Good News Agency – Year X, n° 1
Weekly - Year X, number 1 – 16th
January 2009
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi,
Ph. D.
Good News Agency carries positive
and constructive news from all over the world relating to voluntary work, the
work of the United Nations, non governmental organizations, and institutions
engaged in improving the quality of life – news that doesn’t “burn out” in the
space of a day. It is
distributed free of charge through Internet to the editorial offices of 4,000 media in 49 countries and to 2,800 NGOs and 500 high
schools, colleges and universities. It is an all-volunteer service
of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà Mondiale,
NGO associated with the United Nations Department
of Public Information. The
Association has been recognized by UNESCO as “an actor of the global movement for a culture of peace” and it has
been included in the web site http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_sum_monde.htm
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development – Solidarity
Peace and security – Health
– Energy and Safety – Environment and wildlife
Religion and
spirituality
– Culture and education
Sudanese Government and UNICEF
sign agreement to protect children
23 December -
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29404&Cr=child+soldiers&Cr1=unicef
Committee on
Rights of Child holds fiftieth session in
Child Rights in
Malawi, Chad, Netherlands, Republic of Moldova, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Maldives and Tunisia to be
Reviewed
8 January - The Committee on
the Rights of the Child will meet at the Palais
Wilson in Geneva from 12 to 30 January to review the promotion and protection
of children's rights under the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child in Malawi, Chad, the Netherlands, the Republic of Moldova, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The Committee will also consider the situation in the Netherlands and in
Maldives with regard to the promotion and protection of children's rights under
the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography, and will review efforts made by the
Republic of Moldova, Maldives and Tunisia with regard to their implementation
of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
(...)
Eritrea/Ethiopia: 1,766 people repatriated in 2008
Addis Ababa/Asmara, 8 January
(ICRC) - In 2008, 1,714 persons were repatriated from Eritrea to Ethiopia,
including 56 minors, in a number of repatriation operations under the auspices
of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). In the same operations,
52 civilians, including 22 minors, were repatriated from
Acting in its capacity as a
neutral and independent intermediary, the ICRC carried out these repatriations
based on the consent of each individual and with the cooperation of the
authorities. ICRC delegates based in
http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/eritrea-news-080109
8 January - The United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today announced its new partnership
with a Mediterranean intergovernmental organization to promote crops and
improve fisheries, among other sustainable activities.
The collaboration between the FAO and the International Centre
for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) seeks to expedite the
modernization of irrigation in the region and prevent forest fires.
The
Founded in 1962, CIHEAM
comprises 13 Mediterranean member countries:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29498&Cr=fao&Cr1
Children,
entrepreneurs in developing countries receive hand up from Intel, Save the
Children and Kiva.org
“Small
Things Challenge” to raise awareness and funds for rewrite the future program..
Individuals can find ways to
contribute and more information, including a video featuring musicians and celebrities
who support the cause, at Save the Children’s “Small Things Challenge” and at
Intel’s campaign site at: www.smallthingschallenge.com (…)
The three organizations are
also calling on people worldwide to signal their support at www.smallthingschallenge.com for the need to increase
access to education and to foster economic development in emerging countries.
Intel will donate 5 cents for every person who clicks on the “we’ll donate 5
cents for you” button on the Web site. The company will provide up to $300,000
this year to the “Small Things Challenge”, in addition to the $100 million that
Intel is investing in other education programs this year. Intel believes that
children everywhere deserve to have the skills necessary to become the next
generation of innovators. (…)
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2008/intel-helps-children-entrepreneurs-in.html
by Alexandra Fielden
Imelda Yobu
is among the 300,000 refugees who have voluntarily repatriated to
“The project has changed the
life of many people in the Lutaya area,” says Kiden Joyce Abraham, a UNHCR community services assistant.
“It has improved hygiene and sanitation at the domestic level. It also reduced
the spread of cholera and diarrhoea in the community.” (...)
