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Gaza: Women and girls struggle to manage their periods amid crisis

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Gaza: Women and girls struggle to manage their periods amid crisis

Globally, 1.8 billion people menstruate, yet for many, especially in crises zones, it’s far more than an inconvenience.

In war-torn Gaza, around 700,000 women and girls of menstruating age, including thousands experiencing their first period, face this challenge under relentless bombardment and in cramped, unsanitary conditions with little privacy.

A human rights issue

The United Nations’ sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPAwarns that the lack of access to menstrual products, clean water, and soap makes it nearly impossible for women and girls to manage their periods with dignity.

Since March, Israel’s aid blockade has depleted hygiene supplies in Gaza, including sanitary pads. The authorities temporarily lifted the ban last month and UN agencies were able to bring in limited amounts of items such as flour and medicine.

Since the end of May, aid is now being distributed through a system backed by the United States and Israel, bypassing the UN and other humanitarian agencies, but it falls far short of what is needed.

Nearly 90 per cent of the territory’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, and fuel for water pumping is no longer available.

Women stand in a damaged displacement settlement in Khan Younis, Gaza.

“I sat in silence crying”

Speaking to UNFPA, a young girl recalled getting her period while sheltering in a crowded displacement camp.

“I only had one pad, so I wrapped it in toilet paper to make it last. I couldn’t wash, and the pain was horrible. I sat in silence crying until the end of the day.”

As nine in 10 households face extreme water shortages, the lack of clean water, soap, and privacy has turned menstruation into a source of anxiety, isolation, and shame. “Sometimes I need pads and soap more than I need food,” said Aisha*, a displaced girl.

Desperate measures, dangerous consequences

With less than a quarter of the over 10 million sanitary pads needed each month available, women and girls are forced to improvise. Many use torn clothes, sponges, or old rags, often without proper cleaning.

“I tore my only shirt into pieces so my daughters could use them instead of pads,” shared a father of four displaced from Jabalia.

These makeshift solutions are not only painful and undignified, but they can also cause infections and long-term reproductive health issues. With the health system on the brink of collapse, thousands of women may go untreated.

The psychological burden is equally severe. “Every time my period comes, I wish I weren’t a girl,” said one of the girls.

Stripping away dignity

Speaking from a health care perspective, but also as a woman, a doctor in Gaza described treating women coping with menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth under horrifying conditions.

“These should be natural experiences, not sources of distress and pain. I see strength in women’s eyes, but I also see deep pain and the stripping away of dignity,” she said.

A woman and child walk through the rubble of Gaza.

A woman and child walk through the rubble of Gaza.

In emergencies, women and girls are among the most vulnerable. According to UN agencies, they face heightened risks due to displacement and the breakdown of normal protection structures and support. They also face increased care-related tasks such as providing food and water.

“Food keeps us alive, but pads, soap, and privacy let us live with dignity,” said Maysa*, a displaced woman in Khan Younis. “When we receive hygiene kits, it feels like someone finally sees us.”

How UNFPA is responding

As a frontline responder, UNFPA is working to ensure menstrual health is integrated across humanitarian efforts in Gaza. Since October 2023, the agency has provided more than 300,000 women and girls with two-month supplies of disposable menstrual pads and distributed postpartum kits to over 12,000 new mothers.

Yet, three months into a total aid blockade, stocks were nearly exhausted. With border crossings closed, hygiene kits are no longer reaching those in need. The recent entry of some aid distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation included food, flour, medicine and nutrition support according to media reports.

The UN continues to call for urgent support for women and girls caught in some of the world’s most neglected crises.

*Names have been changed for protection.

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eu-LISA Industry Roundtable June 2025 – Registration Now Closed

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eu-LISA Industry Roundtable June 2025 – Registration Now Closed


Building Better Government Software at Scale – Agile, DevSecOps and Software Factories

The next edition of the Industry Roundtable, titled ‘Building Better Government Software at Scale – Agile, DevSecOps and Software Factories’, will take place on 11-12 June 2025 in Warsaw, Poland, under the patronage of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The event will be organised in a hybrid format allowing for in-person and online participation. This iteration will focus on the benefits that new technology trends such as Software Factories – built upon the principles of Agile approaches and DevSecOps methodologies – can bring to the EU public sector organisations (both at MS and EU levels). The event will also feature presentations and discussions on new technological solutions that can help to achieve those benefits while addressing some of the pending challenges.

