Daily Multilateralism

Thursday, October 22, 2020

• The United States wants to prevent a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons from becoming operational. Forty-seven countries have ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which requires 50 ratifications to come into force. Via the Associated Press:

  The United States is urging countries that have ratified a U.N. treaty to ban nuclear weapons to withdraw their support as the pact nears the 50 ratifications needed to trigger its entry into force, which supporters say could happen this week.

  The U.S. letter to signatories, obtained by The Associated Press, says the five original nuclear powers -- the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France -- and America’s NATO allies “stand unified in our opposition to the potential repercussions” of the treaty.

  The treaty, finalized in 2017, requires its members not to “[d]evelop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, a network of civil society organizations and activists, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that year for its advocacy efforts. More than 100 countries have signed the treaty, but the nuclear weapons countries (and certain others ) have argued that it will undercut the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the broader international regime governing nuclear technology.

• The prosector of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, has completed her visit to Sudan, where she discussed cooperation regarding the court’s outstanding arrest warrants, including for former president Omar al-Bashir. During the trip, Bensouda insisted that those wanted by the ICC “must all face justice without further delay.” Whether they must face justice in The Hague appears to be a matter of discussion; there has been speculation that some form of national or hybrid tribunal might be a possible alternative.

• The African Union and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have condemned violence in Nigeria, where military personnel have reportedly attacked protesters. The ICC prosecutor’s office has also indicated that it is monitoring events. The prosecutor’s office began a preliminary examination in 2010 to consider allegations of crimes against humanity in Nigeria, and it has remained open since.

• Member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are nominating candidates to serve as the next secretary general of the Paris-based organization. The United States has nominated a White House official, and Australia has put forward a government minister. The organization’s first three secretaries general came from Europe, but North America has recently established a claim to the position. The current secretary general, Angel Gurría, is from Mexico and his predecessor was Canadian.

• The Two Percent Test: Several senior U.S. officials have suggested that U.S. allies should spend at least two percent of GDP on their defense needs. The two percent target has been adopted within NATO as a nonbinding goal for alliance members, but the administration statements suggest that the United States may expand that expectation beyond the NATO context.

• Briefly noted:

  • China’s authorities defend the World Trade Organization.

  • The European Union gives its top human rights award to Belarus’s leading opposition leader.

  • A six-minute recap of the 2020 World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings.

  • Time may be running out for a trade deal between the EU and Britain.