Multilateralism Digest: November 2023 - Issue 11

I. India in the UN

1. India-UN Development Partnership Fund turns six
2. Special Political Missions face new challenges, need transparent budgets, says India

II. India’s G20 Presidency

1. Virtual G20 Summit held
2. PM announces Social Impact Fund

III. Plurilateral Developments

1. 10th ADMM-Plus meeting held
2. 4th AIGIF launched

IV. Multilateral Institutions

1. World Bank Proposes 10 GW Clean Hydrogen Initiative
2. WB and Global Fund sign MoU
3. IMF Executive Board recommends quota increase
4. WTO organises first regional workshop on measuring digital trade

V. Peace and Security

1. Woman Police Officer of the Year

VI. Miscellaneous

1. GA and SC elect five judges for the ICJ
2. IAEA Annual Report presented to the General Assembly

I. India in the UN

India-UN Development Partnership Fund turns six

The India-UN Development Partnership Fund completed six years of operation. Managed by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation and implemented by 12 UN entities at the country level, the $150 million Fund supported innovative, Southern-owned and led, demand-driven, and transformational sustainable development projects across the developing world. Since its launch in 2017, the Fund has supported 76 projects in 54 countries. Click here to read… [2]

Special Political Missions face new challenges, need transparent budgets, says India

At a debate on Special Political Missions (SPM) in the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly, India’s PR Ruchira Kamboj highlighted that a range of new threats, or old threats with new dimensions, increasingly intersect with and shape conflict dynamics, and affect the SPMs. She also suggested that there is need for a separate account for SPMs, to be assessed at peacekeeping scales and in line with the peacekeeping budget cycle, as it would enhance transparency in the budgetary process of SPMs. Click here to read… [3]

II. India’s G20 Presidency

Virtual G20 Summit held

At the Virtual G20 Summit held on 22 November 2023, there was a strong sentiment expressed by the leaders to ensure implementation of the commitments which were agreed to at the New Delhi Summit. On the finance track, the five priorities of the Indian Presidency were reiterated - MDB reforms, Digital Public Infrastructure, the roadmap for Crypto Assets, Climate Finance, and Financing of Cities of Tomorrow. The Minister of External Affairs and Minister of Finance indicated the forward movement since the Delhi Declaration was adopted such as the Second Voice of the Global South Summit and an international seminar on DPIs in which over a 100 countries participated. Click here to read… [4]

PM announces Social Impact Fund

Speaking at the inauguration of the Virtual G20 Summit on 22 November 2023, the Prime Minister announced the completion of the creation of the DPI Repository. Over 50 DPIs from 16 countries have been incorporated into this repository. To facilitate the implementation of DPIs in India's behalf, I also announce Global South nations, he proposed the creation of a Social Impact Fund with an initial contribution of 25 million dollars from India. Click here to read… [5]

III. Plurilateral Developments

10th ADMM-Plus meeting held

The 10th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus was held in Indonesia on 16 November. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh attended the meeting. Shri Rajnath Singh appreciated ASEAN Member States’ enthusiastic participation in India-ASEAN activities, particularly the Initiative for Women in UN Peacekeeping Operations, and Initiative for Marine Plastic Pollution Response. India proposed to co-chair the EWG on Counter-Terrorism. This proposal was endorsed by ADMM-Plus. Click here to read… [6]

4th AIGIF launched

India along with 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS) were represented by 200 participants at the 4th edition of the annual ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation Forum (AIGIF) that was launched in Langkawi, Malaysia on 28 November 2023. Building upon the triumphs of past editions in Jakarta, Indonesia (2018), Davao, Philippines (2019), and Phnom Penh, Cambodia (2022), AIGIF 2023 magnifies its commitment to surmount societal challenges through heightened participation and collaboration. Click here to read… [7]

IV. Multilateral Institutions

World Bank Proposes 10 GW Clean Hydrogen Initiative

The World Bank and international partners are calling for the implementation of an action agenda to accelerate global deployment of clean hydrogen as a low-carbon energy carrier to combat climate change and strengthen energy access in developing countries. The four-point action plan is part of a new report entitled “Scaling Hydrogen Financing for Development,” lead-authored by the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program together with partners OECD, Global Infrastructure Facility, and the Hydrogen Council. The plan includes the launch of a 10 GW capacity initiative – 10 times of today’s global hydrogen production using renewable energy input – by developing priority projects across emerging markets and developing countries. Click here to read… [8]

WB and Global Fund sign MoU

The World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (the Global Fund) today signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlining how the two organizations will work together to strengthen health systems in countries of the Global South. The goal is to support more efficient, effective, and sustainable financing to improve health outcomes in the face of climate change. Click here to read… [9]

IMF Executive Board recommends quota increase

On 7 November 2023, the Executive Board of the IMF approved a proposal to be considered by the Board of Governors to conclude the 16th General Review of Quotas with a significant increase in quotas. The proposal follows the guidance from the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) at the 2023 Annual Meetings. The Executive Board proposed to the Board of Governors a 50 percent quota increase allocated to members in proportion to their current quotas. The proposal also includes a call for work to develop, by June 2025, possible approaches as a guide for further quota realignment. Click here to read… [10]

WTO organises first regional workshop on measuring digital trade

The WTO's Economic Research and Statistics Division (ERSD) and Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) worked together to organize the workshop jointly with the IMF, OECD and UNCTAD. This first regional workshop on measuring digital trade took place from 20 to 23 November in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The workshop brought together 24 officials from central banks, national statistics offices, and government ministries from 15 countries across the Arab region. The workshop introduced statisticians to the IMF-OECD-UNCTAD-WTO Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade, which establishes the foundation for understanding and measuring digital trade in an internationally comparable way. Its goal is to help statistical compilers across the world to address policymakers’ demands for better statistics on digital trade. Click here to read… [11]

V. Peace and Security

Woman Police Officer of the Year

First Sergeant Renita Rismayanti, an Indonesian police officer serving at the UN Mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, has been awarded the prestigious Woman Police Officer of the Year Award during a ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York. Ms. Rismayanti is deployed as a crime database officer at MINUSCA, which has a mandate that includes protecting civilians and supporting security sector reform. She has helped conceptualize and develop a database that enables UN Police (UNPOL) to map and analyse crime and disorder hotspots. Click here to read… [12]

VI. Miscellaneous

GA and SC elect five judges for the ICJ

The General Assembly and the Security Council met independently from but concurrently on 9 November 2023 and elected five judges to the International Court of Justice beginning on 6 February 2024. In the Security Council, after five rounds of voting, which were required as more than five candidates obtained the absolute majority of eight votes in the first four, the Council re elected Ms. Charlesworth (Australia), as well as elected Mr. Aurescu (Romania), Ms. Cleveland (United States), Mr. Verduzco (Mexico) and Mr. Tladi (South Africa). The same five received an absolute majority of votes by secret ballot in the 193-member General Assembly. Click here to read… [13]

IAEA Annual Report presented to the General Assembly

Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi presented IAEA’s annual report to the General Assembly on 8 November 2023. In addition to focusing on Ukraine, North Korea and Iran, he also spotlighted IAEA’s work in helping nations overcome challenges like disease and climate change through the power of nuclear technology. The demand for energy will only continue to grow. In Africa, for example, electricity capacity is set to increase fivefold by 2050. Click here to read… [14]