EU institutions are increasingly relying on digital solutions, which are often complex and require significant investment in IT and software development. To meet the fast pace of delivery, public sector authorities are adopting cutting-edge methodologies like Agile, DevSecOps, and Software Factories, as well as technologies such as cloud computing, automation, and AI.

Registrations for the eu-LISA Industry Roundtable are now closed.

Together, Agile, DevSecOps, and Software Factories, combined as well with other innovative IT practices such as cloud computing or AI-based tools, empower public institutions to build secure, efficient, and citizen-focused digital ecosystems while fostering trust and resilience across the Union.

 
About the Industry Roundtable

The eu-LISA Industry Roundtable is a collaborative platform that convenes representatives from the industry, Member States’ authorities, and EU institutions to facilitate an open dialogue on the latest technological advancements and innovations in the migration and home affairs domain. This forum enables eu-LISA stakeholders to share knowledge, exchange best practices, and discuss the potential applications and implications of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, biometrics, and data analytics, in supporting the Agency’s mission to manage EU’s large-scale IT systems for migration, asylum, and border management. By fostering a spirit of cooperation and information-sharing, the eu-LISA Industry Roundtable helps to identify opportunities, address challenges, and shape the future of technology-enabled solutions in the field of migration and home affairs.

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Joint Statement by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren on the provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement

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Joint Statement by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren on the provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement

Joint Statement by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren on the provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement

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Joint Statement by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren on the provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement

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Joint Statement by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren on the provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement

Joint Statement by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren on the provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement Source link

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safeguarding our ocean and economy

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safeguarding our ocean and economy

Speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco

Monaco, 7 June 2025

It is a pleasure to speak at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum.

In his 1857 poem “Man and the Sea”, Charles Baudelaire explored the deep kinship between the ocean and humanity.[1] For Baudelaire, they were two forces drawn together by awe, fascination, and even conflict.

Today, that dynamic has taken on a new and troubling dimension. We rely on the ocean for climate stability and economic prosperity, yet we are fuelling a climate crisis that threatens to undermine the very system we depend on. We cannot let that happen.

Baudelaire described the sea as a “mirror” to the human soul. We now need to take a hard look in that mirror and ask ourselves: what can we do to stem the tide of this crisis, to safeguard our ocean and economy?

This morning’s two panel discussions will go a long way towards answering that question. But I would like to take this opportunity to open the plenary session with a few thoughts – about what is at stake, and what stakeholders can do about it.

The ocean’s importance for our climate and economy

The ocean is home to 95% of the planet’s biosphere.[2] It spans environments as varied as sunlit coral reefs and pitch-black abyssal plains. And it supports an immense range of life, from countless microscopic organisms to the world’s largest animal, the blue whale.

Given the ocean’s richness, it is worth preserving in its own right. But its value does not end there – the ocean also benefits humanity in two vital ways.

First, it is one of the planet’s most powerful allies in the fight against climate change.

The ocean helps to regulate global temperatures by absorbing vast amounts of heat and redistributing it through major currents like the Gulf Stream. It is also the world’s largest carbon sink, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finds that the ocean has absorbed over 90% of the excess heat trapped in the earth’s system, as well as a third of the carbon dioxide that humans have emitted since the Industrial Revolution.[3]

Second, a sustainable ocean serves as an important pillar supporting the global economy, providing for food security and economic opportunities.

Marine ecosystems support over three billion people who rely on fish for at least 20% of their animal protein intake. Indeed, this dependency is more pronounced in some of the least-developed countries, where seafood provides most of the animal protein consumed.[4]

These ecosystems also help sustain employment opportunities. More than 150 million jobs depend on the production, trade and consumption of ocean-based goods and services, according to the United Nations.[5] The ocean is also home to key natural resources, such as medicines and biofuels, which are vital for ongoing advances in healthcare and clean energy sectors.

So, there is a great deal at stake in preserving the ocean’s health.

The threat of climate change

But today we are placing the sustainability of our ocean under extraordinary stress, with serious implications for both our climate and economy.

Without the ocean’s capacity to absorb heat and carbon, we would have had to contend with a faster, even more dangerous pace of global warming. Yet there are now signs that this capacity is becoming strained.

The last ten years were the ocean’s warmest on record. Warmer oceans are driving more frequent marine heatwaves, which damage ecosystems, and have been a major contributor to rising sea levels due to the thermal expansion of seawater. The rate at which the global mean sea level is rising has more than doubled over the past three decades.[6]

On top of this, the ocean’s absorption of carbon dioxide is driving acidification.

