Human Rights Day - 2022

              One week ago, precisely on 10th of December, the world celebrated the human rights. We must always remember that there is not democracy without human rights and there is not human rights without democracy. We should not be afraid to fight for our human rights including our political rights. This year the U.N. is recognizing the importance of dignity, freedom and justice to the realization of human rights.   This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day. The second was published at https://www.outlookindia.com/national/world-human-rights-day-2022-history-significance-theme-all-you-need-to-know-news-243790. The third was published at  https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2022/12/10/global-human-rights-day-2022-time-to-reiterate-our-commitment/

             "It is absolutely clear that we need to regain the universality of human rights, the indivisibility of human rights, and we need to find a new energy that motivates young people around the world," said the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December - the day U.N. General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world.The theme 2022: Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for all. This year's Human rights Day, we will launch a year-long campaign to showcase the UDHR by focusing on its legacy, relevance and activism. In the decades since the adoption of the UDHR in 1948, human rights have become more recognised and more guaranteed across the globe. It has since served as the foundation for an expanding system of human rights protection that today focuses also on vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and migrants. However, the promise of the UDHR, of dignity and equality inj rights, has been under a sustained assault in recent years. As the world faces challenges new and ongoing - pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, morally bankrupt global financial system, racism, climate change - the values, and rights enshrined in the UDHR rpovide guideposts for our collective actions that do not leave anyone behind. The year-long campaign seeks to shift the needle of understanding and action towards greater knowledge of the universality of the UDHR and the activism associated with it. The UDHR has inspired many struggles for stronger human rights protection and helped them to be more recognized. Whenever and wherever humanity's values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk. The solutions to today's greatest crises are rooted in human rights. We need to renew the social contract between government and their people and within societies, so as to rebuild trust and embrace a shared and comprehensive vision of human rights on the road to a just development.                                                                                                                                                                                                          In a bid to ensure the fundamental rights of every human being, irrespective of their gender, race, religion, nationality, the U.N. adopted the UDHR. Since then, December 10 has been an important day to remind humanity of the rights they deserve, and the rights they violate. This day is widely recognised to raise awareness about people's social and political rights. The darkest chapters of human history brought together the need to protect the rights of people from various walks of life, against the inhumane abuses of governments and rulers. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) pronounces the international law that tells a government the way its citizens must be treated. Currently, the principles of the UDHR have been incorporated into the constitution of most member countries of the U.N. To celebrate this year a campaign will be launched emphasising the theme, Dignity, Freedom and Justice for all."                                                                                                                                                                                                              On 10th December, the world celebrates the Human Rights Day. This year the theme of the event is "Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All." Democratic backsliding has become visible in the 21st Century. Liberal values are losing appeal worldwide, and majoritarian politics is further hurting our society. As democracy is experiencing backslides, the human rights situation is deteriorating worldwide. In the Global South is deteriorating due to growing authoritarianism, internal conflict, political violence, poor labor condition, violence, and weak institutions. The Ukraine conflict have further exacerbated the scenario, initiating an energy and food crisis. Biden Government is centering his foreign policy on human rights and democracy, such politics is affecting the human rights situation worldwide. The U.N. is an idealist institution that promotes multilateralism. Going beyond the bloc politics and great power rivalry, the U.N. tries to address the problem of bringing its member together. The U.N. has identified that dignity and freedom have been threatened recently, and justice is becoming scarce worldwide. So, the theme for this year is to remind us of our rightful dignity, freedom, and justice. As all the U.N. members have adopted UDHR, we must uphold the global human rights situation. Weak institutions and decaying democratic values are assaulting our dignity, justice and freedom. The day should serve as a 'wake up' call for the world. Upholding human rights is a continuous process. It requires time and effort, and the global community should come together. In the 21st Century, the universality and the 'one size of human rights' conception have also emerged as a new debate. Addressing the current global issues requires cooperation. But for that, we must reduce the gap between us, initiate dialogue and create a path for reconciliation. We must promote plurality and multilateralism. 

Latin America Economic Outlook 2022 - Towards a Green and Just Transition

                   This post is a summary of the book published in 2022 at https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/development/latin-american-economic-outlook-2022_3d5554fc-en#page53

