DEC 10 WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

Standing Up For Sexual And Reproductive Rights For All

Saturday, 10 December 2022, 
Press Release: UNFPA Asia and the Pacific

Statement by UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Director Björn Andersson on Human Rights Day 2022

As we observe Human Rights Day, let us remember the role that women from the Asia and the Pacific region have played in shaping the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed in 1948, as we countdown to celebrating its 75th anniversary next year.

Hansa Mehta from India, a delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, was a staunch advocate who influenced the language of the Declaration by replacing the reference to “All men” with “All human beings”. Begum Shaista Ikramullah, a delegate to the UN from Pakistan, championed the inclusion of Article 16 on equal rights in marriage, which she saw as a way to combat child marriage and forced marriage. Today, we honor their, and other women’s leadership and great contribution to advancing human rights and gender equality in the region and beyond.

The power of the Universal Declaration lies in the foundation it has set for human rights. The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), widely adopted by Governments in 1994, was inspired by the Universal Declaration and took human rights one step further. The right to plan one’s family and women’s right to reproductive and sexual health as being key to their overall health were placed in the centre of a global consensus and at the very heart of development. UNFPA applauds the strides that many countries are making in enacting laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Since then, we have seen notable progress in advancing women’s rights to sexual and reproductive health with much to celebrate. The Asia-Pacific region has seen an encouraging reduction in maternal deaths through increased access to midwifery and skilled birth attendance, and more women than ever before have access to contraceptives. Further, the number of girls married off before the age of 18 has declined particularly in South Asia.

However, we must ensure that this progress is not stagnating or even worse, reversed.

It is of much concern that an estimated 140 million women in Asia and the Pacific still lack access to modern methods of contraception, despite wanting to avoid or delay pregnancy. Every hour, 10 women die in pregnancy and childbirth in the region. UNFPA research indicates Asia and the Pacific has one of the highest prevalence rates of gender-based violence in the world with rates of women facing intimate partner violence reaching as high as 48 percent in parts of the region. Practices such as child marriage and preference of having a son, triggered by gender inequality and discrimination, are not yet chapters from the past. We are seeing worrying recent changes in national laws and legislations that limit individual liberties and bodily autonomy and risk adversely affecting a range of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The intention of the Declaration was to protect people from human rights violations, by translating its content into practice through laws, policies, programmes and services. Research evidence shows the advancement of health, including mental health and quality of care, when human rights are respected and fulfilled.

Sexual and reproductive health is part of the right to health and is related to multiple human rights, including the right to life, the right to be free from torture, the right to privacy, the right to education, and the prohibition of discrimination. As such, every State has the ultimate responsibility to uphold, protect and fulfill every person’s right to sexual and reproductive health, as well as all other rights.

Ensuring everyone’s right to sexual and reproductive health is not just the right thing to do. It is also integral to the overall wellbeing and prosperity of entire communities and nations. A society in which everyone flourishes, regardless of their sex or gender, in which everyone’s human rights are protected and fulfilled, where each person is the architect of their own lives, is a society better equipped to achieve long-term stability and economic and political prosperity.

Let us be reminded today, and every day, of Elenor Roosevelt’s words, that human rights begin in “small places, close to home.. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere."

DEC 10 WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

Jordan: Detention Of Journalist And Three Politicians Is Unjustified Assault On Freedoms

Friday, 9 December 2022
Press Release: Euro Med Monitor

Geneva - Jordanian authorities must immediately release three Jordanian politicians and a photojournalist who were detained by security forces while preparing to appear on a live broadcast at the house of one of the politicians in Amman to discuss local issues, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement.

A security force of more than 20 members—some of whom were dressed in civilian clothes, while the rest were in Public Security uniforms—raided the home of Sufyan Tell, a politician and environmental expert, on Monday 5 December 2022, at around 3:30 p.m. The force detained Tell, political activists Abed Khalifa al-Tawahia and Omar Abu Rassa’, and photojournalist Mohammed Aboud as they were preparing to appear on a TV episode about internal issues.

