The renewal of the e-commerce moratorium - business as usual?
Map of the Month 02/2024
With only a few days before the beginning of the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (MC13), WTO members have not been able to agree on whether to renew or discontinue the Moratorium on imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions (so-called E-Commerce Moratorium). The first map shows the positions of members according to four draft ministerial decisions. Two draft decisions support the renewal of the moratorium, one explicitly calls for its termination and one omits any mention of the moratorium altogether.
The second map shows how members have sided on the issue of the E-Commerce Moratorium ahead of the last Ministerial Conference (MC12) and explores whether there have been any shifts. While there are no declared changes in positions, the most recent proposal of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) is noteworthy because it distances itself to some extent from India and South Africa, who often act up as advocates of developing countries.
Cedric Amon, Laetitia Grunewald
February 20, 2024
Map of the Month
Voting behaviour in line with Germany’s and China's positioning in the UN Human Rights Council 2023
Map of the Month 01/2024
The map of the month January illustrates the voting behaviour of members of the UN Human Rights Council in 2023 in line with Germany’s versus China's positioning in the Council. A total of 109 resolutions were adopted in the Human Rights Council last year, 35 of which were put to a vote due to a lack of consensus. In addition to the EU member states, Montenegro, Ukraine and the United Kingdom voted most frequently in line with Germany; Cameroon (9%), India, Bangladesh, Sudan, Pakistan, Algeria and China (14% each) the least. Of all Central and South American Council members, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Chile and Mexico voted most frequently in line with Germany; of the African states Gambia, Benin and Malawi did so. By contrast, Eritrea, Cuba and Bolivia voted with China most frequently, while the United Kingdom never voted with China, the USA and the Czech Republic hardly ever and the EU member states represented in the Council, Montenegro and Ukraine voted with China least frequently. China and the USA only voted together once: they both rejected a resolution on the question of the death penalty.
Sarah Ultes, Laetitia Grunewald
January 15, 2024
Map of the Month
Fazilitatoren der informellen Unterarbeitsgruppen zu ausgewählten Artikeln eines Pandemieabkommens
Map of the Month 12/2023
Controversial elements in the negotiation of a pandemic agreement are discussed in four thematic sub-working groups. All WHO regions are involved in the facilitation of the sub-working groups: (1) the African region: Ethiopia, South Africa and Tanzania; (2) the Americas region: Canada, USA and Brazil; (3) the South-East Asia region: India and Thailand; (4) the European region: Norway and the United Kingdom, (5) the Eastern Mediterranean region: Egypt and (6) the Western Pacific region: Australia, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines. Each is chaired by a member of the INB office.
Dr. Anja Maria Rittner
December 21, 2023
Map of the Month
Countries endorsing Declaration on climate and health at COP28
Map of the Month 12/2023
During the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties a declaration on climate and health was negotiated on 1 December 2023. In the first fortnight since the declaration, 142 countries and the European Union have joined, emphasizing the critical link between climate change and human health and the urgency of action.
Dr. Anja Maria Rittner
December 15, 2023
Map of the Month
75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Map of the Month 12/2023
Probably the most important document of the century turns 75: December 10, 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Initially drafted by Eleanor Roosevelt (USA) and Dr. Peng-chun Chang (China), representatives of 9 states came to encompass the Drafting Committee who worked on the 30 articles of the declaration which was ultimately voted upon in the UN General Assembly in 1948. The drafting states included: the Soviet Union (USSR), Australia, Chile, Lebanon, France, the United Kingdom and Canada. 48 states voted in favor of the text, 8 abstained (Soviet Union, Belarusian and Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, Saudi Arabia, Union of South Africa) and 2 states did not vote. Important human rights mechanisms, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights were adopted in the following years. Currently, 9 international human rights treaties exist whose implementation is monitored by committees of independent experts. In 1993, the UDHR was again reaffirmed by a total of 171 state representatives as part of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action (VDPA). The UN General Assembly with its 184 Member States endorsed the VDPA again on 20 December 1993, thereby reaffirming their support for the Universal Declaration. They also decided to establish the post of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Although human rights constituite one of the three pillars of the UN system alongside peace, security and development, 75 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) only receives a tiny part of the UN regular budget, only 4.3% and thus remains severely underfunded.
Sarah Ultes
December 10, 2023
Map of the Month
International Day of Persons with Disabilities – 30th anniversary
Map of the Month 12/2023
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated every year on 3 December. The year 2023 marks the 30th anniversary. It was not until 2006 that the UN General Assembly adopted a Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which came into force in 2008 and has since been ratified by 188 States Parties. Seven countries have so far only signed but not ratified the convention: the USA, Liechtenstein, Bhutan, Lebanon, Tajikistan and Tonga. Eritrea and South Sudan have neither signed nor ratified it. In Geneva, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) monitors the implementation of the Convention. The situation in Germany was reviewed from August to September of this year. Germany's human rights situation was also scrutinised as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, with 15 recommendations from other states particularly focussing on the rights of people with disabilities, including the recommendation to promote a more inclusive education system.
Sarah Ultes, Victoria Müller
December 1, 2023
Map of the Month
Conventions on the Ban of Anti-Personnel Mines and Cluster Munition
Map of the Month 11/2023
The latest landmine monitor was launched in Geneva in mid-November. The related cluster munition munition was presented back in September. In both reports the developments in Ukraine stand out particularly clearly. The Eastern European country is a state party to the Antipersonnel-Mine Ban Convention, but not to the Convention on Cluster Munition. Both types of weapons were used extensively on the territory of Ukraine in 2022. The number of casualties, thus people who were either killed or injured by landmines in Ukraine alone increased tenfold in 2022 and until the beginning of 2023. After Syria (17%), Ukraine is in second place worldwide with 12% of all casualties newly recorded. 2022 was also the year with the highest number of cluster munition casualties on record. 78% of the 1,272 newly registered casualties were detected in Ukraine alone. Once again, most of the victims were civilians and children in particular. 85% of mine victims were civilians, 49% of them children and as many as 95% of cluster mine victims were civilians, 71% of whom were children. In 2023, Nigeria and South Sudan were accepted as new states parties to the Convention on Cluster Munition, which still counts 73 non-signatories. The Mine Ban Treaty enjoys broader support, with only 33 non-signatories. In addition, a total of 12 countries are still actively producing landmines and 16 are actively producing cluster munitions.
Sarah Ultes, Victoria Müller
November 29, 2023
Map of the Month
New composition of UN Human Rights Council as of 2024 and key votes at the 54th session of the Council
Map of the Month 10/2023
After Russia's membership in the Human Rights Council was suspended by a resolution of the UN General Assembly in April 2022, Russia now tried to become a member of the Council again. However, there were two opposing candidates in the Group of Eastern European States: Albania and Bulgaria. EU member Bulgaria received 163 votes, while Albania, currently a very active member of the UN Security Council, received 123 votes. In the context of the war in Ukraine, it is nevertheless surprising that Russia was able to secure the support of 83 member states despite the daily violation of fundamental human rights and international law. Key votes during the 54th UN Human Rights Council included an extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the domestic situation in Russia or the creation of a fact-finding mission for Sudan. Regarding the right to development, a resolution was adopted that includes a draft international covenant on the right to development which shall be submitted to the UN General Assembly for its consideration, negotiation and adoption. Western countries criticised the text, pointing out that the resolution prioritised development over human rights and thus undermines the human rights system as such.
The "Map of the Month", a new series of the Multilateral Dialogue Geneva of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, uses maps to illustrate global trends and the role of Germany and Europe in the world on a monthly basis.
