#International Labour Conference

[socialjusticeday]

Closing of the 112th International Labour Conference.

- General Discussion Committee on Decent Work and the Care Economy 

- Committee on the Application of Standards

- Closing ceremony

– Approval of the report of the Committee on the Application of Standards – Closing ceremony

Watch the Closing of the 112th International Labour Conference!

[worldchildlabourday]

112th International Labour Conference.

The International Labour Organization will hold its 112th annual International Labour Conference in Geneva from 3–14 June 2024. Worker, employer and government delegates from the ILO's 187 Member States will tackle a wide range of issues, including: a standard-setting discussion on protection against biological hazards, a recurrent discussion on the strategic objective of fundamental principles and rights at work and a general discussion on decent work and the care economy. The Conference will also elect members of the Governing Body for the 2024-27 term of office

[indigenouspeopleday]

Advocating for the Visibility and Rights of Mobile Indigenous Peoples: The Dana+20 Manifesto (UNPFII Side Event).

This side event aims to amplify the voices of Mobile Indigenous Peoples and review the challenges faced by Mobile Indigenous Peoples to achieve rights, recognition and self-determination.

The side event will serve to disseminate the Dana+20 Manifesto of Mobile Peoples (2022) and will offer an opportunity to support the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples in his preparation for a thematic report on the situation of Mobile Indigenous Peoples to be submitted to the UN General Assembly in October 2024. This is a critical time to focus on the situation of Mobile Peoples, especially women and youth within these groups, and find avenues that affirm their rights and self-determination. The event will identify initiatives to recognize and respect the rights of Mobile Peoples including existing UN mechanisms, ILO instruments and their gaps.

Related Sites and Documents

Watch the Advocating for the Visibility and Rights of Mobile Indigenous Peoples: The Dana+20 Manifesto (UNPFII Side Event)!

[coopsday]

47th Regular Meeting of the United Nations Task Force on the Social and Solidarity Economy.

Led by the Co-Chairs of the UNTFSSE, Simel Esim from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Chantal Line Carpentier from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the virtual gathering brought together representatives from Members (UN Entities and the OECD) and Observer organizations to share international and regional updates to spur further collaboration on the SSE.

The call began with a welcome to the representatives of new Members, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) as an Observer.

Heidi Christ, lead of Made51 at UNHCR, expressed recommitment towards the task force, noting that, “Livelihoods for refugees is of primary concern to UNHCR, especially as the the refugee crisis deepens and longer-term solutions are needed. We are looking at the solidarity economy as way to offer solutions to refugees in a more protective environment”.

Leida Rijnhout, Chief Executive, WFTO, was appreciative of the positive response received from Members and Observers regarding their joining the task force. She highlighted the link between the SSE and the Fair Trade movement, sharing that “At the WFTO, we certify enterprises based on the fair trade principles. We are also a movement of entrepreneurial activists that promote people and planet over profit.”

Following introductions and general updates, the Co-Chairs presented the new UNTFSSE Action Plan, which details priorities and responsibilities for advancing the SSE agenda and implementing the UNGA Resolution A/RES/77/281. This plan, designed to foster policy coherence, drive capacity building, improve statistics, and increase access to finance, underscores the task force's strategic approach to mobilizing collective expertise and resources.

Further discussions focused on institutionalizing UNTFSSE governance through a newly drafted Terms of Reference and preparation of the Secretary General’s report for the UNGA 79th session. The Secretariat is currently collecting inputs from UN Entities, Member States, and Financial Institutions.

Technical Working Groups are currently being established on SSE Statistics and Financing. These groups will be composed of technical experts who will establish work plans and present updates to the task force at regular meetings. Highlights of recent and upcoming initiatives were shared by task force Members and Observers, including:

ILO’s Regional Conference on the Social and Solidarity Economy for Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals in Asia on May 14-15, 2024.

OECD’s Global Action on Mapping of Social Economy Ecosystems.

