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On 26 September, Germany’s population votes for a new Parliament and, in extension, for a new government. The stakes are high as Angela Merkel, after 16 years in office, will not run again paving the way for a new Chancellor and potentially new approaches to external affairs.
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Photo by hibino on Flickr (altered), https://www.flickr.com/photos/hibino/51544029/
These days, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly is tasked with fine-tuning a centrepiece of the reform: the strengthened Resident Coordinator system – key driver of a more cohesive UN Development System (UNDS) working towards a common agenda. Negotiations have yet to reach a break-through.…
Photo by marcinjozwiak on Pixabay
Today, the European Commission presented its “Fit-for-55” proposal which includes a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The CBAM would impose a levy on imports into the EU based on their CO2 content from 2023. As part of the European Green Deal, Commission President von der Leyen had announced this instrument two years ago in order to be able to implement more ambitious climate policy targets without energy-intensive sectors shifting their emissions abroad (carbon leakage). Following the Commission’s proposal, the CBAM must now be spelled out in detail by the EU member states and the European Parliament. Going forward, it is key to ensure that the CBAM is effective in fighting climate change, that it is WTO compatible and, above all, that it has as few ramifications as possible for foreign policy and for developing countries in particular.…
This year’s G7 summit concluded on 13 June with the release of a 25-page leaders’ communique containing 70 paragraphs. And yet the summit has been criticised by global health and climate campaigners (including Gordon Brown, the UK’s former Prime Minister) for failing to rise to the unprecedented challenges the world now faces. How fair is this criticism, and is there anything the UK summit hosts might have done differently to avoid it?
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This week, the United Nations (UN) High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation convenes in New York City, and virtually. For the first time in five years, member state representatives and UN officials gather in this setting to review and advise on how the UN system engages with South-South and triangular cooperation. This contribution discusses recent developments and suggests that delegates should encourage stakeholders to
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