Globalisation

If the World Trade Organisation did not Exist, it Would Have to be Invented

By Roberto Azevêdo
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is a relative newcomer on the international stage. This year we are marking our 20th anniversary.

Opinion: India’s Compact with Africa

By N Chandra Mohan
The third India-Africa Forum Summit to be held in New Delhi later this month – in which 54 African countries will participaate – is expected to result in a deeper engagement between India and Africa. This summit takes place at a time when both need each other more than ever before. Both remain bright spots in a bleak and blighted growth landscape. Out of 189 countries, only 63 are expected to grow by 4 per cent and more this year, 36 of which are in Africa. But many countries there are adversely impacted by China's diminishing appetite for commodities and shrinking trade. India is currently one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

TPP is “Worst Trade Agreement” for Medicine Access, Says Doctors Without Borders

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
“The TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership] will…go down in history as the worst trade agreement for access to medicines in developing countries,” said Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in a statement following the signing of the TPP trade deal.

Opinion: International Tax Cooperation Crucial for Development

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
It has become clear that the South, including the least developed countries, has little reason to expect any real progress to the almost half century old commitment to transfer 0.7 percent of developed countries’ income to developing countries. But to add insult to injury, developing countries have, once again, been denied full participation in inter-governmental discussions to enhance overall as well as national tax capacities.

United Arab Emirates and Cuba Forge Closer Ties

By Patricia Grogg
Cuba and the United Arab Emirates agreed to strengthen diplomatic ties and bilateral cooperation during an official visit to this Caribbean island nation by the UAE minister of foreign affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Brazil’s Expanded Climate Targets Frustrate Environmentalists

By Mario Osava
Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction programme, hailed as bold, has nevertheless left environmentalists frustrated at its lack of ambition in key aspects.

Opinion: UN Committee adopts principles for sovereign debt restructuring

By Adriano José Timossi and Manuel F. Montes
As a growing number of countries face the possibility of debt crises, the United Nations General Assembly has approved a set of nine basic principles for sovereign debt restructuring processes in an effort to provide for debt restructuring that is fair and economically sustainable.

Opinion: Brazil’s Crisis is a Blessing and a Curse

By Tarso Genro
The Lula development model that lifted 35 million people out of poverty and raised living standards for another 20 million people during the governments of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2011) has run its course.

Is Good Governance Good For Development?

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
Many well-meaning people who would like better governance have been misled into insisting on so-called ‘good governance’ reforms, with the expectation that this would lead to development.

G20 Finance Ministers Committed to Sustainable Development

By Jaya Ramachandran
Finance ministers and central bank governors of the world’s 20 major economies, accounting for 66 percent of world population, have pledged to “promote an enabling global economic environment for developing countries as they pursue their sustainable development agendas”.

Opinion: From Inequality to Inclusion

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
Recent years have seen a remarkable resurgence of interest in economic inequality, thanks primarily to growing recognition of some of its economic, social, cultural and political consequences in the wake of Western economic stagnation.

Opinion: Women’s Major Role in Culture of Peace – Part Two

By Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury
Another reality that emerges very distinctly in culture of peace is that we should never forget when women – half of world’s seven billion plus people - are marginalised and their equality is not established in all spheres of human activity, there is no chance for our world to get sustainable peace in the real sense.

Opinion: Short-Term Goals are the Key to an Effective Climate Treaty

By Andreas Sieber
Less than 100 days before the U.N. climate change conference (COP21) in Paris in December, there are now only few who believe that the conference will not produce a treaty. But for most countries involved, this is rarely the question.

Crisis in Brazil Hampers Infrastructure under Construction

By Mario Osava
Besides suffering from macroeconomic imbalances, like a drop in GDP, a high inflation rate and a large public deficit, Brazil is experiencing heavy losses as many oil industry and logistical works grind to a halt.

Opinion: Iran and the Non-Proliferation Treaty

By Farhang Jahanpour
Iran’s nuclear programme has been the target of a great deal of misinformation, downright lies and above all myths. As a result, it is often difficult to unpick truth from falsehood. 

Opinion: A Farewell to Arms that Fuel Atrocities is Within Our Grasp

By Marek Marczynski
The recent explosions that apparently destroyed a 2,000-year-old temple in the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria were yet another grim example of how the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS) uses conventional weapons to further its agenda.

Emerging Industrial Power Rises From Aid Beneficiary to Donor Nation

By Thalif Deen
Back in 1996, when South Korea voluntarily quit the 132-member Group of 77 (G77) – described as the largest single coalition of developing nations -- it joined the 34-member Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), long known as the “rich man’s club” based in Paris.

Opinion: How Will Wall Street Greet the Pope?

By Hazel Henderson
Millions in the New York City area are excited about Pope Francis’ visit on Sep. 25 to address the U.N. General Assembly as worldwide consensus grows on the need to shift global investments from fossil fuels to clean, efficient, renewable energy in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) scheduled to replace the expiring Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 

China’s Economy Has Sounded the Alert; Will Latin America Listen?

By Diego Arguedas Ortiz
For years, Latin America has exported its raw materials to China’s voracious factories, fuelling economic growth. But now that the Asian giant is putting a priority on domestic consumption over industrial production, how will this region react?

UK, France Agree to New Measures to Tackle Migration Crisis

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
In response to the rapidly growing numbers of refugees and asylum seekers flooding European shores, France and the UK have announced new measures to crack down on English Channel crossings.

Opinion: No Aid, No Tax, No Development

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda is widely seen as a major disappointment for developing countries as well as others hoping for adequate means of implementation to realise national development ambitions and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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