The BIC notes that, with two days of delay, the final text of the COP27, the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan, was agreed by all Parties on the 20th of November 2022. Among significant outcomes, the agreement reaffirms commitments towards achieving the target +1.5°C set by the Paris Agreements in 2015. However, this key pillar of global climate action was worryingly put into question during the negotiations.

The biggest climate event of the year began yesterday, 06 November, in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. This year, the agenda of the COP27 will primarily focus on the issue of policy implementation; including the thorny topics of green financing, mitigation, adaptation and loss and damages affecting developing countries. However, there are still difficult questions facing the international community in its efforts to combat climate change which will need to be addressed throughout the event.

The BIC welcomes the ceasefire signed between the Ethiopian government and the regional Tigrayan forces in Pretoria. The African-Union led peace talks have resulted in a surprisingly quick agreement between the parties which, if respected and implemented, will be a critical step in a comprehensive peace process. However, challenges still remain and require vigilance by the international community to ensure that the transition to peace proceeds smoothly.

For the 3rd consecutive year, the Brussels International Center was invited to attend the OSCE’s Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, which during 10-days of discussions brought together international organizations, governments and civil society for a constructive exchange on the recent state of play of human rights and fundamenta