Good News Agency – Year X, n° 165
Weekly – Year X, number 165 – 18th
December 2009
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi, Ph. D.
“…In conveying the appreciation of the Head of
State for the passion and the professionalism with which you spread, above all among the young, the culture of
"good news", I would like to take this opportunity of
adding my personal greeting”. (From the letter of
the Adviser for the Press and Information of the President of Italy, Giorgio
Napolitano, to the Editor of Good News Agency, 12 October 2007.)
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 10,000 media and
editorial journalists in 54 countries and to 2,800 NGOs and 1,700
high schools, colleges and universities. It is an
all-volunteer service of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli
e della Buona Volontà Mondiale, an
educational charity 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 is a
member of the World Association of Non Governmental Organizations.
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development – Solidarity
Peace and security – Health
– Energy and Safety – Environment and wildlife
Religion and
spirituality
– Culture and education
UNESCO
and ICANN sign partnership agreement to promote linguistic diversity on
internet
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=47042&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
New
climate change measurement agreement signed
Brazilian
space institute and FAO partner to monitor GHGs
The agreement, signed by FAO
Director-General, Jacques Diouf and INPE head,
Gilberto Câmara, lays the groundwork for a major push
to assist developing countries in monitoring climate change impact. (...)
The work done by
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/38161/icode/
11 December - According to the
BBC, genital mutilation is still practised by the Sabiny, some Karamojong
sub-groups, the Pokot in eastern
Ugandan MPs have voted to
outlaw female genital mutilation - also known as female circumcision. Anyone
convicted of the practice, which involves cutting off a girl’s clitoris, will
face 10 years in jail, or a life sentence if a victim
dies.
The BBC’s Joshua Mmali in
MP Alice Alaso
said the move was “a very significant achievement”. “It’s a very bad practice.
It’s cruel, it traumatises people, it’s led children
to drop out of school, it’s a health hazard,” she told the BBC’s Focus on
http://www.africagoodnews.com/women-and-youth/uganda-bans-female-genital-mutilation.html
UN
marks Human Rights Day with call to end all forms of discrimination
10 December - The United
Nations marked Human Rights Day today, the 61st anniversary of the adoption of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by stressing the enduring need to
eliminate all forms of discrimination, with officials in the world’s most
crisis-plagued regions - from
“No country is free of
discrimination,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said
in a message for the Day whose theme this year is ‘Embrace Diversity, End
Discrimination.’ “It may appear as institutionalized racism, as ethnic strife,
as episodes of intolerance and rejection, or as an official national version of
history that denies the identity of others.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33204&Cr=discrimination&Cr1=
International
Human Rights Day sparks national action
Quaker
Group, activists sound call across the
Philadelphia, USA, 9 December
- The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Quaker peace and social
justice organization, is hosting nine days of action beginning on International
Human Rights Day, December 10, and concluding on International Migrants Day,
December 18. Through this effort, AFSC calls on Congress to pass humane
immigration reform.
Sixteen events in 12 cities
will bring immigrant and refugee communities together to urge swift passage of
legislation that protects the rights of immigrants and refugees. The AFSC is
hosting or co-sponsoring hearings, vigils and more from
AFSC has outlined concrete
policy recommendations in A New Path: Towards Humane Immigration Policy
released earlier this year. To download a copy of the document, please visit
the website www.afsc.org/ImmigrantsRights.
(...)
The American Friends Service
Committee is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who
are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is
based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love
to overcome violence and injustice.
http://www.afsc.org/Newsroom/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/84844/pid/79627
Enditnow: in
Kenya, girls say no to FGM
Silver Spring, Md., USA, 8
December - In Kenya, where Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains a serious
problem, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is implementing a
project that is changing the attitudes and behavior towards the procedure in
practicing communities within the country’s western and northeastern regions. ADRA’s Anti-FGM project addresses the dangerous effects
that FGM, also called Female Genital Cutting (FGC), has on young women and
girls in communities where the procedure is currently practiced. (…) ADRA’s Anti-FGM project raises awareness of the impact of
FGM on young girls in communities where the practice is prevalent, educating
key stakeholders on the dangerous effects of FGM through workshops, meetings,
and public campaigns, working with local radio programs and community theater
groups to increase coverage of on-going anti-FGM campaigns, and partnering with
other organizations to effectively disseminate the message throughout the
targeted regions. (...)
