FORMATION de TECHNICIENS HYDROLOGUES
Promotion 4
La formation de nos 25 Techniciens avance et vous trouverez ci-joint une première photo de l’ensemble de la promotion au Centre 2IE.
Ils sont pour une partie de la semaine sur le terrain.
Les participants sont de differents pays de l'Afrique:
Benin, Burkina Phaso, Centre Afrique, Ciad, Congo RD, Mauritanie
for all the children
of the world
The CEO of "Mary's Meals" reflects on the
seeds sown during an International Summit on Children's Rights organized by the
Vatican and says the Pope's announcement he will write an Apostolic Exhortation
dedicated to children will be crucial in harnessing policies, work and energy
for the future of all the children of the world.
-
By
Francesca Merlo
There is no initiative aimed at protecting and
empowering children that is not based on a common love, a love that transcends
all borders, all policies and all ideologies. This was the underlying and
uniting theme that rang out at the International Summit on Children’s Rights,
hosted by Pope Francis. On Monday, 3 February 2025, the Vatican’s Clementine
Hall gathered advocates, policymakers, and representatives of grassroots
organisations who work tirelessly to ensure that children everywhere are
assured the dignity, protection, and care that is inherent in every life.
The many aspects of the future of a child
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Founder and CEO of
Mary’s Meals, a global initiative that has transformed the lives of millions of
children in some of the world’s poorest nations by providing them with a daily
meal in their place of education, was one of the speakers at the event.
Reflecting on the many insights that were offered throughout the day, and on
the richness and variety of perspectives shared during the Summit, he noted
that, “at times, it seemed we were coming from so many different places, but at
the heart of it all is just our love for the child”. There are so many
aspects to be considered when striving to ensure that a child grows,
flourishes, and is protected. Different panels at the summit focused on all of
these: from family and healthcare to education and nutrition. And these aspects
are encapsulated in that one single, simple, meal provided by Mary’s Meals.
In an interview with Vatican News, MacFarlane-Barrow
highlighted that “the first thing we do is meet the immediate need of hunger.
But Mary’s Meals is never just about food - it is always linked to education.”
He recalled his most recent visit to Malawi, just one
week ago, in which a child chatting to him at school spoke about how during his
classes before the feeding programme was implemented, he felt too weak to even
hold his pencil.
“Hunger is just this evil thing” MacFarlane-Barrow
said. He described the physical and psychological effects of malnutrition:
weakness, stunted growth, the inability to focus. All these, he said, can shape
a child’s entire future. “Having a good meal a day changes that”.
Food for family
The Summit focused on so many more aspects that are
relevant to a child's life and wellbeing, some, MacFarlane-Barrow stressed, “I
cannot even pretend to begin to understand”. A father himself, he spoke of the
anguish a parent must feel not knowing how they will feed their child tomorrow.
Many parents he has met feel powerless and unable to guide or discipline their
children when they cannot even provide them with a meal.
“I’ve had fathers tell me, ‘How can I speak to my
children about their behaviour if I can’t even feed them? What respect do they
have for me?’ The anguish of that father is a terrible thing.”
In many ways, the simple act of feeding a child also
restores dignity to families, offering parents a sense of security, a chance to
hope again. “When a parent knows their child is being fed at school, it lifts a
huge burden,” MacFarlane-Barrow said. “It gives them the space to focus on
other things - to work, to plan for the future, to simply be a family.”
Action on all levels
Reflecting on the testimonies of people from areas of
conflict, MacFarlane-Barrow admitted that there are many challenges that Mary’s
Meals faces when operating in areas where wars are fought. “Of course, there
are huge challenges - logistics, safety”, he says, “but we work through local
communities and partners who stay no matter what.”
This highlights another focus of the Summit that
gathered voices from both grassroots initiatives and institutional
policy-making. While Mary’s Meals operates at the most direct, practical level,
MacFarlane-Barrow acknowledged the vital role of systemic change. “I wouldn’t
be one to influence policy,” he admitted, “but thank God there are people doing
that. It’s really important that we work at every level.” One, he added, cannot
go without the other.
