On December 6, The Steering Committee in charge of the Joint Council of Europe/European Commission Programme on improving the functioning of the judicial system in Ukraine will meet in Kiev. The the programme’s purpose is to improve the organization of the Ukranian judicial profession.
For more information, see here.
Germany announced an additional donation of EUR 1 million to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund to finance technical assistance programs and training activities for developing and least developed countries. Director General Pascal Lamy hopes this donation will enhance the participation of poor countries in the multilateral trading system. The donation brings Germany’s total contribution for the year to approximately 1.7 million euros.
Further information is available here.
A report mandated by the Human Rights Council on Israel’s summer war with Hizbollah in Lebanon was presented in Geneva on Friday. The report states that Israel’s actions were excessive, not justified by military necessity and went beyond the arguments of proportionality. The report claims that Israel violated obligations of international and humanitarian law. Israel spoke out against the report, saying the report ignored the obligations of the Lebanese Government to prevent the use of its territory for hostile acts, and to disarm and disband Hizbollah.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20832&Cr=lebanon&Cr1=council
For the first time, China will spend more on research and development (R&D) than Japan. According to OECD projections, China will have spent USD 136 billion on R&D in 2006. The greatest investor is still the US, predicted to spend this year USD 330 billion on R&D. China’s R&D expenses have doubled since 1995, and now amount to 1.2 % of its GDP.
The OECD press release is available here.
On December 1st, the United Nations Security Council endorsed a proposal by Secretary General Kofi Annan to support the accord between the Nepalese government and Maoist fighters. The accord will address the struggle, which has killed 15,000 and displaced 100,000 in the past decade, by incorporating the fighters into the existing political structure, restoring the monarchy, and providing for a relinquishment of arms by both sides. The UN will provide 35 monitors and 25 election personnel to facilitate the elections and disarmament process.
See http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20820&Cr=nepal&Cr1=
A UN-backed humanitarian convoy has brought food, fuel and medical supplies to 40,000 displaced Sri Lankans who have been cut off for the past month due to fighting between the Government and Tamil seperatists in the north-east. 33 trucks carrying 40% of the supplies for the month were not able to reach the displaced population.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20789&Cr=sri&Cr1=lanka