The Anti-FGM project is a
component of ADRA Kenya’s larger Girl Child/Women Empowerment Programme, which has been active in
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10687&news_iv_ctrl=1141
by World Vision staff
3 December - The Government of
Sri Lanka this week lifted all restrictions on the freedom of movement of the
people held in displacement camps in the north of the country, signaling an
important victory in the advocacy efforts of the humanitarian community.
Aid group World Vision and its
partners have been calling for the speedy return of displaced families to their
original homes and the freedom of movement for all those still remaining in the
camps. Until now, displaced people have been unable to leave the camps to work,
to visit relatives and friends or to obtain vital civil documents.
Several thousand people have
already taken advantage of their newly established freedom and left the camps
to visit friends and relatives living in the region - with many returning to
the camps in the evening to spend the night with their families. To remain
registered at the camps, civilians must not be gone for more than 15 days.
(...)
http://www.wvi.org/wvi/wviweb.nsf/updates/7E942EE4A7FB1E3C8825768300002E35?opendocument
1st
Meeting of the Permanent Forum of Arab-African Dialogue on Democracy and Human
Rights
2 December - The first meeting
of the Permanent Forum of the Arab-African Dialogue on Democracy and Human
Rights took place from 7 to 9 December 2009 at the headquarters of the League
of Arab States in
The goal was to provide
African and Arab States’ governments with information for the formulation of
policies more consistent with the reality of migration flows in these two regions.
(...) On this occasion, African and Arab experts on migration held two
workshops: on “national migration policies bringing coherence in immigration
and emigration policies while respecting the human rights of migrants”, and the
other on “inter-regional migration and regional agreements on human movements”.
(...)
http://portal.unesco.org/shs/en/ev.php-URL_ID=12955&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Architecture
for Humanity launches concept design challenge
December 16 – Today Architecture
for Humanity launched
a 30 day concept design challenge for a Youth and Women's
With the Homeless World Cup
arriving in Rio de Janiero, Brazil in fall 2010,
Architecture for Humanity, Homeless World Cup, and Nike are teaming up with
local partners Organização Civil de Ação Social (OCAS), and Bola Pra Frente (BPF) to establish multiple Legacy Centers to
implement the Homeless World Cup influence beyond the week-long Tournament and
Leadership Conference. This program will establish a legacy of the Homeless
World Cup with two pilot Legacy Centers, a football-based Youth and Women's
Architecture for Humanity is a
501(c)(3) charitable organization that seeks
architectural solutions to humanitarian crisis and brings professional design
services to communities in need.
http://www.architectureforhumanity.org
A
better future for coastal fishers in South and
Spanish
support aims at improving livelihoods of millions of small-scale fishers
Bangkok/Madrid, 9 December -
Driven largely by awareness of marine resource depletion and vulnerability of
their coastal communities, six south and south-east Asian countries today
signed on to a Spanish grant of US$19.5 million aimed at improving livelihoods
and the future of millions of small-scale fishers.
The Spanish grant will allow
FAO to implement over the next four years a Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme in six participating countries. This is the most
important programme in fisheries
http://www.fao.org/news/story/it/item/38138/icode/
Seized
mafia assets put to good use
EU
supports the development of southern
2 December - (...) The EU has
helped Italian authorities transform 50 seized properties into educational,
farm tourism and other businesses - to help create new jobs and give young
people an alternative to a life of crime. The projects send a clear message to
local people - it is possible to fight the mafia and build successful
businesses on the right side of the law.
In
In total, the EU has earmarked
€64m for the conversion of former mafia land and other property under the
European regional development fund (ERDF) in 2007-13. Three-quarters of this
money will go to a security for development programme
in the four southern Italian regions of
http://ec.europa.eu/news/justice/091202_en.htm
IFAD
makes US$25.04 million loan to
Rome, 1 December - A US$25.04
million loan from IFAD to the Republic of Mali will fund an innovative programme to build on the strengths and successes of
existing rural microfinance networks to help them expand their reach and ensure
their sustainability over time.
The Rural Microfinance Programme will support three networks created during the
implementation of IFAD-supported projects, which have now grown to comprise
some 94 credit unions. It will help restructure the networks where needed and
identify new products to meet the needs of poor rural people, in particular
women and young people.