A meal as a sign of peace
Even in extreme realities such as Yemen, Ethiopia,
South Sudan and Haiti, in which children are growing up amidst violence,
MacFarlane-Barrow stressed that their mission remains unchanged: one daily
meal, always tied to education. “That can be so important in times of conflict
- to get children back into the classroom as quickly as possible so they don’t
lose years of schooling.”
“The simple presence of a meal in a place of learning
can be a small but powerful act of peace,” he said. “It tells a child: you are
not forgotten, your future matters.” It’s a sign of hope: “My favourite word!”
he adds.
While some attendees expressed concern that summits
such as these might end in empty promises, MacFarlane-Barrow left the gathering
with hope. “I was really amazed when Pope Francis announced he would write a
new Apostolic Exhortation on this theme. That alone will have an
enormous impact.”
He concluded by highglighting that beyond policy talk,
deeply human connections were forged in the room. “Meeting others doing
incredible work, sharing stories, learning from each other. That in itself is
invaluable,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, no single organisation,
no single policy, can solve this alone. But together, we can create something
powerful.”
Vatican News
dans un monde brisé?
Dans le livre « Cercando un Paese innocente », Pasquale Ferrara, directeur général des affaires politiques au ministère des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération internationale, explique comment la guerre tend à mettre en avant deux attitudes polarisantes : le réalisme et le pacifisme. Ferrara suggère que ce n'est pas nous qui sont obligés de choisir : le réalisme utopique peut être le point de convergence entre les deux attitudes, et donc le point de départ d'une nouvelle manière de construire la paix - au Yémen, en Ukraine, au Soudan, en Palestine
- par Maria Barletta
« Est-ce le fou qui est le plus fou, ou le fou qui le suit ? » (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars – Épisode VI – Un nouvel espoir). La question rhétorique d’un maître Jedi exilé a plus à voir avec notre monde qu’il n’y paraît, tout comme une citation pop a plus à voir avec un livre sur la géopolitique qu’elle ne le fait habituellement.
C’est ce qui rend différent le livre « Cercando un Paese innocente » (édité par Città Nuova) de Pasquale Ferrara, directeur général des affaires politiques au ministère des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération internationale, avec le sous-titre « La paix est possible dans un monde en « frantumi” : la capacité de traiter toutes les questions géopolitiques brûlantes et controversées qui dominent notre présent non seulement avec la profondeur et l’acuité découlant d’une longue expérience diplomatique, mais aussi avec une curiosité intellectuelle contagieuse et une sensibilité humaine qui n’a pas peur de se référer à la délicatesse d’un poème de Montale, à l’universalité de Shakespeare, à la sagesse de Yoda. Même le titre emprunté à Ungaretti et l’épigraphe à Charlie Brown ne sont pas des ambitions littéraires ou des clins d’œil, mais les premiers signes de l’esprit audacieux et parfois à contre-courant des réflexions et des propositions avancées.
En plus de se mouvoir parmi les multiples problématiques (la tension croissante entre les puissances mondiales, les responsabilités de la mondialisation, les fissures dans l'ordre international...) qui composent l'état de polycrise dans lequel nous sommes plongés, presque comme dans un tableau d'Escher Sans issue, Ferrara s’intéresse particulièrement à la manière dont nous-mêmes, en tant que société et en tant qu’individus, réfléchissons à ces questions et à la manière dont nous imaginons – ou ne parvenons pas à imaginer – les résoudre. Un thème avant tout : la guerre, qui tend à mettre en avant deux attitudes polarisantes : le réalisme (lire le monde en termes de purs rapports de force) et le pacifisme (rejet de la violence et recherche, à tout prix ou presque, de solutions). ils y ont mis un terme au plus vite).
