April 13: Nuclear Security Summit
Forty-seven countries end a two-day Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington, D.C., which focused on safeguarding vulnerable weapons-grade plutonium and uranium. The leaders agreed to a four-year timetable to achieve this goal and a progress report summit in South Korea in 2012. The participants also agreed to supply the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations agency overseeing nuclear issues, with more resources.
May 2: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
The European Union’s Eurozone members and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approve a $146 billion three-year bailout package for Greece to rescue its economy and prevent it from defaulting on its huge debt. It is feared that if Greece is allowed to default, other countries with troubled economies, such as Portugal and Spain, would follow. For its part, Greece agrees to pass major budget cuts and tax rises. (May 5): Three people die during violent protests in the Greek capital of Athens over planned austerity measures. (May 19): Tens of thousands of people gather in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, to protests the government’s plans to implement austerity measures. The government has to reduce its budget deficit in order to receive another loan installment from the IMF. (May 25): The Italian government approves austerity measures of $29 billion to deal with its budget deficit. Spain and Portugal announce similar plans.
May 4: UNASUR
The Union of South American Nations, UNASUR, unanimously elects former Argentine President Néstor Kirchner to be its first Secretary-General for a two-year term. UNASUR is an intergovernmental organization, which was formed two years ago, combining MERCORUS and the Andean Community of Nations as part of next step in South American integration.
June 8: NATO
Islamic militants from the Pakistani group Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attack a NATO convoy six miles from Islamabad, killing seven people and destroying 20 trucks with supplies and equipment headed to troops in Afghanistan. The majority of supplies supporting the international troops in Afghanistan are transported by land through Pakistan. These NATO convoys have been regularly attacked since 2008.
June 9: United Nations
The United Nations Security Council approves new sanctions on Iran in response to its continued nuclear program. This is the fourth set of sanctions, which expands the arms embargo and tightens financial restrictions on Iran’s institutions and individuals. (June 24): The United States Congress approves new additional restrictions on foreign companies that trade with Iran meant to put more pressure on Iran to end its nuclear enrichment program.
July 1: East African Community (EAC)
The East African Community (EAC) common market comes into force, allowing for goods, people, and capital to move freely among its member-countries. The EAC has already implemented a common external tariff and import tax from countries outside the bloc. The community consists of five countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The EAC also plans to establish a monetary union by 2012 and a common currency by 2015.
July 12: International Criminal Court (ICC)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues a second arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of genocide in the region of Darfur. He has been already charged for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
September 22: The Arctic Region
Russia convenes a two-day international Arctic forum to address the social, economic and environmental issues associated with the Arctic region. Five countries bordering the Arctic, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United States, have already laid claims to the territory and its vast resources. The participants vow to cooperate and follow the existing UN rules to settle disputes. In the spirit of this cooperation, a week ago, Russia and Norway resolved a 40-year dispute over the maritime borders in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean.
November 22: International Criminal Court (ICC)
The International Criminal Court at The Hague (ICC) opens a case against former leader of a rebel Movement of Liberation of Congo (MLC) in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and former DRC’s vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba, who is accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The rebel MLC, which was under his authority, is accused of rape and killing of hundreds of civilians in Central African Republic between 2002 and 2003.
November 23: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
The European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) approve a bail-out for Ireland amounting to $113 billion to help solve the country’s debt crisis. The rescue package intends to shore up the country’s banks and help the government’s spending. In exchange, Ireland is supposed to implement austerity measures, which include spending and job cuts and raising taxes. The Irish labor unions are planning protests against the measures.
November 23: UNAIDS
UNAIDS, the United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, reports that AIDS epidemic has declined globally by almost 20 percent since its peak in 1999. Also, deaths from AIDS have declined. Sub-Saharan Africa is still the most affected region, but several countries, such as South Africa, Zambia, and Ethiopia, have made progress in lowering the number of new infections. However, the number of new infections in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has risen.
December 8: World Trade Organization (WTO)
The European Union (EU) announces its support for Russia’s membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) after Russia agreed to phase out export tariffs on raw materials such as timber. Russia is the only large economy outside of the 153-member WTO, the organization that regulates world trade.