Suchergebnisse

Food security largely determines stability of the entire economic system. Belarus is one of the states with self-sufficient production of food resources, and has also arranged a significant export potential in agri-food sector of economy. Experts from various international organizations, as well as thematic divisions of media companies, analyze the global food situation, including the one in Belarus. In this regard, third parties' views on the Belarusian model of food security, its position in global rating, identification of strengths and weaknesses, comparison with the most successful states are of particular interest, which determined the study relevance. The article presents systematic analysis of the main international food safety ratings. A range of international assessments of efficiency of ensuring food security in the Republic of Belarus, as well as its structural elements are analyzed. Results and findings of foreign experts are compared with own techniques and methodological approaches to assessing the national food security of the Republic of Belarus. It has been determined that the Republic of Belarus was in the 36th place in the world or 20th place in the European region according to the GFSI index. At the same time, over the past two years, the country's global position has increased by 12 points due to a significant improvement in terms of physical availability of food, as well as high indicators previously achieved in terms of economic accessibility, quality and safety of agricultural raw materials and finished foodstuffs. It has been noted that approaches to ensuring food security of the Republic of Belarus were highly appreciated by foreign experts. Use of the proposed results and proposals in practice will determine the prospects for increasing efficiency of ensuring the country's food security, in particular, via improvement of economic and physical accessibility, as well as achieving the goal of the Doctrine of National Food Security of the Republic of Belarus until 2030. Acknowledgments. The research was carried out as part of the state program of scientific research "Quality and Efficiency of Agroindustrial Production" for 2016-2020, subprogram 1 "AIC Economy", as well as in accordance with the provisions, criteria and parameters of the Doctrine of National Food Security of the Republic of Belarus until 2030, approved by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated December 15, 2017 No. 962.

"We live in a world that is increasingly dependent on international trade in a context of substantial regional/national political tensions. Adding to this is an emerging understanding and concern about the social impact of biosecurity and ecosystem services risks associated with such trade. As the key international trade 'arbiter', the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has never before faced such complexity within its decision-making remit. With increasing numbers of bilateral and regional agreements, as well as new developments emerging such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) initiated by multi-national corporations in 2018, the WTO needs to implement ways of reinforcing its legitimacy and enhancing its relevance. This book provides an original analysis of these linked developments and delivers a timely contribution to resolving environment-related international trade disputes. It provides a clear roadmap for improving WTO trade dispute resolution procedures so both biosecurity and ecosystem services risks are considered in evaluating the social, economic and environmental impacts of international trade proposals. In so doing, the WTO should deliver enhanced multilateral social welfare."

The recent proliferation of multilateral environmental agreements sug gests that states have come to assume that such agreements, and resulting institutions, are effective. There is disagreement in the international rela tions theoretical literature, however, about whether membership in an inter national regime causes states to change their behaviors in ways they would not in the absence of the regime. This paper examines the behavior of Japan as a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), and concludes that regimes, by changing the memberstate's cost/benefit calculation of a potential behaviorchange, can make a difference, but do not always do so. In Japan's case, CITES participation did lead to unexpected cessation of trade in elephant ivory and endangered sea turtle shells, but will not likely affect Japan's trade behavior regarding most marine species-including whales-and commercially impor tant tropical timber. The findings differ from the realist contention that regimes merely serve to codify existing balance of power relationships between sovereign states, and do not cause states to change their behaviors. The findings also differ from the institutionalist position that regimes represent a voluntary surrender of some degree of national sovereignty, and suggest that a regime's effectiveness will be limited by the political and economic sensitivity of the behavior changes it demands.

The book offers insights on whether international law can shape the politics of the Security Council and, conversely, the extent to which the latter contribute to the development of international law. By providing a systematic analysis of the quantity and quality of international legal instruments referred to in the text of resolutions, the book reconstructs patterns of the Security Council's behavioural regularities and assesses them against the provisions of the United Nations Charter, which establishes its mandate. The analysis is divided into three periods - the origins and Cold War period, post-Cold War period and the twenty-first century - and assesses the resolutions passed in each period by thematic category. The book argues that while international law plays an important role in shaping the politics of the Security Council, the Council's resolutions do not contribute significantly to the development of international law.