Nicaraguan government dismantles civil society
19/7/2022: In the last 6 weeks, Nicaraguan authorities have cancelled the legal registration of over 770 nongovernmental organizations, effectively forcing them to shut down their operations. Civil society groups play a critical role in a country that has no independent state institutions to check on executive power.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Joint Statement by UN leaders on the global food crisis
15/7/2022: Leaders of UN food and finance agencies have again voiced their concern for global food security. They urge actions in four key areas: providing support to the vulnerable, facilitating trade and international supply of food, boosting production and investing in climate-resilient agriculture.
Source: World Food Programme
Simplifying peacemaking in a complex world
12/7/2022: Since the early-2000s, the world has become more complex with a range of new actors complicating efforts to achieve peace, compounded by the inadequacy of the UN. Three former heads of state of Nigeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia reflect on what it takes to end conflict in a meaningful way.
Source: African Arguments
Biden should not renew arms sales to Saudi Arabia
14/7/2022: Reports suggest that the ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia will be reviewed during the forthcoming visit of President Biden. Since the beginning of the war in Yemen, Human Rights Watch and other groups have documented how the Saudi- and UAE-led coalition has used US weapons in apparent unlawful airstrikes.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Probe into war crimes in Ukraine needs coordination
14/7/2022: A conference hosted by the International Criminal Court has agreed to coordinate efforts to bring perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine to justice. There are concerns that too many organisations are investigating the evidence.
Source: DW
Open Society Foundation concern for democratic dysfunction
13/7/2022: The President of the Open Society Foundation has painted a gloomy picture of the state of democracy, thwarting the response to many global crises. He sees promise from recent elections in Latin America which have returned progressive, democratic governments to power.
Source: Devex
Aid Transparency Index finds decline in standards
13/7/2022: The 2022 Aid Transparency Index has fallen slightly, the first time the index has not recorded an improvement. The African Development Bank’s sovereign portfolio was identified as the most transparent.
Source: Devex
UN experts condemn shutdown of Russian civil society
13/7/2022: Most independent Russian media outlets have closed down to avoid prosecution. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have been blocked. Many thousands of Russians who protested peacefully against the war have been detained.
Source: UN News
Private lenders should participate in African debt relief
11/7/2022: African governments owe three times more debt to Western banks, asset managers and oil traders than to China, and are charged double the interest. Campaigners are calling on private lenders to take part in the G20’s debt relief scheme.
Source: Debt Justice
Securing food supply with wheat alternatives
12/7/2022: As war in Ukraine strangles global wheat supplies, hardy and climate-resilient wild grains could bring greater food security. For example, millet requires far less water than wheat, rice or corn, and can be grown on relatively poor soils.
Source: DW