#Regional cooperation

[worldpopulationday]

Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session (Day 1 – Morning).

The Eighth Session of the Committee on Social Development will be convened in-person at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, from 8 to 10 October 2024.

The Committee will focus on four areas of social development, namely: (1) future-proofing social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific in view of key megatrends including demographic trends, climate change and digitalization to address vulnerabilities and support sustainable social development, (2) building inclusive and comprehensive social protection systems in the face of emerging challenges as well as the Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection in Asia and the Pacific, endorsed by the Committee in October 2020, (3) social and economic challenges and opportunities associated with slower population growth and the shift towards a greater number and share of older persons, and (4) strengthening disability-inclusive development and disability rights, as well as Implementation of the Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023-2032.

Related Sites and Documents

Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session.

Watch the Committee on Social Development, Eighth Session (Day 1 – Morning)!

[pebblegalaxy]

Taliban's Chitral River Dam: Unraveling Regional Water Security and Relations in South and Central Asia

Taliban's Chitral River Dam: Unraveling Regional Water Security and Relations in South and Central Asia #TalibanDam #WaterSecurity #Geopolitics #ChitralRiver #KunarRiver #Diplomacy #RegionalRelations #SouthAsia #CentralAsia #IndusWatersTreaty #Taliban

The very essence of South Asia and Central Asia’s water security pivots on the lifeblood provided by transboundary rivers such as the Indus, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Amu Darya. These vital arteries sustain the lives, livelihoods, and ecological equilibrium of millions across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.…

[dayofcombattingsandandduststorms]

Manage and mitigate the effects of sand and dust storms.

Stressing the need for global and regional cooperation to manage and mitigate the effects of sand and dust storms, the General Assembly today adopted by consensus a resolution establishing 12 July as International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, to be observed annually.

[eeitonline]

Breaking the Mold: Diversifying the Economic Landscape of the Black Sea Region by Eastern European Institute for Trade

The Black Sea region, encompassing countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey, has long been characterized by an overdependence on traditional industries, including agriculture, mining, and energy production (Ketenci, 2015; EBRD, 2019). However, for these countries to achieve sustainable economic growth and mitigate risks associated with external shocks, economic diversification is imperative (World Bank, 2017). This article explores the potential avenues for diversification in the Black Sea region, the role of innovation and digital transformation, and the importance of regional cooperation and integration.

A key driver of economic diversification in the Black Sea region is the development of high-value sectors, such as technology, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing (Ciaschi & Treisman, 2018; EBRD, 2019). Investing in research and development (R&D), as well as fostering innovation ecosystems, can facilitate the transition to a knowledge-based economy and enhance competitiveness on the global stage (Ciaschi & Treisman, 2018; Isik et al., 2018).

Digital transformation presents significant opportunities for the Black Sea countries to diversify their economies and unlock new sources of growth. By leveraging emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data analytics, businesses can enhance productivity, drive innovation, and create new industries and jobs (World Bank, 2017; Ciaschi & Treisman, 2018). Furthermore, the digital economy can promote financial inclusion and facilitate access to markets for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (EBRD, 2019).

Regional cooperation and integration are critical in promoting economic diversification in the Black Sea region. By deepening economic ties, countries can capitalize on synergies, enhance cross-border investments, and foster knowledge sharing (Ketenci, 2015; World Bank, 2017). Engagement with the European Union (EU) through initiatives such as the Black Sea Synergy and the Eastern Partnership can also provide valuable support in terms of technical assistance and funding for regional projects (Ketenci, 2015; Börzel & Lebanidze, 2017).

In conclusion, diversifying the economic landscape of the Black Sea region is essential for sustainable growth and resilience. By fostering innovation, embracing digital transformation, and strengthening regional cooperation, countries in the area can break the mold and unlock new avenues for economic development.

References:

Börzel, T. A., & Lebanidze, B. (2017). European Neighborhood Policy at the Crossroads: Evaluating the Past to Shape the Future. European Policy Analysis, 3(1), 1–19.

Ciaschi, R., & Treisman, D. (2018). Diversifying the Black Sea Region Economy: Opportunities and Challenges. Journal of Black Sea Studies, 16(1), 1–28.

EBRD (2019). Transition Report 2019–20: Better Governance, Better Economies. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Isik, C., Dogru, T., & Turk, E. S. (2018). A nexus of linear and non-linear relationships between tourism demand, renewable energy consumption, and economic growth: Theory and evidence. International Journal of Tourism Research, 20(1), 38–49.

Ketenci, N. (2015). Economic integration in the Black Sea Region: an analysis in trade, tourism, and foreign direct investment. East European Politics, 31(4), 437–456.

