Earlier this year, Beijing’s ‘mask diplomacy’ gained traction for its suspected geopolitical intentions as the rest of the world was making do with a dwindling supply of face masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on the world to strengthen multilateral cooperation, saying a global approach has been the key to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.Speaking on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Charter, he said the world is in turmoil, struggling with the coronavirus and climate change, as well as widespread racial injustice and increasing inequality - all best solved by a renewed sense of multilateralism."We ca
United States (US) President Donald Trump's all-out assault on the United Nations (UN) is doing "lasting damage" to international cooperation as the world faces a range of "existential threats", a former World Health Organization (WHO) chief warned Friday.Gro Harlem Brundtland, a former Norwegian prime minister who served as head of the UN health agency from 1998 to 2003, said she was deeply concerned about concerted efforts by populist leaders in the US and elsewhere
The Group of 20 (G20) leaders urgently need to reconvene to agree on an enhanced and more strongly coordinated global response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Running parallel to the global battle against the coronavirus pandemic is a tug of war between two competing narratives about how the world ought to be governed. Although addressing the pandemic is more urgent, which narrative prevails will have equally far-reaching consequences.The first narrative is straightforward: a global health crisis has further demonstrated the need for multilateralism and exposed the fallacy of go-it-alone nationalism or isolationism.
The COVID-19 pandemic has sent the world into perilous, uncharted territory from which no country will emerge unscathed. Over half of the global population is under some form of lockdown. All economies, rich and poor, are falling into recession and can limit the fallout only by working together.China – the pandemic’s first epicentre – offers insight into the need to work together.
The centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is often mentioned and emphasised by government officials and scholars in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to the most recent tally, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal publish a combined total of 1,000 stories every day. Although the report didn’t say how many people read all of them, it’s safe to assume that nobody managed to do so.Each of us probably overlooks tens of thousands of important news stories every year.
Jim Yong Kim’s sudden resignation as president of the World Bank Group (WBG) offers an opportunity to reflect on the direction, legitimacy, and effectiveness of that 75-year old institution. Like other multilateral institutions, the Bank in recent years has been criticised for its elitism and for championing outmoded models of economic globalisation that have failed to deliver broad-based benefits.
The annual General Debate of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly is one of the most notable events on the international diplomatic calendar. As usual, this year’s meeting, during the last week of September, brought together a long list of world leaders, although perhaps the term “world leader” should no longer be used so lightly. The president of the leading global power has made it clear that he has no interest in getting involved in resolving any of the world’s shared problems.
European leaders sought to build support from Asia on Thursday in defence of free trade and the fight against climate change, to counter the growing protectionism of President Donald Trump's America.The 28 European Union (EU) states were joined at a summit in Brussels by more than 20 Asian leaders including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Japan's Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is also attending, despite tensions over Moscow
