L'ancien ministre dans le gouvernement du président Mathieu Kérékou, Christian Enock Lagnidé, a adressé une lettre de contribution au chef de l'État Patrice Talon dans le cadre du débat sur la révision de la Constitution béninoise du 11 décembre 1990. Le candidat aux présidentielles de 2011 et 2016 y formule plusieurs propositions qu'il juge nécessaires pour adapter la loi fondamentale aux réalités actuelles du Bénin.
Dans sa correspondance transmise également au président de l'Assemblée nationale, Christian Lagnidé salue les acquis démocratiques du pays, tout en soulignant la nécessité d'une « révision éclairée » de la Constitution, après trente-cinq ans d'application. Selon lui, les mutations sociales, économiques et institutionnelles appellent des ajustements pour renforcer la stabilité, la justice et la gouvernance.
Un mandat présidentiel unique pour garantir la stabilité
L'une des propositions phares de l'ancien ministre est l'instauration d'un mandat présidentiel unique de cinq ou sept ans, non renouvelable, à compter de 2031. Une mesure qui, selon lui, permettrait de « garantir la stabilité du pouvoir exécutif, d'éviter les tensions liées au renouvellement du mandat » et d'encourager une gouvernance orientée vers l'intérêt national plutôt que vers la recherche de réélection.
Abaisser l'âge d'éligibilité et promouvoir la jeunesse
L'ex ministre suggère également d'actualiser l'âge d'éligibilité à la présidence de la République entre 35 et 70 ans, toujours à partir de 2031. Cette réforme viserait à « permettre à la jeune génération, déjà précoce en maturité politique et en engagement patriotique, de pouvoir servir le Bénin au niveau le plus élevé ».
Un vote obligatoire ou récompensé
Sur le plan civique, il recommande de faire du vote un devoir obligatoire ou, à défaut, d'instaurer un mécanisme incitatif pour récompenser les citoyens qui participent régulièrement aux scrutins. Pour lui, la vitalité démocratique dépend aussi de la participation citoyenne active.
La création d'un Sénat comme chambre de sagesse
Abordant enfin la question du bicaméralisme envisagé dans le projet de révision, Christian Enock Lagnidé se déclare favorable à la création d'un Sénat, qu'il conçoit comme une « véritable chambre de sagesse et de mémoire nationale ». Cette institution, selon sa vision, devrait garantir la stabilité politique, la qualité de la gouvernance et le consensus national.
Il propose une composition mixte. Des membres de droit à vie, dont les anciens présidents de la République, de l'Assemblée nationale et de la Cour constitutionnelle. Des membres désignés pour un mandat de cinq ans renouvelable, parmi lesquels six représentants des collectivités territoriales (à raison d'un pour deux départements) et cinq anciens ministres ou hauts fonctionnaires.
Pour Christian Lagnidé, ce Sénat incarnerait « la continuité de la République » et servirait d'instance morale, capable d'arbitrer les divergences politiques et de réguler le fonctionnement des institutions. Il appelle à une réforme constitutionnelle mesurée et anticipatrice, tournée vers la consolidation de la démocratie béninoise à l'horizon 2031.
A.A.A
A session titled Youth Movements and Democratic Futures in South Asia at International Civil Society Week, held at Bangkok’s Thammasat University. Credit: Zofeen Ebrahim/IPS
By Zofeen Ebrahim
BANGKOK, Nov 5 2025 (IPS)
The message is clear: today’s youth are not “wishy-washy.” They are not just the future—they are the present, full partners in shaping it, and “power-sharing” is the new mantra. The veterans of activism are being reminded not merely to listen but to hear and to leave their egos at the door.
These were among the many resonant takeaways from the five-day International Civil Society Week, held at Bangkok’s Thammasat University.
Yet beneath the optimistic rhetoric, a different mood lingered. Many young participants seemed despondent, feeling short-changed by their elders—empowered in words, but excluded in practice.
At a session titled “Youth Movements and Democratic Futures in South Asia,” young voices from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, and Nepal shared their frustrations and fears for the future.
