Negotiations to prohibit biological weapons became part of the agenda of the international community with the organization of the United Nations. Initial discussions focused on a treaty aimed at both chemical and biological weapons, but little progress was made until the mid-1960s. At the insistence of the British, negotiators began to focus on a treaty limited solely to biological weapons. The result was the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), which prohibited possession of any biological and toxin weapons. Although the treaty does not define what constitutes a biological weapon, subsequent deliberations…
Read MoreCategory: International Policy
GLOBAL GOVERNANCE REFORMING UNITED NATIONS
Since its foundation in 1946, the United Nations has undergone a continuous process of reform, each phase reflecting the renewed priorities of its membership. The decolonization period and the subsequent independence of numerous States in Africa and Asia provided a unique opportunity for the United Nations to address the needs of the newly independent nations. Within twenty years of its creation, UN membership more than doubled reaching 118 by 1965. The emergence of new States showed the need for a strengthening of the United Nations system in the area of…
Read MoreMULTILEVEL CLIMATE GOVERNANCE AND THE INTEGRATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The need for cooperation between the different levels of governance, and in particular the integration of the potential of action by cities and regions, is now widely recognised as a necessary effort to reach the objectives of the Paris Agreement and to make its implementation credible. This was the main message of the International Conference on Climate Action (ICCA) in May 2019 in Heidelberg, which the Director of the World Resources Institute (WRI) summarised as follow: “harnessing the full power of towns and cities to drive the shift to a…
Read MoreDISEASE CHARACTERISTICS, INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENT AFFECT SURVEILLANCE QUALITY
Variation in the quality of global surveillance systems can be attributed in large measure to disease characteristics. Under certain circumstances— for example, if a disease can be eradicated or if it poses a high risk of a global pandemic—disease-specific control programs have attracted broad support and have employed this support to create comparatively effective surveillance systems. Surveillance for other diseases, including emerging infections has received less international support and is more limited. The best surveillance systems have been established to support international campaigns aimed at eradicating or eliminating certain diseases,…
Read MoreSOIL HEALTH : BENEFITS AND CURRENT POLICY CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Soil health plays an important role in agricultural productivity, environmental resiliency, and ecosystem sustainability. Soil health is simultaneously remarkably easy and remarkably difficult to define. In the abstract, soil health is a straightforward concept: it is a measure of a soil’s ability to support life, withstand transient environmental stresses, and endure as a core component of a resilient ecosystem. John W. Doran, Soil Scientist and Timothy Parkin, Soil Microbiologist of United States Department Of Agriculture(in 1994) suggest defining soil quality as “the capacity of a soil to function within ecosystem…
Read MoreDIGITAL AGE: PRIVACY CONCERN AND LOOPHOLES IN LEGISLATION
The development of new information technology has improved the ability to communicate and share information with others, thus enhancing freedom of expression and democratic participation. However, these technological developments have also made it possible for electronic surveillance and communications interception to be carried out on a large scale and with relative ease. Furthermore, arbitrary communications surveillance poses a threat to anonymity of communications and in turn human rights defenders, whistleblowers and investigative journalism – all of which are important elements of a free and democratic society. Article 17 of the…
Read MoreOIL SUPPLY AND PRICES : GLOBAL IMBALANCES
The persistent increase in oil prices over the past decade suggests that global oil markets have entered a period of increased scarcity. Given the expected rapid growth in oil demand in emerging market economies and a downshift in the trend growth of oil supply, a return to abundance is unlikely in the near term. This chapter suggests that gradual and moderate increases in oil scarcity may not present a major constraint on global growth in the medium to long term, although the wealth transfer from oil importers to exporters would…
Read MoreRESERCH TO IMPROVE ANALYSES FOR RISK OF FOREST LAND CONVERSION: EXPECTED BENEFITS AND COSTS
Forests account for a little over one-third (38%) of habitable land area. This is around one-quarter (26%) of total (both habitable and uninhabitable) land area which range from wild land forests to urban forests. These diverse ecosystems provide a variety of habitats for wildlife; help to cleanse the air and water; supply timber, fuelwood, and other harvested products; serve as places for recreation; help to mitigate the effects of global climate change; and provide other essential goods and environmental services. Forests are vulnerable to conversion to other land uses. An increasing number of…
