As on every June 12, the World Day Against Child Labour highlights the plight of the millions of children compelled to work, often in hazardous environments and endangering their physical and mental health. On this day Terre des hommes wants to emphasize the extent of a phenomenon it has been fighting for the past 50 years.

What is meant by ‘child labour’?

The just-published 2012 Annual Report on Switzerland's International Cooperation sets out a unified strategy that encompasses – for the first time – humanitarian aid, technical and financial cooperation, economic and trade policy measures, and cooperation with the countries of Eastern Europe. SDC Director-General Martin Dahinden and State Secretary and Director of SECO Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch stress that this important milestone has been welcomed both by Parliament and by public opinion.

Floods and droughts have been particularly devastating to the region, bringing significant water shortages, economic losses and adverse social consequences.

Vienna, Austria, March 20, 2013. The Governing Board of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), meeting in its 142nd Session, has approved 16 loans and grants totaling over US$166 million to boost socio-economic development in over 25 partner countries. The majority of the funding will co-finance projects aimed at combating energy poverty, followed by loans to help bolster the transportation and water supply and sanitation sectors.

03/13/2013 17:50 GMT

MADRID, 13 mars 2013 (AFP) - L'organisation humanitaire Médecins sans Frontières a annoncé mercredi qu'elle quittait le Maroc pour protester contre les "violences" qui seraient infligées par les polices espagnole et marocaine aux émigrants d'Afrique subsaharienne qui tentent de rejoindre le sol européen.

African Development Bank operations have had a profound impact on women’s lives in Africa. Several successful examples from various education, employment, microfinance, social protection and health projects indicate that women and girls have better access to services and opportunities that have led to reductions in gender disparities and improvements in gender outcomes including women’s participation and empowerment.

Education and Girls’ Enrolment

The Desert Locust situation remained worrisome during February in the winter breeding areas along both sides of the Red Sea where locust infestations continued to increase. Adults formed groups and swarms in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia. Some of these moved into crops along the Nile River in northern Sudan, laid eggs and caused damage, while a limited number of groups and swarms moved north along the Egyptian coast where they could eventually threaten the Nile Delta. Substantial control operations were carried out by the three countries.

The Desert Locust situation deteriorated further in the winter breeding areas along the Red Sea during January. Locust numbers increased substantially as eggs hatched and hoppers formed numerous groups and bands in southeast Egypt, Sudan, northeast Eritrea and in Saudi Arabia. Swarms were also reported in these countries.
Control operations were undertaken, including aerial operations in Sudan and Saudi Arabia.

Ending impunity and promoting justice and reconciliation reflect core objectives underpinning the African Union. Amid renewed debate about justice and peace on the African continent, this report investigates the issue of impunity and its relationship with peace, justice, reconciliation, and healing.