World Bank (2017). World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law. World Bank.

Read more at Eastern European Institute for Trade.

[bobcat-pie]

Estimating Twisted Wonderland's Circumference ONCE AND FOR ALL

howdy. In this post, I once attempted to figure out the circumference of Twisted wonderland. Instead, I failed, and just went mad collecting screenshots of random spheres that weren't/might be globes modeling the planet.

that's not important. What IS important is the rant about the map that we DO have that followed. y'see, it looks like this.

Tilted. Cropped. Incomplete. Utterly infuriating. Anyway, we're gonna be working with my SUPERIOR map projection for this theory post.

yeah it's literally just tilted so that North points straight up. There's almost no way to really tell what latitude location is or how large it is compared to the rest of the world... EXCEPT...

...FOR THE CLIMATES.

it's pretty easy to label the middle section as "temperate," since summers are hot, winters are snowy, and every other season is pretty comfortable.

The northern parts of the Coral Sea can be determined as arctic or near-arctic, because Azul and the tweels don't bother being there during the winter due to the ice covering the water's surface. The furthest south that winter sea ice extends on earth is the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, at 43 degrees north.

Last but not least, as Sunset Savanna is based on the setting of the lion king, that makes it a tropical savanna. The most northern tropical savanna on earth is the Terai–Duar savanna at the base of the Himalayas in India, at 27 degrees north.

Therefore, this whole (VERY inexact) area I marked on this map that holds the temperate zone is around 16 degrees of Twisted Wonderland's latitude, possibly more.

Now, we don't exactly have a giant perfect ruler that we can use for reference. but we DO have the next best thing: Sage's Island!

And 16 degrees of Twisted Wonderland's latitude seems to beeee…

22 Sage's Islands long!

So this lil island is about 0.727 degrees long.

Now, I'm none too confident in my island-length-guessing ability. So i gotta say Sage's Island is like... maybe 3 miles long, north to south.

Soooo... 3 miles is 0.727 degrees in Twisted Wonderland.

That means 1 degree is 4.126 miles.

And that means the full 360 degrees of Twisted Wonderland's circumference is... drumroll please...

...

1,485.36 miles/2390.46 kilometers.

Give or take, I mean. I'm not a scientist. I don't even play Twisted Wonderland.

PLEASE understand that is a TINY amount. Earth's circumference is 40,075.017 km. PLUTO has a circumference of 7,231 km. Twisted wonderland is smaller than Pluto.

We were ROBBED of Yuu being capable of jumping 50 feet in the air due to the weaker gravity.

[wingedjewels]

Cooper's Hawk by Lee Greengrass Via Flickr: Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

[postcard-from-the-past]

Cooper from the Brittany region of France

French vintage postcard

[lovelyz-diary]

181109 Lovelyz Yoo Jiae at Korea-Russia Regional Cooperation Forum Celebration Concert‬ © 시작하는사랑 do not edit, crop, or remove the watermark

[onenettvchannel]

#OnlyOnOneNETnews: Central and Western Visayas facing both Yellow and Red Alerts including NORECOs I and II

(Prepared by Kimi Sparkle / Radyo Bandera Patrol #2 news reporter of OneNETnews)

DUMAGUETE, NEGROS ORIENTAL -- Around last Thursday night (April 27th, 2023 -- Dumaguete local time), a widespread power outage occurred in Central and Western Visayas, affecting thousands of homes and businesses. Outages lasting several hours were caused by power distribution problems, specifically between the red and yellow warning alerts.

One of the affected distribution utilities was the Negros Oriental Electric Cooperatives 1 & 2 (NORECO I & II), which was first posted on social media that it experienced multiple trippings and power interruptions due to the high demand for electricity during the excess searing summer heat. Other distribution utilities, such as Panay Electric Company (PECO) and Guimaras Electric Cooperative (GUIMELCO) have also reported various power outages in their service areas. Some areas experienced complete blackouts, while others had a partial power loss.

Social media users expressed their annoyance and concern about the prolonged blackout, which made the situation worse. Many other people in the Visayas region forcing to dissatisfaction with lack of communication from its authorities, and the slow critical response in all of electrical power companies.

Local media reports and newspaper outlets that the power outages was caused by the national grid's inability to handle a higher demand for electricity in every cooperative franchises. The Department of Energy (DOE) claims that the constrained power supply was also caused by power plants in the area producing shortages than projected. Despite the government's efforts to conserve and save electricity, certain parts of it remain grappling with power outages. Photos and videos that have gone viral online show businesses and residential homes with no power, and residents resorting to use candles and flashlights.

Many netizens have criticized the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and other government agencies, saying they were not prepared for the blackout despite the DOE's warning.

