September 2020 International Affairs

Sakshi Education

When is the World Bamboo Day observed?
World Bamboo Day is celebrated every year on 18th September.

Theme of 2020: Bamboo Now

Key Points
It was officially established by the World Bamboo organization at the 8th World Bamboo Congress held in Bangkok in 2009.

It was set up at the 1992 International Bamboo Congress in Japan.

It is an international coordinating body for bamboo practitioners dedicated to promoting the use of bamboo and bamboo products for the sake of the environment and economy.

Bamboo can be used in 1,500 different ways including as food, a substitute for wood, building and construction material, for handicrafts and paper. Due to its versatile nature and multiple uses, it is also called ‘poor man’s timber’.

It can be planted to reclaim severely degraded sites and wastelands. It is a good soil binder owing to its peculiar clump formation and fibrous root system and hence also plays an important role in soil and water conservation.

It is the fastest growing canopy, releasing 35% more oxygen than trees and can sequester 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide from per hectare.

Use in Covid-19: Bamboo has been a key ingredient in new antimicrobial soaps and hand mists developed by scientists from the Philippines to fight the novel coronavirus.

Nutraceutical Bamboo Shoot: Bamboo shoots have nutraceutical properties, according to experts.

The term ‘nutraceutical’ is used to describe medicinally or nutritionally functional foods.

Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible newly sprouted canes of bamboo that form just under the soil and have a firm, crisp texture.

Bamboo shoots are emerging as high-value and safe edibles and are also among the cheapest immunity boosters for increasing the human body’s resistance to viral attacks.

The protein content in fresh bamboo shoots can range between 1.49-4.04%. They also contain 17 amino acids, eight of which are essential for the human body.
Universal Eligibility for World Bank Loan
The World Bank has clarified that the USD 1 billion loan that it has provided to India in May 2020 to deal with Covid-19 comes with a condition of universal eligibility in procurements.

Key Points
The World Bank would have the right to review the procurement documents, inspect all accounts, records and other files relating to the project. Compliance to these conditions has been made mandatory for the funding.

Following the clarification, the Indian Government has also asked all its production units and other major establishments to remove preferential references in tenders and ensure that contractors explicitly agreed to comply with the relevant provisions of the World Bank’s guidelines.
When is the World Alzheimer’s Day observed?
World Alzheimer's Day is observed on 21 September every year. The day aims to create a global opportunity to raise awareness and highlight issues faced by people affected by dementia.

It is also an opportunity for people and organizations to demonstrate several measures to help people live well with dementia.

World Alzheimer’s Day occurs during World Alzheimer’s Month. World Alzheimer's Month is the international campaign every September to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia.

The theme for World Alzheimer’s Month 2020 is “Let’s talk about dementia”.

The first diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease was in 1906. Alzheimer’s Disease International, a non-profit organization, observed its 10th anniversary in 1994. As part of that celebration, the association founded World Alzheimer’s Day to be observed each year on September 21.

Alzheimer's Disease:
Alzheimer's Disease is registered every 3.2 seconds totalling up to 9.9 million cases worldwide per year. It is the most common form of dementia.

The most common symptom of Alzheimer's disease is forgetfulness. A person will forget important dates, names or events, asking for the same questions over and over. Other symptoms include social withdrawal, mood swings, distrust, irritability, aggressiveness, changes in sleeping habits, wandering, depression, apathy, loss of inhibitions and delusions.

The risk of Alzheimer's disease can be reduced by exercising regularly, eating a diet of fresh produce, healthy oils and foods which are low in saturated fat are beneficial and breathing exercises that help immensely.
When is the International Day of Peace observed?
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September.

The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.

2020 Theme: Shaping Peace Together

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly.

Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.

To inaugurate the day, the United Nations Peace Bell is rung at UN Headquarters (in New York City).
When is the World Rose Day observed?
World Rose Day is observed on 22 September every year. The day is observed for the welfare of cancer patients.

