Current Affairs - International

The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) is a mutual defence pact signed by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in September 2023. The pact is aimed at addressing the pressing issue of jihadism in the Liptako-Gourma region.

The next general elections in Pakistan are scheduled to be held in the last week of January 2024. The elections were initially scheduled for October 2023 but were postponed due to the early exit of the Shehbaz Sharif government and the need for a comprehensive census.

The African Union plans to launch its own credit ratings agency in response to concerns about biased credit assessments for African nations. This initiative aims to offer a fairer evaluation of lending risks in African countries and attract more investments to the continent in the coming year.

The G77+China summit concluded on September 20, 2023, in Havana, Cuba, with a call for a new global order that is more just and equitable. The summit was attended by leaders from 134 developing countries, as well as representatives from the United Nations and other international organizations. In the closing declaration, the G77+China leaders called for a "new international economic order" that is "based on the principles of equity, justice, and solidarity."

Iran released five prisoners in a swap deal with the US on September 19, 2023. The swap deal was negotiated over a period of months and was seen as a major breakthrough in relations between the two countries. It was the first time that the US and Iran had released prisoners in a swap deal since 2016.