Politics and Governance

Early Parliamentary Elections of Bulgaria will be held on 2 April 2023

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) in Bulgaria to conduct an early parliamentary election on 2 April 2023. The President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, signed a decree announcing the date of the due elections. In the period of two years, this will be the fifth general election to be held in Bulgaria and will later be followed by a mayoral election. 200 short-term observers are requested by the ODIHR that will be deployed prior to the elections throughout the country to monitor the voting, opening of polling stations, counting of ballots, and tabularisation of results.

South Korean President will make an official visit to the United States on 26 April 2023

United States (US) President, Joe Biden, has sent a second invitation to host South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, to collaborate on the issues involving North Korea and China. The invitation signals South Korea’s significance in the administration’s efforts to counter perceived threats posed by China’s rise and North Korea’s nuclear program. Along with counterbalancing external threats, this visit will be an effort to build and maintain relationships with the regional states. The US and South Korea will celebrate the 70^th anniversary of their partnership, and the visit will represent Washington’s unwavering commitment to South Korea. Some other vital areas of discussion will be deepening economic, security and political ties, including extended deterrence and high-tech safety.

Defence and Security

The United Nations Disarmament Commission’s annual session will be held on 3 April 2023

The United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC) was created under the Security Council with a mandate to formulate proposals for a treaty for the limitation, balanced reduction and regulation of all armaments and armed forces. The annual session of the Disarmament Commission will be held from 3 April to 20 April 2023 in New York. The UNDC-2022 session was held between 4 April to 22 April 2022, after a 3-year gap, and considered the issues related to rising geopolitical tensions and deepening mistrust among key powers. The annual session will revolve around the themes of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), arms control efforts on conventional arms, including small arms and light weapons (SALW), enhancement of regional disarmament, promoting confidence building and transparency and other issues like information security and multilateralism.

The meeting of the NATO Minister of Foreign Affairs will take place from 4 April to 5 April 2023

A meeting of North Atlantic Council at the level of Foreign Affairs Ministers will be held from 4 April to 5 April 2023 at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previously addressed that this high-level meeting will focus on cooperation with Ukraine and the concerns of the Hungarian minority. The NATO-Ukrainian Commission, which has not met at the ministerial level for several years, will be carried out over the Hungary-Ukrainian conflict that intensified after the adoption of language law in Ukraine. The nationalist government in Budapest insists that such a law prevents members of the Transcarpathian ethnic minority from studying in Hungarian. Since then, Hungary has routinely blocked NATO-Ukrainian Commission. Mr Stoltenberg declared that a meeting will be held over the issue on the sidelines of a gathering of NATO foreign ministers.

Trade and Economics

World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund meetings will be held from 10 April to 16 April 2023

The meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) occur each year. The 2023 spring meetings of WBG and IMF will take place in person from 10 April to 16 April, 2023 in the their headquarters in Washington DC. The Board of the Governors from each of the 190 countries consists of finance minister, minister of development, central bank governor, and other high-level representatives. The meetings will be observed by the delegates, civil society organisations, and other guests including virtual audience. Vital areas of discussion in the meeting will beconcerning the state of global economy, economic policymaking, and the issues of global concerns, such as, financial stability, growth outlook, and poverty reduction.

Regulatory Cooperation Forum meeting will take place on 28 April 2023

On 27 April 2023, the 5^th  annual meeting of the Regulatory Cooperation Forum (RCF) under the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will be held in Brussels. Following this meeting, the Canadian and EU Co-chairs will provide a debrief to stakeholders on all items of interest and active work plan items, on 28 April 2023. These will include consumer product safety, paediatric medicines, animal welfare, wood pellet boilers, and SCC-CEN/CENELEC Agreement. On the second day, there will be wrap-ups and next steps guidance. The conference will be attended by non-governmental organisations, workers/trade unions, consumer organisations, professional organisations, local/regional representatives, business and industry association and other stakeholders from EU and Canada.

Social Issues

Swedish Presidency Conference on Social Inclusion and Access to Adequate Housing will be held on 4 April 2023

The Swedish Presidency of the Council of European Union will organise a conference on various aspects of social inclusion and adequate housing provision in Stockholm on  April 2023. It will primarily focus on the child rights issues and European Child Guarantee, access to permanent housing for children and women who have been subject to violence, and people with disabilities. The conference will aim to bring forward the common challenges and relevant and possible solutions with best practice among EU Member States, civil society and EU institutions. The Head of the Social Policies Unit, Massimiliano Mascherini, will inaugurate the conference by covering housing issues including housing costs, housing insecurity, and situation of the vulnerable groups.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work will be commemorated on 28 April 2023

The 2023 World Day for Safety and Health at Work will be observed on 28 April 2023. It will reinforce that a healthy and safe working environment are fundamental and crucial right and principle at work. This day will be  promoted by United Nations and other organizations, individuals, governmental bodies and communities with an interest in workplace health and safety. In June 2022, the International Labour Conference (ILC) decided to incorporate the concept of a safe and healthy environment in the framework of International Labour Organization (ILO). Celebrating this day will portray a devoted effort to advance opportunities for people to obtain productive and decent work in conditions for equality, freedom, human dignity and security. It will help boosts social protection and strengthen dialogue in work-related issues.

Energy and Environment

The United States Climate Action Summit will take place on 19 April 2023

The United States (US) Climate Action Summit will be conducted on 19 April 2023 in Washington DC, after  a successful Climate Week NYC 2022. The summit will aim to unite key leaders in business, advocacy and politics to drive US climate momentum during Earth Week and to connect them on significant policies and climate concerns. It is an innovative program which will favour progress, accountability and participation and will focus on creating a platform producing climate policies and driving business action. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) investments set a new course for US climate leadership at all levels, and such summits convened by the Climate Group will maximise these climate investments.

Earth Day will be observed on 22 April 2023

The 2023 Earth Day will be observed on 22 April 2023. This day will symbolise the achievements of the environmental movement carried out in the past. The main goal of celebrating this day will be to raise awareness regarding the importance of environmental conservation and the inevitable need for protecting our earth’s natural resources for the future generations. The Earth Day Network (EDN) brings together organizations in 190 countries and more than 20,000 partners to support the Earth Day mission year-round. The mission is founded on the premise that all people regardless of their gender, race, geography, and income have moral rights to a healthy and sustainable environment.