The day is to mark hope for cancer patients that cancer is curable. The day is to spread a message to all cancer patients that they can fight the disease with strong willpower and spirit.

Aim:
Rose Day aims to spread a message to all cancer patients that they can fight the disease with a strong spirit and willpower. The day is to remind the cancer patients that there are many individuals and services are available to provide support to them medically, financially and emotionally.

Melinda Rose:
Rose day is to commemorate a 12-year-old girl named Melinda Rose from Canada. She was diagnosed with Askin'sTumor, a rare form of blood cancer, and she did not give up hope.

Considering the severity of the disease, the doctor's predicted that she will not survive for more than 2 weeks. But she lived for 6 months. During that time of suffering, she encouraged and cheered up other cancer patients.
When is the World Rhino Day observed?
World Rhino Day is observed on 22 September. The day is observed to celebrate the world’s five rhinoceros’ species and to reflect on the challenges facing them. The day encourages people to take steps for the conservation of Rhinos.

What are the 5 rhino species?
There are 5 rhino species living in Africa and Asia. Three of the species namely Javan Rhinos (Rhinoceros sondaicus), Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinussumatrensis) and black rhinos (Dicerosbicornis) are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered.

One of the 5 species White rhinos (Ceratotheriumsimum) are considered near threatened, and greater one-horned rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) vulnerable to extinction.

History:
World Rhino Day was first announced by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - South Africa in 2010. In the year 2011, World Rhino Day grew into an international success. The day encompasses both African and Asian rhino species.
When is International Day of Sign Languages observed?
International Day of Sign Languages is observed on 23 September every year. The day aims to raise awareness of the importance of sign language in the full realization of the human rights of people who are deaf.

The International Day of Sign Languages offers an opportunity to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all sign language users.

Theme:
The theme for 2020 International Day of Sign languages is “Sign Languages Are for Everyone!”.

History
International Day of Sign Languages was initiated by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD). The United Nations passed a resolution and proclaimed the International Day of Sign Languages on 19 December 2017.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has proclaimed 23 September as the International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) with an aim to raise awareness of the significance of sign language in the full realization of the human rights of people who are deaf.

The International Day of Sign languages was first celebrated in the year 2018 under the theme With Sign Language, Everyone is Included! The 2019 theme for IDSL is Sign Language Rights for All.
When is the World Maritime Day observed?
World Maritime Day is observed on 24th September 2020. The day is observed every year on Last Thursday of September Month.

The day aims to mark the contribution of international maritime industries towards the economy of the world especially shipping.

The Day focuses on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security, and the marine environment.

Theme:
The theme for 2020 World Maritime Day is "Sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet".

The theme focus to provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

History:
World Maritime Day was initiated by the United Nations (UN), through the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The day is to celebrate the contribution offered by the industry of international maritime towards the world’s economy, especially in shipping.

World Maritime Day was observed for the first time on 17 March 1978. The day is observed to mark when the IMO Convention entered into force in the year 1958.
SAARC and CICA Meetings
The Foreign Ministers’ meetings of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) took place in a virtual manner.

Key Points
India called the SAARC countries to collectively resolve to defeat the scourge of terrorism, including the forces that nurture, support and encourage an environment of terror and conflict.

This was a clear criticism of Pakistan who has been involved in crossborder terrorism.

Pakistan also made a detailed statement on the resolution of “long-standing disputes”, a veiled reference to Jammu and Kashmir and India’s move to withdraw Article 370.

Background:
India said that the degree of seriousness of each SAARC member-nation in collectively fighting the Covid-19 pandemic can be gauged by their behaviour. The statement was in clear reference to Pakistan’s opposition to India’s leadership in dealing with the crisis in the region.

The National Security Advisor of India had walked off from a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in September, 2020 after his Pakistani counterpart appeared with a Pakistani version of its map that included Indian territories.

In 2019, at the SAARC Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan had boycotted each other’s speeches.

