Governance

Policy makers tend to push for “precision” digital technologies, in particular robots, drones and sensors, to address the challenges in biodiversity, the environment and even climate change. The dangerous drawback is, by minimizing human judgment, traditional knowledge and lived experiences, these technology systems tend to undermine people’s ability to nurture ecosystems.

Our Feminism and Gender Democracy Global Unit has selected 12 feminists around the globe to write about feminist mobilization in 2022.

“The expansion of militarism around the world in the wake of the Ukrainian war will also negatively affect the settlement of peace on the Korean Peninsula and denuclearization. In the wake of the Ukrainian war, all countries are trying to strengthen their military power.”

The invasion of Ukraine has shocked Japan. The country participates in the sanctions against Russia. Still, people in Japan look at the war in Europe against the backdrop of security threats in their Northeast Asian region, says Akira Kawasaki, a peace activist with the Japanese NGO Peace Boat. He sees opportunities for civil society action even under current war conditions.

This article provides an overview of how Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine is being viewed and assessed in various regions and countries in Asia, and how the governments there are positioning themselves and reacting: in the Southeast Asian ASEAN countries, in Northeast Asia, and in India, China, and Myanmar.

In line with its decision to commit to the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, New Zealand is working towards implementing a mandatory climate-related financial disclosure regime for certain financial institutions. Aiming to go into effect this year, NZ may be the first in the world to legislate such a climate-related financial disclosure regime. 

Residents of Kamikatsu, a small town in Japan, readily sort out their refuse in a long-term community programme. Can this success be replicated in other parts of Asia?

What should a Covid-19 pandemic recovery plan look like for a true recovery? An anti-austerity Green New Deal may be the new solution.

In July 2020, South Korea announced its New Deal, which aimed to propel the country into a green economy. But work is still needed to solidify policies towards a carbon neutral society.

No country is safe from Covid-19 until all countries are safe from Covid-19. To state the obvious: To overcome a pandemic of this magnitude, vaccines must be made available quickly, cheaply, and fairly.