Progress of cooperation for sustainable development of the greater Mekong subregion and Vietnam's contribution

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) includes the territories of the following countries: China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, established in 1992 because of the common flow of the Mekong River. With the goal of sustainable development, the operation of GMS has made many positive contributions to the general development of the region as well as the socio-economic development of the member countries. The article presents the process of Vietnam joining the GMS since 1992 and being a founding member of this organization with its advantages and limitations. It is a country located in the lower Mekong River, very vulnerable and vulnerable if the GMS cooperation process takes place without sustainability. As a country with a position in the region, a responsible member to the international and regional community, Vietnam participates in the GMS process with the desire to build the GMS into a region of peace and stability and develop. Therefore, overcoming barriers and difficulties, Vietnam has actively enhanced multilateral and bilateral cooperation and has made many positive contributions to GMS cooperation programs and projects. Vietnam's contribution shows the spirit of positive and proactive international integration.

Sustainability Awareness through STEAM+

Innovative technology enterprises have been working closely with OECD countries to address issues related to sustainability. There are many acronyms associated with STEM, e.g. STEM+, incorporating the humanities, community needs, and global concerns indicated by the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the UN. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) supports capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues, including water, energy, climate, oceans, urbanization, transport, science and technology. We prefer to use STEAM+ based on our earlier work, indicating the inclusion of Arts in the curricula to attract female students and interdisciplinarity. Following Briggs’ constructive alignment paradigm with focus on learning objectives, activities, and assessments (LO-A-A) in a STEAM+ curricula, sustainability can be included with critical reflective thinking addressing air pollution, microplastics in the ocean, renewable energy, food wastage, circular economy, poverty etc. The paradigm “Student in Centre and Front (CSF)” discussed in our earlier study promotes the idea of the student as a responsible member in the society giving due attention to pressing socioeconomic issues such as the SDGs. In this paper, means of extending the responsibility of the students in developing awareness of issues related to SDGs through curricula and projects are presented. The focus of this paper is on addressing STEAM+ tuned for awakening interest in SDGs, with some examples from courses held in our universities. Examples are taken from learning activities involving group of students as part of selected courses and projects/problem-based learning (PPBL) with reflective practice.

Framing the New Southbound Policy in Western Media

The New Southbound Policy (NSP) is the key issue in the economic policy agenda of Tsai Ing-wen, the President of the Republic of China. The aim of the article is to examine through the quantitative analysis the content of Western media as well as a group of Asian media outlets about the NSP in order to depict the NSP’s image. Twenty-three websites of newspapers, magazines, radio (Voice of Vietnam) and television (CNA) channels have been under the research process. There are two hundred five research units which were identified as news features concerning the New Southbound Policy. Generally, the idea of New Southbound Policy is simultaneously drawn in the media outlets' content as an economic and political agenda. The NSP was introduced both to reduce the economic dependence from China and to raise Taiwan's international visibility in the Southeast and South Asia region. In such media content, Taiwan has usually been shaped in a positive way as a vibrant democracy and responsible member of international community complying with the important global issues, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goal, e.g., the UN Climate Framework Convention. Eventually, the New Southbound Policy is being framed as a positive concept that shapes attractive Taiwan's image.

Energy and Infrastructure

This chapter examines the changes in Qatar’s energy sector that began prior to the blockade, when the key decision to lift a moratorium on new gas exploration in the North Field was taken, and accelerated in December 2018 with the Qatari withdrawal from OPEC and its decision to prioritize the further expansion of its natural gas reserves. The chapter places energy within the context of the blockade, and analyzes why Qatari policymakers ringfenced the Dolphin pipeline to the UAE and Oman from the rupture in political and economic relations, a move that reinforced the post-blockade effort to portray Qatar as a reliable, rule-of-law partner and responsible member of the international community. The chapter ends with a section that explores how Qatari ‘energy diplomacy’ has evolved since 2017 as Qatar Petroleum entered into a plethora of joint ventures with international partners in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The Main International Law Issues Arising in the Aftermath of World War II

The present chapter provides an extensive analysis of the main foreign policy issues arising for Italy out of the 1947 Peace Treaty—namely the question of South Tyrol, the Free Territory of Trieste and Italy’s Trusteeship over Somalia—and how these issues were dealt with by the Italian international law doctrine. The chapter also deals with the doctrinal debates ensuing from the proliferation of international organizations, including regional ones in the European continent. The analysis shows that Italian authors produced an impressive bulk of literature engaging directly with the major international law issues resulting from the end of World War II; the conclusion reached is that international lawyers were active participants in the national political effort to become a fully fledged, responsible member of the international community and contributed to the understanding of the novel process of European integration as an antidote against conflict and hostilities in the European continent.

