November 19, 2022

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 19.11.2022, 13:58

Francophonie. The Tunisian island of
Djerba is hosting the 18th Francophonie Summit attended by representatives
of the 54 members of the International Organisation of the Francophonie,
including Romania, as well as 30 observer countries. The previous meeting of
the club of French-speaking countries was in 2018 in Armenia, with the 2020
summit cancelled because of the pandemic and last year’s postponed because of
the political crisis in Tunisia. The theme of the main conference is Connectivity in diversity:
Digital technology, a vector for development and solidarity in the
French-speaking world. The meeting of the heads of state and government
in the Francophone world is a community of shared values in the service of
dialogue, in an international context marked by crises and the risk of a new
division in the world, notes a statement from the French president’s office.
Conferences and cultural and artistic events for the general public are also
taking place for a week, with each country having its own pavilion.

Climate summit. The participants in the UN
climate change summit in Egypt are today having an unscheduled round of talks,
hoping to reach an agreement on ways to help the countries worst hit by the
consequences of the global warming. The European Union proposed the creation of
a fund to compensate for the losses and damages suffered by the most vulnerable
countries, and wants China to also contribute. EU officials said they would
like to widen the pool of donor states. Under over 30-year-old UN rules, states
like India and China are considered developing countries, so they do not
contribute to financial matters. The European Union also wants to ensure that
countries most in need of money also receive this money, but under a plan put
forward by the Union, countries like Pakistan, where this year’s flooding
caused damages of 30 billion dollars, do not qualify for funding.

APEC. Most leaders in the Asia-Pacific region
condemned the war in Ukraine in the final declaration of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in
Bangkok, thus joining the chorus of international pressure on Russia. After a
day and a half of talks, the 21 APEC members agreed on a declaration that
criticises the conflict and the global economic disruptions caused by the
Russian military aggression in Ukraine. The declaration also deplores the impact
of the conflict in Ukraine on economic growth, inflation, the supply channels
and energy and food security. The participants stood for free and fair trade in
the Asia-Pacific area. The United States, which was represented at the summit
by vice-president Kamala Harris, took over the APEC rotating presidency for
the next year. The next summit will be held in San Francisco on 12th
November 2023.

Students. The League of Romanian Students
Abroad kickstarted the league’s Worldwide Conference project, which consists of
a series of events held in four European capitals of countries that are the
main destinations for study for young Romanians: the UK, the Netherlands,
France and Italy. In the UK, the Romanian Students, Professors and Researchers
Conference will mark the National Day of Romania and will award the
Ambassador’s Diploma. In France, the League brings together the Romanian
students and professionals working in this country via the project Bridges,
which aims to maintain an active link between the two groups throughout the
academic year. In the Netherlands, the Romanian Networking Event allows
Romanian students to attend workshops given by human resources professionals,
helping them build successful careers. The event organised by the League in
Italy aims to retrace the steps of important Romanian figures in this country.
The Worldwide Conference project is carried out with help from the Department
for Romanians Abroad.

Performance. The multimedia performance entitled The Story of the
Romanian Blouse, held in celebration of the 160th anniversary of
diplomacy and of the National Day of Romania on 1st December will be
presented on 23rd of November at the UNESCO main hall in Paris. A production
of the Bucharest National Opera Ballet and Orchestra, the performance has an
orchestral and a choreographic part. The introductory orchestral programme is
focused on highlighting Romanian traditional music through various
reinterpretations. This will be followed by a dance performance with a
soundtrack composed for this occasion. The Story of the Romanian Blouse is
organised by the Bucharest National Opera in partnership with Romania’s
permanent delegation at UNESCO and is an opportunity to promote Romania’s image
and to reaffirm its commitment to multilateralism and the values and principles
of the United Nations. (CM)