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The Council has agreed its position on the sixth revision of the carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances directive, which seeks to update the rules on exposure to hazardous chemicals in the workplace.

The press briefing ahead of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council will take place on Tuesday, 2 December 2025 at 16.15.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

The Council has agreed its position on a proposed regulation that broadens the scope of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to include support for workers at imminent risk of displacement.

Der Rat hat seinen Standpunkt zur sechsten Überarbeitung der Richtlinie über Karzinogene, Mutagene und reproduktionstoxische Stoffe festgelegt, mit der die Vorschriften in Bezug auf die Exposition gegenüber gefährlichen Stoffen bei der Arbeit aktualisiert werden sollen.

The press briefing ahead of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council will take place on Tuesday, 2 December 2025 at 16.15.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

The Council has agreed its position on a proposed regulation that broadens the scope of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to include support for workers at imminent risk of displacement.

The Council has agreed its position on the sixth revision of the carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances directive, which seeks to update the rules on exposure to hazardous chemicals in the workplace.

By Rabab Fatima
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 1 2025 (IPS)

As we gather in Doha for the High-Level Meeting on “Forging Ambitious Global Partnerships for Sustainable and Resilient Graduation of Least Developed Countries,” the stakes could not be higher. A record number of fourteen countries-equally divided between Asia and Africa are now on graduation track. Graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category is a landmark national achievement—a recognition of hard-won gains in income, human development, and resilience. Yet, for too many countries, this milestone comes with new vulnerabilities that risk undermining the very gains that enabled graduation.

Since the establishment of the LDC category in 1971, only eight countries have graduated. Today, 44 countries remain in the group, representing 14% of the world’s population, but contributing less than 1.3% to global GDP. The Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) charts an ambitious yet achievable target: enabling at least 15 additional countries to graduate by 2031. But as the DPoA underscores graduation must be sustainable, resilient and irreversible. It must serve as a springboard for transformation— not a moment of exposure to new risks.

USG Rabab Fatima

Graduation with momentum:
Graduation often coincides with a significant shift in the international support landscape. As preferential trade arrangements, concessional financing, and dedicated technical assistance begin to phase down, countries may face heightened fiscal pressures, reduced competitiveness, and increased exposure to external shocks. Without well-sequenced and forward-looking transition planning, these shifts can slow progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strain national systems.

Yet within these challenges also lie opportunities. With the right policies, partnerships, and incentives, graduation can catalyse deeper structural transformation, expand access to new financing windows, strengthen institutions, and unlock pathways to diversified, resilient, and inclusive growth. The task before us is to manage risks while harnessing these opportunities—ensuring that no country graduates without momentum.

Smooth Transition Strategies: A National Imperative
The DPoA calls for every graduating country to develop inclusive, nationally owned Smooth Transition Strategies (STS) well-ahead of the graduation date. These strategies must be fully integrated into national development plans and SDG frameworks, ensuring coherence and resilience. They should prioritize diversification, human capital investment, and adaptive governance, while placing women, youth, and local actors at the center of design and oversight. STS must be living documents—flexible, participatory, and backed by robust monitoring and financing.

Reinvigorated Global Partnerships: The essential Pillar
No country can navigate this transition alone. The Doha Programme of Action calls for an incentive-based international support structure that extends beyond graduation. For LDCs with high utilization of trade preferences – the withdrawal of preferential market access must be carefully sequenced to avoid abrupt disruptions. For climate-vulnerable SIDS and LLDCs, enhanced access to climate finance, debt solutions, and resilience support are key elements in their efforts to tackle post-graduation challenges.

Deepened South-South and triangular cooperation, innovative financing instruments, blended finance, and strengthened private-sector engagement will be essential to building productive capacities and unlocking opportunities in digital transformation, green and blue economies, and regional market integration.

iGRAD: A Transformative Tool
The operationalization of the Sustainable Graduation Support Facility—iGRAD—is a concrete step forward. By providing tailored advisory services, capacity-building, and peer learning, iGRAD can serve as a critical tool to help countries anticipate risks, manage transitions, and sustain development momentum. Its success, however, hinges on strong political support and adequate, predictable resourcing from development partners.