Dara Tell, 44, the daughter of detainee Sufyan Tell, told the Euro-Med Monitor team that “the security force raided the house and dealt violently with the family members, holding them in one of the rooms and confiscating their mobile phones.”

She stated: “Then they arrested my 86-year-old father, his guests, and the photographer, whom the security forces assaulted with a slap on the face; they were all taken to an unknown location. My uncle attempted to intervene and object to the detention process, but he was pushed and threatened with detention. We are extremely worried about my father’s health because he suffers from serious heart disease, and we do not know where he is being held.”

The nature and method of the detention process are very similar to Jordanian security forces’ repeated practises of arresting political activists and restricting freedoms, raising concerns about a link between the detentions and opposition political activity, with which detainees are connected. According to Moeen Alharasis, a member of the Executive Office of the Unified Jordanian Movement, security forces arrested a group of fellow members of the movement who were participating in a live broadcast aimed at “publishing facts of interest to the Jordanian people and clarifying some issues”.

The detention process was marred by grave legal violations, including a violent raid, failure to present a legal justification, physical assault, and disruption of journalistic work, as well as the arbitrary confiscation of individuals’ freedoms for exercising their legitimate rights.

Jordanian authorities’ continued policy of stifling freedoms, including the arrest and detention of activists and dissidents through procedures that violate legal provisions and human rights principles, does not contribute to the promotion of democracy and freedom of expression, but rather to the deterioration of the overall state of freedom in the country. Authorities’ restrictions on the freedom of individuals and entities run counter to their obligations under the Jordanian Constitution, which clearly guarantees freedom of expression and opinion.

Article 15/1 of the Jordanian Constitution stipulates the following: “The State shall guarantee freedom of opinion. Every Jordanian shall be free to express his opinion by speech, in writing, or by means of photographic representation and other forms of expression, provided that such does not violate the law.”

Jordanian authorities must release the four detainees immediately, reveal the location(s) of their detention, and provide detailed explanations and legal reasons for the raid and detention. Euro-Med Monitor urges the authorities to respect free speech and refrain from taking any further steps that would limit people’s ability to express themselves freely and publicly.

© Scoop Media

DEC 10 WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

Myanmar: UN Human Rights Chief Alarmed At Death Sentences By Secretive Military Courts

Press Release: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

GENEVA (2 December 2022) – UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday expressed shock that more than 130 people have now been sentenced to death by military courts behind closed-doors in Myanmar since the military launched a coup last year, following fresh convictions this week.

At least seven university students were sentenced to death by a military court on 30 November. There are reports of as many as four additional death sentences being issued against youth activists yesterday. The UN Human Rights Office is seeking clarification of those sentences.

“The military continues to hold proceedings in secretive courts in violation of basic principles of fair trial and contrary to core judicial guarantees of independence and impartiality,” Türk said, calling for the suspension of all executions and a return to a moratorium on death penalty.

“Military courts have consistently failed to uphold any degree of transparency contrary to the most basic due process or fair trial guarantees.”

In July, the military carried out four executions, the first in approximately 30 years. A former lawmaker, a democracy activist, and two others were executed despite calls from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the international community to desist.

Close to 1,700 detainees of the nearly 16,500 who have been arrested for opposing the military’s coup have been tried and convicted in secret by ad hoc tribunals, sometimes lasting just minutes. None have been acquitted, and often they have not had access to lawyers or their families.

The latest convictions would bring the total number of individuals sentenced to capital punishment to 139 individuals since 1 February 2021.

The actions of the military are not in keeping with the ASEAN 5-point consensus that the South-East Asia nations have just re-committed to uphold at the ASEAN summit in November, Türk said.

“By resorting to use death sentences as a political tool to crush opposition, the military confirms its disdain for the efforts by ASEAN and the international community at large to end violence and create the conditions for a political dialogue to lead Myanmar out of a human rights crisis created by the military,” the UN Human Rights Chief added.

