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23 September 2013
The Dutch television news programme Brandpunt Reporter revealed a long-standing disagreement between the Netherlands and the United States about the liability of the US in case of a possible accident involving US nuclear weapons that are present on a military base in Volkel, the Netherlands.
The US reportedly has refused to enter into an agreement with the Netherlands concerning the financial consequences of a possible nuclear accident connected to the storage or air transport of US weapons. According to an expert interviewed by the programme, an accident occurring during an air transport is a realistic scenario, since these weapons are being transported regularly.
Brandpunt Reporter also revealed that the US and the Netherlands have set up a working group entitled ‘Netherlands United States Standing Operations Group’ in order to prepare the NL for a possible accident with a US nuclear weapon.
Source: TV-visie | 'Brandpunt Reporter' over ruzie Nederland en VS rond atoombommen | 11 september 2013 (in Dutch)
20 September 2013
A report published in Climate Change reveals that developed states may not bear the overwhelming responsibility for climate change. Both developing and developed states ‘may be almost equally responsible for contributing to climate change.’
The report states that the question of which states have been contributing the most to climate change depends on the choices that are made in calculating both current and historic emissions. The authors conclude that: ‘The results presented in this paper show the importance of the choices that can be made when calculating historical contributions of countries. Such choices have to be made by the policy-makers when negotiating a future international climate agreement.’
The authors distinguish between contributions of states to climate change and their responsibility for it, which according to them may be balanced by emissions that are needed to fulfill their citizens’ ‘basic needs’ (e.g. heating and cooking).
Source: Climate News Network | Climate responsibility ’is shared by all’
Source: Michel G. J. den Elzen, Jos G. J. Olivier, Niklas Höhne, Greet Janssens-Maenhout, Countries’ contributions to climate change: effect of accounting for all greenhouse gases, recent trends, basic needs and technological progress, Climate Change, September 2013
20 September 2013
A report published by international aid agency Oxfam reveals that many donor countries, including France, Qatar and Russia, are failing to provide their fair share of funding urgently needed to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Syria. The report calculates the level of funds expected from each donor based on a country’s Gross National Income and its overall wealth.
The UN’s five billion dollar appeal for Syria remains only forty-four per cent funded, and funding gaps are already affecting the ability of organisations to respond to humanitarian needs in the Syria crisis.
Source: BBC | Syris conflict: Oxfam highlights appeal donation 'failings'
Source: Al Jazeera | Report: Donor countries failing Syrians
Source: Oxfam International | Top donor countries failing ordinary Syrians affected by the conflict with Syria appeals falling short by US$2.7bn
17 September 2013
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted, after he briefed the UN Security Council on the findings of the UN team investigating the possible use of chemical weapons, that ‘The international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that chemical weapons never re-emerge as an instrument of warfare.’ He added that ‘It is for others to decide whether to pursue this matter further to determine responsibility. We may all have our own thoughts on this, but I would simply say that this was a grave crime and those responsible must be brought to justice as soon as possible’.
Source: UN News Centre | ‘Clear and convincing’ evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria, UN team reports
16 September 2013
At the 13th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated that the war against terrorism is a shared responsibility and cannot be tackled by one country.
The SCO, founded in 2001, is a political, economic and military organization, originally established by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Karzai urged the other heads of state to begin counterterrorism efforts on their own and not wait for NATO, ISAF or the United States to get involved.
Source: Tolo News | Karzai Calls Fighting Terrorism a 'Shared Responsibility' at SCO Summit