The importance of participation in peacekeeping missions for the international position of Poland on the example of the UNIFIL mission

The article includes an analysis of the peace mission in Lebanon with the participation of the Polish Military Contingent. The organizational structure of the military health service securing our soldiers in that mission was also presented, bearing in mind the initial intended use of Polish units in this mission. The article is looking for an answer to the question about the importance of participation in peacekeeping missions of the Polish Armed Forces. It is also a description of the first mission in Lebanon, with a view to the re-participation of Polish troops in the mission at the end of 2019. Poland is considered a responsible member of NATO and the European Union.

CHILDHOOD: WHAT WE UNDERSTAND AND DO NOT UNDERSTAND

"What is childhood?" - an educated person today would answer that childhood is the stage of a child’s growing up to achieve social maturity and becoming a responsible member of society. A person when he/she is at the life period between infancy and youth is not recognized as an adult (Hanson, 2009). Blonsky noted that 33% of a person’s life-span belongs to his/her childhood (Blonskis, 1920). The stages of human childhood are a product of history. These are subject to changes just like thousands of years ago. Historically, childhood is not mainly related to the state of biological maturity, but to the specific social status of a person which manifests itself in the roles of duties and rights of a particular stage of life, with appropriate kinds and forms of activity, as well as responsibility. The 21st century’s socialization theory draws the child's image as an active and competent person, who deserves being allowed to determine his own choices and actions in the process of socialization (Corsaro, 1997, Jamess, Proud, 2013). Researchers (for instance, Woodrow, 1999) highlight that a child is considered to be equivalent to an adult, but in the process of upbringing all its participants have the opportunity to cooperate by sharing power among those being involved and delegating responsibility. Therefore, it is important to get to know what is an image of a modern child in the perception and notions of adults (parents, teachers, other members of society) who are no longer child-carers or currently are not related to this work. What are we ‘adults’ like in the eyes of a child? Dominant research methods: adult written surveys, interviews with children.

Self-Responsibility: Transformations

Self-responsibility is a concept of modern times; however, it has roots going back to ancient times. It points to the accountability of individuals for their actions. Therefore, it presupposes at least some degree of autonomy of the individual as a responsible member of the social fabric. That self-responsibility has changed significantly in modern times, and particularly during recent decades, is the main thesis of this article. In a first part, the concept of (self-)responsibility is examined briefly, and its different dimensions are pointed out. Recent transformations in the notion of self-responsibility are put forward as a hypothesis. Then the central part of this article addresses the question how welfare arrangements have been reorganized in recent decades as a result of the transformations in the concept of self-responsibility. Finally, I mention the main forms of resistance this new type of self-responsibility.

La protección del menor no acompañado solicitante de asilo: entre estado competente y estado responsable = The protection of unaccompanied minors asylum-seekers: between competent state and responsible state

Resumen: Los instrumentos de la segunda generación del Sistema Europeo Común de Asilo (SECA) incorporan el interés superior del menor como consideración primordial. En consonancia con ello prevén medidas de protección de los menores, en particular de los no acompañados, a adoptar primero por el Estado miembro que determina el Estado miembro responsable de decidir sobre la solicitud de asilo, y luego por este mismo. Por su parte, inspirado también en el interés superior del menor el Reglamento Bruselas II bis regula la competencia judicial internacional en materia de responsabilidad parental. Habida cuenta de la convergencia es legítimo preguntarse por las relaciones entre los textos. Si del examen resulta una falta de alineación de los instrumentos susceptible de afectar negativamente a los menores a los que presuntamente quieren proteger será preciso reflexionar sobre cómo resolver los conflictos.Palabras clave: menores no acompañados, solicitud de protección internacional, competencia judicial internacional, Estado miembro responsable, Reglamento Bruselas II bis, Reglamento de Dublín III.Abstract: The Common European Asylum System (CEAS) instruments of second generation incorporate the child’s best interests as a primary consideration. Accordingly, they provide for measures to protect minors, in particular unaccompanied ones, to be adopted firstly by the Member State which determines the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection, and then by the latter Member State. Inspired as well by the best interests of the child, the Brussels II bis regulation sets the rules on international jurisdiction in matters of parental responsibility. The convergence begs the question of the interface between the texts. If the examination results in a lack of alignment among the instruments that may adversely affect the individuals they are meant to protect it will be necessary to reflect on how to resolve the conflict.Keywords: unaccompanied minors, application for international protection, jurisdiction, responsible Member State, Brussels II bis regulation, Dublin III regulation