The loan agreement for the programme was signed in
The principal objective of the
programme is to provide poor rural people with easier
and sustainable access to tailored financial services and to build the capacity
of the rural microfinance networks to achieve sustainability. (...)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2009/63.htm
Save
the Children helps 1 million survivors in five countries in historic 5-year
tsunami response
Hundreds
of thousands of surviving children are now healthy, attending school
Westport, Conn., USA, 11
December - Five years after responding to one of the world’s worst natural
disasters, Save the Children reported today that its tsunami relief and
recovery program has assisted an estimated 1 million survivors in five
countries impacted by the earthquake and sea surge that struck Asia and Africa
on December 26,
The tsunami claimed more than
260,000 lives, including
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2009/tsunami-5-year-report.html
11 December - The Red Cross is
appealing for 38.4 million Swiss francs (USD 33.2 million / € 26.2 million) to
continue its emergency food operation until September 2010. The operation, led
by the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) with the support of the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) aims to provide a
range of food and livelihoods support for 222,035 people. (...) The ZRCS/IFRC
food security operation was first launched in September 2008. Originally
planned for nine months, it was extended earlier this year until September 2009
and will now run until September 2010. (...) As well as ensuring that
vulnerable communities have access to food, Red Cross volunteers will offer
longer-term, developmental assistance through the provision of agricultural
inputs like seeds and fertilizers, agricultural training, and by increasing
community access to safe water. (...) In the coming months, Red Cross
volunteers are set to rehabilitate 500 water points as well as re-establishing
‘water point committees’: groups made up of community members who will be
responsible for the ongoing maintenance of these precious assets.
http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/pr09/6509.asp
Valentine’s
Day Card contest launched by Save the children to engage kids on childhood
poverty in
Save
the Children Youth Art Contest supported by actor Julianne Moore and American
Federation of Teachers
Washington, DC, 9 December -
In an effort to promote kids unity as a force against the childhood poverty
crisis in the United States, Save the Children and the American Federation of
Teachers (AFT) have launched a Valentine’s Day youth art contest for students
across America, with winning art designs to be voted on starting December 16th.
The contest encouraged
children to create card designs and submit them through their schools to Save
the Children by December 4, 2009. Select cards will be posted online on
December 16, where kids will vote for their favorite in each of five grade
categories. The five winning designs will be printed on Valentine’s Day cards
available in January and offered as part of a gift with a donation to benefit
Save the Children’s anti-poverty programs in the
Actor and Save the Children
Artist Ambassador Julianne Moore conceived Save the Children’s Valentine’s Card
project and acted as its spokesperson for the last two years, during which
professional designs were featured on the cards. (...)
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2009/valentines-contest-1.html
Madrid, Spain, 9 December -
UNICEF and the Government of Spain today signed a special agreement that will
provide some €228 million ($336 million) over three years to support programmes that help children in need. This new commitment
by
The commitment was formalized
today in a framework agreement signed in
UNICEF has signed similar
framework agreements with 15 other countries (...). Their objective is to help
meet the needs of children.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_52045.html
Donors
pledge initial US$477.5 million to UNHCR’s 2010
funding appeal
The commitments came during UNHCR’s annual pledging conference in
http://www.unhcr.org/4b1e7c5a9.html
Help to
http://www.savethechildren.org/emergencies/latin-america-caribbean/el-salvador/hurricane-09/
“We are here to serve the
victims of the fighting,” said Benno Kocher, the head of the ICRC’s
sub-delegation in
The ICRC and its national
partner, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, have just completed the first phase
of an agricultural support programme in Buner and Dir, helping 45,000 families (...); have just set
up a new camp in Lower Dir for over 1,000 people who fled their homes in Bajaur, in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, over
the past couple of months. (...) The ICRC’s surgical
hospital for weapon-wounded patients in
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/pakistan-news-301109
International
Human Solidarity Day, 20 December 2009
In the Millennium Declaration
world leaders identified Solidarity as one of the fundamental values essential
to international relations in the twenty-first century and emphasized that
“Global challenges must be managed in a way that distributes the costs and
burdens fairly in accordance with basic principles of equity and social
justice. Those who suffer or who benefit least deserve help from those who
benefit most.” In the context of globalization and the challenge of growing
inequality, the strengthening of international solidarity and cooperation is
indispensable for the realization of the Millennium Development Goals.
Convinced that the promotion
of the culture of solidarity and the spirit of sharing was important for
combating poverty, the General Assembly proclaimed 20 December as International
Human Solidarity Day. (...)