Student activist Ammad Talpur at the Youth Movements and Democratic Futures in South Asia session at International Civil Society Week, held at Bangkok’s Thammasat University. Credit: Zofeen Ebrahim/IPS
In Pakistan, said student activist Ammad Talpur, nepotism runs deep, inequality is horrific and brutal, and the powerful break laws with impunity. “We long for change, but fear silences us, as those in power will not brook dissent.”
A similar sense of frustration echoes beyond Pakistan.
“Though sometimes its exercise may come at a cost, youth in India are free to say anything and freedom of speech does exist,” Adrian D’ruz, another panelist, told IPS after the session. And journalists, academics, students, and comedians who questioned those in power, he said, reportedly faced legal action, online harassment, or institutional pressure.
To curb dissent, legal provisions are misapplied, resulting in people “leaning towards self-censorship rather than risking consequences,” said D’Cruz, a member of a network of NGOs in India called Wada Na Todo Abhiyan, which promotes governance accountability and inclusion of marginalized communities.
While Pakistan and India illustrate the pressures youth face under entrenched power, in Nepal the response has taken a more visible, street-level form, riding a wave of unrest that began in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
In Kathmandu, “rising unemployment, corruption, nepotism, and broken promises” fueled the unrest, said Tikashwari Rai, a young Nepali mother of two daughters, worried for their future.
Tikashwari Rai, a Nepali mother of two daughters, at the Youth Movements and Democratic Futures in South Asia session at International Civil Society Week, held at Bangkok’s Thammasat University. Credit: Zofeen Ebrahim/IPS
“We don’t want to work as domestic help in the Middle East; we want opportunities here, in our own country. But because there are none, many young people are forced to leave,” she explained.
Yet, she admitted, the protests came at a heavy cost—lives lost and infrastructure destroyed. “Our youth need guidance and stronger organization to lead social movements effectively,” she added.
Beyond the immediate triggers of street protests, some activists argue that deeper systemic issues fuel youth disenchantment.
Melani Gunathilaka, a climate and political activist from Sri Lanka, at the Youth Movements and Democratic Futures in South Asia session at International Civil Society Week, held at Bangkok’s Thammasat University. Credit: Zofeen Ebrahim/IPS
Melani Gunathilaka, a young climate and political activist from Sri Lanka, who was also on the panel, believed the roots of disenchantment ran deeper. “While these protests are often labeled as anti-government, at their core, they demand systemic change and true accountability from those in power.”
The immediate triggers seem to spread across corruption, authoritarian governments, repression, lack of access to basic needs and more,” she said.
A closer look at the situation in countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Kenya, however, exposed economic hardship, debt burdens, and deepening inequalities. And this trend is also observed globally, she pointed out.
Despite these frustrations, the conference also explored how young and older activists can work together, not just to protest, but to reshape movements constructively.
“Across civil society, there is growing recognition that youth must be meaningfully included in development and nation-building. While progress varies from group to group, the direction of change is unmistakably forward,” said D’cruz.
Talpur further fine-tuned D’Cruz’s sentiment. “It’s not about taking over; it’s about working together through collaboration.” He also found it “unfair for the boomers to create a mess and leave it to the millennials and Gen Z to fix it.”
Interestingly, the sentiment found an echo among the older generation itself. Founder of the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, Debbie Stothard, said it was unfair to leave the mess her generation had created to the young and then expect them to “fix it.”
Speaking at the closing plenary titled “Futures We’re Building: Youth, Climate and Intergenerational Justice, she noted that she had been talking about “intergenerational equity” for 40 years, yet many in her generation of activists still fail to “walk the talk” in how they live and lead. Still, she added, it is not too late: “We can still make space.”
That space, she explained, begins with a change in mindset. “It’s not our job to empower the youth; it’s recognizing that they have power,” she said—a reminder that true equity lies not in giving power away, but in acknowledging it already exists.
This shift in perspective is already reshaping how movements operate. Youth no longer need to “look up to” traditional authority figures for inspiration, said D’cruz. Many within their generation are already leading change.
