• The most common household profile of those surveyed was single adults with dependents (31%) • Almost all respondents stated that they possessed legal status with most holding temporary protection (77%) Only 1% stated that they were living without any legal status • Around one-third (32%) stated that they had at least one household member who had returned to Ukraine temporarily more than once since arriving in Moldova with the majority (91%) having stayed less than 2 weeks The primary purposes of return were to check on the situation • Around one-third (29%) of households had at least one family member with a serious medical condition 16% of households had at least one family member with a disability • While 39% of respondents stated that they were employed before leaving Ukraine only 6% indicated being employed in Moldova Around one-quarter of respondents cited family responsibilities as their primary activity all households with school-age children reported that they had at least one child registered for education in Moldova schools • Almost all respondents (99%) indicated urgent needs with material assistance being the most reported followed by food and medical treatment/items The main types of information needs reported by respondents was financial aid (90%) 1,186,845 refugees and third-country nationals (TCN) had arrived in the Republic of Moldova from Ukraine since 24 February 2022 some 123,729 Ukranian refugees and 10,475 TCN had chosen to remain in Moldova To strengthen and promote evidencebased protection response have been implementing a Protection Profiling and Monitoring exercise since 2022 Protection Profiling and Monitoring involves regular data collection and analysis about the profiles protection risks and needs of refugees from Ukraine EUROPA PENTRU TINE!Află despre beneficiile și oportunitățile oferite Republicii Moldova de Uniunea Europeană Chișinău - Prime Minister Dorin Recean went to see two businesses which promote the competitive agriculture during a working visit to the northern Edinet district entrepreneur Ianec Streletchi seven years ago planted an orchard of fruit trees – sweet cherry and apple trees The businessman welcomed the support provided by the government to the farmers hit by the natural calamities noting that he had benefited from compensation worth 240,000 lei The first harvest following the first investments is expected in three years „We appreciate the ambition and involvement of the farmers who manage to edify prosperous businesses and we encourage the investments in a modern competitive and industrialized agriculture,’’ the PM said Prime Minister Dorin Recean also visited a business of Lilia Zaporojan Mere-Nord (Apples-North) from the Cupcini village specialized in the planting of apple and sweet cherry trees in which the system support and irrigation the entrepreneur had a harvest of 700 tons The products are sold on the local and external markets Lilia Zaporojan appreciated the support worth 500,000 lei provided by the farmers hit by the bad weather from 25 July 2023 All materials featured on this site are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) Technical-technological administration: Information Technology and Cyber Security Service. During the June 2024 annual general meeting season shareholders made a total of 385 proposals to 91 Japanese publicly listed companies nearly the same as in the June 2023 annual general meeting season the number of companies subject to shareholder proposals has increased by 237% and the total number of shareholder proposals has increased by 63% Although the number of proposals remains the same as last year only four (4) proposals this year received 50% or more support the number of proposals with 30% or greater support increased from 49 to 68 while the number of proposals with 20% or greater support rose to 113 from 107 three (3) called for selling shares or ending cross-shareholdings (up one (1) from 2023) 46 called for special dividends (up 16 from 2023) and 12 called for share buybacks (down 12 from 2023).2 97 called for changes to the composition of the board Eight (8) called for changes to director compensation The number of shareholder proposals that garnered more than 50% support fell to four (4) from 22 compared to last year Three (3) of these proposals were submitted to apparel company Daidoh Limited by Strategic Capital a Japanese activist fund led by Tsuyoshi Maruki a veteran activist investor known for his focus on traditional balance sheet issues.3 Strategic Capital proposed three (3) board nominees respectively.4 Daidoh Limited has posted operating losses for 11 years in a row and has been at odds with Strategic Capital Daidoh Limited announced plans to increase dividends and repurchase treasury stock within a certain period of time as a way to enhance shareholder returns at the conclusion of discussions at a board meeting of eight (8) newly elected directors at this year's annual shareholders meeting Strategic Capital sold its entire stake in Daidoh Limited the next day according to an amendment report filed on July 12.6 The shareholder proposal with the highest support rating (57.3%) during the June proxy season was a proposal by UGS Asset Management to request a special dividend from Toyo Securities Toyo Securities would have had to amend its articles of incorporation requires a 2/3 supermajority vote.7 8 Nevertheless Toyo Securities did not leave the meeting unscathed Toyo Securities had originally proposed the appointment of eight (8) directors reportedly did not expect Kuwahara to be elected due to prior voting conditions forcing the company to withdraw Kuwahara from its list of director candidates on the day of the annual meeting.9 10 Toyo Securities also received a low approval rating of 50% to 51% for its chosen candidates a notably low approval rate for a company-proposed director While the increase in support for shareholder activism in Japan is not always evident in the statistics for a single year's annual general-meeting season such upward trend in support illustrates the changing environment only 6% of