Both regions have urged the Philippine government to act fast to address the problem and preventing it from happening all over again. In response, the NGCP released a statement highlighting that they have been working to address the aforesaid power outage and ensuring that the electrical companies can fully restore power to the affected areas. In addition, companies also assured the public that they are doing everything they can to prevent future blackouts, regardless of comparable weather conditions in the past seasons.

Alvin Elchico, who is a veteran journalist and weekend news anchor of TV Patrol; and Rose Marie Chris Dalaguit, who's also a former radio reporter of DYAB-TV's Teleradyo: Cebu that has criticized the government and power distributors for not doing more to prevent the said power outage. The extremist situation was a "brazen landslide flop" and urged Philippine President named Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. to revoke all electrical franchises if the blackouts persists in the Visayas region continues.

As of this exclusive writing, there have been no official announcements from the government regarding both journalists' call to action. The DOE has yet to release an official report detailing the cause of the power outage and its impact on their affected areas.

In conclusion, the power outages and blackouts occurred in Central and Western Visayas, as part both the Red and Yellow alert levels caused significant inconvenience and discomfort to many residents, establishments and businesses in the region.

The incident highlights the importance of having a robust and reliable electricity network capable of meeting the demands of daily modern life, especially during periods of searing summer weather conditions for this season. It also underscores the need for greater transparency and accountability from the Philippine government and electricity distributors in addressing such crises.

STOCK PHOTO COURTESY: Google Maps & IStockPhoto BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SOURCE: *https://www.facebook.com/308962935225/posts/10168022142525226 [Referenced FB Advisory Post via Visayan Electric Company] *https://www.facebook.com/100069147744919/posts/544162214565365 [Referenced FB Post #1 via NORECO I] *https://www.facebook.com/100069147744919/posts/544183294563257 [Referenced FB Post #2f via NORECO I] *https://www.facebook.com/100057610622491/posts/671685381428477 [Referenced FB Post #1 via NORECO II] *https://www.facebook.com/100057610622491/posts/671742418089440 [Referenced FB Post #2 via NORECO II] *https://www.facebook.com/100057610622491/posts/672309408032741 [Referenced FB Post #3 via NORECO II] *https://www.facebook.com/100057610622491/posts/672351298028552 [Referenced FB Post #4f via NORECO II] *https://www.facebook.com/105021682887684/posts/6316868231702967 [Referenced FB Post #1 via NGCP] *https://www.facebook.com/105021682887684/posts/6317170928339364 [Referenced FB Post #2 via NGCP] *https://www.facebook.com/105021682887684/posts/6317938054929318 [Referenced FB Post #3 via NGCP] *https://www.facebook.com/105021682887684/posts/6320197561370034 [Referenced FB Post #4 via NGCP] *https://www.facebook.com/105021682887684/posts/6320254894697634 [Referenced FB Post #5 via NGCP] *https://www.facebook.com/105021682887684/posts/6321200807936376 [Referenced FB Post #6 via NGCP] *https://www.facebook.com/105021682887684/posts/6322395121150278 [Referenced FB Post #7 via NGCP] *https://www.facebook.com/105021682887684/posts/6322694887786968 [Referenced FB Post #8 via NGCP] *https://www.facebook.com/105021682887684/posts/6324013477655109 [Referenced FB Post #9f via NGCP] *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXN2WMCIoes [Referenced YT Video via Catholic Media Network News] *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8czVFZAaeLY&t=2422 [Referenced Newscast Item via ABS-CBN News for Headline Pilipinas] *https://twitter.com/alvinelchico/status/1652175180930904064 [Referenced Twitter Captioned Photo via Alvin Elchico] *https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/341943/faces-of-cebu-rc-dalaguit-de-vela-radio-anchor-reporter [Referenced Biography via Cebu Daily News of Philippine Daily Inquirer] *https://visayandailystar.com/blackout-hits-negros-panay-guimaras/ [Referenced News Article via Visayan Daily Star] *https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/27/blackout-hits-western-visayas-amid-searing-heat [Referenced News Article via Manila Bulletin] *https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1959771 [Referenced News Article via SunStar Iloilo] *https://powerphilippines.com/bantay-sarado-doe-review-franchise-compliance-electric-cooperatives/ [Referenced News Article from Power Philippines] and *https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2001/ra_9136_2001.html

-- OneNETnews Team

[pinenutposts]

This was my absolute favorite moment in the show when I was a kid.

he was so right when he said this

[trendynewsnow]

Geopolitical Dynamics in Central Asia: Navigating Influence and Independence

Geopolitical Dynamics in Central Asia Central Asia, a region abundant in oil, gas, and strategic minerals, has consistently drawn the attention of global powers, including Russia, China, and Western nations. Positioned at the crossroads of Eurasia, its geopolitical significance has intensified, particularly following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Euronews engaged in a…

[fightagainstorganizedcrimeday]

Commemoration of the victims of organized crime, including those who have lost their lives fighting against it.