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4964aa7d4.html
Southern Sudan: generating
economic development through microfinance in southern
6 January - ACDI/VOCA has won a $10.4 million subaward from the USAID-funded Generating Economic
Development through Microfinance in Southern Sudan (GEMSS) FIELD Leaders With
Associates (LWA) Program. AED is the prime implementer of the FIELD LWA, which
will work to increase access to financial services in
Strengthening the sector to
meet underserved client demand will allow the microfinance sector to play an
important role in rebuilding the region, helping microenterprises
to grow and meet Southern Sudanese expectations for concrete benefits to peace.
http://www.acdivoca.org/acdivoca/portalhub.nsf/ID/news_newprojectsudanGEMSS
ADRA
expands recovery phase in post-cyclone
Silver Spring, Maryland, 31
December - Seven months after Cyclone Nargis
devastated the Irrawaddy Delta in southern Myanmar,
killing at least 140,000 people and affecting an estimated 2.4 million others,
the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is expanding relief efforts
in vulnerable areas to meet the long-term needs of residents in the region. In
collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), ADRA Myanmar
is increasing food distribution activities by nearly doubling the number of
targeted communities receiving food aid, from 106 villages to 197. ADRA expects
that this increase in aid will benefit an additional 48,000 people. (...) Since
Cyclone Nargis struck
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9695&news_iv_ctrl=1141
IFAD Member States rally to
fund US$3 billion global poverty effort
Rome, 19 December - Despite
the financial crisis capturing headlines around the world, the international
community confirmed today its backing to a US$3 billion, three-year programme
of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Coupled with
co-financing from IFAD’s many partners, this will
mean as much as $7.5 billion for agriculture, poverty reduction and food
security in the most vulnerable rural populations worldwide.
As part of this funding
package, IFAD’s Member States meeting here for
consultations on the Eighth Replenishment of the Fund’s resources, agreed on a
target of $1.2 billion in new contributions, to help poor rural people, already
hurting from recent food and fuel price volatility. Coming on the heels of the renewed
commitments made in Doha, Qatar during the recent Financing for Development
Conference, this new funding from Member States represents an unprecedented 67
percent increase over IFAD’s last replenishment and
is the largest ever replenishment in the organisation’s history. It was led by
the
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2008/60.htm
US$258.38
million in IFAD loans and grants to support rural poverty programmes and
projects world wide
IFAD’s Executive Board
concludes three-day meeting in
The following
initiatives will receive IFAD funding: Western
and Central Africa: $14 million in loans and $31.33 million in grants (...);
Eastern and Southern Africa: $67.9 million in loans (...); Asia and the
Pacific: $68.8 million in loans and $27.3 million in grants (...); Latin
America and the Caribbean: $34 million in loans and $0.45 in grants (...); Near
East and North Africa region and Central and Eastern Europe and Newly
Independent States region: $12.85 million in new loans and
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2008/59.htm
11 January - The Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques Campaign for the Relief of the People of Gaza is sending
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
in the Near East) $6 million USD to provide food for the people of
Welcoming the donations, Karen
Koning AbuZayd,
Commissioner-General of UNRWA, said: “This is an enormous help to UNRWA and the
people of
http://www.un.org/unrwa/news/releases/pr-2009/SaudiArabia_11jan09.html
HKI
to benefit from sales of the new Braille Dreidel®:
the Braidel®
New York, 9 January -
Contemporary Jewish art company, Art as Responsa, has
created a Braille version of the traditional Hanukah toy, the dreidel and is donating 18% of the price of each Braidel® sold through 2010 to Helen Keller International
(HKI).
The Braidel®
can be purchased directly from Art as Responsa
through their website which can be accessed here, http://www.art-responsa.com/Art_as_Responsa/The_Braidel.html.
Each toy is made from aluminium and replaces the traditional Hebrew text with
an inspiring Braille message which reads, “A great miracle has happened here.”
