The IBSA Fund Annual Report for 2022 was launched by the UN Office for South-South Cooperation on 1 June 2023. Since India is a contributor to the fund, India’s permanent representative, Ruchira Kamboj, participated in the event and highlighted that the IBSA Fund has supported 42 projects across 36 countries allocating $ 46.5 million. She held that the IBSA Fund will continue to strengthen the spirit of South-South cooperation that is people-centric, demand driven and directly benefits communities that are the most vulnerable. Click here to read... [2]
India expressed its inability to endorse the resolution adopting the 8th review of the Global Counter Terrorism Strategy on 22 June on that grounds that it had dropped the reference to the Delhi Declaration adopted in 2022. The review was also faulted for propagating false priorities, whether in the form of an over-emphasis on new and emerging threats – in an attempt to dilute the focus from hardcore terrorism, or its biased approach towards recognizing attacks only against Abrahamic religions and ignoring others. Click here to read... [3]
The Headquarters Agreement (HQA) between Government of India (Gol) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) agreed to in June 2022 was approved by the cabinet on 28 June 2023. The CDRI was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India during the United Nations Climate Action Summit on the 23 September, 2019, at New York. The HQA gives the CDRI exemptions, immunities and privileges as laid out under Section-3 of the UN (P&I) Act, 1947. Click here to read... [4]
The 2023 report of the Secretary General of the UN on Children and Armed Conflict has dropped the mention of India as a country of concern from the point of view of treatment of children in armed conflict, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. All statutory service delivery structures like the Child Welfare Committee and Juvenile Justice Boards under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 were established. The outcome is a result of sustained engagement of the Ministry of Women and Child Development with the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and all concerned stakeholders. Click here to read... [5]
As a culmination of the work of the Education Working group, the Education Minister’s meeting was held on 22 June 2023 in Pune, Maharashtra. All G20 members agreed on the need to work together for a resilient, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future through education. They also agreed that education is not only about academic learning, but also about developing life, technical and vocational skills to make all learners future ready. They also underlined the need for lifelong learning. They recognized the important role of digital transformations, women-led development, green transition and education for sustainable development and lifestyles (LiFE) as accelerators that can advance the progress towards the achievement of the SDGs. Click here to read... [6]
The Tourism Ministers conference was held in Goa from 19th- 22nd June. It endorsed the GOA Roadmap for Tourism which is aimed at providing national governments in the G20 countries and beyond, as well as other tourism players with voluntary tools and recommendations to leverage the sector’s capability to progress the SDGs. The roadmap also highlights the need to sensitize the consumer side as well as on responsible consumption. The approach of the GOA Roadmap focusses on promoting visitors’-led actions for Travel for LiFE in line with the Lifestyle for Environment movement launched by the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi. Click here to read... [7]
The W20 engagement group of G20 held its summit in Mahabalipuram, Tamilnadu from 14-16 June 2023. It adopted the Communique 2023 which proposes policy solutions in the area of Women’s entrepreneurship, women’s leadership at grassroots level, bridging the gender digital divide, education and skill development, with the spirit of women leading the change. Click here to read... [8]
The Labour20 engagement group Summit held in Patna, Bihar from 21–23 June 2023, resolved for a multilateral mechanism among G20 member states and other associated countries on the portability of social security benefits. The task force on ‘International Portability of social security funds’ recommended that data on the susceptibilities and needs of migrants should be collected and analysed for the efficiency of social protection systems. The task force report on ‘Changing World of Work: New Employment Opportunities and Challenges in G20 Countries’ recommended that the care economy holds significant job potential, and regulations should be in place to protect workers. Harmonizing technological innovation with sustainable and just transitions is a DRAFT No. 1 L20, Patna key aspect that needs to be thoroughly examined and integrated into policy frameworks. Click here to read... [9]
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved $1.5 billion in financing to accelerate India’s development of low-carbon energy. The financing will help India promote low-carbon energy by scaling up renewable energy, developing green hydrogen, and stimulating climate finance for low-carbon energy investments. “The programme will support the successful implementation of the National Green Hydrogen Mission that aims to stimulate $100 billion in private sector investment by 2030,” said Auguste Tano Kouame, World Bank Country Director for India. Click here to read... [10]
