EcoContact NGO organized a seminar in Chisinau to train Moldovan authorities and environmental experts on applying the biodiversity assessment procedure and integrating it into the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process.

• EcoContact NGO held the training in Chisinau for representatives of the Environment Ministry, Environment Agency, and Environmental Protection Inspectorate to cover the practical implementation of the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment, the biodiversity assessment procedure, stages of assessment, correlation with the Habitats Directive and the Emerald Network, use of GIS and spatial data to identify Emerald sites, and assessment of cumulative impacts; the activity was implemented under the Green Justice for a Protected Environment and Sustainable Communities in Moldova project with financial support from Sweden.
• The seminar highlighted frequent deficiencies in biodiversity assessment studies — lack of field research, insufficient data, omission of cumulative impact, no evaluation of reasonable alternatives, and unsupported conclusions — and presented practical examples on when biodiversity assessment is required, the content of studies, and how study conclusions affect environmental permit issuance; the event continued a series of trainings held in 2025, and EcoContact NGO together with the Environment Ministry developed two guidelines in 2025 on EIA and biodiversity assessment.

South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola closed the SADC Ministers of Foreign Affairs Retreat and called for bold collective regional action to strengthen resilience, integration, energy security, and sustainable development.

• Main announcement / action: Ministers reaffirmed commitment to collective action to strengthen regional resilience, deepen integration, and advance sustainable development; they produced concrete proposals to strengthen regional value chains, expand energy security, accelerate mineral beneficiation, fast‑track land and maritime corridors, deepen agro‑processing, and establish cross‑border special economic zones.
• Event details and background:
  • Date: 22–24 May 2026
  • Time: not specified
  • Location: Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa
  • Agenda / thematic focus:financing regional integration, industrialisation, infrastructure and logistics, energy and mineral resources, agriculture and food security
  • Context: Retreat closed on the eve of Africa Day; source: SAnews.gov.za.

SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi announced outcomes from the SADC Ministers of Foreign Affairs Retreat calling for mobilisation of domestic financial resources and deeper regional investment and cooperation.

• Main announcement: The retreat concluded that SADC must mobilise domestic resources (including pension funds, insurance funds, private equity and diaspora funds) to finance regional development and pursue joint investment in energy assets, highlighting Angola and Mozambique’s oil and gas as strategic regional resources and encouraging SADC participation in Angola’s Lobito refinery; ministers recommended finance and energy ministers to explore these investment options.
• Background and follow-up actions: Ministers agreed to establish a Borrowers Club working with the African Development Bank and AUDA-NEPAD to strengthen collective debt engagement; they also prioritised regional veterinary cooperation (Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine production) and reiterated that migration must be managed under the free movement protocol, with finance ministers mandated to work towards the Borrowers Club declaration.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popsoi presented Moldova’s investment opportunities in Shanghai at the Promotion Conference on Trade and Economic Cooperation between Moldova and China.

• Presentation/Announcement: Mihai Popsoi presented Moldova’s investment advantages to representatives of 30 Chinese companies across sectors including agri-food and wines, construction materials, medical equipment, renewable energy technologies, digitalized industrial production, IT, transport and logistics, and tourism; he emphasized Moldova’s EU candidate status and free trade access to European markets.
• Follow-up & details: Participants confirmed interest in cooperation on agri-food and wine trade, modern agriculture and tourism; Popsoi invited participants to visit for National Wine Day (Chisinau, Oct 3-4).
  • Event location: Shanghai (Promotion Conference on Trade and Economic Cooperation between Moldova and China).

The Moldovan government, represented by Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popsoi, discussed expansion of “Wine of Moldova” exports to China and promotion campaigns with official distributors in Shanghai.

• Main action: Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popsoi met with official distributors of Moldovan wines in Shanghai to discuss expanding exports and promoting the “Wine of Moldova” brand; company representatives reported over 2 million bottles sold in China and a national distribution network with more than 400 offline points of sale.
• Background and details: The sides reviewed export challenges and opportunities for economic cooperation; the company is running a six‑month promotional campaign in Shanghai, Chengdu and Shenzhen, broadcasting images and video spots on landmark buildings to position Moldovan wines in the premium segment and the wines are promoted on major online platforms in China.

SADC Foreign Ministers have committed to a coordinated regional roadmap to strengthen economic resilience and shield member states from escalating global geopolitical and economic disruptions.