HKI will use the money raised by the sale of The Braidel®
to continue its mission to save the sight and lives of the most disadvantaged
and vulnerable across the globe. Speaking about the partnership, Kathy Spahn, President and CEO of HKI says, “The Braidel® is a wonderful concept, especially this year which
marks the 200th birthday of Louis Braille. (...)
http://www.hkworld.org/about/press_releases/Braille%20Dreidel.html
Terrorised
north
8 January - Caritas will
distribute aid to 10,000 families in northern Democratic Republic of Congo
following Christmastime massacres by Ugandan rebels. Rebels have been
terrorising people in northern
Caritas
An initial distribution of
non-food items to 5000 families will take place on 9th January in Doruma, Faradje, Dungu and Isiro. People will
receive clothes, eating utensils, water containers and a tarpaulin for shelter.
A further 5000 families will be helped in subsequent distributions. (…) Up to
150,000 people are thought have left their homes. (...)
http://www.caritas.org/newsroom/press_releases/PressRelease08_01_09.html
Darfur: Ban
welcomes
7 January - Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon has thanked United States President
George W. Bush for his country’s recent commitment to airlift supplies urgently
needed by the joint United Nations-African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in the
strife-torn Darfur region of
The hybrid force, known as
UNAMID, was set up by the Security Council to protect civilians in
At full strength, UNAMID,
which marked its first anniversary last week, is slated to become the world
body’s largest peacekeeping operation with some 26,000 military and police
personnel. (…)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29482&Cr=darfur&Cr1=
Interact club
sends school supplies to
by Donna Polydoros
Rotary International News, 6 January - U.S. Interactors are honoring a
classmate who died in a car accident in 2006 by fulfilling her vision of
distributing school supplies to children in
The project was first
envisioned by club member Antonia Cornell-Banke, who
came up with the idea after several trips to
The Interact club raises funds
to support the project by organizing charity basketball games between the
school’s varsity boys’ team and a local law enforcement team. They also solicit
support for the project throughout the community; US$20 sends a backpack loaded
with supplies to a student in
Toni’s Backpacks is now in its
third year. The project has inspired other regional Interact and Rotaract clubs to start their own backpack programs.
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/090106_news_backpack.aspx
LAO
PDR: MAG support enhances Mine Risk Education
9 January - The National
Regulatory Authority’s (NRA) Mine Risk Education (MRE) unit is operating with
renewed confidence following almost two years of support from MAG. MRE helps
people to safely live, work and travel through areas contaminated with
landmines and/or unexploded ordnance (UXO). More than safety message delivery,
the MAG approach to MRE ensures that the target audience has the knowledge and
skills required to adopt feasible strategies and take appropriate action which
will keep themselves and others safe. MRE can be delivered in a variety of ways
such as through radio and TV broadcasts, participatory face to face
discussions, billboards, posters and drama. The full-time support provided by
MAG to the NRA since March 2007 (funded by the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission)
has now been phased out to allow the unit staff to operate on their own. (…)
Today up to 25 per cent of all
villages in Lao PDR are affected by unexploded ordnance (UXO), which includes
big bombs, mortar, cluster munitions and submunitions,
and landmines. (…) MAG is a member of the Fundraising Standards Board, which is
the body for self-regulation of fundraising in the
http://www.maginternational.org/news/lao-pdr-mag-supports-enhances-mine-risk-education/
31 December - The joint United
Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission, tasked with protecting civilians in
war-ravaged
“The Secretary-General
applauds the efforts of UNAMID and troop-contributing countries in reaching
this target in the face of serious difficulties, including the volatile
security situation in
www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29444&Cr=unamid&Cr1
Going
green and building Peace in the
(In
the present terrible circumstances, Good News Agency has no item of good news to report from this area but this one. The
planning of intercultural events led by the youth was certainly a fine
perspective before the conflict that started at year-end, and we trust it will
be the youth that will make this dialogue again possible when the present
dreadful conflict is brought to an end. — Publisher’s note)
18 December - Survivor Corps
expanded its global reach in 2008 with a new program in
Survivor Corps is also working
in the north of
Survivor Corps is a global
network of people helping each other to overcome the effects of war and
conflict and give back to their communities.
