Category: Politics

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the World Trade Organization’s 2024 ministerial conference, the largest global gathering of trade ministers. The meeting will take place in Abu Dhabi in the week of February 26, 2024.

The WTO’s 13th ministerial conference, also known as MC13, comes at a crucial time when the global economy is slowing and stunned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an ongoing pandemic, and a trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

The priorities of MC13 are to reach an agreement to reform its dispute settlement system and renew its rulebook set up 27 years ago. Most WTO member nations want to restore the body’s Appellate Body, a kind of Supreme Court for trade. The United States has blocked the appointment of new judges to the body due to complaints, citing systemic problems with the way the WTO members settle trade disputes.

The WTO ministerial meetings are generally held biennially and give political impetus to advance international trade negotiations. The 2024 meeting is important for the UAE in its vision to position itself as a global hub for business amid growing competition in the Middle East. The country has been signing bilateral trade deals with fast-growing economies. It will also host the next edition of the United Nations’ climate change conference, COP 28.

In a landmark biodiversity agreement, nearly 200 governments on Sunday, 18 December, signed an accord to stop and reverse the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems at the United Nations COP15 World Conference on Nature in Montreal, Canada.

The nations have committed to protecting 30% of the world’s lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030. Currently, 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas are under protection.

Amid loud applause from the delegates present, Chinese Environment Minister Huang Runqiu – the president of the COP15 biodiversity summit that started on December 7 – declared the Kunming-Montreal Agreement adopted.

Monitored wildlife populations – mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish – have seen a devastating 69 per cent drop on average since 1970, says the Living Planet Report (LPR) 2022 of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). One of the most arguable issues in the negotiations was the finance package to support conservation efforts globally, mainly in developing countries. The deal commits to gradually increase the level of financial resources from all sources by 2030, mobilising at least $200 billion per year. This is roughly double from a 2020 baseline. An achievement is the commitment to $20 billion in international finance flows by 2025 and $30 billion by 2030.

The 23 targets in the accord also include cutting environmentally “destructive” farming subsidies, reducing the risk from pesticides, and tackling invasive species.

Japan on Friday has announced a $320 billion plan for a military build-up, the biggest since the Second World War. Based on current budgets, this five-year plan will make the Asian country the world’s third-biggest military spender after the United States and China. On December 16, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s cabinet approved three key security documents.

The government said it would also stockpile spare parts and other munitions, expand transport capacity and develop cyber warfare capabilities. In its post-war constitution, Japan gave up the right to wage war and means to do so, like offensive military forces. Article 9 of its constitution says, “the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes”.

However, after the end of the Cold War, Japan has been steadily amending its security policy to increase its capabilities to defend itself outside its own territories. It has also been preparing itself to be equipped to send its forces overseas when required. Its new strategy documents unveiled last week show that the country believes that its current defence capabilities are insufficient given the rapidly changing global scenario.

France and the United Kingdom, the two of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, have reiterated their support for a permanent seat for India at the powerful horse-shoe table.

“France supports the candidacy of Germany, Brazil, India and Japan as permanent members. It also wishes to see a stronger presence of African countries, among both permanent and non-permanent members,” said Nicolas De Riviere, the French Ambassador at the UN.

Nicolas De Riviere was speaking at the UN Security Council open debate on Maintenance of International Peace and Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism chaired by External Affairs Minister of India, S Jaishankar.

UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward said, as the UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly “publicly reiterated this week, we support new permanent seats for Brazil, Germany, India and Japan, and permanent African representation”.

Stressing that the world today is very different to the one that gave birth to the UN in 1945, Woodward said, “It is right that we consider how the UN and the multilateral system should evolve. The Security Council must, as others have said, become more representative of the world today and the UK has long called for its expansion, in both the permanent and non-permanent categories.”

Jaishankar presided over two signature events on counter-terrorism and reformed multilateralism being held under India’s current Presidency of the UN Security Council. On December 31, 2022, India’s two-year tenure as elected member of the powerful 15-nation group will also come to an end.

Leo Varadkar on Saturday took over as Ireland’s Prime Minister for the second time, in a handover of power between the two main political partners in the three-party governing coalition. Varadkar, 43, served as Irish Prime Minister between 2017 and 2020. One of Ireland’s youngest ever leaders even in his second stint in the role, he replaced Micheal Martin as Taoiseach (premier) in a rotation between his Fine Gael and Martin’s Fianna Fail parties.

With Varadkar taking over as Ireland’s Taoiseach, Europe gets its third Indian-origin head of government after United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Portugal Premier Antonio Costa.

The rotation between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail parties in line with a coalition deal struck in 2020. The centre-right parties were forged from opposing sides in the Irish Civil War in the early 20th century. They agreed to the rotating premiership as part of a coalition with Ireland’s Greens after 2020 elections.

Born in Dublin to an Irish mother, a nurse, and an Indian immigrant father, a qualified doctor, Varadkar gained a medical degree from Trinity College Dublin. He went into general practice, but stayed involved in politics, and in 2007 secured election for Fine Gael in Dublin West. At 38, he became the country’s youngest Taoiseach, first openly homosexual head of government and first of Indian heritage.

