March 28, 2024

Lukmaan IAS

A Blog for IAS Examination

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS (NOVEMBER 11, 2022)

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POLITY AND CONSTITUTION

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Solicitor-General at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva stated that India appreciates the role of human rights defenders, journalists and activists in the democratic system but the activities of these groups and individuals should be in conformity with the law of the land.

THE EXPLANATION:

Starting the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review of India at the HRC, Greece, the Netherlands and Vatican City called upon the Government of India to ensure freedom of religion and end discrimination against human rights defenders and religious minorities.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MEETING:

  • The strongest comment on the freedom of religion came from Greece that called upon India to “ensure full implementation of freedom of religion”. Germany expressed concern about the rights situation in India and said, “Germany remains concerned about the rights of marginalised groups, especially religious minorities as well as women and girls.” Germany also said that the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act should not “unduly restrict” the “freedom of association” in India. The German representative called upon India to strengthen the National Human Rights Commission and said the discrimination against Dalits should end.
  • Ireland recommended that the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act be applied in a transparent manner and that Indian States should “repeal” anti-conversion laws to ensure compliance to international human rights laws. The representative of South Korea also raised the issue of FCRA. Italy asked India to enable civil society organisations and freedom of expression and freedom of religion. “Take concrete measures to end violence against them (minorities)”.
  • Lithuania called upon India to end restrictions on freedom of expression and civil society. Belgium which had submitted advance questions raised the issue of civil liberties in India and called for an end to restrictions on freedom of religion. Mauritius praised India for following the principle of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is one family).
  • Maldives thanked India for India’s support during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Marshall Islands expressed condolences for the victims of the Morbi bridge tragedy and called for an end to caste-based violence and violence against women. Mexico raised the National Register of Citizenship and called for measures that can reduce chances of stateless people. France and Montenegro called upon India to ratify the Convention against Torture.
  • Nepal called for India to strengthen measures to end violence against women and end child marriage. Israel called upon India to end violence against women and create an enabling environment for transgender persons. Russia asked India to continue to take policies that will eradicate poverty and called for “responsible corporate behaviour”.

Connect the Dots: FCRA,  Vasudhaiva kutumbakam , National Register of Citizenship

VALUE ADDITION:

United Nations Human Rights Council

  • The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.

Functions:

  • It is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world.
  • It also addresses and makes recommendations on situations of human rights violations.
  • It can discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations.
  • The Council also works with the UN Special Procedures established by the former Commission on Human Rights, consisting of special rapporteurs, special representatives, independent experts, and working groups.
  • Their work is to monitor, examine, advise and report on thematic issues or human rights situations in specific countries.

Tenure:

  • The members serve for three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.

 

ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

MANGROVE ALLIANCE FOR CLIMATE

THE CONTEXT: Amid the 27th Session of Conference of Parties (COP27), this year’s UN climate summit, the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) was launched with India as a partner.

THE EXPLANATION:

  • The move, in line with India’s goal to increase its carbon sink, will see New Delhi collaborating with Sri Lanka, Indonesia and other countries to preserve and restore the mangrove forests in the region.
  • Attending the event in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change said that India is home to one of the largest remaining areas of mangroves in the world — the Sundarbans — and has years of expertise in restoration of mangrove cover that can be used to aid global measures in this direction.

The MAC

  • An initiative led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia, the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) includes India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain. It seeks to educate and spread awareness worldwide on the role of mangroves in curbing global warming and its potential as a solution for climate change.
  • UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, while launching the alliance, said that her country intends to plant 3 million mangroves in the next two months, in keeping with UAE’s COP26 pledge of planting 100 million mangroves by 2030.