The Prime Minister of India had also refused to attend the 19th edition of the SAARC summit, due to be held in Islamabad in 2016, over the issue of Pakistan’s continued support to terror groups in light of Uri attacks.
International Day for South-South Cooperation is observed on 12 September
International Day for South-South Cooperation is observed on 12 September. The main aim of South-South Cooperation is to strengthen the self-reliance of developing countries by enhancing their creative capacity to find solutions and technological capacities to their development problems and formulate the requisite strategies to address them.

Aim:
South-South Cooperation aims to strengthen and promote collective self-reliance through the exchange of experiences among developing countries.

It is expected that it will lead to a greater awareness of common problems and wider access to available knowledge.

It also focuses on recognizing and responding to the problems and requirements of the least developed countries, developing countries, small island developing States and enable them to achieve a greater degree of participation in international economic activities.

History:
The South-South cooperation of the United Nation began from 1949 with the establishment of the first UN technical aid programme by the Economic and Social Council and the creation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1965.

In the year 1974, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) endorsed the establishment of a special unit within the UNDP to promote technical co-operation among developing countries.

The Day was originally observed on December 19. The date, 12th September, was chosen to commemorate the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (BAPA) in 1978 by 138 Member States.
Singapore Convention on Mediation
United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation has come into force.

The convention will provide a more effective way of enforcing mediated settlements of corporate disputes involving businesses in India and other signatories.

Key Points
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on 20th December 2018 and it was opened for signature on 7th August 2019 in Singapore.

It is also known as the Singapore Convention on Mediation and also the first UN treaty to be named after Singapore.

Singapore had worked with the UN Commission on International Trade Law, other UN member states and non-governmental organisations for the Convention.

India approved the signing of the Convention in July 2019.

As on 1st September 2020, the Convention has 53 signatories, including China and the USA as well.
When is International Democracy Day observed?
International Democracy Day is observed on 15 September every year worldwide. The day aims to raise awareness among people about democracy.

Despite the major social, legal and political challenges that happened globally due to Covid-19, the world states have upheld the rule of law, respect and protect international standards and basic principles of legality, and the right to access justice, remedies, and due process.

Democracy:
Democracy is a process that will happen only with the full participation of and support by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society, and individuals.

Democracy is a two-way street that is built on a constant dialogue between civil society and the political class.

SDG:
In Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG-16) democracy has been addressed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. According to SDG, democracy is the indivisible link between peaceful societies and effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions.
When is the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer observed?
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is observed on 16 September every year. The day is observed to spread awareness among people about the depletion of the Ozone Layer and search for possible solutions to preserve it.

Theme:
The theme of 2020 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is "Ozone for life: 35 years of ozone layer protection". This year marks the 35 years of the Vienna Convention and 35 years of global ozone layer protection.

The Ozone layer shields Earth from most of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Ozone:
Ozone is a form of oxygen (O2) with the chemical formula O3. Oxygen is vital to life on earth. Ozone constitutes a very small part of the atmosphere. Most ozone resides high up in the atmosphere, between 10 and 40km above Earth's surface called the stratosphere.

This layer contains about 90% of all the ozone in the atmosphere. This Ozone layer absorbs some of the Sun’s biologically harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The ozone layer is beneficial as it removes pollutants from the atmosphere.

In the late 1970s, Scientists discovered a hole in the Ozone layer. It was caused by ozone-depleting gases (ODSs) like Aerosols, Sterilants and Carbon Tetrachloride, Foams, Halons, HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons), Methyl bromide, Solvents, Coatings & Adhesives, among others.

History:
On 19 December 1994, the UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) proclaimed 16 September as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

The day commemorates the date when the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed in 1987.

Montreal Protocol aims to protect the O3 layer by taking various possible measures to control total global production and consumption of substances that deplete it with an aim to eliminate on the basis of developments in scientific knowledge and technological information.
Who has been elected as New Prime Minister of Japan?
Japanese ruling party leader Yoshihide Suga has been elected as the Mew Prime Minister of Japan after the resignation of Shinzo Abe, due to poor health.

