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For the first time, the remarkable features of Australia’s unique wildlife – from platypus, bilby, kangaroo and emu to mammals gone extinct – are available for all to see, via their bones and skeletons in a new free online collection.

Using 3D imaging technology, Flinders University and partners have launched the ‘Ozboneviz’ virtual database,  which goes ‘inside’ the anatomy of dozens of Australia’s most famous animals for the public, schools, researchers, artists, nature-lovers and others to access.

Described in a new article published in the journal BioScience, the new collection of more than 1600 specimens has been collated and uploaded on to the high-tech MorphoSource repository, by Flinders University Associate Professor Vera Weisbecker’s ‘Bones and Biodiversity Lab’ and colleagues around Australia.

“We are all fascinated by bones and this new database is a way to go behind the glass cases at the museum, see specimens up close and understand their special features,” says Associate Professor Weisbecker, who hopes Ozboneviz will fuel better scientific and public appreciation of Australia’s amazing mammals around the world.

“Australia leads the world in mammal extinctions, but we are losing far more than a few fluffy rat-like critters. Our mammals have evolved in isolation for nearly 40 million years – there is simply nothing like them anywhere else.

“Victorian-era scientists deemed Australian wildlife ‘primitive’, but now we can marvel at the elongated leg bones that make the kangaroo the largest hopping animal ever, or the bizarre shovel-like arms of the marsupial mole, and chances are that you will change your mind!

“3D models of skeletons are a charismatic way to engage adults and children alike with Australia’s precious fauna, making it a key asset in science communication and school education.”

Now Australia’s largest open-access library of 3D biodiversity data, the project was funded by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), with support from the Australian Museum, SA and NT museums, the Australian National Wildlife Collection, and several universities.

“Our core team spent three years travelling to four Australian museums and three universities. We mostly used surface scanners to digitise ten key bones of 189 iconic Australasian species: the skull, shoulder blade, pelvis and limb bones,” explains CABAH and Flinders archaeologist Dr Erin Mein.

Jacob van Zoelen, PhD candidate at Flinders University and digitisation manager, says: “We used a structured light scanner to image the outside of most bones. But for particularly rare species, like the presumed-extinct ngudlukanta or desert rat-kangaroo, we opted for computed tomography, because it also images the internal structure of the bones at resolutions of 10-50 micrometers.”

The resulting 3D files are deposited on the MorphoSource platform, which is important for scientists because it has the same rigorous cataloguing as any physical museum. But the files are open access, with anyone able to download them for non-commercial use.

To facilitate public access, Dr Mein also built a Sketchfab site with more than 500 of the most precious and informative bones, with examples including the skull of an extinct marsupial tiger, or thylacine, the pig-footed bandicoot, desert-rat kangaroo and rare marsupial mole.  

“This means the public can compare the cranium of a fox to a thylacine and dingo, for example, and compare the size and shape of limb bones of common marsupials,” adds Dr Mein. “There are also plenty of annotations to help non-specialist users learn about vertebrate anatomy and compare anatomical attributes between species.”

As well as the focus on large native mammals such as kangaroos, possums, and bandicoots, the database includes some non-native mammals that people tend to come across, like goats and sheep, as well as a selection of large birds, lizards and frogs.

The MorphoSource collection includes a number of specimens with interesting features or stories, including:

• The skeleton of Billie, the Port River dolphin well known to Adelaide residents.
• An Attenborough’s long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi)- previously considered extinct but was reobserved in the wild around the time the specimen was scanned
• The extinct pig-footed bandicoot (Chaeropus ecaudatus), the only marsupial with something like hooves.
• CT scan of two whole marsupial moles (genus Notoryctes), which is Australia’s “weirdest skeleton,” according to Associate Professor Weisbecker.

Associate Professor Weisbecker says there is no Australian precedent for open-access databases of this kind.

“Hopefully this will lead the way to an even wider use of digitisation to make Australia’s unique local biodiversity accessible to the global public.”

The article, ‘Ozboneviz: An Australian precedent in FAIR 3D imagery and extended biodiversity collections’ (2025) by Vera Weisbecker (Flinders University), Diana Fusco (Flinders), Sandy Ingleby (Australian Museum), Ariana BJ Lambrides (James Cook University), Tiina Manne (University of Queensland), Keith Maguire (South Australian Museum), Sue O’Connor (ANU), Thomas J Peachey (Australian Museum), Sofia C Samper Carro (ANU), David Stemmer (SA Museum), Jorgo Ristevski (Griffith University and Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology), Jacob D van Zoelen (Flinders), Pietro Viacava (CSIRO), Adam M Yates (Museum and Art Gallery of the NT) and Erin Mein (Flinders) has been published in Bioscience (Oxford University Press) DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaf064

First published: 10 June https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaf064

Acknowledgements: Ozboneviz was funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (grant CE170100015). VW was, in addition, supported by an ARC Future Fellowship (FT180100634). We gratefully acknowledge the support of Duke University’s MorphoSource team,  MAGNT experts and Flinders University Medical Device Research Institute imaging, and imagery and segmentation experts.

Psychological Basis of Choice Overload

Choice overload, a prevalent cognitive bias in decision-making, occurs when individuals face too many options, leading to anxiety and stress. The brain struggles to process and evaluate a large number of choices, and this phenomenon is closely linked to the “Paradox of Choice,” which suggests that while options are generally beneficial, an excess can paralyze decision-making and induce dissatisfaction. This mental strain is associated with decision fatigue, where cognitive resources are depleted from repeatedly choosing among numerous alternatives. As a result, stress levels increase, and decision-making becomes more complex, often leading to decision paralysis or regret.

When individuals perceive options as similar, the analysis of potential outcomes becomes intricate and burdensome, further complicating decision-making. The psychological basis of choice overload is rooted in the limitations of human cognitive processing and inherent biases that arise when overwhelmed by choices.

Research and Studies

Over the past two decades, choice overload has been extensively studied in consumer behavior research. A literature review spanning 22 years and 92 articles highlights the circumstances under which choice overload occurs. The phenomenon suggests that too many options can lead to decreased satisfaction with choices or inability to decide. Studies demonstrate that choice complexity and factors like preference uncertainty significantly affect choice overload experiences.

Notably, even with fewer options, some choice sets can cause overload if choices are complex or not easily comparable. Conversely, larger sets may not always lead to overload if there is a clearly dominant option or attractive choices. Research shows that choice overload varies depending on context and individual differences. Identifying specific conditions that mitigate or exacerbate choice overload offers valuable insights for consumers and marketers in navigating complex decision landscapes.

Factors Contributing to Choice Overload

Understanding the factors contributing to choice overload is crucial for improving decision-making.

Perceptual Attributes and Information Load

The complexity of perceptual attributes and the volume of information contribute to choice overload. As attributes describing options increase, so does the difficulty of decision tasks. The arrangement and presentation of options also influence decision-making by affecting how information is processed.

Choice Set Complexity

Choice set complexity amplifies choice overload. Factors like dominant options, overall attractiveness, and alignability of choices affect how assortment size impacts choice overload. Higher complexity makes it harder to distinguish between options, increasing anxiety and uncertainty.

Decision Task Difficulty and Preference Uncertainty

Decision task difficulty and preference uncertainty are pivotal factors. More challenging tasks and uncertain preferences increase the likelihood of choice overload, as they require greater cognitive effort, overwhelming individuals.

Brand Association and Decision Goals

Brand associations and decision goals moderate the impact of assortment size on choice overload. Strong brand associations can simplify or complicate decisions, depending on alignment with consumer preferences. Decision intent—choosing or browsing—also influences choice overload experiences.

Impacts on Consumer Behavior

Despite the promise of greater freedom, an abundance of choices often leads to decision paralysis and decreased satisfaction. Choice overload manifests in various ways, impacting buying decisions and overall satisfaction. Consumers may experience analysis paralysis, where evaluating all outcomes leads to indecision, resulting in abandoned purchases due to overanalysis and fear of making the wrong choice.

The emotional and cognitive toll of choice overload ext

• New capability gives instant visibility to detect misuse, enforce compliance, and strengthen data protection across on-premises, hybrid, and multicloud environments.
• Continuous data discovery, classification, and monitoring forms the foundation of effective Data Security Posture Management, while simplifying compliance and flagging unauthorized activities that lead to data exposure.  
• FAM's built-in GenAI tools and centralized management streamlines audit reporting, accelerates threat response, reduces operational complexity across enterprise data lifecycle.