• Main announcement: SADC Foreign Ministers adopted an outcome statement at the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Retreat (22–24 May 2026) that commits member states to collective action to strengthen regional integration, policy coherence, institutional coordination, and advance sustainable development to mitigate impacts on trade, energy, food security, and financial systems.
• Background & event details:
  • Decision origin: Retreat convened following a directive from the SADC Council of Ministers meeting in March 2026.
  • Event: Ministers of Foreign Affairs Retreat, 22–24 May 2026, Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
  • Thematic agenda:financing regional integration, investment, public debt management and domestic revenue mobilisation; industrialisation, value chains and trade; infrastructure, transport and logistics; free movement of people, goods and services; energy, oil and gas; and agriculture and food security.
  • Delivery: Outcome statement delivered by South Africa’s DIRCO Minister Ronald Lamola. The retreat outcome is framed as a practical roadmap to strengthen accountability, coordination and implementation across member states and reaffirms commitment to SADC Vision 2050.

Western Cape Government has announced ongoing recovery and mop-up operations following severe weather incidents that have been officially classified as disasters.

• Main announcement: The Province is coordinating recovery operations led by the Provincial Disaster Management Centre, with Eskom restoring electricity to 80% of affected customers, about 400 roads affected (with more than 60% repaired and reopened), and targeted repair works progressing in Cape Winelands (Boskloof–Romansrivier), Citrusdal, Lutzville, Algeria (work to begin after Citrusdal/Lutzville repairs), Garden Route (Blanco farms, Harkerville), Matzikama (Lutzville) and Overberg (Elgin, Papiesvlei, Stanford).
• Background and relief details: Restoration has been hampered by difficult terrain, vandalism and cable theft; the Western Cape Department of Social Development is funding NGOs that are providing meals, blankets, mattresses, water, baby packs and clothing, and Premier Alan Winde visited the Mustadafin Foundation and the National Sea Rescue Institute Volunteer Support Centre as part of the response update.

The Africa24 Group will bring full live coverage of the African Development Bank (AfDB) 2026 Annual Meetings in Brazzaville.

• Main announcement:Africa24 Group will provide full live coverage of the AfDB 61st Board of Governors meeting and the 52nd African Development Fund meeting from 25 to 29 May 2026 at Kintélé International Centre, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo; the event will host more than 3,000 participants including heads of state, finance ministers, central bank governors, and private sector representatives.
• Background and details:Dr Sidi Ould Tah is presiding over his first AfDB Annual Meetings since taking office in September 2025; the AfDB’s ADF-17 replenishment raised $11 billion in December 2025 in London, the continent’s development financing gap is cited as $400 billion per year, and Africa holds approximately $4 trillion in pension, sovereign and similar savings to be mobilised under NAFAD.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment concluded its NBSAP Consultative Conference and will revise the draft NBSAP for a 30-day public comment period before Cabinet submission, aiming to submit the final NBSAP to the Convention on Biological Diversity ahead of COP17 in Yerevan in October 2026.

• Main announcement: The Department convened a two-day consultative conference and will revise the draft NBSAP to incorporate stakeholder inputs; the revised document will proceed through intergovernmental processes, be released for a 30-day public comment period, and then be submitted to Cabinet before being sent to the Convention on Biological Diversity ahead of COP17 (Yerevan, October 2026). The conference emphasised people-centred, locally driven biodiversity action supported by communities, municipalities, youth, traditional knowledge holders and the private sector.
• Background and event details: The conference sought alignment with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and recommended strengthened financial and institutional support for municipalities, enhanced accessible financing for community-led conservation, and investment in skills development and project preparation.
  • Date: 20–21 May 2026
  • Location: Boksburg, Gauteng, South Africa
  • Attendance: more than 400 delegates (government, civil society, academia, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, youth formations, private sector, development partners)
  • Agenda/subject: Finalising South Africa’s revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP); promoting people-centred, locally led biodiversity implementation and community benefit (jobs, livelihoods, nature-positive economic opportunities).

Biomolecula published a digest summarizing recent studies on mucosal vaccines, appetite control in flies, immune tolerance, microglial regulation of reproduction, neural representational drift, and a plant thermotolerance mechanism.

• Main summary: The digest reviews a set of peer-reviewed papers: a nasal vaccine tested in mice that provided protection against multiple respiratory pathogens including SARS-CoV-2 and influenza by activating TLR4 and TLR7/8, producing broad mucosal protection that lasted several months; a study showing the FERONIA receptor organizes plasma membrane nanoclusters to enhance plant thermotolerance; work demonstrating changes in DNA 3D folding limit access to antibody-encoding segments and block production of self-directed antibodies; research where microglial RANK signaling regulates GnRH neurons and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis; and a report on gut-based, nutrient-specific appetite control in Drosophila.
• Details and methods: Studies cited are experimental and mostly animal-model or molecular studies: nasal-vaccine results come from mouse challenge experiments (multiple viral and bacterial respiratory agents) with innate-receptor agonists (TLR4, TLR7/8); the DNA-folding and FERONIA papers report molecular and genomic/biophysical evidence (3D chromatin architecture, membrane nanocluster formation) in cells and model organisms; the microglia work used genetic knockouts/perturbations in mice to disrupt RANK signaling and measured GnRH neuronal activity, hormone levels, and reproductive physiology. All items summarize published papers (Science, Nature) rather than announcing new clinical deployments.

Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu visited flood-affected settlements in Calarasi district to assess damage and coordinate response.

• Main action: Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu, accompanied by Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Vladimir Bolea, Interior Minister Daniela Misail-Nichitin and Environment Minister Gheorghe Hajder, visited Bravicea and Hirjauca where households were flooded and roads damaged; authorities committed to assess all damage and support affected communities so people can return to normality as soon as possible.
• Operational details & background: Authorities activated enhanced monitoring and intervention; the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations deployed 85 specialized vehicles and more than 300 employees; the 112 Service recorded 5,748 calls and 3,283 emergencies; a 48-year-old man died in Dereneu (Calarasi) and the protective dam broke affecting Hirjauca and Mindra, while 11 localities were affected in Ungheni district. Trains have resumed, energy teams repaired faults and Chișinău International Airport remains operational.

Minister Akazawa of Japan attended the APEC Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Suzhou, China on May 22-23, 2026 and promoted Japan’s initiatives on regional energy resilience and trade rules.

• Main announcement/action: Minister Akazawa participated in the APEC Trade Ministers’ Meeting (Suzhou, China) and announced promotion of the “POWERR Asia” initiative to support short-term petroleum product procurement and diversification of mid-to-long-term energy and critical minerals supply, while urging WTO functional recovery and discipline updates to address non-market policies.
• Background and meeting outcomes: The meeting, chaired by PRC Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, produced a joint APEC Trade Ministers’ statement and issued the ARICRS roadmap for innovative, competitive and resilient services; Akazawa also advanced AI cooperation (DFFT) and AZEC “Various Pathways” approaches for low-carbon industrial and supply-chain transitions.

Event details:

• Date: May 22–23, 2026
• Location: Suzhou, China
• Agenda/subjects: regional trade order, POWERR Asia (energy resilience), WTO reform, AI cooperation and trustworthy data flows (DFFT), ARICRS roadmap, AZEC Various Pathways for low-carbonisation

Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu visited the areas worst hit by the torrential rains on May 22 and announced damage assessment and rapid support measures.

• Main action: Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu said authorities will assess all damage and intervene to support affected communities so people can return to normality as soon as possible; he visited affected localities including Bravicea and Hirjauca and met residents and field teams on site.
• Background/details: Heavy rains in the last 24 hours severely affected dozens of localities, especially Calarasi and Ungheni districts; there is one casualty, the dam in Hirjauca broke, roads destroyed, three trains temporarily stopped (later resumed), and several settlements were left without electricity while rescuers, police, local authorities and intervention teams work around the clock. President Maia Sandu ordered continuous and rapid interventions and asked the government and responsible ministries to assess damage and provide support.

Governance and Economic Policy Centre (Moses Kulaba, Steven Alloys & Don Malish) has published a study analysing policy and legal gaps in Tanzania’s transition minerals sector and calling for embedding Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) and Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) into national frameworks.

• Main announcement: The study identifies significant governance gaps in Tanzania’s mineral policy and legal frameworks and urges the Ministry of Minerals and Parliament of Tanzania to integrate RBC and HRDD into the final Critical Minerals Strategy and upcoming Mining Policy; it highlights concrete targets and figures including 50% national exploration coverage by 2030, IEA estimates that demand could increase sixfold by 2050, and an estimated USD 400 billion market value for critical minerals by 2050.
• Background and key details: The analysis reviews the Mineral Policy of 2009, Mining Act 2010 (revised 2022), EITI Act 2015, and the draft Critical Minerals Strategy (2025); it finds the draft strategy does not integrate UNGPs/OECD due diligence guidance, lacks mandated FPIC and remedy mechanisms, and recommends actions for TEITI/TEITA, CHRAGG, state and private mining companies, local governments, and civil society (including a transparency portal, mandatory ESG/HRDD licensing conditions, and strengthened monitoring/enforcement).

Botswana Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Phenyo Butale called for SADC to urgently translate discussions into practical cooperation to address trade, energy and development disruptions.

