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“We’re also incrementally increasing our capacity in the United States, but the real step function is the German capacity," Tom Laliberty, the head of land and air-defence systems, said.

Europe’s procedures for building critical infrastructure are far too sluggish for a world of energy shocks, climate emergencies, and the reverberations of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

Americas Raytheon won a $2.6 million modification to procure test equipment and spares, and to exercise options for Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Block 2 Guided Missile Assemblies.  The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. Huntington Ingalls won a $60 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-25-C-2127 for advance planning and long-lead-time material procurement to prepare and make ready for the accomplishment of the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) inactivation and defueling. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by March 2026. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $58,645,077 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. Middle East & Africa Qatar has been monitoring radiation levels in the Gulf as Israeli air strikes pound Iranian nuclear facilities, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. “We are monitoring this on a daily basis,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a news conference. “We have nothing to be concerned about right now, but obviously prolonged escalation will have unpredictable consequences.” Europe Saab has received an order from the Swedish […]

Isn’t the euro already digital whenever we tap a card or transfer money online?

Italy eyes Austrian-style reserve corps as it scrambles to boost troop numbers and hit NATO’s defence spending goal.

Opposition bid to topple Czech government fails, as Prime Minister Petr Fiala counters political fallout from €40M bitcoin-linked resignation.

Luís Montenegro warns EU risks losing credibility and weakening its global position if it fails to ratify the Mercosur trade deal after decades of negotiations.

Parents and caregivers line up with their children at an immunization centre in Janakpur, southern Nepal. Meanwhile recent funding cuts have caused “severe disruptions” to health services in almost three-quarters of all countries, according to the head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. April 2025. Credit: UNICEF

By Hatice Beton, Roberto Durán-Fernández, Dennis Ostwald and Rifat Atun
LONDON, Jun 19 2025 (IPS)

As G7 leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations wrapped up their summit in Kananaskis June 16, a critical issue was absent from the agenda: the future of global health financing.

Amid escalating geopolitical tensions, trade conflicts and cuts to development aid, health has been sidelined – less than five years since COVID-19 devastated lives, health systems and economies.

With the fiscal space for health shrinking in over 69 countries, it’s time to recognise that health financing is no longer solely a public sector concern; it is a fundamental pillar of economic productivity, stability, and resilience.

A glimmer of hope has emerged from South Africa, the current G20 Presidency host, and from the World Health Organization (WHO). A landmark health financing resolution, adopted at last month’s World Health Assembly calls on countries to take ownership of their health funding and increase domestic investment.

While this is a promising step, the prevailing discourse continues to rely on outdated solutions which are often slow to implement and fall short of what is needed.

Invest Smarter, Not Just More, in Health

Recent trends among G20 countries show that annual healthcare expenditure is actually declining across member states. In 2022, health expenditure dropped in 18 out of 20 G20 nations, leading to increased out-of-pocket expenses for citizens.

While countries like Japan, Australia, and Canada demonstrate a direct correlation between higher per capita health expenditure and increased life expectancy, others, such as Russia, India, and South Africa, show the opposite.

This disparity underscores a crucial point: the quality and efficiency of investment matters more than quantity. Smart investment encompasses efficient resource allocation, equitable access to affordable care, effective disease prevention and management, and broader determinants of health like lifestyle, education, and environmental factors.

Achieving positive outcomes hinges on balancing health funding – the operational costs – with sustainable health financing – the capital costs.

Private capital is already moving into health, what’s missing is coordination and strategic alignment

Despite the surge in healthcare private equity reaching USD 480 billion between 2020 and 2024, many in the sector remain unaware of this significant shift. Recent G20 efforts have focused on innovative financing tools, but what’s truly needed are systemic reforms that reframe health as a core pillar of financial stability, economic resilience, and geopolitical security, not just a public service.

This year’s annual Health20 Summit at the WHO, supporting the G20 Health and Finance Ministers Meetings, addresses this need by launching a new compass for health financing: a groundbreaking report on the “Health Taxonomy – A Common Investment Toolkit to Scale Up Future Investments in Health.”

Why do we need an investment map for health?

The answer is simple: since the first ever G20 global health discussions under Germany’s G20 Presidency in 2017, there has been no consistent effort to rethink or coordinate investments. G20 countries still lack a strategic dialogue between governments, health and finance ministries, investors and the private sector.

Market-Driven, Government-Incentivised: The Path Forward

Building on the European Union’s Green Taxonomy, the health taxonomy aims to foster a shared understanding and common language among governments, companies, and investors to drive sustainable health financing. Investors, Asset Managers, Venture Capitalists, G20 Ministries of Health and Finance, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and International Organisations broadly agree that a market-driven taxonomy is both credible and practical.

Governments can have greater confidence knowing it has been tested with investors and is grounded in market realities.

The Health Taxonomy report identifies a key barrier to progress: the fundamental confusion between health funding and health financing: Health financing refers to the system that manages health investments, such as raising revenue, pooling resources and purchasing services. In contrast, health funding refers to the actual sources of money.

Increasing health funding alone will not improve health outcomes if the financing system is poorly designed. Conversely, a well-developed health financing framework won’t succeed without sufficient funding. Both are essential and must work together.

The health taxonomy has the potential to serve as a vital tool for policy planning sessions, strategic boardroom discussions and investment committees, thereby enabling health to be readily integrated into existing portfolios and strategies. It could also support more systematic assessments of health-related risks and economic impacts, including through existing processes like the IMF’s Article IV consultations and other macroeconomic surveillance frameworks.

The report urges leading G20 health and finance ministers to rethink and align on joint principles for health funding and financing.

The next pandemic could be more severe, more persistent, and more costly. Failure to invest adequately in health before the next crisis is a systemic risk our leaders can no longer afford to ignore.

Hatice Beton is Co-Founder, H20Summit; Roberto Durán-Fernández; PhD, is Tec de Monterrey School of Government, Former Member of the WHO’s Economic Council; Dennis Ostwald is Founder & CEO, WifOR Institute (Germany); Rifat Atun is Professor of Global Health Systems, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

IPS UN Bureau

 

Credit: UN Photo/John Isaac

By Stephanie Hodge
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 19 2025 (IPS)

Ten years ago, I lost more than a job.

When my post was abolished, there was no warning, no closure, no golden parachute—just a quiet erasure. Overnight, I went from a UN professional with decades of service to an invisible statistic in a system that eats its own.

I wasn’t just de-linked from my role—I was cut off from my health insurance, my professional identity, my community, and the safety net I thought I’d built after a lifetime of service.

What’s the real cost of that? Let me try to count it.

The Financial Toll

Over ten years, I’ve conservatively lost between $1.7 and $2.4 million USD—not in stock options or startup fantasies, but in the very basic elements of working life:

• Salary: Gone. A UN professional with my experience (at the P5/D1 level) typically earns around $120,000–$150,000 a year. That’s over $1.2 million in wages lost—and that’s before accounting for inflation.
• Pension: For every year you’re out of the UN system, your pension erodes. I’ve lost another $300,000+ in employer and personal contributions to retirement.
• Health Insurance: When you lose your job, you lose your healthcare. For ten years, I’ve covered out-of-pocket care for my dependent—including during health emergencies. I’ve spent $50,000–$200,000 USD just trying to keep her well and safe.
• Missed Opportunities: I should have been leading evaluations, directing global programs, mentoring the next generation. Instead, I was just trying to survive. Lost networks, lost credibility, lost consulting income. Easily another $200,000–$400,000 in forgone earnings.

The Emotional Toll

The numbers don’t tell the whole story. They don’t reflect what it’s like to wake up every morning wondering if your work ever mattered. They don’t show the moments I had to choose between groceries and another round of lab tests for my mother. They don’t capture the professional shame, the panic, the quiet disbelief that no one came looking.

It’s not just a system failure. It’s a human one.

Why Reform Can’t Wait

You can’t claim to be a values-based organization while discarding your own people in silence. And yet that is what too many international agencies do—cutting technical posts under the guise of restructuring, while retaining bloated management layers and generalist positions with no clear public value.

