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61. Curbing deception - A world survey of legal restrictions of so-called ‘conversion therapies’

Author:
Lucas Ramón Mendos
Publication Date:
02-2020
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
ILGA World (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association)
Abstract:
‘Conversion therapy’ is a term describing pseudo-scientific and harmful practices used to attempt altering a person’s gender expression, gender identity or sexual orientation. In 2020, ILGA World has released a ground-breaking report on the issue: Curbing Deception is an extensive global research into laws banning ‘conversion therapies’ both at the national and subnational level. The report explores the vast field of techniques used for the purpose of attempting to alter lesbians, gays and bisexuals’ sexual orientation, to prevent trans youth from transitioning or make trans people de-transition, or to force our gender expressions and roles to align with the social binary stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. It also analyses strategies beyond legal reform to restrict these harmful practices worldwide. Experimentation and abuse have long taken place under the legitimising cloak of medicine, psychology and science. As the report details, gruesome practices – including electroshock ‘therapies’, forced internments in ‘clinics’ and exorcisms – are still applied in numerous countries, pushing people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions to living self-loathing lives, up to the extreme consequences of committing suicide. Protection from similar ineffective and cruel treatment is as urgent as ever: our report also exposes how - thanks to the tireless advocacy of activists, survivors and grassroots organisations – States, health professionals and international human rights bodies across the world are speaking up against so-called ‘conversion therapies’.
Topic:
Human Rights, Law, Reform, Regulation, LGBT+, Protection, and Conversion Therapy
Political Geography:
Global Focus

62. Implementing the UN Management Reform: Progress and Implications for Peace Operations

Author:
Wolfgang Weiszegger
Publication Date:
07-2020
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute (IPI)
Abstract:
In September 2017, UN Secretary-General António Guterres proposed a new management paradigm to enable the UN to confront global challenges and remain relevant in a fast-changing world. The new management paradigm would bring decision making closer to the point of delivery, empower managers, increase accountability and transparency, reduce duplicative structures and overlapping mandates, increase support for the field, and reform the planning and budgeting processes. Eighteen months after the management reform came into effect, this paper examines the implementation of the reform and its impact on peace operations from the perspective of both UN headquarters and the field. The paper highlights the current state of the reform, identifies good practices, flags areas for possible improvement or attention, and offers forward-looking recommendations for UN headquarters, mission leaders and managers in the field, global or regional support offices, member states, and staff at large. While the reform is still a work in progress, it has continued to gain momentum, and implementation has become more systematic. Nonetheless, the paper concludes that greater effort must be made to get input from personnel in peace operations to ensure that the reform responds to their needs and constraints. More work is also needed to fully realize the potential of the management reform and ensure that it aligns with parallel reforms underway in the UN peace and security architecture and development system.
Topic:
United Nations, Peacekeeping, Reform, and Accountability
Political Geography:
Global Focus

63. UN Reform and Mission Planning: Too Great Expectations?

Author:
Marc Jacquand
Publication Date:
11-2020
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute (IPI)
Abstract:
Since 2017, the UN system has undergone a historic process of reform at several levels and across many entities. Several of these reforms have either directly aimed at improving the planning of UN missions or included elements that have a significant bearing on mission planning. As the focus shifts from designing to implementing these reforms, it is possible to begin reflecting on whether these aims have been met. This paper takes stock of the various strands of UN reform and explores their impact on the planning of UN missions, drawing on the experiences of four missions that have recently started or transitioned. In addition to the peace and security, management, and development system reforms, it looks at the impact of several other recent initiatives. These include the launch of a series of independent strategic reviews of peace operations, the reinvigorated use of the secretary-general’s transition planning directives, the rollout of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment System, and the establishment of the Executive Committee. The paper concludes by recommending that the UN consider: Tying together the strands of reform related to planning to prevent fragmentation; Making increased and better use of peace and security management mechanisms at the initial stages of planning to ensure that UN leaders have a unified tone and vision; More formally and transparently involving the Security Council in strategic reviews; Clarifying and strengthening the role of all relevant departments and the shared regional divisions in the mission budget process; Repositioning DPO’s planning cell in the Office of Shared Services to move toward a shared planning capacity; and Incentivizing lateral movement of personnel across departments and entities to broaden their perspectives.
Topic:
United Nations, Peacekeeping, Reform, and Transparency
Political Geography:
Global Focus

