World Food Program Faces Scrutiny Over Fraud in Sudan (Reuters) 

As Sudan suffers an immense humanitarian crisis due to an ongoing internal conflict between the Army Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) has provided crucial aid to people displaced by the conflict. Yet its ability to continue this crucial work is now under threat because of allegations of illicit activities made against its top officials in that country. These developments have drawn the attention of humanitarian practitioners and diplomats—who also have concerns regarding WFP’s mismanagement and how it might have contributed to the failure to deliver enough aid in Sudan.  

Climate change-induced drought, and food aid restrictions created by both factions (who deny taking such action), have led to widespread starvation across Sudan, leaving around 25 million people (or half of Sudan’s population), facing crisis levels of hunger.  Top officials in the WFP South Sudan office now are under investigation for committing fraud and concealing information about the role of Sudan’s army in obstructing aid. Allegedly, one official is responsible for the disappearance of over 200,000 liters of fuel required to transport UN personnel.  

WFP seeks to secure $22.7 billion to reach 157 million people afflicted with hunger. Fully 1.3 million of them are on the brink of famine, mostly in Sudan and Gaza, but also in South Sudan and Mali. These efforts are threatened by increasing incidences of theft and fraud associated with WFP in conflicted regions like Ethiopia. The latest allegations have led the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), one of WFP’s largest donors of WFP to call for stringent measures to address these events.  

READ | “A Devastating Toll”: Sudan’s Maternal Health Nightmare 

The Emerging Global Biopiracy Battle (The Guardian) 

Biopiracy, also known as “scientific colonialism,” occurs when companies illegally collect indigenous fauna and flora and then patent it for their own purposes. Technological advances of recent years have allowed companies to increase their extraction of key genetic data from biodiversity-rich regions, especially in the Global South. This boom in biopiracy has left nations that are affected by it dissatisfied over the disproportionate benefits they received from the activity. 

This data which these companies obtain from microbes is digitally sequenced through artificial intelligence models, leading to the invention of new drugs that help cure diseases, as well as novel biotech ideas for addressing plastic recycling. It is an arduous process involves companies harvesting, monetizing, and even trading the extracted digital signature or Digital Sequencing Information (DSI) from flora and fauna. The pharmaceutical products that result are sold in global markets and generate millions of dollars, yet the regions from which the data is extracted do not share in the profits.  

At present, no legal infrastructure governs this activity. Companies are not obligated to pay for access and commodification of these digital forms of biodiversity. Indeed, these products are often sold in the Global South at unaffordable prices. The upcoming COP16 Biodiversity Convention which convenes later this year has provided an opportunity for affected nations to call for an international framework to govern the exchange of DSI and legal mechanisms to mandate fair payments for genetic information they obtain.  

READ | How to Think and Work Politically to Reach Biodiversity Conservation Goals 

South Korean Court Rules for Stronger Climate Action (The New York Times) 

Decarbonization presents a complex challenge for Korea. The nation’s manufacturing industry contributes 25.5% of the GDP and 90% of the exports, and the steel industry alone contributes to 40% of Korea’s industrial GHG emissions. Korea has committed to cut down carbon emissions by 40% from 2018 by 2030 in order to address this issue and conform to the 2015 Paris Agreement. However, these national commitments have not translated into action yet.

In a recent ruling on a groundbreaking case, the Supreme Court of South Korea determined that the country’s newly revised climate change law was insufficient to protect its citizens and future generations. The case was the first of its kind in Asia, and the plaintiffs were comprised of over 250 environmental groups and activists. These parties blamed the government for “not effectively tackling climate change”—including the failure to protect constitutional rights and the lack of effective action, as well as inadequate emissions reduction targets and adaptation measures.  

The legal battle centered on Korea’s carbon neutrality act, which was enacted in 2010, and later revised in 2021. The nation’s Supreme Court pointed out that this framework failed to incorporate quantitative levels essential for reduction targets between 2031 and 2049. Korea’s government has accepted the judgment and now will revise its policy accordingly to include carbon-reduction targets for 2031 and beyond. The plaintiffs believe this ruling will set a precedent for climate litigation across Asia, and advance the chances of improved, viable, and urgent climate action on the continent.  

READ | Money Can Grow on Trees: Forestry Rights Reform for Decarbonization in China