Anachronistic UN veto powers under fresh scrutiny
22/4/2022: A proposed new resolution before the UN General Assembly will attempt to undermine the veto of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Abuse of the veto mechanism has long been the subject of institutional debate and the motion is likely to be supported by a majority of the 193 member states.
Source: Inter Press Service
World military expenditure passes $2 trillion for first time
25/4/2022: Total global military expenditure increased by 0.7 per cent in real terms in 2021, to reach $2,113 billion. The five largest spenders in 2021 were the US, China, India, the UK and Russia. This was the seventh consecutive year that spending increased.
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
African children protected by first malaria vaccine
21/4/2022: More than 1 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have received one or more doses of the world’s first malaria vaccine in a pilot programme. If widely deployed, the vaccine could save the lives of an additional 40,000 to 80,000 African children each year.
Source: World Health Organization
Making the most of the 2023 UN Summit of the Future
20/4/2022: A once-in-a-generation opportunity to review and dramatically improve global tools for managing the world's enormous challenges — a Summit of the Future — is under serious consideration for September 2023 by the UN's 193 member states. Consultations with civil society representatives will inform preparatory work during the next 18 months.
Source: PassBlue
Myanmar: ASEAN’s Failed ‘5-Point Consensus’ a Year On
22/4/2022: Despite adopting a “five-point consensus” on the crisis a year ago, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has failed to fulfill its pledges or take meaningful steps toward pressing Myanmar’s abusive junta to end its human rights violations.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Bachelet backs call for women’s role in disarmament talks
21/4/2022: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has welcomed calls for more women to participate in international security discussions. Only two women have been involved in negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Source: UN News
Africa grapples with perfect storm of crises
20/4/2022: Disruptions to grain and fuel supplies caused by the Ukraine war could turn back the clock on the progress Africa has made in recent years. Africa is dealing with six major crises simultaneously; a situation it has probably never faced.
Source: The East African
China ratifies international forced labor conventions
20/4/2022: China will ratify two different conventions on forced labor amid Western pressure and criticism over Beijing's treatment of minorities in the Xinjiang region. A European Union bilateral investment agreement fell through in 2020 due to human rights concerns.
Source: DW
Alarm but little action as East Africa faces unprecedented drought
13/4/2022: Farmers and pastoralists in the Horn of Africa are facing an unprecedented fourth drought – a catastrophe that may tip more than 20 million people into extreme hunger. The current level of donor funding is woeful, well below the same stage in the drought years of 2016 and 2017, when famine was narrowly averted.
Source: The New Humanitarian
Spring Meetings will call for urgent action on food security
13/4/2022: Ahead of the Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank Group, leaders call on the international community to support vulnerable countries with emergency food supplies and grants to cover urgent financing needs. Sharply higher prices for staples and supply shortages are increasing pressure on households worldwide and pushing millions more into poverty.
Source: World Food Programme