We need a reset. Here’s where to start:

1. Guarantee Transitional Support for Abolished Posts

Abolition should never mean abandonment. Staff whose posts are cut must be offered:

• Transitional pay and benefits (healthcare continuation, pension bridging)
• Career re-entry guarantees within a defined period
• Support for relocation, re-skilling, and reference protections

2. Protect Technical Expertise

Organizations must stop privileging coordination over content. The future depends on knowledge—gender, climate, health, evaluation, biodiversity, education. We need fewer PowerPoint czars and more people who’ve actually done the work.

Create:

• Technical career tracks with promotion potential
• Fixed-term roles with mobility protections for those in niche or field-based posts
• Internal pools for technical surge deployment

3. Build Accountability into Human Resource Systems

Too often, posts are abolished due to politics, personal vendettas, or vague restructurings. There must be:

• Transparent criteria for abolishment
• Independent review panels for contested decisions
• Data tracking on who is let go and why—disaggregated by gender, nationality, race, and contract type

4. Rebalance Power and Purpose

The system is top-heavy and risk-averse. It’s time to rebalance:

• Elevate field voices, not just headquarters control
• Fund delivery and results—not endless strategy papers
• Measure success by impact, not institutional expansion

Rebuilding, Not Returning

I’ve spent the last decade slowly rebuilding. Consulting, evaluating, speaking truth to power. I’ve advised governments, walked the garbage-strewn backstreets of Jakarta, listened to stories from herders in Mali and coral farmers in Seychelles. My skills didn’t vanish. My value didn’t die.

But I’ve had to fight for every contract. Every inch of ground.

And I’ve come to understand this: abolition doesn’t end a career—it reveals what the system never saw in the first place.

To Those Who’ve Been Abolished

If you’ve lost your job, your anchor, your sense of place—this is for you. You are not expendable. You are not a line in a budget or a casualty of “restructuring.”

You are the system’s conscience, even if it forgot your name.

We are still here. We are still needed.

And we are not done.

Stephanie Hodge is an international evaluator and former UN advisor who has worked across 140 countries. She writes on governance, multilateral reform, and climate equity.

IPS UN Bureau

 

La semaine touche à sa fin, nombreux sont ceux qui scrutent les prévisions météo pour organiser au mieux leurs activités du week-end. Ce jeudi 19 […]

L’article Le temps en Algérie cette fin de semaine : prévisions météo estivales prévues ce jeudi 19 juin est apparu en premier sur .

La République du Bénin, à travers la Société de Développement Hôtelier du Bénin (SDHB), a officiellement signé un accord de partenariat avec le groupe Hilton pour l'ouverture du Hilton Cotonou, marquant ainsi l'entrée du célèbre groupe hôtelier sur le marché béninois.

Ce projet d'envergure, dont l'ouverture est prévue pour 2028, s'inscrit dans la dynamique de transformation du secteur touristique national, sous l'impulsion des plus hautes autorités béninoises. Il témoigne également de l'attractivité croissante du Bénin auprès des investisseurs internationaux.

Un établissement aux standards internationaux

Situé sur le Boulevard de la Marina, à proximité immédiate du Palais des Congrès, des ambassades et des principaux sièges institutionnels, le Hilton Cotonou offrira une capacité de 233 chambres et suites contemporaines, ainsi qu'une gamme complète de services haut de gamme :
• Restaurant ouvert toute la journée
• Bar-terrasse signature
• Bar de piscine
• Spa et centre de bien-être
• Piscine extérieure
• Espaces modulables pour conférences et événements

Un projet structurant pour l'économie nationale

Ce partenariat stratégique devrait générer plusieurs centaines d'emplois directs et indirects, contribuant significativement à la professionnalisation du secteur hôtelier et à l'essor des services connexes. Il renforcera également la capacité du Bénin à accueillir de grands événements régionaux et internationaux, en cohérence avec son ambition de devenir un hub de l'Afrique de l'Ouest pour les affaires et le tourisme de qualité.