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/intldays/IntSolidarity/index.html
14 December - The Security
Council today renewed for another six months the 45-year-old United Nations
peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, citing “a rare opportunity to make decisive
progress in a timely fashion” to reunify the Mediterranean island after a
history of fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.
In a resolution adopted by 14
votes to one, with only
The Council extended the
mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP) until 15 June, 2010.
(...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33250&Cr=cyprus&Cr1=
Top
UN envoy welcomes peaceful end to voter registration in
14 December - The top United
Nations envoy to
More than 15 million people
were registered in the most inclusive voter registration exercise ever held in
The staging of elections is
one of the key benchmarks of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA),
which ended the long-running war.
“We are now one step closer to
the holding of Sudan’s first multi-party elections in 24 years and to achieving
a major milestone in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement,” Ashraf
Jehangir Qazi, the
Secretary-General’s Special Representative, said.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33239&Cr=unmis&Cr1=
12 December - The top United
Nations envoy to
In honour
of their contributions to stabilizing the security situation in Liberia, which
is recovering from a brutal 14-year civil war, the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative Ellen Margrethe Løj
presented peacekeeping medals to 56 military observers and 28 staff members -
representing 29 countries - deployed in the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
(...)
UNMIL was set up in 2003 to
bolster a ceasefire agreement ending a war that killed almost 150,000
Liberians, mostly civilians, and sent 850,000 others fleeing to neighbouring countries.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33233&Cr=UNMIL&Cr1=
12 December - The top United
Nations envoy to
The compromise in the
electoral law centres on the allocation of seats in
parliament, which the Secretary-General’s Special Representative Ad Melkert and the Kurdish lawmakers reaffirmed would be used
exclusively for the 2010 Council of Representatives election. (...)
In today’s meeting, both sides
stressed the importance of gathering census data in 2010 to support long term
planning for the rebuilding and prosperity of
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33229&Cr=Iraq&Cr1=
R.O.
In
the same year as its 20th anniversary of saving lives around the world, MAG
will celebrate its second birthday in the
11 December - It won’t be two
candles blown out, but over 35,000 different types of lethal ammunition, making
a bang to drown out the Happy Birthday chorus. This brings the number of
remnants of conflict destroyed since MAG began working in the country on 12
December 2007 to 771,162. Among the most significant items disposed of over the
past two years were 70 Man Portable Air Defence
Systems (MANPADS), more than 125 huge aircraft bombs, 867 rockets of various
sizes and shapes, and 4,803 anti-personnel landmines. (…) In addition to
putting these extremely dangerous weapons beyond use, vital to MAG’s work in the
http://www.maginternational.org/news/ro-congo-750000th-dangerous-item-demolished/
Four
new countries declared mine-free at Landmine
“The Cartagena
Action Plan provides a clear and concrete roadmap of what is required over the
next five years to bring us significantly closer to a mine-free world,” said
Steve Goose, Head of Delegation of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
(ICBL). “We, as civil society, commit to remain active and engaged to ensure
that all of the many declarations of support for the Plan are turned into
meaningful actions.”
More than a decade after he
Mine Ban Treaty was first signed, a strong commitment to fully realize the
vision of a mine-free world was demonstrated this week by the unprecedented
levels of participation by States Parties (including dozens of ministers and
other high-level officials), states not party, mine ban activists and
survivors. (…)
http://www.icbl.org/index.php/icbl/Library/News-Articles/Work/pr-4dec2009
11 December -
Zimbabweans, health-care
workers say, changed their behaviour over the years.
The drop in the infection rate
was announced at an event in
http://www.africagoodnews.com/health/zimbabwes-hiv-infection-rate-drops-5.html
UN-backed
anti-drug centre opens in
9 December - A United
Nations-backed intelligence sharing centre for Central Asian countries on the
front line of the battle against drug trafficking from
“This trans-national problem
requires a regional solution,” he added of the Central Asia Regional
Information and Coordination Centre (CARICC), a UN Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) project bringing together the five
“CARICC will facilitate the
exchange of intelligence to identify and disrupt trafficking networks,
strengthen regional criminal justice capacity, and build security and
confidence among neighbours,” Mr. Ban said.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33194&Cr=drugs&Cr1=
UN
envoy reviews progress, challenges in controlling malaria in Nigeria,
9 December - Close to half of
the population now has access to a mosquito net. In addition, a month-by-month
distribution strategy has been established to ensure that nets are delivered
across
Ensuring universal access to
malaria-control tools - insecticide-treated mosquito nets, indoor spraying with
insecticides, and effective medication - by 2010 is critical for both countries
to reach the Secretary-General’s goal of near-zero global malaria deaths by
2015. (...)
