1. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry launches carbon offset plan
Tags: Environment International News
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on November 9 has unveiled a new carbon offset scheme called Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA) for climate finance.
About Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA)
Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA) will be developed by the US along with the Bezos Earth Fund and the Rockefeller Foundation and receive inputs from public and private sectors.
It would allow companies to finance clean energy projects in developing countries and earn carbon credits that they can use to meet their own climate goals.
This will allow companies to have a financial edge over their competitors in the race to meet climate goals.
Its objective is to put out of use coal plants and accelerate the use of renewable energy.
This can certainly be good for renewable energy projects and for coal plants that are too old and unviable and which India wants to shut down.
The ETA is projected to operate until 2030, potentially expanding to 2035.
2. Pakistan and Bangladesh will be among first to receive G7 'Global Shield' climate funding
Tags: Environment International News
Pakistan, Ghana, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Fiji, Philippines and Senegal will be among the first recipients of funding from a G7 'Global Shield' initiative to provide funding to countries suffering from climate disasters. It was announced by Germany on 14 November 2022 at the ongoing COP27 summit in Egypt.
Global Shield climate Finance
It was launched by the G 7 countries (United States of America, Canada, France, Italy, United Kingdom and Japan) at the COP27 summit in Egypt on 14 November 2022.
The Global Shield will be coordinated by Germany and is being developed in collaboration with the 'V20' group of 58 climate vulnerable economies.
Aim of the fund
- The fund will be used to help low-income and vulnerable countries to deal with climate induced calamities.
- It aims to strengthen social protection schemes and climate risk insurance so when an extreme weather event like flooding occurs, countries can access aid quickly and recover.
- Germany has announced that it will contribute USD 172 million to the fund. However the size of the fund has not been disclosed.
Demand for special Loss and Damage Fund
- Global warming induced climate change has badly affected the developing countries who don't have the resources to deal with such natural calamities like floods, drought etc.
- The developing countries have been demanding that the polluting countries (Developed countries) shall pay for the loss and damage suffered by the poor developing countries due to climate change.
- After years of resistance by the developed countries, they have agreed to discuss a special loss and damage fund in the COP 27 meeting being held in Sharm -el Sheik ,Egypt from 6-18 November 2022.
- The "Global Shield" initiative is being seen as one of step to address such funding.
3. In Slovenia, Natasa Pirc Musar elected the country’s first female President
Tags: Person in news International News
In Slovenia, Natasa Pirc Musar has been elected the country’s first female President after beating her conservative rival in the second round of elections on November 13.
Important facts
Ms. Pirak Musar got about 54 percent of the votes, while Logar got about 46 percent.
He defeated Anze Logar, former foreign minister and a veteran of conservative politics.
A prominent lawyer, Pirk Musser, represented former US First Lady Melania Trump in Slovenia on copyright and other matters.
She campaigned on issues of human rights, rule of law and social welfare.
Pirk Musser, 54, will be the first woman to serve as president after Yugoslavia broke up and Slovenia became independent in 1991.
She will replace President Borut Pahor, a centrist politician who has already served two terms as president.
About Slovenia
Prime Minister - Robert Golob
Capital - Ljubljana
Currency - Euro
Official Language - Slovene
4. ASEAN agrees to admit Timor- Leste as its 11th member
Tags: Summits International News
The 10 nations group Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has agreed in principle to admit Timor- Leste as its 11th member. This was declared by the ASEAN after its summit meeting held in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on 11 November 2022 Timor- Leste applied for membership of the ASEAN in 2011.
The other members of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Timor- Leste will be initially granted an observer status at a high level ASEAN meeting and it will take years before it becomes a full member of the ASEAN group.
The country would be the first new member of the regional grouping in more than two decades, since Cambodia was admitted in 1999.
Timor- Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta welcomed the decision, saying a membership would strengthen wider diplomatic relations with ASEAN's partners and will help attract more foreign direct investment in the country.
Timor- Leste
It was earlier called East Timor and was a Portuguese colony till 1975 .After the Portuguese left it was occupied by Indonesia. The people of Timor- Leste waged a freedom struggle to gain Independence from Indonesia.
In the 1999 United Nations supervised referendum the people of Timor-Leste voted for Independence from Indonesia.
It was officially recognised as an independent country by the United Nations in 2022, making it Asia's youngest country.
Capital of Timor- Leste: Dilli
Currency: Dollar
President: Jose Ramos-Horta
5. India announces additional contribution of ‘$ 5 million’ to ASEAN-India science and technology fund
Tags: Science and Technology Summits International News
The Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on 12 November 2022 announced an additional contribution of USD 5 million to the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Fund (AISTDF) to enhance cooperation in sectors of public health, renewable energy and smart agriculture.
The announcement came during the three-day visit of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to Cambodia for ASEAN-India and East Asia summits.
ASEAN India S&T Development Fund (AISTDF)
ASEAN-India Science & Technology Collaboration formally started in 1996 with the establishment of the ASEAN India S&T working group (AIWGST).
Initially, the collaborative S&T projects and activities between India and ASEAN were supported through ASEAN India Fund (AIF).
In 2008, a dedicated ASEAN India S&T Development Fund (AISTDF) with an equivalent amount of USD 1 million was established jointly by the Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Science and Technology (DST) to support Research and Development projects and associated project development activities.
The AISTDF was enhanced to an equivalent amount of USD 5 million through an announcement by the Prime Minister of India on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit in Malaysia in November 2015.
