15 January 2015

SHARES News Items Overview: 16 December 2014-15 January 2015

This is our News Items Overview of 16 December 2014-15 January 2015, a summary of recent news relating to shared responsibility.

• The first edited volume of the SHARES book series entitled: Principles of Shared Responsibility in International Law: An Appraisal of the State of the Art has been published. More information concerning the book can be found here. With this Flyer, you can get a 20 per cent discount (offer expires 28-02-2015).
• The Court of Justice of the EU delivered a negative opinion on the draft agreement on the accession of the EU to the ECHR. The EU accession under the provisions of the current draft agreement would undermine the autonomy and primacy of EU law. The Court further rejected the co-respondent mechanism.
• The UN Secretary-General called for joint action to craft and take forward a new, inclusive, development agenda that eradicates poverty, protects the planet and ensures dignity for all. ‘We must be firm in our commitment to champion solidarity and shared responsibility as part of the sustainable development agenda. These are fundamental values that must be upheld’, he said.
• The former UN special rapporteur on torture stated that the UK must undertake independent investigations into allegations of its involvement in the CIA’s rendition programme. He said the UK, like other European countries, would have to acknowledge its role in the CIA’s programme.
• The UNSC adopted a resolution highlighting its concern over the ties between cross-border crime and terrorism. It stressed the importance of strengthening trans-regional and international cooperation on a basis of ‘a common and shared responsibility to counter the world drug problem and related criminal activities‘.
• The former head of UNMEER pointed to significant progress in tackling the Ebola outbreak since he was appointed in September 2013, but stressed the ‘heavy responsibility’ on the UN. Setting the ambitious target [bringing cases down to zero] is an ‘obligation’ in order to bring the crisis quickly to an end.
• A joint operation by the Force Intervention Brigade of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the Congolese army (FARDC) took control of the main bases used by the National Liberation Front (FNL), who actively threaten the security and stability in the DRC’s long-troubled eastern region.