Good News Agency – Year X, n° 166
Weekly – Year X, number 166 –
15th January 2010
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
Rotary - Sister clubs turn scars of war into bonds of peace
Agreement
reached on integrated safeguards in European Union
8 January - The International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in cooperation with the European Commission, has
reached agreement on arrangements to implement “integrated safeguards” in all
non-nuclear-weapon States of the European Union with significant nuclear
activities.
“This important milestone is
the result of the constructive common efforts of all parties concerned. It is a
clear signal of the importance attributed by the EU and its
“Once we have sufficient
confidence that a State’s nuclear activities are purely peaceful, we can apply
safeguards measures in a less prescriptive, more customised
manner. This reduces the inspection burden on the State and the inspection
effort of the IAEA, while enabling the IAEA to maintain the conclusion that all
nuclear material has remained in peaceful activities,” said Olli Heinonen, Deputy Director General and Head of IAEA
Safeguards Department. (...)
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/PressReleases/2010/prn201001.html
Entry
into force of new, stronger system to control fisheries and stamp out illegal
fishing,
1st
January 2010
A streamlined, more efficient
control system under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy
will enter into force on 1 January 2010. The new rules will step up controls to
stamp out illegal fishing, and show that the EU is determined to lead the way
towards responsible and sustainable fishing both inside and outside the EU. The
new system has three pillars: the first pillar is a Regulation against illegal
fishing worldwide (the IUU Regulation). From now on, all marine fishery
products traded with the EU, wherever they come from in the world, will have to
be certified and their origin will be traceable (...) in an effort to close the
EU market to illegally caught fish. The second pillar is a Regulation on
control that brings in a targeted, more effective and less costly fisheries
control system. It will apply inside the EU and to EU vessels wherever in the
world they are operating. It introduces harmonised
rules for inspection, monitoring, control, surveillance and enforcement
throughout the chain from net to plate. Like the IUU Regulation above, it
contains strong measures to sanction law-breakers. (...) The third pillar is a
Regulation on fishing authorisations for the EU fleet
operating outside EU waters, which is in force since October 2008. (...)
A
stronger Europol
Under the new legal framework
Europol’s accountability arrangements have also been strengthened, with a
bigger role established for the European Parliament in scrutinising
activities and setting the Agency’s annual budget. Meanwhile Europol’s data
protection regime, already one of the most robust in the world, has also been
further improved. (...)
http://www.europol.europa.eu/index.asp?page=news&news=pr100105.htm
UN-backed
container-profiling project leads to seizure of drugs, counterfeit goods
29 December - Latin American
port authorities are seizing more drug consignments and counterfeit goods along
container routes thanks to a United Nations-backed initiative that is showing
growing success after its inception six years ago.
Under the Container Control Programme - a joint project of the UN Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC) and the independent, inter-governmental World Customs Organization
- a newly established and trained Panamanian inter-agency profiling unit in the
Pacific
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33359&Cr=unodc&Cr1=
UN
official welcomes European Union approval of Internet copyright treaties
14 December - The head of the
United Nations agency tasked with safeguarding intellectual property rights
today welcomed the European Union’s ratification of the so-called Internet
Treaties. Noting that the EU plays a leading role in promoting use of the
Internet and in developing on-line content, World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) Director General Francis Gurry
said the step would positively influence the growth of creativity within the
digital environment in
All 27 EU Member States have
now implemented the European directive incorporating the WIPO Copyright Treaty
(WCT) and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), which establish
the basic standards of protection for copyright and related rights of digital
material.
In 2000, the EU and its
members took the formal decision to ratify the WIPO Internet treaties, bringing
the number of signatories for the WCT to 88 and 76 for the WPPT.