Mihajlo Matkovic, a member of the Youth Action Team at CIVICUS, from Serbia, also at the closing, demonstrated how real change required innovation and persistence. “Because our generation did not have any great example of what a direct democracy looks like,” he said, adding, “We had to basically reinvent it.”
But success depends on civil society letting go of their ego and letting the youth enter the arena, he pointed out.
Matkovic’s example showed the potential of youth-led innovation—but for such change to succeed, civil society must genuinely make space and resist old hierarchies it claims to challenge, because these patterns have also fueled a climate of mistrust. “It’s hard to trust civil society,” said Rai. “They’re not sincere to the causes of ordinary people.”
Gunathilaka echoed this sentiment, noting that civil society has often been co-opted by the very systems the youth seek to change. “Ignoring the influence of private capital and international financial structures that prioritize the needs of global trade while sidelining the needs of communities has only deepened the mistrust among youth,” she added.
This climate of mistrust, while not explicitly mentioned in the final declaration of the ICSW—which urged governments to protect democracy, human rights, the rights of minorities and excluded groups, and to ensure environmental protection and climate justice—nonetheless underscored a broader challenge: civil society itself must look inward, confront its shortcomings, and reimagine how it engages meaningfully with the next generation.
IPS UN Bureau Report
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L’Albanie, le Monténégro, la Moldavie et l’Ukraine ont réalisé des progrès significatifs dans les réformes clés que l’UE considère comme essentielles pour rejoindre le bloc, apprend-on dans le rapport annuel sur l’élargissement de la Commission, publié mardi 4 novembre.
The post Élargissement : quatre candidats à l’adhésion à l’UE réalisent des progrès significatifs appeared first on Euractiv FR.
Les ministres européens de l’Environnement ont approuvé mercredi 5 novembre un objectif de réduction de 90 % des émissions de gaz à effet de serre d’ici 2040 par rapport aux niveaux de 1990. L’accord, conclu après près de 20 heures de négociations, donne à Ursula von der Leyen un mandat concret avant son départ pour la COP30 qui s’ouvre cette semaine au Brésil.
The post L’UE s’accorde sur son objectif climatique pour 2040, à temps pour la COP30 appeared first on Euractiv FR.
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Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI décrète le 31 octobre "Fête de l'Unité". Cette décision fait suite à la résolution historique adoptée par le Conseil de securité de l'ONU sur le Sahara marocain.
La nouvelle de l'institution de la "Fête de l'Unité" a été annoncée mardi à travers un communiqué du Cabinet royal.
"Eu égard au tournant historique qu'a connu le processus de la Cause Nationale et ayant à l'esprit les développements décisifs apportés par la résolution 2797/2025 du Conseil de sécurité, qui a fait l'objet du récent Discours adressé par Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI, que Dieu L'assiste et Le glorifie, à Son peuple fidèle, il a été décidé de décréter la journée du 31 octobre de chaque année une fête nationale et une occasion lors de laquelle Sa Majesté le Roi accorde Sa grâce. Sa Majesté le Roi, que Dieu Le préserve, a bien voulu donner à cette fête nationale le nom de "Aid Al Wahda" (Fête de l'Unité), avec tout ce qu'elle implique en termes de significations et de références à l'unité nationale et à l'intégrité territoriale inébranlable du Royaume. Cette fête constituera une occasion nationale fédératrice pour l'expression de l'attachement aux sacralités nationales du Royaume et à ses droits légitimes.Il a été aussi décidé que le Discours Royal sera prononcé à l'avenir en deux occasions officielles : la première à travers le Discours de la glorieuse fête du Trône et la seconde à l'occasion de l'ouverture du Parlement. Ce faisant, Sa Majesté le Roi, en tant qu'Amir Al-Mouminine et Chef de l'Etat, Se réserve la décision et l'appréciation de S'adresser à Son peuple fidèle à tout moment et à toute occasion que Sa Majesté le Roi, que Dieu Le préserve, juge opportuns. Il sera également procédé au maintien des festivités programmées pour la célébration du cinquantenaire de la glorieuse Marche Verte, sans que le Souverain n'adresse un Discours à la Nation à cette occasion"., précise le communiqué du Cabinet royal.
