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Global Events Forecast - October 2018
28 September 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 October 2018.
| 1-6 October | WHO Conference on Framework Convention on Tobacco Control State representatives, experts and other officials are set to gather in Geneva from 1-6 October for the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to discuss the future of tobacco control in the context of the Sustainable Developments Goals. COP8 will also convene a High-level Segment on Tobacco Control and Global Climate Action for the first time. |
| 7 October | Brazilian presidential elections (1st round) The first round of presidential elections in Brazil is scheduled for 7 October. With far-right Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party (PSL) and Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers' Party pulling ahead in the polls, they are expected to face each other in a second round runoff, scheduled for 28 October. The presidential race has been tense, divisive and chaotic, especially after Bolsonaro – who has been described as ‘Brazil's Donald Trump’ – was stabbed during a campaign event in early September. |
7 October | Presidential elections in Cameroon Presidential elections will take place in Cameroon on 7 October. Opposition parties have failed to agree on a single candidate to challenge incumbent president Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982. The elections are taking place in a volatile context as separatist violence has been on the rise in Cameroon’s anglophone regions. |
| 7 October | Bosnian general elections Bosnians will head to the polls for general elections on 7 October amid concerns over increasingly ethnically divisive rhetoric and irregularities with the election roll. Analysts have described the vote as a key moment, with Bosnia either pursuing a path towards EU and NATO integration or sliding further towards disintegration. |
| 8-14 October | IMF-Word Bank annual meeting This year’s annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group will take place from 8-14 October in Bali Nusa Dua, Indonesia. The meeting will bring together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, parliamentarians, private sector and civil society representatives to discuss the state of the global economy and the global financial system, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness. |
| 10-12 October | Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London Wildlife crimes such as the illegal hunting and trading of elephants, rhinos and other animals is currently one of the major issues in conservation. The London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade, taking place in London from 10-11 October, gathers leaders from different sectors to galvanise concerted global action to bring the surge in illegal wildlife trade to an end. |
| 18 October | European Council Summit European Union leaders will meet in Brussels on 18 October for what European Council President Donald Tusk has described as the “moment of truth” for Brexit negotiations. Both the EU and the UK are stepping up preparations for a possible no-deal scenario after EU leaders rejected Theresa May’s Chequers proposals in Salzburg in September. |
| 20 October | Afghan parliamentary elections Campaigning has begun for Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections on 20 October amid new waves of attacks carried out by the Taliban and the Islamic State and concerns over possible election fraud. |
| 24-25 October | Talks on WTO reform in Canada A small group of trade ministers will gather in Ottawa, Canada, from 24-25 October to discuss a proposal for WTO reform. The working group will include trade ministers from the European Union and a dozen other WTO member states but not the United States or China. The WTO has been under increasing reform pressure since US President Donald Trump blocked the reappointment of WTO judges and threatened to withdraw from the body. |
| 26 October | Irish presidential election Irish presidential election are scheduled for 26 October, with five challengers taking on incumbent president Michael D. Higgins, who is widely expected to be returned for a second term. Also taking place on the same day is a referendum on removing the offence of blasphemy from the Irish constitution. |
| 29 October | Trial start for Juliana v. United States 29 October has been set as the trial date for a landmark federal climate change lawsuit against the US governmental, brought by 21 youth plaintiffs. This case is significant as the Juliana plaintiffs seek to establish a positive obligation for the US government to act on climate change under the public trust doctrine. |
| 29 October | UK autumn budget The Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond will deliver the UK Budget on 29 October. This year’s Budget will be unveiled earlier than usual to avoid clashing with the final stages of Brexit talks. |
| In October (date TBC) | Pompeo to return to North Korea for talks US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accepted an invitation to return to Pyongyang next month, after meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The trip will be used to prepare for a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and further progress on North Korea’s denuclearisation commitments. |
| In October (date TBC) | Four-way summit on situation in Idlib, Syria The leaders of Germany, Turkey, Russia and France have agreed to hold a summit on the situation in war-ravaged Syria. |
| Notable Anniversaries and International Days |
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