Le réalisme est souvent considéré comme l’attitude la plus mature et la plus rationnelle, tandis que le pacifisme est une illusion, une moquerie, au mieux une utopie. Mais tôt ou tard, il vaut la peine de se demander : si vous courez à une vitesse vertigineuse vers un précipice, celui qui essaie de ralentir est-il plus réaliste que celui qui continue tout droit, pensant peut-être que la chute ne fera pas de mal ? beaucoup ou que quelqu'un d'autre s'en sortira de toute façon ? pire ? En même temps, si la prudence est de mise dans l’évaluation des solutions de paix, rien n’est plus réaliste que de constater que la paix se fait toujours avec des ennemis – ce qui est considéré comme impensable devra se produire tôt ou tard.
Mais Ferrara fait plus que prendre parti : il suggère au contraire que nous n’avons pas à choisir, rappelant ainsi le réalisme utopique de Morten Tønnesen. Un changement radical du statu quo est souvent beaucoup plus difficile à concevoir que son maintien, mais ce qui est vraiment irréaliste, c'est de penser qu'une situation donnée est perpétuelle, indéfiniment soutenable : « un réaliste utopique est quelqu'un qui [...] a la capacité de se concentrer sur ce qui est, et de ne pas se concentrer sur ce qui est, et de ne pas se concentrer sur ce qui est, et de ne pas se concentrer sur ce qui est. « Le courage de lutter pour des idées et des États souhaitables (quelles que soient les perspectives à court terme) et qui a la conscience que le statu quo n’est qu’un phénomène passager. » Cela est encore plus vrai dans les situations de conflit, où il serait dans l’intérêt de la partie (la plus) offensée de penser à la paix, c’est-à-dire à l’avenir. Le réalisme utopique peut être le point de convergence entre les deux attitudes/alignements, et donc le point de départ d’une nouvelle manière de construire la paix – au Yémen, en Ukraine, au Soudan, en Palestine.
L’une des suggestions les plus fascinantes du livre est celle selon laquelle la distance entre la realpolitik et Gabriel García Márquez est aussi courte ou aussi large que nous le souhaitons, ou que nous le laissons être. Que le réalisme d'une certaine conception des relations internationales et le réalisme magique d'un prix Nobel de littérature puissent exister dans la même dimension peut paraître naïf seulement à ceux qui ne suivent pas attentivement les arguments de Ferrara, qui ne négligent pas les erreurs et les défauts de la ordre international, mais il ne permet pas aux schémas de pensée obtus ou cyniques d’inhiber la volonté de continuer à imaginer des solutions éthiques et efficaces.
Il s’avère que les lignes de fracture qui nous séparent et nous rendent si fragiles peuvent être franchies – voire comblées – par des personnes (en politique, en diplomatie, dans la société civile) animées par la participation, l’inquiétude, la bonne volonté, prêtes à s’exposer pour permettre que que la confiance mutuelle soit créée – d’où le dialogue, d’où la paix, d’où le salut.
FOR THE 59th WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS
Share with gentleness the hope that is in your hearts
(cf. 1
Pet 3:15-16)
Dear brothers and sisters!
In these our times, characterized by disinformation
and polarization, as a few centres of power control an unprecedented mass of
data and information, I would like to speak to you as one who is well aware of
the importance – now more than ever – of your work as journalists and
communicators. Your courageous efforts to put personal and collective
responsibility towards others at the heart of communication are indeed
necessary.
As I reflect on the Jubilee we are celebrating this year as a moment of
grace in these troubled times, I would like in this Message to invite you to be
“communicators of hope”, starting from a renewal of your work and mission in
the spirit of the Gospel.
Disarming communication
Too often today, communication generates not hope, but
fear and despair, prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred. All too
often it simplifies reality in order to provoke instinctive reactions; it uses
words like a razor; it even uses false or artfully distorted information to
send messages designed to agitate, provoke or hurt. On several occasions, I
have spoken of our need to “disarm” communication and to purify it of
aggressiveness. It never helps to reduce reality to slogans. All of us see how
– from television talk shows to verbal attacks on social media – there is a
risk that the paradigm of competition, opposition, the will to dominate and
possess, and the manipulation of public opinion will prevail.
