Climate Summit Runs Into Overtime as Deal Sought on Loss and Damage

Negotiations on the final communiqué of this year’s UN climate conference, COP27, will continue (Bloomberg) at least one day past the original deadline as delegates scramble to reach an agreement. A draft of the communiqué put forth early today by host country Egypt fell short of strengthening language (Bloomberg) from previous agreements about phasing down fossil fuels.

Late last night, the European Union (EU) proposed a plan that aims to break a deadlock (Reuters) over funding for the loss and damage that poor and vulnerable countries suffer due to climate change. The EU proposal would establish a fund for loss and damage that is sourced from a “broad donor base,” suggesting that emerging economies with high emissions, such as China, would be required to contribute alongside wealthy countries. It would also tie receipt of funds to progress on reducing emissions.

Analysis

“Rich countries had been holding out against [establishing a loss and damage fund], arguing it would take time to establish whether such a fund was needed, and how it would operate,” The Guardian’s Fiona Harvey, Adam Morton, and Patrick Greenfield write.

“To jump-start the clean energy transition and avoid a tsunami of emissions from developing countries that are understandably more concerned about preventing their populations from sliding back into poverty than addressing climate change, the world leaders gathered at COP27 will need to do more than tinker around the edges of the problem,” Tufts University’s Kelly Sims Gallagher writes for Foreign Affairs.

This episode of The World Next Week podcast unpacks what’s at stake at COP27.

Pacific Rim

North Korean Missile Lands in Sea Off of Japan

Officials from the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea condemned the test (CNN) of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which came as they gathered for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Thailand.

France/ASEAN: French President Emmanuel Macron said his country is seeking to become a dialogue partner (Nikkei) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to expand its role in the region. While the EU became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1977, no individual EU nation holds that status.

This Backgrounder looks at ASEAN.

South and Central Asia

Nepal to Hold Parliamentary Elections

Sunday’s elections are Nepal’s fourth (AP) since becoming a republic in 2008. Police said they have detected fewer security threats (Kathmandu Post) than they witnessed in 2017, when armed groups sought to intimidate voters.

Pakistan: In Sindh Province, at least twenty people died after a bus fell into a water-logged ditch (AFP) on a road that was damaged in flooding over the summer.

Middle East and North Africa

Biden Administration Moves to Shield Saudi Prince From Trial Over Khashoggi’s Killing

A court filing from the Joe Biden administration said that as a sitting head of state, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman qualifies for immunity (CNN) in a civil case brought by the fiancée of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A U.S. intelligence report previously found that bin Salman approved the operation to kill Khashoggi.

On The President’s Inbox podcast, CFR’s Steven A. Cook unpacks U.S.-Saudi Arabia relations.

Algeria/Cuba: Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited Algeria (Prensa Latina) for his first stop on a rare international tour focused on shoring up Cuba’s economy (Bloomberg) and energy supplies. He will also visit China, Russia, and Turkey.

Sub-Saharan Africa

UN Extends Arms Embargo on Somalia

Despite objections from the Somali government and the African Union, the UN Security Council voted to extend (AP) the arms embargo over concerns about the al-Shabab extremist group.

This Backgrounder looks at al-Shabab.

Nigeria: Authorities are investigating (Reuters) a Nigerian soldier’s killing of a UN helicopter pilot, an aid worker, and a fellow soldier in the country’s northeast.

Europe

Sweden: Nord Stream Pipelines Were Sabotaged

A Swedish investigation found that September blasts at the underwater pipelines were caused by “gross sabotage” (WaPo), but it did not identify the culprit.

China/UK: The government of the United Kingdom (UK) blocked a Chinese company’s takeover (The Guardian) of a chip factory in Wales on national security grounds, forcing the company to sell its shares in the factory.

Americas

Offshoot of U.S. Conservative Group Holds First Conference in Mexico

Right-wing politicians from across the Americas will meet today and tomorrow (Americas Quarterly) for CPAC Mexico, a spinoff of the United States’ Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Brazil held a CPAC event earlier this year.

Japan/Mexico: Japanese motor company Nidec announced that it will build a $715 million plant (Nikkei) for electric vehicle parts in Mexico.

United States

Pelosi to Step Down as House Democratic Leader After Twenty Years

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is eighty-two years old, said it is time for “a new generation” (Axios) to lead the Democratic caucus. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who is eighty-three, and Majority Whip James Clyburn, age eighty-two, will also retire from their leadership roles. All three will remain in Congress.

Friday Editor’s Pick

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction identifies six factors behind the collapse of the Afghan government [PDF] in 2021 and evaluates the effort to achieve U.S. governance objectives.

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