Diplomacy & Defense Think Tank News

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IPI’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, moderated a roundtable discussion hosted by the United Nations General Assembly entitled “Gaps and Challenges” as part of the “Galvanizing Momentum for Universal Vaccination” event series. This roundtable, which took place on February 25th, served to highlight and review existing challenges in vaccine production and distribution such as optimizing quality, improving absorption capacity and delivery rates in low-coverage countries, and ensuring supply predictability. In the midst of the pandemic, this discussion provided a critical platform to examine the pace and reach of COVID-19 vaccinations, which have been described as “uneven, unfair, and unbalanced.”

Although the main focus of this roundtable was to discuss strategies in which to ensure vaccine access across the world, it was also a critical day in the world of peace and security, with the recent news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In solidarity with those being impacted by this conflict, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein gave a brief reflection on the events of the past few days, and asked the participants to join him in a moment of silence for Ukrainians and all those who suffer from violence.

Panelists included Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organisation; Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO, GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance; Dr. Nicole Lurie, Director of CEPI-US and Strategic Advisor to the CEO at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI); Dr. Tonya Villafana, Vice President, Global Franchise Head, Vaccine & Immune Therapies at AstraZeneca; Mr. Kirill A. Dmitriev, Chief Executive Officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF); and Dr. Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, Co-Director of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Click here for more information regarding the event.

As displacement is on the rise worldwide and protracted in many cases, cities and municipalities have become increasingly important for receiving and integrating displaced people. The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) adopted by the international community in 2018 acknowledges this and calls for related support for hosting countries and communities. In agreement with regional neighbours, refugee-hosting countries in the Global South, such as Kenya, are enhancing policies and opportunities for refugees' local integration in exchange for donor funding. In the Kalobeyei settlement in the country's marginalised Turkana West county, local economic and development planning are used as key devices for refugee integration. Drawing on extensive literature and other document review and semi-structured interviews with experts from local, national and international levels, this article is interested in how global norms are translated to local realities. It asks about the interests, alliances, resources and power of influential stakeholders as well as institutions driving the implementation of global policy frameworks on the ground. In Kenya, security interests and humanitarian funding shortages were key factors pressuring the national government to embrace local integration as a 'novel' approach to refugee management. The local government saw in it an opportunity to spur the development of a historically marginalised region. Against the background of persisting encampment and limited mobility of refugees in Kenya, local integration in practice is, however, partial and differs from conceptions underlying the GCR 'on paper'.

As displacement is on the rise worldwide and protracted in many cases, cities and municipalities have become increasingly important for receiving and integrating displaced people. The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) adopted by the international community in 2018 acknowledges this and calls for related support for hosting countries and communities. In agreement with regional neighbours, refugee-hosting countries in the Global South, such as Kenya, are enhancing policies and opportunities for refugees' local integration in exchange for donor funding. In the Kalobeyei settlement in the country's marginalised Turkana West county, local economic and development planning are used as key devices for refugee integration. Drawing on extensive literature and other document review and semi-structured interviews with experts from local, national and international levels, this article is interested in how global norms are translated to local realities. It asks about the interests, alliances, resources and power of influential stakeholders as well as institutions driving the implementation of global policy frameworks on the ground. In Kenya, security interests and humanitarian funding shortages were key factors pressuring the national government to embrace local integration as a 'novel' approach to refugee management. The local government saw in it an opportunity to spur the development of a historically marginalised region. Against the background of persisting encampment and limited mobility of refugees in Kenya, local integration in practice is, however, partial and differs from conceptions underlying the GCR 'on paper'.

As displacement is on the rise worldwide and protracted in many cases, cities and municipalities have become increasingly important for receiving and integrating displaced people. The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) adopted by the international community in 2018 acknowledges this and calls for related support for hosting countries and communities. In agreement with regional neighbours, refugee-hosting countries in the Global South, such as Kenya, are enhancing policies and opportunities for refugees' local integration in exchange for donor funding. In the Kalobeyei settlement in the country's marginalised Turkana West county, local economic and development planning are used as key devices for refugee integration. Drawing on extensive literature and other document review and semi-structured interviews with experts from local, national and international levels, this article is interested in how global norms are translated to local realities. It asks about the interests, alliances, resources and power of influential stakeholders as well as institutions driving the implementation of global policy frameworks on the ground. In Kenya, security interests and humanitarian funding shortages were key factors pressuring the national government to embrace local integration as a 'novel' approach to refugee management. The local government saw in it an opportunity to spur the development of a historically marginalised region. Against the background of persisting encampment and limited mobility of refugees in Kenya, local integration in practice is, however, partial and differs from conceptions underlying the GCR 'on paper'.

Seeking to gain an understanding of similarities and differences in the integration of refugees in different parts of the world, Eva Dick and Einhard Schmidt-Kallert interviewed decision-makers at the local government level in Bangladesh, Kenya and Germany. All of them have first-hand experience in dealing with the integration of large refugee flows within short and longer periods.