Selon une enquête, la plupart des Suisses sont conscients du manque de logements, mais sont défavorables à une flambée de constructions d’immeubles.

83 accusés, dont 22 en détention, devront comparaitre devant la Cour d’Algérie, en étant impliqués dans une lourde affaire de « commerce d’or« . L’audience aura lieu […]

L’article Une affaire de 1100 milliards impliquant des bijoutiers devant la justice est apparu en premier sur .

Lorsqu'on évoque à la fois l'état actuel et l'avenir de l'Afrique, un défi majeur doit être pleinement compris avant de pouvoir être relevé : la difficulté de construire et d'entretenir l'infrastructure du continent. Certains problèmes sont évidents, tandis que d'autres le sont moins.

Il est facile de dire : « Les gouvernements occidentaux doivent investir davantage dans l'infrastructure africaine », mais il est bien plus compliqué d'expliquer comment ils devraient s'y prendre. Beaucoup s'y sont essayés par le passé, mais de nombreuses complications rendent la tâche plus difficile qu'on ne l'imagine. Examinons quelques-uns des principaux défis à surmonter lorsqu'on envisage d'améliorer l'infrastructure africaine.

Judicaël ZOHOUN

La géographie variée du continent

Le premier défi est d'ordre naturel : la géographie. Montagnes, déserts, collines et autres contraintes topographiques doivent être franchies avant que de grands projets puissent avancer. Poussière, érosion, évolution constante du paysage et enjeux environnementaux doivent être résolus avant que nombre de travaux puissent se poursuivre (ou, dans certains endroits, commencer).

Le réseau routier du continent, en dehors des autoroutes transafricaines, est mal entretenu ; la plupart des routes ne sont que des pistes, et la majorité des routes asphaltées se trouvent dans les capitales. Au total, seulement 43 % des routes africaines sont goudronnées, et plus de 30 % d'entre elles sont situées en Afrique du Sud.

L'Afrique compte de nombreuses voies ferrées, mais beaucoup nécessitent d'importantes réparations. En dehors des lignes principales, de nombreuses sections sont déconnectées et ne dépassent pas les frontières nationales. Pire encore, comme nombre de lignes anciennes ont été construites par les puissances coloniales européennes, les écartements diffèrent d'un pays à l'autre, rendant très difficile la connexion des voies existantes.

Un projet de réseau ferroviaire à grande vitesse multinational existe, mais sa réalisation est prévue sur 50 ans (2025 étant la douzième année du plan). Le manque de financements et les travaux préalables requis (comme l'électrification de zones encore non alimentées) expliquent ce délai.

Défis géopolitiques

On peut espérer une coopération accrue entre nations et des progrès en matière d'infrastructure. À un forum à Marrakech (Maroc), le président de la Banque africaine de développement, Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina, a déclaré : « Voici l'Afrique que nous voulons : une Afrique pleinement interconnectée, utilisant des corridors régionaux et des instruments de financement innovants pour libérer les opportunités économiques et assurer la compétitivité des chaînes de valeur nationales et régionales. Une Afrique bien connectée sera une Afrique plus compétitive. »

Il a précisé que son organisation avait investi plus de 44 milliards de dollars au cours des sept dernières années pour bâtir des infrastructures et concrétiser ce rêve. Hélas, ces dépenses colossales n'ont entraîné qu'une légère amélioration, illustrant le coût élevé de la construction et de l'entretien des infrastructures, ce qui mène à notre point suivant.

Difficultés financières

Même sans corruption, d'autres facteurs financiers aggravent la situation. Dans la liste 2024 des pays les plus pauvres du magazine Global Finance, les neuf premiers sont africains. Cela signifie que l'argent pour les améliorations doit provenir d'autres pays africains ou d'un autre continent.

Le problème des contributions étrangères est que les investisseurs extérieurs ne sont pas certains d'obtenir un retour significatif – voire aucun retour. Des partenariats public-privé ont déjà investi, mais un énorme déficit de financement subsiste avant que les travaux puissent continuer.

