This briefing aims to deepen discussion on the Belt and Road Iniatiative (BRI) in Myanmar. The BRI is often described as a ‘grand strategy’ led by President Xi Jinping, centrally planned and rolled out by obedient state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The sheer size of the initiative – 136 countries have received US$90 billion in Chinese foreign direct investment and exchanged US$6 trillion in trade with China - can make the BRI appear monolithic and inevitable. However, using a political economy analysis, this briefing demonstrates that the BRI is not a grand strategy, but a broad framework of activities that seek to address a crisis in Chinese capitalism. An examination of four BRI projects in Myanmar using Chinese language sources shows the extent of lobbying by Chinese SOEs and the Yunnan provincial government to promote the projects, with support from the central Chinese government.
In July 2016, the Colombian government enacted Law 1787, which regulates the use of medicinal cannabis and its trade in the country. With this decision and a series of subsequent resolutions, Colombia joined the more than a dozen countries that have put into practice different types of regulation to explore the advantages of this plant as an alternative pharmaceutical.
John Walsh, Martin Jelsma, Tom Blickman, David Bewley-Taylor
14 မေလ 2019
Policy briefing
El Comité de Expertos en Farmacodependencia (ECDD por sus siglas en inglés, o Comité de Expertos) de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) publicó en enero de 2019 los resultados del primer examen crítico del cannabis, en los que recomienda que se introduzcan algunos cambios en la clasificación actual de las sustancias relacionadas con el cannabis en virtud de los tratados de fiscalización de drogas de las Naciones Unidas.
In order to better understand the situation around, and possibilities for, local and regional cannabis regulation, a series of six country reports were developed. The country reports provide detailed information about the state of cannabis policy, and the possibilities for change, within each country. This briefing identifies some of the key findings and implications for policy makers and advocates from this research.
John Walsh, Martin Jelsma, Tom Blickman, David Bewley-Taylor
19 မတ်လ 2019
Policy briefing
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD or Expert Committee) released in January 2019 the outcomes of the first-ever critical review of cannabis, recommending a series of changes in the current scheduling of cannabis-related substances under the UN drug control conventions.
Over the past decade, methamphetamine use has grown more popular in Myanmar, Thailand and Southern China. Based on in-depth interviews conducted with individuals who use methamphetamine, this briefing sheds light on the importance of promoting an environment that reinforces, rather than undermines, the ability of people who use methamphetamine to regulate their drug use, preserve their health and adopt safer practices.
Los agricultores jóvenes y en ciernes de Europa enfrentarán crecientes barreras, ya que la tierra se está concentrando rápidamente en cada vez menos fincas grandes. La tierra está distribuida de manera aún más desigual que la riqueza. El número de pequeñas fincas está sufriendo una caída vertiginosa, con consecuencias devastadoras para la seguridad alimentaria, el empleo y el desarrollo.
Les jeunes agriculteurs européens devront faire face à davantage d'obstacles pour rentrer dans l'agriculture, car la terre est consolidée rapidement dans relativement peu de grandes exploitations. La terre est encore plus inégalement répartie que la richesse. Une forte baisse des petites fermes européennes est en cours avec des conséquences néfastes pour la sécurité alimentaire, l’emploi et le développement.
Martin Jelsma, Neil Boister, David Bewley-Taylor, Malgosia Fitzmaurice, John Walsh
15 မတ်လ 2018
Policy briefing
Legal tensions are growing within the international drug control regime as increasing numbers of member states move towards or seriously consider legal regulation of the cannabis market for non-medical purposes. Amongst reform options not requiring consensus, inter se modification appears to be the most ‘elegant’ approach and one that provides a useful safety valve for collective action to adjust a treaty regime arguably frozen in time.
Este informe sobre políticas analiza si el objetivo de reducir el cultivo de cannabis es realista o beneficioso para Marruecos, qué significaría realmente para la principal zona de producción, el Rif — una de las regiones del país más pobres, con mayor densidad demográfica y con un medioambiente más frágil —, y qué implicaría para un desarrollo sostenible significativo. El informe presenta un breve contexto histórico, examina las últimas tendencias en el mercado del cannabis y destaca algunas de sus consecuencias ambientales y sociales, así como el debate reciente sobre la regulación en Marruecos y las políticas en Europa. Por último, plantea algunas reflexiones sobre posibles objetivos de desarrollo sostenible con respecto al cultivo de cannabis para el futuro.
Access to and control over land and associated natural resources play a key role in whether and how rural working people are able to build decent and dignified livelihoods, avoid or escape hunger, participate in decision-making, avoid or escape political exclusion and marginalization, and sustain collective identities and social reproduction processes.
Depuis la Charte du Mandé, les droits fondamentaux qui sont la Terre, l’Eau pour vivre dans la Dignité et du fruit de son travail n’ont pas trouvé d’écho significatif dans nos textes de lois et encore moins dans leur application.
Small scale fishers in Uganda continue to struggle for access to the land and water resources on which they depend for their livelihoods, and are increasingly at risk of losing access to these resources entirely.
As the signing of the EU-Myanmar Investment Protection Agreement (IPA) draws near, concerns over the secrecy surrounding the agreement’s negotiations and the risks it poses abound, alongside many myths about its potential benefits.