The treaties update the legal
principles underpinning international copyright protection and the rights of
performers and phonogram producers on the Internet and other digital networks.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33254&Cr=internet&Cr1=
The
UN & Human Rights - A Year in Review: 2009
2009 was an active year in the
U.N. human rights system, especially in the context of the global financial
crisis and the issues arising out of the climate change debate. From special
sessions and fact-finding missions to conferences and country visits, we’ve
tried to highlight some of the key events that took place at the U.N. office in
http://www.humanrightsnexus.org/
Fund
for Gender Equality announces more than US$9 million in grants to advance
women’s economic and political empowerment worldwide
Gender
Equality Efforts by Civil Society and Governments in 26 Countries to Be
Supported
“This new Fund has tremendous
potential to bring about concrete and sustainable changes in women’s lives.
Very impressive efforts to advance women’s political and economic empowerment
are underway in every corner of the world. Yet this work is critically
under-funded. It is important that the Fund supports both governments and civil
society organizations - and very significantly, partnerships between
them as well,” said Inés Alberdi,
UNIFEM Executive Director. (...)
http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=1007
OHCHR
Thematic Strategies for 2010-2011
For the first time since the
creation of the OHCHR's Strategic Plan and after
extensive consultation involving all department of the Office, High
Commissioner Navi Pillay
presented a series of six thematic strategies that could align the field presences and
divisional activities of the Office. These
strategies are intended to not only guide the work of the OHCHR for 2010-2011
but also assist Member States, NGOs and other civil society organizations focus
their efforts on these areas to contribute towards their achievement. It is
hoped that by outlining core strategies, the Office will soon be able to engage
the expertise of all relevant stakeholders including non-governmental organisations and national human rights institutions.
The focus areas include:
eliminating discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, religion and other marginalised groups; ensuring the human rights of migrants;
protecting economic, social and cultural rights to combat poverty, protecting
human rights in armed conflict, violence and insecurity; combating impunity and
strengthening accountability, rule of law and democratic societies; and
strengthening international human rights mechanisms and law.
http://www.humanrightsnexus.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=216
UN
completes initial round of training for local judges in eastern
8 January - Some 75 local
civil servants from eastern
The training, organized by the
UN Development Programme (UNDP) and MINURCAT, is
expected to guarantee an impartial, independent and credible justice system in
the region, where 256,700 Sudanese refugees from the
“This is, by all means, an
important step in the reinforcement of the justice system in eastern
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33438&Cr=minurcat&Cr1=
Cambodian-UN
prison initiative improves conditions for detainees
5 January - More than one
thousand inmates at the Siem Reap prison now have
more water for daily drinking, cooking and personal hygiene thanks to an
innovative partnership between the United Nations human rights office and the
Government of Cambodia aimed at prison reform.
The Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights in
Before the system was
introduced, the 1,300 detainees had to rely on limited underground water for
drinking, preparing meals, washing and sewage disposal. However, now with the
new system, the prisoners have access to an average of over
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33406&Cr=cambodia&Cr1=
31 December - The UN Refugee
Agency (UNHCR) in
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
in
India
boosts ties with Africa, expands credit lines
11 January -
“The India-Africa forum summit
which took place in 2008 has given a new thrust to India’s engagement with
Africa, as reflected by increases in exiting credit lines to Africa from
$2,15-billion to $5,4-billion up until
8 January -
The major objective of the
center is to uplift the lives of youths by providing an opportunity to make a
world of difference, to promote and encourage corporate volunteering, to
provide peer mentoring, counseling, coaching and supportive communication,
building quality relations and bringing about partner solidarity, promoting
self-investment and social entrepreneurship, to link with global volunteer
partners to promote volunteerism, localize global volunteer concepts for
effective local participation and consolidate the volunteer efforts in Fiji for
impact imposition. (...)
http://www.iave.org/content/fiji-opens-national-volunteer-center
The funding will provide food
assistance, the distribution of seeds, food-for-work programmes,
the improvement of water distribution and stocking systems, as well as a system
of surveillance for food security. Around 20,000 of the most vulnerable people
in the region, whose survival is threatened by the recent climatic events, will
benefit from this aid. (...)
