OP ED

The conflict in Ukraine: cushioning the global impact

Tuesday, 15 November

G20 and APEC must address food insecurity crisis: numbers of those close to the brink of starvation are growing and there is pressure on family budgets globally. Climate action and continuation of Black Sea Grain Initiative are vital. More on this issue in my recent op ed co-written with with Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi. You can read the full article in The Jakarta Post.

Past events

Paris Peace Forum, 11 - 12 Nov 2022

Friday, 11 November

I was pleased to be invited to speak during the roundtable “Being real about the governance of early warning & response systems” at this year’s Paris Peace Forum.

Meeting of &Green Fund’s Advisory Board in The Hague

Saturday, 19 November

Good to be back in The Hague for the first in person meeting of &Green Fund Advisory Board since pandemic began, and discuss exciting developments, including Fund’s engagement with Central African Forest Initiative. I also received briefing from Lee White CBE on Gabon’s aspirations.

CURRENT ISSUES

These are some of the issues on my recent Twitter feed:

GLOBAL

COP27 gets an outcome

Monday, 21 November

“Highlight is establishment of “Loss and Damage” Fund to assist climate-vulnerable countries, but failure to agree on phase out or reduction of fossil fuel use isn’t positive for reaching aspirations of Paris Agreement.” Check out the BBC website for more.

Hunger soaring around the world

Wednesday, 16 November

“Horrifying that 349 million people are at risk of starvation. Compounding effects of triple C crises are driving this tragedy: impoverishment from COVID19 pandemic, spillover impacts from conflicts, and climate crisis biting hard. Justice, peace, climate action needed fast.” Follow WFP Executive Director David Beasley’s Twitter thread for details.

Fog of war around the explosion in Poland

Tuesday, 15 November

“Bottom line: it wouldn’t have happened without the unjustified invasion of Ukraine on 24 February and all that has followed. Tuesday, 15 Nov was also reported to be the heaviest day of Russian bombing of Ukraine. Foreign Policy commented on deaths in Poland associated with missile strike: “Difference between fatal accident caused by falling debris and intentional Russian military strike on NATO territory is stark: former could trigger swift condemnations and spotlight heightened tensions between the alliance (NATO) and Moscow; latter could signal a major shift in Russia’s military strategy and put it on a path toward a full-fledged military showdown with NATO.” Latter serious for whole world.” The Guardian has more on the story. Also, follow daily news on new development in Ukraine.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand wins against England

Saturday, 12 November

“Incredible win for New Zealand Black Ferns against England in Women’s Rugby World Cup in Auckland. Congratulations Black Ferns!” Check out 1 News coverage.

Covid ridden cruising ship returns to Australia

Saturday, 12 November

“One has to ask whether downside outweighs the upside: cruise boat just in Northland returns to Australia with 800 passengers on board with Covid19. Families, employers, and health system carry the burden of a spike in illness and hospitalisation. Just saying.” More in New Zealand Herald.

Check out my Twitter page for more information and links on these and more issues.

THE LATEST FROM THE HELEN CLARK FOUNDATION

It takes a village

Monday, 21 November

This illustration summarises the discussions at the Parliamentary Symposium on perinatal mental health in September, which we organised as part of our Āhurutia Te Rito | It takes a village project. It describes the vision and policy direction that participants believed is needed in order to make progress.

If you missed the symposium you can see a full report on our here, along with a beautiful illustration from the League of Live Illustrators summarising the discussions.

Wasted, a documentary about the war on drugs

Wednesday, 16 November

“Interested in drug policy? Check out this new documentary coming soon to RNZ. If you are keen to take a deep dive into preventing methamphetamine harm, check out our co-publication with NZ Drug Foundation from September.”

The documentary is out on Wednesday 30 November on RNZ and TVNZ. Check out RNZ website for details.

If you would like to support our work, please visit our website for more information.