Saturday, 3 December 2022

NZ

Media In 2022 – JMAD Media Ownership Report

Thursday, 8 December 2022, 

Press Release: Auckland University of Technology

The 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand Media Ownership Report from the AUT Journalism, Media & Democracy (JMAD) Research Centre observes that earlier plans to merge RNZ and TVNZ have been activated. The promise of government funds, the business case and legislative proceedings have all been confirmed. The new entity will be called Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media (ANZPM). As of December 2022, select committee hearings on the bill, including the charter, have been completed. Overall, submissions to the select committee reveal two opposing viewpoints. Corporate media players and the largest independents perceive that ANZPM will distort commercial media markets. But public media advocates among media professionals, politicians, lobbyists and researchers perceive ANZPM as a counterweight to commercial media dominance.

Corporate media players have wielded significant market power across multiple media domains—radio, television, streaming, web-digital and print-online. To counter this, ANZPM and its charter must exemplify non-commercial public media principles, says JMAD Co-Director Professor Wayne Hope.

The bill itself is not sufficient. It does not guarantee editorial independence of the broadcaster or independent oversight of it. This lack of independence is potentially eroding trust in it, says JMAD Co-Director Dr Merja Myllylahti.

Alphabet/Google and Meta/Facebook draw advertising revenue away from news media companies while relaying their content to online users. This effectively contracts newsrooms and undermines journalism. In Australia, to redress this unbalanced relationship and obtain compensatory returns, a News Media Bargaining Code was legally established in 2021. In 2022, application of the code was extended to include further news media organisations. The situation in Aotearoa New Zealand has been quite different. The Commerce Commission allowed the News Publishers Association (NPA) to collectively negotiate with Google and Meta/Facebook for compensation. This process excluded RNZ and TVNZ. In August, Google launched its News Showcase with NZME outlets, RNZ, Crux, Newsroom and the Pacific Media Network as debut partners and contributors. TVNZ, Allied Press, The Spinoff and Stuff were excluded. Minister of Broadcasting Willie Jackson criticised Google and Meta/Facebook’s reluctance to strike more deals with news media organisations and confirmed on 4 December 2022 the Government would introduce legislation to act as a “backstop” if big internet platforms did not voluntarily strike deals with media outlets.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, engagement between news media organisations and social media corporations has been furtive and piecemeal. For news media organisations to gain due compensation from Google and Meta/Facebook, a national legally enforceable bargaining code must be established, says Hope

Aotearoa New Zealand Media Ownership: Key events 

TVNZ and RNZ merger begins to take legislative form.

News publishers and media organisations sign individual deals with Google and Meta/Facebook.

Ministry of Broadcasting Willie Jackson suggests a nationally inclusive bargaining code for media organisations and social media corporations (Meta/Facebook, Google).

Several AUT academics from the School of Communication Studies contributed to the 2022 JMAD report, drawing upon their expertise in the field. The report was edited by Professor Wayne Hope and coordinated by Dr Rachel Peters, and both contributed to the report. Other contributors included: Dr Sarah Baker, Dr Peter Hoar, Dr Rufus McEwan, Dr Atakohu Middleton and Dr Greg Treadwell. Outside of AUT, Dr Saing Te contributed a chapter on crown-funded and corporate media; and Dr Tara Ross, from the University of Canterbury, compiled the chapter on Pasifika media outlets.

Useful links:

Learn more about JMAD

Study journalism at AUT

© Scoop Media

NZ 

Forsyth Barr Releases Carbon And ESG Ratings For Listed Companies

Friday, 9 December 2022, 
Press Release: Forsyth Barr

New Zealand listed companies are well positioned for upcoming carbon disclosure legislation although carbon reductions are tracking behind targets, according to the first comprehensive review of carbon, environmental, social and governance (CESG) commitments, policies and practices by wealth management firm, Forsyth Barr.

In a major work that reviewed 6,500 pieces of data from 57 of New Zealand’s best-known businesses listed on the NZX, the Forsyth Barr CESG Ratings Report is a new piece of research that brings a unique New Zealand perspective and deep analysis of sustainability performance to investors.

