Daily Multilateralism
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, briefed the UN Security Council on the status of her office’s long-running investigation in Libya. She emphasized the importance of enforcing existing arrest warrants, including those for a prominent military commander and for Moammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi. Bensouda also offered thoughts on the broader international justice project and some implicit criticism of U.S. measures against court personnel:
We find ourselves in an age where powerful forces increasingly aim to undermine the cause of international criminal justice as continuation of politics by other means. What is required, today, more than ever, is greater support for the ICC, its independent and impartial work and the international rule of law; not less. Any act that may undermine the global movement towards greater accountability for atrocity crimes and a ruled-based international order must be avoided.
The countries that comprise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are moving toward a regional trade agreement backed by China. Reuters reports:
The deal, which is expected to be the most significant agreement at this year’s ASEAN summit, will likely cement China’s position more firmly as an economic partner with Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea, and put it in a better position to shape the region’s trade rules.
The agreement, titled the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), has been in the works for years. For an earlier analysis of the trade deal and its possible impact, see here.
The status of international waters is the subject of an ongoing negotiation at the United Nations. Those negotiations include possible limitations on high-seas fishing, measures to ensure environmental protection, and rules for the use of marine genetic resources. A group of scholars is drawing attention to a distinct dimension—the cultural heritage of international waters and the deep seabed. Specifically, they call for the International Seabed Authority to consider designating part of the Atlantic seabed as a memorial to the Atlantic slave trade:
To facilitate remembrance, one possibility is to extend a virtual memorial ribbon, or multiple ribbons, across the Atlantic seabed on all ISA maps of the region to honor and respect those who came to rest there during their Middle Passage.
A U.S. official complained about the lack of transparency in the World Health Organization’s investigation into the origins of the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Associated Press examined internal WHO deliberations during the early days of the pandemic.
South Africa’s finance minister, Tito Mboweni, warned that the government would not accept interference by multilateral lenders in the country’s domestic affairs. Under financial strain, the government has borrowed recently from several international lenders, including the International Monetary Fund and regional development banks. Mboweni directed his comments at the World Bank, with which the government has also been negotiating. “If the World Bank thinks it can dictate policy,” he reportedly said, “let them keep their cents.”
France’s trade minister called for the Biden administration to unwind trade tensions, including by allowing the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement system to function again. The minister, Franck Riester, also urged the incoming administration to support Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s bid to lead the WTO. Okonjo-Iweala has secured broad support among the WTO’s membership, but the Trump administration refused to endorse her selection.
Briefly noted:
A confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency notes that Iran has moved several advanced centrifuges underground.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reacted to criticism of the U.S. human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council.
The G20 countries are close to finalizing a plan for debt relief.
The Congressional Research Service has published a new analysis of “Quad” diplomacy.