Top stories from the Development and Aid World News Service.
After ‘Fiasco’ Turkey Takes the Lead on Syria
Turkey already hosts the exiled leaders of the Syrian opposition. It is also the country most directly affected by refugee flows and instability in Syria. After a failed bid and the UN and ongoing violence, it looks like Turkey will assume a more robust role in the international response to bloodshed in Syria. “Turkey is preparing a new initiative with those countries who oppose the Syrian government, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, describing a veto by China and Russia of a U.N. resolution on Syria a ‘fiasco.’ ‘We are going to start a new initiative with those countries that stand by the people, not the Syrian government. We are preparing this,’ Erdogan told a meeting of his ruling AK Party in Ankara, giving no further details on the initiative. ‘The process that occurred at the United Nations in relation to Syria is a fiasco for the civilized world,’ he said” (Reuters http://reut.rs/xTmcZN)
Money Quote From a Donor. The UN declared the famine to be over on February 3. The US assistant administrator of USAID Nancy Lindborg urges the international community to focus on prevention efforts. “This drought has focused all of us on the imperative of building resilience. We know we cannot prevent drought, but we can use improved and smarter programs to create greater resilience and improve food security. We can make progress that ensures the next time a drought hits the Horn, communities will have the ability to withstand the worst affects without being pushed into crisis.” (All Africa http://bit.ly/x8THIk)