Morning Multilateralism
Tuesday, May 19 2020
Virtual World Health Assembly meetings open with unprecedented attention. Chinese President Xi addresses gathering, defends Chinese role (and WHO performance), and offers $2 billion in funding to developing countries. President Trump spurns speaking invitation, and Washington dispatches health secretary Alex Azar to deliver tough message to the organization.
No invitation for Taiwan to participate in World Health Assembly meetings, and Taiwanese leaders accuse the organization’s leadership of yielding to pressure from Beijing.
In a briefing to the Security Council, United Nations envoy sees glimmers of hope in Syria, calls for U.S.-Russia dialogue; plus, UN investigators uncover new evidence of ISIL crimes in Iraq.
Judges at the International Criminal Court reject former Congolese militia leader’s bid for compensation.
African Union celebrates arrest (in France) of alleged Rwanda genocide financier.
Our turn: European Union official signals that next World Trade Organization director general should come from an advanced economy. Meanwhile, Australia mulls WTO complaint after new Chinese barley tariffs.
Chancellor Angela Merkel breaks with German orthodoxy to back common European debt. But will the rest of the EU agree (all eyes on Austria and the Netherlands)?
International Monetary Fund chief warns that world economic recovery will be slow. Plus, does the World Bank have the right strategy for responding to the coronavirus crisis?
UN human rights experts urge China to release imprisoned Tibetan activist.
Dire strait: NATO task force destroys World War II-era mines in Latvian waterway.