UN
agency helps
31 December - The United
Nations agency responsible for financing agricultural development in poor
countries has given $10 million to
The agreement, signed in
IFAD has so far financed eight
projects in
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33378&Cr=ivoire&Cr1=
Counterpart
International, NGO Council and USAID sign a Memorandum on cooperation in
Memorandum
signed to further NGO Council as part of Counterpart’s Civil Society Project
The NGO Council was
established by Azerbaijani Presidential decree on May 15, 2008. It has
implemented two grant rounds, providing 430 Azerbaijani NGOs with a total of $4
million in grants assistance on a competitive basis. In 2010 the NGO Council
expects to launch a third round of grants, totaling approximately $3.5 million.
(...)
http://online.counterpart.org/Default.aspx?tabid=340&metaid=IDUK0950-714
United
Nations - Aid arrives in
Distributions of food and medical
assistance have begun in
The aid effort will increase
rapidly in the coming days as the scale of need among survivors becomes clear.
Dozens of countries have offered assistance, and specialist UN coordination
teams are working to ensure aid quickly reaches the right people at the right time.
Immediate needs identified include medical support, food, water, and emergency
shelter. Many survivors have serious injuries, including traumatic wounds,
compound fractures and crushed limbs. The World Health Organization is
coordinating medical assistance and sending a 12-member team specializing in
victim care, while NGOs such as Medecins sans
Frontiers are scaling up their efforts on the ground as quickly as possible.
(…)
http://ochaonline.un.org www.reliefweb.int
Three
months after devastating earthquakes and floods in
6 January - (…) In the three months since the earthquake struck, Save the
Children’s humanitarian response has reached more than 30,000 families,
including more than 67,000 children. In just two of the most severely affected
districts of West Sumatra, Agam and Lubuk Basung, Save the Children
has served a total of 143,777 people, including 64,942 children.
In the immediate aftermath of
the disaster, Save the Children distributed relief items, such as cooking
utensils, soap, and tools and materials to build basic shelters. Now Save the
Children is shifting its focus to ensure children and their families recover as
quickly as possible. The agency is helping some of the most vulnerable families
to buy building materials, promoting maternal health and offering children safe
spaces where they can express themselves and overcome the stress of the
earthquake and its aftermath. Save the Children is also ensuring that children
can quickly return to safe, temporary classrooms, so they can continue their
education. (…)
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2010/3-mo-indonesia-quake.html
UN
boosts aid to vulnerable Afghans as winter conditions take hold
5 January - United Nations
agencies have stepped up their humanitarian relief efforts to help tens of
thousands of vulnerable Afghans survive the bitter winter weather in the east
of the country, the world body’s mission there, known as UNAMA, said today. Last
month the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) began
distributing blankets, plastic sheets, jerry cans, warm clothing and gas
cylinders to some 4,100 returning refugee and displaced families in eastern
provinces where temperatures can plummet to minus 20 degrees Celsius in
January, the coldest month. In addition, more than 12,000 vulnerable families,
or 72,000 individuals, will receive a cash voucher worth $30 to buy heating
materials or other items of their choice from approved retailers. (...) The
World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health
Organization (WHO) have also provided extra
assistance to the vulnerable people in
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33403&Cr=afghan&Cr1=
29 December - (...) Upali, his wife Rupawathie, 45, and
his four children live in Peraliya,
Upali and Rupawathie are two of 99 beneficiaries in southern Godagama GN Division in
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/09/09122901/index.asp
The
IRC aids thousands of people fleeing fighting in
Dera Ismail Khan,
Now the International Rescue
Committee, in partnership with a local Pakistani organization, has launched an
effort to deliver medical services to some 27,000 people who fled the fighting
in
Horn
of
For further information: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm
8 January - Thanks to the good
current cooperation results and significant involvement of the Principality of
Monaco to resolve the mine problem in natural protected areas in the
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/LSGZ-7ZHJE3?OpenDocument
UN
brings Sudanese tribes together for historic peace talks
29 December - The United
Nations has paved the way for historic talks between clashing tribes to bolster
the fragile peace in the disputed oil-rich area of Abyei,
close to the border between
Recognizing the need for
dialogue at this critical juncture, the UN Development Programme
(UNDP), the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and the Abyei Area Administration joined forces to bring the
leaders of the two tribes together for the first time in the conflict’s
history. During the 14 December meeting, which kicked off to cheering, drumming
and dancing, top officials from the tribes discussed border security, arms
control and migration issues. (...) The dialogue was also the first in the
history of peacebuilding in the Abyei
area in which women took an active part in the talks. (...) UNDP stressed in a
press release that “only through the support to community reconciliation
dialogues in Sudan that bring together women groups, youth and traditional
leaders will the region be able to ensure its hard-won peace.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33361&Cr=abyei&Cr1=
28 December - Through its
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Italy recently authorized two
financial contributions for 166,300 US dollars (112,000 Euros) to the
Organization of American States’ (OAS) Mine Action assistance program, known as
AICMA.
