Environmentalism after Ukraine
21/3/2022: The modern environmental movement has taken the rules-based system for granted, trusting in national commitments even when they came from authoritarian states. But Russia has exposed the fragility of the global order, what now?
Source: Eco-Business
Where is the UN’s Guterres?
15/3/2022: It is long overdue for UN Secretary-General António Guterres to intervene more forcefully in Russia’s war on Ukraine and use his good offices to try to forge a cease-fire and work out a final settlement on this nightmarish conflict. Guterres should follow up with all sorts of new proposals on how to end the fighting.
Source: PassBlue
Ukraine war feeds fears of another food crisis
13/3/2022: Important lessons were learned from the 2007–08 food crisis, and avoiding those mistakes will be critical in responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The rice crisis in 2007–08 was caused by panicked importers, exporters and hoarding by small-scale participants along the rice supply chain.
Source: East Asia Forum
Appalling violations in Myanmar demand international response
15/3/2022: Security forces in Myanmar have killed at least 1,600 people and detained more than 12,500, since the military coup last year, the UN rights office has said. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that serious rights abuses may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Source: UN News
The rise in food insecurity amid COVID-19 and conflicts
17/3/2022: The effects of COVID-19 over the past two years, in addition to the increase in wars and conflicts, climate change and economic crises, have aggravated global food insecurity, generating serious concerns for 2022. An increase of 100 million people suffering from hunger is projected for these past two years, extending the negative trend already reported.
Source: Inter Press Service
What does Russia leaving the Council of Europe mean?
17/3/2022: The Russian Federation's exit from Europe's top human rights watchdog has been condemned by human rights groups concerned about the impact on victims of the Kremlin's rights abuses. The Council of Europe was formed in 1949 and seeks to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law across Europe.
Source: DW
Russia blocks ships carrying grain exports
17/3/2022: Up to 300 ships have been stopped by Russian forces from departing the Black Sea, leaving one of the key global trade routes for grain virtually blocked. The fertile region is known as "the world's breadbasket." The International Maritime Organization has called for so-called blue corridors to allow the ships to leave the Black Sea without the risk of attack or hitting a mine.
Source: DW
Bangladesh: stop flouting UN rights concerns
17/3/2022: The Bangladesh government should meaningfully respond to UN concerns regarding torture, enforced disappearance, and extrajudicial killings in the country, Human Rights Watch has said. The US has already sanctioned the country’s Rapid Action Battalion for serious rights violations.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Cambodia: opposition politicians convicted in mass trial
17/3/2022: A Cambodian court has convicted 20 opposition politicians and activists, after an unfair trial in which no credible evidence was brought against the defendants, according to Human Rights Watch. Many activists have fled the country because they fear arbitrary arrest.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Why we must remember Afghanistan
17/3/2022: There was no reference to Afghanistan in US President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech. The chaotic US withdrawal of August 2021 sent Afghanistan’s already flagging economy into freefall. Women’s rights activists have been jailed by the Taliban without explanation. Several have disappeared. Press freedom has undeniably been rolled back.
Source: Inter Press Service