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala announced the establishment of two advisory groups, one comprising leaders from the business community and the other bringing together prominent civil society representatives on 21 June 2023. The formation of these groups builds on past practice and the WTO's experience with bringing diverse stakeholder perspectives to the trade debate. The composition of these advisory groups takes into account geographical and sectoral diversity, as well as gender balance. Click here to read... [11]
The WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) met from 19- 23 June 2023. WTO members discussed regulatory cooperation on cybersecurity and on intangible digital products. They also aired a total of 68 trade concerns, 11 of which were raised for the first time, regarding digital issues, public health concerns and product standards, among other topics. Members also shared their progress on improving regulatory transparency and on using the ePing platform to track information on product requirements. Click here to read... [12]
WHO has taken up the European Union (EU) system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help facilitate global mobility and protect citizens across the world from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics. This is the first building block of the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN) that will develop a wide range of digital products to deliver better health for all. This partnership will include close collaboration in the development, management and implementation of the WHO GDHCN system, benefitting from the European Commission’s ample technical expertise in the field. Click here to read... [13]
The BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations met on 1 June 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. They underlined the need for using local currencies in international trade and financial transactions besides committing themselves to supporting rule-based open and transparent global trade. The Ministers expressed concern about the use of unilateral coercive measures, which are incompatible with the principles of the Charter of the UN and produce negative effects notably in the developing world. They reiterated their commitment to enhancing and improving global governance by promoting a more agile, effective, efficient, representative and accountable international and multilateral system. Click here to read... [14]
On June 15, 2023, Qingdao, China hosted the People's Diplomacy Forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the SCO Twin Cities Forum. The Forums were attended by all the national centers of public diplomacy of the SCO countries. Participants from SCO Member States, Observer States and Dialogue Partner Countries held in-depth discussions on "Strengthening the Shanghai Spirit of Promoting Friendly Cooperation" and reached broad consensus on issues such as public diplomacy, sister city cooperation, scientific and technical innovations, educational exchanges, poverty alleviation, etc. Click here to read... [15]
On 6 June 2023, BIMSTEC turned 26. In his message, BIMSTEC Secretary General Tenzin Lekphell said the adoption of the charter last year has provided necessary legal provisions to build more efficient and effective working methods for BIMSTEC to strengthen its institutional framework and form a meaningful partnership within the region. The regional organization seeks to revisit and re-examine its working methods to better serve the people in the region through Eminent Persons’ Group to put forth practical recommendation for the future of BIMSTEC. Click here to read... [16]
The Third High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States under the overarching theme of “Addressing Terrorism through Reinvigorated Multilateralism and Institutional Cooperation” was held on 19-20 June 2023. Discussions were focused on key counter terrorism priorities such as terrorism threats in some regions of Africa and conflict zones across the globe, human rights and gender-responsive counter-terrorism approaches, and the complex issue of repatriation. More than 1000 participants representing 160 Member States, 23 regional and international organizations, 23 United Nations entities, as well as 135 institutions from academia, civil society, and private sector attended the conference in person. Click here to read... [17]
A counter-terrorism operation coordinated by INTERPOL with the support of AFRIPOL enabled frontline police across Central and Eastern Africa to arrest 14 terror suspects linked to terror groups ADF, Al-Shabaab and ISIS. The month-long (27 March – 23 April) operation, codenamed Tripartite Spider, was undertaken in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda. Click here to read... [18]
On 20 June 2023, China blocked a proposal that had been moved by the US and co-designated by India to blacklist Mir under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council as a global terrorist and subject him to assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.Mir, believed to be in his mid-40s, is one of India's most wanted terrorists and has a bounty of $5 million placed on his head by the U.S. for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Joint Secretary at India's permanent mission in New York Prakash Gupta strongly criticised the “petty geopolitical interests” that come in the way of genuinely combating terrorism. Click here to read... [19]
