Our Scans · (LF.16) Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

• [New] The South Korean official apparently asked Russia to play a constructive role in ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula, with Seoul looking to reopen dialog with North Korea in 2026 and efforts being made to end the war in Ukraine. Yonhap News Agency
• [New] The estimated €136 billion of budget support needed by Ukraine in 2026 and 2027 is a relatively fixed figure regardless of whether any peace initiative comes to fruition. The Conversation
• [New] The Kremlin has consistently indicated that it will reject any peace deals that offer reliable security guarantees for Ukraine, and is highly unlikely to accept a settlement that contains any provisions safeguarding Ukrainian territorial integrity. Critical Threats
• [New] European leaders are expected to cement support for Ukraine Monday as it faces Washington's pressure to swiftly accept a U.S.-brokered peace deal. The American Legion
• [New] The Kremlin is unwilling to accept the original 28-point peace plan but that Russia will instead demand further modifications should Ukraine agree to it. Critical Threats
• [New] Russia has already made it clear that it will not accept, as part of any peace deal, NATO membership for Ukraine. The National Interest
• [New] The peace deal envisaged economic co-operation between DR Congo and Rwanda, including on hydro-electric power, mining and infrastructure development - something that the US hopes would pave the way for American companies to increase investments in the mineral-rich region. BBC News
• [New] A murky outlook for a peace deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine - which could lower prices by eliminating sanctions on Russian crude - is helping to support oil. Mint
• [New] The U.S. government is reportedly preparing to loosen capital reserve requirements for major banks, a move that could reshape how financial institutions manage risk - and reignite debate over regulatory safeguards. Cryptodnes EN
• [New] Across global markets, financial institutions are redesigning their data architectures to improve how they organise and use data to support trading, risk and post-trade functions. Risk.net
• [New] Russia may try to renege on any future peace agreement it signs with Ukraine due to the Ukrainian government's alleged illegitimacy - as ISW has long warned. Critical Threats
• [New] Only Ukraine could decide on its territories in peace negotiations with Russia and that Europeans must be at the negotiating table to ensure security guarantees for Ukraine. The Guardian
• Institutions that implement coordinated, cross-jurisdictional governance for CRS 3.0, CARF, and FATCA will be better positioned to withstand regulatory scrutiny and maintain correspondent-banking confidence as global transparency expectations intensify. JD Supra
• The risks that biased AI tools and outputs have caused in the past have been documented before LLMs became widely used: they reproduce biases when used to filter applications for hiring, and against people of colour in criminal justice systems in the United States. Al-Fanar Media
• The United States has accused Rwanda of driving instability in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, warning that a Rwanda-backed advance by the M23 rebel group threatens to derail a U.S.-brokered peace effort. OkayAfrica
• Russian police and National Guard will stay on in eastern Ukraine's Donbas and oversee the industry-rich region, even if a peace settlement ends Russia's nearly four-year war in Ukraine. WHEC.com
• Stakeholders and businesses can expect continued efforts to strike regional peace agreements and resist deep military involvement while expanding U.S. access to critical markets, minerals and technologies. JD Supra
• A global rise in authoritarian regimes has put many democratic institutions under threat, resulting in a decline in the respect of human rights and civil liberties around the world and a rise in attacks and assassinations of human rights defenders. cafod.org.uk
• A peace settlement that reintegrates Russia economically - especially one backed by Washington - could widen India's room to manoeuvre, allowing it to sustain or even expand imports without fear of punitive tariffs or secondary sanctions. Economic Times
• Many countries remain concerned that a lopsided peace deal could work in Moscow's favour, and prelude further aggression in Ukraine or against Nato's long eastern flank. The Week
• Potential fraud losses for financial services institutions in the U.S. alone could reach $40 billion USD by 2027, highlighting why financial services are racing to strengthen their defences. Cybercrime Magazine
• The group of Ukraine's allies, known as the coalition of the willing, is scrambling to help steer peace negotiations as European governments warn their own security is at stake and to dilute Russian maximalist demands that the US has been leaning towards. Al Jazeera
• Peace in Ukraine will help resolve some foreign policy challenges for India, and Delhi risks cutting its own feet by toeing Trump's line on its energy relationship with Russia. Newslaundry

Last updated: 22 December 2025