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The governance of the internet has been a topic of debate since its creation. The internet is not governed by a centralised entity, but rather by a decentralised patchwork of stakeholders, including national governments, the private sector, the technical community and civil society. They work together in various internet governance bodies, such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Several United Nations specialised agencies ...

The Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) convene finance ministers and central bank governors to participate in the highest-level decision-making bodies of the two institutions, as well as in various committees and groups that drive the agenda on issues related to the international monetary system and development policy. The 2024 Annual Meetings took place in Washington, D.C. from 21 to 26 October 2024. This paper summarises the main developments and ...

Leaders met in Rio de Janeiro on 18-19 November 2024 for the 19th summit of the G20, hosted by the Brazilian G20 presidency. The meeting was overshadowed by events that are further increasing divisions among the world's leading and emerging economies: Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which entered its 1 000th day, the escalating conflict in the Middle East, and the election to a second term of President Donald Trump, whose 'America First' approach to foreign policy includes threats to ...

Under Russia's presidency, BRICS (acronym for the founding states – Brazil, Russia, India and China) held its first summit following the group's expansion on 1 January 2024, from 22 to 24 October in Kazan (Russia). With more than 30 delegations, 22 heads of state or government and several representatives of international organisations including United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres attending, the summit was a diplomatic success for Russia: it offered President Vladimir Putin the ...

This study provides an overview of the status of international climate negotiations and issues at stake at the COP29 climate change conference. It also addresses the current implementation of the Paris Agreement, the climate policies of key Parties and the stakeholders in the negotiations. This document was provided by the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies at the request of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).

On 22-23 September 2024, world leaders, including Parliament's President Roberta Metsola, convened at the United Nations for a 'Summit of the Future'. The UN Secretary-General presented the summit as a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity to revive multilateral cooperation to address current and future global challenges. The European Parliament's ad-hoc delegation welcomed the 'Pact for the Future' endorsed at the summit. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/ ...

This study provides an overview of the Common Fisheries Policy and other EU policies in relation to Fisheries, Aquaculture, the Blue Economy and International Ocean Governance. The current and future challenges facing these are described. Strengths and weaknesses of EU policy in addressing these challenges are assessed, leading to the authors making a range of specific policy recommendations.

The EU has constantly affirmed its support for multilateralism, and in particular for the United Nations (UN), with which it shares core values. Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union puts respect for the principles of the UN Charter among the guiding principles of EU action on the international scene. The EU and its Member States contribute one third to the total UN budget. Although the EU's status within the UN system varies (from full member to simple observer), the EU is the regional organisation ...

The Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) convene finance ministers and central bank governors to participate in the highest-level decision-making bodies of the two institutions, as well as in various committees and groups that drive the agenda on issues related to the international monetary system and development policy. The 2024 Spring Meetings took place in Washington, D.C., United States from 15 to 20 April. This paper sumarises the main developments ...

Progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals has been insufficient, not least because of shocks such as the COVID 19 pandemic and recent wars. The cost of this lack of progress is borne by 'least developed countries' – low-income countries with low indicators of socio-economic development, as defined by the UN. This study reviews the European Union's role in policies that affect poverty in these contexts. It identifies 12 challenges that could be addressed to some extent by further ...