Retreat from US global leadership on trade?
2/9/2025: President Trump's so-called "pocket rescission" appears to signal a gradual withdrawal from various multilateral bodies, including the World Trade Organization. Some observers believe that US withdrawal from international organizations could pave the way for a more meaningful global governance.
Source: Third World Network
Progress on the road to a UN Tax Treaty
20/8/2025: Governments have started substantive negotiations for the first-ever UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. Proposed reforms, such as enabling governments to tax any company with a “significant economic presence” in their territory, could generate new revenues for developing countries.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Trump’s tariffs are gutting Africa — and America’s influence
7/8/2025: The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), enacted in 2000, was a rare US gesture of goodwill, granting 32 sub-Saharan nations duty-free access to American markets for textiles, cocoa, and automotives. Set to expire in September 2025, AGOA is likely dead, analysts say, with Trump favoring bilateral deals over multilateral pacts.
Source: Devex
UN talks could end tax dodging by international corporations
4/8/2025: New global tax rules in an UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation are being negotiated, from now until 2027. The UN process could end creative accounting practices that deprive poorer countries of vital tax revenues needed for development.
Source: Greenpeace International
UN releases proposals for streamlining of mandates
1/8/2025: The UN is guided by more than 40,000 active mandates, serviced by around 400 intergovernmental bodies. The Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative is tackling the duplication, fragmentation and outdated tasks that stretch resources and undermine delivery.
Source: UN News
As Trump wields the axe, who will fight to save the UN?
6/7/2025: The biggest contributor, at 22%, to the UN’s core budget is about to conclude a review of its membership. The US is not the only country falling short in its obligations to the UN. Will the global democracies fight to stop these rogue states dismantling the world’s best defence against a thrid workd war?
Source: The Guardian
Twenty years of the UN’s Responsibility to Protect
26/6/2025: UN member states have reiterated their commitment to the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, known as the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, established 20 years ago. Implementation has been marked by inconsistency and hypocrisy of states, notably those holding a veto.
Source: Inter Press Service
US again blocks appointments to resolve global trade disputes
24/6/2025: For the 88th time, the US has blocked a proposal for expeditiously filling all seven vacancies in the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization. As the system for settling trade disputes remains broken, multilateral rules and the rule of law appear to be the major casualty.
Source: Third World Network
As the rules of global cooperation shift, here is plan B
5/6/2025: The international landscape in mid-2025 is characterized by a retreat from liberal institutionalism, as seen by the US withdrawal from the UN Sustainable Development Goals. An alternative approach champions flexible coalitions of countries and groups bound by shared values and interests.
Source: Devex
Results of survey on UN reform options
1/6/2025: An informal survey of almost 1500 readers sheds light on opinion about the UN Secretary-General's plan to reshape the UN system. The most popular proposals are merging the peace and security departments and unifying human rights efforts into a single department.
Source: PassBlue