Read MoreTHE CONCEPT OF ARMED CONFLICT: THE ADDITIONAL PROTOCOLS AND THE 1998 ROME STATUTE
The two 1977 Additional Protocols contain updates on the substantive law and the first comprehensive regulation of the conduct of hostilities in international armed conflict. While Protocol I extended the range of international armed conflicts to which it applies by including ‘armed conflicts in which peoples are fighting against colonial domination and alien occupation and against racist regimes in the exercise of their right to self-determination’. Protocol II on non-international armed conflicts introduced stringent requirements for the applicability of its rules and a minimum threshold below which it should not…
Read MoreDRONE WARFARE AND INTERNATIONAL LAW
Under the United Nations Charter, states agree to “settle their international disputes in a peaceful manner” and “refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” This is generally viewed as a blanket prohibition on the use of force by one state inside the borders of another sovereign state. Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter outlines just two exceptions to this prohibition. First, if the Security Council identifies “any threat to the peace, breach of the…
Read MoreDIGITAL AUTHORITARIANISM AND ITS EFFECTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
Digital authoritarianism is “the use of digital information technology by authoritarian regimes to surveil, repress, and manipulate domestic and foreign populations”. Essentially it refers to the use of digital and technological means to increase control and limit the freedom and rights of citizens. For example, digital authoritarianism entails actions such as; limiting internet freedom, internet access and free speech online, collecting personal data for illegitimate purposes, surveillance and tracking of online activities, especially those of regime critics. We can sums up digital authoritarianism in six different techniques: surveillance, censorship, social…
Read MoreCLIMATE DISPLACEMENT: GAPS IN THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR SMALL ISLANDS/ARCHIPELAGO
Despite the existence of numerous international instruments addressing forced migration, internal displacement and climate change, international law does not offer ad hoc protection to people affected by climate displacement. The unprecedented nature of the challenges posed by sinking islands is one of the causes of this legal vacuum. Nonetheless, international law will have to react and the ways in which this could happen vary substantially. One possible solution could consist in adapting the existing legal frame work to the peculiarities of climate-induced displacement. The specific needs of climate-displaced people could…
Read MoreDOHA DECLARATION ON TRADE-RELATED ASPECTS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (TRIPS) AND INDIA: AN OVERVIEW
The post 2005 and the impact of adopting stronger patent regime in the context of India generated debate not only within India but also outside, since India is one of the larger drugs/medicines manufacturing country in the world which ranks higher position in terms of production and volume. India’s export reaches a number of developing and least developed countries which show the dependency of the other countries on India. India’s pharmaceutical industry is also making footprints in the developed countries as well. India’s transition towards the product patents came gradually.…
Read MoreDOHA DECLARATION : A GUIDE TO IMPLEMENTATION FOR PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY
Though the Doha Declaration was initially received very well, anxiety again was widespread as about the interpretation of Paragraph 6 of the Declaration specifying when countries can import drugs produced elsewhere under compulsory Licensing(CL). A decision regarding the same was announced in 2003 and was adopted in the form of waiver of Article 31 (f) (that the compulsory Licensing(CL) would be predominantly for the supply of domestic market) in December 2005. As per this waiver, a country could issue a compulsory license on the basis of public health need either…
Read MoreNEEDFULNESS HUMAN RESOURCE POLICIES AMENDMENT DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND UPCOMING PANDEMIC OUTBREAK
The nation faces an unprecedented public health crisis, businesses are grappling with how to support their workforce, implement emergency policies and sustain their businesses amidst economic uncertainty. As of millions of workers especially frontline workers paid low wages are facing dire extremes: either experiencing layoffs or reduced hours, or working under demanding and often unsafe conditions. Many workers lack emergency protections and benefits to meet the needs of this moment. We must encourage companies to adopt multiple practices and focus on applying them as broadly and equitably as possible, to…
Read More