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Organizing an international conference at UN level usually requires at least one year preparation. But, this time the UN has acted quickly to strengthen South-South economic cooperation and decided only last month to host an international conference in Nairobi in December 2009. The conference aims to intensify trade, finance and investment flows among developing countries.

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The UN has announced it will relocate 600 of its 1,100 staff in Afghanistan following a Taliban raid on a UN guest house that left 8 people dead. The "non-essentials" employees will be moved to safer parts of Afghanistan and Dubai. The relocation comes at a time of growing doubt about the international strategy in Afghanistan and shows how much security has degraded in the country. While the UN says it remains committed to Afghanistan, in private UN officials admit that the guest house attack came close to meeting the organization's threshold for a general evacuation of the country.

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Following criticism by Human Rights Watch and other rights groups, the UN has reaffirmed its support for operations of the Congolese army aimed at disarming the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). While the UN withdrew its support for some units of the army believed to have killed at least 62 civilians, it claims that a complete withdrawal would do more harm than good. The UN argues that its ongoing support for the Congolese army operations allows peacekeepers to better protect civilians and train Congolese soldiers in a policy of zero tolerance.

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Many US citizens used to keep their money in Swiss banks to evade taxes. But in August 2009, the US government asked Swiss banks to provide the names of suspected US tax dodgers. Afraid that European governments might do the same, European clients - a third of Switzerland's lucrative private-banking - are bringing their money back home. This could permanently change the secretive world of offshore banking.

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British Petroleum and CNPC -  a major Chinese company  - have signed an agreement with the Iraqi Oil Ministry to develop the Rumaila oil field. The contract gives the companies $2 for every barrel extracted. Although ownership of the field remains in Iraqi hands, BP's involvement has sparked accusations of "colonialism". On a different level, several Iraqi MPs believe the deal is illegal, claiming that parliament, rather than the Oil Ministry, should have the final say in oil transactions.

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Parties to international trade disputes do not usually share dispute information with the public. However, five NGOs have gained the right to access the outcome documents of an international trade arbitration between a group of European investors and the government of South Africa. The majority of trade disputes are still closed to the public. Some other non-disputing parties have had access to pleadings in investor-state disputes under the NAFTA. This latest development involving South Africa is a promising step towards transparency in investor-state arbitrations.

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As civil society has grown in number and influence, initiatives in self-regulation have increased. NGOs use self-regulation for building public trust, protecting their political space and sharing good practice. Self-regulation is much more developed in Western countries, whereas it is largely absent in developing countries due to governments’ heavy control. (One World Trust)