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Mapping threats to peace and democracy worldwide: Introduction to the Normandy Index
The 'Normandy Index' aims to measure the level of conflict in the world. It is to be presented for the first time on the occasion of the Normandy Global Peace Forum in June 2019, as a result of the partnership between the European Parliament and the region of Normandy. The Index has been designed and prepared by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) and developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace. This paper sets out the initial findings of the 2019 exercise and explains how the ...
South-South and triangular cooperation in Latin America
Over the past few decades, South-South and triangular cooperation (TrC) among developing countries has been acquiring increasing importance as a necessary complement to traditional North-South development cooperation. The United Nations (UN) High Level Conference on Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries held in Argentina in 1978 set the basic framework for this form of cooperation with its Buenos Aires Plan of Action (BAPA). The model was recently modified by the UN 2030 Agenda for Development ...
Women in politics: A global perspective
Fair representation of women in political life has a positive impact on gender mainstreaming in various policies. The United Nations has set a dedicated target within the sustainable development goals dealing specifically with women's access to leadership. The available data on the presence of women in parliaments and in governments show a positive trend, but much still remains to be done to ensure an equal presence of both genders in decision-making. The European Union supports gender equality in ...
Cooperatives: Characteristics, activities, status, challenges
Cooperatives are autonomous associations of people aspiring to achieve their objectives through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise. International organisations, such as the United Nations and the European Union (EU), value the role cooperatives play for society, the economy and (international) development. There are 3 million cooperatives worldwide; together, they provide employment for 280 million people, equating to 10 % of the world's employed population. The 300 largest ...
Child marriages: Still too many
Although the official age of adulthood varies across countries, several international conventions, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been signed by 140 states, apply the definition of 'child marriage' to any couple where at least one member – usually the girl – is aged under 18. The practice of child marriage challenges both children's rights and gender equality, and exposes child brides to serious abuses and health risks. Child wives drop out of school and have ...
The European Year for Development: Demography and Migration
If current trends continue, the world will have 9.7 billion inhabitants in 2050, but population growth will be unevenly distributed. The 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development was a milestone that focused on the well-being of individuals, rather than numerical targets. There has been progress promoting human rights, education, gender equality, sexual and reproductive health, and reproductive rights, but rapid urbanisation and climate change represent new challenges. The ...
Illicit small arms and light weapons: International and EU action
Small arms and light weapons (SALW) are one of the main instruments of armed violence around the world, both in conflict and non-conflict situations, with significant impact on entire societies from a humanitarian and socio-economic point of view. The international community, in particular the United Nations, has identified the proliferation and traffic of illicit SALW as an important field of action, and in this context, it has established a binding framework to prevent, combat and ultimately ...