Global Justice Blog - Page 3

Few international negotiations attract such a broad collection of peoples of the Earth as the Conferences of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Analysing the COP23 negotiations in Bonn, GLOBUS researcher Solveig Aamodt argues that while states are the legally recognized claimants of justice in the negotiations, some steps have been taken to give those most vulnerable to climate change a due hearing. Is there any role at all for non-state actors in such negotiations?

Recently, there have been calls from several African leaders to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), but such actions will only result in fewer options for ordinary citizens to hold their leaders and governments accountable, writes GLOBUS researcher William Gumede, Associate Professor at University of the Witwatersrand and Chairperson of the Democracy Works Foundation.

President Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement is a stark reminder that global efforts to combat climate change are fragile. GLOBUS researcher Franz von Lucke writes that while the Kyoto Protocol managed to include legally binding emission reduction targets, it failed to include developing countries. Comparatively, the approach taken in Paris recognises the voices of all affected parties, but its lack of legally binding emission reduction targets makes it vulnerable to changes in domestic politics.

‘Resilience’ is a core feature of the EU’s approach to migration. Although an opportunity in the long term, third states’ ‘resilience’ has little to do with the EU’s recent initiatives on the governance of migration, writes GLOBUS researcher Michela Ceccorulli.

On the International Women's Day, GLOBUS researcher Cathrine Holst warned that the global state of gender equality is under threat. 

Featuring several dozen times within the Union’s global strategy statement and frequently linked to the broader concept of ‘principled pragmatism’, the concept of resilience has been criticised for representing a retreat in European ambition. Far from it, resilience may be an opportunity to take an enormous step forward in EU foreign policy, argues GLOBUS researcher Ben Tonra. 

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a contested international trade regime. Among other things, it has been accused of favouring large multinational companies and letting developed countries protect their farming products at the expense of developing countries. Presenting the main points of critique directed at the WTO, GLOBUS researchers Johanne Døhlie Saltnes and Kjartan Koch Mikalsen argue that the criticism provides evidence of persisting relations of dominance.

Defending and promoting the EU’s core values must not be forgotten in a world where security and defence is increasingly emphasised, GLOBUS researcher Ben Tonra argues. He critically examines some of the key issues and concepts formulated in the EU Global Strategy, including the EU’s narrative on ‘principled pragmatism’ and resilience.

The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change was a much-needed breakthrough for multilateralism after more than twenty years of fruitless negotiations. Hayley Walker explains how the French Presidency played an important role in securing a successful agreement by adding the ‘extra ingredients’ of empowerment and recognition to the negotiation process.

The EU Global Strategy is a significant document with many dimensions, ranging from security and defense to resilience to the European neighborhood, and more. GLOBUS researcher Mai’a Cross highlights its diplomacy dimension as being one of its clear strengths.