UNRISD’s four podcast episodes, interviewing authors from the SSE Encyclopedia.

Social Economy Europe’s EU Large Scale partnership for Skills of SE and Proximity Ecosystem.

DIESIS event on the Social Economy in the Western Balkans under the MESMER+ project.

CIRIEC Call for papers for a Special Issue of APCE on “Gender approaches of Social Economy and State-Owned Enterprises”.

EUCLID’s Women in Social Enterprise initiative.

Ms. Esim proposed to hold an online event to mark the occasion of the first year anniversary of the UN General Assembly resolution “Promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy for Sustainable Development” on April 18, 2024. She suggested this would be an occasion to highlight progress that has been made in the one year since the adoption of the resolution at the international and regional levels. Her proposal was well received by Members and Observers of the Task Force. It was agreed that the webinar would take place on April 18, 2024 from 1:30 – 2:45 pm CEST with presentations followed by a brief discussion. The ILO offered to make simultaneous translation available for the event in English, French and Spanish. The UNTFSSE Members and observers agreed to share the announcement and the Zoom link for the event widely.

Led by the Co-Chairs of the UNTFSSE, Simel Esim from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Chantal Line Carpentier from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the virtual gathering brought together representatives from Members (UN Entities and the OECD) and Observer organizations to share international and regional updates to spur further collaboration on the SSE.

The call began with a welcome to the representatives of new Members, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) as an Observer.

Heidi Christ, lead of Made51 at UNHCR, expressed recommitment towards the task force, noting that, “Livelihoods for refugees is of primary concern to UNHCR, especially as the the refugee crisis deepens and longer-term solutions are needed. We are looking at the solidarity economy as way to offer solutions to refugees in a more protective environment”.

Leida Rijnhout, Chief Executive, WFTO, was appreciative of the positive response received from Members and Observers regarding their joining the task force. She highlighted the link between the SSE and the Fair Trade movement, sharing that “At the WFTO, we certify enterprises based on the fair trade principles. We are also a movement of entrepreneurial activists that promote people and planet over profit.”

Following introductions and general updates, the Co-Chairs presented the new UNTFSSE Action Plan, which details priorities and responsibilities for advancing the SSE agenda and implementing the UNGA Resolution A/RES/77/281. This plan, designed to foster policy coherence, drive capacity building, improve statistics, and increase access to finance, underscores the task force's strategic approach to mobilizing collective expertise and resources.

Further discussions focused on institutionalizing UNTFSSE governance through a newly drafted Terms of Reference and preparation of the Secretary General’s report for the UNGA 79th session. The Secretariat is currently collecting inputs from UN Entities, Member States, and Financial Institutions.

Technical Working Groups are currently being established on SSE Statistics and Financing. These groups will be composed of technical experts who will establish work plans and present updates to the task force at regular meetings. Highlights of recent and upcoming initiatives were shared by task force Members and Observers, including:

ILO’s Regional Conference on the Social and Solidarity Economy for Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals in Asia on May 14-15, 2024.

OECD’s Global Action on Mapping of Social Economy Ecosystems.

UNRISD’s four podcast episodes, interviewing authors from the SSE Encyclopedia.

Social Economy Europe’s EU Large Scale partnership for Skills of SE and Proximity Ecosystem.

DIESIS event on the Social Economy in the Western Balkans under the MESMER+ project.

CIRIEC Call for papers for a Special Issue of APCE on “Gender approaches of Social Economy and State-Owned Enterprises”.

EUCLID’s Women in Social Enterprise initiative.

Ms. Esim proposed to hold an online event to mark the occasion of the first year anniversary of the UN General Assembly resolution “Promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy for Sustainable Development” on April 18, 2024. She suggested this would be an occasion to highlight progress that has been made in the one year since the adoption of the resolution at the international and regional levels. Her proposal was well received by Members and Observers of the Task Force. It was agreed that the webinar would take place on April 18, 2024 from 1:30 – 2:45 pm CEST with presentations followed by a brief discussion. The ILO offered to make simultaneous translation available for the event in English, French and Spanish. The UNTFSSE Members and observers agreed to share the announcement and the Zoom link for the event widely.