The significance of mangroves

  • Mangroves have been the focus of conservationists for years and it is difficult to overstate their importance in the global climate context. Mangrove forests — consisting of trees and shrub that
  • live in intertidal water in coastal areas — host diverse marine life. They also support a rich food web, with molluscs and algae-filled substrate acting as a breeding ground for small fish, mud crabs and shrimps, thus providing a livelihood to local artisanal fishers.
  • Equally importantly, they act as effective carbon stores, holding up to four times the amount of carbon as other forested ecosystems. Mangrove forests capture vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and their preservation can both aid in removal of carbon from the atmosphere and prevent the release of the same upon their destruction

The current state of the mangroves

  • South Asia houses some of the most extensive areas of mangroves globally, while Indonesia hosts one-fifth of the overall amount.
  • India holds around 3 percent of South Asia’s mangrove population. Besides the Sundarbans in West Bengal, the Andamans region, the Kachchh and Jamnagar areas in Gujarat too have substantial mangrove cover.
  • However, infrastructure projects — industrial expansion and building of roads and railways, and natural processes — shifting coastlines, coastal erosion and storms, have resulted in a significant decrease in mangrove habitats.
  • Between 2010 and 2020, around 600 sq km of mangroves were lost of which more than 62% was due to direct human impacts, the Global Mangrove Alliance said in its 2022 report.

WHAT IS MEANT BY GREENWASHING?

THE CONTEXT: Recently the UN Secretary-General set up an expert group solely to look into Greenwashing as a practice is prevalent enough to create concerns over climate goals that were completely undermined and was considered as serious.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is greenwashing?

  • Greenwashing is a term used to describe a false, misleading or untrue action or set of claims made by an organization about the positive impact that a company, product or service has on the environment.
  • The term greenwashing was first coined in 1986 by environmentalist Jay Westerveld in an article where he decried the common practice of hotels asking guests to reuse towels to help conserve energy. Westerveld claimed that those same hotels did little to help the environment and that the towel request was an act of greenwashing.

NEW COLLECTIVE QUANTIFIED GOAL ON CLIMATE FINANCE (NCQG)

THE CONTEXT: Developing countries, including India, are pushing rich countries to agree to a new global climate finance target—also known as the new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG)—which they say should be in trillions as the costs of addressing and adapting to climate change have grown.

THE EXPLANATION:

  • At a high-level ministerial dialogue on NCQG at COP27, India highlighted that climate actions to meet the NDC targets require financial, technological, and capacity-building support from developed countries, people aware of the developments.
  • According to the Indian delegation in the meeting, the ambitious goal set down by the developing countries requires substantive enhancement in climate finance from the floor of $100 billion per year. The mobilisation of the resource needs to be led by the developed countries and should be long-term, concessional, and climate-specific with equitable allocation between adaptation and mitigation projects.
  • “The commitment of $100 billion made in 2009 by developed countries, was not only miniscule given the scale of needs, but has also not been achieved yet.
  • According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental body consisting of wealthy nations, developed countries mobilised $52.5 billion in 2013.
  • After dropping to $44.6 billion in 2015, the finance flow has steadily increased. In 2020, the developed countries raised $83.3 billion, a jump from $80.4 billion in 2019, according to a factsheet published by the Centre for Science and Environment.
  • The Standing Committee on Finance has estimated that resources in the range of $6 trillion to $11 trillion are required till 2030 to meet the targets set by developing countries in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other communications including the Needs Determination Reports.
  • NDCs are national plans to limit global temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

VALUE ADDITION:

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): The Paris Agreement and NDCs

  • The Paris Agreement requests each country to outline and communicate their post-2020 climate actions, known as their NDCs.
  • Together, these climate actions determine whether the world achieves the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement and to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as soon as possible and to undertake rapid reductions thereafter in accordance with best available science, so as to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of GHGs in the second half of this century.
  • It is understood that the peaking of emissions will take longer for developing country Parties, and that emission reductions are undertaken on the basis of equity, and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, which are critical development priorities for many developing countries.

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

PLACES IN THE NEWS: KHERSON

THE CONTEXT: Recently Russia’s Defence Minister announced the withdrawal of the troops from Kherson to a new defensive line on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river.

