Belgium

Man holding Palestinian flag

France, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Monaco formally recognize Palestinian statehood

By / / Good News For Humankind

In a landmark diplomatic moment, France, Belgium, and a coalition of other European nations have formally recognized a Palestinian state. The coordinated effort, announced at the United Nations General Assembly, is a powerful affirmation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. This is a significant step toward a two-state solution, demonstrating a growing international consensus that a stable peace in the Middle East requires a sovereign Palestine existing alongside Israel.

Belgian flag

Belgian sex workers to get health insurance, pensions and maternity leave in world first

By / / Good news links

The law makes it legal to give prostitutes employment contracts, after Belgium became the first country in Europe to decriminalize self-employed sex work in 2022. It bestows certain rights on the worker and conditions on their employer. These include the right to refuse a client or a sexual act, as well as the right to interrupt a sexual act at any time without fear of dismissal or punishment.

Brain scan

Belgian boy becomes first child in the world to be cured of brain stem glioma

By / / Good news links

Brain stem glioma, officially called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), is rare and lethal, diagnosed in just 300 children annually in the United States. The two-year survival rate is 10%, and no drug is widely available for its treatment beyond radiotherapy. After the boy’s diagnosis, the family traveled to France to take part in a randomized controlled trial. He was randomly assigned the drug everolimus, which he took for more than 5 years with remarkable success.

Lionesses and cubs

Belgium bans import of hunting trophies from endangered species

By / / Good news links

Before the ban, Belgium allowed the import of trophy species vulnerable to extinction such as hippopotamus, cheetahs and polar bears. The new law will stop the import of hunting trophies from many species currently at risk of extinction or that could be threatened unless trade is limited. The bill will protect all species listed in the European Regulation on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora.