Historic UN Ocean Treaty agreed
5/3/2023: An historic UN Ocean Treaty has finally been agreed after almost two decades of negotiations. Greenpeace describes the agreement as an important sign that multilateralism still works in an increasingly divided world.
Source: Greenpeace International
The unintended consequences of economic sanctions
27/2/2023: Sanctions imposed in response to Russia's aggression aimed to render the invasion of Ukraine politically and economically unsustainable. Shutting Russia out of global financial markets provoked Moscow into upending world energy and food markets, causing pain to consumers and industry across the world, but particularly in low-income countries.
Source: East Asia Forum
Did Nigeria’s election tech fail or was it sabotaged?
2/3/2023: Young voters put their faith in recent amendments to Nigeria's electoral law that promised robust standards through digital technology. But at polling units nationwide, many were transported to an elections twilight zone.
Source: African Arguments
A manifesto for an ecosocial energy transition from the South
3/3/2023: Movements from the Global South believe that world economic priorities put pressure on their countries to yield up rare minerals and land to deliver renewable energy. They propose an alternative energy transition that combines social justice with environmental justice.
Source: African Arguments
Interwoven global crises can best be solved together
2/3/2023: Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals has been hamstrung by biodiversity loss and climate change, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. The "Nexus Assessment", a UN scientific programme, will study the interaction between biodiversity, water, food and health in a rapidly-changing climate.
Source: Inter Press Service
Climate displacement & migration in South East Asia
28/2/2023: According to the Groundswell Report of the World Bank, the number of internal climate migrants in the East Asia and Pacific region will reach 49 million by 2050. While most climate mobility occurs within a country, there will be growing pressure on national borders as climate change worsens.
Source: Inter Press Service
Five things to know about Least Developed Countries
3/3/2023: The conference of Least Developed Countries takes place every 10 years. The 2023 conference will focus on returning the needs of the 46 designated countries to the top of the global agenda, as they strive to get back on track to sustainable development.
Source: UN News
Cambodia’s opposition leader convicted on bogus charges
3/3/2023: The Cambodian political opposition leader, Kem Sokha, has been jailed for 27 years, just months ahead of national elections. UN experts believe that the treason charge against Mr. Sokha is politically motivated.
Source: Human Rights Watch
The global trust crisis: how the UN can respond
22/2/2023: The decline in trust between countries and global institutions has become existential, fueling polarization and undermining capacity to address the poly-crisis engulfing the world. The global director of advocacy for the Open Society Foundations suggests how the UN can embark on restoring effective multilateralism.
Source: PassBlue
Russia pulls out of New Start nuclear treaty
22/2/2023: The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was the latest in a series of agreements stretching back half a century between the US and Russia (and before, the USSR) on their nuclear weapons. Experts are likely to be divided on the implications of President Putin's decision to withdraw from the Treaty.
Source: The Conversation