Combined with ocean warming, acidification is contributing to the bleaching and death of coral reefs, which are vital for supporting fisheries and protecting coastlines from storms. Since 2023 over 80% of the world’s coral reefs have been affected by bleaching.[7]

We find ourselves in dangerous waters. Together, these changes could have profound consequences for the global economy.

Food security may be undermined, potentially leading to more volatile prices, which is a concern for central banks tasked with safeguarding price stability. And if coastal areas become unliveable due to rising sea levels or frequent flooding, people may be forced to move. More than 600 million people around the world live in coastal areas that are less than ten metres above sea level.[8]

Stemming the tide

So, what can we do to stem the tide of these troubling developments? We may not be able to fully reverse the damage done, but we can work towards slowing its momentum, potentially even stopping it, by acting on two important fronts.

First, we need to protect. That means cutting greenhouse gas emissions decisively and keeping the goals of the Paris Agreement within reach.

If we succeed in doing so, we could limit sea level rise to around half a metre by the end of the century. That might not sound reassuring. But every tenth of a degree we avoid is a piece of coastline preserved, a reef protected or a storm surge weakened.

We also need to protect the natural systems that shield us from floods. Nature-based solutions – for instance, restoring mangroves, marshes and coral reefs – offer powerful, cost-effective defences against extreme weather. Coral reefs alone can reduce wave energy by an average of 97% while supporting fisheries, tourism and coastal livelihoods.[9]

The second front is just as important: we need to prepare.

Whether we like it or not, climate-related risks are materialising. We need to adapt our infrastructure and economies to a more volatile world. That includes building sea walls and surge barriers and budgeting for resilience rather than reacting after disaster strikes.

Make no mistake: adaptation will be costly. According to UN assessments, costs could run into the hundreds of billions of dollars globally each year by mid-century.[10] But the cost of inaction would be far higher. One study estimates that failing to keep global temperatures below two degrees above pre-industrial levels could lead to USD 14 trillion in global annual flood costs by 2100.[11]

To meet this challenge, we need to catalyse finance for marine and coastal conservation – for instance, through innovative approaches that convert natural capital into financial capital.[12]

This can be especially impactful for vulnerable countries with limited fiscal space. Above all, we must listen to the communities affected, treating their needs as a basis for our actions rather than an afterthought.

Let me conclude.

Baudelaire reminds us that the sea is a mirror of our own nature, which can either heal or harm.

So, let us choose to heal. That means nurturing the ocean’s rich diversity and facilitating finance to support innovative adaptation measures that build more resilient communities and a stronger global economy.

Thank you.

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safeguarding our ocean and economy

0
safeguarding our ocean and economy

Speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco

Monaco, 7 June 2025

It is a pleasure to speak at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum.

In his 1857 poem “Man and the Sea”, Charles Baudelaire explored the deep kinship between the ocean and humanity.[1] For Baudelaire, they were two forces drawn together by awe, fascination, and even conflict.

Today, that dynamic has taken on a new and troubling dimension. We rely on the ocean for climate stability and economic prosperity, yet we are fuelling a climate crisis that threatens to undermine the very system we depend on. We cannot let that happen.

Baudelaire described the sea as a “mirror” to the human soul. We now need to take a hard look in that mirror and ask ourselves: what can we do to stem the tide of this crisis, to safeguard our ocean and economy?

This morning’s two panel discussions will go a long way towards answering that question. But I would like to take this opportunity to open the plenary session with a few thoughts – about what is at stake, and what stakeholders can do about it.

The ocean’s importance for our climate and economy

The ocean is home to 95% of the planet’s biosphere.[2] It spans environments as varied as sunlit coral reefs and pitch-black abyssal plains. And it supports an immense range of life, from countless microscopic organisms to the world’s largest animal, the blue whale.

Given the ocean’s richness, it is worth preserving in its own right. But its value does not end there – the ocean also benefits humanity in two vital ways.

First, it is one of the planet’s most powerful allies in the fight against climate change.

The ocean helps to regulate global temperatures by absorbing vast amounts of heat and redistributing it through major currents like the Gulf Stream. It is also the world’s largest carbon sink, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finds that the ocean has absorbed over 90% of the excess heat trapped in the earth’s system, as well as a third of the carbon dioxide that humans have emitted since the Industrial Revolution.[3]

Second, a sustainable ocean serves as an important pillar supporting the global economy, providing for food security and economic opportunities.

