Kategorie: Allgemein

2020 as the Anno Commotio (Year of Yearning) –Academia needs to change for diversity, too!

By Allgemein, Future of Globalisation, , ,
Photo: Graduates with academic hats from above

Source: https://www.needpix.com/photo/201350/graduates-graduation-cap-and-gown-free-pictures-free-photos-free-images-royalty-free-free-illustrations

Last year, international relations scholars labelled the year 2020 as anno horribilis, because of the prospect of difficult upcoming chairmanship of important multilateral “clubs” such as the G7 (United States), G20 (Saudi Arabia) and BRICS (Russia). These governments are perceived to undermine multilateralism. The year 2020, however, thus far has been shaped primarily by other major disruptions: the COVID19 pandemic, new negative records in climate change, and the racial tensions in the United States and in other parts of the world. Indeed, these disruptions are reversing advancement in human rights and good governance. Disruption, however, has the potential to enable paradigm shifts – also to the better, and somewhat closer to home.

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Fair trade and covid-19: Resisting resilience?

By Allgemein, Future of Globalisation, , ,

Photo: Plant through a hole in a boat, By Kim Thomas on Pixabay

New buzzword – why so popular?

Resilience has become increasingly popular in all dimensions of our lives and also in different academic disciplines ranging from ecology to psychology and social sciences. The resilience turn has also reached the EU: first in EU development and humanitarian aid policy in 2012, then European neighbourhood policy in 2015, after which it became the centerpiece of the EU’s Global Strategy of 2016.

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Globalisation is on the ventilator – Long live globalism!

By Allgemein, Future of Globalisation, , , , ,
Photo: Worldmap as a puzzle

Source: https://www.wallpaperflare.com/old-world-map-jigsaw-puzzle-fun-game-entertainment-the-board-wallpaper-zvmre

Globalisation Unmasked

The world is grappling with a deadly pandemic unleashed on the planet by the Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2/ HCoV-19). In its wake, the votaries of globalisation who have been espousing the cause of a borderless world of business with seamless flow of international trade, capital and even human resources across the world seem to be stung by a creepy realization whether the paeans sung by them were all worth the effort. More than the social and cultural aspects of globalisation, its economic manifestation in the form of product market integration with concomitant cross-border value chains has been credited with having contributed richly to the growth of the global and national economies. Today, more than half the world has locked down their economic, social, political and cultural activities to arrest the spread of the corona virus that has already infected nearly eight million patients world-wide and claimed over four hundred thousand lives as on the 15 June, 2020.…

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UN reform and the COVID-19 pandemic – what role for the UN to better serve the world?

By Allgemein, Future of Globalisation, , ,
Photo: Construction Site, as a symbol for “UN reform and the COVID-19 pandemic”

By Artodidact on Pixabay

The Covid-19 pandemic not only threatens to undo development gains and reverse progress in achieving the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda. It also presents an early and serious test for the reform of the UN development system (UNDS), where major reform decisions were taken in 2018 to reposition the UNDS for improved, integrated and strategic support in line with the 2030 Agenda’s interlinked nature.

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Multilateral Negotiations and ‘social distancing’

By Allgemein, Future of Globalisation, ,

Photo: Empty Benches in a Park as a symbol for social distancing

The year 2020 should have seen many major international conferences, mandated to take especially important decisions to protect the environment. The Convention on Biological Diversity was set to convene in China in October for its 15th conference of the parties (COP). The 26th Climate Change Conference (COP26) should have met in the United Kingdom in November and the World Trade Organization (WTO) was supposed to hold its Ministerial Conference in June. However, since March 2020, COVID-19 has led to the cancelation or postponement of those meetings. Many other multilateral conferences have been victim of the spread of COVID-19, with governments being forced to close borders and cancel conferences. Others, such as the G7, G20, the Petersberg Climate Dialogue or European Council meetings are taking place as video conferences. Whereas a teleconference with seven leaders might be a feasible solution, the two main options for multilateral negotiations – either delaying meetings or moving them online – both pose major challenges.

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