Daily News Brief

March 6, 2023

Top of the Agenda

After almost two decades of negotiations, UN member countries on Saturday reached a deal (The Guardian) to protect the so-called high seas, international waters that comprise more than half the world’s oceans. The deal creates the legal framework to protect and monitor at least 30 percent of these waters by 2030, in part by requiring environmental assessments (CNN) for activities such as deep-sea mining. It will be crucial to the success of the “30x30” deal that UN members agreed to in December, which aims to extend protected status to more than 30 percent of the world’s land and water by 2030. The new agreement will need to be adopted and ratified by UN members.

A coalition of countries including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and European Union (EU) members played an important role in brokering the deal. UN Secretary-General António Guterres celebrated the agreement as a “victory for multilateralism” (UN News). 

Analysis

“This is a historic day for conservation and a sign that in a divided world, protecting nature and people can triumph over geopolitics,” Greenpeace’s Laura Meller tells AFP.

“Conservationists say it leaves significant scope for improvement. In particular, countries agreed that existing bodies already responsible for regulating activities such as fisheries, shipping and deep-sea mining could continue to do so without having to carry out environmental impact assessments laid out by the treaty,” the Guardian’s Karen McVeigh writes.

This article looks at the 30x30 agreement to preserve the planet’s biodiversity.

Pacific Rim

Seoul said it will compensate (Nikkei) fifteen Koreans who were forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II and drop a complaint at the World Trade Organization over Japan’s export controls. Japan’s foreign minister said the measures will help restore bilateral relations.

China: The central government announced an economic growth target (Nikkei) of “around 5 percent” for 2023 and said they will increase defense spending (SCMP) by 7.2 percent and diplomatic spending by 12.2 percent.

South and Central Asia

The ban came after the regulator said former Prime Minister Imran Khan was spreading hate (Dawn) against state institutions through his speech.

Bangladesh: A fire at a Rohingya refugee camp left some twelve thousand people homeless (CNN), local officials said.

Middle East and North Africa

During a visit to Iran last week, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said Tehran agreed to allow more inspections (AP) of its nuclear sites and reactivate monitoring equipment that was removed last year. However, a joint statement from the IAEA and Iran’s nuclear body did not mention whether Tehran would restore the equipment.

This Backgrounder unpacks the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

U.S./Syria: Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark A. Milley made an unannounced visit to U.S. troops in Syria (Reuters) on Saturday, where he defended their nearly eight-year-old mission to combat the self-declared Islamic State. He said “an enduring defeat” of the group is still possible.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi warned of the potential delay (Bloomberg) during a news conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron. Tshisekedi urged Macron and the EU to support a peace plan to stem surging violence in the eastern Congo.

Nigeria: A breakdown of preliminary results from the February 25 elections showed that the ruling All Progressives Congress party has won a legislative majority (Premium Times) in the Senate and become the largest party in the House of Representatives, though it has not yet secured a majority there.

Europe

With over 90 percent of ballots counted, Estonia’s ruling Reform Party has won more than 30 percent of votes and increased the size (Politico) of its parliamentary bloc by three seats. The results are likely to grant Prime Minister Kaja Kallas a second term. 

Russia/Ukraine: Ukrainian fighters staged a counterattack (NYT) against Russian forces in the eastern city of Bakhmut on Saturday, though Ukrainian commanders said they still risked being surrounded.

For Foreign Affairs, Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin’s partial escalation strategy in Ukraine.

Americas

Prosecutors had asked to charge (Reuters) former President Lenín Moreno for bribes he allegedly accepted in relation to the 2009–2018 construction of the Chinese-built Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric dam.

U.S./Brazil: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro told U.S. conservatives gathered for a conference near Washington, DC, that his political mission is not over (Bloomberg). Bolsonaro has been in the United States since his successor was inaugurated in January.

United States

President Joe Biden said the right to vote remains “under assault” (AP) during a speech commemorating the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” attack against civil rights activists marching in Selma, Alabama. The speech encouraged continued activism given that Biden’s 2021 legislation to protect voting rights was blocked by the Senate.   

This CFR webinar discussed voting rights in the United States. 

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