Israel-Hamas Conflict & more–10th Oct 2023

Saluton from Tibidabo! This is Rorshok Multilateral Update from the 10th of October twenty twenty-three A summary of what's going down in the world's major multilateral institutions

The United Nations Security Council (or UNSC) held a closed-door emergency session on Sunday the 9th, to address the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas but failed to reach a consensus on a joint statement.

At least eleven hundred people have been killed in the conflict, with Hamas launching attacks on Israeli towns and taking hostages, and Israel responding with airstrikes on Gaza.

The United States called on the UNSC members to strongly condemn Hamas, but Russia and others were seeking a broader focus for the statement.

UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland attended the UNSC meeting, where diplomats called for an immediate ceasefire and meaningful negotiations. Israel and the Palestinian Authority did not attend the meeting as they are not current members of the UNSC.

Fifty European leaders attended The European Political Community summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, but there was no significant progress on resolving conflicts in Europe or other regional issues.

The summit aimed to address conflicts in Armenia and Azerbaijan, tensions in the Balkans, and discuss continental security.

While leaders expressed support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they made little headway on other conflicts due to the absence of key participants. For instance, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev did not attend, preventing a meeting between Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Efforts to ease Kosovo-Serbia tensions also failed. The host country, Spain, canceled a planned press conference, reflecting the summit's lack of progress.

The United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (or ECOWAS) have called on political actors in Liberia to reject violence during the upcoming presidential and legislative elections scheduled for the 10th of October.

In a joint statement, they emphasized the need for peaceful, credible, transparent, and inclusive polls in Liberia.

The statement also urged political leaders to refrain from incendiary rhetoric that incites violence and to send clear messages to the public saying that they stand for peace.

The delegation strongly condemned acts of electoral violence that occurred in Liberia's Lofa County on the 20th of September and called for a swift investigation and accountability for the perpetrators. They also emphasized that violence has "no place in democratic processes" and encouraged political parties and candidates to seek judicial resolution of disputes.

Vietnam is actively pursuing closer economic ties with Brazil and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) through a proposed free trade agreement (or FTA).

During an official visit to Brazil, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that an FTA between Vietnam and Mercosur could lead to significant advancements in economic, trade, and investment cooperation, benefiting both nations.

This proposal aims to solidify Vietnam's trade and investment relations with Mercosur members, including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Brazil has been on an upward trajectory, reaching almost 7 billion dollars in twenty twenty-two. With a potential FTA in place, Vietnamese businesses may gain improved access to the expansive Mercosur market.

Mercosur, with a combined GDP of approximately $5.1 trillion dollars in twenty twenty-two, represents a significant economic bloc.

Rob Bauer, a top NATO admiral, has suggested that Western allies may need to consider enacting "a form of conscription" to bolster their militaries due to concerns about Russia's efforts to replace soldiers and equipment lost during the conflict in Ukraine.

Bauer argued that if voluntary enlistment isn't sufficient to meet military needs, alternatives like conscription, mobilization, or reservists should be considered. He cited Finland's conscription system as an example.

Western countries have struggled to meet military recruitment targets in recent years, and concerns about Russia's military modernization efforts have increased the urgency of addressing these shortfalls.

However, Bauer clarified that conscription need not necessarily involve drafting all young people into the armed forces; it could be a more targeted approach involving individuals with specific skills, such as medical, cyber, or technical expertise, to meet the military's evolving needs.

According to UNICEF, between twenty sixteen and twenty twenty-one, climate change-induced weather disasters, including floods, droughts, storms, and wildfires, led to at least 43.1 million cases of child displacement.

The report highlighted the trauma and suffering these children experienced and emphasized that the actual number of affected children is likely much higher than reported.

Floods and storms were responsible for 95% of these displacements. The data only accounts for the number of displacements and not the number of children affected, as a single child could be displaced multiple times.

The report also noted that the underreporting of displacements due to drought is a significant issue, as they are often slower-moving events and harder to quantify.

UNICEF called on world leaders to address this issue at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

On that note about the COP28 climate summit, energy ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (or UAE), and Iraq, the three largest members of OPEC, have argued that oil and gas should not be stigmatized in the climate debate.

They stated that the industry has a role to play in an orderly energy transition. Suhail al-Mazrouei, The UAE's Energy Minister, emphasized the responsibility of major hydrocarbon producers to provide the transition with enough hydrocarbon resources to ensure a responsible and reasonably priced transition.

The UAE is set to host the COP28 climate summit, and its president, Sultan al-Jaber, has drawn criticism from environmental campaigners due to his leadership role and the UAE's status as an OPEC member and major oil exporter. He advocates for a more inclusive approach that involves the oil and gas industry in climate discussions and solutions.

However, there are ongoing debates about whether to phase out fossil fuels or use technology to capture emissions.

Still on climate change, The International Monetary Fund (or IMF) has warned that addressing climate change without implementing a tax on pollution could put public debt in major carbon-emitting countries on an unsustainable path.

According to the IMF, relying solely on spending measures to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by twenty fifty could increase public debt in a representative large-emitting country by up to 50% of its GDP.

The IMF has long advocated for a global carbon tax and believes that carbon pricing policies, which impose costs on businesses based on their carbon emissions, should be an integral part of any climate policy package.

Nearly fifty countries already have carbon pricing schemes in place.

The African Union (or AU) has backed Somalia's request for a three-month pause in the withdrawal of international troops engaged in the fight against al-Shabaab terrorists in the country's central regions. The request comes following military setbacks.

The AU Transition Mission in Somalia supports the call for a pause in the withdrawal of three thousand uniformed personnel, emphasizing solidarity with Somalia's quest for peace, security, and stability.

The AU's Peace and Security Council also commended troop-contributing nations like Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, and Uganda for their commitment to securing financial support for the mission's transition.

However, funding for the pause will depend on the AU and other international community members.

This move comes as Somalia grapples with ongoing challenges posed by al-Shabaab, requiring a reorganization to address security vulnerabilities.

UNESCO and INTERPOL have announced plans to create a virtual museum of stolen cultural artifacts with the aim of raising public awareness about the trafficking of such items and the importance of cultural heritage.

The virtual museum, set to open in twenty twenty-five, will feature detailed 3D images of stolen artifacts, along with explanations of their cultural significance and stories from local communities.

The initiative seeks to draw attention to the issue of stolen cultural heritage and promote the right of societies to access and recognize their heritage.

UNESCO and INTERPOL have a joint database of over 52,000 stolen artifacts, valued at $2.5 million dollars. The museum aims to help people understand the impact of artifact theft and promote the recovery and repatriation of stolen objects.

Francis Kéré, the project's architect, noted that the ultimate goal is for the museum's collection to shrink as stolen items are recovered.

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

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