In 2008, Survivor Corps grew from Landmine Survivors Network. The
organization has expanded its mission to help all survivors of war. Landmine
Survivors Network was co-founded in 1997 by two landmine survivors, Jerry White
and Ken Rutherford. From the late Princess Diana of
Survivor Corps focuses on the
unique contribution and leadership of conflict survivors because we believe no
one is better equipped and motivated to break cycles of violence than those who
have survived war. Our programs currently help survivors in:
http://my.survivorcorps.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=377&postId=5704376816797456171
Launch of UNICEF The State of the World's
Children 2009
On 15 January 2009
at 10.30 am (Johannesburg time), UNICEF will launch The State of the World’s
Children 2009 with a thematic focus on maternal and newborn health. The report
will be available at: http://www.unicef.org/sowc09
The State of the
World's Children 2009 examines critical issues in maternal and newborn health,
underscoring the need to establish a comprehensive continuum of care for
mothers, newborns and children. The report outlines the latest paradigms in
health programming and policies for mothers and newborns, and explores policies,
programmes and partnerships aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health.
Africa and
Mobile
phones, adapted to monitor child health, net UNICEF top development prize
9 January - The United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will share first prize in the United States
Development Agency’s innovation competition, known as the “Development 2.0
Challenge,” for adapting basic cell phones to monitor the health of children in
danger of malnutrition. The “RapidSMS” text-messaging
system, to be finalized by graduate students from
“This is a perfect example of
UNICEF’s vision of bringing together experts from around the world and from
diverse fields such as academia, private sector and civil society,” Sharad Sapra, Director of
UNICEF’s Division of Communication, said. The initial phases of the
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29508&Cr=unicef&Cr1=health
New
hope for the disabled in
Khartoum/Juba, 4 January
(ICRC) - An estimated 35,000 disabled people in Southern Sudan, including many
war victims, can look forward to vastly improved access to care and support as
the region’s first-ever physical rehabilitation reference centre starts work in
Juba. The facility will be officially inaugurated on 5 January in the presence
of representatives of the Government of Southern Sudan. The International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) built and equipped a complete new centre with
total roofed area of
http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/sudan-news-040109
(top)
14 January - Energy saving
measures have helped a Victorian home in
The EcoHome, which was retrofitted by Camden
Council with the University College London, was originally built in 1850.
Following its refurbishment, the council claims its carbon emissions have dropped by 80 per cent. And the measures being tried
out in the home could help other borough residents cut their energy bills.
Councillor Keith Moffitt, leader of the council, said: "(...) It is an important start for us to see how similar
properties in
Last year, the home won an Inside Housing magazine award.
The offsets purchased by WRI
are tied to the emissions reductions that have been achieved by specific
projects. One is a landfill gas project in
The World Resources Institute
(WRI) is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find
practical ways to protect the earth and improve people’s lives. Our mission is
to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its
capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future
generations. Because people are inspired by ideas, empowered by knowledge, and
moved to change by greater understanding, WRI provides - and helps other
institutions provide - objective information and practical proposals for policy
and institutional change that will foster environmentally sound, socially
equitable development. (…)
http://www.wri.org/press/2009/01/wri-becomes-pioneer-global-carbon-offset-market
The award honors
“promising new directions in renewable and sustainable energy, efficient use of
traditional sources of energy, conservation, sustainable energy policy and
communication and public awareness,” according to the conference organizers.
The selection process for the prize is modeled on the
Nobel Prize. The finalists will be selected by global experts in clean energy.
The winner will receive US $1.5 million and the two finalists will be awarded
US $350,000 each. It’s open to individuals, companies, organizations and NGOs.
(…)
Conference topics
include: energy policy, investment and funding, green buildings, clean
transport, solar and wind energy, biofuels, waves,
nuclear power, geotherman energy, waste
into energy, fuel cells, carbon management and environmental strategy.
DPRK:
Reforestation aims to reduce disaster risks
by Francis Markus,
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in
9 January - The Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Red Cross is helping to replant trees in this
once forest-rich country in a bid to curb floods and landslides worsened by
decades of deforestation. With food production remaining a crucial issue,
however, the pressure from farmers to plant crops among the seedlings could
threaten the success of the process. The project is supported by the Norwegian
Red Cross through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC) as part of community-based disaster preparedness work in
dozens of ri or
grassroots communities.
