US formally removes Uganda from Agoa
2/1/2024: Uganda has lost the concession to export certain commodities to the US duty-free under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. This results from President Museveni's assent to an anti-gay law which introduces serious repercussions, including life imprisonment or death, for same-sex relations.
Source: The East African
Yemen’s peace plan boosts Houthis’ regional influence
29/12/2023: The UN special envoy for Yemen has expressed optimism about UN-led negotiations with Saudi Arabia, the Presidential Leadership Council and the Houthi militia. The peace plan offers the much-desired exit option from the war for Saudi Arabia but some have said the Houthis stand to gain in power.
Source: DW
Report card: Half-way to the global goals deadline
29/12/2023: Launched in 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set out a 15-year plan to realize 17 interconnected targets, known as the Sustainable Development Goals. What progress has been made at the halfway mark?
The second part of this UN progress update.
Source: UN News
Ethiopia becomes third African state to default on sovereign debt
26/12/2023: Ethiopia has defaulted on a coupon payment due on its only international government bond, having been under severe financial strain in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and its two-year civil war. Ethiopia will join Zambia and Ghana in a full-scale "Common Framework" for debt restructuring.
Source: The East African
Why the South China Sea was turbulent in 2023
26/12/2023: Through 2023 both China and the Philippines have been taking greater risks over disputed islets and shoals in the South China Sea. Their competing claims are considered a real threat to security and stability in waterways that carry trillions of dollars in global trade.
Source: DW
New UN resolution aims to fix health facilities worldwide
19/12/2023: Water, waste disposal, and electricity are the basic services a functioning health care center requires – yet thousands are forced to operate without, impacting health workers’ ability to save lives. A new U.N. resolution hopes to change that.
Source: Devex
Key COP28 takeaways for Africa
20/12/2023: The UN’s annual climate summit concluded with a mixed bag of results for Africa. This summary of progress includes the Loss and Damage Fund, adaptation, climate finance and a just energy transition. — issues that directly relate to African countries’ ability to meet their climate change and development goals.
Source: World Resources Institute
UN resolution on war in Gaza is an important but insufficient step
22/12/2023: The UN Security Council has adopted a compromise resolution calling for “expanded humanitarian access” to Gaza. Amnesty welcomes the humanitarian commitment but warns that nothing short of an immediate ceasefire is enough to alleviate the mass civilian suffering.
Source: Amnesty International
EU’s Migration Pact is a disaster for migrants and asylum seekers
20/12/2023: Human Rights Watch says that new “political agreement” to overhaul the European Union’s asylum and migration system contains provisions that move closer to legalizing the denial of the right to asylum. The changes are based on deterrence, an approach proven to be both ineffective and abusive.
Source: Human Rights Watch
IMF rules continue to be rigged against the world’s poorest
19/12/2023: Two development economists explain why they believe that the latest review of quotas that determine the IMF's decision-making powers shows exactly how unfair the rules are for developing countries. It is now over ten years since the richer countries committed to rebalance the formula.
Source: Devex