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Feeling safe and being social are crucial for children in times of war. Kindergarten children in Slavutych, in northern Ukraine, will be safe in a bomb shelter that was restored and equipped by the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF).

It is one of 56 facilities in Ukraine that has been rehabilitated to provide a safe haven for kindergarten and school children thanks to EU humanitarian funding and other donors. Protecting the most vulnerable.

Children in the EU-funded shelter in northern Ukraine can socialise and stay safe.

UNICEF

Previously, bomb shelters did not exist in the Slavutych kindergarten, and children and teachers were forced to hide behind walls during air alarms.

Now, children spend their rest hours in the shelter, which was specially equipped just over a month ago to protect them during air alerts and missile attacks.

Not long ago, this colourful and bright shelter was a dark and cold basement, providing no safety or comfort for children.

UNICEF

"We are going to visit an ant," says 5-year-old Maksym, clutching a toy as he follows his friends and teachers down the stairs. As he enters the shelter, he finds a bright, spacious room with drawings of ants on the walls.

There are currently 112 children who attend the kindergarten, and the shelter is designed for 220 people. According to the teachers, rest hours are best spent in the shelter for childrens sleep not to be disrupted during air alarms.

While the kindergarten was closed, Oksana and her colleagues guarded it, but then decided to return to work to support the children.

UNICEF

"While half awake, each child reacts to an air alarm differently, that's why we decided to have the rest hour in the shelter, says teacher Oksana.

Instead of saying we are going to the shelter, we told children from the very beginning we are going to visit an ant. It's our favourite character, she explains.

Following the start of Russias full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022, the kindergarten in Slavutych remained closed for months until it was finally able to reopen its doors in the end of August. Yet, teachers at the kindergarten say the fear is still very real.

"We try to hold on and not to show the children that we are worried, says Oksana. We hope for the better. When the kindergarten was closed, we guarded it and then decided to return to work, because children need to socialise.

Now the children have a safe and comfortable place to play and socialise.

UNICEF

In the kindergarten, children can play in a safe environment. Parents, too, can relax in the knowledge that the new shelter protects their children.

For children to continue attending schools and kindergartens, UNICEF and partners are rehabilitating shelters and rebuilding schools in the most affected areas of Ukraine. Currently, 56 facilities have been restored.

The implementation of this programme is possible thanks to the support and funding of the European Union and USAID. In addition, UNICEF provides necessary supplies and materials for various activities and for the comfort of children in shelters.

Story by UNICEF.Publication date: 13/04/2023

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From darkness to light: how Ukrainian children find comfort and ... - Humanitarian Aid

Across European Union March 30th, 2023 will beremembered as the day the European Parliament("EP") tackled the EU gender pay gap. Inour 'Mind the gap!' article we have alreadystated that pay transparency offers a solution in bridging the paygap. However, until today the first step still needed to betaken.

The members of EP have understood the need to tackle this issueand on March 30th, 2023 a large majority in the EP votedin favour of the Pay Transparency Directive("Directive"): 427 members voted infavour. The 79 votes against and 76 abstentions could not havestopped this first step in closing the gender pay gap.

The EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli welcomed EP'ssupport for the new rules:

"Today's adoption of the pay transparency directiveis a significant step towards addressing the gender pay gap in theEuropean Union and increasing women's economic and financialindependence"

The proposal for this Directive was introduced by the EuropeanCommission in March 2021 and entailed amongst other an obligationfor EU organisations to be open about the pay policiesstrengthening the principal of equal pay for equal work.

Adopting the Directive is the first step in making salaries moretransparent as the lack of pay transparency has proven to be one ofthe main obstacles, if not the major one in closing the gender paygap women (of EU) so badly need.

The Directive also ensures job-seekers to have access toinformation on the pay range of positions they apply for anddisabling employers to ask about previous pay, thus limiting thepossibility of job-seekers salary history to influence the salaryoffered to the candidate.

The Pay Transparency Act, in order to prevent discrimination,requires employers to be open about the pay policies making itaccessible to their employees. The pay policies need to offerobjective and gender-neutral criteria used to determine wages andwage increases.

However, this is only applicable to companies with more than 100employees. But it is a starting point giving employersresponsibility for providing transparency as they have to sharethis information with the competent national authority, withemployees and with employees' representatives (e.g. unions).Additionally, employees and their representatives shall be able torequest information on their pay level and that of other employeesdoing the same work in order to compare the wages.

If it should appear that the average pay of male and femaleemployees differs by at least 5% (on a full-time basis!) and theemployer cannot sufficiently justify the difference (e.g. noobjective and gender-neutral criteria) the employers incooperation with employees' representatives must carryout a joint pay review. If unjustified differences exist, theemployer shall have to take corrective measures.

Moreover, under the new pay transparency rules the employersshall be obliged to provide the information on pay policiesannually or every three years, depending on the size of the companyand intersectional discrimination will be considered an aggravatingfactor.

