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Global Events Forecast - June 2018

1 June 2018

Every month, the GGI compiles a list of upcoming international events that have some implications for its work. Here is a compilation of global meetings and events coming up in June 2018.

Global Events Forecast - June 2018

 

1-3 June

Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore

Senior defence and security officials from more than 50 countries will attend the 17th annual Shangri-La Dialogue which takes place in Singapore from 1-3 June. Hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the event aims to build confidence and foster dialogue and practical security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. This year's keynote address will be delivered by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

3 June

Parliamentary elections in Slovenia 

Slovenes will head to the polls on 3 June to elect a new parliament. Former Prime Minister Janez Janša and his Slovenian Democratic party (SDS) are leading in opinion polls. International observers have voiced concerns that Janša's victory "would add another staunchly anti-migration voice around the EU leaders' table."

8 June

Election of non-permanent UN Security Council members

On 8 June, the UN General Assembly is scheduled to elect five non-permanent Security Council members. Indonesia and the Maldives are contesting the single Asia-Pacific Group seat, while the other four candidates - Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Germany and South Africa - will run unopposed after Israel withdrew its candidacy for a seat last month.

8-9 June

G7 Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada

From 8-9 June, the Group of 7 (G7) will convene for their annual meeting, this year under the presidency of Canada. The 2018 meeting is overshadowed by a number of divisive issues, from the unilateral implementation of US tariffs on steel and aluminium to US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal.

11 June

High-Level UNGA Meeting on Financing the SDGs 

On 11 June, UN General Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák will convene a high-level Meeting on Financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Under the theme "Financing for SDGs - Breaking the Bottlenecks of Investment, from Policy to Impact", the event brings together different stakeholders to "address the challenges and bottlenecks that block the private investment towards SDG sectors and elaborate the role of the United Nations in strengthening public-private partnerships."

12 June

Potential US-North Korea Summit 

Preparations are underway for a historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un despite Trump's earlier announcement that the meeting is cancelled. After a meeting with high-profile North Korean official Kim Yong Chol in New York, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said preparations for talks were "moving in the right direction" but that there is "a great deal of work to do". The meeting, scheduled to happen in Singapore, would be the first between a serving US president and a North Korean leader.  

14 June - 15 July

FIFA World Cup in Russia

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will kick off on 14 June with the opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. This year's World Cup is taking place in a difficult political climate, with relations between Russia and the West severely strained in light of recent events, including the use of chemical weapons in Syria, the Ukraine conflict, and the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK. 

15 June / mid-June

US may impose tariffs on Chinese imports 

The United States has announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on USD 50 billion worth of Chinese imports in an effort to reduce its massive trade deficit with China. The final list of imports that will be subject to tariffs will be published by 15 June, according to the White House. The announcement came ahead of new negotiations aimed at avoiding a trade war between the world's two largest economies.

17 June

Presidential run-off elections in Colombia

Last month's presidential elections in Colombia did not produce an outright winner, setting the stage for a run-off between right-wing candidate Ivan Duque, who secured 39% of votes in the first round, and left-wing Gustavo Petro, who came second with 25%. The election may have important implications for the peace process in Colombia as Duque has pledged to overhaul the 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) which offered most former fighters an amnesty and de facto immunity from prosecution. 

24 June

Presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey  

On 24 June, snap presidential and parliamentary elections will take place simultaneously in Turkey. Although President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development party (AKP) are expected to win both elections, the opposition appears to have picked up momentum, with polls suggesting that the AKP may struggle to get a parliamentary majority and that presidential election may be decided in a run-off. The elections had originally been scheduled for November but were pulled forward by Erdogan in a move widely thought to have been prompted by concerns about the weak Turkish economy.  

24 June

Saudi Arabia to lift ban on women driving 

Saudi Arabia is set to lift its ban on women driving on 24 June, following a royal decree issued by King Salman in September last year. Women will no longer need permission from a legal guardian to get a licence or need a guardian in the car while driving. While this step has been internationally welcomed, there are also concerns that the plight of women's rights activists that campaigned for the ban to be lifted has been ignored

28-29 June

EU Council Summit

The upcoming European Council summit on 28-29 June is seen as a key moment for the talks between the UK and the EU over their post-Brexit relationship. The British government has announced that it will publish a White Paper ahead of the meeting, setting out for the first time in detail plans for its future relationship with the EU. 

Notable Anniversaries and International Days
  • 5 June: This year's World Environment Day takes place under the theme "Beat Plastic Pollution."
  • 8 June: World Ocean Day
  • 17 June: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
  • 19 June: International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
  • 20 June: World Refugee Day
  • 23 June: On the second anniversary of the Brexit vote in the UK, campaigners for a new referendum on the Brexit deal are preparing to stage the "biggest ever pro-European march" in London.
  • 26 June: International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 
  • 26 June: International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking