Global Partnerships

Image: Beachcomber Resort Island. Credit: Kalinga Seneviratne.

South Pacific: Fiji Tourism Is Back on Its Feet with Focus on Sustainability

By Sheryl Lal and Akansha Narayan*

NADI, Fiji (IDN) — Though Fiji Islands was unaffected by the first wave of COVID-19, its tourism sector, the lifeblood of the economy, has been devastated by border closure across the world due to the pandemic in the past two years. Thus, when the Fijian Tourism Expo (FTE) returned after a break of two years, Fiji Tourism’s CEO Brent Hill was in an upbeat mood, especially because they have been able to attract over 500 participants to the Expo in these competitive times for the travel industry. But, having experienced the vulnerabilities, sustainability was very much in focus during presentations at the event here.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 23 May 2022

Photo: The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2019. Source: SPIEF’22

Intl. Economic Forum in St. Petersburg Despite the Russia-Ukraine Crisis

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) — Despite the Russia-Ukraine crisis going on from bad to worse, with a visible geopolitical impact, the historic city of St. Petersburg is gearing up for the mid-June International Economic Forum. Titled "New Opportunities in a New World", it will take place from June 15–18 in the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Russia; 13 May 2022

Image: Pipeline construction in Nigeria as part of the Trans-Sahara natural gas pipeline, expected to run through Northern Nigeria into Niger and Algeria, connecting to Europe. Credit: Pipeline & Gas Journal.

The Russian Oil Ban Opens Up New Prospects for Africa

Viewpoint by Olatubora Ayodeji

LAGOS, Nigeria (IDN) — It's very important to understand that Russia is the world's third biggest oil producer, behind the US and Saudi Arabia and of about five million barrels of crude oil it exports each day, more than half went to Europe before the sanctions were announced. Before the announcement, Russia accounted for about 8% and 3% of the UK and US oil demand respectively.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 06 May 2022

Russian Technology Companies Seek Partners in India to Tackle Impact of Western Sanctions

By Staff Reporter, The Telegraph Online

KOLKATA, Indien (IDN) — A delegation of Russian companies, led by Russoft, an association of software development companies, held business meetings with companies in the technology sector operating in Bengal, a day ahead of the state’s flagship industry meet—Bengal Global Business Summit on April 20-21.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Russia; 30 April 2022

Image: The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a backwater event founded in 1997, has become a meeting place for Asian and European business and political leaders who see this meeting as much more significant than the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting held in Davos, Switzerland.

Would the New Globalization Have an Eastern Face, If Western-Led Globalization Ends?

Viewpoint by E. Ahmet Tonak and Vijay Prashad *

This article was produced by Globetrotter.

NEW YORK | NORTHAMPTON (IDN) — An article written by authors John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge for Bloomberg on March 24 sounded the alarm to announce the end of “the second great age of globalization.” The Western trade war and sanctions against China that predated the pandemic have now been joined by the stiff Western sanctions imposed against Russia after it invaded Ukraine.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 18 April 2022

Photo: Tourists from Russia previously accounted for the seventh-largest share of visitors to Thailand with around 1.5 million travelling to Thailand in 2019. Source: Economic Times.

Ukraine War Hits Russia's Tourism Industry

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW (IDN) — Russia's tourism, both in-bound and out-bound, is severely hit by the war-ravaged crisis that unfolded in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine late February. For more than two years, the tourism industry was affected due to the widespread Covid-19 that shattered the world.

Industry operators say that the impact on tourism due to Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine has pushed the United States and Canada, European Union, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries to impose a series of sanctions, which are currently affecting the smooth operation of tourism business.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Russia; 14 April 2022

How the Portuguese Language Countries Are Facing Challenges

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW | LISBON (IDN) — After two and half decades of its existence as a popular multilateral forum for Portuguese-speaking countries, the Confederação Empresarial da CPLP has been looking at multifaceted and diverse opportunities to strengthen the organization and to improve mutual cooperation among the member-governments which are geographically located in separate continents.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 11 April 2022

Image: Myanmar inks G-to-G agreement to export rice to Sri Lanka. Credit: MMR

Rice Exports to Sri Lanka Good Business for Myanmar

By Deshan Maduranga

COLOMBO (IDN) — A recent statement by a Myanmar official has indicated that Sri Lanka has been buying rice from the country at a price higher than what others are paying for it. This has raised eyebrows in Sri Lanka that has prided itself for being self-sufficient in rice, its staple diet, for decades.

In a statement attributed to the secretary of the Bayintnaung Rice Wholesale Depot, U Than Oo, Myanmar’s national daily Global New Light of Myanmar has said that in the past year Myanmar has been exporting rice to Sri Lanka and it has been a very profitable business.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 31 March 2022

BIMSTEC—Can It Take a Giant Leap Forward?

By Sugeeswara Senadhira

COLOMBO (IDN) — This week, Sri Lanka is hosting the fifth Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit in the backdrop of member nations struggling to shake-off the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The summit would provide the leaders of the seven members—India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka—to finalise the much delayed BIMSTEC Charter and initiate tangible measures for economic cooperation.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 30 March 2022

Does Russia No Longer Qualify as a Member of the Global Trade Group WTO?

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW | PARIS (IDN) — Russia joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in April 2011 after almost 18 years of persistent efforts and multiple negotiations, to fulfil stringent membership requirements, apparently because the Soviet Union had ceased to exist and replaced by the Russian Federation. Average accession period is five to seven years.