The 57 companies, including household names such as Air New Zealand, Meridian Energy and Spark, are rated overall as either a Leader, Fast Follower, Explorer or Beginner. The report includes a table with all 57 companies and their CESG rating. Most are either Fast Followers (26 companies) or Explorers (16). There is a significant gap between the 12 Leaders and three Beginners.

Forsyth Barr Managing Director Neil Paviour-Smith says the report is a snapshot in time of where companies (that are regularly analysed by Forsyth Barr) are in their transition to a more sustainably focused economy.

“The objective was to get insights into how New Zealand companies are positioning themselves for a low carbon, sustainability-oriented future and how they are adhering to best practice standards,” he says.

Mr Paviour-Smith says the intention of the report was to create a new New Zealand-specific CESG rating system that was more granular, more transparent and covered more local companies than existing international ratings.

“Our Research team looked at published information, used our own deep knowledge of New Zealand companies and asked companies to provide additional data. Just about all have responded positively so the team was able to conduct a rigorous and comprehensive review. We believe this report adds to those provided by international ratings agencies, by bringing a unique New Zealand perspective and a deeper analysis than an international team, that looks at many markets, can reasonably complete.”

Forsyth Barr chose to separate carbon out from the ESG framework as action on carbon emissions and carbon disclosures have become a high priority.

The research found that while carbon emissions were still increasing for most companies in the report, 15 companies had recently reported a decline in emissions.

Katie Beith, Forsyth Barr Head of ESG and lead author of the report, says most companies in the report are well-positioned to meet the upcoming legislated carbon disclosures.

“Half of the group have been disclosing carbon metrics and strategies for years if not decades. Of them, around a half are reducing their emissions. All but 14 companies have set a carbon reduction target,” she says.

Importantly, for the majority of companies with leading CESG ratings, actual carbon emissions are trending down when looked at over a five year period - no doubt helped by COVID-19 impact but it is a strong differentiator from the Beginners.

When looking at policies and practices regarding water and waste – typical environmental performance indicators – Katie Beith says the level of disclosure was disappointing.

“Some listed companies appear to be unaware of why reporting their use of water or risks regarding water should be standard practice. Access to water, water discharges and quality is becoming a significant issue in New Zealand. We would expect more companies to be more transparent on their water issues,” she says.

On the other hand, most companies showed progress on circular economy and biodiversity policies and practices.

Regarding social impact, most companies have policies in place for managing health, safety, supply chain issues and community involvement.

Katie Beith says that most companies have built on strong health and safety policies and practices to address contemporary social issues such as employee wellbeing, talent retention and attraction and modern slavery.

She says it was more difficult to take a view on diversity performance given the lack of ethnic diversity metrics available, but she expects diversity metrics will improve given the number of external campaigns.

Governance, which was given the highest weighting of importance (40%) of the four areas in the scorecard, also had the highest scores for performance.

“Broadly, New Zealand corporate governance is strong but there are a few idiosyncrasies. Notably, 28 companies in New Zealand have had the same auditor for more than 10 years, which is not ideal.”

Forsyth Barr also looked at industry sector commonalities and for correlations between size, earnings and CESG ratings. While the 'Beginners' are of smaller market capitalisation, there was a broad spread across the CESG scores for the smaller companies (under NZ$2,000m).

“Two of the three largest companies fell into the 'Leader' category, but we do not find that size has much of a correlation with those companies in the 'Fast Follower' and 'Explorer' categories. We found a slight positive correlation between PE and CESG rating. The correlation is stronger when we look at the PE of the Top 20 (by market cap) companies and the CESG rating,” Katie Beith says.

The Utilities, Consumer, Infrastructure, Aged Care, Health Care and Industrials sectors scored above the New Zealand average CESG score. While Agriculture, Property, Financials and Technology were below the average.

The Forsyth Barr CESG Ratings of New Zealand Companies and a separate Forsyth Barr CESG Rating Methodology document are both freely available and published on the Forsyth Barr website: www.forsythbarr.co.nz

© Scoop Media

 

World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Reprise Network

Friday, 9 December 2022
Press Release: World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network

Indigenous and first-nation broadcasters are reuniting this December in Uluru, Australia, to strengthen shared aspirations to revitalise and promote indigenous languages and cultures at the 2022 World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN) meeting.