Yoshihide Suga won the leadership contest of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party by 377 votes out of 534 votes. He is to expected to launch his own Cabinet on 16 September.

Yoshihide Suga:
Yoshihide Suga is the son of a strawberry farmer. will be the new head of the governing Liberal Democratic Party. Suga served as the Chief Cabinet secretary and Abe's right-hand man.

The 71-year-old would continue his predecessor’s “Abenomics” strategy of hyper-easy monetary policy. Suga, previously, has served as a powerful government adviser and spokesperson during Abe’s nearly eight-year tenure.

Abe Shinzo:
The first tenure of Abe Shinzo as the Prime Minister began in September 2006. In 2007, he resigned due to health problems. In September 2012, he returned to the helm of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). In December 2012, he returned to the office of prime minister after the LDP regained power in a House of Representatives election.

As of November 19, he has held the post in his current administration for 2,520 days. Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Japan's constitutional government.
When is the World Patient Safety Day observed?
World Patient Safety Day is observed on 17th September every year. Over 134 million adverse events contribute to 2.6 million deaths every year due to unsafe care across the world.

The day urges global solidarity and concerted action by all countries and international partners to improve patient safety.

The day aims to raise awareness and promote positive change around patient safety priority areas. The day formulates policies and creates a safe work culture. It aims to provide care where the safety of patients is a priority.

History:
On 25 May 2019, the 72nd World Health Assembly passed resolution WHA 72.6 "Global action on patient safety". The resolution recognizes patient safety as a global health priority.

WHO designated the World Patient Safety Day to be observed annually on 17th September. The first World Patient Safety Day was observed in 2019 with a theme that aimed to establish the legacy of the day and highlight the importance of prioritizing and addressing patient safety globally by all stakeholders.
Gilgit-Baltistan to Become a Pakistani Province
Pakistan has decided to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan’s status to that of a full-fledged province.

Gilgit-Baltistan is one of the disputed territories of India.

Key Points
It is an autonomous region now and with this elevation, it will become the 5th province of the country.

Currently, Pakistan has four provinces namely Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh.

Chronology:
1999: Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan are Pakistani citizens and directed the federal government to start appropriate administrative and legislative measures.

2009: The Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order was introduced, whereby the Northern Areas were renamed as Gilgit-Baltistan and the region was given province-like status but without representation in Parliament.

2015: A committee constituted by the federal government proposed giving Gilgit-Baltistan the status of a province.

2018: A new order was introduced which transferred all powers of the Gilgit-Baltistan council to its assembly.

This elevation will lead to adequate representation from the province on all constitutional bodies, including the National Assembly and the Senate.

The Government will also start working on the Moqpondass Special Economic Zone (SEZ) under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

SEZs work as an engine for economic growth supported by quality infrastructure complemented by an attractive fiscal package, both at the Centre and the State level, with the minimum possible regulations.
Bangladesh Government granted permission to India to export Hilsa fish
The Bangladesh Government granted permission to India so as to export Hilsa fish. Bangladesh imposed a ban on the export of Hilsa in 2012.

However, India continues to export fish during the Durga Puja with the government’s permission.

Bangladesh has a shore of close to 75 percent in the production of Hilsa fish in the world.

BACKGROUND:
The Construction of dams and dumping of domestic and industrial wastes in to water bodies was affecting the population of the fish.

Gradual oil spills from the old boats carrying fish from Bangladesh to India had also affected the fish ecosystem.

Another reason was overexploitation of the fish.

As per a report, more than 4 million fishermen were involved in Hilsa fishing alone.

Further, the required amount of plankton was reduced.

Hilsa Fish
It is a very popular and sought-after food fish in the Indian Subcontinent. The most famous hilsa fish comes from Chandpur District, Bangladesh.

It is the national fish of Bangladesh and state symbol in the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura.

The fish is categorised as Threatened species under the IUCN red list.

Sundarbans is the natural habitat of the fish. Apart from it, the fish is also found in Godavari river of Andhra Pradesh.

Bengalis offer the fish to goddess Lakshmi during Durga Puja.

