Events, Verisoph

2020 Verra validates the northern grasslands soil-carbon project 2 cit. Verra validation places the Northern Kenya project inside the voluntary carbon market. Its own project materials present it as the first large-scale grassland soil-carbon project of its kind, using modeled removals rather than direct measured removals across every acre. That certification makes northern Kenyan pasture legible to corporate offset buyers far from the rangelands. diplomacy / economy / environment ●●●

15 September 2021 AUKUS 0 cit. Trilateral security partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, centered on providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. Its announcement canceled a French submarine deal and angered Paris. diplomacy / politics / technology / war ●●●

c. October 2021 Gulf states expand sportswashing through club and event ownership 0 cit. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund takes over Newcastle United, following earlier state-linked acquisitions such as Abu Dhabi's ownership of Manchester City, and Saudi Arabia goes on to host major boxing bouts, golf's LIV tour, and a bid for the 2034 World Cup. Analysts and rights groups have documented this pattern of state investment in global sport as a deliberate strategy to improve national image and deflect criticism of human rights records, a practice its critics label sportswashing and its proponents call sports diplomacy. diplomacy / economy ●●●

6 December 2021 Diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics 0 cit. The United States announces a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games, sending no government officials while still allowing American athletes to compete, citing human rights concerns in Xinjiang. Britain, Australia, and Canada joined the boycott, a modern documented instance of states using selective Olympic non-attendance as a diplomatic signal short of a full athlete boycott. diplomacy / politics ●●

1 October 2021 Expo 2020 Dubai 0 cit. Delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic but kept its original "Expo 2020" name, this was the first world's fair hosted in the Middle East, Africa, or South Asia. It was staged as a showcase of the UAE's ambitions to diversify its economy beyond oil and position Dubai as a global connectivity hub. diplomacy / economy ●●

28 May 2021 Germany and Namibia sign joint declaration recognizing the genocide 0 cit. After more than five years of negotiation, Germany's government formally recognizes the killings of the Herero and Nama as genocide and pledges 1.1 billion euros over 30 years for infrastructure, land reform, and development projects in affected communities, in what it calls a gesture of recognition of the suffering caused. Germany explicitly rejects the term "reparations" and legal liability, using the language of development aid instead, and the money is to be channeled through the Namibian government rather than paid directly to Herero and Nama descendants. diplomacy / politics ●●●

24 April 2021 Recognition and continued Turkish denial 0 cit. Over decades, more than thirty countries and most genocide scholars formally recognize the killings of 1915 to 1917 as genocide, with the United States doing so in 2021. The Republic of Turkey, successor to the Ottoman Empire, continues to reject the term and disputes the death toll and intent. Historians treat the genocide as documented fact and Turkey's position as state denial, not a competing account of the record. diplomacy / politics ●●

2021 BATUK and the Question of Immunity 3 cit. On paper the UK-Kenya Defence Cooperation Agreement gives Kenya jurisdiction over crimes British soldiers commit against Kenyans off duty, but in practice BATUK personnel have invoked diplomatic immunity to avoid Kenyan investigations and parliamentary summons. Kenya's Parliament voted in 2021 to strip that immunity and Britain rejected the change, so it never took effect. No British soldier has ever been prosecuted in a Kenyan court, including over the unresolved killing of Agnes Wanjiru, which Kenyan lawmakers and victims' families call de facto immunity. Residents around Nanyuki also note that the unit's vehicles carry their own distinctive plates, a small visible mark of a force that operates partly outside ordinary Kenyan rules. diplomacy / politics ●●

2021 UK-Kenya Defence Cooperation Agreement formalises BATUK 0 cit. Kenya ratified a renewed Defence Cooperation Agreement with the United Kingdom, updating an earlier 2015 accord that gives BATUK its legal footing. The treaty sets out the terms for British troops to train in Kenya, including questions of jurisdiction over service members. It confirmed in law a British military presence that had continued unbroken since independence. diplomacy / politics ●●

April 2021 The IMF approves a $2.34 billion programme for Kenya 0 cit. In April 2021 the IMF approved a 38-month programme for Kenya worth about 2.34 billion US dollars under the Extended Fund Facility and Extended Credit Facility. Its stated conditions centred on fiscal consolidation, mainly raising tax revenue and controlling spending to reduce debt. Supporters of the external reading say this conditionality pushed the tax rises that followed, while others attribute the pressure to domestic overspending and waste; both readings are attributed to those who argue them. diplomacy / economy ●●●

October 2021 Governments agree a global minimum tax 0 cit. In October 2021 around 136 countries agreed through the OECD to a minimum corporate tax rate of 15 percent, aimed at limiting the profit-shifting that tax havens enable. It grew out of the OECD's earlier work on base erosion and profit shifting. Supporters called it historic, while critics said the rate was set too low and the deal favoured rich countries. diplomacy / economy ●●●