Employers who fail to comply with the 'equal pay for equalwork' principle risk compensation claims by employees, judicialmeasures such as forcing employers to comply with this law withintheir own organisation and organisations, e.g. equality bodies orstaff representatives taking action on behalf of employees.

More specific penalties and measures will have to be set up bymember states upon implementation of the Directive.

Directives contain targets that all European Union member statesmust meet. The intended outcome is therefore fixed, but how amember state meets it is not. Member States are free to decide howto implement the directive. In doing so, they can take into accountthe specific situation in their own country.

So we're not there yet!

The period for implementation is three years, meaning that fore.g. the Netherlands, the legislation will have to be in force by2026 at the latest.

Let's hope the House of Representatives (TweedeKamer) won't wait that long and implementation shall bequicker than continued consideration on the proposal 'GenderPay Equality Bill', similar to the one EP just adopted, whichhas been submitted in March 2019 and not yet deliberated on.

It is clear that employers cannot give the same wage toeveryone. A lot of work is needed in determining someone'sworth. It takes a lot of effort to take into account differentwages and everyone's different situations and to organize itall to a fair amount of money.

As an employer you may have good grounds to reward someone withless work experience even if they have to do the same work, butthis needs to have a good justification. This requires labourtransparency and that is difficult.

It can seem overwhelming and often employers do not know exactlywhere and how to start. These kinds of issues can cause problemsand create a tense working atmosphere. ACG International can helpemployers to achieve transparency.

ACG International is specialized and experienced in assistingcompanies preparing these kinds of divisions of labour. It isimportant for both employers and employees that these issues areand remain properly managed.

ACG International's managing partner, Edith Nordmann, has anexpert qualification in labour law. She has been working as alawyer in the field for over twenty years and can offer practicaland strategic advice about employment contracts as well as help youmaximize the transparency you have been searching for.

In addition, as of 2023, Edith has been appointed as member ofthe Task Force Future of Work, Skilling and Mobility under theBusiness 20 (B20 (of the G20 2023)) meeting withapproximately 100 esteemed professionals from around the worldspecialised in the field of employment. The B20?is the official G20dialogue forum representing the global business community.Established in 2010, the B20 is among the most prominent EngagementGroups in G20, with companies and business organisations asparticipants. The B20 leads the process of galvanising globalbusiness leaders for their views on issues of global economic andtrade governance and speaks in a single voice for the entire G20business community.

So, at ACG International you're in great hands.

If you want to learn more about labour transparency and labourdivisions, or how to really start reducing inequality in anefficient way on the business floor you are at the right place. ACGInternational offers free"labour-transparency-check" strategy sessions tohelp employers assess what needs to be done to achieve labourtransparency.

The content of this article is intended to provide a generalguide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be soughtabout your specific circumstances.

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European Parliament Adopts Pay Transparency Directive First ... - Mondaq News Alerts

BRUSSELS, March 28 (Reuters) - Two rival alliances of European Union countries held final-hour talks in Brussels on Tuesday, ahead of negotiations on whether to recognise nuclear power under the EU's renewable energy goals.

The stand-off comes a day before EU countries and lawmakers are supposed to agree tougher EU targets to expand renewable energy by 2030 - a key part of the bloc's plans to reduce CO2 emissions and wean itself off Russian gas.

The negotiations are bogged down in a debate over nuclear energy, with the issue threatening to thwart a deal on one of Europe's main climate policies. Countries were still split on Tuesday morning.

Eleven countries, led by Austria and including Germany and Spain, met on Tuesday to discuss their push to keep nuclear energy out of the renewables targets. They say mixing nuclear into the renewable energy law would distract from efforts to massively expand wind and solar.

"The group calls for ambitious targets in the (renewable energy law) in order to have a clear mandate for investors and customers," Austrian Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler said.

On the other side of the debate, French energy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher convened a meeting of 13 pro-nuclear countries including the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy and Poland.

In a joint statement, the countries said they had "agreed that a favourable industrial and financial framework is necessary for nuclear projects".

That comes after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said "cutting-edge nuclear" projects would not receive the full benefits on offer under proposed EU incentives to support green industries.

Some of those countries are pushing to count "low-carbon hydrogen" - hydrogen produced from nuclear electricity - towards the EU renewable energy goals.

They say countries should be encouraged to use nuclear-based hydrogen as well as renewable energy-based hydrogen, since both are CO2-free and can therefore help nations to quit fossil fuels faster.

"What is at stake is not to oppose nuclear and renewables, what is at stake is to take into account everything that allows us to become carbon neutral and to lower our CO2 emissions by 2030," Pannier-Runacher said.

Reporting by Kate Abnett; additional reporting by Benoit van Overstraeten; editing by Christina Fincher, Giles Elgood and David Goodman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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EU countries stand-off over nuclear role in renewable energy goals - Reuters

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has increased the popularity of the European Union (EU) among the Swiss, writes the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, citing a survey by the gfs.berne polling institute.