Today, AICMA assists
http://media-newswire.com/release_1108811.html
Leaders
quicken pace at UN-backed reunification talks for
21 December - The Greek
Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders are intensifying their United Nations-backed
talks aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island, scheduling two three-day
series of discussions next month after a senior UN official said they had made
good progress over the past year. Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris
Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met today under
UN auspices in
In remarks to the media over
the weekend, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special
Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer said the two leaders had showed “a very
strong commitment to achieve a successful negotiation and they have made good
progress” throughout the last year. He also said that the next year would be a
pivotal point. (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33320&Cr=Cyprus&Cr1=
ITF
concluded demining programme
in
On Monday, 21 December
Demining programme in
http://www.itf-fund.si/news/news.asp#m296
Critical
step as global eradication effort faces entrenched challenges
http://www.polioeradication.org/content/general/LatestNews200912.asp#01
UNA-USA
has successfully concluded its Adopt-A-Minefield® Campaign!
Thank
you for your support of our life-saving work over the last ten years!
As planned and in alignment
with 10th anniversary and second review conference of the Mine Ban Treaty,
UNA-USA successfully crossed the finish line and concluded its
Adopt-A-Minefield (AAM) Campaign on December 31, 2009. UNA-USA is very proud of
AAM’s work over the past ten years. We raised over $25 million for mine action, cleared over 1,000
minefields, and assisted thousands of survivors. There are lots of reasons to
celebrate! Globally, now there are only 6,000 new casualties each year - as
opposed to the 25,000 annual rate recorded in the late
1990’s. There are 156 signatories to the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) - that’s 80% of
the world’s nations! Only two countries used landmines last year - rather than
the previously widespread use in over 80 countries.
http://www.landmines.org/Page.aspx?pid=374
Sub-Saharan
12 January - The United
Nations is seeking to virtually eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV
in sub-Saharan
“AIDS has become the leading
cause of death among infants and young children in much of sub-Saharan Africa,”
Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Executive
Director Michel Sidibé said during a visit to Sauri in western
http://www.africagoodnews.com/health/un-partners-seek-to-eliminate-hiv-in-children.html
MSF
starts work in the ‘hunger prison’, Bunia, DRC
8 January - Over a two-month
period, 17 prisoners referred from Bunia Prison to
the city’s hospital have died - victims of severe malnutrition. The MSF team
working in Bunia, located in the eastern district of Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
recently intervened to put an end to the tragedy that is occurring at the
prison. More than 500 prisoners are crammed into this desolate place, barely
one third of them have been before a judge. (…)
The first phase of the MSF
intervention is initially planned to last three weeks. Since the first day
approximately 50 prisoners have received therapeutic food. All prisoners have
been seen by medical staff and are now receiving the necessary care. Emergency
measures were taken to supply water and improve sanitation. During the second
phase, which should last three months, medical, nutritional, logistical, and
other activities will be carried out in cooperation with other organisations, including the ICRC. The goal is to know for
certain at the end of this period that the minimum of food and medical care is
being provided to all prisoners. (...)