Lors d'un discours en mars 2025 à la Conférence des ministres africains des finances, de la planification et du développement économique, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, président de la Commission de l'Union africaine, a déclaré : « Sur une note négative, je voudrais évoquer l'insécurité, le manque de financement endogène durable, les restrictions à la circulation des personnes, des biens et des services, le faible taux d'industrialisation et la mauvaise qualité des infrastructures physiques. L'Union africaine a élaboré des stratégies pour remédier à ces insuffisances. Malheureusement, leur mise en œuvre reste bloquée faute de fonds. »

La Banque africaine de développement estime qu'il faudra entre 140 et 170 milliards de dollars par an pour combler le déficit d'infrastructure du continent. À titre de comparaison, le PIB cumulé du Burundi, du Tchad, de la République démocratique du Congo et du Zimbabwe atteint environ 150 milliards de dollars.

Problèmes liés à la technologie

Philippe Heilmann, consultant indépendant auprès de gouvernements africains, explique qu'un autre sujet de préoccupation majeur est l'accès limité du continent aux technologies modernes, bien au-delà de la simple pénurie de Wi-Fi. De nombreuses zones rurales d'Afrique subsaharienne disposent de peu ou pas d'électricité. Cela, combiné au manque de routes pavées, complique considérablement la construction d'infrastructures.

Dans plusieurs régions, l'accès à des stratégies et à des matériaux de qualité pour la construction routière est aussi limité. Dans le nord de l'Éthiopie, des routes mal construites ont entraîné inondations, érosion et dégâts agricoles. La difficulté d'obtenir suffisamment de matériaux de haute qualité est aggravée par l'état médiocre des routes existantes : il faut d'abord les améliorer (avec très peu de moyens) pour pouvoir y acheminer les matériaux nécessaires – un véritable cercle vicieux.

Mesures actuelles et futures pour surmonter ces défis

Un investisseur étranger joue néanmoins un rôle déterminant : la Chine. Le pays a massivement investi dans l'infrastructure africaine dans le cadre de son Initiative « la Ceinture et la Route » (BRI) lancée en 2013, visant à soutenir un commerce libre et équitable grâce à des réseaux de transport reliant l'Europe, l'Afrique et l'Asie.

En octobre 2024, au sommet BRICS Plus en Russie, le président chinois Xi Jinping a réaffirmé cet engagement : « Le mois dernier, nous avons organisé à Pékin un sommet réussi du Forum sur la coopération sino-africaine et annoncé dix actions de partenariat pour moderniser ensemble la Chine et l'Afrique. Cela insufflera une nouvelle dynamique au Sud global sur la voie de la modernisation. »

Entre 2014 et 2018 (dernières années disposant de données complètes), la Chine a investi plus de 72 milliards de dollars. La France arrive en deuxième position avec 34 milliards, principalement dans ses anciennes colonies.

Les États-Unis se classent troisièmes avec 31 milliards de dollars, mais ont réalisé le plus grand nombre de projets (463), créant 62 000 emplois. Quatrièmes, les Émirats arabes unis – porte d'entrée du Moyen-Orient vers l'Afrique – ont investi 25 milliards et conclu un accord de libre-échange avec une coalition de nations africaines. Enfin, le Royaume-Uni a dépensé près de 18 milliards, surtout dans ses anciennes colonies.

Ces chiffres, qui couvrent cinq ans, restent toutefois nettement en dessous des 150 à 170 milliards nécessaires chaque année : ils ne représentent qu'environ 20 % du total annuel. La conclusion est inévitable : il faudra davantage de fonds, mais on ignore encore comment les réunir.

L'innovation est un autre élément essentiel. Comme le montrent ces chiffres, il faudrait des milliers de milliards de dollars sur plus de 50 ans pour mettre l'Afrique au niveau des technologies et méthodes actuelles. Cependant, l'apparition régulière de nouvelles innovations pourrait simplifier la tâche à long terme.

Bien que la géographie, la géopolitique, la technologie et les contraintes financières posent de nombreux défis à l'amélioration des infrastructures africaines, il reste possible de les surmonter et d'aider l'Afrique à devenir un partenaire mondial à part entière. Le continent pourrait enfin participer au commerce mondial, plutôt que d'être limité à ses voisins ou, dans certains cas, à ses seules frontières.