There is also another troubling phenomenon: what we
might call the “programmed dispersion of attention” through digital systems
that, by profiling us according to the logic of the market, modify our
perception of reality. As a result, we witness, often helplessly, a sort of
atomization of interests that ends up undermining the foundations of our
existence as community, our ability to join in the pursuit of the common good,
to listen to one another and to understand each other’s point of view.
Identifying an “enemy” to lash out against thus appears indispensable as a way
of asserting ourselves. Yet when others become our “enemies”, when we disregard
their individuality and dignity in order to mock and deride them, we also lose
the possibility of generating hope. As Don Tonino Bello observed, all conflicts
“start when individual faces melt away and disappear”. [1] We must not surrender to this mindset.
Hope, in fact, is not something easy. Georges Bernanos
once said that, “only those are capable of hope, who have had the courage to
despair of the illusions and lies in which they once found security and which
they falsely mistook for hope... Hope is a risk that must be taken. It is the
risk of risks”. [2] Hope is a hidden virtue, tenacious and patient.
For Christians, it is not an option but a necessary condition. As Pope Benedict XVI noted in the Encyclical Spe Salvi, hope is not passive optimism but, on the contrary, a
“performative” virtue capable of changing our lives: “The one who has hope
lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life’
(No. 2).
Accounting with gentleness for the hope that is in us
In the First Letter of Peter (3:15-16), we find an
admirable synthesis in which hope is linked to Christian witness and
communication: “In your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make
your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is
in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence”. I would like to dwell on
three messages that we can glean from these words.
“In your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord”. The hope of
Christians has a face, the face of the risen Lord. His promise to remain always
with us through the gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to hope even against all
hope, and to perceive the hidden goodness quietly present even when all else
seems lost.
The second message is that we should be prepared to
explain the hope that is in us. Significantly, the Apostle tells us to give an
accounting of our hope “to anyone who demands” it. Christians are not primarily
people who “talk about” God, but who resonate with the beauty of his love and a
new way of experiencing everything. Theirs is a lived love that raises the
question and calls for an answer: Why do you live like this? Why are you like
this?
In Saint Peter’s words, we find, finally, a third
message: our response to this question is to be made “with gentleness and
reverence”. Christian communication – but I would also say communication
in general – should be steeped in gentleness and closeness, like the talk of
companions on the road. This was the method of the greatest communicator of all
time, Jesus of Nazareth, who, as he walked alongside the two disciples of
Emmaus, spoke with them and made their hearts burn within them as he interpreted
events in the light of the Scriptures.
I dream of a communication capable of making us fellow
travelers, walking alongside our brothers and sisters and encouraging them to
hope in these troubled times. A communication capable of speaking to the heart,
arousing not passionate reactions of defensiveness and anger, but attitudes of
openness and friendship. A communication capable of focusing on beauty and hope
even in the midst of apparently desperate situations, and generating
commitment, empathy and concern for others. A communication that can help us in
“recognizing the dignity of each human being, and [in] working together to care
for our common home” (Dilexit Nos, 217).
I dream of a communication that does not peddle
illusions or fears, but is able to give reasons for hope. Martin Luther King
once said: “If I can help someone as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with
a word or song... then my living will not be in vain”. [3] To do this, though, we must be healed of
our “diseases” of self-promotion and self-absorption, and avoid the risk of
shouting over others in order to make our voices heard. A good communicator
ensures that those who listen, read or watch can be involved, can draw close,
can get in touch with the best part of themselves and enter with these
attitudes into the stories told. Communicating in this way helps us to become
“pilgrims of hope”, which is the motto of the present Jubilee.