L' "Aid Al Wahda" que vient de décréter Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI est la première fête nationale instituée depuis celle de la récupération d'Oued Eddahab en 1979. Elle marque ainsi la première célébration nationale proclamée par le Souverain depuis Son avènement. L'officialisation du Nouvel An amazigh venait reconnaître une tradition festive pluriséculaire profondément ancrée dans l'identité marocaine.
Aujourd'hui, la décision de Sa Majesté de célébrer « l'Unité » le 31 octobre, à la lumière du nouveau tournant dans la question du Sahara, vient consacrer la notion d'un « Maroc indivisible ». Indivisible dans son territoire comme dans la communauté de destin de sa Nation.
Un Royaume riche de ses différences, mais uni et indivisible : diversité des affluents religieux, pluralité des cultures, variété des milieux sociaux. Autant de singularités qui, loin de diviser, nourrissent la force de la nation marocaine.
Cette résolution historique du Conseil de sécurité sur le Sahara marocain montre le soutien de la communauté internationale à une cause juste que défend le Royaume du Maroc sous la Vision éclairée de SM. Le Roi Mohammed VI.
Belém - View from the Convention Center where the COP30 summit is to be held. Credit: Sergio Moraes/COP30 Brazil Amazonia
By Umar Manzoor Shah
SRINAGAR, India, Nov 5 2025 (IPS)
The world is falling dangerously short of meeting the Paris Agreement goals, with global greenhouse gas emissions rising to record levels and current national pledges still far off the mark, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said in its Emissions Gap Report 2025: Off Target.
The report, marking ten years since the Paris Agreement’s adoption, concludes that even with full implementation of all existing pledges, global temperatures are projected to rise between 2.3°C and 2.5°C this century. Should current policies persist, global warming could potentially reach 2.8°C.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his video message posted after the report launch on November 4, said that the new Emissions Gap Report, issued by the United Nations Environment Programme, is clear and uncompromising. If nationally determined contributions, the national action plans on climate, are fully implemented by 2035, global warming would reach 2.3 degrees Celsius, down from 2.6 degrees in last year’s projections. That is progress, but nowhere near enough.
He said that the current commitments still point to climate breakdown. Scientists tell us that a temporary overshoot above 1.5 degrees is now inevitable, starting at the latest in the early 2030s. And the path to a livable future gets steeper by the day. “But this is no reason to surrender. It is a reason to step up and speed up. 1.5 degrees by the end of the century remains our North Star. And the science is clear: the goal is still within reach. But only if we meaningfully increase our ambition. Our mission is simple, but not easy,” he said.
Only about one-third of countries have submitted new or updated climate pledges (NDCs) by the September 2025 deadline. The report warns that despite some progress in renewable energy deployment, overall global emissions reached 57.7 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent (GtCO₂e) in 2024—a 2.3 percent increase from 2023, the steepest annual rise in over a decade.
According to UNEP, deforestation and land-use change accounted for more than half of the increase in 2024’s emissions, with fossil fuels contributing 36 percent. The G20 nations remain responsible for 77 percent of total global emissions, and only the European Union recorded a decline last year. India and China saw the largest absolute increases, while Indonesia registered the fastest relative growth.
Despite the Paris Agreement’s requirement that all parties submit new or revised NDCs by early 2025, only 60 parties, covering 63 percent of global emissions, have done so. Of these, just 13 updated their 2030 targets. Most new NDCs offer little improvement in ambition, with many missing commitments to double energy efficiency or triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. “Costs are falling, investments are rising, innovation is surging, and clean power is now the cheapest source of electricity in most markets and the fastest to deploy. It strengthens energy security, cuts pollution, and creates millions of decent jobs. Leaders must seize this moment and waste no time,” Guterres said.
