The ETHISSA - Structuring Bioethics in Sub-Saharan Africa project recently held its scientific kick-off meeting, bringing together all partners to discuss the next steps in its implementation.

On January 20 in Brazzaville, Arlette Soudan-Nonault, Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and the Congo Basin, launched an environmental training workshop involving fifty national players.

On Thursday January 22, 2026, the Kewenn-BAW twinning committee organized a first-ever event to mark the anniversary of the Franco-German friendship at La Grange, bringing together around 30 people, including members of neighboring twinning committees (Hennebont and Plouay).

Breaking the taboo of menstrual precariousness. The town of Marche-en-Famenne has decided to break this taboo by launching a vast operation to donate sanitary towels. It will take place at twelve collection points from January 24 to February 8.

From September 22 to October 3, 2025, the French Embassy in Cameroon and the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie conducted an evaluation mission in Douala, Ngaoundéré and Dschang to analyze the impact of the Start-Up 237 project, which has supported 100 young businesses since its launch.

After years of hard work, the Pont-d'Ouilly (Calvados) twinning committee has succeeded in rejuvenating its exchanges. One difficulty is putting the brakes on this momentum: subsidies are falling.

Sherbrooke is redoubling its efforts to revitalize the Alexandre district, close to downtown. The project has been in the works for several years. This time, the city is launching a survey to find out what its citizens think.

On Saturday January 17, 2026, the Institut National Supérieur de Sciences et Techniques d'Abéché swapped notebooks for brooms. Under the impetus of the SEMATN-IST organization, a vast clean-up operation mobilized the university community to make sanitation a bulwark against disease.

Dakhla and the French city of Nice are preparing a twinning arrangement, with the signing of a letter of intent by the President of the Dakhla City Council, Erragheb Hormatollah, and the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, in recognition of their shared ambition to further deepen their partnership.

For the past week, the 73rd World Bird Show has been taking place at the WEX in Marche-en-Famenne. This major event brings together 20,000 birds: colored canaries, posture canaries, exotic birds and native birds. The last time this event was held in Belgium was in Hasselt in 2013, and for Wallonia it was in Charleroi in 1996.

The members of the twinning committee reported on the positive dynamic being established with their Bonn-Beuel counterparts. Exchanges are taking place between the two towns, confirmed by a 2026 program involving travel on both sides of the Rhine border.

The operation to issue over 6,000 birth certificates, national identity cards (CNI) and unique identification numbers (NIU) to beneficiaries began on January 15 at the Talangaï town hall in Brazzaville's sixth arrondissement. This initiative, supported by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Solidarity and Humanitarian Action and the World Bank, aims to facilitate access to government assistance programs for people living in precarious neighborhoods.

After years of waiting, there will soon be a new municipality on the Port-au-Port peninsula in western Newfoundland.

Volunteers from the association Culture en folie, which runs the Micro-Folie in Le Pouliguen, have joined forces with those from AVF (Accueil villes françaises) to organize a year-round lecture series.

Ouidah, the ocean city and departure point for thousands of black slaves, was in the spotlight on January 08, 09 and 10. During these three days, the city once again vibrated to the rhythm of Vodun Days 2026. The historic city, a veritable open-air museum, was decked out in its finest finery to welcome the world. Modernized infrastructures, lively emblematic sites, popular fervor and international crowds. Everything was in place to make this "mature" edition a memorable one. From the very first day, dedicated to a giant open-air concert on the beach, the event lived up to all its promises.

Once again this year, eco-delegates from the Germaine-Tillion high school have launched a major donation drive in partnership with five local associations - Restos de cœur, ASL, Secours populaire, Secours catholique and Noël solidarité - which redistribute toys for the benefit of children.

Financial assistance of $239,000 has been granted to the municipalities of Saint-Aubert, Sainte-Hélène-de-Kamouraska and the Ville de Saint-Pascal to improve road safety.

Forty years after the launch of Dôi Moi (Renewal), Vietnam is reaping the rewards of sound urban planning and management, propelling Vietnam into a new era of development and injecting it with unprecedented momentum, said architect Dào Ngoc Nghiêm, vice-president of the Association for Urban Planning and Development of Vietnam, affiliated to the National Union of Scientific and Technological Associations.

As part of the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 (CAF), Africa Global Logistics (AGL), CAF's official logistics partner, has launched the "AGL Moving Tour", an itinerant caravan designed to celebrate African soccer, while generating a concrete impact in local communities.

To mark the centenary of the Œuvre des pupilles orphelins des sapeurs-pompiers de France, a number of bakeries are hosting "galettes solidaires" operations in January 2026. In Pluméliau-Bieuzy, L'Adélice is donating one euro to the association for every galette purchased.