MEUDON, France – Thales today announced the launch of Thales File Activity Monitoring, a powerful new capability within the Thales CipherTrust Data Security Platform that enhances enterprise visibility and control over unstructured data, enabling organizations to monitor file activity in real time, detect misuse, and ensure regulatory compliance across their entire data estate. As the only integrated platform provider that secures structured and unstructured data, Thales provides comprehensive monitoring and auditability for data types that were previously difficult to track.

In today's evolving threat landscape, organizations must gain tighter control over unauthorized access and misuse of unstructured data, which according to IDC represents 90% of all worldwide data. File Activity Monitoring enables security teams to analyze and monitor the activity of unstructured data, including unexpected copying, downloading, and sharing of files such as emails, chat logs, media files, and application logs that can contain sensitive data. Real-time alerts, analytics, and encryption tracking further accelerate threat insights and protect sensitive data across the enterprise. This reduces exposure risks, supports compliance with standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, and strengthens organizations' overall data security posture.

“Thales' innovative approach to File Activity Monitoring tackles key challenges like blind spots in hybrid environments, offering real-time visibility and smart anomaly detection — a potential game-changer for teams overwhelmed by false positives. By striking the right balance of depth and simplicity, FAM shows promise in helping us strengthen the SOC without added complexity. With tighter SIEM integration, it can sharpen response and let teams focus on what matters most. We're excited to see how FAM evolves and enhances our data security,” Leila KUNTAR, Principal Information Security Engineer, Amadeus, said.

“As unstructured data grows rapidly across distributed environments, organizations need more integrated ways to track and safeguard their most sensitive information,” Todd Moore, Vice President of Data Security Products at Thales, said. “With File Activity Monitoring, Thales reinforces its leadership in enterprise data security by delivering real-time insight, intelligent automation, and unified visibility through a single, powerful platform.”

Thales has been a leader in digital security for decades in structured database activity. Building on this extensive expertise, customers can expect the same world-class experience that they've had with Thales, now extended to encompass unstructured data protection.

File Activity Monitoring strengthens DSPM by enabling security teams to:

• Discover, classify, observe, and control sensitive data across on-premises, hybrid, and multicloud environments
• Pinpoint where sensitive data resides, who has access, and whether it's properly secured, in real time, allowing detection of suspicious behavior including unauthorized copying, downloading, or sharing
• Transform static classification into dynamic risk intelligence through behavioral context
• Apply strong encryption and other remediation techniques, including reconstruction of incidents quickly with audit logs in the event of a breach or policy violation and enabling strong encryption, to protect compromised or at-risk data.

Built-in GenAI tools simplify audits, boost response, and cut complexity

To further simplify compliance and security operations, File Activity Monitoring includes a Generative AI-powered Data Security Assistant. This integrated chatbot helps teams query audit data, generate custom reports, and streamline compliance workflows, reducing the burden on IT and security professionals and making it easier to meet regulatory obligations.

“As technology evolves rapidly, our controls must be flexible enough to keep pace without adding complexity,” Moore said. “Automation and intelligence help overwhelmed security teams scale operations and focus on what matters most. With tools like our chatbot, they can ask natural language questions and get instant, actionable answers, accelerating response times and improving operational efficiency.”

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies for the Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services addresses several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion.

The Group invests more than €4 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies.

Thales has more than 83,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2024, the Group generated sales of €20.6 billion.

The East Makira Constituency (EMC) office has successfully delivered the remaining Constituency Development Fund (CDF)-funded livelihood assistance and projects to recipients across EMC.

This initiative underscores the government’s ongoing commitment to uplifting rural communities and fostering sustainable development, especially in EMC under the leadership of the Member of Parliament and Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Honourable Franklyn Derek Wasi.

From May 21st to 25th, 2025, EMC Constituency Development Officer (CDO) Mr. Timan Tauni facilitated the distribution of these vital projects to beneficiaries in their respective communities.

The assistance is part of a larger $3.7 million livelihood support program delivered to communities and churches in East Makira Constituency earlier this year.

Key highlights of the livelihood assistance include:

Solar Energy for Vulnerable Groups:

A total of 227 solar sets were distributed, with 114 sets allocated to Ward 12 and 113 sets to Ward 17.

Priority was given to older adults, widows, and people living with disabilities, ensuring they have access to reliable lighting.