“In Norway we practically live
in the woods, so when we see a country that has historically been protected by
a blanket of trees, but which has lost that protection, it makes us feel
sorry,” says Norwegian Finn Jarle Rode, the IFRC’s programme coordinator in Pyongyang. (…)
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/09/09010901/index.asp
Certified
Chinese forest reaches million hectares
The FSC is an independent, not
for profit, non-governmental organization that provides standard setting, trademark
assurance and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested
in responsible forestry. WWF is one of the main supporters of FSC globally and
has been working on FSC certification for about eight years in
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/news/?153761
Green resolutions for
2009
Set your strategy for a
greener 2009, and see what changed in the energy saving world during 2008.
2008 brought more energy
saving light bulbs, fewer plastic bags, a new energy saving package for home
insulation and more. Help keep up the green trend in 2009 - try out our 5 green
new year's resolutions. (...)
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Resources/Features/Features-archive/Green-resolutions-for-2009
One of the first
ecumenical, interreligious dialogues.
Epiphany marks the traditional
celebration of the visitation of the Magi. “The Three Wise Men” that Christians
sing about weren’t Christians or Jews. They were from other places with other
religions and faiths but they came to see the Child, the one that was foretold.
In many ways Epiphany is one of the first ecumenical, interreligious
dialogues. Differences were suspended, politics put aside, and true
conversation was possible. Wonder and awe was shared by all.
Br. John Martin Sahajananda,
OSBCam
from Bulletin 82, January 2009
Brother John Martin draws a distinction
between the eternal aspect of Truth and its historical manifestations in the
world’s religions. He then proposes a series of questions that can help one
recognize the contributions and limitations of each of these
historical manifestation and become more open to the eternal Truth.
(...) A final religion or a final scripture does not
exist. All religions and scriptures are only ladders. The purpose of all
scriptures and all religions is to help human beings to find their union with
God. From this union comes inner peace and happiness. (...) In order to
understand the place of religions we need to understand the nature of Truth.
Truth has two aspects: the eternal aspect and the historical aspect. (...) The
historical aspect of Truth or God is manifested in time and space and it is
present in the sacred scriptures. (...) Hence there is a constant need for
humanity to move from the historical truth into the eternal truth. (...)
http://monasticdialog.com/a.php?id=878
17 December - Equal participation and shared
responsibility in society are at the basis of a peaceful coexistence between
Christians and Muslims, stated participants at an inter-religious symposium in
The 13-14 December symposium
on “Religion and peaceful coexistence” was jointly convened by the Tehran-based
Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations
Organization and the World Council of Churches (WCC). (...) A joint communiqué
summarizing eight points (...) states: “Peaceful coexistence between Christians
and Muslims should be based on their equal participation and shared
responsibility towards society and each other. This includes recognizing and
respecting one another’s religious and civil rights, and taking a common stand
whenever the rights of religious communities are violated and whenever
irresponsible media try to present a distorted image of any particular
religion, offending its symbols and followers.” (...) For
the first time, the symposium saw the participation of representatives from
Iranian churches. (...)
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1722/in-tehran-a-christian-mu.html
Launch of UNESCO International
Year of Astronomy
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44355&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Boosting
Creativity and Innovation in Europe: Official launch of the European Year
8 January - The Czech
Presidency of the EU and European Commission launched on Wednesday the European
Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 with the slogan “Imagine. Create.