This content was published on March 26, 2023March 26, 2023 minutes

NZZ am Sonntag/jc

The proportion of people holding a positive image of Switzerlands bilateral agreements with the EU has risen from 53% to 59% compared with last year, it says. The poll found that 60% were also in favour of Switzerland joining the European Economic Area.

The Swiss are looking at Europe differently since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, gfs.berne co-director Urs Bieri tells the newspaper. They no longer see bilateral relations through a purely economic lens.

The survey also shows that a majority of respondents are open to compromise in negotiations with the EU. Sixty-five percent would support Switzerland adopting EU law, provided that the right to popular referenda remained. Fifty-five percent would accept a role for the European Court of Justice in dispute resolution. And 55% say they are open to compromise on salary protection.

This comesas the Swiss government decides next steps in its approach to the EU. In 2021, Bern rejected the results of negotiations on an institutional framework accord regulatingabout existing 120 bilateral agreements with the 27-nation bloc. The main sticking points are state aid rules, salary protection and EU citizens access to social security benefits in Switzerland.

A series of exploratory talks have taken place since March 2022 to try to re-start formal talks between the two sides.

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Swiss more positive on European Union in wake of Ukraine war - SWI swissinfo.ch in English

Rome, 28 March 2023 -- With a global food crisis aggravated by the war in Ukraine, the intensification of climate change and many countries at risk of debt distress, Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, and Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), signed two agreements today for a total of 70.7 million to boost the sustainable production of nutritious and locally grown food and build small-scale farmers' resilience to climate and economic shocks in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

"Global Gateway, the EU's positive offer, is an investment in the strategic autonomy of our partner countries. We want to support them to build their food systems through sustainable production for better resilience. These funds will enable small-scale producers to feed their families and communities sustainably," said Urpilainen.

Small-scale farmers produce one third of the world's food and up to 70 percent of the food in low- and middle-income countries. With the global prices of energy and food reaching unprecedented levels particularly since the start of the war in Ukraine, food inflation has been high in many countries. In addition, small-scale farmers are heavily impacted by climate change and are often those most affected by more frequent and intense extreme weather events.

"Investing in building productive, sustainable and resilient local food systems is a necessary condition to reach long-term sustainable food security," said Lario. "We must invest to enable small-scale producers to feed their families and nations sustainably, have access to finance and productive resources, adapt to climate change, and build shorter and local food value chains."

The European Union is providing 52.5 million to IFAD as part of the Investing in Livelihood Resilience and Soil Health in ACP countries programme. It will promote agroecology and sustainable agricultural practices aimed at improving and sustaining soil fertility, a more efficient use of synthetic and organic fertilizers, sustainable water management to ensure soils make full use of nutrients, the production of local bio-fertilizers, the use of biodigesters, and small-scale producers' access to inputs tailored to local agroecological conditions. Activities will be implemented in Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali and Niger, with other countries potentially to be added over time.

The European Union is also providing an 18.2 million grant for the Global Programme for Small-scale Agroecology Producers and Sustainable Food Systems Transformation. The Kingdom of Belgium is providing an addition 5 million. The programme will scale-up agroecology practices and help small-scale farmers through better access to knowledge, support services, technologies and market outlets.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), extreme weather events will likely increase in frequency and magnitude in the coming years, putting global food systems at increased risk of disruption, with supply shortages and price hikes inevitable with each new crisis. At the same time, ecosystems and soils will be under increasing threats from climate change and depletion from overuse.

Agroecology provides solutions by helping small-scale farmers adapt to climate change, manage natural resources more efficiently, preserve biodiversity and reverse land degradation trends, while providing an alternative to synthetic fertilizers and increasing production.

The number of people facing acute food insecurity soared from 135 million in 2019 to 345 million in 2022. Approximately 828 million people were estimated to be chronically undernourished in 2022 and almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet.

Note to editors:

The European Union is a major IFAD partner and has contributed a total amount of almost 675 million in financing to the Fund since 2006. The current IFAD-EU collaboration is multi-faceted and is characterized by a shared drive to scale up innovative models that deliver measurable impacts on the ground. In particular, the EU has supported farmers' organizations in systemic and sustained ways. Its funding helps expand the potential of remittances for development and innovative public-private financing models. The EU is also contributing to IFAD supported projects in Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Mali, Uganda and Sudan. Currently there are 19 ongoing agreements between IFAD and the European Commission for approximately 317 million.

Press release No.: IFAD/29/2023

IFAD is an international financial institution and a United Nations specialized agency. Based in Rome -- the United Nations food and agriculture hub -- IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided more than US$24billion in grants and low-interest loans to fund projects in developing countries.

A wide range of photographs of IFAD's work in rural communities are available for download from its Image Bank.

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The EU and IFAD join forces to support resilient and sustainable ... - ReliefWeb