“Solar lights are transformative for rural communities. They enhance safety, improve health, and enable economic activities after dark, all while being environmentally sustainable,” Mr. Tauni explained.

Boosting Fisheries and Transportation:

Four fishing boats equipped with outboard motor engines (OBMs) were provided to support local fisheries.

A transportation project and a fuel depot project were also delivered to address logistical challenges in the region.

Edward Kwasi, a fishery project recipient from Santa Catalina Island, shared, “This OBM will help my family expand our fishing business, meet school fees, and improve our livelihoods. Fishing is our way of life, and this support is a dream come true.”

Fuel Depot for Reliable Energy Access:

Mr. Chris Wago, a fuel depot recipient from Natorara Village (Ward 17), emphasised the project’s importance: “Fuel shortages have long hindered our fishermen. This depot will ensure a steady supply, support local businesses, and help families like mine thrive.”

06 JUNE 2025 – Energy Perspectives 2025 presents four scenarios for the future world economy, international energy markets and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.

Long-term forecasts of the development in global energy markets are normally very difficult. As this year’s Energy Perspectives report is published, the task is even more complex, as global markets and geopolitics are undergoing massive shifts with unpredictable consequences in both the shorter and longer term. Political priorities affecting global energy markets are shifting further away from decarbonisation towards energy affordability and security of energy supply. On top of this, it is nearly impossible to gauge the short-term impact of trade conflicts and new rules in the geopolitics game.

“The geopolitical landscape and trade conflicts clearly illustrate that the global cooperation needed for a Paris-aligned energy transition is not present”, says SVP and Chief economist Eirik Wærness.

A global energy transition roughly in line with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement has become severely delayed and more fragmented, and global greenhouse emissions continued to increase last year. Despite numerous positive developments, the macroeconomic, political and geopolitical realities are characterised by lack of trust, cooperation and burden-sharing, that are slowing down the pace of change foreseen in the Paris Agreement. A reversal of this development will take time, and its success is by no means guaranteed. With short-termism and local and regional priorities dominating policy making, the necessary global changes in the direction of truly sustainable development, balancing the different concerns in the energy trilemma, will be further delayed.

Energy Perspectives 2025 presents four scenarios for the future world economy, international energy markets and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. The scenarios are built to show how divergent drivers in the energy trilemma (energy security, affordability and decarbonisation) affect long-term developments. The scenarios are not predictions, but possible contrasting pathways, providing a platform for debate, strategic planning and decision making.

“The insights and analysis provided by Energy Perspectives help us navigate short-term uncertainties without losing sight of long-term tr

Responding to jailed Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong being newly charged with “conspiring to collude with foreign forces” under the city’s National Security Law, Amnesty International’s China Director Sarah Brooks said:

“Hong Kong’s National Security Law may be turning five years old at the end of the month, and these new charges against Joshua Wong show that its capacity to be used by the Hong Kong authorities to threaten human rights in the city is as potent and present as ever.

“Once again, the vague and sweeping offence of ‘collusion with foreign forces’ is being weaponized to justify an attack on the freedoms of expression and association.

“Wong, already jailed for his participation in informal primaries, would have been released in a year and a half. But if this case goes forward, he could face as much as a life sentence.

“This latest charge against him underscores the authorities' fear of prominent dissidents and shows the lengths they will go to keep them behind bars for as long as possible – in so doing, continuing a chilling effect on civic activism in the city. The Hong Kong government must drop these charges and cease enforcing the National Security Law immediately, as called for by UN bodies. All people jailed simply for exercising their human rights must be set free.”

Background

Joshua Wong was on Friday charged with conspiring to collude with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s Beijing-imposed National Security Law.

The prominent activist, who was one of 45 opposition figures jailed under the National Security Law last year over their participation in unofficial “primaries”in 2020, faced the new national security offence in court on Friday.

Under the new charge, Wong is reportedly accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and “other persons unknown” between July 2020 and November 2020 to request foreign countries or organizations to impose sanctions, blockades or engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China. The new charge carries a potential life sentence.

Wong was previously sentenced to four years and eight months for “conspiracy to commit subversion” in Hong Kong’s largest prosecution under the National Security Law.

Hong Kong’s human rights situation has deteriorated dramatically since 2020, with more than 300 people arrested for violating the Beijing-imposed National Security Law or a colonial-era “sedition” law. In addition, the so-called Article 23 legislation introduced last year by the territorial/local authorities has further deepened repression and silenced opposition voices in the city.