WITBN Chairman Shane Taurima sees the network as a cohesive partnership between indigenous broadcasters from around the world, aimed at building capacity within the indigenous media broadcasting sector.

“Those within the WITBN fold will come together for the first time in many years. In an oversaturated market of content, this year’s WITBN meeting will enable us to share indigenous knowledge, experiences within indigenous storytelling, be able to identify opportunities for development and together take indigenous storytelling to another level,” says Mr Taurima.

A not-for-profit organisation, the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN) is an alliance of Indigenous Broadcasters from five different countries around the world which includes Whakaata Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand, APTN in Canada, NRK Sápmi in Norway, Taiwan Indigenous Television (TITV) and National Indigenous Television (NITV) in Australia.

“This meeting is a unique and a long overdue opportunity to meet with folks from other Indigenous networks. To that end, I'm looking forward to learning about how we can best collaborate with other broadcasters to deliver excellent programming, accomplish our collective goals, and reach new audiences around the world,” says Monika Ille CEO of APTN.

“WITBN not only gives us the platform and the opportunity to work with other broadcasters and networks but also broadens the cultural horizons in Asia. We are looking forward to collaborating more with other members of WITBN,” says TITV's CEO Magaitan Lhkatafatu.

During the meeting, Australia’s National Indigenous Television (NITV) will celebrate a momentous milestone of 10 years of free-to-air broadcast, making the channel dedicated to First Nations storytelling accessible to all Australians.

“Ten years ago, NITV changed the media landscape in Australia, and they continue to do it today. It is a privilege that WITBN will be celebrating with NITV on their home soil, the oldest living continuous culture on the planet, and celebrate telling indigenous stories 65,000 years in the making,” says WITBN Chairman Shane Taurima.

“We’re excited to be able to have our WITBN partners be a part of this special moment for our channel, and for Australian broadcasting, as we celebrate a decade of being available to all Australians as a free-to-air channel. This milestone is an opportunity to recognise the decades-long journey that led us to this moment, and the trailblazers who fought for our space to tell our stories on our terms in the media - we stand on their shoulders and continue their work,” says Tanya Denning-Orman, Director of Indigenous Content at SBS, the network which NITV is a part of.

“We are joined by our common goals of the revitalisation and rejuvenation of our languages and cultures. There may be hundreds of kilometres that separate us, but we are united always, in our journey to ensure the survival of our first nation and indigenous languages and cultures,” says Mr Taurima.

© Scoop Media

Puebla Group condemns ‘political attack’ against Argentina’s vice president

Political forum made up of current and former Latin American and Spanish leaders says they stand ‘in solidarity’ with Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Bala Chambers |09.12.2022

An illuminated drum shows a poster in support of Cristina Fernandez in Buenos Aires, Argentina

BUENOS AIRES

The Puebla Group, a political forum made up of more than 60 current and former Latin American and Spanish leaders, has strongly condemned the sentencing by a court this week of Argentina's vice president to six years in prison and ban on her from holding public office after finding her guilty of fraud.

"The Puebla Group stands in solidarity with the Vice President of the Republic of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, in the face of the shameful political attack, disguised as a court ruling, handed down against her," said the group in a statement.

The group described the proceedings against Fernandez de Kirchner as a "new chapter of the legal war (lawfare) that has been taking place in the region against progressive leaders."

It cited examples of regional leaders who have been involved in what it said were “lawfare cases,” where legal systems and institutions denigrate an opponent or impact their legal rights, naming Brazil's President-elect Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and former presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia and Rafael Correa of Ecuador as examples.

The statement was signed by more than 20 current and former leaders, including Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, former Colombian President Ernesto Samper and former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.

The signatories argued that Fernandez de Kirchner's rights to due process, her reputation and possibility of competing in free elections have been impacted.

It said "legal wars destroy democratic spaces," suggesting that they are used for "political ends" by powerful opponents, damaging the accused's reputation and undermining freedom, social justice and sovereignty in the region.

