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The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996, otherwise known as the Helms-Burton Act, became law on March 12, 1996. Title III of the legislation creates a federal cause of action, on behalf of U.S. citizens whose property was confiscated without compensation by Cuba, against those who "traffic" in that property. Several governments—notably Canada, Mexico and those of the European Union, whose corporate citizens are the principal "traffickers"—have denounced the legislation as an exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction that violates customary international law. These governments apparently see nothing wrong with permitting—even encouraging—their nationals to use and profit from property that rightfully belongs to others. The United States not only commands the moral high ground on this issue; it also has the better of the legal argument.

Since 1 January 2021 the UK has moved out of the implementation period for its withdrawal from the European Union (EU) and it is an appropriate time to reflect on the way forward for the UK in developing private international law. This article considers the practical steps that the UK should take in the near future. There is significant work that the UK can do to progress its commitment to the "progressive unification of the rules of private international law" by improving its commitment to the effective functioning of several key Conventions concluded by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Some of these steps can and should be taken immediately, notably accepting the accessions of other States to the Hague Evidence and Child Abduction Conventions and extending the scope of the UK's ratification of the Adults Convention to England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. Other things require more consultation and time but there are great opportunities to provide leadership in the world by ratifying the Hague Judgments Convention 2019 and, when implementing that Convention which is based on minimum harmonisation, providing leadership in the Commonwealth by implementing, at least to some extent, the Commonwealth Model Law on Recognition and Enforcement of Civil and Commercial Judgments. Within the UK, as a demonstration of best constitutional practice, intergovernmental cooperation between the UK Government and the devolved administrations should take place to consider how intra-UK private international law could be reformed learning the lessons from the UK Supreme Court's highly divided decision in Villiers. Such work should involve the best of the UK's experts (from each of its systems of law) on private international law from academia, the judiciary and legal practice. Doing so, would avoid accusations that Brexit will see a UK run by generalists who give too little attention and weight to the views of experts.

Climate change is a major challenge facing the agriculture sector in Tanzania. The impacts of climate change on agriculture have been documented in several government reports, projects, and policies (URT, 2017, 2013, 2014, 2015; URT, 2007). Small-scale farmers are the most affected; their livelihoods are primarily agriculture-based, with relatively low adaptive capacity. Historical climate information shows that temperatures have significantly increased in recent years, while precipitation has remarkably decreased (URT, 2014). Associated effects of these changes include geographic shifts of agro-ecological zones (AEZs), rainfall variability, prolonged dry spells, and reduction of water volumes in rivers, lakes, and other water bodies. Climate projections indicate that the adverse effects of climate change are expected to increase in magnitude in the coming years. Temperatures are likely to increase by 1.4°C by 2030 and 2.1°C by 2070; the northwest and west are likely to experience faster warming (CIAT; World Bank, 2017). Of all economic sectors, agriculture is the most affected. Among employees of the agricultural sector, small-scale farmers are the most vulnerable. At the same time, the agriculture sector is also a major contributor to climate change.

This item is part of the Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements (PRISM) digital collection, a collaborative initiative between Florida Atlantic University and University of Central Florida in the Publication of Archival, Library & Museum Materials (PALMM).