64. Bouncing Back from Rock Bottom: A New Era for the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations?

Author:
Lisa Sharland
Publication Date:
10-2020
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute (IPI)
Abstract:
The 2020 report of the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) marked the culmination of nearly a decade of efforts to improve the committee’s working methods and deliver a more relevant report. Because the report was restructured around the eight thematic priorities of the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative, it also helped translate the initiative’s Declaration of Shared Commitments into practice. This was an especially noteworthy achievement considering that the committee had failed to reach consensus on a report just one year prior. This paper explores previous efforts to reform the C-34 and the process of agreeing to reform the working methods and report structure in 2019. It also assesses the contribution of the report’s revised structure and substance to ongoing efforts to support and advance peacekeeping reform. It concludes with lessons that could guide other UN reform initiatives: timing and circumstances matter, there must be an appetite for reform, those leading the reform process must listen and be impartial arbiters, and delegations must be patient and have realistic expectations.
Topic:
United Nations, Peacekeeping, and Reform
Political Geography:
Global Focus

65. Input to the Review of The UN Defense Sector Reform Policy

Author:
Vincenza Scherrer and Alba Bescos Pou
Publication Date:
10-2020
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
Abstract:
This report has been developed by DCAF, the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, at the request of the Security Sector Reform Unit (SSRU) of the United Nations Department of Peace Operations. The report presents the findings of a multi-year research project aimed at mapping and analysing Security Council mandates on defence sector reform and the Secretary-General Reports reporting on their implementation. This research project has been developed as part of the broader formal review of the UN Policy on Defence Sector Reform (2011) that the SSR Unit is leading in coordination with the UN Inter-Agency SSR Task Force. Based on the findings of the review, the report has issued a set of recommendations for members of the UN Security Council, staff of the UN Secretariat, and for the Policy review process more specifically.
Topic:
Defense Policy, International Cooperation, United Nations, Military Strategy, and Reform
Political Geography:
Global Focus

66. Digital Governance: Is Krishna a Glimpse of the Future?

Author:
Arshi Aadil, Alan Gelb, Anurodh Giri, and Kyle Navis
Publication Date:
06-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
The state of Andhra Pradesh is recognized as a leader in using technology to improve the delivery of public services, programs and subsidies. Many of its innovations were piloted in Krishna District, which has been visited by development agencies and delegations from many countries. This paper reports on research to better understand the functioning and effectiveness of its reforms to strengthen state capacity by digitalizing service delivery. Against the wider backdrop of the use of Aadhaar in India, it summarizes Andhra’s reforms, which go beyond those of most other jurisdictions in the measures taken to strengthen accountability, offer choice of service provider, and incorporate feedback loops using the vast amount of data generated by a real-time digital service system as well as beneficiary responses. It reports the results from surveys of beneficiaries who receive food rations through the Public Distribution System (PDS) and/or pensions, and on the response of landowners and tenant farmers to the digitization of land records, another important program. The results suggest strong support for the digitalization of these programs. The way in which the reforms have been implemented has indeed led to substantial improvements in delivery (as seen by beneficiaries) as well as, probably, significant fiscal savings. Is this case, then, a model for other Indian states and for other countries? Perhaps yes from a technology perspective; there are many lessons that apply to a wide range of programs and services and that others can usefully draw on. The picture is more complex from a political economy perspective, as suggested by some of the particular features of Andhra.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Governance, Reform, and Digitization
Political Geography:
Global Focus