The group has called on international human rights organizations to monitor developments related to the case and condemned the "shameful use of justice and the media to remove representative and combative leaderships such as Cristina's.”

The group will meet Monday in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, to support the vice president and to denounce the case against her.

Fernandez de Kirchner was found guilty by a three-judge panel Tuesday of committing a $1 billion fraud over the awarding of public works contracts in the southern province of Santa Cruz during her tenure as president.



Judge Jorge Gorini delivered the verdict via videoconference in the presence of two other judges, Rodrigo Gimenez Uriburu and Andres Basso.



The judges will have 40 business days to make their full arguments known to the public, according to local news agency Noticias Argentinas

 

China and Sri Lanka flags

China’s Changing Geoeconomics In An Unstable Sri Lanka – Analysis

 December 9, 2022 

By Observer Research Foundation

By Asanga Abeyagoonasekera

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s annual report was released on 15 November 2022. One of the key findings of the report was that ‘China’s efforts to secure its interests in the Indian Ocean region have included significant development financing in Sri Lanka,’ a ‘strategically located island near India’.

Further assessing that, ‘the turbulence in Sri Lanka that has occurred throughout 2022 is exacerbated by the hazards of accepting significant Chinese lending.’ While the report aptly analysed the underlying factor of China in the Sri Lankan crisis, it makes no mention of the strategic threat it poses to Sri Lanka itself. The report explains, ‘Despite these efforts, China has yet to convert its economic ties into significant political or security gains.’ 

China has already used its geoeconomics toolkit to achieve its geopolitical objectives in Sri Lanka. China’s use of this toolkit resulted in strategic land acquisitions, which could easily transform into a civil-military operation. China also enjoys significant domestic political influence amongst the political parties in Sri Lanka. The recent Chinese spy ship visit to the port of Hambantota—a port built and leased by China for 99 years—is a perfect example of how China uses its economic clout to achieve a security objective while simultaneously winning over the local politicians.

Sri Lanka has been a powder keg ever since the people’s uprising in July this year. With the Chinese delay in debt restructuring, things have gotten worse. India and Japan have already initiated dialogue with Colombo on debt restructuring while waiting for China to engage as well. According to Sri Lankan President, Ranil Wickremasinghe, the hope that there would be some agreement from China by December seems to be fading as there was no decision on Sri Lanka’s bilateral and commercial debt restructuring modalities even by mid-November to go up to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board in December. There has been rhetorical commitment from China as the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated that, ‘We stand ready to work with relevant countries and financial institutions to continue to play a constructive role in easing Sri Lanka’s debt burden and realising sustainable development.’ However, China’s delay will further burden the ailing economy, and the delay could trigger another public uprising due to economic hardship.

The Sri Lankan crisis is an eye-opener for many nations in the Global South that have embraced China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). BRI has two fundamental setbacks: It has triggered financial challenges in managing Chinese debt; second, it poses a significant environmental threat, as  most pre-environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes were ignored. The twin challenges have caused considerable reputational damage to China.

With the slowdown in China’s domestic economy, its geoeconomics ambitions could shift. The geopolitical realties have changed since the initial years of BRI. China’s foreign policy apparatus exercised a brand of economic statecraft that contained a coercive overhang, which pushed BRI nations to alter their foreign policy to achieve China’s geopolitical ambitions. The geoeconomic tactics used to pull the BRI nations towards Beijing usually involved a large volume of opaque loans, but most of these projects have failed to deliver the expected socio-economic returns. China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) was responsible for BRI implementation, where the design framework intentionally hid the strategic intent and promoted geoeconomics with a ‘collaborative design’.

According to Matthew A. Castle from CIPSS, ‘the NDRC outline notes explained BRI is in line with the purpose and principles of the UN Charter and with the ‘Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence’ evoking Confucian tenets, which is ‘he who wants success should enable others to succeed’. Years after BRI’s commencement, the sincerity of the ‘common design’ and the soft power agenda became a concern to many nations due to China’s strategic manoeuvres using geoeconomics as a tool to achieve its geopolitical ambitions.

