Daily Multilateralism

Friday, October 9, 2020

• The World Food Programme, the food assistance branch of the United Nations, has received the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize “for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.”

  WFP joins the ranks of other international organizations that have been given the nod, including the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (2013), the European Union (2012), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007), the International Atomic Energy Agency (2006), the UN as a whole (2001), UN peacekeeping (1988), and the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (1981 and 1954). For a discussion of whether international organizations are the best recipients of the prize, see here.

• On Wednesday, President Trump announced via Twitter an accelerated U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. In response, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg insisted that decisions on a future role for the alliance in that country will be taken jointly:

  Stoltenberg repeated the alliance’s longstanding position that it will end its mission in Afghanistan only when conditions on the ground permit.

  “We decided to go into Afghanistan together, we will make decisions on future adjustments together, and when the time is right, we will leave together,” Stoltenberg said at a news conference after talks with North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

• European Union officials have reportedly urged the Palestinian Authority to begin accepting revenue collected by Israel. In May, Palestinian leaders refused to accept revenue gathered on their behalf to protest Israel’s annexation plans. The EU is the largest external donor for the Palestinians and has directly funded the salaries of many Palestinian civil servants.

• The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, has warned about election violence in Guinea:

  Disputes between candidates should be resolved by the competent authorities and in full observance of the law. In this respect, I wish to repeat this important reminder: anyone who commits, orders, incites, encourages or contributes, in any other way, to the commission of Rome Statute crimes, is liable to prosecution either by Guinean courts or by the ICC.

  The ICC has been conducting a “preliminary examination” of the situation in Guinea since 2009 but has never launched a full investigation of alleged crimes in the country. There has been significant debate about the value of long-running ICC preliminary examinations. One of the arguments in favor has been that holding out the possibility of a full investigation can deter future crimes.

• China announced its intention to join the international vaccine coalition that is supported by the World Health Organization. Known as COVAX, the mechanism “aim[s] to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.”

• The advocacy group Human Rights Watch is urging UN members not to support the candidacies of China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia for seats on the UN Human Rights Council. The General Assembly will vote on new Council members next week. Fifteen seats on the 47-member body are open, and countries selected will serve three-year terms. Countries whose terms on the Council are ending this year include Afghanistan, Australia, Mexico, and Ukraine.

• Briefly noted:

  • For the first time since the pandemic began, the UN Security Council has returned to its home.

  • The African Union has lifted its suspension of Mali, which was imposed after a military coup in August.

  • European Council president Charles Michel called for Britain to put its “cards on the table” regarding a divorce agreement with the EU.

  • China’s foreign minister is set to begin a swing through five ASEAN countries.

  • A blueprint for corporate taxation proposed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is gaining momentum.

  • The G20 countries are reportedly willing to support a debt-payment freeze for poorer countries.