By Dan Nixon
Rotary International News, 8
January - The incidence of polio in
The World Health Organization’s Advisory
Committee on Polio Eradication attributes 95 percent of the world’s progress
against the disease in 2009 to
A bivalent vaccine, already in
use in
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/100108_news_nigeriaepn.aspx
Despite
clashes, MSF continues activities in the Galgadud
region of
Médecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF) continues activities in Dhusa Mareb, despite growing
insecurity due to clashes on Saturday
6 January - In response to
severe drought conditions, MSF started supplying water on December
In 2009, MSF Somali medical
teams performed 732 surgeries, 709 deliveries and 40,190 consultations took
place in the out patient department (...) to all people who need medical care,
regardless of their clan, religious or political affiliations. MSF has worked
in
(...)
Ethiopian
and UN officials devise plan to boost maternal and newborn health
6 January - United Nations
agencies and Ethiopian health officials have developed a comprehensive two-year
work plan to boost maternal and newborn health and survival in the Horn of
Africa nation, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced.
The work plan focuses on both
immediate and long-term interventions and involves increasing demand, access
and utilization of quality maternal and newborn health services, as well as
improving the quality of these services. In addition, it focuses on
strengthening monitoring and evaluation of these services, and improving
managerial and institutional capacity, advocacy and partnerships to encourage
increased political and financial commitment.
The plan was developed during
last month’s visit to Ethiopia of UN Health 4 (H4), a joint effort by UNICEF,
the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Population Fund
(UNFPA) and the World Bank to support countries
in improving maternal and newborn health and saving the lives of mothers and
babies. (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33414&Cr=maternal&Cr1=
UN
offers online courses to boost cancer treatment in developing nations
5 January - To bridge the gap
in developing countries where there is a shortage of cancer specialists, the
United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has helped spearhead a
web-based course on radiation oncology. Radiotherapy plays a positive role in
treating nearly half of all cancer patients, as cancer rates continue to climb
in poorer nations. The course contains 80 training modules classified into
eight different topics, and the materials are expected to complement the
training that radiation oncologists receive through their formal education in
their respective countries. This initiative is part of an IAEA programme involving 17 Member States in the Asia-Pacific
region, and the material for the course - entitled “Applied Sciences of
Oncology Distance Learning” - was developed by an Australian organization.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33410&Cr=iaea&Cr1=
Ban
applauds
4 January - Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations agency tasked with
fighting the spread of HIV today congratulated the
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33401&Cr=hiv&Cr1=aids
(top)
President
Obama awards $2.3 billion for new clean-tech
manufacturing jobs
Recovery
Act Tax Credits to Enable More Than $7 Billion in New Manufacturing Projects
and Create Tens of Thousands of Jobs
The projects announced today
address the broad spectrum of manufacturing capabilities needed to support a
robust clean energy economy. The
projects were competitively selected through a rigorous merit review process
and the companies chosen say they will create more than 17,000 jobs in some of
the fastest growing parts of our economy. (...)
http://www.energy.gov/news2009/8501.htm
Secretary
Recovery
Act Projects to Lower Energy Use by
http://www.energy.gov/news2009/8491.htm
World
Future Energy
Under the patronage of H.H.
General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme
Commander of the UAE Armed Forces,
The four-day summit will build
on the successes of its predecessors, with more than 30 individual conference
sessions and more than 200 international influencers addressing future energy
strategies, policies and technologies.
