8 December 2023

• COP28: The Global Cooling Pledge drew 63 signatory nations. Santiago Network was adopted to provide technical assistance to climate-vulnerable developing countries.
• Online gaming: Major online gaming firms including Dream11 and Games24x7 signed a Code of Ethics under the aegis of MeitY.
• Climate loss and damage: The Santiago Network was formally adopted at COP28 as a framework for directing technical assistance to vulnerable nations.
• India's neighbourhood: Analysis of India's troubled neighbourhood dominated strategic commentary as the Maldives government moved to end bilateral defence arrangements.

GS area: International Relations

India faced concurrent diplomatic pressures from multiple neighbours:

• Maldives: The newly elected government of President Mohamed Muizzu issued a request for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel stationed in the archipelago, and gave notice to end a hydrographic survey agreement signed in 2019.
• China's expanding influence: China's Belt and Road Initiative continued to expand infrastructure footprints across South Asia. Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan have signed BRI memoranda.
• Regional security threats: Shared threats include maritime crime, drug smuggling through the Makran coast, and cross-border terrorism from Pakistan-based groups.
• SAARC's paralysis: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has been unable to hold a summit since 2016 due to India-Pakistan tensions.

India's strategic response has involved bilateral connectivity agreements, the SAGAR doctrine in the Indian Ocean, and neighbourhood-first diplomatic outreach.

Static linkage: India's foreign policy, Indian Ocean Region, SAARC.

GS area: Economy, Governance, Society

Major online gaming firms signed a voluntary Code of Ethics at a ceremony organised through industry bodies including IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India), EGF, and AIGF:

• Market size: India's online gaming market is projected to reach $5 billion by 2025.
• MeitY's role: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is the nodal ministry for regulating online gaming. MeitY published online gaming intermediary rules under the IT Act.
• Code commitments: Know-Your-Customer compliance, transparency on how winners are selected and on platform fees, and clear labelling distinguishing skill-based games from gambling.
• National vision: Online gaming is positioned as a component of the $1 trillion Digital Economy target.

The regulatory trap to remember: "skill-based" games are permissible under most state laws while "chance-based" games fall under gambling restrictions. The distinction is the site of the biggest legal battles.

Static linkage: Digital economy, regulation, IT Act.

GS area: International Relations

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter to request an emergency Security Council session on the humanitarian situation in Gaza:

• Article 99: Allows the UN Secretary-General to bring to the Security Council any matter which threatens international peace and security. It is rarely invoked.
• Historical invocations: Last used formally for Congo in 1960 and Tunisia in 1961. Guterres's invocation in December 2023 was the first in over 60 years.
• Outcome: The Security Council session met but the US vetoed the resolution calling for a ceasefire.

The difference between Article 99 (SG's proactive role) and Chapter VII (Security Council's coercive powers) is a standard examination distinction.

Static linkage: International organisations, UN Security Council, West Asia.

GS area: Environment, International Relations

The Santiago Network was formally adopted at COP28 as a framework to connect climate-vulnerable nations with technical expertise, knowledge, and resources:

• Distinction from Loss and Damage Fund: The Fund provides financial compensation for climate impacts. The Santiago Network provides technical assistance and knowledge transfer, not direct finance.
• Origin: Established at COP25 in Madrid in 2019. COP28 formalised its governance structure and identified a host.
• Target beneficiaries: Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States most vulnerable to climate loss and damage.

Static linkage: Climate change, UNFCCC mechanisms, COP28 outcomes.

GS area: Environment

The Global Cooling Pledge at COP28 targeted a 68 per cent cut in cooling-related emissions by 2050. The science behind the pledge:

• Cooling share of emissions: Currently about 7 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• HFC-134a: A common refrigerant used in air conditioners and car air conditioning. Its global warming potential is 3,400 times that of carbon dioxide over a 100-year horizon.
• Kigali Amendment: Adopted in 2016 to the Montreal Protocol, it mandates the phase-down of HFCs. India ratified the Kigali Amendment.
• India's cooling demand: India is the world's third-largest cooling market and is expected to see rapid growth in air conditioning adoption. That makes the efficiency of cooling equipment an important emissions variable.

Static linkage: Climate change, Montreal Protocol, energy policy.

GS area: Social Issues, Governance

The Kajoli model of early childhood education from Bangladesh drew attention in comparative policy analysis:

• Kajoli methodology: Play-based, peer learning in small community centres run largely by NGOs including BRAC. Three-hour daily sessions with community-financed meals. Success factors: trained teachers, timely textbooks, and merit scholarships.
• India comparison: In Bihar, 82 per cent of students in certain cohorts attend private schools despite many households seeking affordable government schooling. This reflects a failure of government school quality.
• India's ICDS: The Integrated Child Development Services scheme provides nutrition, health, and pre-school education through anganwadi centres, but is criticised for variable quality.

Static linkage: Social policy, education, child welfare.

• Early Warnings for All: A WMO and UNDRR initiative requiring $3 billion over five years to give every person on Earth access to early warning systems by 2027. Only 50 per cent of people globally have such access today.
• India's maritime security threats: The Indian coast of 7,516 km and an Exclusive Economic Zone of about 2 million square kilometres face threats from piracy, drug smuggling, and potential seaborne attacks. Key installations at risk include nuclear plants at Tarapur and Kalpakkam and the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.