UN peacebuilding role now more complex and urgent
27/4/2022: A high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly has highlighted the lack of support for the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund. The number of violent conflicts is at the highest level since 1945. Global military expenditure exceeded $2 trillion last year, an all-time high.
Source: UN News
Mixed reaction to Indonesia’s ban on palm oil exports
25/4/2022: The world’s biggest producer of palm oil will ban exports of the commodity from April 28 to address a domestic cooking oil shortage. Economists have criticized the action, noting that similar export bans of other commodities have aggravated global scarcity and rising prices.
Source: Mongabay
UN General Assembly will scrutinise any Security Council veto
26/4/2022: The UN General Assembly has resolved that any future veto by one of the five permanent members of the Security Council will trigger a meeting at which all member countries can examine such action. This responds to Russia’s use of the veto on the day after it invaded Ukraine.
Source: UN News
New regional peace bid in DR Congo
26/4/2022: The African Union and the UN say they support the latest bid by the East African Community to bring armed groups to dialogue with the government in Kinshasa, as well as formation of a regional force to counter rebel groups who will refuse to negotiate for a political solution.
Source: The East African
Kenneth Roth to step down at Human Rights Watch
26/4/2022: Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth has announced plans to step down at the end of August 2022. Roth has led the organization since 1993, transforming it from a small group of regional “watch committees” to a major international human rights organization with global influence.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Turkish rights activist Osman Kavala handed life sentence
25/4/2022: Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala has been found guilty of attempting to overthrow the government by an Istanbul court. International rights groups have condemned the process as a crackdown on critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Source: DW
Hong Kong journalists suspend human rights award
25/4/2022: Citing legal concerns, the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondent's Club has suspended the 26th edition of its human rights reporting award. Hong Kong's national security laws have stifled free press in the former bastion of democracy.
Source: DW
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