World Future Energy Summit,
the world’s platform for sustainable future energy solutions, provides an ideal
networking event for industry leaders, investors, scientists, specialists,
policymakers and researchers to discuss the challenges of rising energy demand
and actions to achieve a cleaner and more sustainable future for the world.
http://www.worldfutureenergysummit.com/home.aspx
12 January -
The Tunisian government has
set an initial budget of around US$580,000 for the project. Hussein said that
the group also has promises from the government for funding for other projects
until 2016 if this one succeeds. The project, partially funded and supported by
http://www.nano.org.uk/news/index.php?article=337
Earth
Charter+10 plans
By ECI Sec1
1 January - 2010 represents
the 10th year since the launch of the Earth Charter. ECI is planning to have a
number of activities and events organized around this and hope many individuals
and organizations from around the world will also organize events or workshops
locally.
To help guide this process a
Draft Concept Paper for EC+10 has being designed. This Concept Paper outlines a
proposal for activities that should take place throughout 2010. The main idea
of Earth Charter+10 (EC+10) is to use this as an opportunity to scale up the
outreach and impact of the Earth Charter. It is envisioned that, during 2010,
there will be at least one major Earth Charter gathering in each region of the
world (...). In addition, it is expected that a number of local gatherings will
take place, in different locations, which will occur simultaneously. ECI
suggests Earth Day, April 22, as the day for affiliates, youth groups,
volunteers and partners to organize these local gatherings, public events or
workshops in order to further promote and raise awareness about the Earth
Charter. (...)
http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/articles/363/1/Earth-Charter10-plans/Page1.html
UN
opens Biodiversity Year with plea to save world’s ecosystems
1 January - In a bid to curb
the unprecedented loss of the world’s species due to human activity - at a rate
some experts put at 1,000 times the natural progression - the United Nations is
marking 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, with a slew of events
highlighting the vital role the phenomenon plays in maintaining the life
support system on Planet Earth.
“Humans are part of nature’s
rich diversity and have the power to protect or destroy it,” the Secretariat of
the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which is hosted by the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP), said in summarizing the
Year’s main message, with its focus on raising awareness to generate public
pressure for action by the world’s decision makers.
“Biodiversity, the variety of
life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that
provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives
depend on. Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost
at a greatly accelerated rate.
These losses are irreversible,
impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on every day. But
we can prevent them.” (...)
http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33393&Cr=envirionment&Cr1=
UN
agency sets out priority steps to realize Green Economy for 21st century
31 December - The United
Nations environmental agency has identified three priority areas in the race to
mitigate climate change based on harnessing the benefits of ecosystems, from
coral reefs to forests, coupled with non-fossil fuel technology that exploits
solar, geo-thermal and wind energy. “It is now widely recognized that healthy
ecosystems from coral reefs and wetlands to mangroves and fertile soils are a
key to successfully adapting to climate change,” the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said in a news release on what it called a
rapidly evolving strategy “in response to the needs of Member States and the
growing number of requests on how best to realize a low carbon, resource
efficient Green Economy for the 21st century.”
Calling the management and
maintenance of such systems “a buffer and an insurance policy against extreme
weather events and a rapidly changing climate,” UNEP stressed that ecosystems
and the services they provide represent serious, multi-trillion dollar economic
assets. (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33387&Cr=climate+change&Cr1=
8 January - A 26-strong
delegation of bishops and representatives from Bishops’ Conferences and church
bodies from Europe and North American countries will visit the Christian
peoples and Churches in the
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2010
During
the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2010, Christians throughout the world
will be listening together to the promise and commission that are part of
Christ's final words before his ascension: "You are witnesses of these
things."
7 January - Traditionally celebrated
between 18 and 25 January (in the northern hemisphere) or at Pentecost (in the
southern hemisphere), the Week of Prayer enters into congregations and parishes
all over the world. Preachers are exchanged, and special ecumenical worship
services are arranged. The production of the liturgical and biblical material
for the week of prayer is jointly coordinated since 1968 by the World Council
of Churches (Faith and Order Commission) and the Roman Catholic Church
(Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity).
