15 April 2015

SHARES News Items Overview: 16 March 2015-15 April 2015

This is our News Items Overview of 16 March 2015-15 April 2015, a summary of recent news relating to shared responsibility.

• Confirming the need for enhanced international cooperation, the head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction said that ‘what is left for Member States and countries now is to find a common formula for the terms of international cooperation on financing, on how to formulate a common global commitment’.
• Reportedly, militias, paramilitary forces and warlords are now prevalent in Afghanistan. These groups were created as part of the United States’ exit strategy, with varying support and US involvement.
• The president of Vanuatu appealed to the international community for assistance. The president of Kiribati reiterated the call for a global response, together with aid agencies.
• The foreign minister of Bangladesh asked global brands and retailers to fulfil their ‘responsibility’ to ensure acceptable work standards in factories, saying: ‘Ensuring decent work worldwide is about shared responsibility – for shared prosperity. It is about equity and fairness.’
• The Yemeni foreign minister requested Gulf Arab states for support to prevent the advance of rebels further into the country, asking the Gulf Cooperation Council to intervene.
• Experts from Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda discussed the Treaty of Transboundary Collaboration in the Greater Virunga Landscape. The Treaty seeks to establish a permanent framework for cross-border cooperation to enhance conservation of the biodiversity and improve the livelihood of communities.
• The Secretary-General appealed to senior military officials for more troop contributions from states and for political will and purpose. ‘This is our largest deployment in history. It must be matched by a stronger international partnership for peacekeeping’, he said. ‘Peacekeeping is a shared global responsibility that advances the world’s common interests.’
• The Secretary-General said concerning the Yarmouk refugee camp: ‘The epic humanitarian catastrophe in Yarmouk represents an epic test of the international community’s resolve … It is time for concerted action to save lives and restore a measure of humanity. We simply cannot stand by and watch a massacre unfold.’
• The Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said that ‘a balanced approach, addressing supply and demand, in a spirit of shared responsibility, is needed’ to combat wildlife and forest crime.