ASEAN Resolutions & more– 15th Aug 2023

Saluton from Tibidabo! This is Rorshok Multilateral Update from the 15th of August twenty twenty-three A summary of what's going down in the world's major multilateral institutions.

The 44th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly or AIPA General Assembly took place in Jakarta between the 7th and the 9th of August.

The theme was "Responsive Parliaments for a Stable and Prosperous ASEAN."

The parliaments of ASEAN country members agreed on resolutions regarding political stability and Myanmar, where the military took power with a coup in twenty twenty-one.

They also passed resolutions on the South China Sea where a long-running territorial conflict in the resource-rich waters, involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei has been evolving over the past decade.

Other topics included green economy transition and technological innovation for sustainable development.

The assembly also discussed energy and water security, gender equality, youth involvement, palm oil, and nickel issues, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and sustainable development goals.

The joint statement emphasized the importance of ASEAN nations working together to safeguard the region, strengthen the organization’s interests through their parliaments, and maintain regional peace and global stability.

Moving on to Africa, on Friday the 11th West African nations discussed plans for a potential military intervention in Niger following a recent coup.

Niger’s army ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on the 26th of July, marking the seventh coup in West and Central Africa in three years.

This situation further heightens concerns in an already unstable region grappling with Islamist insurgency.

The Economic Community of West African States (or ECOWAS) has activated a standby force, keeping the door open for a peaceful restoration of democracy but still considering military action.

The size and composition of the force remain unclear. ECOWAS is also imposing sanctions, asset freezes, and travel bans on the junta.

Western nations, including France and the US, have expressed support for ECOWAS efforts and called for the safe release of Bazoum.

The African Union is also supporting the regional bloc’s decisions.

A couple of miles to the West, on Sunday the 13th, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, governed by a military junta, decided to accelerate its withdrawal from the Ber base in the northern region due to worsening security conditions.

During the withdrawal, three peacekeeping soldiers were wounded in a firefight.

This move follows clashes between the Malian army and armed groups in the area. These clashes led to the death of six soldiers and the killing of twenty-four fighters from "armed terrorist groups."

Mali has been in a state of political and security turmoil since twenty twelve when Islamist armed groups took over large parts of its territory.

The twenty twenty-one coup accelerated the scale of the catastrophe, as the junta restricted the movement of peacekeeping forces in the country.

The junta also invited the Russian Wagner paramilitary group which brought an explosion of violence against citizens.

The UN mission urged parties to avoid actions that could complicate the situation further, and attacks on peacekeepers could constitute war crimes under international law.

Moving on to South America, Paraguay's President-elect Santiago Peña has called for a suspension of Mercosur-EU free trade agreement talks due to the EU's "unacceptable" environmental demands.

He argued these proposals would compromise Paraguay's economic development as a significant soy exporter.

The tension highlights the ongoing struggle between the two blocs to finalize a long-delayed deal.

Peña questioned the EU's genuine interest in the agreement and said that negotiations should be concluded promptly.

The EU says its proposals address sustainability concerns like deforestation and awaits alternative ideas from Mercosur.

Peña plans to maintain a low-tax model for investment attraction and job creation in the agricultural sector, without imposing new taxes.

In the Ukraine-Russia front, according to a report by Open Democracy, published on Tuesday the 8th, Ukrainian troops that NATO trained are reportedly ill-prepared for the complexities of the conflict with Russia due to Western training limitations.

The training, primarily conducted in the UK and Germany, includes a thirty-five-day "crash course" in basic soldier training.

However, Ukrainian soldiers believe Western instructors lack understanding of their specific situation and warfare conditions against Russia.

Western training, focused on Middle East insurgencies, doesn't align with the flat terrain and trench warfare in Ukraine.

The West's emphasis on health and safety regulations and weaker enemy scenarios slows readiness for live operations.

Despite these challenges, Ukrainian troops receive valuable equipment from Western training programs.

The World Bank has announced a suspension of new loans to Uganda due to the country's enactment of a harsh anti-gay law.

The law criminalizes homosexual acts and carries life imprisonment for offenders.

The World Bank stated that the law contradicts its core values and vision, which include inclusivity regardless of gender, race, or sexuality.

Uganda's ambassador to the United Nations criticized the decision as "draconian" and called for a reevaluation of the World Bank's methods.

The law has also faced opposition from Ugandan campaign groups, who are challenging its discriminatory nature.

The World Bank's move follows sanctions imposed by the United States against Uganda in response to the anti-gay legislation.

Next, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (or OPEC) data, show that global oil markets are heading towards a significant supply deficit of over two million barrels per day this quarter, driven by Saudi Arabia's production cuts.

The kingdom's unilateral reduction in output last month has led to a drop in OPEC's overall production.

Saudi Arabia plans to maintain these cuts in the coming months, potentially resulting in a quarterly average production of around 27 million barrels per day, which is around 2 million less than consumer demand.

This could lead to the most substantial inventory decline in two years.

Despite concerns from major consuming nations about constrained output causing inflation, oil prices have risen to a seven-month high of nearly $88 dollars a barrel.

However, concerns about demand in China and the health of the US economy remain.

Meanwhile in the international crime scene, Interpol has successfully executed a large-scale operation targeting West African mafia groups specializing in internet fraud.

Named "Operation Jackal," the investigation led to the arrest of 103 individuals in twenty-one countries and the seizure of over two million euros.

The operation focused on dismantling criminal networks engaged in cyber-enabled financial fraud, including business email compromise schemes, credit card fraud, inheritance scams, among others.

Among the groups targeted was Black Axe, a violent mafia-style gang founded in Nigeria, known for its involvement in cyber-related financial crimes.

Similar operations were conducted in twenty twenty-two, resulting in arrests and asset seizures.

Bujar Osmani, Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (or OSCE) engaged in separate telephone discussions with Jeyhun Bayramov, the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan, Bayramov’s Armenian counterpart.

Osmani expressed concern about the situation surrounding the Lachin corridor and its impact on vulnerable groups.

Azerbaijan is denying supply of critical medical supplies and food via the Lachin corridor, a strip of land connecting Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh, causing a humanitarian time-bomb in the region.

Osmani highlighted his attentive monitoring of the situation and reiterated the importance of constructive dialogue for sustainable solutions that benefit the conflict-affected population.

UNICEF has raised concerns about persistent violence in Haiti, particularly the alarming increase in kidnapping cases

This is posing a significant threat to the safety and well-being of vulnerable populations, especially women and children.

In the first half of twenty twenty-three, nearly 300 confirmed kidnapping cases were reported, almost matching the total for twenty twenty-two and nearly triple that of twenty twenty-one.

Armed groups often forcibly take children and women for financial or tactical gains, leaving victims with profound physical and psychological scars.

The situation in Haiti is dire, with an estimated 5.2 million people, almost half the population, requiring humanitarian assistance.

Children face grave danger amid violence and armed group activities, while women and girls suffer extreme sexual violence.

The country's healthcare system is also struggling with cholera resurgence and severe malnutrition.

UNICEF emphasized the urgency of addressing the humanitarian crisis and stopping the unimaginable violence faced by women and children.

The political turmoil, backed by security breakdowns and criminal gangs, has further deepened Haiti's challenges.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

What do you know about us? Yes, we do Multilateral updates, but we do so much more than that. Check out what we do at rorshok.com

Don’t forget that you can always financially support us with the link in the show notes!

See you next week!