Temps, argent, innovation et coopération mondiale seront nécessaires pour relever ces défis, mais c'est réalisable. L'Afrique a bien plus à offrir que des minéraux, des pierres précieuses et de l'agriculture. Toutefois, tant que ses infrastructures ne se seront pas améliorées, les défis logistiques liés à l'exportation de sa riche culture continueront de rendre cette mission ardue.

Le ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique a adressé plusieurs circulaires aux responsables des universités et centres de recherche pour leur rappeler […]

L’article Crise diplomatique : des restrictions de voyage imposées aux universitaires algériens est apparu en premier sur .

- Agenda / Slovénie, Région parisienne

DRAFT OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations (EU) 2021/694, (EU) 2021/695, (EU) 2021/697, (EU) 2021/1153, (EU) 2023/1525 and 2024/795, as regards incentivising defence-related investments in the EU budget to implement the ReArm Europe Plan
Committee on Security and Defence
Thijs Reuten

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

By CIVICUS
Jun 18 2025 (IPS)

 
CIVICUS discusses the dangers of live facial recognition technology with Madeleine Stone, Senior Advocacy Officer at Big Brother Watch, a civil society organisation that campaigns against mass surveillance and for digital rights in the UK.

Madeleine Stone

The rapid expansion of live facial recognition technology across the UK raises urgent questions about civil liberties and democratic freedoms. The Metropolitan Police have begun permanently installing live facial recognition cameras in South London, while the government has launched a £20 million (approx. US$27 million) tender to expand its deployment nationwide. Civil society warns that this technology presents serious risks, including privacy infringements, misidentification and function creep. As authorities increasingly use these systems at public gatherings and demonstrations, concerns grow about their potential to restrict civic freedoms.

How does facial recognition technology work?

Facial recognition technology analyses an image of a person’s face to create a biometric map by measuring distances between facial features, creating a unique pattern as distinctive as a fingerprint. This biometric data is converted into code for matching against other facial images.

It has two main applications. One-to-one matching compares someone’s face to a single image – like an ID photo – to confirm identity. More concerning is one-to-many matching, where facial data is scanned against larger databases. This form is commonly used by law enforcement, intelligence agencies and private companies for surveillance.

How is it used in the UK?

The technology operates in three distinct ways in the UK. Eight police forces in England and Wales currently deploy it, with many others considering adoption. In retail, shops use it to scan customers against internal watchlists.

The most controversial is live facial recognition – mass surveillance in real time. Police use CCTV cameras with facial recognition software to scan everyone passing by, mapping faces and instantly comparing them to watchlists of wanted people for immediate interception.

Retrospective facial recognition works differently, taking still images from crime scenes or social media and running them against existing police databases. This happens behind closed doors as part of broader investigations.

And there’s a third type: operator-initiated recognition, where officers use a phone app to take a photo of someone they are speaking to on the street, which is checked against a police database of custody images in real time. While it doesn’t involve continuous surveillance like live facial recognition, it’s still taking place in the moment and raises significant concerns about the police’s power to perform biometric identity checks at will.

What makes live facial recognition particularly dangerous?

It fundamentally violates democratic principles, because it conducts mass identity checks on everyone in real time, regardless of suspicion. This is the equivalent to police stopping every passerby to check DNA or fingerprints. It gives police extraordinary power to identify and track people without knowledge or consent.

The principle at the heart of any free society is that suspicion should come before surveillance, but this technology completely reverses this logic. Instead of investigating after reasonable cause, it treats everyone as a potential suspect, undermining privacy and eroding presumed innocence.

The threat to civic freedoms is severe. Anonymity in crowds is central to protest, because it makes you part of a collective rather than an isolated dissenter. Live facial recognition destroys this anonymity and creates a chilling effect: people become less likely to protest knowing they’ll be biometrically identified and tracked.