The fish is found in 11 countries namely, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. However, Bangladesh accounts for 75% world Hilsa fish production.
When is the International Equal Pay Day observed on 18 September?
International Equal Pay Day is observed on 18 September every year. The day aims to highlight the importance of achieving equal pay for work of equal value.

International Equal Pay Day is observed for the first time in 2020 under an initiative by the United Nations.

The day focuses to show the importance of ending sexual discrimination in relation to gender pay gap which refers to the difference in earnings between men and women in paid employment.

On this occasion amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) hosted a virtual global Call to Action. It aimed to encourage all the labour market actors to take the necessary steps to ensure that equal pay is at the heart of recovery efforts worldwide.

Background:
International Equal Pay Day was initiated by the United Nations. The day was established with an aim to ensure that no one is left behind.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addresses the need to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

Also, it promotes decent work and economic growth by seeking full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men. One of the crucial implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is Mainstreaming of a gender perspective.
International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance observed on 30 August
International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is observed on 30 August.

The day aims to lift awareness on enforced or involuntary disappearances that occur with arrest, detention, abduction, or deprivation of the State with support by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate.

History:
International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances was established by the international organization General Assembly resolution. The UN General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution because of its concern to the increased enforced or involuntary disappearances in various regions of the world.

The reason for the disappearances included arrest, detention, and abduction. The UNGA adopted the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. It then decided to declare 30 August the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

The day was first observed in 2011. Enforced disappearance became a global issue as it was not restricted to a particular region of the world. The day also aims to stop the rising issues concerning the ill-treatment, harassment, and intimidation of witnesses of disappearances or relatives of persons who have disappeared.
UN Principles for People with Disabilities
The United Nations (UN) has released it’s first-ever guidelines on access to social justice for People with Disabilities (PwD) to make it easier for them to access justice systems around the world.

The guidelines outline a set of 10 principles and detail the steps for implementation.

Key Points
10 Principles:
Principle 1: PwD shall not be denied access to justice on the basis of disability.
Principle 2: Facilities and services must be universally accessible without discrimination of PwD.
Principle 3: PwD, including children with disabilities, have the right to appropriate procedural accommodations.
Principle 4: PwD have the right to access legal notices and information in a timely and accessible manner on an equal basis with others.
Principle 5: PwD are entitled to all substantive and procedural safeguards recognized in international law on an equal basis with others, and States must provide the necessary accommodations to guarantee due process.
Principle 6: PwD have the right to free or affordable legal assistance.
Principle 7: PwD have the right to participate in the administration of justice on an equal basis with others.
Principle 8: PwD have the right to report complaints and initiate legal proceedings concerning human rights violations and crimes.
Principle 9: Effective and robust monitoring mechanisms play a critical role in supporting access to justice for PwD.
Principle 10: All those working in the justice system must be provided with awareness-raising and training programmes addressing the rights of PwD.
Proposal of Supply Chain Resilience Initiative
With Covid-19 and trade tensions between China and the United States are threatening supply chains, Japan has mooted the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) as a trilateral approach to trade, with India and Australia as the key-partners.

Key Points
In the context of international trade, supply chain resilience is an approach that helps a country to ensure that it has diversified its supply risk across a clutch of supplying nations instead of being dependent on just one or a few.

Importance: In unanticipated events -whether natural, such as volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes or even a pandemic; or manmade, such as an armed conflict in a region — that disrupt supplies from a particular country or even intentional halts to trade, could adversely impact economic activity in the destination country.

Objective:
To attract foreign direct investment to turn the Indo-Pacific into an “economic powerhouse”.

To build a mutually complementary relationship among partner countries.

To work out a plan to build on the existential supply chain network. Japan and India, for example, have an India-Japan competitiveness partnership dealing with locating the Japanese companies in India.
Eighth East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting
The 8th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM) was held virtually and attended by 10 ASEAN members and eight other nations, including India, the USA, and China.

