its strategy for the 2021-2027 period, this seminar aims to set out a “one Europe” concept, closing the divide between rural and urban areas, East, West, North and South and establishing a roadmap for successful, sustainable and prosperous rural areas across our Continent.
*** Event interpretation will be offered in EN RO FR DE ES ****
Event Agenda
?14.30 – 15.00 – Opening session ▪️ Welcoming words by Dacian Cioloș, President of Renew Europe ▪️ Keynote address by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission ▪️ Opening remarks by Werner Hoyer, President of the EIB
?15.00 – 15.30 – Placing rural areas at the top of EU recovery’s agenda Chaired by Dacian Cioloș, with: ▪️ Michel Barnier, Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom, former European Commissioner for regional policy and former French Minister ▪️ Iratxe Garcia Perez, President of the S&D group in the European Parliament ▪️ Andrew McDowell, Vice-President of the EIB
?15.30 – 16.00 – Mobilising rural communities Chaired by Hannes Lorenzen, Rural Networker, with: ▪️ Ilaria Signoriello, Farmer, National Forum for Social Agriculture, Italy ▪️ Katrina Idu, Latvian Rural Forum, European Rural Youth Parliament, Latvia ▪️ Petar Gjorgievski Balkan Rural Development Network, North Macedonia ▪️ Emilija Stojmenova-Duh University of Ljubljana, Slovenia ▪️ Francesca Whitlock, Farmer, European network for community-led initiatives on climate change and sustainability, (ECOLISE), Spain
?16.00 – 16.30 – Debate and questions from the floor
?16.30 – 17.00 – Closing session and conclusions by ▪️ Norbert Lins, Chair of the EP Agriculture Committee ▪️ Pascal Canfin Chair of the EP Environment Committee
▪️ Final remarks by Dacian Cioloș, President of Renew Europe ▪️
The European Conservatives and Reformists Party will be holding Tuesday 30th June its latest online panel – Europe Debates: Transatlantic Trade.
According to the statement of the ECR “Transatlantic trade is currently worth hundreds of billions of Euro’s a year – with free trade agreements already negotiated between Canada and the European Union – the benefits of enhancing trade relations across the Atlantic are clear. The future of trade is increasingly with Latin America and the United States”.
ECR Party in partnership with Americans for Tax Reform, says the press release, will explore how expanding trade relations across the Atlantic will help with the post coronavirus recovery and ensure long term economic growth into the future.
The speakers invited to take the floor (or the mic) are: Eduardo Bolsonaro MP from Brazil, Grover Norquist – President of Americans for Tax Reform, Daniel Hannan – President of Initiative for Free Trade, Hermann Tertsch MEP from Spain, Matthias Karlsson MP from Sweden and Philip Thompson, International Trade Barrier Index.
EPP expresses its “full support for Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Finance of Ireland in his campaign to become the next Eurogroup President. As one of the Eurogroup’s longest-serving members, and as an elected politician since 2007 from EPP member party Fine Gael, Minister Donohoe has the necessary experience to lead the Eurogroup at this time. He has committed to acting as a bridge builder between all Member States; North and South, East and West, small and large”.
According to the EPP “He also has a clear vision for an effective, inclusive and transparent Eurogroup which will drive economic growth and jobs. Being from a Programme country such as Ireland — which has experienced one of the EU’s fastest economic transformations and is now a net contributor to the EU budget— also means he deeply understands the challenges and concerns different countries are facing.
Over the past few months, COVID-19 has disrupted our economies as well as people’s lives”.
The EPP backs Paschal Donohoe for President of the Eurogroup. He will strive for a strong and inclusive European recovery.
On Tuesday 23 June, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague, where they discussed the next EU budget.
Recent discussions on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) have split the EU into two sides and to prepare for the next round of negotiations, Macron and Rutte discussed the proposed recovery package of €750 billion in grants and loans. This package is an important part of the proposed European budget amounting to €1 850 billion for the 2021-2027 period.
ALDE Party President Hans van Baalen welcomes the dialogue between two state leaders as an important step to rebuild the EU.
The European Commission has found the prolongation of an Irish scheme for the orderly winding-up of credit unions to be in line with EU state aid rules, in particular with the 2013 Banking Communication. The objective of the scheme is to safeguard financial stability when a credit union becomes unable to meet regulatory requirements. It allows Ireland to provide aid for transferring the assets and liabilities of a failing credit union to an acquirer through a competitive process. This will help to achieve the maximum value for the assets and liabilities, ensuring that the aid is limited to the minimum necessary for an orderly winding-up, and that no buyer gains an undue economic advantage through the acquisition of under-priced assets and liabilities.
Credit Unions are small financial institutions that are not covered by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). Ireland has chosen to make a special sector-funded resolution scheme available to those credit unions, which has been used only three times since its set-up. The scheme is prolonged until 31 May 2021. The Commission initially approved the scheme in December 2011. It has been prolonged fifteen times since then, the last time in June 2019. More information will be available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the reference SA.57378.
New NGO status empowers MEJORA, the Foundation for the Improvement of Life, Culture and Society, to add to accomplishing the objectives of the UN Economic and Social Council and the helpful points of the Scientology religion.
Mejora signifies “improvement” in Spanish, and Fundacion MEJORA is an adept name for the association that has quite recently accomplished Special Consultative Status to the United Nations. Its complete name is Fundacion MEJORA: Foundation for the Improvement of Life, Culture and Society, and MEJORA’s new NGO status furnishes the Church of Scientology with more prominent chance to contribute legitimately to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC, one of the six head organs of the United Nations.
The Foundation MEJORA was established in 2015 by the Church of Scientology of Spain. It is enlisted in that nation’s National Registry of Foundations.
In its application to the UN, the establishment asserted its duty to:
“human improvement through regard for and perception of Universal Human Rights just as the utilization of fundamental beliefs, for example, human rights, balance, resilience, regard for human life, harmony, vote based system, and individual opportunity.”
The Foundation’s strategic to “protect, advance, educate and disperse Human Rights as remembered for the Spanish Constitution just as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other global agreements; to advance logical Scientology esteems and practices created by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard focused on progress of the individual and society, and to advance resistance in all parts of common society.”
At the European level, the Foundation is enlisted in the Transparency Register of the European Union. MEJORA has effectively taken an interest in the Faith and Freedom Summit NGO alliance, whose last occasion was held at the European Parliament in Brussels. MEJORA likewise takes an interest in various different activities, occasions, and gatherings in encouraging its strategic.
“to advance sober minded Scientology esteems and practices created by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard focused on progress of the individual and society, and to advance resilience in all parts of common society”
This year points MEJORA’s sixth yearly Religious Freedom Awards introduction, booked for September 6. Awardees remember researchers and unmistakable authorities dynamic for advancing and securing the opportunity of religion or conviction.
The UN Economic and Social Council is one of the six head organs of the United Nations. Built up in 1945 by the UN Charter, the ECOSOC is liable for the bearing and coordination of the financial, social, philanthropic, and social exercises did by the UN.
With this acknowledgment, the Foundation currently has official portrayal at the UN in Geneva, Vienna and New York, with the capacity to introduce composed and oral articulations to different organs, for example, the UN Human Rights Council, and to arrange meetings of its own inside the United Nations.
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UN Photo/Evan SchneiderProtests have been occurring daily in New York City against racism and police violence, following the death of George Floyd.
UNICEF/UN0143514/Karel PrinslooA student learns with the help of a computer tablet provided by UNICEF at a school in Baigai, northern Cameroon, Tuesday 31 October 2017.