Hoping together
Hope is always a community project. Let us think for a
moment of the grandeur of the message offered by this Year of Grace. We are all
invited – all of us! – to start over again, to let God lift us up, to let him
embrace us and shower us with mercy. In this regard, the personal and communal
aspects are inseparably connected: we set out together, we journey alongside
our many brothers and sisters, and we pass through the Holy Door together.
The Jubilee has many social implications. We can
think, for example, of its message of mercy and hope for those who live in
prisons, or its call for closeness and tenderness towards those who suffer and
are on the margins. The Jubilee reminds us that those who are peacemakers “will
be called children of God” (Mt 5:9), and in this way it inspires
hope, points us to the need for an attentive, gentle and reflective
communication, capable of pointing out paths of dialogue. For this reason, I
encourage you to discover and make known the many stories of goodness hidden in
the folds of the news, imitating those gold-prospectors who tirelessly sift the
sand in search of a tiny nugget. It is good to seek out such seeds of hope and
make them known. It helps our world to be a little less deaf to the cry of the
poor, a little less indifferent, a little less closed in on itself. May you
always find those glimmers of goodness that inspire us to hope. This kind
of communication can help to build communion, to make us feel less alone, to
rediscover the importance of walking together.
Do not forget the heart
Dear brothers and sisters, in the face of the
astonishing achievements of technology, I encourage you to care for your heart,
your interior life. What does that mean? Let me offer you a few thoughts.
Be meek and never forget the faces of other people;
speak to the hearts of the women and men whom you serve in carrying out your
work.
Do not allow instinctive reactions to guide your
communication. Always spread hope, even when it is difficult, even when
it costs, even when it seems not to bear fruit.
Try to promote a communication that can heal the
wounds of our humanity.
Make room for the heartfelt trust that, like a slender
but resistant flower, does not succumb to the ravages of life, but blossoms and
grows in the most unexpected places. It is there in the hope of those mothers
who daily pray to see their children return from the trenches of a conflict,
and in the hope of those fathers who emigrate at great risk in search of a
better future. It is also there in the hope of those children who somehow
manage to play, laugh and believe in life even amid the debris of war and in
the impoverished streets of favelas.
Be witnesses and promoters of a non-aggressive
communication; help to spread a culture of care, build bridges and break down
the visible and invisible barriers of the present time.
Tell stories steeped in hope, be concerned about our
common destiny and strive to write together the history of our future.
All this you can do, and we can do, with God’s grace,
which the Jubilee helps us to receive in abundance. This is my prayer, and with
it, I bless each of you and your work.
Study reveals that the inhabitants
of the Romanized German regions
are still longer-lived,
“flexible” and happier than their fellow countrymen.
Why?
A
study published in the last few hours by Current Research
In
Ecological
and
Social Pcychology
explores
the lasting influence of Roman civilization on the macro-psychological
character of German regions. Macro-psychological characteristics are
produced, in each territory, by what we might define as the collective psyche
of the population. There are, to give an example close to us, general
characteristics of Italians , but also macro-psychological
characteristics of regions and provinces. Up to the collective psyche of cities
and towns. This was what, once, was generically defined as “mentality”. A particular
way of being and perceiving. A Tuscan has one macro-psychology, a
Lombard another, a Campanian yet another, etc.
Saalburg
is an archaeological site that preserves an ancient Roman fort located in
Germany, on the ridge of the Taunus mountains, northwest of Bad Homburg, in
present-day Hesse. This castrum, designed to house a cohort, was part of the
Limes Germanicus-Rhaetian, the line of fortifications that marked the border of
the Roman provinces in Germany. The Limes Germanicus-Rhaetian was a defense
system consisting of forts, auxiliary blockhouses, watchtowers and palisades,
built by the Romans to protect the borders of the provinces of Germania
Superior and Raetia.
The
findings suggest that the ancient Roman border, known as the Limes Germanicus
, continues to influence the differences regional .
Detailed analyses indicate that Roman investments in economic institutions,
such as trade infrastructure, roads, markets, modernized agriculture,
aqueducts, and mines, were crucial in creating this long-term effect.