05 JUNE 2025 – Equinor and Centrica sign long-term gas sales agreement of 55 TWh of natural gas per year (around 5 billion cubic meters – bcm) for a period of 10 years starting 1 October 2025 at terms reflecting market prices. The total contract value would be around £20 billion assuming current prices.

“I am very pleased to strengthen the energy partnership with the UK and our longstanding partner and customer Centrica. This agreement will continue to support the UK’s energy security with reliable gas supplies from the Norwegian continental shelf. The flexibility that natural gas offers will play a key role in enabling further development of renewable power and decarbonisation in the UK”, says Equinor’s president and CEO Anders Opedal.

For nearly 50 years, Equinor and partners have developed the Norwegian Continental Shelf to be the largest and most reliable provider of energy to Europe. Britain currently imports nearly 2/3 of its gas requirements from Norway, with Equinor being the major supplier. The annual volumes under this agreement will cover nearly 10% [1] of total annual UK gas demand which makes the agreement among the largest in Equinor bilateral portfolio.

“The UK and the North Sea is a core area in our long-term ambitions to remain a supplier of reliable energy and to help decarbonise societies and industries. The new gas sales agreement with Centrica will be a key element in this. Energy security and decarbonisation must go hand in hand, and I am proud that Equinor is actively delivering both”, says Equinor’s UK Country Manager Alex Grant.

Beyond investments in the UK’s oil and gas production, Equinor already operates three offshore wind farms at Sheringham Shoal, Dudgeon and Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating offshore wind farm. Dogger Bank is under development and will be the world's largest offshore windfarm once completed. Together with partners Equinor is also developing the UK’s first CO2 transport and storage project and a gas power plant with CO2 capture.

Chris O'Shea, Group Chief Executive of Centrica, commented: “Equinor is a valued partner, and this landmark agreement underscores the vital role that natural gas plays as a transition fuel as we navigate towards a low carbon energy future. The enduring partnership between Centrica and Equinor exemplifies the strong and strategic relationship between the UK and Norway and I’m immensely proud that we’ve agreed this deal.

“Over the last few years, we’ve seen first-hand how important energy security is. Today’s deal not only ensures the UK’s energy security has improved but also paves the way for a burgeoning hydrogen market. The deal represents a significant investment in the UK’s future, showing that Centrica will make bold investments that drive forward the energy transition while delivering value for our shareholders. We will continue to focus on further improving energy security by working with the UK Government to ensure the right levels of gas storage are in place to complement this landmark gas importation agreement.”

[1] Total UK demand in 2024 at 55.8 bcm

About Centrica

Centrica is an international energy and services company, founded on a 200-year heritage of serving customers in homes and businesses. The company supply energy and services to over 10 million residential and business customers, mainly in the UK and Ireland, through brands such as British Gas, Bord Gáis Energy and Centrica Business Solutions. Centrica has a role at every step of the energy transition. When it comes to energy, Centrica make it, store it, move it, sell it and mend it. The company’s strategy is driven by the purpose of energising a greener, fairer future.

Jerusalem, 5 June 2025 – In southern Gaza, displacement orders and movement restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on Nasser hospital are pushing this vital medical facility on the brink of becoming non-functional, warns Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Newly arrived refugee and migrant communities want Australia's multicultural policies and infrastructure to provide more practical help rather than just 'food and festivals', a survey has found.

A focus group of 32 community leaders in 21 key cohort migrant and refugee groups in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide said that while they value the nation's commitment to multiculturalism, their communities struggled with employment opportunities and access to government services exacerbated by a lack of interpreters and gender issues.

They reported social cohesion is under stress, partly because of international events, including the conflict in Gaza, and a rise in the cost of living, the survey, commissioned by migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia, found.

While 70 per cent of the community leaders surveyed agreed Australia was a 'successful multicultural community', there was a need for more access to employment opportunities and careers support for skilled migrants and refugees.

First-language learning capacity in schools was also identified as a need, while libraries, local government programs and community education and training programs were identified as the services that are valued.

Sixty per cent of respondents agreed that global events were having an impact on social cohesion and community harmony, with conflict in Gaza, repression in Afghanistan and the US' crackdown on migrants cited as some of the factors.