Graduation as a Catalyst for Transformation
Graduation should not be the end of the story—it should be the beginning of a new chapter of resilience and opportunity. With integrated national strategies and reinvigorated global partnerships, we can turn graduation into a catalyst for inclusive, sustainable development. Let us seize this moment in Doha to reaffirm our collective commitment: no country should graduate into vulnerability. Together, we can ensure that graduation delivers on its promise—for communities, for economies, and for future generations.

Rabab Fatima is UN Under Secretary General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Handy aus, Augen auf! Speziell ausgebildete Jugendliche reden in Schulklassen über Cybermobbing, Gaming und Social Media – ganz ohne Lehrer oder strenge Regeln. Die TechAngels geben Tipps und helfen, Lösungen zu finden. Denn: Gleichaltrige verstehen einander besser.

Euronews: A világ gyorsabb, összekapcsoltabb és stresszesebb, mint korábban. Legalábbis a németek mintegy 66 százaléka így érzi - derül ki a TK egészségpénztár jelentéséből. A válaszadók különösen stresszesnek tartják az európai háború lehetőségét.

Written by Marcin Szczepański.

A series of recent economic and geopolitical shocks have led to rising fragmentation of global trade, whereby countries tend to boost economic ties with those sharing similar political values, economic policies and security interests. While a broad retreat from globalisation is not taking place, there are some signs of reconfiguration of supply chains along geopolitical lines.

This is likely to have pronounced effects for EU economy due to its openness and high level of integration into global value chains. The full consequences are unclear at this point and firms’ responses vary, but mitigating the changing trade environment leads to heightened costs, stronger regional flows of goods and priority for measures that could reduce uncertainty.

The EU’s policy focus is on de-risking supply chains, boosting their resilience and creating opportunities through access to global markets. Increasing domestic production and access to inputs as well as diversifying supplies is coupled with supporting multilateralism and targeted partnerships. Many experts, as well as the European Parliament, see the unrealised potential of the single market, easier access to finance, stimulating innovation and digitalisation, as ways forward.

Managing global trade fragmentation is a complex process full of risks and opportunities, which requires crosscutting policy action and a strategic approach. The EU is striving to find a balance between trade openness and the necessary economic security measures. Furthermore, while proposed and launched solutions require a medium to long-term time horizon to deliver, geopolitical developments often happen swiftly, further complicating matters.

Read the complete briefing on ‘EU supply chains in the era of trade fragmentation: Impacts, policies and current debate‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Lucas ist für seine grosse Liebe Conny nach Kanada gezogen. Kulinarisch muss sich der Thurgauer noch an seine neue Heimat gewöhnen. Bei einer Grillparty gibts selbst gemachte Burger aus Bären- und Pumahackfleisch.

Összesen 675 alkalommal riasztották a tűzoltókat, a legtöbbször technikai segítségkérés miatt. 175 közlekedési balesethez vonultak ki a mentők.

Kallas, Tusk, and Merz keep up pressure to use Russian assets, as Belgium holds firm

Die Frage bleibt nach dem Tohuwabohu in Katar die gleiche: Wer wird am kommenden Sonntag ab 14 Uhr MEZ in der Wüste von Abu Dhabi Formel-1-Weltmeister?

20 Exemplare der giftigen Chilenischen Einsiedlerspinne wurden in einem Keller an der deutschen Universität Tübingen gefunden. Es ist der erste Fund in Deutschland und der zweite in Europa. Doch wie gefährlich ist die exotische Spinne und könnte sie sich ausbreiten?

Der deutsche TV-Moderator Thomas Gottschalk leidet an einem epitheloiden Angiosarkom. Was bedeutet das? Ein Spezialist vom Unispital Zürich erklärt, was den seltenen Tumor so tückisch macht, welche Symptome auftreten können und wie die Heilungschancen stehen.

A last-minute compromise proposal was rejected by developing countries