High-level Event

Panel 1: The Evolving nature of Organized Crime.

Panel 2: Regional responses to Organized Crime.

PANEL 3: Strengthening International Cooperation.

[eeitonline]

Unlocking Capital: Overcoming the Challenge of Limited Access in the Black Sea Region by Eastern European Institute for Trade

by Eastern European Institute for Trade

Limited access to capital is a significant impediment to the growth of businesses and economies in the Black Sea region. The availability of financial resources is crucial for the establishment, expansion, and modernization of enterprises, as well as for the development of new industries and the fostering of innovation (Havrylchyk, 2018). This article examines the factors contributing to the challenge of limited access to capital in the Black Sea region, and explores potential strategies for overcoming this obstacle, drawing on lessons from regional and international experiences (Beck et al., 2014; Kutan & Vukšić, 2017).

The banking sector is the primary source of financing for businesses in the Black Sea region, but it often falls short in meeting their capital needs. High levels of non-performing loans, underdeveloped capital markets, and inadequate financial infrastructure are among the factors constraining the capacity of banks to extend credit to the private sector (Havrylchyk, 2018). Additionally, risk aversion and conservative lending practices, partly driven by the legacy of past financial crises, further limit the availability of bank financing for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (Beck et al., 2014).

Limited access to capital in the Black Sea region can also be attributed to the underdeveloped nature of alternative financing channels. Venture capital and private equity markets, which play a critical role in financing innovative and high-growth enterprises, are relatively nascent in the region (Kutan & Vukšić, 2017). Similarly, the region’s capital markets, including stock and bond markets, are often characterized by low levels of liquidity, limited investor base, and a lack of sophisticated financial instruments, which hampers their ability to channel resources to the private sector (Havrylchyk, 2018).

To address the challenge of limited access to capital in the Black Sea region, a multipronged approach is required. First, the banking sector needs to be strengthened through reforms aimed at improving its financial health, risk management practices, and regulatory environment (Beck et al., 2014). These reforms should include measures to reduce non-performing loans, enhance supervisory frameworks, and promote competition and innovation within the sector (Havrylchyk, 2018).

Second, alternative financing channels should be developed and diversified to provide businesses with a wider range of funding options. This includes fostering the growth of venture capital and private equity markets, as well as encouraging the development of innovative financing instruments, such as crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending platforms (Kutan & Vukšić, 2017). Additionally, efforts should be made to deepen and integrate the region’s capital markets, with a view to enhancing their efficiency and attractiveness to both domestic and foreign investors (Havrylchyk, 2018).

Finally, regional cooperation and integration can play a pivotal role in unlocking capital for businesses in the Black Sea region. Initiatives such as the European Union’s (EU) investment programs, and the involvement of international financial institutions, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), can facilitate access to capital by providing financing, technical assistance, and capacity building support (Beck et al., 2014).

In conclusion, overcoming the challenge of limited access to capital is crucial for the growth and competitiveness of businesses in the Black Sea region. By implementing targeted reforms, diversifying financing channels, and promoting regional cooperation, the region can unlock capital and unleash its full economic potential.

References:

Beck, T., Demirgüç-Kunt, A., & Singer, D. (2014). Is Small Beautiful? Financial Structure, Size and Access to Finance. World Development, 52, 19–33.

Havrylchyk, O. (2018). Foreign Banks, Financial Crises, and Macroeconomic Fluctuations in the Black Sea Region. Comparative Economic Studies, 60(3), 386–410.

Kutan, A. M., & Vukšić, G. (2017). Financial Integration, Housing Markets, and Economic Policy Uncertainty in the Black Sea Region. Comparative Economic Studies, 59(4), 491–517.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). (2021). EBRD in the Black Sea Region. Sourced from https://www.ebrd.com/where-we-are/black-sea.html

International Finance Corporation (IFC). (2021). IFC in Europe and Central Asia. Sourced from https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/region__ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/europe+and+central+asia

Read more at European Institute for Trade.

[financia012]

2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit: Key Discussions and Global Implications

Introduction to the 2024 SCO Summit The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit of 2024 is a crucial gathering of Eurasian leaders, addressing significant issues that impact not only the region but also the broader global landscape. Formed in 2001, the SCO is an intergovernmental organization that focuses on regional security, economic cooperation, and political stability. This year’s…