Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions postpone Round because of COVID-19
After carefully reviewing circumstances related to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID), UN Representative Cihan Sultanoglu, Special Representative of the…
Montenegro is the Only Coronavirus-Free Nation in Europe
Montenegro currently remains the only European nation without a single confirmed case of the coronavirus which has become a global pandemic and infected over 150,000 people worldwide and killed…
EU renews Sanctions to Ukraine for a further 6 Months
The Council today decided that current sanctions in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine should be extended for a further six…
WHO, UN launch first-of-its-kind COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund
A new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Solidarity Response Fund will raise money from a wide range of donors to support the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners…
Women, Peace and Security Agenda as one of the Priorities of OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation
The pivotal role of women in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict rehabilitation was highlighted during Wednesday’s meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) under Turkey’s FSC…
Spillover Effects from global Developments may still lead to faltering Economic Activities in Countries without Presence of Coronavirus
Individuals infected by the coronavirus potentially face a blow to their health and personal and economic well-being. Similarly, countries hit by a sudden and unexpected public health emergency—as…
Pairing of Dark Web Services with Cryptocurrencies has led to Expectations of a Boom in Crime
In the late 1990s, two research organizations in the US Department of Defense drove efforts to develop an anonymized and encrypted network that would protect the sensitive communications of…
Von der Leyen: Coronavirus requires Cooperation rather than unilateral Action
The President of the European Council, the President of the Commission and the Prime Minister of Croatia, holding the rotating Presidency of the Council, today decided the following on…
Is the Coronavirus Bringing Out the Worst in Australians?
Panic buying and its subsequent frenzied behaviours has put Australia in the global spotlight this week, as a physical attack over toilet paper in a supermarket and a verbal…
IMF Managing Director proposes the Appointment of Geoffrey Okamoto as First Deputy Managing Director
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), today proposed the appointment of Geoffrey Okamoto as First Deputy Managing Director, effective March 30, 2020. The appointment is…
Of Silence and EU Rush – The Equation of Communism with Nazism
“He who does not wish to speak of capitalism should remain forever silent about Nazism” - Max Horkheimer famously said. It was a clear and often repeated line of this chief…
United Kingdom boosts IMF’s Catastrophe Relief Fund with £150 Million
The United Kingdom announced a package of measures today to respond to the economic challenges of coronavirus, including that it will contribute £150 million to the International Monetary…
World Health Organization says COVID-19 has become Pandemic
The World Health Organization said Wednesday the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and that has infected more than 121,000 people around the world has become a pandemic. Until now, the…
Leadership and solidarity urgently needed to help trapped Migrants at Turkish-EU border
An understanding of our common responsibility towards other human beings in distress is urgently needed as a rising number of migrants and refugees find themselves trapped at Turkey’s border…
European Union remains determined to effectively protect its External Borders
The EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs met today for an extraordinary Council meeting to discuss the crisis in Idlib and the situation at the EU external borders with Turkey.…
Access to Finance: Why Aren’t Women Leaning In?
As a girl, I was taught to believe that personal agency prevails over societal biases. I was told that I could accomplish anything if I believed in myself and…
Malaysian Financial Sector has considerable Promise for Expansion
In Malaysia, where annual economic growth has averaged just under 5 percent over the past five years, fintech is a part of everyday life. It is rapidly becoming a central part…
Where are all the women? It is a Question we shouldn’t have to ask in 2020
Where are all the women? It is a question we shouldn’t have to ask in 2020. But we do. Why? Because there are simply too few women in leadership…
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund comments on Coronavirus Outbreak
The International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) today held a teleconference call, chaired by Governor of the South African Reserve Bank Lesetja Kganyago and Managing Director of the International…
Council adopted the EU’s long-term low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategy
The Council today adopted the EU’s long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategy on behalf of the EU and its member states. This will now be forwarded to the…
What we know and what we don’t yet know about the Coronavirus
We all recognize that the situation with the spread of the coronavirus is very serious and could well get worse. This affects us all. Let me start with…
Implementing Political Commitments together, making a difference on the Ground
“Taking over the OSCE Chair is a truly historic moment for Albania: from a country under a cruel communist regime that opposed the Helsinki spirit, we have become…
Concern over the Spread of even a relatively contained outbreak can lead to decreased Trade
Infectious diseases and associated mortality have abated, but they remain a significant threat throughout the world. We continue to fight both old pathogens, such as the plague, that have…
Importance of Investing in the Country’s Children and their Education
Across sub-Saharan Africa, a visit to a school offers both a vision of hope for the future, and a reminder of the difficulties in attaining that vision. My recent…
Number of well-paid middle-skill Jobs in Manufacturing has decreased
Will I do as well as my parents? A positive answer to this question once seemed a foregone conclusion; now, for recent generations, less so. Despite being more educated…
Borell: We are witnessing an Unprecedented Crackdown on Civil Society
On world Non-Governmental Organisation Day, celebrated on 27 February, the European Union applauds the fundamental contribution made by civil society organisations to the promotion of human rights, good…
Number of Children placed in Detention Facilities reduced by 90 Percent
Over the last twenty years, the number of children placed in detention facilities in Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia annually has gone down from 45,000 to 5,000…
Arab World is in Revolution Age currently?