Despite the United Nations warning against using biometric surveillance at protests, UK police have deployed it at demonstrations against arms fairs, environmental protests at Formula One events and during King Charles’s coronation. Similar tactics are being introduced at Pride events in Hungary and were used to track people attending opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s funeral in Russia. That these authoritarian methods now appear in the UK, supposedly a rights-respecting democracy, is deeply concerning.

What about accuracy and bias?

The technology is fundamentally discriminatory. While algorithm details remain commercially confidential, independent studies show significantly lower accuracy for women and people of colour as algorithms have largely been trained on white male faces. Despite improvements in recent years, the performance of facial recognition algorithms remains worse for women of colour.

This bias compounds existing police discrimination. Independent reports have found that UK policing already exhibits systemic racist, misogynistic and homophobic biases. Black communities face disproportionate criminalisation, and biased technology deepens these inequalities. Live facial recognition technology can lead to discriminatory outcomes even with a hypothetically perfectly accurate algorithm. If police watchlists were to disproportionately feature people of colour, the system would repeatedly flag them, reinforcing over-policing patterns. This feedback loop validates bias through the constant surveillance of the same communities.

Deployment locations reveal targeting patterns. London police use mobile units in poorer areas with higher populations of people of colour. One of the earliest deployments was during Notting Hill Carnival, London’s biggest celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture – a decision that raised serious targeting concerns.

Police claims of improving reliability ignore this systemic context. Without confronting discrimination in policing, facial recognition reinforces the injustices it claims to address.

What legal oversight exists?

None. Without a written constitution, UK policing powers evolved through common law. Police therefore argue that vague common law powers to prevent crime oversee their use of facial recognition, falsely claiming it enhances public safety.

Parliamentary committees have expressed serious concerns about this legal vacuum. Currently, each police force creates its own rules, deciding deployment locations, watchlist criteria and safeguards. They even use different algorithms with varying accuracy and bias levels. For such intrusive technology, this patchwork approach is unacceptable.

A decade after police began trials began in 2015, successive governments have failed to introduce regulation. The new Labour government is considering regulations, but we don’t know whether this means comprehensive legislation or mere codes of practice.

Our position is clear: this technology shouldn’t be used at all. However, if a government believes there is a case for the use of this technology in policing, there must be primary legislation in place that specifies usage parameters, safeguards and accountability mechanisms.

The contrast with Europe is stark. While imperfect, the European Union’s (EU) AI Act introduces strong safeguards on facial recognition and remote biometric identification. The EU is miles ahead of the UK. If the UK is going to legislate, it should take inspiration from the EU’s AI Act and ensure prior judicial authorisation is required for the use of this technology, only those suspected of serious crimes are placed on watchlists and it is never used as evidence in court.

How are you responding?

Our strategy combines parliamentary engagement, public advocacy and legal action.

Politically, we work across party lines. In 2023, we coordinated a cross-party statement signed by 65 members of parliament (MPs) and backed by dozens of human rights groups, calling for a halt due to racial bias, legal gaps and privacy threats.

On the ground, we attend deployments in Cardiff and London to observe usage and offer legal support to wrongly stopped people. Reality differs sharply from police claims. Over half those stopped aren’t wanted for arrest. We’ve documented shocking cases: a pregnant woman pushed against a shopfront and arrested for allegedly missing probation, and a schoolboy misidentified by the system. The most disturbing cases involve young Black people, demonstrating embedded racial bias and the dangers of trusting flawed technology.

We’re also supporting a legal challenge submitted by Shaun Thompson, a volunteer youth worker wrongly flagged by this technology. Police officers surrounded him and, although he explained the mistake, held him for 30 minutes and attempted to take fingerprints when he couldn’t produce ID. Our director filmed the incident and is a co-claimant in a case against the Metropolitan Police, arguing that live facial recognition violates human rights law.

Public support is crucial. You can follow us online, join our supporters’ scheme or donate monthly. UK residents should write to MPs and the Policing Minister. Politicians need to hear all of our voices, not just those of police forces advocating for more surveillance powers.

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SEE ALSO
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But only if the reforms are proportionate, targeted, and clearly linked to relevant EU policies.