[gingintigtig]

To give International peeps an idea of what the fuck is happening to the Conservatives in the UK right now, leading up to the July 4th election

In a grand total of only 14 days, the conservatives have done the following on the campaign trail.

Announced the election outside of number 10 in the pouring rain with no plans to use an umbrella or take it inside.

Went to a brewery in Wales and asked if they were looking forward to the summer football, only for staff to respond that Wales didn't make the qualification for the cup.

Person who questioned the PM on Television was actually a plant

Went for an interview at the Titanic Quarter in Belfast and the reporter said "are you captaining a sinking ship into this election?"

This picture.

Promised a return of National Service which OBLITERATED the young vote.

A top Tory minister instead of campaigning went to fucking Greece.

A Tory minister gave up her own seat and told everyone to vote for the Reform candidate instead.

Three Tories defected to a different party.

Did a PR thing involving the PM dribbling a football and someone commented on camera "he's as good at football as he is as being Prime Minister" (he was terrible).

Former Tory minister suggested on Twitter that once he loses the election he would bugger off to California to be a speaker at GOP conferences like other former Tory ministers have done, and he had to furiously deny the allegations.

He said he'll get rid of poor value for money University Courses and when asked which ones, couldn't name a single one.

Announced the election but were nearly 200 candidates short to compete and are scrambling to find some.

Hung the flag upside down in their campaign video, which means we're in distress.

Gave a speech with factory workers, and one woman was so aghast at his bullshit on camera that they sent someone out to stand in-front of her to block her reactions; it has already been satirised.

A high profile conservative MP called a pollster who was live on air, the pollster answered, telling him that he was going to lose his seat by a massive majority. The MP didn't say anything and just hung up. Again, this was LIVE ON AIR.

They went campaigning in Hanley, and in the river behind them, the Liberal Democrat party very slowly sailed by on a little boat. The camera man panned the camera away from the prime minister to focus on the Liberals in the boat slowly sailing down the river.

A new poll shows that for the first time in decades, if not over a century, the Conservatives could be in third place, with Labour (Social Democrat) and the Liberal Democrats becoming the top two parties.

I hope you've been keeping count here, because it's been fourteen days and that is 18 pieces of terrible publicity.

[safeday]

The constitutional principle of the protection of workers’ safety and health.

The fundamental conventions on occupational safety and health - ILO: An overview of the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187)

[todayontumblr]

Monday May 1.

May Day.

Today is a day that requires little introduction. It is #may day, otherwise known as #international workers day or Labour Day. Celebrated every year on May 1, or the first Monday of May, it marks a day of celebration and solidarity between laborers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labor movement. It is a national public holiday in many countries across the world and has a fascinating, inspiring history. The Marxist International Socialist Congress met in Paris in 1889, where they established the Second International as a successor to the International Workingmen's Association. It was here they established a resolution for a "great international demonstration" to support demands for an eight-hour working day from the working classes. Today's date, May 1, was selected by the American Federation of Labor to mark a general strike in the United States. This strike began on this date in 1886, and subsequently became an annual event. In 1904, the Sixth Conference of the Second International called for "all Social Democratic Party organizations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on the First of May for the legal establishment of the eight-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace". But it is not just consigned to history, by any means, because #may day continues to this day.

There are strikes, marches, rallies, and protests across the world today marking May Day. The struggle continues, but today is also the celebration. Wherever you are across the world, and however you're spending International Worker's Day 2023, we wish you love, light, and solidarity in the fight for better. 

[morbidology]

Iqbal Masih was born into a poor Christian family in Muridke, a small village in Pakistan. When he was just four years old, his family borrowed 600 rupees (about $12) from a local employer who owned a carpet weaving business. In exchange, Iqbal was forced to work as a bonded laborer to pay off the debt. This practice, known as debt bondage, was widespread in Pakistan's carpet industry, trapping many children in harsh working conditions.

