Global Rule of Law recession enters 5th year
26/10/2022: For the fifth year in a row, the rule of law has declined globally, according to the 2022 Rule of Law Index. Respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms is down in three-quarters of countries since 2015.
Source: World Justice Project
Will Africa’s metals boom suffer the same curse as oil?
25/10/2022: African soil is rich in manganese, cobalt, nickel and lithium - crucial ingredients in clean energy technology. But the exploitation of resources in Africa has a long history of unequal distribution of wealth, corruption, environmental damage and rights violations.
Source: The East African
Access to safe drinking water requires increased investment
24/10/2022: The State of the World’s Drinking Water report notes that over 2 billion people have gained access to safe drinking water in the past two decades. However, one-quarter of the world’s population has been left behind and governments must dramatically increase political commitment and quadruple investment in drinking water.
Source: World Health Organization
Forest Declaration Assessment: are we on track for 2030?
24/10/2022: To be on course to halt deforestation completely by 2030, a 10 percent annual reduction is needed. In 2021, loss of irreplaceable primary tropical forest decreased by only 3.1 percent.
Source: Forest Declaration Assessment
Global leaders commit $2.6 billion to end polio
18/10/2022: Global leaders have confirmed $2.6 billion in funding toward the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s 2022-2026 Strategy. There is concern about recent detections of polio in previously polio-free countries.
Source: World Health Organization
Famine should not exist in 2022
17/10/2022: The past four rainy seasons in Somalia have failed to materialise. The UN predicts more than 300,000 people will be in famine by December, despite global commitments to never let the 2011 famine happen again.
Source: The Conversation
Fuel subsidy cuts won’t scratch Indonesian president
19/10/2022: Indonesia has remained stable in the weeks following an unpopular cut to the government’s fuel subsidy. As with all fuel subsidies, a large share of the benefits go to the middle-class. Poorer Indonesians would be better protected through targeted economic relief.
Source: East Asia Forum
The 20th Party Congress is another step in Xi’s rise
16/10/2022: The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is scheduled to confirm Xi Jinping as China’s leader for a third term. By steering China back towards a system of one-man rule, echoing that of Maoist China or Russia under Vladimir Putin, Xi risks replicating all of their governance failures as well.
Source: East Asia Forum
Time is running out for decisions on debt relief
19/10/2022: Senior managers from the UN Development Programme warn of a rapid deterioration of an already damaging debt crisis amongst low income countries. They argue that the international community has the resources to take action.
Source: Inter Press Service
Lifting 100 million out of poverty by 2025 still possible
17/10/2022: The latest update of the Multidimensional Poverty Index demonstrates that nearly twice as many people should be recognised as living in poverty compared with those assessed by the single monetary benchmark of $1.90 per day. It suggests that cutting-edge data and analytics can pinpoint the areas where spending will have the most impact.
Source: UN News