MULTILATERAL: UN Security Council & more – 11th Jun 2024

Saluton from BA! This is the Rorshok Multilateral Update from the 11th of June twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the world's major multilateral institutions.

Kicking off this edition, on Thursday the 6th, the UN General Assembly elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia to be members of the UN Security Council for terms of two years beginning on the 1st of January twenty twenty-five. The Security Council, which can make legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing military action, includes five permanent members with veto power: the US, China, France, Russia, and Britain. The remaining ten seats are filled by elected members, with five new countries joining each year. These last elected countries will replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, and Mozambique.

More on the UN as this week, the secretary-general will report to the Security Council that both Israel and Hamas are endangering children's rights after multiple UN sub-organizations warned that 1 million Palestinians could suffer from unprecedented starvation if the conflict goes on. Annually, the secretary general identifies states and militias that pose significant threats to children; Despite the conflict putting children at risk, the US, one of the five permanent council members with veto power, has been reluctant to move against Israel, a close ally. Without the support of the United States, the UN is unlikely to pass meaningful resolutions to help children affected by the war.

Speaking of Gaza, on Sunday the 9th, Cindy McCain, the Executive Director of the World Food Program, revealed that several institutions suspended their operations. She explained the pause, citing safety concerns arising from incidents of the institutions’ workers’. She mentioned that two warehouses were hit by missiles, leading to the suspension until safety measures were ensured. Despite this setback, operations continue in other parts of Palestine.

Stil in Gaza, according to the latest report from the International Labor Organization released on Saturday the 8th, since Israel launched its military campaign in October last year, unemployment in the Gaza Strip has skyrocketed to 80%. The organization also revealed that joblessness in the occupied West Bank, also affected by the war, has surged to nearly 32%, bringing the average unemployment rate across the occupied Palestinian territory to over 50%

Onto NATO: its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is abandoning plans for a five-year military aid fund for Ukraine due to opposition from alliance members. On Saturday the 8th, he urged countries to maintain their current levels of support. The new proposal, which NATO defense ministers may endorse at their Brussels meeting next week, calls for allies to collectively spend at least $43 billion dollars annually on aid for Ukraine. This amount aligns with the average yearly contributions since Russia's twenty twenty-two invasion.

Ukraine also made the headlines because of its progress in joining the International Criminal Court, or ICC. Joining the Court would be both a symbolic and practical move for Ukraine, as the ICC has called for Putin’s arrest, and Ukrainian leaders have pushed for the prosecution of Russian war criminals.

Late last week, Ukraine’s government convened a high-level meeting of ministers to discuss the country’s potential accession to the ICC. Deliberations centered on the imperative of ratifying the Rome Statute to strengthen Ukraine's pursuit of justice against Russia, enhance diplomatic leverage, and further the country's European integration and bilateral agreements agenda.

The Rome Statute is the foundational treaty of the ICC, established in nineteen ninety-eight to address the most serious crimes of international concern. It outlines the court's functions, jurisdiction, and the procedures for handling cases. This statute represents a commitment by its member states to cooperate with the ICC in investigating and prosecuting individuals responsible for these grave offenses, aiming to ensure justice on an international level.

In some green updates, The UN environmental program reported that the 51st World Environment Day on Wednesday the 5th broke records with about 4,000 official events and tens of millions of online interactions, spotlighting ways humanity can address three critical but often neglected issues: land degradation, desertification, and drought. The program overall plays a crucial role in combating climate change by coordinating international efforts, providing scientific research, and promoting sustainable practices. It helps develop and implement global environmental policies, supports countries in meeting their climate commitments, and facilitates funding for green initiatives. The organization’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect ecosystems, and promote resilience against the impacts of climate change. Creating days dedicated to environmental protection is a small part of their larger mission!

In some news from the Balkans, on Wednesday the 5th, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe issued a report saying that judicial proceedings dealing with organized crime and corruption are usually inefficient. Covering a span of three years, the report examines 264 cases in five countries from July twenty twenty-one to March this year. It highlights issues such as poor case management. Additionally, it points out shortcomings in the quality of indictments and verdicts, alongside the underutilization of asset forfeiture measures.

The World Health Organization or WHO is warning of a new health risk as the Dengue is reaching new records in the Americas. It is a mosquito-borne illness that can be fatal. According to the WHO, there were approximately 4.5 million recorded dengue cases in the Americas in twenty twenty-three. By the end of April twenty twenty-four, the numbers had already exceeded 7 million. The most recent major outbreak of dengue fever occurred in Bangladesh in twenty twenty-three, causing significant concern due to its unprecedented scale. This outbreak saw thousands of cases and numerous fatalities, overwhelming healthcare systems. Contributing factors included heavy monsoon rains and the proliferation of Aedes mosquitoes, which transmit the virus.

Authorities launched extensive efforts to control mosquito populations, raise public awareness, and treat affected individuals, but the outbreak highlighted the urgent need for improved infrastructure and preventative measures to handle such public health emergencies in the future.

Another health organization was in the news sinceThe Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO joined forces with the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank to organize a two-day Caribbean Health Financing Forum ending on Wednesday the 5th. Representatives from health and finance ministries across the Caribbean, including Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, and Dominica, participated in the forum at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington. PAHO's assistant director highlighted the region’s leadership in primary health care and discussed challenges in ensuring sustainable health financing, including dependence on tourism revenue and climate change impacts.

Still in the world of international finance, on Thursday the 6th, the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, announced a staff-level agreement with Egypt on the third review of an expanded loan program, paving the way for a disbursement of approximately $820 million dollars to Egypt. The agreement comes after an IMF mission to Cairo from the 12th to the 26th of May to assess Egypt's reform performance under an Extended Fund Facility loan, which was increased to $8 billion dollars in March from an initial $3 billion agreed upon in December twenty twenty-two. Despite challenges such as spillovers from the Gaza conflict and disruptions in Red Sea shipping affecting Suez Canal revenues, the IMF stated that Egypt's efforts to restore macroeconomic stability are showing some progress.

In an intersection of African and American politics, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, or OAS, granted Kenya permanent observer status on Wednesday the 5th. The decision followed a recommendation from the OAS General Secretariat's Department of External and Institutional Relations to the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs, advising the Permanent Council to issue a relevant resolution granting Kenya observer status. Gaining observer status allows countries with special interests in American states to participate in the relevant activities of the OAS.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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