May 2021 The Independent Panel finds failures on all sides 0 cit. The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, co-chaired by Helen Clark and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, reports that the COVID-19 catastrophe could have been prevented. It faults the WHO for not declaring an emergency sooner and for a lost month of global inaction, while also blaming national governments and the wider alert system. Its verdict spreads responsibility across the WHO and its member states alike. diplomacy / politics / science ●●●

20 January 2021 Biden reverses the US withdrawal 0 cit. On his first day in office, President Joe Biden halts the withdrawal and keeps the United States in the WHO. The move restored American funding and its seat in the organization's governance. It reversed his predecessor's exit before it could take effect. diplomacy / economy / politics ●●●

December 2021 Governments open talks on a pandemic agreement 0 cit. A special session of the World Health Assembly sets up an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to draft a new treaty on preventing and responding to pandemics. The aim is to fix the gaps in cooperation, data sharing, and access to vaccines that the COVID-19 response exposed. The negotiations run for years and are conducted by the member states themselves, not by the WHO secretariat. diplomacy / politics / science ●●●

2021 Britain signs government deals to recruit from red-list countries 0 cit. The UK and Kenya signed a bilateral agreement in 2021 to bring Kenyan nurses into the NHS, and the UK signed a similar memorandum with Nepal in 2022. Both countries were on WHO's safeguards list, and government-to-government deals are the route the UK's own code allows for recruiting from such places. The deals bar recruitment fees and are framed as targeting surplus, unemployed staff. diplomacy / politics / society ●●●

8 September 2022 Charles III becomes Head of the Commonwealth 0 cit. Following Queen Elizabeth II's death, Charles III became King of the United Kingdom and, per the 2018 agreement among Commonwealth leaders, Head of the Commonwealth, an organization of 56 member states covering roughly a third of the world's population. The role carries no governing power over member states. It is largely symbolic, focused on promoting cooperation among members. diplomacy ●●

15 August 2022 France ends its military presence in Mali 0 cit. France completed the withdrawal of its remaining troops from Mali after nearly a decade of deployment, following a rupture with Mali's military government, which had turned to Russian-linked Wagner Group forces instead. The withdrawal marked one of the most significant ruptures in the postcolonial French-African defense relationship since the original 1960s-era accords, and was followed by similar troop withdrawals from Burkina Faso and Niger in subsequent years. diplomacy / war ●●

20 November 2022 The Qatar World Cup opens under sportswashing scrutiny 0 cit. Qatar hosts the first World Cup held in the Middle East and in the northern winter, staging a large-scale opening ceremony while facing sustained criticism over migrant labor conditions and LGBT rights. Human rights organizations documented the case as a clear example of a state using a global sporting event to improve its international image, a practice widely termed sportswashing. diplomacy / politics ●●●

20 November 2022 2022 Qatar World Cup opening ceremony 0 cit. The first World Cup held in the Middle East opened with a ceremony blending Arabic poetry, actor Morgan Freeman, and messages of tolerance, staged amid international criticism over migrant worker deaths during stadium construction and Qatar's human rights record. The event was widely seen as an exercise in national image-building through sport, known in diplomatic circles as sportswashing. culture / diplomacy ●●

December 2022 China and Gulf states discuss oil sales in yuan 0 cit. During a visit by Xi Jinping, China and Gulf oil producers discuss settling some energy sales in yuan rather than dollars, reviving talk of a petroyuan. The idea points at the heart of the petrodollar system, since dollar pricing of oil underpins much of the currency's demand. As of the mid-2020s such deals stayed limited, and Gulf currencies remained pegged to the dollar. diplomacy / economy ●●

14 July 2022 United States and Kenya launch the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership contested 0 cit. Kenya and the United States launch the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership, a negotiating track covering agriculture, digital trade, standards, anti-corruption, and labour, after earlier free-trade talks stalled. It does not include tariff cuts but seeks binding commitments on regulation and governance. Backers frame it as a modern trade relationship, while critics say adopting US-designed rules on data and regulation extends external influence over domestic policy. diplomacy / economy ●●

23 June 2022 African Court orders reparations for the Ogiek 3 cit. In a follow-up judgment the African Court ordered Kenya to pay compensation, return Ogiek ancestral land and formally recognise their community. It set out concrete steps for restitution rather than leaving the earlier ruling as a symbol. Implementation on the ground remained slow and contested, and further evictions were reported even after the order. diplomacy / politics / society ●●

December 2022 The 30x30 target and warnings of mass eviction contested 3 cit. Governments agreed a global goal to protect thirty percent of land and sea by 2030, known as 30x30. Groups including Survival International and Amnesty International warned it could dispossess millions of indigenous and rural people if it followed the fortress model. Supporters said it need not, if it recognised community land rights, but the risk to people like Kenya's Ogiek and pastoralists was real enough to spark alarm. diplomacy / environment / society ●●