He added that tripling renewables and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, building modern grids and large-scale storage, and ending all new coal, oil and gas expansion in a just and equitable manner. “The clean energy revolution must reach everyone, everywhere. But developing countries face crippling capital costs and a fraction of global investment,” he added.
UNEP’s analysis indicates that the new NDCs narrow the emissions gap for 2035 only marginally. The world would still emit 12 GtCO2e more than what is consistent with a 2°C pathway and 23 GtCO2e above the level required for 1.5°C. The gap widens further by 2050 unless countries drastically change course.
Overshoot of 1.5°C Now Inevitable
The report warns that global temperatures are set to exceed the 1.5°C limit within the next decade, with 2024 already marking the hottest year on record at 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. The remaining carbon budget for a 1.5°C future without overshoot is just 130 GtCO₂, which is enough for barely three more years of current emissions.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, said the findings show governments have “missed the target for a third time.” She called the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement a major setback that would add roughly 0.1°C to projected warming.
“The task now is to make this overshoot as brief and shallow as possible,” Andersen said. “Every fraction of a degree matters. Each 0.1°C increase brings more droughts, floods, and losses, especially for the poorest.”
What Needs to Happen
To have a 66 percent chance of returning global warming to 1.5°C by 2100, the world must cut 2030 emissions by 26 percent and 2035 emissions by 46 percent compared with 2019 levels. This would require reducing global greenhouse gas output to about 32 GtCO₂e by 2035.
The “rapid mitigation from 2025” scenario explored in the report shows that immediate and deep reductions starting next year could still limit peak warming to around 1.7–1.9°C before gradually returning to 1.5°C by the end of the century. But UNEP warns that each year of delay makes the path “steeper, costlier, and more disruptive.”
The report emphasizes two imperatives: implementing aggressive near-term mitigation to minimize temperature overshoot and scaling up carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies to reach net-zero and eventually net-negative emissions.
Unequal Progress and Missed Opportunities
Seven G20 members are on track to meet their current NDC targets, but most are far from achieving their net-zero pledges. Many developing countries still lack financing and technical support to implement their climate commitments. The report urges developed nations to provide “unparalleled increases in climate finance” and to reform international financial systems to make green investments accessible.
Despite setbacks, UNEP highlights that 70 percent of global emissions are now covered by net-zero pledges, a sharp increase from zero in 2015. Falling costs of wind and solar energy, along with advancements in battery storage, have made clean energy transition more viable than ever.
“Climate action is not charity,” Andersen said. “It is self-interest. It delivers jobs, energy security, and economic resilience.”
Science and Legal Mandates
The report also references the July 2025 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which ruled that states have legal obligations to protect the climate system under human rights law. It reaffirmed that limiting warming to 1.5°C remains the primary goal of the Paris Agreement, despite temporary exceedance.
UNEP scientists caution that even brief overshoots of 1.5°C could trigger irreversible tipping points, including the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet and thawing of permafrost releasing methane. Each 0.1°C rise beyond current levels increases risks of extreme weather, biodiversity loss, and health impacts, particularly in vulnerable regions.
Path Ahead to COP30
The findings come ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where nations are expected to present enhanced NDCs. UNEP urges governments to treat the conference as a turning point.
“The Paris Agreement has driven progress, but ambition and delivery have lagged,” the report states. “Each missed opportunity now adds to future costs, instability, and suffering.”
Guterres said that COP30 in Belém must be the turning point, where the world delivers a bold and credible response plan to close the ambition and implementation gaps, to mobilize USD 1.3 trillion a year by 2035 in climate finance for developing countries, and to advance climate justice for all. “The path to 1.5 degrees is narrow but open. Let us accelerate to keep that path alive for people, for the planet, and for our common future,” he said.
The 2025 report was prepared by 39 scientists from 21 institutions in 16 countries, coordinated by UNEP’s Copenhagen Climate Centre. It states that while 1.5°C is still technically achievable, the window is “narrow and closing fast.”
“Global warming will exceed 1.5°C, very likely within the next decade,” it says. “The challenge now is to ensure that this overshoot is brief and reversible. Every year, every policy, every ton of CO2 counts.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
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