activist fund shareholder proposals received 40% or more support but this year nearly 25% received 40% or more support the passage of shareholder proposals is only one indicator of the success of activism in Japan While it is not always clear how much influence activists have behind the scenes on listed companies as shareholders a close look at the behavior of companies in which activists have been shareholders for many years gives some indication as to their influence activist Dalton Investments as a shareholder since 2017 raised its annual dividend for the year ending March this year from ¥26 to ¥39 it announced a plan to return more than ¥20 billion to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks from the year ending March 2025 to the year ending March 2028.11 the TSE requested that all listed companies on the Prime and Standard Markets take "action to implement management that is conscious of the cost of capital and stock price" (the "Request").12 Following the Request 64 companies increased their return of capital to shareholders despite forecasts of decreased net profits in 2023.13 On January 15 the TSE published a list of companies that have disclosed information regarding their compliance with the Request in order to inform investors which listed companies are taking action with the hope of encouraging others to follow suit.14 The TSE also announced that it will update the list monthly shareholders continue to demand that companies raise their dividend payout ratios and pay special dividends There were 52 shareholder proposals on dividends this year While none of the shareholder proposals received the majority support generally required to for such proposals to pass there were seven (7) proposals with 35% or more support The top proposal (43.73%) was a proposal by UGS Asset Management Co. (Sunshine E Investment Partnership) that called for a 6% dividend on equity (DOE) from Sata Construction Another 14 shareholder proposals received support between 20% and 35% this year saw an increase in proposals requiring a specific DOE rather than a payout ratio Most of last year's top 15 dividend proposals focused on a payout ratio with only three (3) requiring a specific DOE DOE proposals accounted for half of the top 15 proposals this year Asset Value Investors and Strategic Capital have been persistent with requests for dividend proposals Asset Value Investors submitted two highly favored dividend proposals: a proposal for a 70% payout ratio was approved with 61.58% support and a proposal for a 30% payout ratio for SK Kaken was the fourth-most supported dividend proposal with 35.14% support Asset Value Investors took a more aggressive approach to SK Kaken this year raising its payout requirement from 30% to 50%.15 Despite this much higher target the proposal obtained a 31.68% support rate signaling a potential increase of shareholder support for a higher payout ratio.16 Another persistent shareholder to note is Strategic Capital In addition to successfully electing three (3) board nominees at Daidoh Limited this year Strategic Capital also garnered high support ratings for its proposals for dividends from surplus to Toa Road and Bunka Shutter: The proposal to pay a 8% DOE dividend at TOA Road received 19.54% approval,17 while the proposal to pay a 100% payout ratio dividend at Bunka Shutter received 26.14% approval.18 Strategic Capital made a similar proposal last year (in collaboration with NAVF) to Bunka Shutter for a 100% payout ratio Compared to last year's 21.47% approval rating the proposal appears to be building up momentum having gained more approval from shareholders this year.19 Companies trading below book value account for as much as 47% of companies in Japan's broad benchmark Topix index are only 18.4% and 4.8% respectively.20 As the TSE continue to press Japanese companies to increase ROE and boost the appeal of the Japanese stock market to investors it will be interesting to see whether more companies will follow the TSE's request and move towards faster growth by taking measures such as mobilizing their excess cash and other assets and reinvest them to boost company growth or reduce cost of capital by boosting dividends and thus the stock price The number of shareholder proposals to change the composition of the board of directors increased from 59 in 2023 to 97 in 2024 with a significant showing at companies facing high-profile corporate scandals support for Hankyu Hanshin's proposal to reappoint CEO Kazuo Sumi as a director was 57.45% the lowest this year.21 This is believed to be the result of an incident involving a theater member at the Takarazuka Revue which has posted a net loss for the second year in a row announced on the day before its shareholders' meeting that Wu Po-Hsuan would step down as president and chief executive officer and Okitsu Masahiro would be promoted from vice president to president and chief executive officer.22 According to media reports the two (2) years of losses stemming from the slump in the LCD panel business and the unusual announcement of a change in president on the day before the shareholders' meeting prompted a series of harsh comments on management responsibility Both the reappointment of Wu and Okitsu as directors and the appointment of a new outside director were approved Both Sharp and Hankyu Hanshin appear to lack any traditional activist shareholders both episodes appear to feature so-called "ordinary" shareholders who decided to become actively engaged in the management of the companies in which they held a financial interest While environmental and climate-related proposals continue to be proposed every year and obtain a non-negligible percentage of support the recent trend of waning support for these initiatives continues At the general meeting of shareholders of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group two (2) proposals submitted by shareholders were related to climate change The first was a proposal to amend the articles of incorporation to require disclosure of information necessary for shareholders to evaluate directors' ability to