For the next six years, Iqbal worked long hours in a carpet factory, often enduring physical and verbal abuse. He was chained, had very little to eat, and was denied an education. The brutal reality of child labor left Iqbal with a deep understanding of the suffering and injustice faced by thousands of children in similar situations.

Iqbal managed to escape in 1992 at the age of 10, inspired by stories of other freed children. He found refuge with the Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF), an organization dedicated to ending child labor. Under the guidance of the BLLF, Iqbal received an education and quickly emerged as a passionate advocate for children's rights.

Despite his young age, Iqbal became an eloquent and determined spokesperson against child labor. He traveled extensively, speaking at rallies and conferences, and sharing his experiences. His speeches highlighted the plight of millions of children trapped in labor and called for global action to end this exploitation.

Iqbal's efforts gained international attention and earned him several awards, including the Reebok Human Rights Award in 1994. His advocacy contributed to increased awareness and policy changes. In Pakistan, the government began to take more stringent measures against child labor, and globally, organizations like UNICEF and the International Labour Organization intensified their efforts to protect children's rights.

Tragically, Iqbal's life was cut short on April 16, 1995. He was shot and killed while visiting relatives in Muridke. While the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, many believe he was targeted for his outspoken activism.

[hussyknee]

Unrolled twitter thread by Progressive International (@ProgIntl)

30 Sept 24 • 4 minute read • Read on X

On 30 September 1965, the Indonesian military, working closely with the US government, initiated a coup that would depose President Sukarno and install the brutal, 30-year dictatorship of General Suharto.

In the dark years that followed, the dictatorship massacred over a million Indonesian communists, with the CIA and US diplomats drawing up “kill lists” for the Indonesian military. The operation would become a template for the US’s regime change operations for decades to come.

Major-General Suharto with Indonesian Army in 1966

In 1945, President Sukarno led Indonesia to independence from Dutch colonial rule. He championed the Non-Aligned Movement and hosted the historic Bandung Conference, a meeting of Afro-Asian states, in 1955.

First President of Indonesia Sukarno making a speech circa 1945

Opening the conference and forecasting what was to come, Sukarno said: “We are often told ‘Colonialism is dead’. Let us not be deceived or even soothed by that… Colonialism also has its modern dress, in the form of economic control, intellectual control, actual physical control by a small, but alien community within a nation.”

Leaders attending the Bandung Conference 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia. From left: Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Ghanian Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah, Egyptian Prime Minister Gamal Abdel Nasser, President Sukarno, and Yugoslavian Prime Minister Josip Broz Tito.

By 1965, Indonesia possessed one of the world's largest communist parties, the PKI. The PKI had a mass membership and mobilized vast numbers of people in the battle against Indonesia’s ruling class.

Campaign of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in September 1955.

Terrified by the strength and organization of Indonesia’s people, the Indonesian military’s 30th September Movement began to purge the PKI.

Men suspected of being IPK members being transported under guard by an armed Indonesian soldier

In the early hours of 1 October, a group of military conscripts murdered six high-ranking generals. Blaming the deaths on the PKI, Suharto used the attacks as a pretext to seize power. CIA communications equipment allowed him to spread false reports around the country and begin a long campaign of anti-communist propaganda.

The US had tried to overthrow Sukarno for years; in 1958, the CIA backed armed regional rebellions against the central government. In 1965, they did all they could to aid Suharto’s murderous power grab.

The campaign soon became genocidal. On islands like Bali, up to 10% of the population was massacred — and luxury hotels soon began to appear over the killing fields.

One US embassy staffer told the US press that Suharto’s military “probably killed a lot of people, and I probably have a lot of blood on my hands, but that's not all bad.”

Time Magazine referred to the killings as “the West’s best news for years in Asia”.

