Daily Multilateralism

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

• British prime minister Boris Johnson is working to refashion the Group of 7 (G7) into a bloc of ten leading democratic countries—a “D10”. The Guardian reports on Johnson’s upcoming trip to India, one of the countries he believes should join the reimagined grouping:

  Boris Johnson is to visit India next month as part of a plan to transform the G7 group of leading industrialised nations into a broader grouping of 10 leading democracies capable of challenging China and other authoritarian states.

  The UK prime minister has written to India, Australia and South Korea asking them to attend the UK-hosted G7 summit next summer, Downing Street revealed….

  The idea of a “D10” grouping ideologically committed to combating the march of authoritarian states chimes with Joe Biden’s plan to hold a summit of democracies. It is not clear if the idea of a D10 summit is seen as additional to the Biden summit or a substitute for the proposal.

• The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has released her office’s annual review of ongoing preliminary examinations. In the days before the report was released, the prosecutor announced decisions on enquiries related to Iraq, Nigeria, and Ukraine. The report contains updates on the office’s continuing probes in Colombia, the Philippines, Venezuela, and several other situations.

  Notably, the prosecutor’s office explained that allegations against China related to its persecution of Uyghurs do not appear to fall under the court’s jurisdiction. China is not a member of the court and so abuses on Chinese soil by Chinese nationals clearly fall outside the court’s reach. In an attempt to get Chinese abuses before the court, however, activists had presented the prosecutor with information regarding China’s alleged persecution and deportation of Uyghurs from ICC member states Cambodia and Tajikistan. The prosecutor’s office was not convinced:

  The Office observes that while the transfers of persons from Cambodia and Tajikistan to China appear to raise concerns with respect to their conformity with national and international law, including international human rights law and international refugee law, it does not appear that such conduct would amount to the crime against humanity of deportation…

• Negotiators at the World Trade Organization failed to reach agreement on a measure to limit fishing subsidies. An agreement had been sought as an important means of reducing overfishing and helping achieve one of the Sustainable Development Goals. The long-running talks are scheduled to begin again in January.

• In a speech to the Heritage Foundation, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, laid out her views on the UN Human Rights Council and defended the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from it:

  The Bush Administration correctly predicted in 2006 that the newly formed Council would face the same problems that plagued the defunct Commission on Human Rights. The Obama Administration tried hard to reform the Council from within, but unfortunately, that didn’t work.

  From the first day, President Donald Trump worked hard to try and address the Council’s problems, but when nothing changed, we made the principled decision to withdraw. The Human Rights Council has given us no reason to reconsider our decision. In its current composition and direction, the Council is failing to live up to its name. 

  One of Craft’s many criticisms of the Council centered on China’s membership. “There must be means of denying such countries membership unless their human rights practices improve,” she argued. Her comments regarding China prompted a quick response from China’s UN mission.

• The U.S. government is reportedly helping to clear Sudan’s arrears with the World Bank, allowing the country to regain access to the institution and its funding lines:

  The U.S. will give a $1 billion bridge loan to the World Bank to help clear Sudan’s arrears with the institution, opening the door to much-needed funding for the economically ravaged African country, Sudan’s finance minister said.

  The move is due “in the coming days” and will lead to Sudan regaining access to the World Bank’s International Development Association, minister Heba Mohamed Ali said in written comments to Bloomberg. She spoke after the U.S. on Monday rescinded Sudan’s 27-year designation as a state sponsor of terror.

• Somalia has severed diplomatic relations with Kenya, raising questions about what will happen to the Kenyan troops serving in the international stabilization mission to Somalia. Voice of America reports:

  Although relations between Somalia and Kenya have deteriorated, Kenya has thousands of troops in Somalia as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia known as AMISOM. It’s not yet clear if Somalia will demand the withdrawal of Kenya troops that are based in Jubaland, the region of Somalia neighboring Kenya.

• Veteran UN correspondent Barbara Crossette explores the record of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres with an eye to analyzing his prospects for a second term:

  The question now being raised by UN-watchers is whether the low-key Guterres, soon free of the malignant Trump presidency, will get a second chance, in another term, to pursue his agenda with more public vigor under an internationalist Joe Biden team. Guterres, who is 71, has repeatedly refused to say publicly whether he will run again.

• Briefly noted:

  • International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva discussed the pandemic’s impact in Latin America, noting that more than 60 percent of IMF lending in response to the crisis has gone to the region.

  • NATO’s member states stated their opposition to the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

  • The World Health Organization has reportedly cleared Santa for holiday travel.