6. India, Cambodia sign 4 MOUs in the areas of culture, wildlife & health
Tags: International Relations International News
On November 12 India and Cambodia signed 4 MoUs in areas of health, technology, biodiversity conservation and preservation of ancient buildings.
Important facts
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar holds a bilateral meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the sidelines of the ongoing ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on November 12.
The two had extensive discussions on bilateral relations including human resources, mining and development projects.
Cambodia also stressed on enhancing cooperation on mine clearance to help Cambodia reach the goal of "a mine-free Cambodia by 2025".
Four memorandum of understanding (MoU)
MoU between the Institute of Technology of Cambodia and the Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur for digitalisation of Cambodian heritage sites.
MoU regarding reintroduction of tigers in Cambodia between the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, India and Ministry of Environment, Cambodia for Cooperation in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Wildlife Management.
MoU between the Ministry of Health and the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on cooperation in the fields of health and medicine.
MoU on Financing Agreement on the Preservation of Wat Raja Bo Pagoda Paintings in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
7. COP27 presidency launches Sharm-el-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda
Tags: Environment International News
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt, the COP27 Presidency launched the Sharm-el-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda to enhance resilience for the four billion people living in the most climate-sensitive communities by 2030.
Important facts
The Sharm-el-Sheikh adaptation agenda represents a significant contribution to elevating global action on adaptation and resilience as a top priority.
Each outcome presents a global solution that can be adopted locally to respond to local climate contexts, needs and risks
This will help bring about the necessary changes in mechanisms to protect vulnerable communities from increasing climate hazards, such as extreme heat, drought, floods, or extreme weather.
Developing countries also demanded that the fund should be easily accessible.
It aims to reduce the devastating effects of climate change.
The presidency sought to raise $140 billion to $300 billion to advance these goals.
Developing countries, including India, are asking rich countries to agree to a new global climate finance target, also known as the New Collective Quantitative Target on Climate Finance.
These actions will be carried out in five impact systems – Food and Agriculture, Water and Nature, Coastal and Ocean, Human Settlements, and Infrastructure.
These actions will include enabling solutions to plan and finance these areas.
8. Year 2022 declared as ASEAN-India Friendship year
Tags: International News
The year 2022 has been declared as the ASEAN-India Friendship Year, as ASEAN and India celebrate 30 years of partnership.
Important facts
A series of events have been planned to celebrate the occasion throughout the year.
An Indian media delegation is visiting Singapore and Cambodia as part of the ASEAN-India Media Exchange Program from November 8 to 13.
In the first leg of the visit, the delegation visited the Singapore-India Chambers of Commerce and Industries (SICCI).
The delegation exchanged views on India-Singapore relations with a special focus on business-friendly policies and business expectations.
Evolution of India -ASEAN relationship
India was initially made a sectoral partner by ASEAN in 1992. With the increasing depth in the relationships the status was changed to a Dialogue Partner in 1996.
In 2022 the relationship was further upgraded to Summit level
And finally in 2012 it was elevated to Strategic partnership.
Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)
It was set up in 1967 as a group of South-East Asian nations.
At present there are 10 members in the group.
They are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The headquarters of ASEAN: Jakarta, Indonesia.
9. 16th Asian Conference on Diarrhoeal Disease and Nutrition (ASCODD)
Tags: National Summits International News
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Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar addressed the 16th Asian Conference on Diarrhoeal Disease and Nutrition (ASCODD) at Kolkata on 11 November, 2022.
Important facts
Delegates from India and other Southeast Asian countries, African countries, US, European countries attended the conference through video conferencing.
The theme of the Conference was “Prevention and control of cholera, typhoid and other enteric diseases in low and middle-income countries through community participation : beyond the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic”.
The conference was organised by ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases.
The conference focused on issues such as intestinal infections, nutrition, policy and practice, development of cholera vaccines, contemporary approaches to antimicrobial resistance of intestinal bacteria, etc., including a roadmap to end cholera by 2030.
10. S Jaishankar holds bilateral talks with Foreign Minister of Belarus, Vladimir Makei
Tags: International Relations International News
External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar held bilateral talks with his Belarus counterpart Vladimir Makei in New Delhi on 9 November, 2022.
Important facts
The Foreign Minister of Belarus, Vladimir Makei arrives in New Delhi on November 9, 2022 for a two-day visit to India.
Both leaders held talks on a range of issues including bilateral economic ties, Ukraine conflict and multilateral cooperation.
India - Belarus Relations
India’s relations with Belarus have been traditionally warm and cordial.
India was one of the first countries to recognize Belarus as an independent country in 1991.
After formal diplomatic relations were established, the Indian diplomatic mission was opened in Minsk in 1992 and Belarus opened its mission in New Delhi in 1998.
Cooperation between the two countries is reflected in several multilateral fora such as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Belarus helped consolidate India's candidature for a temporary seat at the UNSC in July 2020.
India has supported Belarus in various international fora such as membership of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and other international and multilateral groups such as the IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union).
The two countries have established mechanisms for the exchange of views on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues through the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), and the Joint Commission on Military Technical Cooperation.
The two countries signed several MoUs on various subjects including defence and technical cooperation, trade and economic cooperation, culture, education, media and sports, tourism, science and technology, agriculture, textiles, avoidance of double taxation, promotion of investment.
In the economic sphere, the annual bilateral trade turnover in 2019 is USD 569.6 million.
About Belarus
President - Alexander Lukashenko
Prime Minister - Roman Golovchenko
Capital - Minsk
Currency - Belarusian ruble