A cable from the US embassy’s first secretary, Mary Vance Trent, to the State Department referred to events in Indonesia as a “fantastic switch which has occurred over 10 short weeks”. It also included an estimate that 100,000 people had been slaughtered.

Cementing his power, Suharto became president in 1967. His ‘New Order’ policy allowed Western capitalism to exploit Indonesia’s cheap labour and plunder its natural resources. Civil rights and dissent were suppressed.

In one of the world’s most populous countries, any possibility for the emergence of a new, democratic political project was eliminated. Richard Nixon described Indonesia as “the greatest prize in Southeast Asia”. Suharto would not leave office until 1998.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan stands with Indonesian President Suharto in the White House South Lawn at the arrival ceremony for Suharto's State Visit. Oct 12, 1982

CIA officers described Suharto’s rise to power and anti-communist purge as the “model operation” and “Jakarta” soon became the codeword for anti-communist extermination programs in Latin America, where hundreds of thousands were massacred in regime change efforts engineered by Washington.

[metamatar]

Is that trans politician who wants to demolish mosques contesting the elections bc she thinks Modi isn't fascist enough? I thought Modi was the most fascist

about hemangi sakhi contesting from varanasi from the right of modi. fascists have internal disagreements too, and the sangh is quite frustrated by how the bjp has enriched itself while using the sanghs ground labour to win elections without offering little power in return. she is not the first or the last trans woman in india to run elections from the right. in ram rajya, we brutalise muslims first.

modi is not the most fascist in practice because he is prime minister and does lipservice to the notion of indian democracy and will say things like oppressing muslims is the real secularism bc they've had it to good instead of saying hindu rashtra 4ever. note that this is not because he's actually less fascist, its just a useful electoral tactic.

their are lots of middle class indians who like that thing bc it lets them pretend not to be what they think of as the degenerate khaki shorts fanatical fascism. modi for very long has functioned metonymically as the clean face of the sangh (the butcher of godhra indeed) in that he never outright says shoot those [slur] dead in public and has not been actually convicted of murder. in general the bjp fights does narrative building on several fronts, modi never holds press conferences, while amit shah is known to be his enforcer, local functionaries will do brazen things that the top level will walk back when there's a bit too much outrage (garlanding the rapists of bilkis bano, giving a bjp seat to the guy best known for pulling a gun on protesting muslim women) but not be disciplined etc. it gives every kind of fascist something to love and hate about the bjp.

sometimes people diagnose that the only reason the revolt against trump was so serious in us civil society was because trump embarassed everyone. modi is a far more sophisticated kind of fascist.

[probablyasocialecologist]