20 June 2022 Belgium returns Lumumba's remains to his family 0 cit. Belgium handed back the gold-crowned tooth that a Belgian officer had kept after dissolving Lumumba's body, the only physical remains ever recovered. It was given to his children in a formal ceremony before burial in Congo. The return closed a small part of a long injustice. It came sixty-one years after the killing. diplomacy / society ●●

22 July 2022 EAC appoints Uhuru to facilitate the Nairobi Process for eastern DRC 1 cit. After leaving office, Uhuru Kenyatta was appointed by East African Community heads of state as facilitator of the EAC-led Nairobi Process for peace and security in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The role moved him into regional diplomacy, including dialogue with the DRC government, armed groups, regional states and international partners. His post-presidency therefore continued through conflict mediation rather than full withdrawal. diplomacy / politics / war ●●●●

19 June 2023 High Seas Treaty 0 cit. Agreement under the Law of the Sea convention on conserving marine biodiversity in waters beyond national jurisdiction, enabling high seas marine protected areas. It was adopted after nearly two decades of negotiation. diplomacy / environment / politics ●●●

c. 2023 Namibia seeks to renegotiate the 2021 agreement 0 cit. Namibian President Hage Geingob's government tells Germany the 2021 joint declaration needs to be renegotiated, citing continued objections from Herero and Nama groups over the amount, the "aid not reparations" framing, and their exclusion from direct talks. The agreement remains unratified by Namibia's parliament as of the mid-2020s, leaving the dispute over recognition, compensation, and who has standing to negotiate on behalf of the descendants unresolved. diplomacy / politics ●●

18 December 2023 Kenya signs a bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU 0 cit. After the EAC-wide deal stalled, Kenya concluded and signed its own Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, which entered into force in 2024. Kenya commits to gradually removing tariffs on most EU imports in exchange for continued duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market. Supporters call it secure market access for Kenyan exports; critics warn the reciprocal opening will let subsidized European producers undercut local dairy, cereals and processed food. diplomacy / economy / politics ●●

2023 WHO expands the safeguards list 0 cit. The 2023 update of the safeguards list grew to 55 countries, adding Comoros, Laos, Rwanda, Samoa, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Of the 55, 37 are in the WHO African region. WHO plans to refresh the list every three years. diplomacy / society ●●

October 2024 Britain agrees to hand Chagos sovereignty to Mauritius 0 cit. Britain announced a deal to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while keeping the Diego Garcia military base under a long lease. The agreement was presented as securing the base for decades to come. It confirmed that the strategic purpose of the islands had always been to host Anglo-American military power, even as legal sovereignty changed hands. diplomacy / politics ●●

1 July 2024 EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement enters into force contested 0 cit. The EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement, concluded in June 2023 and signed in December 2023, enters into force, giving Kenyan goods duty-free and quota-free access to the EU market. Kenya opens its own market only partially and gradually under an asymmetric schedule, and takes on commitments on labour, climate, and sustainable development. Defenders call it the most development-friendly EU deal in Africa, while critics argue binding rules on future policy and eventual market opening constrain Kenya's industrial choices. diplomacy / economy ●●●

June 2024 Member states amend the International Health Regulations 0 cit. The World Health Assembly adopts a package of amendments to the International Health Regulations, the binding rules that govern how countries report and respond to health emergencies. The changes add a category of pandemic emergency and strengthen commitments on equity and cooperation. The regulations continue to work through recommendations and national reporting, not through orders imposed on states. diplomacy / politics / science ●●●

c. 2024 Critics say the treaty would override sovereignty contested 0 cit. As the negotiations advance, some politicians and commentators warn that the pandemic agreement and the amended regulations would let the WHO override national sovereignty, impose lockdowns or vaccine mandates, and create a world health government. The texts say the opposite: they affirm that states keep sovereign authority over their own health policy and that the WHO cannot direct governments to enact laws, order lockdowns, or mandate vaccines. The disputes over funding, transparency, and how much power to pool are real, but the strongest sovereignty claims are contradicted by what the documents actually say. diplomacy / politics / society ●●●

20 May 2025 The World Health Assembly adopts the Pandemic Agreement 0 cit. WHO member states adopted the world's first Pandemic Agreement by consensus, with 124 votes in favor, none against, and 11 abstentions. The agreement covers prevention, preparedness, and fairer access to vaccines and treatments in future pandemics. It only takes effect after a further annex is finished and 60 countries ratify it, and its own text says the WHO cannot dictate national laws or health measures. diplomacy / politics / society ●●

20 January 2025 Trump orders a second US withdrawal 0 cit. Returning to office, President Trump signs an executive order to withdraw the United States from the WHO again and to freeze the transfer of US funds. Because the United States has been the largest contributor, the pullout threatens a major hole in the organization's budget and forces it to plan cuts. The one-year notice period sets the exit for early 2026. diplomacy / economy / politics ●●●