The ESCAIDE 2020 plenaries and sessions will focus on issues shaping infectious disease epidemiology & microbiology in the next decade and beyond, with a special focus on the latest research concerning COVID-19, food-and waterborne diseases, HIV and sexually transmitted infections, vaccine-preventable diseases, influenza and respiratory viruses, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and emerging diseases.
The aims of the conference include the sharing of scientific knowledge and experience in areas applied to infectious disease epidemiology and public health microbiology, as well as discussing and debating scientific advances and current public health challenges. The conference also aims at strengthening and expanding the human network of those in this field, including fellows and students.
ESCAIDE will have plenary debates looking at different aspects of COVID-19, from the shape and direction of the pandemic, to how countries have responded. Key speakers include Maria van Kerkhove (WHO), Andrea Ammon (ECDC), George Fu Gao (China CDC), Anders Tegnell (Public Health Agency, Sweden), Francesco Maraglino (Italian Ministry of Health), Devi Sridhar (University of Edinburgh) and Gabrielle Breugelmans (CEPI). The full programme of keynote sessions, plenaries, abstract presentations is available on the ESCAIDE website.
Over 1500 participants are expected to attend, including epidemiologists, microbiologists, public health professionals, clinicians, veterinarians, science journalists, statisticians, social scientists and policy makers.
The conference is held between 24-27 November 2020 and is this year organised as an online event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Visiting Fellow, Tibet Policy Institute for The Tribune. Read the article here.
QINGHAI-TIBET TRAIN: Building the railway is a major part of China’s strategy-oriented infrastructural development spree in Tibet.
Since its occupation of Tibet in 1950, all major infrastructure development in this region has been driven by China’s strategic calculations and security needs for consolidating its control over Tibet and secure its position on the long Himalayan borders with India, Nepal and Bhutan. From the construction of highways and bridges in the early years of its entry to Tibet, to bringing railway connections to the major cities of Tibet, including capital Lhasa, in 2006, Beijing’s emphasis on building strategic infrastructure has been consistent and consequential. In addition to cementing its grip over Tibet, the long disputes over the border with India and to some extent with Bhutan add the extra strategic impetus in spurring a strategy-oriented infrastructural spree in Tibet.
It is in this context that the recent statement of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping on the Ya’an-Nyingtri section of Sichuan-Tibet Railway is made —and, in fact, is to be analysed and understood. Xi made three key points on why the new railway matters in governing Tibet as a means for “safeguarding national unity, promoting ethnic solidarity and consolidating stability in the border.” An attempt is made here to decode Xi’s statement and analyse it in the broader political and strategic context of China’s colonial project in Tibet as well as its contestation with India.
First, Xi’s euphemism of ‘safeguarding national unity’ means to further the integration of Tibet into the Chinese system and big infrastructures, like the railway lines, are often seen as powerful tools to project power to far periphery regions and govern them from the metropolis. From Beijing’s perspective, the railway lines in Tibet not only strengthen the scale and speed of force deployment and movement of military assets in the case of a major political and security contingency in Tibet, but also its ability to exploit Tibet’s vast natural resources, such as lithium and chromite, which are abundant in the region where the new railway line crosses.
Second, to strip its political coat, ‘promoting ethnic solidarity’ implies the assimilationist role of the railways in mingling and melting Tibetans into the Chinese way of life and culture, like language and values, which has increasingly been aggressive under Xi Jinping’s power. This is because unlike the inconvenient road or expensive airway, the railway has the advantage of freighting a large number of people or goods to long distances at cheaper and faster rates. In the context of China’s assimilationist policy, the new railway connection is to play a greater role in bringing more Chinese, from miners and migrant workers to businessmen, to work and settle in Tibet — preferably in the border areas like Nyingtri.
