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
UN General Assembly demands Russia reverse annexation
12/10/2022: The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution condemning Russia's illegal annexation. The debate defended the principles of the UN Charter, provoked by Russia’s use of the veto in the Security Council.
Source: UN News
Calls for fairer global governance grow louder
4/10/2022: The UN General Assembly has been notable for the urgency of calls to end the unequal power dynamics of global governance. Fundamental reform of the UN, and specifically of the UN Security Council, is seen as crucial to forging a more equitable world order.
Source: The New Humanitarian
Secretary General signals support for UN tax convention
27/9/2022: UN Secretary General António Guterres has announced his support for the concept of a UN convention on tax. This would transfer control from the OECD to the UN, lifting the grip that richer countries exert over global tax rules.
Source: Tax Justice Network
Why Africa seeks a greater role on the global stage
28/9/2022: More African leaders are calling for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The African Union argues that the UN Security Council, with its five permanent members — the US, Russia, China, France and the UK — does not offer the continent a voice in global affairs.
Source: DW
African leaders must own up to their failures
24/9/2022: In speeches at the 77th session of UN's General Assembly, Africa’s post-Independence leaders have raised a legitimate issue when they demand reparations from colonial masters. But their case is undermined by their own record of repression and chronic economic mismanagement.
Source: The East African
Calls by Zelensky and Biden for UN reform win support
22/9/2022: The Ukrainian president demands that Russia should be stripped of its veto in the UN security council. Academic research suggests there is widespread public support for maintaining the authority of the UN and making its structures more representative of the world population.
Source: The Conversation
World Bank sees global development in crisis
20/9/2022: World Bank President David Malpass has expressed concern about the reversal of progress in human development. Education and debt are particularly challenging for low income countries as climate change combined with the war in Ukraine continue to undermine the world economy.
Source: Devex
Towards a more secure future through effective multilateralism
21/9/2022: As the 77th General Assembly session gets under way, the co-Chair of the UN's High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism reviews the challenge of improving international cooperation.
Source: Inter Press Service
Annual report of UN Secretary-General
15/9/2022: António Guterres records that the past year has been one of deep and interlocking crises that are growing in scale and severity, making the work of the UN more vital than ever. His Annual Report includes analysis of expenditure on the UN's eight priority areas of work in 2021.
Source: UN News