Meanwhile, in
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33197&Cr=malaria&Cr1=
UNICEF
hails
4 December - The United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has applauded the big leap taken by the South
African Government towards achieving universal access to treatment for HIV for
the country’s women and children living with the virus.
Among the momentous and
historic decisions announced by President Jacob Zuma
on Tuesday, which was World AIDS Day, were the expansion of access to
antiretroviral treatments and preventing new infections among children. (...)
UNICEF said in a press release
that
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33148&Cr=hiv&Cr1=aids
Concert
raises awareness, funds for polio eradication
by Antoinette Tuscano
Rotary International News, 3
December - Violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman
played to a sold-out audience in
Rotary Foundation Trustee
Chair Glenn E. Estess Sr. presented Perlman with an award for his help in fighting polio during
a reception after the concert. (...)
The polio eradication campaign
received more good news this week with the announcement that Rotary has
surpassed the halfway mark in its effort to raise US$200 million to match $355
million in challenge grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (...)
For now, the battle continues,
and ending polio is Rotary’s top priority.
Rotary International, the
World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Since
then, the number of polio cases has been slashed by more than 99 percent,
preventing five million cases of childhood paralysis and 250,000 deaths.
However, the final 1 percent of cases are the most
difficult and expensive to prevent. The wild poliovirus remains endemic in just
four countries:
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/091203_news_perlmanconcert.aspx
(top)
Wind
energy can meet 65% of tabled 2020 emissions reductions by industrialised
countries
"Wind power is rapidly
emerging as a key technology towards a low carbon, resource efficient Green
Economy," said Achim Steiner, UN Under Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, when
presenting the figures at a joint UNEP/GWEC press conference in
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=606&ArticleID=6419&l=en&t=long
Recovery
investment in offshore wind shows its strategic importance for
10 December - The €565 million
investment in nine offshore wind energy projects and infrastructure - approved
yesterday by the European Commission as part of its European Economic Recovery
Plan - shows that the European Union sees the offshore wind industry as a
strategic sector for
“Measures such as these can
contribute to strengthening Europe’s competitive lead in wind energy at a time
of economic uncertainty and in which strong financial measures are being taken
by governments outside
EIB
to provide €300m to interconnector project
9 December - The European
Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide €300m for the construction of the BritNed Interconnector, a new
electricity transmission cable between the
Paul Wilczek,
EWEA’s Regulatory Affairs Adviser, commented:
“Today’s decision by the EIB is a small but highly significant step towards
what everyone in the business knows is absolutely essential - a European
offshore grid to integrate 150 GW of offshore wind power by 2030. This grid is
essential for improving European energy security, reducing costs for consumers
and meeting
An effective pan-European
offshore grid requires investments of €20-30 billion to 2030. The €300m from
the EIB sends a very positive signal to future investors.”
Over
$5.5 billion in new investment for clean energy technology in the Middle East
and
The proposed gigawatt-scale deployment through 11 commercial-scale power
plants over a 3-5 year time-frame would provide the critical mass of
investments necessary to attract significant private sector interest, benefit
from economies of scale to reduce cost, result in learning in diverse operating
conditions, and manage risk. (...)
Alternative
energy reduces poverty in
Silver Spring, Md., 8 December
- The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is running an energy and
livelihood project that aims to increase access to renewable energy sources and
reduce poverty for hundreds of thousands of impoverished individuals within the
states of Puntland and Somaliland in northern
Somalia. (...) Some of the activities that ADRA conducts to meet the primary goal, include the installation of solar and wind energy
equipment in schools and health centers and raising awareness of alternative
energy options through trainings and trade fairs. ADRA also works with local
institutions, providing training on how to install, manage, and promote the
sustainable use of these services and helping them to build marketing and
dissemination strategies that promote alternative energy services in rural
areas. (...)