Xi’s statement also indicates that China wants the Tibetans not only to see the railway lines as a positive development that they should welcome, but also feel it as an expression of solidarity from a supposedly advanced big Chinese brother. Here, the railway being the gift of development, and therefore, the obligational need of Tibetans to feel and appreciate the ‘Chinese generosity’. What is missing is the agency of Tibetans in choosing whether they really need a railway line and where they need it. The issue is that they not only have to accept it, but they also have to be indebted for it.
Third, the idea that the railway as an instrument to ‘consolidate stability’ at the disputed border with India does not mean maintaining stability as peace with the status quo. In fact, the expression is contradicting itself in that, if one party attempts to alter the status quo at the border, then the other will challenge it which will lead to more instabilities not only at the border per se, but also within the bilateral relationships as well as at the multilateral levels. This has indeed been the case with Doklam in 2017 and even more so with Ladakh today. The term ‘stability’ has to be understood as stable due to domination at the border rather than stability as peace agreed upon by the two nations.
Therefore, from a realistic perspective, strategic infrastructure like the railway as a tool for consolidating supremacy in the disputed territories implies both an offensive posture as well as a defence mechanism. Offensive because in the event of a border war with India, the new railway will fundamentally boost the manoeuvring capability of Chinese troops and weapons to be moved within a short time on a larger scale than it was possible before. Strategic development and strategic connections to frontier areas are meant to enhance China’s strategic advantage vis-a-vis India in order to score a long-term edge over the latter as a resolution to the boundary dispute appears to be more challenging, with leaders from both sides vowing to defend every inch of what they perceived to be their respective territories.
The defensive role comes with the huge capacity of the railway in transferring more Chinese people to work and settle in towns and villages at the border. China is constructing new towns and enlarging old ones to increase the population size at the border by forcibly relocating Tibetan nomads and farmers to Lhoka and Ngari, which are respectively adjacent to Arunachal in the east and Ladakh in the west. With the development of more economic opportunities like tourism, mining and constructions in the border areas, it also encourages Chinese settlers to put their root there to defend the motherland. In the long term, the growth of Chinese settlements at the border regions can be used as a civilian bulwark to fortify Beijing’s position on what its military can annex/control territories at the border.
In a nutshell, regardless of some of the positive side-effects of the new railway for the local Tibetans, the fundamental logic of the Chinese state, as Xi Jinping pointed out, is to integrate Tibet, assimilate its people and secure a dominant position in the boundary disputes with India.
European Union chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel heralded “a new beginning” of EU-US relations on Monday during phone conversations with President-elect Joe Biden.
Von der Leyen, the Commission President, said she congratulated Biden on his victory during their phone call.
“It is a new beginning for the EU-US global partnership,” she wrote on Twitter, adding that a “strong EU and a strong US working together can shape the global agenda based on cooperation, multilateralism, solidarity and shared values.”
Charles Michel, who presides over the EU Council, said he invited the soon-to-be 46th US President “to a special meeting in Brussels next year” with the bloc’s head of states.
“Let’s rebuild a strong EU-USA alliance,” he added. “Now is the time to join forces on COVID-19, climate, security, and multilateralism.”
The phone calls took place as the US General Services Administration recognised Biden as the “apparent president-elect” — 21 days after the election — thus setting the transition in motion.
Earlier this month, Biden already spoke with several EU leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron, and Germany’s Angela Merkel. Both said they planned to work on “shared priorities” and “global challenges” with the new administration including climate change.
Tensions between Brussels and Washington increased under the administration of Donald Trump, who pulled his country out of the 2015 Paris Agreement for the Climate and the landmark Iran nuclear deal. He also said the US was being “ripped off” by the EU, and imposed tariffs on European exports.
The bloc retaliated with its own set of tariffs on around $4 billion (3.4 billion) worth of US goods. Hopes are that Biden’s election will allow for negotiations to resume and for relations to normalise once more.
An overwhelming majority of German people — 79 per cent — rated the relationship between their country and the US as either “very bad” or “rather bad” in a survey carried out in September and released on Monday.