Innovate”. The Year was inaugurated in a ceremony in
Three Eco-schools win the project “Environment and
Innovation”
9 January – The prize-giving
to the three eco-schools which are the winners of the project “Environment and
Innovation” took place today in the presence of the Councillor for the
Environment of the
The Eco-schools Programme
combines two of these principles from the perspective of training future
generations by spurring them to propose solutions which are effective in
promoting more responsible behaviour with regard to the environment in which we
live. The programme “Environment and Innovation” is dedicated in its second
edition for the biennium 2007-2009 to
http://www.diregiovani.it/gw/producer/dettaglio.aspx?id_doc=16730
German
Rotarians team up with publisher on book project
by Sandra Prufer
Rotary International News, 7 January
- Rotary clubs in
The book includes 77
groundbreaking Rotary club projects and discusses the vital contribution of volunteers
in helping to address global challenges, such as natural disasters, epidemics,
climate change, conflicts, and war. “Initially, we just wanted to publish a
photo book in a small edition to present our club projects and raise funds for PolioPlus,” says Matthias Lange, who coordinated the
project with his wife, Ute, also a Rotarian. The couple, who own a TV
production company, consulted with the publisher of Wissen
Media who suggested adding editorial content. “After a brainstorm we realized
that this could grow into a bigger, more ambitious project, and we invited all
German clubs to join,” says Lange.
In the following months,
dozens of clubs submitted project descriptions. The German-language Rotary
regional magazine and Rotary International staff provided additional content
and photos to illustrate international projects. District 1840 (part of
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/090107_news_blueplanet.aspx
Take
part in this year’s Global Action Week to help tackle youth and adult
illiteracy!
1 January - The Global
Campaign for Education has chosen “Youth and Adult Literacy and Lifelong
Learning” as the theme for the 7th Education for All (EFA) Global Action Week
taking place from 20-26 April 2009. (...) Without adequate literacy skills, it
is very difficult for people to lift themselves and their families out of
poverty. Providing adults with access to literacy programmes and children with
access to school are fundamental steps in tackling poverty.
EI encourages you to organise
activities in support of literacy and quality Education for All during Global
Action Week. The suggested slogan for national activities during Global Action
Week 2009 is ‘Open Books, Open Doors’. To find out more about how to
participate in this year’s activities, please visit: www.ei-ie.org/globalactionweek2009
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=940&theme=educationforall&country=global
Adult education in Arab
countries to be discussed at
Paris/Tunis, 31
December - Adult education is at the heart of a regional conference in
The conference,
entitled “Investing in Adult Learning: Building Knowledge and Learning
Societies in the Arab Region,” will look at a range of experiments being
carried out in the region on adult learning and education and will identify the
key issues, trends and challenges in the field. The conference will also emphasise the importance and relevance of adult learning in
today’s world and encourage investment in this sector, including in literacy programmes. At the end of the conference, a report will be
adopted, based on a series of national reports, together with a plan of action
for the region. (…)
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44331&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
5th Tri Continental Film
Festival 2009, Human Rights in Frames Breakthrough, Building Human Rights
Culture - New Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Kolkata
http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/other/2008123117487.htm
2009 International Year of Reconciliation - 20 December
On 20 November 2006, the
General Assembly decided to proclaim 2009 as the International Year of
Reconciliation (resolution 61/17). It
expressed its steadfast determination to pursue reconciliation processes in
those societies affected or divided by conflicts, describing such processes as
necessary for the establishment of firm and lasting peace.
The Assembly invited concerned
Governments and international and non-governmental organizations to support
reconciliation processes among such societies. It also invited them to
implement adequate cultural, educational and social programmes to promote the
concept of reconciliation, including the holding of conferences and seminars,
and the dissemination of information on the subject.
http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/calendar_years_decades_07.html
UNESCO General and Regional
Histories
The General and Regional
Histories count among UNESCO’s major achievements. They are the result of some
forty years of international cooperation between 1,600 of the most renowned
scholars from various regions of the world. Aimed at providing readers from
different regions with deeper knowledge of cultural and scientific heritage
while promoting excellence in research, the Histories consist of a total of 51
volumes (…)
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=36406&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
* * * * * * *
Next issue: 6th February
2009.
* * * * * * *
Good News Agency is
published in English on one Friday and in Italian the next. Past issues
are available at www.goodnewsagency.org . Rome Law-court registration
no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
Managing
Editor: Sergio Tripi, Ph.D. Editorial research by Fabio Gatti, Maria Grazia Da
Damos, Elisa Peduto, Azzurra Cianchetta. Editorial Secretary: Maria Grazia Da Damos.
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