By the project’s conclusion in
October 2010, ADRA will have assisted more than 281,000 people through this
initiative. (...) The European Commission funds this project, in partnership
with the ADRA United Kingdom office for approximately $3 million. (…)
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10685&news_iv_ctrl=1141
WFP launches
Safe Stoves Initiative to protect women and save fuel
The Safe Access to Firewood
and Alternative Energy in Humanitarian Settings (SAFE) stoves initiative will
be rolled out in 2010 to reach up to 6 million refugees, internally displaced
people, and returnees located in 36 nations. (...)
Refugees and women living in
drought conditions are forced to walk further and further into the bush to
collect firewood. They chop down trees and uproot grasses, harming the fragile
eco-system. They venture out into unsafe areas and are left vulnerable to rape
and other attacks.(…) WFP’s
SAFE project will scale up distribution of fuel-efficient and “improved mud”
stoves to assist almost 100 000 women in
http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/wfp-launches-safe-stoves-initiative-protect-women-and-save-fuel
Billion
Tree Campaign patron Wangari Maathai
appointed UN Messenger of Peace
Ms. Maathai
of
"Professor Maathai's lifetime record of environmental achievement,
education and grassroot activism makes her an ideal
choice," said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). "This award recognises
her tireless work as one of the world's most effective
and persuasive advocates for a greener world, where everyday citizen actions combined
with policy go hand in hand to catalyze a transition to a low carbon, resource
efficient green economy so urgently needed," he added. (...)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=606&ArticleID=6420&l=en&t=long
UNEP
and ICLEI launch the carbonn climate centre
carbonn is a joint project of UNEP
and ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability and aims at facilitating the
access of local governments to climate benchmarking instruments on a global
scale. (...) Through carbonn, UNEP and ICLEI will work together for the development of
low-carbon cities and communities and engaging cities in the UNEP Climate Neutral
Network.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=606&ArticleID=6422&l=en&t=long
100.000
marched for the climate
12 December - Around 1000
Countdown to Copenhagen Activist joined the big, peaceful climate demonstration
with around 100.000 participants.
People dressed as polar bears
joined activists with clown costumes, lifewests and clocksuits. Flags and banners in all colours
of the rainbow, inflatable snowmen and gigantic, melting icebers
crowded the square in front of the Danish parliament, and almost 100.000
participants met up and joined the march towards
The demonstration carried the
heading “Planet first - People first”, and is arranged by a large group of
NGO’s, focusing both on the environmental and humanitarian aspects of climate
change, and demanding a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal at COP 15. (…)
http://www.danchurchaid.org/news_publications/news/100.000_marched_for_the_climate
World
Bank launches ‘green’ index of businesses in emerging markets
10 December - The private
sector arm of the World Bank today launched the first ever eco-friendly stock
market index that allows investors to track the carbon efficiency of companies
doing business in emerging economies. In partnership with the giant financial
services corporation Standard and Poor’s (S&P), the International Finance
Corporation (IFC) established the S&P/IFC Investable
Emerging Markets Index expecting it to mobilize more than $1 billion for
carbon-efficient companies over the next three years. The pioneering index is
meant to encourage carbon-based competition among emerging-market businesses,
give carbon-efficient companies access to long-term investors and result in
lower carbon emissions in developing countries, as well as reducing the carbon
footprint of investors’ portfolios. (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33214&Cr=climate+change&Cr1=
Africa/Congo
DR - Blessing of first stone of the Pan-African Institute for the Social
Doctrine of the Church: a laboratory for the culture of peace and promotion of
the common good, without any kind of discrimination
Kinshasa 14 December (Agenzia Fides) - Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, President Emeritus of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, blessed the foundation stone of the Pan-African
Institute for Social Doctrine of the Church in a ceremony that was held in
Kinshasa, capital of Democratic Republic of Congo. Cardinal Martino was in
The new Pan-African Institute
(whose working languages are English and French) is an autonomous institution
within the Catholic University of Congo. According to the Congolese Agency DIA,
Cardinal Martino expressed the hope that the Institute may become a laboratory
for the culture of peace, providing training to those who aspire to peace in
http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=25647&lan=eng
Dalai
Lama challenges Parliament attendees to action
Tibet’s
spiritual leader the Dalai Lama speaks to the audience at the closing ceremony
for the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne December 9, 2009
By D. Andrew Kille,
Melbourne, Australia, 9
December - (...) The Dalai Lama challenged those who had attended the
Parliament to work to ensure that the gathering had not simply been a social
occasion. He urged them to draw closer together to make love and compassion
real and to implement the dreams and possibilities that had been discussed
there. He spoke of the need for a strong secularism- not a secularism that
denies the importance of religion, but one which respects the practitioners of
all religions and of none. Beliefs may differ, he said, but the core practices
of love and compassion are common in all traditions. (...)