Nearly the same proportion of the 1,058 respondents assumed that transatlantic relations will normalise under Joe Biden’s presidency.
Washington was also described as “not a partner” to Berlin by a majority of respondents when it came to issues including climate protection, promoting free trade, protecting human rights and democracy and dealing with China.
“The last four years have been an enormous test of the transatlantic relationship. The fact that the majority of Germans expect normalisation under Joe Biden shows, however, that the damage caused is not irreparable,” Nora Muller, head of International Politics at the Korber Foundation, said on the survey’s results.
Biden also exchanged with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Monday.
Stoltenberg said in a statement that he “thanked President-elect Biden for being a long-standing supporter of NATO and the transatlantic relationship.”
“They discussed the importance of our transatlantic Alliance as the cornerstone of our collective security,” he added.
Trump had previously described the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as “obsolete” and threatened to pull the US out of it.
Modern IT equipment and high-speed internet for primary and secondary schools across Serbia.
50000 teachers to improve their digital skills and 700 new jobs to be created.
Investment enables equal and inclusive access to digital education for all and uninterrupted e-teaching during crisis situations such as COVID-19.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will invest €65 million in the modernisation of primary and secondary schools in Serbia to provide new digital equipment, connectivity, and capacity building training for 50 000 school teachers. The investment from the EU bank will support Serbia’s national education strategy, upgrade digital capacities in Serbian schools and contribute to economic and productivity growth, youth employability and the advancement of the country’s innovative capacity.
Schools across Serbia will benefit from modern computer classroom equipment and wireless local area networks, and 50 000 teachers will be trained to improve their digital skills. The project is expected to create up to 700 new jobs.
This investment is part of the EIB’s Economic Resilience Initiative and will ensure equal and inclusive access to digital education for pupils in Serbia, creating equal education opportunities in rural and urban areas, and empowering young people with digital skills to prepare them for a competitive labour market.
Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova, responsible for the EIB’s activities in Serbia, said: “Modern, effective education and digital literacy creates new opportunities in life for young people, and makes them competitive on the modern job markets. A strong digital economy is vital for innovation, growth, jobs and competitiveness. Today, this is one of the key enablers of growth and prosperity in countries around the world. Finally, schools in advanced phases of digitalisation have proven more efficient in challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU bank is pleased to be able to contribute to a more resilient Serbia, capable of operating efficiently even in the most difficult of times. The European Investment Bank looks forward to continuing its support for Serbia and its transition into a digital, sustainable and innovative economy.”
The Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia Tatjana Maticstated: “The project that aims to digitize the education system is a priority for the Government of Serbia. Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications and the Ministry of education, science and technology development of the Republic of Serbia started the “Connected Schools” Project implementation in 2019. This EIB investment will allow major benefits of the project to reach all schools in Serbia. MoTTT will be able to benefit from it. The Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications is advancing with the construction of a standardised and sustainable wireless local area network in all schools and the comprehensive improvement of national academic network communication infrastructure, while the Ministry of Education is providing digital equipment in a synchronised manner and thus creating the infrastructure base for the development of the digitalised classrooms, teaching and learning process. Providing modern IT equipment and high-speed internet, as well as the improving teachers’ digital skills will further contribute to digital education, which is necessary pillar of the cotemporary, sustainable and strong society, especially in the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This project will contribute to bridging the digital divide, raising digital literacy and competitiveness in the digital age, and expand the base for IT industry growth. All young people must be given an equal chance to gain competencies that will enable them to make the same choices as their peers in developed digital economies.”
Sem Fabrizi, EU Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, said: “COVID-19 has obliged the whole world to go digital. Mastering digital competence has become more than ever crucial for learning, work and active participation in society, as well as for acquiring other key competencies such as communication, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and languages. This comprehensive EIB investment in digital school infrastructure and digital skills of teachers across Serbia comes at a critical time in the modernisation of the Serbian education system. It is an integral part of the European Union’s overall efforts that the EU has already made in the education system in Serbia. With more than €100 million so far, the European gold standards and best practices have been integrated in the Serbian education system, many generations of students will be benefiting and thus creating active citizens of the future.”
