Multilateralism Digest: May 2023 - Issue 5

Contents

I. India and the UN

• Way forward on the IGN on UN reforms
• India helps LLDCs with disaster risk reduction

II. India’s G20 Presidency

• 2nd Culture Working Group meeting held
• Second G20 TIWG Meeting held

III. Multilateral Institutions

• Islamic Development Bank and partners launch second phase of development fund
• WTO reviews anti-dumping practices

IV. Plurilateral Developments

• First ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise held
• 8th Annual Meeting of NDB held
• Quad Leader’s Summit held in Hiroshima
• SCO Foreign Ministers meet in Goa

V. Peace and Security

• 5th Review Conference of CWC
• Sahel tops list of terrorism related deaths

VI. Miscellaneous

• SGs policy brief on Outer Space
• OECD and IOM to Jointly Promote Sustainable Development
• WHO classifies COVID-19 as a non-emergency
• Japan and UNDP renew support for climate action

I. India and the UN

Way forward on the IGN on UN reforms

In the final round of intergovernmental negotiations on UN reforms during the current session of the General Assembly on 4-5 May 2023, India’s PR Ruchira Kamboj welcomed the Elements Paper and the Framework document prepared by the Co-chairs Kuwait and Austria and urged that delegations be given sufficient time to respond to it. She also hoped that the Elements Paper would accurately reflect the area of divergences and convergences. She pointed out that, regrettably, the General Review Conference of the UN Charter that was to be held before the 10th General Assembly was never held. Click here to read... [2]

India helps LLDCs with disaster risk reduction

Dr. P.K. Mishra, Principle Secretary to the Prime Minister, addressed the Risk Reduction Hub meeting organised by the permanent mission of Botswana to the UN. He pointed out that India assists with disaster risk management with many land locked developing countries (LLDCs). First, in the area of Early Warning Systems India proactively shares with the neighbouring LLDCs scientific inputs and severe weather forecast guidance or advisories for their meteorological services to adapt and utilize. Second, India has been supporting capacity development efforts including training on severe weather forecasting. And finally, supporting efforts to make their infrastructure systems more disaster and climate resilient. Click here to read... [3]

II. India’s G20 Presidency

2nd Culture Working Group meeting held

The 2nd Culture Working Group (CWG) meeting was held from 14-16 May 2023 in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. The delegates participated in the discussion sessions focusing on the 3rd and 4th priority areas outlined by the CWG: 'Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries and Creative Economy’ and ‘Leveraging Digital Technologies for the Protection and Promotion of Culture’. The discussions offered valuable insights, which are expected to culminate into tangible and action-oriented recommendations that have the potential to shape the cultural sector and concerning policy frameworks globally. Click here to read... [4]

Second G20 TIWG Meeting held

The 2nd Trade and Investment Working Group (TWIG) Meeting was held from 23-25 May 2023 in Bangalore, Karnataka. Continuing the discussions from the first TIWG meeting held in Mumbai, five technical sessions were organized during the three-day event. These included High-Level Principles of Digitalization of Trade Documents; Action Plan to Create Meta Information Portal for MSMEs; Framework for Mapping GVCs; Compendium of Best Practices on Mutual Recognition Agreements and G20 Regulatory Dialogue. G20 members, invitee countries and international organizations broadly agreed on some of the benefits that included cost reduction, increased efficiency and improved transparency. Several member countries also extended their support for framing principles to accelerate transition towards paperless trade. Click here to read... [5]

III. Multilateral Institutions

Islamic Development Bank and partners launch second phase of development fund

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and its development partners, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) announced the launch of the second phase of the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF 2.0) on the sidelines of the IsDB Annual Meetings 2023. The committed resources are aimed at supporting 32 member countries of the Bank to achieve 10 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Click here to read... [6]

WTO reviews anti-dumping practices

On 3 May 2023, the WTO’s Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices reviewed the latest notifications from members of new, amended or previously reviewed anti-dumping laws and regulations as well as reports on anti-dumping actions. With respect to the semi-annual reports covering the period 1 July - 31 December 2022, 44 members notified the Committee of anti-dumping actions taken in this period, while 18 reported no new anti-dumping actions during the same period. Click here to read... [7]

IV. Plurilateral Developments

First ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise held

The inaugural ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023) was held from 2- 8 May 2023. The Harbour Phase of the exercise was held at Changi Naval Base from 02 to 04 May 2023 and the Sea Phase from 07 to 08 May 2023 in the South China Sea. Approximately 1400 personnel manning nine ships participated in the Sea Phase of the multilateral naval exercise. India’s indigenously designed and built ships- destroyer INS Delhi & stealth frigate INS Satpura, maritime patrol aircraft P8I and integral helicopters exercised with ASEAN naval ships from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Click here to read... [8] Click here to read... [9]