A need for better access to government services was also identified. Only 55 per cent of survey respondents said they had 'good' access to government services.

The community leaders identified 'universal and equitable practices, protocols and standards across the public services; more representation of diverse communities within the public service; and a multicultural ombudsman or complaints process' as ways of improving access to services.

Asked 'what could be done to improve community harmony, the most common responses were: support for multi-faith events and festivals, support for multi-faith groups and more employment opportunities from emerging communities.

Only 50 per cent of community leaders said government communicated 'well' with their communities, while 30 per cent communication was not effective.

They identified a need range of interventions to tackle poor knowledge and engagement through programs and resources co-designed by communities themselves.

Thirty per cent of respondents said they had experienced racism or discrimination, a similar proportion said they had not faced discrimination while 40 per cent said they faced discrimination 'sometimes'.

Community leaders cited 'more transparency on race hate crimes and positive fact-base narratives to counter allegations of criminality in some communities' as ways of combating racism and discrimination.

Sixty per cent of survey respondents believed there was cultural understanding and respect between communities in Australia. They identified holding festivals and events that attracted multiple communities, more access to affordable gathering places; and funding and capacity building for inter-faith groups and dialogues as ways of improving community connections.

Female community leaders were more likely to raise issues about Australia's multicultural architecture than male respondents.

The survey found a general consensus that the focus of multicultural programs should be less about 'food and festivals' and more about employment, equity, access to services and opportunities as well as Inter-community and inter-faith dialogue.

The surveyed community leaders said social cohesion was underpinned by social equity and access to opportunity.

Among the suggested interventions were:

Improved access to services Intercultural and inter-faith opportunities for communities to build networks outside their own;
More opportunities for employment and education;
More access to affordable spaces to gather;
Grants systems that is more sustainable and easier to navigate;
Broader representation of communities on multicultural bodies;
Standard multicultural policies and practices across all departments;
A multicultural ombudsman or complaints mechanism.

AMES Australia CEO Cath Scarth said the survey showed there was an appetite to reimagine Australia's multicultural policies and infrastructure.

“There seem to be a consensus that people would like to see more support in terms of accessing services and opportunities for multicultural communities; and there is a desire to see communities better connect with each other and with the broader community,” Ms Scarth said.

Millions of workers worldwide are facing a “silent crisis” of being trapped in unsafe, unfair and exploitative conditions, according to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

Speaking at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Ruth Wilkinson, IOSH's Head of Policy and Public Affairs, highlighted the health and safety risks faced by these workers every day, from exposure to harmful chemicals and dangerous machinery to stress and long working hours.

Despite global commitments, she said nearly 3 million workers die from job-related accidents and diseases every year while 395 million suffer non-fatal injuries.

She urged delegates attending the plenary to come together to ensure decent work is a reality for everyone, adding failure to do will bring about significant consequences.

Ruth said: “Every day, millions of workers around the world face a silent crisis — one that unfolds not in headlines, but in hospitals, homes, and workplaces. From exposure to harmful chemicals and dangerous machinery, to the toll of stress, poor ergonomics, and long hours — our workers are navigating a minefield of risks.

“And yet, in far too many places, the systems meant to guarantee them with decent work — our occupational safety and health frameworks — remain largely underdeveloped, underfunded, or unenforced.

“High-level declarations are not enough. We need urgent, coordinated, and well-funded action to make decent work a reality for all. We must take bold, coordinated action to ensure that every worker, in every corner of the world, is treated with dignity, fairness, and safety. The time for fragmented efforts is over. Only through a strong, well-resourced, and accountable global approach can we protect workers' rights, uphold human dignity, and build a future where no one is left behind.  

“Our failure to address these challenges urgently will fail humanity and weaken resilience, jeopardising our collective future and undermining the very foundation of sustainable and inclusive economic growth.”  

The conference is being held by the International Labour Organization (ILO) from 2-13 June. It is attended by delegates from ILO member states, including representatives of governments, employers and workers. Discussions this year include the development of new standards to enhance the protection of workers from biological hazards in the workplace, ensure decent work conditions in the platform economy, and promote innovative strategies for transitioning from informal to formal employment.

IOSH is the global chartered membership body for the occupational safety and health profession, with a vision of a safe and healthy world of work and a mission to drive action by all who can influence occupational safety and health. It att