effectively manage climate-related business risks and opportunities The second was a proposal to amend the articles of incorporation to require disclosure of information on how the company evaluates clients' climate change mitigation plans that garnered only 18.38% support.25 For Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group two (2) similar proposals were also submitted as shareholder proposals The company saw 26.34% support for the first proposal and 24.21% support for the second proposal.26 support for environmental proposals in Japan remains weak the average support rate for environmental proposals was 20% which was slightly above the average support rate of 18% for the 2023 environmental proposals the majority of these proposals came from a small number of climate change activists the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility The weak support for environmental proposals in Japan can be seen as part of the decline in global support for environmental proposals the average support rate for all environmental proposals in the US was 16% down from 19% in 2023 and 30% in 2021.27 No environmental proposals were passed in Japan between 2020 and 2024 White & Case means the international legal practice comprising White & Case LLP a New York State registered limited liability partnership a limited liability partnership incorporated under English law and all other affiliated partnerships This article is prepared for the general information of interested persons Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the Republic of Moldova in collaboration with the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation the Government of Japan and the Government of Switzerland has initiated a new phase of emergency agricultural assistance for vulnerable smallholder farmers and households struggling with the effects of the 2022 drought and the ongoing regional crisis 622 rural communities will receive essential agricultural resources such as vegetable seed kits are financed by two projects implemented by FAO: The joint initiative by FAO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) “Emergency support for agri-producers in the context of socio-economic and energy crisis” funded by ADA and the Swiss Government through the Republic of Moldova 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Partnerships Trust Fund.  The FAO project “Emergency support to sustain agricultural production and safeguard the food and nutrition security of highly vulnerable farming households impacted by the conflict in Ukraine and drought” Highlighting the dire need for cattle feed FAO Assistant Representative in the Republic of Moldova “this assistance is crucial for the vulnerable families that rely on their livestock for their basic food needs.” To this end nearly 2 500 individual beneficiaries owning from one to five cows will receive 400 kg of compound animal feed providing a lifeline until the new pasturing season begins The initiative will reach 12 000 pre-selected vulnerable beneficiaries in critical need of support Eight rayons will receive vegetable seed kits distribution: Soroca Five rayons will receive potato seeds: Orhei and Riscani; and four rayons will receive animal feed: Cimislia The vegetable seed kits will be distributed in February each kit supports vegetable production under plastic tunnels ranging from 50 to 1 000 m² and includes a selection of tomato and cucumber seeds nearly 8 000 households will receive each 50 kg of seed potato tubers “Austrian Development Cooperation is deeply committed to alleviating the difficulties faced by Moldovan farmers and rural households Our collaboration with the Republic of Moldova and international bodies like FAO and UNDP showcases our dedication to promote sustainable development and food security in our partner country," affirmed Gunther Zimmer Head of the Austrian Development Agency’s office in Chișinău The Swiss Cooperation Office in Republic of Moldova also expressed its commitment Head of Office, Guido Beltrani stated that "this project is fully in line with our long-standing commitment to support Republic of Moldova's development and resilience the Swiss Government contributes to food security in the region and helps mitigate the negative impacts of the current military conflict in Ukraine by supporting the most vulnerable farmers in rural areas Showing strong support for Republic of Moldova during tough times Japan’s Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova Yoichiro Yamada highlighted that "this assistance embodies Japan's solidarity with Republic of Moldova during these difficult times and we are committed to supporting Republic of Moldova's journey towards recovery and sustainable development We are confident that through collaboration with FAO and other stakeholders we can achieve impactful outcomes for the Moldovan people."  Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry in Republic of Moldova “We are grateful for the support of our international partners in addressing the urgent needs of vulnerable families This program is a testament to our continued commitment to mitigating the effects of current challenges facing the agriculture sector In addition to agricultural inputs distribution FAO will train farmers in climate-smart agriculture technologies and practical income-generating activities with a target of inclusion of nearly 200 women agricultural producers This comprehensive approach not only addresses immediate agricultural needs but also fosters long-term sustainability and market access ------------------------------------------------------------ Since the start of the FAO’s Rapid Response Plan in 2023 substantial assistance has been provided to the agricultural community in the Republic of Moldova targeting families and farmers facing economic hardships and the adverse effects of climate change cattle fodder was distributed to 2 830 families from 120 localities across the districts of Căușeni Each family received between 350 and 375 kg of fodder which was vital in addressing existing feed shortages the program facilitated