The EIB will provide a significant level of technical support in aid of project preparation and implementation. To date, the EIB has invested €50 million in the modernisation of Serbian schools, improving the quality of learning conditions for around 28 000 primary and secondary school children in over 200 education facilities in Serbia. €200 million has been invested in reviving Serbia’s research and development sector, creating a long-term platform for scientific development in all major areas. For more information about this project, please visit the following link: https://www.eib.org/en/stories/serbia-digital-education.
Background information
About the EIB in Serbia:
The EIB has been active in Serbia since 1977. Since 2001, we have been providing finance to support key infrastructure projects, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), industry, services and local authorities. To date, 83 projects have been financed and over €6 billion invested in SMEs and in transport, education, healthcare and utility infrastructure. For more information regarding the EIB’s projects in Serbia, please refer to: https://www.eib.org/en/projects/regions/enlargement/the-western-balkans/serbia/index.htm
About the EIB in the Balkans:
The EIB is one of the leading international financiers in the Western Balkans. Since 2007, the Bank has financed projects totalling almost €8 billion in the region. Alongside its continued support for the reconstruction and upgrade of public infrastructure, since 2010 the EIB has expanded into many new areas, such as healthcare, research and development, education and SMEs.
About Team Europe and the COVID-19 response in the Western Balkans:
As part of the #TeamEurope strategy, the EU’s global response to COVID-19, the EIB Group has rapidly mobilised €5.2 billion outside the EU, accelerating financing and targeted technical assistance. For the Western Balkan countries, the EIB has prepared an immediate support package of €1.7 billion, primarily for SMEs and the healthcare sector. The total EU financial support package for the Western Balkans amounts to more than €3.3 billion. For more information: www.eib.org/en/press/all/2020-111-eib-group-to-contribute-eur1-7-billion-to-the-eu-s-covid-19-response-package-for-the-western-balkans
The establishment of a new central body against sexual abuse in the Church, the review of Church governance in Australia and the COVID-19 pandemic will be the main topics of discussion of the Australian Catholic Bishops second Plenary Assembly of this year. The four-day meeting, starting on November 24, was originally planned in Melbourne, but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bishops will gather on-line instead, as they did in their first session in May.
Among the items on the agenda is the establishment of a new national agency with responsibility for all areas of safeguarding and professional standards to prevent sexual abuse in the Church. The new agency, which is expected to commence its work early in 2021, will replace the Catholic Professional Standards Limited (CPSL) established by the Australian Bishops in 2016 to improve child protection. It will also take over tasks carried out by other Catholic agencies dealing with sexual abuse. “Building on the excellent work of existing agencies, this consolidation of roles and responsibilities currently carried out by several offices will create a more effective and efficient means of tackling these critical issues,” Bishops Conference president Archbishop Mark Coleridge said.
Bishops will also review the new National Response Protocol, which will create consistent, survivor-centred practices for investigation of historical and contemporary complaints and allegations of child sexual abuse. The Protocol was developed with the contribution of various stakeholders, including survivors. According to Archbishop Coleridge it “will allow people with complaints or allegations to see them handled in the same way anywhere within the country and regardless of when or where the abuse is said to have occurred”.
Impact of Covid-19 on Church life
Another item of discussion will be the COVID-19 and its impact on Church life. Bishops will look into the pastoral response of the Australian Church to the crisis.
Church governance
Finally, the meeting will review Church governance in Australia. It will examine the final version of the report entitled “The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia”, which was presented to the Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia last August. The review of diocesan and parish governance and management was asked for by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
European Commission Speech Brussels, 24 Nov 2020 Thank you Melinda, and good morning everyone.
It is a privilege to be speaking at such an important event, especially as we find ourselves on the cusp of someth…