http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/464-dalai-lama-challenges-parliament-attendees-to-action
Orthodox
and Catholic leader met
7 December - Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, leader of the
Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania and one of the eight presidents of the
World Council of Churches, met Pope Benedict XVI at the
The Roman Catholic pontiff
expressed gratitude to the Orthodox leader for his “personal contribution to
fostering fraternal relations with the Catholic Church.” He concluded, “Be
assured that we, for our part, will do all that we can to offer a common
witness of brotherhood and peace, and to pursue with you a renewed commitment
to the unity of our Churches in obedience to the new commandment of our Lord.”
It was the first time an
official delegation from the Albanian church has visited the
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1634/orthodox-and-catholic-lea.html
UNESCO
and FEMNET launch resource book on right of African women to information
11 December - Supported by
UNESCO, the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), a
pan-African organization working to promote women’s rights and development in
the continent since 1988, published a resource book Freedom of Information
(FOI) & Women’s Rights in Africa. This publication is one of the outputs of
the Freedom of Information and Women’s Rights in Africa Project, a regional programme launched by FEMNET in partnership with UNESCO.
The project aims to demonstrate the relevance of freedom of information in the
promotion and protection of women’s rights as promulgated in national laws, and
regional and international human rights instruments.
The publication, compiled by Carlyn Hambuba and edited by
Rachel Kagoiya, collects case studies from five
African countries:
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29377&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
UN
Agencies agree on need for closer collaboration in favor of visually impaired
Geneva, 8 December - A meeting
hosted by WIPO on December 7, 2009 with a number of United Nations (UN)
specialized agencies in Geneva concluded with agreement on the need for closer
inter-agency collaboration in favor of visually impaired persons (VIPs). During
the meeting, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry
outlined the Organization’s VIP Initiative, which aims to facilitate and
enhance access to literary, artistic and scientific works for the blind,
visually impaired and other reading-disable persons and stressed the importance
of common activities in this area.
The meeting offered an
excellent opportunity to exchange ideas about potential areas of cooperation,
as mandated by WIPO member states. It brought together senior officials and
experts from the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), the High Commissioner
for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the
World Health Organization (WHO). (...)
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2009/article_0055.html
EDC
extends support for education in Democratic
Washington, DC, 1 December -
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), will be working to improve learning
in math and French in the Democratic Republic of Congo by building the capacity
of teachers, schools, and communities in three Congolese provinces. The $40
million program, known as the Package for Improving Education Quality, is
funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The project is
expected to reach 3,600 schools, 21,000 teachers, and 900,000 students. EDC
will collaborate with the National Ministry of Education to help primary school
teachers learn and use effective teaching practices. Professional development
courses will build teachers’ knowledge in their subject areas and skills in
student-centered teaching. In addition, an existing interactive radio education
program will be extended from the current grade 1 and 2 programs through grade
6, ensuring that students receive quality daily lessons based on the Congolese
curriculum, and teachers receive support practicing the interactive techniques
they learn in training. (...)
EDC partners RTI
International, Catholic Relief Services, and New Generation Media Initiative
for
http://www.edc.org/newsroom/press_releases/edc_extends_support_education_democratic_republic_congo
EDC
expands youth education work to
Newton, MA, USA, 18 November -
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), will expand its reach to the West
African country of Liberia, leading a project aimed at improving education and
skills training for young people, ages 10–35. EDC will direct the project in
partnership with the YMCA of Liberia and RTI International. The project, funded
with $13 million from the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID), targets overage and out-of-school youth, whose needs are not met
through the country’s formal education system.
The new initiative will place
an emphasis on work readiness and life skills training, with the launch of a
new non-formal education curriculum that teaches literacy and numeracy through real-life examples and experiences. (...)
This work, known as Core Education Skills for Liberian Youth, expands on
USAID/Liberia’s Accelerated Learning Program PLUS for Liberian youth and will
run through August 2011.
http://www.edc.org/newsroom/press_releases/edc_expands_youth_education_work_liberia
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