NDO – The United Nations (UN) announced that the majority of member states have committed to promoting equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. As a “scarce commodity” during the pandemic time, vaccines have yet to reach many countries, partly because poor countries lack resources and some rich countries purchase a greater volume than their emergency needs. More than ever, the urgent goal now is unity and vaccine sharing. 

NDO - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and financial institutions have shown optimism about the world’s economic outlook as they have said there are many signs of a strong recovery. 

NDO – The White House has announced a series of important diplomatic activities this week, including the first foreign trips by the new senior foreign affairs and defence officials to Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), and India, together with their first dialogue with China. These plans show that the Indo-Pacific region has been identified by US President Joe Biden’s administration as a strategic focus in its foreign policy. 

NDO – Representatives from nearly 60 countries and United Nations (UN) agencies recently attended an Arria-formula meeting entitled “Call to Lead by Example: Ensuring the Full, Equal and Meaningful Participation of Women in UN-led Peace Processes”. Many countries and organisations affirmed their priority and efforts to promote gender equality and to not leave women behind in the development process, especially in the post-pandemic recovery period. 

NDO – Over the weekend, the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) announced a truce in a longstanding dispute over subsidies for the world’s biggest aircraft manufacturers, Airbus (EU) and Boeing (US). 

NDO – The third wave of COVID-19 is posing a long-term challenge to member states of the European Union (EU), especially in the context that the number of cases in some countries such as France and the Czech Republic has been on the rise in recent times. Meanwhile, the licensing of vaccines and the vaccination have been delayed, and EU officials have warned that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the pandemic, could persist for a long time. 

NDO – Japan’s Cabinet Office recently reported that the real gross domestic product (GDP) of the country in Q4 2020 increased by 12.7% over the same period in 2019. Such an economic growth rate, together with positive signals from exports and the stock market, indicate that the world’s third largest economy is now on the path towards successfully overcoming the “COVID-19 storm”. 

NDO – Iran has urged the new administration in the US to seize the opportunity to adopt new approaches to bilateral issues. However, the tough statement by US President Joe Biden demanding that Teheran strictly adhere to the 2015 nuclear deal has made the distance between the two sides become even more difficult to narrow. 

NDO – On the front line against COVID-19, health workers around the world have shown the best and most humane things: compassion, empathy, courage and extraordinary stamina. They have placed themselves in the ranks of defenders of divine ideals. That is the comment of Time Magazine (USA) when selecting the anti-pandemic front line medical staff as "Guardians" of 2020. 

NDO – The recently held virtual Climate Adaptation Summit, hosted by the Netherlands, received commitments from many countries to join hands to protect our green planet. The United Nations (UN) is also urging countries to up their efforts to combat climate change, as the great powers demonstrate their determination to realise carbon neutrality goals, as well as act to prevent global warming.  

NDO - Right from their first phone call, US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin reached a high consensus on extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). This decision has been hailed as a major step in the efforts to reinforce global security and strategic stability, while marking a new start to US-Russia cooperation across fields. 

NDO – Two recently published international survey reports have pointed to the dire impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market and on global inequality. Delivered on the eve of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, this is a message calling for urgent action from leaders and business owners around the world.