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Viewpoint by Champa Patel*
LONDON (IDN) – Southeast Asia already had a poor human rights record before the COVID-19 outbreak. Despite ASEAN’s rhetoric on democratic values and human rights, illiberal democracies have been on the rise, putting fundamental freedoms in the region under pressure. Most countries across the region continue to criminalise dissent using draconian often colonial-era laws, or new repressive legislation. COVID-19 has intensified these trends.
BRUSSELS (IDN) – The Belgium-based Europe External Programme with Africa has put together the latest report on the Horn of Africa situation. EEPA is a Centre of Expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications, and networks, specialised in issues of peacebuilding, refugee protection and resilience in the Horn of Africa. It has published extensively on issues related to movement and/or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn of Africa and on the Central Mediterranean Route.
Viewpoint by Sourabh Gupta
The author is a resident senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS), Washington DC. This article first appeared on EASTASIAFORUM on 18 December 2020.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) – On 6 May 2009, Malaysia and Vietnam jointly notified a submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). The submission implicitly declared that the Spratly islands were incapable of generating entitlements beyond their 12 nautical mile territorial sea limit.
EEPA Report on Horn of Africa Situation on December 26
BRUSSELS (IDN) – Reported that US Africom has begun an operation called Operation Octave Quartz (OOQ), with a mission to relocate U.S. forces in Somalia to other East Africa operating locations “while maintaining pressure on violent extremists and supporting partner forces”. US Africom is the military command for US operations in African. OOQ started after the Trump administration announced the reduction in the number of US military deployed in Somali territory.
By Loraine Rickard-Martin*, Passblue
NEW YORK (IDN) – At the $79.4 billion United Nations pension fund, continuing tensions came to a head this month when the UN participant representatives to the pension board — elected representatives of 85,000 active UN staff members — wrote on December 2 to the General Assembly body that oversees the fund about their concerns on a range of issues regarding the fund’s administration and governance.
By EEPA
BRUSSELS (IDN) – The United States has expressed deep concern “for the safety and security of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia”, calling on “the Ethiopian government to uphold its obligations under international law and to take appropriate measures to ensure the protection and safety of all refugees in Ethiopia. Those responsible for egregious abuses or violations against civilians must be held accountable”.
By Reinhard Jacobsen
VIENNA (IDN) – A new report by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that sufficient uranium resources exist to support the long-term, sustainable use of nuclear energy for low-carbon electricity generation as well as for other uses such as industrial heat applications and hydrogen production.
EEPA Report on Horn of Africa Situation on December 24
BRUSSELS (IDN) – Ethiopia took the lead in creating Africa's continental organisation, the African Union (AU). But Alex Dewaal, Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, believes that its actions are now jeopardising the body's founding principles. "Who Will Call Out Eritrea’s War Crimes in Tigray?" he asks in a blog
He points out that Eritrea has deployed most of its army in Tigray region of Ethiopia. This is no secret. At minimum, 12 divisions have been fighting inside Tigray.
Viewpoint by Dilkhush Panjwani *
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and do not express the views or opinions of people, institutions or organizations that he is affiliated with in a professional or personal capacity.
TORONTO (IDN) – George Clooney said in a recent interview: “It’s been a crappy year. It has. But we’re gonna get through it. I believe that with my whole heart. If I didn’t believe that I don’t know how we’d raise kids in this world. We’re gonna get through these things and my hope and my belief is that we will come out better.” We too must hope and believe that tomorrow will be the dawn of a better future.
Viewpoint by Paulo Caruso Dias de Lima
The writer is a Liaison Officer at the FAO Brussels Office.
BRUSSELS (IDN) – As announced two weeks ago, the Portuguese Presidency of the European Council, in the first half of next year, is set to position its priorities to promote a fair, green and digital recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19. This is in keeping with regional and global trends towards transforming the ways in which we produce and consume food. (Also available in Portuguese)
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