The meeting highlighted the importance of strengthening regional supply chains to make them resilient in times of heightened challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and to spur economic growth.

Recently, Japan has mooted the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) as a trilateral approach to trade, with India and Australia as the key-partners.

Key Points
Any trade-restrictive emergency measures put in place to address the impact of Covid-19 must be targeted, proportionate, transparent, temporary, and consistent with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules and do not create unnecessary barriers to trade or disruption of global and regional supply chains.

Support for the necessary reforms in the WTO and pledge to continue to work together to realize a free, fair, transparent, non-discriminatory, predictable, and stable trade environment.

Facilitating the essential movement of people across borders, without undermining each country’s efforts to prevent the spread of the virus and to stabilize the trade and investment.

Commitment to facilitate supply chain connectivity, including for essential goods such as medical supplies, medicines, including vaccines, food, commodities and other essential supplies and services in the region.

Harness the opportunities of the digital economy to overcome the challenges posed by restricted movement.
World Coconut Day is observed on 2nd September
World Coconut Day is observed on 2 September every year. The aim of the day is to create awareness about the importance of coconut across the world.

The day also encourages investments and promotes the development of the coconut industry in the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) member countries. The day is observed to highlight the uses and importance of coconuts.

History:
World Coconut Day was established to commemorate the founding day of APCC. The community functions under the aegis of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP).

Coconut Day was initiated to interpret policies and express the plan of action in this sector.
UNSC rejects to Designate Indians as Terrorists
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has rejected all Pakistan’s requests to list four Indians as designated terrorists under its 1267 Committee for Counter terrorism Sanctions.

The USA, UK, France, Germany and Belgium blocked Pakistan's requests due to lack of evidence.

While the USA, UK and France are permanent members of the UNSC, Germany and Belgium are non-permanent members.

Key Points
In September 2019, Pakistan had alleged that four Indians working in Afghanistan, formed an Afghanistan-based “Indian terror syndicate” that was organizing the banned terror groups Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-Ul-Ahrar (JuA) to carry out attacks in Pakistan.

Pakistan and China also moved the joint proposal to declare one of these four, as a sanctioned terrorist with links to TTP and JuA.

This proposal received a veto from the USA in UNSC.

Pakistan later claimed it had made a statement at an Open Debate of the Security Council on the Report of the Secretary-General on the Threats to International Peace and Security posed by Terrorism Actions, accusing India of terrorism.

However, the UNSC President had refused to take cognisance of the statement, as Pakistan is not a member of the UNSC.

India formally protested against this calling this a false claim.

In July 2020, Pakistan moved the 1267 Resolution Sanctions Committee to designate the four Indians as global terrorists.
UN Special Rapporteurs on EIA 2020
A group of Special Rapporteurs to the United Nations (UN) has written to the Indian government expressing concerns over the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification 2020.

Special Rapporteurs are independent experts working on behalf of the UN. They work on a country or a thematic mandate specified by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Key Points
The group has highlighted that the proposed notification appeared to have clauses that obstructed people’s rights to a safe, clean and healthy environment.

There are clauses which exempt several large industries and projects from the public consultation, as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process.

The draft notification provides for a reduction of the time period from 30 days to 20 days for the public to submit their responses during a public hearing for any application seeking environmental clearance.

This time frame is inadequate for the preparation of views, comments and suggestions and without a meaningful public hearing, the whole EIA process would lack transparency and credibility.

The draft notification does not require publication of information or holding of public consultation for projects labelled by the Central government as ‘involving strategic considerations’.

The 2020 draft notification allows for post-facto approval for projects which means that the clearances for projects can be awarded even if they have started construction or have been running phase without securing environmental clearances.

Post facto approval is the derogation of the fundamental principles of environmental jurisprudence and violation of the precautionary principle, which is a principle of environmental sustainability.

The group has sought the government's response on how the provisions of the notification are consonant with India’s obligations under international law.

India is a party to the Rio declaration (also known as the Earth Summit) adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, which articulated a catalogue of environmental principles including sustainable development, precautionary principle, and EIA.

