The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY In force December 29, 1993, Ratified by 175 countries The convention The Convention on Biological Diversity ( cbd ) recognises the rights of countries on their genetic resources. It emphasises - the conservation of biodiversity - its sustainable use - fair and equitable sharing of benefits …
UN CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION In force from December 1996, Ratified by 145 countries The convention The persistence of countries from Africa, where two-thirds of the land area is either desert or dryland, led to the decision to adopt the Convention to Combat Desertification ( ccd ) at Rio in …
Ongoing negotiations on a legally binding instrument for international action on certain PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS Deadline for the treaty to be signed:2001 The negotiations National governments have now come together to negotiate a global treaty to control and eventually eliminate pop s from the environment. - European countries have been …
INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS ON FORESTS Intergovernmental Panel on Forests set up in 1995 Intergovernmental Forum on Forests set up in 1997 Forest diplomacy Forest trade, particularly of finished wood products, is dominated by a few Northern countries in both exports and imports. Their timber lobbies have prevailed upon their governments to …
INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT History of conflict - The world initiated a multilateral trading system with the establishment of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ( gatt ) in 1946 to promote trade liberalisation. - The Uruguay Round, held between 1986 and 1994, led to the creation of …
THE MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENTS Attempted agreement The first suggestion for a multilateral agreement on investments came during the Uruguay Round in 1994. It was strongly opposed by Southern countries as it threatened to take away regulatory control over foreign investment. The eu made an unsuccessful attempt to introduce the …
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACILITY Established in October 1991, number of members: 165 The institution The World Bank designed the institutional structure for the Global Environmental Facility (gef ), initiated in 1990. The us made sure gef began on a temporary three-year term. With Australia and Canada, the us maintained that such …
EVOLVING INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE UN Reform to perform The un 's attempts to streamline its environment programme have been consistent. The results have not. The reform process began in 1992. It involved extensive reassembling and bringing all units dealing with economic and social matters under …
UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE In force from March 1994, ratified by 176 countries KYOTO PROTOCOL Signed by 84 countries, not yet in force A political process driven by climate scientists, which began in the mid-1980s, resulted in the Framework Convention on Climate Change ( fccc ), signed by …
the failure of policies initiated by the forest department has led to a flourishing business for brokers involved in the sale of medicinal plants and non-wood forest products. This has resulted in the extensive destruction of biodiversity in Kotoor town of Kerala. An hour-long bumpy drive from the state capital …
Despite an expenditure of billions of rupees on various studies connected with the Baghmati river and Kathmandu valley's development, no concrete plans have emerged for the cleanup of the rivers in the region. Vast sums of money have also been spent on the rivers in Kathmandu valley
Aid workers have warned of an impending humanitarian crisis in the flood-affected areas of Mozambique. After weeks of flooding from torrential rain that killed 67 people and displaced 21,000, the cyclone Eline lashed the country on February 22 making matters worse. According to Marielise Berg-Sonne, a Red Cross official, as …
despite the government's claims of the country being a centre of megadiversity with immense traditional knowledge of its use, little has been done to nurture both. Yet another board has been set up, and major issues concerning biodiversity
When Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha said he would be presenting a harsh budget, very few thought it would be harsh on the environment. Today apart from the fiscal deficit, the biggest crisis facing India is the crisis on the environmental front. This budget has even shed the pretense of …
"TIME the politicians of our country heard our side of the story. The last 52 years have been of silence and agony," says D K Mishra, an expert on floods prior to the screening of the documentary Dui Paatan Ke Beech Mein at the India International Centre in New Delhi …
suddenly the air in Kathmandu is cleaner and does not burn your eyes or cause a feeling of suffocation. The sole reason for this drastic improvement in air quality is the banning of diesel-operated Vikram tempos from the capital's streets since September 1999. In their place battery-operated tempos have been …
with the Yamuna dead, Delhi's aquifers almost empty and the watertable having fallen more than 7.5 metres in less than 20 years, the state government is considering three proposals for water harvesting in the capital. All of them deal with traditional water harvesting methods, reviving the Yamuna and its ancient …
massive ecological destruction is leading to the drying up of riverbeds, nullahs and streams in and around Similipal. This was a common fear expressed by speakers at a recent workshop on 'River and dam management in the context of Similipal protection' organised recently. It is estimated that there are about …
Ministry clueless on diesel quality It came as a surprise when the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas ( mpng ) recently informed the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority ( epca ) that oil companies would be able to supply diesel with 0.05 per cent sulphur content in Delhi …