The Palestinian people have tried every method to achieve some form of meaningful self-determination. ‘Renounce violence’, they were told. They did, apart from the odd reprisal after an Israeli atrocity. Among Palestinians at home and in the diaspora, there was massive support for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions: a peaceful movement par excellence, which began to gain traction worldwide among artists, academics, trade unions and occasionally governments. The US and its NATO family responded by trying to criminalize BDS across Europe and North America – claiming, with the help of Zionist lobby groups, that boycotting Israel was ‘antisemitic’. This has proved largely effective. In Britain, Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has banned any mention of ‘Israeli apartheid’ at its upcoming national conference. The Labour left, scared of being expelled, has fallen silent on this issue. A sorry state of affairs. Meanwhile, most of the Arab states have joined Turkey and Egypt in capitulating to Washington. Saudi Arabia is currently in negotiations, mediated by the White House, to officially recognize Israel. The international isolation of the Palestinian people looks set to increase. Peaceful resistance has gone nowhere.   All the while, the IDF has attacked and killed Palestinians at leisure, while successive Israeli governments have worked to sabotage any hope of statehood. Recently, a handful of former IDF generals and Mossad agents have admitted that what is being done in Palestine amounts to ‘war crimes’. But they only plucked up the courage to say this after they’d already retired. While still serving, they fully supported the fascist settlers in the occupied territories, standing by as they burned houses, destroyed olive plantations, poured cement in wells, attacked Palestinians and drove from their homes while chanting ‘Death to the Arabs’. So, too, did Western leaders – who let all this unfold without a murmur. The age of political reason had long departed, as Qabbani would say. Then, one day, the elected leadership in Gaza begins to fight back. They break out of their open-air prison and cross Israel’s southern border, striking at military targets and settler populations. Palestinians are suddenly top of the international headlines. Western journalists are shocked and horrified that they are actually resisting. But why shouldn’t they? They know better than anyone that the far-right government in Israel will retaliate viciously, backed by the US and the mealy-mouthed EU. But even so, they are unwilling to sit by as Netanyahu and the criminals in his cabinet gradually expel or kill most of their people. They know that the fascist elements of the Israeli state would have no compunction about sanctioning the mass murder of Arabs. And they know this must be resisted by any means necessary. Earlier this year, Palestinians watched the demonstrations in Tel Aviv and understood that those marching to ‘defend civil rights’ did not care about the rights of their occupied neighbours. They decided to take matters into their own hands.   Do the Palestinians have a right to resist the non-stop aggression to which they are subjected? Absolutely. There is no moral, political or military equivalence as far as the two sides are concerned. Israel is a nuclear state, armed to the teeth by the US. Its existence is not under threat. It’s the Palestinians, their lands, their lives, that are. Western civilization seems willing to stand by while they are exterminated. They, on the other hand, are rising up against the colonizers.

[socialjusticeday]

112th International Labour Conference of the ILO - Plenary debates – Morning sitting.

- Presentation of second Credentials report - Adoption of two committees outcomes

Presentation of second Credentials report and adoption of two committees outcomes.

Watch the 112th International Labour Conference of the ILO: Plenary debates – Morning sitting.

[worldchildlabourday]

Inclusive Labour Protection for All.

Labour protection is at the core of social justice and decent work. But what does that mean exactly and are labour protection systems fit for purpose in a rapidly changing world of work? To explore this, the ILO World of Work Show will explore the role of labour protection at a time of multiple crises. Join us as well to look back at the first week of the 111th International Labour Conference.

[beardedmrbean]

Members of a Malaysian religious group accused of human trafficking and child sexual abuse continued committing crimes even after a large-scale police crackdown, according to authorities.

The Islamic Global Ikhwan Group (GISB) made international headlines in September after police rescued 402 minors suspected of being abused across 20 care homes.

Authorities arrested 171 suspects at the time, including teachers and caretakers - but hundreds more have been arrested since, as further details emerge of the group's alleged crimes.

Among those are allegations that, until 1 October, five GISB members trafficked people for the purpose of exploitation by forced labour through threats.

Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual and physical violence.

Two of the accused were managers of a GISB-owned resort in the southern state of Johor. They were charged on Sunday with four counts of human trafficking involving three women and a man aged between 30 and 57. The third, a worker at the same resort, was charged with two counts of sexually abusing a 16-year-old.

At least two other suspects in the incident, which took place between August 2023 and 1 October 2024, are still at large.

Hundreds of other victims, aged between one and 17, are said to have endured various forms of abuse at care homes linked to GISB, with some allegedly sodomised by their guardians and forced to perform sexual acts on other children, according to police.

In a press conference on Monday, lawyers representing GISB denied allegations of illegal business activities and organised crime, asking for a "fair investigation" as police investigations continue.

However, its CEO, Nasiruddin Mohd Ali, had earlier admitted there were "one or two cases of sodomy" at the care homes.

"Indeed, there were one or two cases of sodomy, but why lump them (the cases) all together?" Nasiruddin said in a video posted to the company's Facebook page.

GISB has hundreds of businesses across 20 countries, operating across sectors including hospitality, food and education. It has also been linked to Al-Arqam, a religious sect that was banned by the Malaysian government in 1994 due to concerns about deviant Islamic teachings.

Khaulah Ashaari, the daughter of Al-Arqam founder Ashaari Muhammad, is a member of GISB, and has denied that the group still follows her late father's teachings.