Following the Rio Conference 1992, EIA became part of the formalised legal framework in India in 1994.

India is also part to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which contain a requirement to have a prior EIA in situations having a significant threat to the environment.
Turkey- Russia Military Drill in Eastern Mediterranean
Turkey has announced that Russia will hold live-fire naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean.

This will happen during escalating tensions between Turkey and its coastal neighbors Greece and Cyprus over the rights to search for energy resources in the region.

Key Points
Complex Geo-politics: Turkey is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member, and it is strange to expect NATO-member Turkey to engage such drills on Russia’s behalf.

It can be noted that the two countries have in recent years significantly strengthened their military, political and economic ties.

Russia-Turkey Link:
Apart from the announced drill, they are coordinating closely on their military presence in Syria.

Turkey has purchased Russia’s advanced S-400 missiles and has agreed to go with a Russian-built nuclear power plant on its southern coast.

BACKGROUND:
The U.S. lifted a decades-old arms embargo (1987) on Cyprus which created the fresh strains between Turkey and Greece.

Turkey condemned the move and urged the USA to reverse course to safeguard Turkish-speaking Cypriots.

The Embargo: To prevent an arms race that would hinder UN-facilitated reunification efforts for Cyprus.

It was directed against the southern, Greek Cypriot part of the island, where Cyprus' internationally recognised government is seated.
G-20 Foreign Ministers Meet
Saudi Arabia hosted the G-20 foreign ministers meeting with focus on cross-border movement amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Currently, Saudi Arabia holds the presidency of G-20. It is the first Arab nation to take over the G20 Presidency.

Key Points
The foreign ministers acknowledged the importance of opening borders, and promoting measures to allow the economy to thrive in light of the protective measures for the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many health safety protocols were brought in to minimize the risk of spread of the Covid-19, like closed borders.

However, they have now become a huge obstacle in running trade and businesses worldwide resulting in a crisis of life and livelihood for many.

India apprised the G-20 foreign ministers about steps taken by India including Vande Bharat Mission and creation of travel bubbles for the welfare and protection of foreign citizens stranded in India as well as its own citizens abroad.
International Day against Nuclear Tests is observed on 29 August
The International Day against Nuclear Tests is observed on 29 August across the world. The day aims to provoke the world organization, youth networks, and the media against nuclear testing. The day is to remind that one day all nuclear weapons will be eliminated.

History:
On 2 December 2009, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in its 64th session declared 29 August as the International Day against Nuclear Tests and adopting resolution 64/35.

The day was aimed to create awareness and education about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions.

The resolution was initiated by Kazakhstan, together with a large number of sponsors and cosponsors with a view to commemorating the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test site on 29 August 1991.

The inaugural commemoration of the International Day against Nuclear Tests was marked in 2010. Kazakhstan initiated the resolution with the support of a large number of sponsors to commemorate the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test site on 29 August 1991.

Nuclear Test:
Nuclear weapons testing began on 16 July 1945. Over 2,000 tests have taken place. The USA, USSR, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea are the countries that have tested nuclear weapons so far.
Taliban Delegation in Pakistan
Recently, a Taliban delegation visited Pakistan to discuss the way forward in the Afghan peace process. The Taliban delegation was led by their political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Key Points
The Taliban visited Pakistan in the backdrop of stalled intra-Afghan peace dialogue over the issue of prisoners’ release.

The Taliban also want to speed up the intra-Afghan peace dialogue.

Earlier, to resolve the issue the Afghanistan government had convened Loya Jirga (grand assembly), which also approved the release of prisoners and further the peace process.

Background:
The USA signed a deal with the Taliban that paved the way towards a full withdrawal of USA troops from Afghanistan and also represent a step towards ending the 18-year-war in Afghanistan.

The peace deal was expected to kick-off two processes- a phased withdrawal of US troops and an ‘intra-Afghan’ dialogue.

The deal is a fundamental step to deliver a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire and the future political roadmap for the Afghanistan peace process.