European Business Association’s Post

Participation in NATO's International Conference "Strengthening Women's Participation in Peace and Security Processes" gave me an opportunity to discuss the results of localization of the 4th NAP on Women, Peace and Security and role of women-leaders from communities, who came together in the network of "Women and Youth - Peace Ambassadors" to improve lives of conflict affected communities in Georgia. The issue of human security in comprehensive understanding, which still is not properly addressed, is central for them. Recently approved by the Parliament of Georgia "Law about transparency of foreign power" creates new obstacles for civil society, including women's organisations and groups, and we hope that both, Government and local authorities will put efforts to mitigate it's harmful influence. It is difficult to present reality of life in the regions of Georgia without support of donors, such as European Union, UN, especially UN Women, USAID, who contribute to improvement of infrastructure, agriculture, medical and psychological help, education and other spheres. We believe that Women, Peace and Security Agenda could significantly contribute to improvement of lives of women and generally, population of conflict affected regions, and it would be necessary to analyze together results of implementation of the 4th NAP, prepare recommendations for the new NAP with full participation of women and youth and include provisions from EU AP and NATO AP on Women, Peace and Security.

🌐 In case you missed it: Catch up on the latest episode of the Global Intelligence Knowledge Network's Weekly Intelligence Wrap-up! In this Friday's episode, I discussed the intricate realm of foreign interference in Canadian politics. From recent allegations and testimonies, I unveil the covert actions of nations like India, Pakistan, and China, aiming to sway Canada's democratic processes. Financial support, misinformation campaigns – these tactics pose grave challenges to our national security and democratic integrity. My analysis sheds light on the implications for Canada's relations with key geopolitical players, stressing the importance of international collaboration against this pervasive threat. Plus, I take a deep dive into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's recent testimony on allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections. Trudeau's acknowledgment of being briefed about potential interference raises pertinent questions about intervention thresholds and the prioritization of political interests over national security concerns. Join the conversation and gain insights into safeguarding our democratic processes against external manipulation. Listen now and support the show! https://lnkd.in/eAqdD7Kz #GlobalIntelligence #ForeignInterference #NationalSecurity #DemocracyProtection #GIKN #WeeklyWrapUp

What a pleasure to host our second Roundtable on the implementation of #FeministForeignPolicy together with the Embassy of Canada to Germany | Botschaft von Kanada in Deutschland. Using a fictional scenario, we discussed with representatives from embassies, parliament, ministries and the expert community what a feminist-informed crisis response could look like: From identifying needs on the ground, supporting first responders, securing long-term, flexible & trust-based funding for local civil society, ensuring inclusive negotiations with relevant expertises, to discussing how FFP+ alliances can build an ecosystem of capacity for effective division of labour and less duplication, and identifying potential conflicts between feminist demands vs government interests. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V. | DGAP Farrah Musani Florian Zschalich

Recently, the European Business Association presented an updated version of the 📑 White Paper on the platform of the Ukraine Recovery Committee that contains business proposals for the economic recovery and improvement of the investment climate in Ukraine. One of the important directions is a 👨💼 workforce. In this context, the modernization and optimization of labor legislation in Ukraine are crucial for adapting to modern conditions and labor market challenges through: 📌 Simplifying the procedures for obtaining work permits. 📌Enhancing the role of labor contracts. 📌Deregulating the powers of trade unions. 📌Improving the system of supervisory and regulatory authorities. 📌Creating conditions for the development of a competitive labor market. 🔒 You can find the solutions proposed by the EBA experts in the context of these tasks, as well as in other directions and industries, in the document: https://lnkd.in/ddbJUiek