The theme for 2010 was chosen
in
Resources for the week include
an introduction to the theme; a suggested ecumenical celebration which local
churches are encouraged to adapt for their own particular liturgical, social
and cultural contexts; biblical reflections and prayers for the "eight
days"; and additional prayers from, and an overview of the ecumenical
situation in
http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/pr-10-01.html
UNESCO:
Online discussion on Gender equality, Education and Training - 10 January to 7
February 2010
As part of the debates and
events commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action,
the United Nations’ Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE)
is organizing a series of online discussions dedicated to specific critical
areas of action related to gender equality. These discussions will contribute
to the 15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action
at the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women from 1-12 March,
2010. The online discussions are designed to catalyze debate, to analyze
progress and to provide an important interactive forum where perspectives,
successful initiatives and information can be shared.
UNESCO will be hosting the
online discussion focusing on the theme of Gender equality, Education and
Training from 10 January to 7 February. During these four weeks, discussions
will be organized around a framework of thematic questions in order to
stimulate debate between participants. (...)
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=47037&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Astronomy
Beyond 2009
Closing
Ceremony International Year of Astronomy, 9 - 10 January 2010, Padova -
On 9 and 10 January 2010 the
International Year of Astronomy 2009 will be officially closed. A ceremony will
be held in
Astronomy Beyond 2009 is the
title of the meeting and the aim is both to have an initial account of this
fantastic year and discuss the astrophysics of the next decade, and beyond.
Professional astronomers,
historians of science and Single Points of Contact from various countries that
participated in IYA will deal with the impact of IYA, the legacy of Galileo,
the role of science in society and the future of astronomy. Besides this, a
number of diverse activities are planned that will involve both the public in Padova and individuals who participated in the programs of
the IYA2009.
http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/ev.php-URL_ID=8176&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Essen/Ruhr,
Pécs and
9, 10
and 16 January 2010
As we enter the year 2010, the
new European Capitals of Culture -
In the city of
In Pécs,
the official opening of the European Capital of Culture 2010 will offer 24
hours of ongoing attractions in public spaces of the city, including carnival
and theatrical programs, interactive walls, projections at several different
places in the city, painting by light in the evening etc.
In
Start
of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion
1 January - 2010 will be the European
Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion - a one-year programme aimed at raising awareness on poverty and social
exclusion. It will be implemented in all EU Member States as well as in
The Year will be launched in
Colonial
jewel in
31 December - As part of a
United Nations-backed plan to restore historical architectural gems that have
deteriorated into slums, residents of Rimac, one of
the poorest neighbourhoods in
Located in downtown
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33384&Cr=world+heritage&Cr1=
Character
Education Camp in
By UPF -
The purposes were to help
these youths build their character and empower them to deal with the varioust challenges facing them today, namely, peer
pressure, drug abuse, premature sex, teenage pregnancy, sexually-transmitted
diseases, HIV infections, rape, crime, and teenage suicide, just to name the
major ones. In opening the camp, Rev. Jean Augustin Ghomsi, Secretary General of the Universal Peace Federation
(UPF)
http://www.upf.org/upf-news/141-africa-middle-east/2517-character-education-camp-in-johannesburg
ANERA
to help needy students in
Washington, DC, 22 December -
ANERA (American Near East Refugee Agency) is pleased
to announce a $411,000 grant from UNESCO to help improve learning skills for
vulnerable Iraqi and Jordanian students in
ANERA president Bill Corcoran
welcomed the opportunity to provide the much-needed academic support. “We are
reaching out to vulnerable youth to help keep them in school and provide some
of the building blocks for a productive future.” (...)
http://www.anera.org/newsResources/ANERAtoHelpNeedyStudentsinJordan.php
Education
sparks greater development in
Silver Spring, Md., USA, 15
December - In northeastern Uganda, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency
(ADRA) recently launched a new three-year project designed to support and
improve the capacity of the region’s underserved population by increasing the
quality of, and their access to, basic social services through formal and
non-formal education initiatives.
