Landmines: US moves closer toward global ban
21/6/2022: The Biden administration has stated that the US will destroy stocks of antipersonnel mines except those needed for the Korean peninsular. The policy sets the goal of ultimately joining the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, also known as the Ottawa Convention.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Eliminate nuclear weapons before they eliminate us
21/6/2022: The UN Secretary-General has addressed the First Meeting of States Parties to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, taking place in Vienna. The treaty was adopted in July 2017 and entered into force in January 2021.
Source: UN News
Glencore pleads guilty to bribery in African operations
21/6/2022: Glencore has pleaded guilty to paying millions of dollars in bribes to secure crude oil in five African countries. It is the mining company's latest mea culpa in a series of bribery investigations worldwide.
Source: DW
WTO finally nets deal curbing fisheries subsidies
17/6/2022: The World Trade Organization has reached a multilateral agreement that bans government subsidies for fishing of already-overfished stocks and curbs those that contribute to illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. Governments spend around $35 billion annually on fishing subsidies, with $22 billion of that amount regarded as harmful.
Source: Mongabay
Not everyone is happy with WTO TRIPS deal
17/6/2022: After heavily contested negotiations, the World Trade Organization has agreed to allow low- and middle-income countries to temporarily waive protections on patents to produce COVID-19 vaccines. Critics argue that the deal offers little that is different from exemptions already available.
Source: Devex
WTO secures package of trade outcomes
17/6/2022: The 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization has secured multilateral agreement on a series of difficult issues. The “Geneva Package” contains decisions on fisheries subsidies, food safety and agriculture, and a waiver of certain requirements concerning compulsory licensing for COVID-19 vaccines.
Source: World Trade Organization
Is Tunisia’s democracy slipping away?
16/6/2022: President Saied has been running Tunisia unilaterally for almost a year. The July referendum will further strengthen his rule without resistance.
Source: African Arguments
The UN’s Women, Peace and Security agenda has stalled
15/6/2022: Back in 2000 UN member states committed to including women in all peace-building processes. Despite 100 countries enacting national plans to further this agenda, women remain largely absent from conflict mediation.
Source: PassBlue
Ethiopia’s invisible ethnic cleansing
16/6/2022: The Executive Director of Human Rights Watch chronicles the largely invisible campaign of ethnic cleansing that has played out in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray since the civil war began in November 2020.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Global Peace Index falls again
15/6/2022: The Global Peace Index, a measure of peace using 23 indicators released annually for the past 16 years, fell by 0.3% in 2021, the 11th deterioration in 14 years. Countries experiencing violent internal conflict rose from 29 to 38.
Source: Devex