Diplomacy & Crisis News

The trip could involve discussions about energy purchases from Russia to help shore up Indonesia's domestic fuel supply.

The region faces the modern iteration of a question that has plagued every industrial revolution: who owns the machine, who works it, who extracts the surplus, and who bears the cost?

The populations of China and Taiwan are drifting apart in ways that will be structurally hard to reverse.

New Delhi, which supports UNCLOS, is reportedly uncomfortable with Iran’s plan to levy a toll on every ship that passes the Strait of Hormuz.

Survey findings complicate the notion that U.S.-China economic policy presents a binary choice between the two options.

The African Union’s admission to the G20 as a permanent member in 2023 marked a major milestone in global economic governance, giving the continent its first collective seat at one of the most influential decision-making forums on debt, trade, climate finance, and development. While this corrected a long-standing imbalance in representation, key questions remain about whether this institutional presence will translate into substantive influence.

This issue brief examines how the AU organizes its participation in the G20 and assesses the progress made under South Africa’s 2025 presidency, particularly on debt sustainability. It highlights initiatives such as the ministerial declaration on debt and the Africa Expert Panel proposals for reforms to the global debt architecture, while underscoring the continued limitations of existing G20 mechanisms, and the structural challenges posed by high borrowing costs..

The brief finds that while Africa has generated momentum within the G20, sustaining progress will require stronger coordination within the AU, the operationalization of key institutional mechanisms, and a more focused and strategic approach to advancing continental priorities in a shifting geopolitical landscape.

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The post Africa in the G20 and Debt Sustainability appeared first on International Peace Institute.

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IPI and the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the United Nations cohosted a policy forum, “Examining the Role of the Peacebuilding Fund in UN Peace Operation Contexts” on April 9th.

The UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) is designed to support catalytic, timely, and risk-tolerant investments through projects that contribute to advancing national peacebuilding priorities. Over the past two decades, the PBF has supported programming in over twenty contexts where the UN has deployed a peace operation and has often played a crucial role during mission transitions. The purpose of this event is to examine the role of the Fund in UN peace operation settings. The event will also serve to launch an IPI publication, “UN Peace Operations and the Role of the Peacebuilding Fund,” authored by Lauren McGowan, Policy Analyst at IPI.

Building on the insights of the report, this forum brought together representatives of the UN Secretariat, member states, and civil society organizations to discuss how the PBF has been leveraged in peace operation settings and how it can “further enhance its support” to countries preparing for or undergoing transitions from peace operations, in line with the recommendations of the recent review of the UN peacebuilding architecture (PBAR).

Opening Remarks:
Djeyhoun Ostowar, Counsellor, Deputy Head of Political Affairs Section, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN

Speakers:
Lauren McGowan, Policy Analyst, International Peace Institute
Bushra Hassan, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Adviser, Peacebuilding Fund Support Branch, Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office
Anayansi Lopez, Head of Pillar, Civil Affairs, Human Rights, Guidance and Learning, Policy and Best Practices Service, Division of Policy, Evaluation and Training, Department of Peace Operations
Anees Ahmed, Director, Rule of Law Advisory Section, UN Mission in South Sudan (VTC)
Sheila Romen, Coordinator, Peacebuilding Fund Secretariat in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Resident Coordinators Office (VTC)

Moderator:
Jenna Russo, Director of Research and Head of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations and Peacebuilding, International Peace Institute

The post Examining the Role of the Peacebuilding Fund in UN Peace Operation Contexts appeared first on International Peace Institute.

Beijing has not taken a one-size-fits-all approach to its engagement with the energy sectors in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. 

The route has proven its value in times of crisis. Can it evolve into a primary artery of Eurasian trade?

At least seven hydroelectric projects on two transboundary river systems are in the pipeline in the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya.

For a grouping that until recently thrived on high-profile summitry, the Quad’s present silence is striking to say the least.

In a world where conflicts are increasingly interconnected, and expectations of alignment are growing, the space for sustained ambiguity is shrinking.

The controversy over Roberts-Smith being charged for his alleged actions is rooted in a politically polarized failure to understand the importance of rules of engagement in conflict zones.

At the heart of the judicial review is the government’s removal of dozens of climate policies that had formed part of New Zealand’s first emissions reduction plan.

If talks progress and the war ends with a permanent solution, Pakistan will emerge as a crucial player in West Asia. If not, it can expect turmoil.

Beijing makes a strategy shift.