The project is currently being
implemented in the chronically food-insecure Karamoja
region due to its limited access to basic social services, such as education,
health care, and safe water and sanitation. (…) The new project’s educational
initiatives are strengthening the capacities of new and existing civil society
organizations (CSOs) and improving collaboration
between local authorities, instructors, and the participating CSOs to provide, support, and sustain literacy services
within these communities. (...)
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10695&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1141
* * * * * * *
(top)
Lastly, with the first issue of the year we are
pleased to offer our readers a unique story of peace.
(Reprint with permission
of Rotary International, 2009)
Sister
clubs turn scars of war into bonds of peace
by Vanessa N. Glavinskas and Suzelle Tempero
Akio Nishikiori
clasps his prayer beads and bows his head as the Peace Bell tolls, marking the
exact moment that
Nishikiori was just eight
years old when the bomb shattered the city on 6 August 1945. A week passed
before his parents located his eldest sister, who had volunteered to work in a
downtown factory. Badly burned, she told them how she had desperately repeated
their address to anyone who passed by. She died two days after being reunited
with her family.
Now, as Nishikiori
observes the crowd gathered in
Hiroji Mukasa of
It wasn’t a perfect fit with
club members, however. “It was most difficult on our club president, Seiki Hirotani,” Nishikiori says. “He
worried what his deceased family would think, especially his parents.” Hirotani had lost his parents, two sisters, a younger
brother, and a grandmother in the attack, and he was so conflicted about
establishing the sister club relationship that he had nightmares in which his
parents and siblings would appear.
Hawaiian Rotarians didn’t
immediately embrace the idea, either.
Willpower to forgive
“Anytime you go through an
agonizing experience, it always takes tremendous willpower to forgive,” says
Bob Deibler, a retired U.S. Navy officer who was
president of the Rotary Club of Pearl Harbor,
Deibler was boarding a
streetcar in
Although they saw the war from
different sides, once the conversation turned to Rotary, Hirotani
and Deibler found themselves seeing
eye to eye. “[We said] we’re all Rotarians, and we should focus on
projects and helping people, and forget about the scars of the war,” Deibler remembers.
By September of that year,
both clubs were in favor of forming a sister relationship, and Hirotani and Deibler signed the
affiliation agreement in
Now every year, Hiroshima
Rotarians visit Pearl Harbor, or Pearl Harbor Rotarians visit
Hirotani’s widow, Semae, still marvels at the relationships that blossomed
among the Rotarians. On the 10th anniversary of her husband’s death, more than
50 people gathered at his tomb to honor his memory. Many were members of the
50th anniversary
To commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the attack on
On the 50th anniversary of the
bombing of
Other joint club efforts have
included a Group Study Exchange to promote better understanding between the
cultures, and an art contest for Japanese and
Kazuya Nakatani,
president of the Hiroshima Southeast club, hopes the bond between the clubs
will serve as a powerful symbol of Rotary’s work for peace, and will inspire
younger generations to avoid the misunderstandings that lead to war.
“Right now is a time to look
at peace,” adds Donna McLaughlin, of the
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/TheRotarian/Pages/UF_hiroshima0912.aspx
* * * * * * *
(top)
Next issue: 5 February 2010.
* * * * * * *
Good News Agency is
published in English on one Friday and in Italian the next. Past issues
are available at www.goodnewsagency.org
.
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi, Ph.D. Editorial
research by Fabio Gatti,
Maria Grazia Da Damos, Arianna Cavallo, Azzurra Cianchetta. Editorial Secretary: Maria Grazia
Da Damos. Webmaster: Fabio Gatti.
Good News Agency is distributed free of charge through Internet to 10,000 media and editorial journalists of the daily newspapers and periodical magazines and of the radio and television stations in 54 countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bermuda, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Caribbean Islands, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Holland, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Oceania, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, USA. It is also distributed free of charge 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, a registered educational charity
chartered in Italy in 1979 The Association operates for the development of
consciousness and promotes a culture of peace in the ‘global village’
perspective based on unity in diversity and on sharing. It is based in Via Antagora 10, 00124
* * * * * * *
(TOP)