THE EXPLANATION:

Where is Kherson and why is it important?

  • Geographically, Kherson is a strategic location for Russia and Ukraine. Situated in the northwest of the Dnipro River, the province shares borders with Donetsk, Crimea and the Black Sea.
  • With Moscow capturing Crimea in 2014, the occupation of Kherson in March 2022 has benefited Russia in transferring its military from Crimea to counter Ukraine. It provides access to Odesa and Black Sea ports in the west and serves as the main route to secure southern Ukraine.
  • For Ukraine, regaining Kherson is significant to protect its population in Kalanchak and Chaplynka districts and also to recapture Crimea. Kherson is also an important region for its agricultural produce, with irrigation channels.

How did Kherson come under Russia’s control?

  • In early March 2022, Kherson was captured by Russia through intense fighting. The battle of Kherson proved to be the starting point to capturing and occupying the southern part of Ukraine while the battles for Kharkiv and Kyiv in the north progressed.
  • Russia’s hold over Kherson since March 2022 enabled Moscow to capture the key port cities — Mariupol in the Sea Azov, and Odesa, thus expanding control. Kherson’s irrigation canals were used as defence positions, creating a strong line preventing Ukraine’s counter-attacks. Russia also had positioned its soldiers in Kherson and stockpiled the ammunition.

Why has Moscow announced its withdrawal from Kherson?

  • There are three reasons behind the move. First is the mobilisation failure. When Russia was advancing rapidly in capturing the southern and northern cities of Ukraine, its military personnel and weapon systems started to run thin.
  • Secondly, the inability of Russia to govern Kherson. Despite imposing martial law, Russia could not effectively rule Kherson; the three-level security in the occupied areas could not enforce Russia’s control on the ground.
  • Third, Ukraine’s expanding counter-offensive. Until August, Ukraine was supplied only with short-range and low-grade weapons by the West. Later, Ukrainian soldiers received military training; as Moscow continued its onslaught, the West upgraded its support with medium to high-range weapons systems such as the Howitzers, HIMARS, air defence systems, battle tanks and drone technologies. It came from the U.S., the U.K. and Germany, whereas Russia’s procurement was slow and limited to Shahed drones.
  • This helped Ukraine recapture Russian-occupied areas including Izyum, northeast, southeast of Kharkiv, Izyum-Slovyansk, Kupiansk in Eastern Ukraine, and northwest Kherson in the south. On the other hand, Russia has been facing challenges in augmenting its military hardware on the battleground.

THE RIVER: DNIEPER

The Dnieper or Dnipro is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and Belarus and the fourth-longest river in Europe, after the Volga, Danube, and Ural rivers.

ARMISTICE DAY: 11th NOVEMBER

THE CONTEXT: Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day or Poppy Day. It is marked on 11 November annually, remembering those who died in World War I. Marking the end of the Great War.

THE EXPLANATION:

  • Armistice Day also remembers all those who sacrificed their lives in the First World War and other conflicts that followed it. In the four-year-long gruesome war, millions sacrificed their lives, including more than 74,000 Indian soldiers.
  • The first Great War ended ‘at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month’, and therefore Remembrance Day is celebrated every year on 11 November.

Why does Poppy hold significance?

  • In the Commonwealth nations, poppies were widely sold before the origin of Remembrance Day. The flower is worn to show respect for all the people who sacrificed their lives while fighting in World War I, as well as the conflicts that followed the war.
  • Poppy was one flower that grew on many of the battlefields during the war and was later adopted by American academic Moina Michael to remember the loss of life in the Great War. Poppy is also associated with the charity that was founded by the veterans of World War I, known as the Royal British Legion.

How is the day observed?

  • To mark the anniversary of the end of the First World War, people across the globe observe two minutes of silence at 11 AM on 11 November. It was the moment in the past when the armistice agreement was signed between the Allied Forces and Germany.

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