the distribution of 30 tonnes of maize seeds and 60 tonnes of fertilizers to more than 1 200 small farmers in the three districts of Călărași According to the estimates of the Government of the Republic of Moldova Russia’s war in Ukraine could cost the economy of the Republic of Moldova two to ten percent of the country's total GDP 70 percent of the Republic of Moldova’s small farms already suffer from a lack of resources You don't have permissions to access this page Chișinău - The benefits of the governmental and cross-border programmes Moldova’s European integration way and possibilities of settlements’ development have been among the subjects discussed by Prime Minister Dorin Recean with representatives of local public authorities and the deconcentrated services from the northern Edinet district councilors and other civil servants to discuss with the citizens more in order to prevent the misinformation and the spread of falsehoods Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that the government encouraged the local authorities to identify new ways of attracting investments in order to develop the villages and towns from the district the cabinet of ministers had approved the regulation on the turning to account of the grounds of the waters’ fund and of the hydro-technical constructions which will allow generating sources of income to local budgets „The state budget is just like the budget of a family and we together should think of how to attract more sources of income as well as how to spend the money rationally We must fulfill the budget which we have and benefit from European funds,’’ Prime Minister Dorin Recean also said the mayors referred to the problems existing in settlements: the lack of aqueduct and sewerage systems unauthorized waste dumps and the unsatisfactory state of roads It is worth mentioning that 15 projects were carried out in the Edinet district within the European Village Programme and 17 - within the Express European Village Programme works of roads’ rehabilitation worth 16.7 million lei are planned for this year PM Dorin Recean stressed that the funds for the European Village programme would be increased and urged the mayors to participate in as many as possible European projects: ‘’We are obliged to prepare for the pre-accession funds.’’    The prime minister also touched upon the need to consolidate the efforts in order to mobilize the citizens to participate in the referendum due in next autumn ‘’We should be united for our country goal and edify Europe at home,’’ PM Dorin Recean added On March 3, following the start of the conflict in Ukraine INTERSOS activated mobile clinics to assist the massive influx of refugees entering Moldova initially at the country’s southeastern border with an operational office in the capital Chisinau because of the stabilization of the number of refugees arriving we reshaped activities to help local communities welcome and integrate refugees Due to the geographic spread of the displaced population from Ukraine INTERSOS extended its activities through four new health and protection projects to the central districts of Chișinău to the northern districts of Edinet and Drochia and the southern districts of Căușeni and Ștefan Voda Thanks to the support of the Stichting Vluchteling Foundation (SV) of the German Foreign Ministry (GFFO) and the NGO Action Medeor we offer basic health support and refer complex cases to specialised centres we promote healthy practices such as vaccination in marginalised communities especially the Ukrainian Roma refugee community in Moldova Activities take place in reception centres in Chisinau in the south of the country and at the Bus Hub in Palanca while with mobile clinics we reach food distribution centres in the capital we conducted training sessions targeting staff on stress management and psychological first aid brought to refugees arriving in the country a Moldovan NGO specialising in working with survivors of gender-based violence and domestic violence and integration activities in host communities and community outreach with whom we work closely to establish trusting relationships with the people we help we provide information regarding services available to refugees and offer psychosocial support to adult and child refugees The goal is to promote psychosocial well-being and communities throughout the country and offer individual and group psychological sessions and activities to focus on psychological and social needs we conduct capacity-building training targeting professionals from the medical and social sectors Protection and psychological support activities are crucial elements of INTERSOS’ intervention in Moldova We operate in several shelters nationwide through psychologists and cultural mediators in Chisinau and other districts nationwide We reach adults and children trying to alleviate their suffering and build a more peaceful future I study medicine at Sana’a University this is a privilege for me in a country like Yemen Achieving this goal has not been easy; studying medicine has always been a dream for me but my family’s limited economic resources and the poor educational offerings in my country have made my path more difficult I never stopped believing that I could make a difference to be able to treat as many people as possible who as of today do not have access to care I imagine that one day there may be a hospital where getting treatment can be the norm and no longer a right of a few I am studying telecommunications engineering I chose it because I was always amused by the technologies It has a good outlook for the future because And communication is something that is very important in daily life the possibilities will never end in this field My parents are divorced and my mother was a teacher trying to take care of four children The only way I could continue my studies was to get the scholarship This financial support allowed me to reshape my life to better pursue my university studies I was working while studying at the university and with the scholarship I was able to reduce my working hours and devote more time to studying A great weight was lifted off my shoulders thanks to the DAFI scholarship This scholarship really gave me a second chance to achieve my goals and work to my full potential I currently work as an education officer in INTERSOS and strive to never stop learning and developing my skills by enrolling and attending some courses and conferences My dream is to help others realize their dream I want to live free and help others to live free and fulfilled another of my biggest dreams is to continue my studies and do a master’s degree which is the best path for career development and a better future I am 24 years old and grew up in Al Dhalea governorate in northern Yemen I am a fourth-year medical student at the Faculty of Medicine I chose medicine because I have a strong interest and passion for science driven by an innate desire to do what I can to help people who are suffering the medical profession is one of the most coveted in the world I learned the meaning of the words commitment The Lavazza Foundation scholarship has helped me overcome many challenges which has been a constant source of concern for me the scholarship is an essential support for daily expenses something changed in my approach and now I have a more positive outlook on life I started studying with a smile and realize how lucky I am to have had this opportunity I engage more with my classmates and ask the lecturers whenever there is something I don’t understand but I continue to try my best and hope everything goes well I have to believe that I am capable of becoming a good doctor In the past I used to joke about the possibility of becoming a doctor: today I am a fourth-year medical student and I got a scholarship that allows me to believe in a dream coming true to have the resources to make myself presentable and never give up The scholarship has ignited in me a renewed sense of optimism after graduation I would like to continue my studies and pursue a master’s degree My future seemed already written: a life of deprivation I was just a child and already carrying on my shoulders the weight of a particularly complex context for women who are often denied choices everything changed with my determination not to accept a destiny already set I decided to study and have a different future I managed to enroll in the Faculty of Dentistry Then came the scholarship that is allowing me to continue my academic journey and get closer and closer to my goal: to become a dentist Doa’a is a student under our “Scholarships for the Education of Yemeni Youth” project funded by the Lavazza Foundation Doa’a’s story is one of resilience and hope our intervention in Yemen has not only provided access to medical care and essential goods or protection for people who survived violence We have also supported education because we believe that the only way to overcome conflict is to invest in the education of the younger generation Wael has been stateless since the registry office of the town where he lived burned down during the civil war His five children are also stateless: the sons are painters Wael’s wife runs a small shop where she sells household products for third parties she cannot afford the necessary treatment and she doesn’t know how to carry on Lina has always lived in Lebanon but has always remained stateless She works as a cleaner by the hour to help her family With what she earned and some help from her friends she managed to get two of her daughters to continue their studies Esther arrived from Ethiopia ten years ago looking for work to help her ailing mother She found only temporary jobs as a domestic worker She was repeatedly harassed by her employees never registered the marriage and Esther soon discovered his drug addiction (the pills and white powder around the house were not medicines for toothache especially when she refused to act as a courier for drugs outside Beirut he locked her up in a room for days and tortured her with cigarette burns who were never spared mistreatment and beatings when her husband was about to throw a pot of boiling water on her Esther started screaming so loudly that she alarmed the neighbors He ended up in prison but for a short time A Lebanese association that supports women survivors of violence offered refuge to Esther and her two children who remained stateless because their births were never registered from which she receives material and legal assistance She is still afraid to move freely and meet her abusive husband but her family was exterminated during the civil war Amara arrived in Beirut in 2012 from Addis Ababa Like tens of thousands of other migrant workers her stay in Lebanon is framed by the so-called “Kafala” system a sponsorship that often turns into a form of modern slavery providing a precarious legal status that prevents them from registering their children of Lebanese origin Amara married a Lebanese taxi driver and had three children must provide documentary proof of being previously unmarried And how could Amara prove that she was not already married in Ethiopia before leaving the country although the father recognised the three children because he could not present the requested documentation to the registry office Moldova has very few earthquakes and most of them are very small (below magnitude 3) Larger quakes with magnitudes above 3 might occur from time to time Based on data from the past 55 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 33.6 quakes on average per year in Moldova Moldova has had at least 16 quakes above magnitude 4 since 1970 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 1 to 5 years Moldova has about 15.4 quakes of magnitude 2 or higher per year The quake had a moderate depth of 100 km (62 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so) Moldova has had 8 quakes of magnitude 3.0 or above and 9 quakes between 2.0 and 3.0 There have been also 2 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel 2025 at 11.16 pm local time (Europe/Bucharest GMT +3) The quake had a very shallow depth of 24 km (15 mi) and was reported felt by some people near the epicenter.