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and UN Secretary-General António Guterres unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the United Nations Headquarters. The bust will be the first Gandhi sculpture to be permanently located at the North Lawn Gardens of UN.

Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan, Vaishnav jan to was recited at the event. The event was also attended by the high-level representatives of the United Nations Security Council members including the incoming members and senior UN officials, added the release.

The sculptor of the bust is Ram Vanji Sutar, who made the Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest statue, located near Kevadia in the state of Gujarat, India, depicting Indian statesman and independence activist Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

S Jaishankar was in New York to Chair the United Nations Security Council meetings on 14-15 December 2022. India is holding the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of December 2022. He presided over two High-Level Ministerial signature events: a debate themed New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism, and a briefing on Global Approach to Counter Terrorism – Challenges and Way Forward.

The open debate on Reformed Multilateralism encouraged all member states to address the need for reforms in the global governance multilateral architecture, including the long-standing reforms of the UN Security Council, while the briefing on Counter Terrorism sought to promote consensus amongst Council Members on the principles of global counter-terror architecture.

India and the UAE have seen a “veritable transformation” in their ties, which are now beginning to have a broader ripple impact, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday.

Calling the signing of the bilateral trade pact between India and the UAE a defining decision of this transformation, the union minister emphasised that India and the UAE want to use their relationship to shape the changing world. S Jaishankar said this in the keynote address at India Global Forum and panel discussion – India-UAE: Partners for Global Impact in Abu Dhabi.

India and the UAE signed UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022. The UAE is India’s third largest trade partner and second largest export market. More Indian citizens live in the country than in any other country abroad. “Today, our discussions are about space, education, artificial intelligence, health and start-ups. The old, traditional energy trade investments continue, but a new agenda is also coming into being,” S Jaishankar said.

The External Affairs Minister also highlighted the ability to expand India-UAE relationship with other partners. India and the UAE are also doing more things together, he said, such as exploring the possibility of health cooperation in Africa, and alliances like the I2US (India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States).

The European Union on Tuesday moved closer to passing a tax on foreign companies that wish to import products that fail to meet climate-protection standards in which EU companies must comply. Once in place, the first-of-its-kind carbon border levy will shield EU’s industries from rivals in countries with lower CO2 pricing.

The new tax aims to create a competitive level playing field after EU companies claimed to be burdened with high costs to meet climate goals, while international competitors could easily import their goods without the same constraints and price better than local producers.

The EU parliament said in a statement that only “countries with the same climate ambition as the EU will be able to export to the EU” without being hit by the tax. “The new rules will therefore ensure that EU and global climate efforts are not undermined by production being relocated from the EU to countries with less ambitious policies,” the statement added.

The breakthrough tax between the EU parliament and the 27 member states yet falls short of a full deal, as some aspects of the tax, called Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, are stuck in other dossiers, delaying a full decision until a later date.

Israel’s incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured a parliamentary majority on Thursday after his Likud party reached an agreement with the Jewish ultra-Orthodox Shas party. The agreement gives Netanyahu control over 64 of the Knesset’s 120 seats.

Netanyahu’s right-wing alliance won a comfortable victory in a November 1 election, Israel’s fifth election in less than four years.

Though the political parties have yet to sign a final coalition deal, according to the agreement, Shas leader Aryeh Deri will head the interior and health ministries during the first half of the government’s term. He will take up the finance ministry in the second half. Deri will also serve as deputy prime minister throughout Netanyahu’s tenure.

Deri, a veteran politician, was convicted of tax fraud last year but spared jail under a plea deal. The Knesset will have to pass legislation that would enable his return to the cabinet.

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu filed a request to President Isaac Herzog to extend his mandate to form a coalition for an additional two weeks on Thursday evening. Netanyahu’s mandate is set to end on Sunday.

In the request, Netanyahu noted that all the factions set to be in the next coalition have signed letters concerning the division of positions in the 37th government, but there are matters concerning the positions that have not yet been settled.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation three national Ayush institutes, namely All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa; National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM), Ghaziabad; and National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH), Delhi, on Sunday.

The three institutes will strengthen research, international collaborations, and facilitate affordable Ayush services in the country, said Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday.

The institutes will create 400 additional seats for students in UG, PG and doctoral courses. The minister said that 550 additional beds in these three streams will also be added.

AIIA Goa will provide facilities for UG, PG and post-doctoral streams in education and patient care services through Ayurveda system of medicine. It will be developed into a wellness hub of Ayurveda promoting Medical Value Travel (MVT) and function as a model centre for international and national collaboration for academic and research purposes, said Sonowal.

The NIH, Delhi, will be established to develop the Homoeopathic system of medicine and provide healthcare facilities. It will mainstream and integrate Ayush healthcare services with modern medicines and encourage research and development to evolve into a national institute of repute.

NIUM Ghaziabad will be a satellite centre of the existing NIUM Bangalore, and will be the first such institute in north India to cater to patients.