8th Annual Meeting of NDB held

The 8th Annual Meeting of the New Development Bank (NDB) hosted by China was held at the NDB’s Headquarters in Shanghai under the theme “Shaping a New Era for Global Development” on May 30-31, 2023. The Annual Meeting focused on current and future global development issues and perspectives, and how the NDB could contribute to shaping a new era of development in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries, in line with the NDB’s mandate to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects. Click here to read... [10]

Quad Leader’s Summit held in Hiroshima

The 3rd Quad Leader’s Summit was held on 20 May 2023 in Hiroshima, Japan. Leaders of the four countries reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. They also reasserted respect for the leadership of regional institutions, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), in the Indo-Pacific. They committed that they would pay utmost attention to priorities of the Pacific including climate action, ocean health, resilient infrastructure, maritime security and financial integrity. They vowed that the Quad would work together to be a global force for good. Click here to read... [11]

SCO Foreign Ministers meet in Goa

The regular meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers Council took place on 4 and 5 May, 2023, in Panaji, Goa. It was chaired by Minister of External Affairs of India, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The ministers paid special attention to Afghanistan and explored ways to assist the country in its efforts to stabilise the situation and rebuild the country. They also had a meaningful exchange of views on expanding practical cooperation in transport, energy, finance, investment, free trade, digital economy, as well as stepping up cultural exchanges and working together to protect the environment and countering climate change. The ministers paid special attention to expanding the SCO membership by completing the accession procedures for the Islamic Republic of Iran, accelerating formal procedures to enable the Republic of Belarus to join the SCO as a member state, and reaching out to more SCO dialogue partners. Click here to read... [12]

V. Peace and Security

5th Review Conference of CWC

The 5th Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention was held in Hague, Netherlands for a week commencing on 15 May 2023. RC-5 was chaired by the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the OPCW, H.E. Henk Cor van der Kwast. More than 800 representatives from OPCW Member States, civil society, chemical industry and academia joined the weeklong review process. Russia and Syria blocked adoption of the draft outcome document because they objected to any mention of Syria’s well-documented chemical weapons use. Lacking consensus, the conference ended with a chairman’s report that summarized the week’s proceedings. Click here to read... [13]

Sahel tops list of terrorism related deaths

The Institute for Economics and Peace published its annual Global Terrorism Index for 2023. According to the report, Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates remained the world’s deadliest terrorist group in 2022 for the eighth consecutive year, with attacks in 21 countries. Deaths from attacks by unknown Jihadists globally are eight times higher than 2017, representing 32% of all terrorism deaths and 18 times higher in the Sahel. The Sahel is the most impacted region, representing 43% of global terrorism deaths, 7% more than the year prior. Click here to read... [14]

VI. Miscellaneous

SGs policy brief on Outer Space

UN Secretary General authored a new “Our Common Agenda” policy brief titled “For all Humanity- The Future of Outer Space Governance”. The brief contains an examination of the extraordinary changes under way in outer space and an assessment of the sustainability, safety and security impacts of these changes on present and future governance. The brief also contains an outline of major trends that are impacting space sustainability and the positive impact that these trends could have on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Lastly, it provides a practical set of governance recommendations for maximizing the opportunities of outer space while minimizing short-term and long-term risks. Click here to read... [15]

OECD and IOM to Jointly Promote Sustainable Development

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), who have worked together for more than seven decades, have signed an agreement to cooperate on issues related to migration and development. This agreement foresees cooperation across a wide spectrum of migration governance issues, including migration policy, migration and sustainable development, labour, and the humanitarian, development and peace nexus (HDPN). Click here to read... [16]

WHOclassifies COVID-19 as a non-emergency

The head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency, stressing that it does not mean the disease is no longer a global threat. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General WHO declared this after the 15th meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic, held on Thursday 4 May 2023. The Director-General also announced the publication of the 2023-2025 COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan which is designed to guide countries in transitioning to long-term management of COVID-19. Click here to read... [17]

Japan and UNDP renew support for climate action

Japan and UNDP have joined forces for a second set of funding to support climate action, drive green transformation, and ensure climate-resilient sustainable development. Priorities of the new support package include increasing resilience and adapting to climate impacts on food security; reducing risk from climate-induced events such as floods and mudslides, and driving innovation to urgently advance renewable energy, sustainable transportation, energy efficiency and energy access for the most vulnerable communities. Japan’s $23.6 million contribution will assist 16 countries across Asia-Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Africa, and Arab State regions through UNDP’s Climate Promise initiative. Click here to read... [18]