Towards a UN Charter review conference
10/8/2023: The UN may no longer be fit for its purpose to tackle contemporary global challenges. The UN Charter makes provision for a Review Conference which could identify the key issues that need to be addressed, including reform of the Security Council.
Source: Inter Press Service
Niger coup: How ordinary people are paying the price
4/8/2023: Just over a week after Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a coup, prices are rising in the impoverished and landlocked Sahel nation. The Economic Community of West African States has slapped severe sanctions on Niger in response to the coup, including a number of border closures.
Source: DW
West African leaders suspend ties with Niger junta
30/7/2023: An emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States has agreed to immediate financial sanctions against Niger and authorized the use of force if the junta doesn't cede power and release the country's elected president Mohamed Bazoum from detention.
Source: DW
African states detail their needs on World Bank reform
13/7/2023: Seeking World Bank reform, African states argue that food security, water, and affordable energy are more important than the demands of wealthy Western countries that focus on climate change and pandemics. This consensus was reached ahead of the G20 finance ministers’ meeting.
Source: Devex
Lessons from the UN’s outgoing Myanmar special envoy
29/6/2023: As the contract of the UN’s special envoy on Myanmar comes to an end, experts debate whether the lack of progress should be attributed to the international approach to the Myanmar crisis rather than the role. Weak regional governance has failed to cut off the junta’s access to aid and weapons.
Source: Devex
Violence continues in Myanmar two years into military coup
24/4/2023: The Five-Point Consensus agreed between the junta and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in April 2021 has not been implemented. With its annual summit due next month, ASEAN continues to be criticised for its ineffective role.
Source: CNA
Breaking the link between polycrisis and poverty
9/3/2023: This year marks the halfway point towards the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Multiple crises are converging on low income and lower-middle income countries, necessitating systemic change in our poverty eradication efforts.
Source: Inter Press Service
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
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
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