Ukraine war is not all good news for arms industry
5/12/2022: The world's top 100 arms producers continued to increase sales in 2021, according to a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. While both Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the West's response have driven up demand for weapons, they also have left producers facing challenges in sourcing raw materials and components.
Source: DW
The decline and fall of democracy worldwide
5/12/2022: A report released by International IDEA finds that the number of countries moving towards authoritarianism is more than double the number moving towards democracy. Problems range from restrictions on freedom of expression to distrust in the legitimacy of elections.
Source: Inter Press Service
Conflicts remain major bottlenecks to achieving UN global goals
2/12/2022: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, countries in or recovering from conflict were “gravely off track” from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The UN has convened a high-level meeting to discuss approaches to sustaining peace and stepping up development.
Source: UN News
Women fight too, so stop ignoring them in peacebuilding
28/11/2022: Progress has been slow since the adoption of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Governments and multilateral agencies are increasingly calling for women to be able to exercise equal roles as active agents in peacebuilding.
Source: The New Humanitarian
UN agencies appeal for $1.72 billion for Venezuelan exodus
1/12/2022: Nearly 6 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela are living in 17 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration are appealing for funds to support the efforts of host governments.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
Six key issues at stake for biodiversity COP15
2/12/2022: The 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity is expected to adopt a plan to reverse the alarming trend of global biodiversity loss. Preparatory negotiations on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework have achieved some consensus on its overall approach to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.
Source: China Dialogue
COP27 was a mirage in the Sinai deserts
29/11/2022: Sunita Narain argues that the outcome of COP27 was the worst in the history of these negotiations. Decisions were either no-decisions or regressive. There is no meaningful approach to loss and damage unless it is framed in terms of liability and compensation.
Source: Down to Earth
Proven solutions must be put in place to end AIDS by 2030
30/11/2022: The UN Secretary-General has warned that the world is off track to end AIDS by 2030. In 2021, more than 38 million people globally were living with HIV, 1.5 million people were newly infected and 650,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses.
Source: UN News
New EU migration plan, same rights violations
1/12/2022: Human Rights Watch is critical of the European Commission’s new action plan on the Central Mediterranean. The plan doubles down on support for the Libyan Coast Guard and its interceptions of migrants at sea and their return to Libya where they face arbitrary detention and horrific abuses.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Africa’s advances in maternal, infant mortality face setbacks
1/12/2022: A new Atlas of African Health Statistics 2022, published by the World Health Organization, predicts that 2030 rates of infant and maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa will fall far short of the Sustainable Development Goal targets. The slowdown has been exacerbated by the disruptive effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: UN News