Amidst repeated calls by the transitional government of Mali, the Security Council voted to withdraw the decade-old UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and the transfer of security responsibilities to the country’s transitional Government, which has been in power since a coup in 2021. Media reports have depicted a grim security landscape. Over the past decade, Mali and the Sahel region have seen a surge in clashes and attacks by armed groups and terrorist affiliates, with 303 peacekeepers killed, according to MINUSMA. Click here to read... [20]
Secretary General of the UN António Guterres has been tasked by the member states to provide detailed policy briefs on his Our Common Agenda 2021 document. Three of these policy briefs were released on 5 June 2023. The first one is on reforms to the international financial architecture; the second on moving beyond Gross Domestic Product; while the third is on the Global Digital Compact. These and other forthcoming issue brief are to assist member states in preparing for the Summit of the Future to be held in 2024. Click here to read... [21]
Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction adopted a historic maritime biodiversity treaty on 19 June 2023. As an international legally binding instrument under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the treaty aims to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. Click here to read... [22] Click here to read... [23]
UNCTAD launched on 20 June a new generation Productive Capacities Index (PCI) to help countries make more accurate diagnostics and measurements of their economic performance. The PCI measures countries’ abilities to produce goods and deliver services, which are critical for international trade and global production value chains. For governments, the PCI is a powerful and practical tool to track progress over time and forge informed policies to plug development gaps. Click here to read... [24]
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Links:
[1] https://www.vifindia.org/2023/august/17/Multilateralism-Digest-june-2023-Issue-6
[2] https://pminewyork.gov.in/IndiaatUNGA?id=NDk3OQ
[3] https://pminewyork.gov.in/IndiaatUNGA?id=NDk5Mw
[4] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1935897
[5] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1936065
[6] https://www.g20.org/en/media-resources/press-releases/june-2023/emmct/
[7] https://www.g20.org/en/media-resources/press-releases/june-2023/goa-roadmap/
[8] https://w20india.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/W20-Communique-2023.pdf
[9] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1934873
[10] https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/06/29/world-bank-approves-1-5-billion-in-financing-to-support-india-s-low-carbon-transition#:~:text=The%20First%20Low%2DCarbon%20Energy,water%20powered%20by%20renewable%20energy
[11] https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news23_e/bus_15jun23_e.htm
[12] https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news23_e/tbt_23jun23_e.htm
[13] https://www.who.int/news/item/05-06-2023-the-european-commission-and-who-launch-landmark-digital-health-initiative-to-strengthen-global-health-security
[14] https://mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/36637/Joint_Statement_of_the_BRICS_Ministers_of_Foreign_Affairs_and_International_Relations
[15] http://eurasia-assembly.org/en/news/sco-forums-qingdao-china-outcomes
[16] https://theannapurnaexpress.com/news/26-years-of-bimstec-high-on-hopes-43499
[17] https://www.un.org/counterterrorism/sites/www.un.org.counterterrorism/files/230620_press_release_closing_hlc_final.pdf
[18] https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2023/14-terror-suspects-arrested-in-African-operation#:~:text=Underlining%20the%20need%20for%20a,a%20growing%20threat%20across%20Africa.
[19] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-slams-china-at-un-for-blocking-move-to-designate-2611-accused-sajid-mir-as-global-terrorist/article66993043.ece
[20] https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1138257
[21] https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2023-06-05/secretary-generals-remarks-the-launch-of-three-policy-briefs-under-our-common-agenda-scroll-down-for-bilingual-delivered-and-further-down-for-all-english-and-all-french
[22] https://press.un.org/en/2023/sea2181.doc.htm
[23] https://pminewyork.gov.in/IndiaatUNGA?id=NDk4NQ
[24] https://unctad.org/news/unctad-launches-new-index-countries-better-measure-economic-potential
[25] http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?title=Multilateralism Digest: June 2023 - Issue 6&desc=&images=&u=https://www.vifindia.org/2023/august/17/Multilateralism-Digest-june-2023-Issue-6
[26] http://twitter.com/share?text=Multilateralism Digest: June 2023 - Issue 6&url=https://www.vifindia.org/2023/august/17/Multilateralism-Digest-june-2023-Issue-6&via=Azure Power
[27] whatsapp://send?text=https://www.vifindia.org/2023/august/17/Multilateralism-Digest-june-2023-Issue-6
[28] https://www.vifindia.org/author/Dr-Arpita-Anant-20221108