📍𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 The research, authored by Dragoș Valentin Dincă, Cristina Elena Nicolescu, Cătălin Daniel Dumitrică, and Tatiana-Camelia Dogaru (National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Faculty of Public Administration, Bucharest, 🇷🇴) is the result of an applied-theoretical research on the institutional transformations taking place at the level of the local public authorities in Romania, in the context of the armed conflict in 🇺🇦. Furthermore, it provides a series of recommendations for increasing the administrative capacity of the local public authorities 🏢 in crisis situations, so as to ensure their organisational resilience and the sustainability of their crisis-response decisions or strategies. The article is based on the assumption that the war in Ukraine had a significant impact on the current activities of local public institutions, on local budgets 💶, investments, and public procurement procedures. It aims to identify the transformations that the local public institutions experienced in the year 2022, due the impact of the developments in Ukraine. The full article is available here: https://lnkd.in/dv4f3rFr

Australia's sixth Intergenerational Report was released on 24 August. Its analysis and projections are intended to inform and improve public policy settings to better position Australia for the next 40 years. Outlining several challenges and negative trends, the Report says that "unprecedented coordination between domestic and #foreignpolicy and between #economic and #security settings" will be needed "to keep Australians safe and ensure our economic strength." "Maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region through #diplomacy, #development assistance, trade and building #defence capability remains Australia’s primary strategic objective framing national security funding."'   "Integrating all available tools of national power – economic, diplomatic, industrial, intelligence, cyber and military – will encourage greater flexibility and burden sharing across the national security community and strengthen its capacity to respond to new and emerging threats." 👉 Explore the Report at https://lnkd.in/gY-DRz34.

I'm pleased to share my first Asan Issue Brief on "South Korea’s Quad Opportunity: Aligning Foreign Policy and Public Opinion," co-authored with our survey expert Kang Chungku. Asan surveys show 80% of South Koreans support joining the Quad while other surveys only show 50%, with 20-40% undecided. What explains the gap and, more importantly, why is there such strong support for the Quad? South Korea is a natural partner for the Quad's working groups. But our analysis of 1,936 Korean news articles referencing the Quad found that 47.5% framed it as an “anti-China” grouping or “security(military) alliance” while only 11.9% included “pro-US” keywords. That means a majority of South Koreans support joining a grouping that the media has incorrectly portrayed as an anti-China military alliance. In short, we tested the results against two popular arguments. We examined whether negative views of the security environment and China, what we call the “fear factor,” or positive feelings towards US leadership and US-led initiatives, what we call the “alliance factor,” better fits with the demographic breakdown of Quad support. We find that South Korean support for the Quad runs contrary to a pessimistic strategic outlook and instead correlates with alliance solidarity. We recommend a three-fold strategy of shifting the political debate from abstract membership to which working groups the ROK should engage, a stronger public awareness campaign including from Quad countries to counter misinformation, and tangible short-term progress before the 2024 US elections.    https://lnkd.in/g5k3irSh

Tickets are going fast for Thursday, 1/11's talk with the University of Latvia's Daunis Auers: "How Many Nordic States?" Reserve a seat here: https://lnkd.in/giM_gHBQ About the lecture: Three decades ago, the three Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania regained their sovereign independence and started on a path of radical democratic and economic development that would lead them to European Union and NATO membership in 2004. Throughout this period, Baltic-Nordic cooperation was intense with the expectation that the Baltic states would adopt “Nordic models” of democracy, economy, and welfare. Despite this radical transformation of Northern Europe, xenostereotypes of the “good” Nordics and the “shifty” Baltics persist. In this talk, UW Visiting Fulbright Professor Daunis Auers will discuss how and why these different identities endure and ask if a New Norden is emerging in Europe’s north.

Addressing public opinion, economic impact, and policy issues such as the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), the article uncovers the collective Canadian sentiment towards TFWs, recognizing their contribution to economic growth while also considering the delicate balance of labor rights, societal concerns, and the path to citizenship. This comprehensive discussion aims to provide insight into the current climate of immigration and the intrinsic value of a balanced approach to integrating TFWs into the nation's workforce. https://lnkd.in/gajaBTjR