Seeking to gain an understanding of similarities and differences in the integration of refugees in different parts of the world, Eva Dick and Einhard Schmidt-Kallert interviewed decision-makers at the local government level in Bangladesh, Kenya and Germany. All of them have first-hand experience in dealing with the integration of large refugee flows within short and longer periods.

Seeking to gain an understanding of similarities and differences in the integration of refugees in different parts of the world, Eva Dick and Einhard Schmidt-Kallert interviewed decision-makers at the local government level in Bangladesh, Kenya and Germany. All of them have first-hand experience in dealing with the integration of large refugee flows within short and longer periods.

This report presents the results of a survey that queried foreign investors active in the Latin America and Caribbean region on the importance they attach to a key set of investment facilitation measures. It is based on 67 responses. The results of the investor survey are put into perspective by highlighting consistencies and gaps in relation to the current state of the WTO Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) negotiations and the actual level of adoption of investment facilitation measures at the national level.

This report presents the results of a survey that queried foreign investors active in the Latin America and Caribbean region on the importance they attach to a key set of investment facilitation measures. It is based on 67 responses. The results of the investor survey are put into perspective by highlighting consistencies and gaps in relation to the current state of the WTO Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) negotiations and the actual level of adoption of investment facilitation measures at the national level.

This report presents the results of a survey that queried foreign investors active in the Latin America and Caribbean region on the importance they attach to a key set of investment facilitation measures. It is based on 67 responses. The results of the investor survey are put into perspective by highlighting consistencies and gaps in relation to the current state of the WTO Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) negotiations and the actual level of adoption of investment facilitation measures at the national level.

Fortschritt für eine gerechte Welt – dieses Ziel hat die neue Bundesregierung wie ein Leitmotiv über ihre Prioritäten für den deutschen G7-Vorsitz im Jahr 2022 gestellt. „Ganz konkret“ sollen Fortschritte erzielt werden für (1.) einen nachhaltigen Planeten, (2.) wirtschaftliche Stabilität und Transformation, (3.) ein gesundes Leben, (4.) Investitionen in eine bessere Zukunft und (5.) ein starkes Miteinander. Dafür sollen auch neue Modelle der Kooperation zur Bewältigung globaler Herausforderungen angestoßen werden. Auf den ersten Blick also ein Aufschlag, der den Herausforderungen angemessen, fokussiert und auf der Höhe der Zeit scheint. Auf den zweiten Blick wird aber auch deutlich, wieviel Arbeit und Konkretisierung noch nötig sind, wenn aus der Fülle der unter den fünf Prioritäten versammelten, oft nur lose verknüpften Themen wirklich Greifbares entwickelt werden soll.

Fortschritt für eine gerechte Welt – dieses Ziel hat die neue Bundesregierung wie ein Leitmotiv über ihre Prioritäten für den deutschen G7-Vorsitz im Jahr 2022 gestellt. „Ganz konkret“ sollen Fortschritte erzielt werden für (1.) einen nachhaltigen Planeten, (2.) wirtschaftliche Stabilität und Transformation, (3.) ein gesundes Leben, (4.) Investitionen in eine bessere Zukunft und (5.) ein starkes Miteinander. Dafür sollen auch neue Modelle der Kooperation zur Bewältigung globaler Herausforderungen angestoßen werden. Auf den ersten Blick also ein Aufschlag, der den Herausforderungen angemessen, fokussiert und auf der Höhe der Zeit scheint. Auf den zweiten Blick wird aber auch deutlich, wieviel Arbeit und Konkretisierung noch nötig sind, wenn aus der Fülle der unter den fünf Prioritäten versammelten, oft nur lose verknüpften Themen wirklich Greifbares entwickelt werden soll.

Fortschritt für eine gerechte Welt – dieses Ziel hat die neue Bundesregierung wie ein Leitmotiv über ihre Prioritäten für den deutschen G7-Vorsitz im Jahr 2022 gestellt. „Ganz konkret“ sollen Fortschritte erzielt werden für (1.) einen nachhaltigen Planeten, (2.) wirtschaftliche Stabilität und Transformation, (3.) ein gesundes Leben, (4.) Investitionen in eine bessere Zukunft und (5.) ein starkes Miteinander. Dafür sollen auch neue Modelle der Kooperation zur Bewältigung globaler Herausforderungen angestoßen werden. Auf den ersten Blick also ein Aufschlag, der den Herausforderungen angemessen, fokussiert und auf der Höhe der Zeit scheint. Auf den zweiten Blick wird aber auch deutlich, wieviel Arbeit und Konkretisierung noch nötig sind, wenn aus der Fülle der unter den fünf Prioritäten versammelten, oft nur lose verknüpften Themen wirklich Greifbares entwickelt werden soll.