The EU’s approach to digital in its external action is evolving, driven by a combination of global geopolitics and an externalisation of domestic policy priorities. This briefing explores the EU’s changing approach and argue that the Global Gateway strategy has the ingredients to help make Team Europe a geopolitical actor in the digital area.
This report analyses the intersection of HIV, COVID-19 and public debt in developing countries. The collision between COVID-19 and a crippling debt crisis have reversed decades of progress - putting present and future investments in health and HIV at risk. Pragmatic options to address the pandemic triad are proposed.
This report unpacks the impact that gender inequalities, inequalities faced by key populations, and inequalities between children and adults have had on the AIDS response. It is not inevitable, however, that these inequalities will slow progress towards ending AIDS.
Achieving the aspirations and goals of Agenda 2063, Africa’s master plan for development, requires cooperation, coordination, and harmonisation of the rich diversity of regional organisations (ROs) on the continent. This study covers all pan-African and regional intergovernmental organisations with an African membership constituency, ranging from the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities to all task-specific ROs, such as the Inter-African Coffee Organization.
Water security is at the front and center of climate change, human security, and sustainable development in regions and communities with competing water usage contexts, climate change effects, and cross-border water-sharing agreements, resulting in conflicts arising. Shared water agreements are affected by geopolitics, segregation, water availability, and access rights. Climate change can worsen water problems by changing precipitation trends or causing droughts.
Globally, the effects of climate change are already being felt with rising temperatures, droughts, and heatwaves as well as more frequent and severe storm events impacting water quantity and water quality. As such, water managers at all levels of governance, from the city to transboundary river basin level, need to ensure communities are resilient to water scarcity pressures as well as water excesses.
This paper analyses the implications of the entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership for the United States. Traditionally, trade policy has been central to the United States’ aim to position itself as a Pacific power and architect of the evolving regional economic architecture. Over the years, however, US trade strategy has evolved in distinct ways,
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused trade disruptions; a drop in foreign direct investment; and scarring effects on poverty, education, and women in many nations. However, it has also had beneficial features. Factory Asia has continued to produce and export during the pandemic, in contrast with North America and Europe.
Analyses of the social, economic and political impacts of organised crime may elude most people, but the effects of organised crime are nonetheless tangible and felt by many. As shown by the results of the Index, the majority of Africa’s population – almost two-thirds (60.9%) – live in countries with high levels of organised crime.
The Forum for Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence has investigated opportunities and obstacles for international cooperation to foster development of responsible artificial intelligence (AI).1 It has brought together officials from seven governments (Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and United States) with experts from industry, academia, and civil society to explore similarities and differences in national policies on AI, avenues of international cooperation, ecosystems of AI research and development, and AI standards development among other issues.
Since March 2022, the armed group March 23 Movement (M23) has been launching offensives in North Kivu in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with at least 340,000 people displaced. Since 20 October, the conflict has considerably escalated. Approximately 679,000 people will need assistance as a result of the fighting. The needs are high across all sectors, especially shelter, health, and protection.
The acceleration of climate change is recognized to have negative impacts on development and security. Its harmful effects are already noticeable, natural disasters are more frequent and catastrophic, and developing countries are more vulnerable. Although climate change is a worldwide phenomenon, poor people and poor countries are more severely affected by its negative effects.
The digitisation of data – spurred on by the Fourth Industrial Revolution – presents the Southern African region with very real opportunities for developmental leapfrogging. In order for Africa to break the historical chains that confine it to a subsidiary position in global supply chains, it will have to sequence digital development on its own terms, driven by its developmental needs and to further digital democracy.
The Indo-Pacific is a dynamic region experiencing a rewiring of the lines of security and economic cooperation, as minilateral networks continue to grow and mega trade agreements take hold. The most significant development in the Indo-Pacific is the emergence of China.
This third edition of the Multilateral Development Finance report presents recent trends in multilateral development finance in order to inform decisions by the members of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) on their strategic engagement with multilateral organisations.
Rising global tensions, spurred on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have challenged Africa’s relationship with Moscow. Africa’s divided response to the conflict is seen by stakeholders across geopolitical divides as either an indication of its commitment to the international rules-based order, or lack thereof.
According to this new report, since 2014 more than 50,000 people worldwide have lost their lives during their migratory journeys. Despite the increasing loss of life, little action has been taken by governments in countries of origin, transit, and destination to address the ongoing global crisis of missing migrants.
The present report presents the latest evidence on gender equality across all 17 Goals, calling out the long road ahead to achieve gender equality. It emphasizes the interlinkages among the goals, the pivotal force gender equality plays in driving progress across the SDGs and women and girls’ central role in leading the way.
This paper presents the case of Benin, where huge investments have been made in national ICT infrastructure and electricity extension, and a national portal for the provision of public services makes it possible for citizens to access more than 560 public services online. However, investments have concentrated more in cities, while more than 50% of Benin’s population still lives in rural areas with limited access to internet and electricity.
This paper presents the case of Uganda, where the government developed a Digital Uganda Vision for universal inclusion, sustainable development, economic progress and poverty eradication through digital innovation by 2040. But insufficient access to electricity and the internet (only half of Ugandan households are served by the electricity grid, and only 9% of people living in rural areas have access to the internet), as well as a lack of digital knowledge and skills amongst citizens, results in under usage of digital services.