“First war and conflict had not been resolved and the second war and conflict had begun. The second war and conflict had not been understood and the third war…
EBRD to continue Investing One Billion Euros Annually in Western Balkans
The Western Balkans Investment Summit 2020 will be held at the EBRD in London on Monday 24 February. The event will be attended by all heads of government from…
IMF Managing Director Proposes the Appointment of Antoinette Sayeh as Deputy Managing Director
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), today proposed the appointment of Antoinette Sayeh as a Deputy Managing Director, effective March 16, 2020. The appointment is…
Increased Economic Growth, Lower Crime Rate?
Central America remains one of the world’s most violent regions, where about 4.5 percent of the world’s homicides occur. The region has only about 0.5 percent of the world's…
How to Find a Solid Footing for the Global Economy?
As the Group of Twenty industrialized and emerging market economies (G-20) finance ministers and central bank governors gather in Riyadh this week, they face an uncertain economic landscape. After…
Not all gender-responsive Fiscal Policies benefit Women equally
Making sure that opportunities to enter the workforce are fair and rewarding for women benefits everyone. Yet, the average female workforce participation rate across countries is still…
G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held in Riyadh
Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement today at the conclusion of the Group of 20 (G20) meeting of Finance Ministers…
IMF: Secure a Sustainable and Orderly Resolution
Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, met with Mr. Martín Guzmán, Economy Minister of Argentina on the sidelines of the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central…
High Representative Josep Borrell speaks to Political Leaders of Kosovo and Serbia
High Representative Josep Borrell spoke on Friday in separate phone calls with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi and Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti to…
IMF plans to assess the Stability of Twelve Financial Systems this Year
In 2020, the IMF plans to assess the stability of twelve financial systems. Seven assessments are of jurisdictions with systemically important financial sectors (Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong SAR, Italy,…
Cybersecurity Threats Call for a Global Response
Last March, Operation Taiex led to the arrest of the gang leader behind the Carbanak and Cobalt malware attacks on over 100 financial institutions worldwide. This law enforcement operation…
Bosnian killed in an Armed Attack in the German City of Hanau
Bosnian Consul General in Frankfurt Luciano Kaluza has informed the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the victim of the armed attack in the German city of Hanau had…
OSCE EEF meeting in Vienna focuses on Prevention and combating Corruption through Stability and Economic Growth
The first preparatory meeting of the 2020 OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum concluded on 18 February in Vienna. The meeting focused on countering corruption by improving the understanding of…
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office deeply concerned about surge in heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Edi Rama, and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger expressed their deep concern about reports of heavy…
EU Council adopted Conclusions on the Priorities to be followed by the EU in UN Human Rights Fora
The Council today adopted conclusions on the priorities to be followed by the EU in United Nations human rights fora this year. On the occasion of the year marking…
EU and international donors pledge €1.15 billion for Reconstruction after the Earthquake in Albania
About 100 delegations from the European Union, its Member States and partners, including international organisations and civil society gathered in Brussels today at the International Donors’ Conference to mobilise…
Significant Resources are required to combat Climate change and to invest in Preventative Measures
Last week, UNDP launched Mission 1.5, a global campaign to bridge the gap between millions of people and their governments on ambitious climate action. In the online game, players…
Need for continued Support in the tracking of the remaining ICTR Fugitives
The Principals of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism) today welcomed some 90 members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and international…
Crime does not recognize Borders, Police shouldn’t either
Imagine this scenario, Albanian police spot a minivan smuggling ’migrants’. They immediately start pursuing the van but they can see that the driver is heading for the Montenegrin border.…
“Credit booms”—between buoyant economic Performance and the Danger of a Future Crisis
In Spain, private sector credit as a share of GDP almost doubled between 2000 and 2007. This increase was accompanied by a boom in housing prices—which doubled in real…
Slovenia adheres to the International Monetary Fund’s Special Data Dissemination Standard Plus
The Republic of Slovenia has completed the requirements for adherence to the IMF’s Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) Plus—the highest tier of the Data Standards Initiatives. The Republic of…
In memoriam: Murad Wilfried Hofmann, a distinguished Doctor of German law
Murad Wilfried Hofmann, a distinguished doctor of German law and former German ambassador to Algeria and Morocco, passed away on January 13, 2020 at the age of 89. Dr.…
IMF predicts Economic Benefits of over 7 Percent of Caribbean Region’s GDP in 2018
The Caribbean economies have long recognized the value of working together. Improving regional integration—for instance, through more intraregional trade and policy coordination—can help the region’s small-size economies build greater…