The lower house of Malaysia’s parliament on Tuesday held a special motion discussing issues relating to GISB, where government ministers flagged a number of findings made since the children were rescued from the care homes last month.

The Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, told the hearing that some children from as young as two years old were separated from their families and instructed to work under the pretence of "practical training".

He also said they were occasionally forced to perform hundreds of squats as punishment for "disciplinary breaches".

"If they did any wrongdoings, for something as simple as not queuing up properly, they would be punished with not 100 but 500 ketuk ketampi (squats)," Saifuddin said, according to a report by local outlet The Star.

"According to assessments by psychologists – either through the police’s D11 unit or the Welfare Department – these children missed their parents," he added. "Some don’t even know them."

To date, the police operation against GISB has resulted in 415 arrests and the rescue of 625 children, according to Saifuddin.

The Malaysian authorities have also expanded their investigations into GISB internationally, seeking the assistance of Interpol.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Nova Scotia is expanding a fast-tracked immigration program to include international students who want to become paramedics and pharmacy technicians, in its latest move to address health worker shortages.

Health Minister Michelle Thompson and Advanced Education Minister Brian Wong announced Friday the government is adding students in those two fields to its "international graduates in demand" stream.

"It fills critical labour needs and provides international students with a streamlined pathway to obtain their permanent residency," Wong said during the news conference at a Halifax pharmacy.

"We want them to stay here after they graduate." [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

Over the past two weeks, leaders from more than 175 countries have gathered in Cali, Colombia, for the 16th gathering of parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The topic at hand? Preventing the utter collapse of nature, which is well underway, according to a wide body of research. 

A suite of strategies could help prevent this, but they cost money—and lots of it. Experts estimate that we will need roughly $700 billion each year to fund the scale of conservation necessary to combat widespread biodiversity loss, on top of what countries already spend. 

One of the main agenda items at the UN biodiversity talks is figuring out where this money will come from. The meeting is set to end today, but talks are ongoing. While there was some progress on this front, countries are still at odds about who will bear the brunt of these costs—and how.

Closing the Gap: Members that signed on to the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (a treaty from which the U.S. is notably absent) agreed in 2022 on a historic plan to “halt and reverse nature loss.” This global biodiversity framework outlines more than 20 targets and goals for countries to meet by the end of the decade, including protecting 30 percent of land and seas. 

To do that, the plan says we must close the $700 billion financing gap. This may sound like a lot but, as Vox’s Benji Jones points out, it pales in comparison to global gross domestic product, which adds up to more than $100 trillion. Increased funding would be used to help nations, especially in developing countries and Indigenous lands, conserve nature within their borders by establishing protected areas, completing restoration projects and increasing sustainability on farms. 

Countries agreed to submit their individual plans to meet biodiversity targets by the start of this year’s UN talks. However, more than 80 percent of member parties missed the deadline. A few more governments have put forth plans in the past two weeks, but progress is still lagging, according to Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation nonprofit. 

“It doesn’t signal that we’re taking this next step very seriously, and it gives a really sound indicator that we maybe are going to be in deep trouble in terms of actually trying to meet the framework that the party set at the last [UN biodiversity talks],” she told me. “We’re way behind the ball.” 

Experts say the majority of the funding gap could be addressed by reducing subsidies that fuel the destruction of nature. By some estimates, wealthy countries and businesses provide around $1.7 trillion in subsidies and tax incentives for agriculture, fishing, fossil fuel development and other industries. This week, several world leaders and nonprofits called for a rapid phaseout of these incentives, Justin Catanoso reports for Mongabay. 

“We use nature because it is valuable. We abuse nature because it is free,” Barry Gardiner, a long-time Labour Party member of the British Parliament, said Sunday at COP16. “The failure to properly value nature leads to shortsighted decision making, and perverse subsidies that damage the global ecosystem.” 

Deliberations over finances are ongoing.