67. Inclusive Growth and Structural Reforms in APEC Member Economies

Author:
Moonsung Kang and Geunhyo Kim
Publication Date:
12-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)
Abstract:
This paper empirically analyses the simultaneous impacts of structural re-forms - trade liberalization, capital account liberalization, and financial liberal-ization - on inclusive growth using panel data for 17 APEC member econ-omies covering years from 1970 to 2016. The results show that capital ac-count liberalization and growth of market capitalization are positively associ-ated with inclusive growth of APEC member economies, especially non-high-income member economies. Trade liberalization has a negative impact on inclusive growth only of the whole income group. We further find the robust evidence that the expansion of domestic credits provided by financial sectors had a negative impact on inclusive growth. These results give implica-tions that governments of APEC member economies need to design trade policies in a way of expanding outcomes of trade liberalization in a more inclusive way and of increasing extensive margins of export sectors. In addi-tion, they need to design policies to increase access to the financial sector for the poor and socially marginalized people.
Topic:
Reform, Economies, Economic structure, Economic Growth, and Inclusion
Political Geography:
Global Focus

68. Does Trade Reform Promote Economic Growth? A Review of Recent Evidence

Author:
Douglas A. Irwin
Publication Date:
05-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)
Abstract:
Do trade reforms that significantly reduce import barriers lead to faster economic growth? In the two decades since the critical survey of empirical work on this question by Francesco Rodriguez and Dani Rodrik in 2000, new research has tried to overcome the various methodological problems that have plagued previous attempts to provide a convincing answer. This paper examines three strands of recent work on this issue: cross-country regressions focusing on within-country growth, synthetic control methods on specific reform episodes, and empirical country studies looking at the channels through which lower trade barriers may increase productivity. A consistent finding is that trade reforms that significantly reduce import barriers have a positive impact on economic growth, on average, although the effect differs across countries. Overall, these research findings should temper some of the previous agnosticism about the empirical link between trade reform and economic performance.
Topic:
Reform, Economic Growth, and Trade
Political Geography:
Global Focus

69. Human Rights Law and the Investment Treaty Regime

Author:
Jesse Coleman, Kaitlin Y. Cordes, and Lise Johnson
Publication Date:
06-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
Abstract:
In its current form, the international investment treaty regime may stymie the business and human rights agenda in various ways. The regime may incentivize governments to favour the protection of investors over the protection of human rights. Investment treaty standards enforced through investor-state arbitration risk adversely affecting access to justice for project-affected rights holders. More broadly, the regime contributes to a system of global economic governance that elevates and rewards investors’ actions and expectations, irrespective of whether they have adhered to their responsibilities to respect human rights. Without comprehensive reform, investment treaties and investor-state arbitration will continue to interfere with realization of human rights and broader public interest objectives. This Chapter provides an overview of the interaction between human rights law and the investment treaty regime. It highlights the challenges that arise from tension between international human rights and investment norms, including the impact of the investment regime on the ability of host states to regulate and on access to justice for investment-affected rights holders. The chapter also explores whether and how human rights issues have been addressed by the investment regime to date, highlighting recent developments in treaty drafting practice and responses to human rights argumentation by investment tribunals. It notes the shortcomings of current approaches, and concludes by briefly setting out options for reform.
Topic:
Government, Human Rights, Treaties and Agreements, Reform, and Investment
Political Geography:
Global Focus

70. Does Trade Reform Promote Economic Growth? A Review of Recent Evidence

Author:
Douglas A. Irwin
Publication Date:
05-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)
Abstract:
Do trade reforms that significantly reduce import barriers lead to faster economic growth? In the two decades since the critical survey of empirical work on this question by Francesco Rodriguez and Dani Rodrik in 2000, new research has tried to overcome the various methodological problems that have plagued previous attempts to provide a convincing answer. This paper examines three strands of recent work on this issue: cross-country regressions focusing on within-country growth, synthetic control methods on specific reform episodes, and empirical country studies looking at the channels through which lower trade barriers may increase productivity. A consistent finding is that trade reforms that significantly reduce import barriers have a positive impact on economic growth, on average, although the effect differs across countries. Overall, these research findings should temper some of the previous agnosticism about the empirical link between trade reform and economic performance.
Topic:
Economics, Reform, Economic Growth, and Trade
Political Geography:
Global Focus