International

UN High Commissioner Urges Israel to Repeal Death Penalty Law Targeting Palestinians

UN High Commissioner Volker Türk urged Israel to repeal a law passed on March 30, 2026, reinstating the death penalty with provisions applicable almost exclusively to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The law makes hanging the default penalty for lethal attacks and requires execution within 90 days without pardon opportunity, violating international humanitarian law.

Global Innovation Index 2025 and World Intellectual Property Reports

WIPO released the Global Innovation Index 2025, ranking Switzerland, Sweden, the US, Republic of Korea, and Singapore as the world's most-innovative economies. The report shows slowing growth in innovation investments clouding the innovation forecast. WIPO also released the World Intellectual Property Report 2024, mapping 20 years of global innovation capabilities, and a Patent Landscape Report on Generative AI finding China-based inventors lead in AI patent filings.

AI Data Paradox: Scraping Limits, Copyright, and GDPR Compliance

The OECD AI Wonk Blog published an analysis addressing the AI data paradox—despite global data abundance, AI developers face scarcity of usable training data. The post analyzes a GPAI-associated report on ethical data sharing, examining web scraping limitations, copyright implications, and GDPR compliance for AI training data. Based on 25 interviews and multistakeholder workshops held in 2025.

Madrid System Webinar Series: Q2 2026 Schedule

WIPO announced its Q2 2026 Madrid System webinar series featuring 16 specialized sessions across seven languages from April through June 2026. Sessions cover introduction to international trademark registration, avoiding common filing errors, SME-focused guidance (including a joint session with the European Commission IP Helpdesk), and specialized digital brand protection topics. All sessions are free online webinars with live Q&A.

COVID-19 Vaccine Antigen Composition Data Request for May 2026

WHO's Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC) has issued updated guidance requesting vaccine manufacturers submit immunological, virological, and vaccine effectiveness data ahead of the May 2026 decision-making meeting. The statement updates previous September 2025 guidance and specifies key antisera and antigens of interest including JN.1, KP.2, XEC, LP.8.1, NB.1.8.1, XFG, and BA.3.2 variants. Manufacturers should submit both pre- and post-vaccination antisera analysis for neutralization testing.

ISDA Position Paper on EC Market Integration and Supervision Package Proposal

ISDA published a position paper on March 30, 2026, responding to the European Commission's Market Integration and Supervision Package (MISP) proposal. The paper outlines four key reform recommendations: sequencing of Level 1 and Level 2 legislation effective dates, enhancement of no-action relief processes, inclusion of a secondary competitiveness mandate for ESMA, and provisions addressing supervisory failures and service suspensions. The MISP falls under the EU Savings and Investment Union agenda and is currently subject to political negotiations.

Next Steps on a Much Improved Basel III Endgame

ISDA CEO Scott O'Malia published informal comments on the revised US Basel III endgame proposal, noting it represents a major improvement over the 2023 original. The commentary highlights positive changes including removal of the output floor for market risk under FRTB, adjustments to internal models testing, and recognition of cross-product netting in SA-CCR calculations. However, ISDA flags that the SA-CCR methodology remains overly conservative and calibration needs further refinement.

Gunn Marit Helgesen elected Congress President, new mandates begin

Gunn Marit Helgesen of Norway was elected President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe for a two-and-a-half-year term at the opening of the 50th session in Strasbourg. New national delegations from 46 member states also began their five-year terms of office. Helgesen succeeds Timotej Hrčka (Slovakia) and brings extensive experience from Norwegian local government and the Norwegian Association of local and regional authorities.

129 WTO Members Issue Joint IFD Agreement Ministerial Declaration

At MC14 in Yaoundé, 129 WTO members participating in the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA) issued a joint ministerial declaration affirming commitment to secure timely entry into force and implementation within the WTO framework. Bangladesh's accession brought total parties to 129, representing over three-quarters of WTO membership including 92 developing members (32 African) and 28 least-developed countries.

Council of Europe Discusses Child-Friendly Justice Advancements

The Council of Europe, in collaboration with the European Union, has introduced an assessment tool for child-friendly justice. Pilot projects in Belgium, Poland, and Slovenia have utilized this instrument to assist children involved in legal proceedings.