 Latin America (LA) countries are at a critical juncture. Just as the region was looking forward to a rebound in growth path after the pandemic, the current inflationary pressures and stark geopolitical tensions are throwing spanners in the region recovery works. In parallel, LA faces the challenge of implementing adaptation and mitigation strategies to address the climate emergency, while at the same time accelerating the pace of social, economic and institutional progress, all within narrowing fiscal space. We need to act now. This agenda must protect and value the region's unique natural and renewable energy capital. A green and just transition should strengthen social protection systems and promote job formalisation. Active labour market policies are essential to provide people with the necessary skills and help them transition to better jobs. A legitimate and politically viable transition requires a broad consensus on its objectives. This is important in a region where support for green policies is high, but where trust in public institutions has seen a sharp erosion. The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated social challenges in the region, leading to increased levels of poverty. These are projected to increase in 2022, due mainly to the economic slowdown and rising inflation, especially in food prices. Looking ahead, LA countries producing eletricity from renewables, given their abundance of low-cost renewable energy can position themselves as green hydrogen industrial hubs. The region also has a strategic position to supply key minerals for the energy transition. In 2017, 61% of global lithium reserves, 39% of global copper, and 32% of global nickel and silver reserves were in LA. Renewed industrial policies are needed to encourage and attract investments in green innovation. So far, the region's GDP expenditure in research and development has been only 0.3% of GDP and remains highly government-driven (56.5% of the total). The LA region faces the challenge of financing the green transition under a tight fiscal space. Financial strategies will have to enhance private and public sector resource mobilisation, inpart by engaging key actors. The public sector will have to create the necessary incentives to redirect these investments towards sustainable projects. In many ways, LA's fragmented voice in climate negotiations constitutes a missed opportunity, especially considering that the region hosts 50% of the planet's biodiversity. Burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are the main causes of climate change. Global carbon dioxide emissions rebounded to their highest level in history in 2021. Given its share in global GHG emisssions compared to countries with similar development levels, LA is usually associated with better environmental performance. The regional shares of total world GHG emissions are disproportionately distributed, as East Asia and the Pacific had the highest emissions, contributing with 37.5%, while Europe and Central Asia 14.4%, North America 13.2%, South Asia 8.4% and the LA region 8.1%. The structure of emissions in LA countries differs from that of the OECD countries. Although the energy sector remains the most emission-intensive for the two regions, each one has its particularities. South America's high emitting sectors are agriculture (28.5%), land-use change (23.8%), and transport (13.4%). The infrastructure of many cities in LA prioritises mobility by car, making it the transport mode that provides higher access to oportunities compared to other transport modes such as public transport. Induced demand refers to the phenomenon by which public investment in roads for car use ends up causing more, rather than less, traffic congestion. These dynamics lead to territories in which most people need to travel long distances daily and private or motorcycles are the most attractive options. Understanding the dynamics above allows policy makers to see that this "choice" is not really an individual preference but the result of the systems design. Applying a diet analogy, "unhealthy" transport systems are those in which most poeple use motorised vehicles for most of their trips. "Healthy" transport systems are those in which people can access places by walking, cycling, and using micro-or shared modes, such that they are the most convenient and people choose them most often. LA countries need to focus efforts on policies that can transform their transport systems away from car dependency. Those LA countries whose power generation largely comes from hydropower should also envisage other renewable energy sources. An over-dependence from hydro can have negative economic impacts in times of drought. Over the last two decades, many LA countries have made substantial progress in building renewable energy markets and diversifying their energy mix. In 2020, 33% of total energy supply in LA was generated by renewables compared with 13% at the global level. However, significant variations exist across the region. For instance, Brazil generates 84% of its electric power from renewables, including 6.9% from solar, 10.9% from wind and 65% from hydropower. Investments in hydrogen and other low-carbon fuels, including biofuels will be necessary to support decarbonisation in heavy industries and transportation. Some LA countries have either published or are currently preparing national hydrogen strategies. Examples of national hydrogen development strategies underway: Chile - launched a hydrogen strategy in 2020. It aims to establish 25 GW by 2030, as well as to produce the world's cheapest hydrogen and become one of the world's top three hydrogen exporters by 2040. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Panama, Paraguay are preparing national hydrogen plans. The transformation of the global energy mix from fossil fuels to renewable energy is necessary to meet the Paris Agreement goals. However, fossil fuel use will continue and will also remain part of the mix even after the world has transitioned to a low-carbon economy. By 2050, fossil fuels are still expected to represent 20% of the global energy supply. Several LA countries have significant oil and gas production. Key producers in the region are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela. In terms of global crude oil reserves, LA has the second-highest with 19.1%, behind only to the Middle East with 48.3%. Five key actions could help LA countries advance towards decarbonisation: 1) reducing methane emissions. 2) maximising potential of associated gas. 3) electrification of the oil and gas industry. 4) advancing carbon capture utilisation and storage; 5) phasing out fossil fuel-fired thermal generation. The green transition offers an opportunity to address one of the region's greatest challenges: the production structure. Productivity has remained stagnant in recent decades, with the productive structure biased towards activities that have high intensity for materials and natural resouces, plunging the region into a productivity trap that reinforces the environmental trap. Currently, 75% of the region's total exports are primary products and natural resource-based manufactures.