Global Initiative Bi-weekly site updates
June 01 to June 17th, 2025
Lebanon
The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, a government body serving as interlocutor between Palestinian refugees and officials, met on Friday with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in attendance.
Kenya
The curriculum, developed jointly by the Kenya School of Government, the Hague Academy for Local Governance, and the Department of Refugee Services, in collaboration with the two counties, seeks to address a long-standing gap in formal training tools for sector players. During a four-day forum held in Kakuma in Turkana county, the draft curriculum was unveiled for stakeholders' discussion and validation.
Hundreds of thousands of people are "slowly starving" in Kenyan refugee camps after US funding cuts reduced food rations to their lowest ever levels, a United Nations official has told the BBC.
The impact is starkly visible at a hospital in the sprawling Kakuma camp in the north-west of the East African nation. It is home to roughly 300,000 refugees who have fled strife in countries across Africa and the Middle East. Emaciated children fill a 30-bed ward at Kakuma's Amusait Hospital, staring blankly at visitors as they receive treatment for severe acute malnutrition. One baby, Hellen, barely moves. Parts of her skin are wrinkled and peeling, leaving angry patches of red - the result of malnutrition, a medic tells the BBC.
Rwanda
Three Prime Minister’s Orders, all published on June 3 in the Official Gazette, establish the special employment statute for staff in public higher learning institutions and define the governance structures of Rwanda Polytechnic and the University of Rwanda.
1. Autonomy in recruiting
Public institutions of higher learning have been granted autonomy in managing their human resources. Unlike the previous system that required institutions to follow the general statute for public servants, the new framework allows higher learning institutions to independently recruit staff. This shift will help attract qualified professionals more quickly and address long-standing staffing challenges affecting the two public institutions, according to their leaders.
Lebanon
Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri emphasized the importance of coordination with the Syrian government and the United Nations to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon.
In an interview with Al-Modon newspaper on Sunday, Mitri revealed that he is currently preparing a comprehensive return plan, including a brief document outlining the key principles and framework for enabling the return of the largest possible number of refugees. The proposal is expected to be presented at the Cabinet session on Monday. Mitri stressed that cooperation with Syrian authorities and international organizations—particularly UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration—is essential.
Most of the new arrivals are Alawites, a religious minority who were the target of an early March wave of killings that saw forces affiliated with the new Syrian government carry out retaliatory massacres in Alawite-majority areas. This came after groups loyal to the former regime of President Bashar al-Assad attacked security forces – al-Assad is an Alawite, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartous were once seen as his strongholds.
At least 800 people are believed to have been killed in early March, although the exact death count is still not clear. When the violence began, thousands of people, mostly Alawites, sought safety in Lebanon, and people are still crossing the border. Most are staying in Alawite villages in Lebanon’s northern Akkar province, in places like the tiny northern border village of Massoudiyeh, which has nearly doubled in size to around 11,380 people.
South Africa
In South Africa, Youth Month is celebrated every June following a declaration by our first democratic President, Tata Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. It is a time when we collectively honour the pivotal role that young people played in the struggle against Apartheid and the historic Soweto Uprising of 1976.
Every 16 June, as we mark National Youth Day, we not only remember the sacrifices and courage of those young people, but we also renew our commitment to equipping today’s youth for a vibrant future. The theme for 2025 Youth Month, “Skills for the changing world – Empowering youth for meaningful economic participation”, calls on us to build on our proud legacy as Africans and to prepare our young people for the evolving demands of the global economy.
Vietnam
Latin America
UNESCO IESALC released a new Policy Brief titled "Strengthening technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in higher education: challenges in access, retention and learning processes".
This comprehensive analysis, produced in collaboration with the Centro de Desarrollo Estudios e Incidencia – INACAP, highlights the urgent need for systemic reforms within higher TVET to boost graduate numbers and ensure their successful integration into the evolving global labor market. Higher TVET, which has seen its enrollment double in the last two decades, is a crucial contributor to the social, economic, and environmental development of nations. However, the Policy Brief identifies significant barriers hindering its full potential, particularly concerning student success and alignment with workforce demands.
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