US-ASEAN summit can kickstart stalled approach to Myanmar
12/5/2022: The Biden administration should spotlight human rights violations in Myanmar during the US summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Five-Point Consensus facilitated by ASEAN in April 2021 has failed to curtail Myanmar's military oppression.
Source: Amnesty International
Elon Musk, Twitter, and human rights
10/5/2022: A director of Human Rights Watch assesses the implications of the potential acquisition of Twitter by an individual owner calling himself a “free speech absolutist.” There is a fine line between protecting free speech and addressing online content and behaviour that threatens people’s rights.
Source: Human Rights Watch
The Global COVID-19 Summit must tackle the demand gap
6/5/2022: Low-income countries remain only 12% vaccinated, well behind the 70% target. Yet demand for vaccines — especially in African countries - is waning. These are just some of challenges for the second Global COVID-19 Summit of wealthy countries on May 12.
Source: Devex
How the Taliban are ‘eliminating women’ in Afghanistan
9/5/2022: The Taliban have further curbed women's rights with their latest veil compulsion decree. Stricter rules are announced almost every day. With the West currently dealing with the Ukraine war, Afghan civil society has been left on its own to confront the Taliban's harsh decrees.
Source: DW
A free press in Africa is essential for democratic rule
7/5/2022: In Africa, the press freedom picture has become complicated, with a vast swathe of grey territory in which seemingly progressive democracies are getting away with media repression. The outcome is a chilling effect which prevents media from effectively playing their watchdog role.
Source: The East African
Philippines inquiry finds oil majors accountable for human rights
6/5/2022: The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines has issued the final report of its multi-year investigation into 47 investor-owned corporations. It finds the carbon majors liable for obfuscation of climate science and continued oil explorations for speculative purposes.
Source: Greenpeace International
The Mekong delta’s transboundary water problems
30/4/2022: The fragmentation of the Mekong River due to the construction of large-scale hydropower dams illustrates the inability of downstream states to shape the Mekong Agreement of 1995 into regional aims, rather than centred around national interests. The Mekong River is the lifeblood of countries in the region .
Source: East Asia Forum
2022 Global report on food crisis
4/5/2022: The 2022 annual report of the Global Network Against Food Crises indicates alarming increases in the number of people in the most severe phases of acute food insecurity, recording unprecedented levels of hunger worldwide.
Source: Global Network Against Food Crises
New UN plan to accelerate clean energy access for all
4/5/2022: A new UN-Energy Plan of Action sets out a framework for facilitating electricity access for 500 million people, as well as clean cooking solutions for one billion. The commitments will drive forward action to ensure that all people have access to clean and affordable energy, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Source: UN News
DR Congo ready to auction oil blocks in tropical peatland
3/5/2022: The planned tender for new oil blocks in the Democratic Republic of Congo comes amid serious concerns over the government’s commitment to climate-friendly development. At least three of 16 oil blocks overlap with the world’s largest tropical peatland complex.
Source: Climate Home News