• Main announcement: Dr Phenyo Butale urged SADC to move beyond policy debate to practical implementation and co-investment, asking member states to leverage comparative advantages (e.g., what Botswana excels in that South Africa can join to improve capacities). He framed this at the SADC Ministers of Foreign Affairs Retreat in Skukuza on 23 May 2026 and emphasised prioritising industrial development, agriculture, and manufacturing to reduce external dependence.
• Background and details: Butale highlighted structural import dependencies including about 2.4 billion (currency not specified) of cereal imports (≈80% of region’s cereals) and USD 58 billion of imported mineral equipment inputs, and flagged geopolitical risks (e.g., tensions around the Strait of Hormuz) and supply-chain realignments. Event details:
  • Date: 23 May 2026
  • Location: Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa
  • Agenda / subjects: industrialisation, trade, energy cooperation, food security, free movement of goods and people

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is holding a Ministers of Foreign Affairs Retreat in Skukuza to seek collective direction on responding to rising global geopolitical pressures affecting food, fuel and energy systems.

• Main announcement: The Ministers of Foreign Affairs Retreat in Skukuza (Kruger National Park) is expected to produce strategic guidance and practical commitments from member states on how SADC should collectively respond to rising global geopolitical pressures affecting food prices, fuel prices, and energy systems; remarks were provided on the sidelines by Barbara Lopi, SADC Secretariat Head of Communications and Public Relations, and the region highlighted its resource endowment including 30% of critical minerals coming from the region.
• Event details & background:
  • Date: 23 May 2026 (article date; retreat is ongoing)
  • Location: Kruger National Park, Skukuza, South Africa
  • Agenda/subject: Coordinated responses to food security, energy systems, trade, and migration in the context of global geopolitical shocks
  • Additional detail: Member states welcomed South Africa Minister Ronald Lamola’s position on migration as aligning with the SADC protocol on the free movement of people.

President Maia Sandu ordered continuous and rapid interventions in response to heavy rains.

• Enhanced monitoring and intervention mode activated; 112 Service registered 5,748 calls and 3,283 emergencies in the last 24 hours. IGSU (General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations) deployed more than 300 employees and 85 special vehicles for water pumping, clearing fallen trees, removing dangerous objects and conducting search-and-rescue operations; field interventions are ongoing and risk areas are being patrolled and secured.
• Most affected areas:Călărași district (localities Hîrjauca and Mîndra — breach of protective dam) and Ungheni (11 settlements flooded). Road and rail traffic were temporarily disrupted but affected trains have resumed movement; partial power outages were addressed and the affected power line connection was restored at 23:56. The government and responsible ministries were asked to assess damage and provide support.

President Ilham Aliyev shared a social media post celebrating Azerbaijan’s hosting of WUF13 and summarising the Forum’s outcomes on 23 May 2026.

• Main announcement/action: President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan hosted WUF13, describing it as the second biggest international gathering in the country after COP29, with a record number of around 60,000 participants, and highlighted the first-ever Leaders’ Segment (convened at Azerbaijan’s initiative) and two outcome documents — the Chair’s Summary and the Baku Call to Action.
• Background and additional details: He noted Azerbaijan’s post-conflict reconstruction — rebuilding 9 cities and hundreds of villages in Garabagh and East Zangezur — referenced the country’s experience of urbicide, culturcide, and ecocide, and pointed to Forum ideas on clean air, sustainable urban development, preservation of cultural heritage, and attention to Small Island Developing States; the content is a social media statement summarising the Forum rather than announcing a new policy or funding package.

President Maia Sandu has ordered continuous and rapid interventions to assess damage and provide support following heavy rains.

• Main action: President Maia Sandu ordered continuous and rapid interventions and instructed the government and responsible ministries to assess damage and provide support where the situation is severe after torrential rains on May 22, 2026 that hit dozens of localities, notably Calarasi and Ungheni districts. Concrete impacts cited include a dam breach in Hîrjauca, destroyed roads, flooded households, and three trains temporarily stopped.
• Response details: The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), rescuers and firefighters, police officers, road maintenance workers, Railway of Moldova (state enterprise), doctors and energy sector workers mobilized to respond; authorities reported 22 high-risk interventions and restored train circulation while working to stabilize electricity and provide assistance to affected communities.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said it abstained from voting on United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/80/L.65 to defend the integrity of the global climate framework and to ensure multilateral processes remain aligned with UN-negotiated principles.

• Main action: DIRCO states the abstention on UNGA Resolution A/80/L.65 (noted in the news on 23 May 2026) was a principled defence of the established global climate framework, and not a withdrawal from South Africa’s climate commitments; it says South Africa actively participated in the ICJ proceedings and welcomes the July 2025 ICJ Advisory Opinion.
• Background & concerns: South Africa proposed amendments during negotiations but argues the final text selectively interprets the ICJ opinion, weakens the principle of Equity and CBDR-RC, and fails to explicitly recognise Africa’s unique vulnerability; DIRCO emphasised links to sustainable development and historical emissions in its submissions.