Marine ecosystems support over three billion people who rely on fish for at least 20% of their animal protein intake. Indeed, this dependency is more pronounced in some of the least-developed countries, where seafood provides most of the animal protein consumed.[4]

These ecosystems also help sustain employment opportunities. More than 150 million jobs depend on the production, trade and consumption of ocean-based goods and services, according to the United Nations.[5] The ocean is also home to key natural resources, such as medicines and biofuels, which are vital for ongoing advances in healthcare and clean energy sectors.

So, there is a great deal at stake in preserving the ocean’s health.

The threat of climate change

But today we are placing the sustainability of our ocean under extraordinary stress, with serious implications for both our climate and economy.

Without the ocean’s capacity to absorb heat and carbon, we would have had to contend with a faster, even more dangerous pace of global warming. Yet there are now signs that this capacity is becoming strained.

The last ten years were the ocean’s warmest on record. Warmer oceans are driving more frequent marine heatwaves, which damage ecosystems, and have been a major contributor to rising sea levels due to the thermal expansion of seawater. The rate at which the global mean sea level is rising has more than doubled over the past three decades.[6]

On top of this, the ocean’s absorption of carbon dioxide is driving acidification.

Combined with ocean warming, acidification is contributing to the bleaching and death of coral reefs, which are vital for supporting fisheries and protecting coastlines from storms. Since 2023 over 80% of the world’s coral reefs have been affected by bleaching.[7]

We find ourselves in dangerous waters. Together, these changes could have profound consequences for the global economy.

Food security may be undermined, potentially leading to more volatile prices, which is a concern for central banks tasked with safeguarding price stability. And if coastal areas become unliveable due to rising sea levels or frequent flooding, people may be forced to move. More than 600 million people around the world live in coastal areas that are less than ten metres above sea level.[8]

Stemming the tide

So, what can we do to stem the tide of these troubling developments? We may not be able to fully reverse the damage done, but we can work towards slowing its momentum, potentially even stopping it, by acting on two important fronts.

First, we need to protect. That means cutting greenhouse gas emissions decisively and keeping the goals of the Paris Agreement within reach.

If we succeed in doing so, we could limit sea level rise to around half a metre by the end of the century. That might not sound reassuring. But every tenth of a degree we avoid is a piece of coastline preserved, a reef protected or a storm surge weakened.

We also need to protect the natural systems that shield us from floods. Nature-based solutions – for instance, restoring mangroves, marshes and coral reefs – offer powerful, cost-effective defences against extreme weather. Coral reefs alone can reduce wave energy by an average of 97% while supporting fisheries, tourism and coastal livelihoods.[9]

The second front is just as important: we need to prepare.

Whether we like it or not, climate-related risks are materialising. We need to adapt our infrastructure and economies to a more volatile world. That includes building sea walls and surge barriers and budgeting for resilience rather than reacting after disaster strikes.

Make no mistake: adaptation will be costly. According to UN assessments, costs could run into the hundreds of billions of dollars globally each year by mid-century.[10] But the cost of inaction would be far higher. One study estimates that failing to keep global temperatures below two degrees above pre-industrial levels could lead to USD 14 trillion in global annual flood costs by 2100.[11]

To meet this challenge, we need to catalyse finance for marine and coastal conservation – for instance, through innovative approaches that convert natural capital into financial capital.[12]

This can be especially impactful for vulnerable countries with limited fiscal space. Above all, we must listen to the communities affected, treating their needs as a basis for our actions rather than an afterthought.

Let me conclude.

Baudelaire reminds us that the sea is a mirror of our own nature, which can either heal or harm.

So, let us choose to heal. That means nurturing the ocean’s rich diversity and facilitating finance to support innovative adaptation measures that build more resilient communities and a stronger global economy.

Thank you.

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El Salvador: Statement by the Spokesperson on the Foreign Agents Law and recent developments

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Joint Statement by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren on the provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement

El Salvador: Statement by the Spokesperson on the Foreign Agents Law and recent developments

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El Salvador: Statement by the Spokesperson on the Foreign Agents Law and recent developments

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Joint Statement by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren on the provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement

El Salvador: Statement by the Spokesperson on the Foreign Agents Law and recent developments Source link

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Weekly schedule of President António Costa

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Joint Statement by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren on the provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement

Weekly schedule of President António Costa, 8-17 June 2025 Source link

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Weekly schedule of President António Costa

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Joint Statement by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren on the provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement

Weekly schedule of President António Costa, 8-17 June 2025

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