Trade : Trump administration's first test on plurilateral initiatives at WTO (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The World Trade Organization's General Council (GC) meeting on 18-19 February could test the waters on how the Trump administration will respond to two separate issues on the GC's agenda, namely the incorporations of the Agreement on Electronic Commerce and the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA) into the list of plurilateral agreements under Annex 4 of the Marrakesh Agreement that established the WTO in 1995.

Sudan : UN launches massive $6 billion appeal as famine conditions spread (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
The United Nations and its partners on 17 February launched the humanitarian and refugee response plans for Sudan, appealing for a combined US$6 billion to assist nearly 26 million people inside the country and in the region this year, the largest such appeal in the country's history.

UN : HRC's "think tank" holds its 33rd session from 17 to 21 February (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
The UN Human Rights Council (HRC)'s Advisory Committee, which serves as the human rights body's "think tank", is holding its 33rd session in Geneva from 17 to 21 February.