From BRI to GDI

Almost a decade after China’s launch of the BRI, another global initiative, the Global Development Initiative (GDI), was unveiled by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2021. This was followed by a UN high-level meeting in May 2022 with the Group of Friends of GDI to accelerate the 2030 agenda. Sri Lanka’s permanent representative to the UN, Mohan Peiris, welcomed the GDI, commenting, “We cannot build back better if we are not helped in a substantive manner now. We [Sri Lanka] are managing to keep our heads above the water,” highlighting the crisis and requesting China and other nations’ assistance at this crucial juncture.

In September, a GDI ministerial meeting with participation of 60 countries took place, chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Sri Lankan foreign minister, Ali Sabry, joined the forum as a founding member supporting the GDI. However, Sri Lanka was excluded from the first GDI list of projects; perhaps China decided to take a slower pace due to the enhanced level of global attention on failed Chinese projects post the Sri Lankan crisis. In a bid to save its reputation, China never fulfilled the expected support to previous President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, nor did China rescue the Rajapaksa family when their rule abruptly ended post a popular uprising. The same strategy will be used by the Chinese for the current Rajapaksa-backed President Wickremasinghe.

China wishes to portray itself as the leading financier of the Global South, which often finds itself being dictated to by Northern donors. China aims to end this power imbalance by leading the Global South with the GDI. According to Samantha Custerfrom AidData, ‘China is the single largest bilateral creditor to lower-middle developing countries with risk. However, politically, China is concerned about its reputation. A recent study reveals that nearly half of the African leaders in 55 countries think China is the most preferred partner.’ Sri Lankan leaders were also on the same path choosing China as the most preferred until realising the sizeable China factor in the crisis.

Sri Lanka, one of the initial South Asian nations partnered with BRI, was a centrepiece of Chinese infrastructure diplomacy, propelled by the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime and continued by subsequent governments. Today, the nation is facing its worst economic crisis due to unsustainable debt and economic policy blunders from the past in which China had a significant role to play. BRI projects failed to capture the expected public attention in Sri Lanka due to its financial losses from projects such as the Mattala airport and the Lotus Tower. There were several problems in the BRI projects, including non-transparency, corruption, environmental concerns, and failure of the business models.

GDI was launched at a time when the BRI had been facing severe criticism in countries such as Sri Lanka, where the public viewed Chinese projects as a significant cause of the economic turmoil. GDI will help BRI in two ways. First, it will deflect some of the fierce criticism directed at the BRI by . The green initiative will bring an overall change, baptising the BRI with a fresh outlook.

Second, the GDI will assist China in filling gaps in the BRI when it comes to projecting a more globally-oriented initiative. A part of the concern was that the BRI was not perceived as an international project. For instance, China developed the Colombo port city Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for foreign investors. There was nothing global about the project except a strong Chinese image. GDI will bring sustainable-development grants with capacity-building for the BRI projects to tag along with international best practices such as UN SDGs. GDI will help developing nations transfer to low-carbon economies, and China is well-positioned in most BRI host nations to engage in this exercise. GDI will add a layer of climate diplomacy to the existing Chinese infrastructure diplomacy.

The GDI will be executed in Sri Lanka to regain China’s lost image post the crisis. There are challenges for the local policy circle though. Will China favourably look at restructuring Sri Lanka’s debt? While China engages in bringing the GDI to reconfigure BRI’s image, public trust will further deteriorate by delaying the debt restructuring process. As Michael Kugelman rightly assesses: ‘Sri Lanka’s economy continues to sputter, and core public grievances remain unresolved. The country still seems like a powder keg—susceptible to more mass protests—particularly if the public faces new austerity measures.’