The
Limes Germanicus – black dotted line – in 200 AD
In
particular, 87% of modern highways in Romanized regions are located near
ancient Roman roads, highlighting the persistence of this communication
network. The Romans – even within an imperialist framework –
significantly multiplied well-being, job opportunities, hygiene, technology,
“team play”, organization, coordinated responses to external threats and
natural upheavals, religious tolerance . The rights and duties of
the citizen were, in an age without laws, established by a precise and detailed
legal corpus. During those centuries, cyclopean works were also undertaken, the
foundations of which remain in the character of the conquered regions. Security
, stability , certainty in identifying objectives, limitation
of chance games endure over time – within the collective memory – and are
transmitted through both culture and economy.
The
bold black line marks the ancient border. In red, the certain Roman roads. The
triangles indicate markets and mines
The
study highlights how ancient cultures may have left a macro-psychological
legacy that contributes to current regional inequalities . Regions that
benefited from Roman investment developed a “collective memory” associated with
the values of the Empire, which is still reflected in the stories, traditions
and attitudes of local communities today. This cultural legacy influenced
behaviors and values, contributing to greater extroversion, openness and life
satisfaction, as well as a lower incidence of “ neuroticism ” - a trait
associated with stress and anxiety.
On
the left, with light colors, the current areas with less " neurotism
". The demarcation between blocks is clear. On the right, with darker
colors, life expectancy. This too tends to be higher in the Romanized area.
Furthermore,
the study highlights that life expectancy in formerly Romanized regions is
significantly higher, with an average of six months more than in non-Romanized
areas. The initial advantages, established during Roman rule, generated a path
dependency ( path dependence ), or a development model that has strengthened
over time. The regions began in a position of economic advantage thanks to
Roman investments, becoming inclined to maintain higher levels of well-being
and growth.
On
the other hand, areas outside of Roman rule faced greater challenges in
achieving this development. This historical disparity may explain some of the
regional differences in economic and psychological indicators in contemporary
Germany. The study
offers a historical perspective on the
deep roots of regional inequalities in health, well-being, and personality
traits, highlighting the importance of considering the legacy of ancient
cultures when analyzing today's socioeconomic dynamics.
The
regions of present-day Germany that became part of the Roman Empire were mainly
those located west of the Rhine River and south of the Danube River. These
included:
1.
Province of Germania
Inferior : included parts of present-day North
Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
2. Province of Germania
Superior : covered areas of present-day
Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse.
3. Province of Rhaetia :
including regions of present-day Bavaria and parts of Baden-Württemberg.
The
areas east of the Rhine, known as Germania Magna, were never fully integrated
into the Roman Empire, although the Romans attempted to conquer them several
times, as demonstrated by the famous Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD,
where Germanic tribes, led by Arminius, defeated three Roman legions.
EN: This message is addressed to NGO partners and foundations by the Unit for Civil Society Partnerships (BSP/DPA/CSP) (e-mail : ngo@unesco.org) | FR : Ce message est adressé aux ONG partenaires et fondations par l’Unité chargée des partenariats avec la société civile (BSP/DPA/CSP) (e-mail : ngo@unesco.org)
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INFO RADAR is a newsletter published by the Division for Communications and Public Engagement (CPE), highlighting new major developments, events, publications and press articles regarding the Organization. This newsletter is intended for UNESCO staff and shared with Member States, and we are pleased to share it with our partner NGOs and foundations. We invite you to continue to follow our activities on UNESCO’s website and social media.
***
L'INFO RADAR est un bulletin d'information publié par la Division de la communication et de la mobilisation du public (CPE), qui met en lumière les nouveaux développements majeurs, les événements, les publications et les articles de presse concernant l'Organisation. Ce bulletin est destiné au personnel de l'UNESCO et partagé avec les États membres, et nous avons le plaisir de le partager avec nos ONG et fondations partenaires. Nous vous invitons à continuer à suivre nos activités sur le site web et les médias sociaux de l'UNESCO.