President Wickremasinghe indicated that another uprising was in the making, and he would use emergency powers and the military to crack down any such uprising should it happen. Arresting protestors and front-loading the military is not a solution but a push towards a full-blown insurrection. What is required is to transfer power to the people through a democratic election and not continue with an appointed leader, which only ensures the continuance of Rajapaksa rule from the shadows. Further, the delay in debt restructuring by China, which is affecting the IMF’s financial assistance to Sri Lanka, will impact macroeconomic stability and lead to a further deterioration of economic conditions. If this continues, the uprising will no longer be a choice but an inevitability.

Observer Research Foundation

ORF was established on 5 September 1990 as a private, not for profit, ’think tank’ to influence public policy formulation. The Foundation brought together, for the first time, leading Indian economists and policymakers to present An Agenda for Economic Reforms in India. The idea was to help develop a consensus in favour of economic reforms.

President Xi receives honorary doctorate from King Saud University


2022-12-09 

On the afternoon of December 8 local time, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the honorary doctorate-awarding ceremony of King Saud University at the royal palace in the capital Riyadh. Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud attended the ceremony.

Badran bin Abdulrahman Al-Omar, president of King Saud University, presided over the ceremony, and Saudi Arabian Education Minister Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Bunyan presented President Xi with the certificate of the honorary doctorate degree.

The Saudi side stated that King Saud University was the first university to be established in the country that the country is very proud of. China plays a pivotal role in the world's economic structure and is a model shared by the people of all countries who yearn for progress and prosperity. China's great success is attributed to having a great leader like President Xi, who shares a strategic and long-term vision. King Saud University teaches both Chinese language and Chinese-Arabic translation. Many Saudi students study Chinese hard out of their yearning for Chinese culture, and there are also many Chinese students studying the Arabic language and Arabic literature at the university, which promoted the cultural exchanges between Saudi Arabia and China and mutual understanding between the two peoples. 

To highlight President Xi's great achievements in governing the country and his important contributions to the friendship and cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China, King Saud University is honored to award President Xi an honorary doctorate degree in management.

Ding Xuexiang, Wang Yi, He Lifeng, among others, were present at the ceremony.

Xi meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

Updated: December 9, 2022 09:02    Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 8, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

RIYADH, Dec. 8 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh.

Xi pointed out that China-Palestine friendship is deeply cherished by their people, adding that over the past five decades and more, the two sides have always trusted and supported each other.

No matter how the international and regional situation changes, China always firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore the legitimate rights and interests of their nation, and always stands with the Palestinian people, Xi said.

The international community should prioritize the Palestinian issue on the international agenda, keep to the direction of the two-state solution and the principle of "land for peace," and facilitate resumption of peace talks on the basis of relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, Xi said, adding that China will continue to work for an early, just and durable solution to the Palestinian issue.

Noting that next year marks the 35th anniversary of China-Palestine relations, Xi emphasized the need for the two sides to make good plans for celebrating the anniversary.

The two countries signed a tourism cooperation document, actively advanced negotiations for a China-Palestine free trade agreement and successfully held the second session of the Chinese-Palestinian Joint Committee for Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation, Xi said, adding that China has provided a large amount of vaccines and other anti-COVID supplies to Palestinian refugees, and will continue to do what it can to help Palestine develop its economy and improve people's well-being.

China commends Palestine's active participation in and efforts to promote the collective cooperation between China and Arab states, and will increase communication and cooperation with Palestine on advancing China-Arab relations and delivering the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, Xi said.

For his part, Abbas said that the Palestinian people are deeply proud of their friendly relations with the Chinese people, adding that China is Palestine's sincere and trustworthy friend and has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people by offering Palestine all-round and unconditional support on the political, economic, moral and other fronts.

All Palestinian people hold sincere affections for the Chinese people, he said, noting that China's positions on the international stage are fair and just, and its initiatives and propositions are positive and constructive.

Pointing out that Palestine stands firmly with China, Abbas reaffirmed Palestine's steadfast commitment to the one-China principle and firm support for China's just position on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

Palestine firmly supports and actively participates in Belt and Road cooperation and stands ready to work with China to continue strengthening cooperation in all areas, Abbas said, adding that Palestine looks forward to working with China to make the first China-Arab States Summit on Friday a success.

Ding Xuexiang, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 8, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]