Good News Agency – Year X, n° 167
Weekly – Year X, number 167 – 5th
February 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 3,000 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
2 February - Spain wishes to
“make as much progress as possible” to ensure the EU becomes party to the
Council of Europe’s Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms soon, according to the Spanish Minister for Justice,
Francisco Caamaño, at today’s opening of a seminar on
the challenges and possibilities arising from the Treaty of Lisbon coming into
force.
Organised jointly with the
Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), the seminar brought together authorities,
experts and academics in
“No legal impediments exist to
joining although there are some complex practical issues that I’m sure we will
be able to tackle”, said Mr Caamaño,
who emphasised that the subject “is one of the
Spanish Presidency’s basic priorities”. (...)
http://www.eu2010.es/en/documentosynoticias/noticias/feb2_caamano_seminario.html
UN
Legal Counsel discusses closer cooperation with tribunal chiefs in
26 January - The United
Nations legal chief and the heads of courts and tribunals based in The Hague
have held talks this week on how to improve cooperation between the UN and the
tribunals set up to deal with war crimes and other grave violations of
international law.
Under-Secretary-General
Patricia O’Brien, the UN Legal Counsel, is midway through a three-day visit to
The Hague, where she has met representatives of the International Court of
Justice (ICJ), the
International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and the Special
Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL). (…)
At the ICJ, also known as the
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33590&Cr=Tribunal&Cr1=
Just published: Migration and Human Rights. The United Nations Convention on Migrant Workers’
Rights
Edited
by Paul de Guchteneire, UNESCO, Paris; Antoine Pecoud, UNESCO,
The UN Convention on Migrant
Workers’ Rights is the most comprehensive international treaty in the field of
migration and human rights. Adopted in 1990 and entered into force in 2003, it
sets a standard in terms of access to human rights for migrants. However, it
suffers from a marked indifference: only forty states have ratified it and no
major immigration country has done so. This highlights how migrants remain
forgotten in terms of access to rights. Even though their labour
is essential in the world economy, the non-economic aspect of
migration - and especially migrants’ rights - remain a neglected
dimension of globalisation. This volume provides
in-depth information on the Convention and on the reasons behind states’
reluctance towards its ratification. It brings together researchers,
international civil servants and NGO members and relies upon an
interdisciplinary perspective that includes not only law, but also sociology
and political science. (...)http://portal.unesco.org/shs/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
UN: A
step to help end rape in war
2 February - The UN has long
needed a high-level focal point to address this horrific crime that so often
goes unpunished during wartime chaos. The appointment of a senior position on
women in armed conflict is an important step in that direction. The appointment
of a senior official to coordinate United Nations efforts to end rape in war is
an important step, Human Rights Watch said today. “The UN has long needed a
high-level focal point to address this horrific crime that so often goes
unpunished during wartime chaos,” said Marianne Mollmann,
women’s rights advocate at Human Rights Watch. “The appointment of a senior
position on women in armed conflict is an important step in that direction.”
The UN Security Council
created the senior post on women in armed conflict in September, 2009, with a
specific mandate to address sexual violence. On January 30, 2010, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced his choice of
Margot Wallstrom, a Swedish politician who is
currently vice-president of the European Commission. Wallstrom
served three years as minister for women and youth in
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/02/02/un-step-help-end-rape-war
Committee
on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women considers report of
1 February - The Committee on
the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has considered the combined
fourth to seventh periodic report of
Introducing the report, Marta
Susana Gonzalez Ruiz de Varela, Deputy Minister of Social Development of
Panama, introducing the report covering the period from 1998 to 2008, noted
that much progress had been made in
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=9800&LangID=E
New
FRA study on Holocaust and Human Rights education released in
27 January - At a Ministerial
Conference being held in
http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/home/infocus10_2701_en.htm
The
6th session of the High-Level Task Force on the Implementation of the Right to
Development ends
Report
on the 6th session of the High-Level Task Force on the Implementation of the
Right to Development, 14 - 22 January, Palais des
Nations,
The High-Level Task Force on
the Implementation of the Right to Development recently completed its 6th session
at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, focussing on refining the right to development criteria in
relation to Millennium Development Goal
http://www.humanrightsnexus.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=238
Human
Rights Syllabi for the College Classroom
In
cooperation with: Interdisciplinary Field Studies, University of California at
Berkeley and Amnesty international USA
This collection of human
rights syllabi is designed for the college and university instructor. It is a
product of the Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) Educators Network, in
conjunction with the Interdisciplinary Field Studies major at the
Purposes of “Syllabi for the
College Classroom” are: to make available a collection of classroom-tested
syllabi for the teaching of courses on human rights across a broad range of
disciplines; to stimulate the creation of new inter- and cross-disciplinary
courses involving human rights; to make it feasible for instructors of
disparate disciplines to enrich their course curriculum utilizing material in
“Human Rights Syllabi.”
This online collection of
human rights syllabi is designed for use by university or college instructors
in human rights courses being taught in institutions of higher education. Most
syllabi have come from institutions located in the
We encourage those teaching
college-level human rights to consider this an individual invitation to send
their syllabus to the email address below. Further, we encourage every educator
to take the initiative in using the sources listed here for human rights
college-level courses. Human rights syllabi, duly emailed to Rita Maran, Ph.D., University Lecturer on Human Rights,
Berkeley, California ritam@berkeley.edu, will be added to
the website.
http://learning.berkeley.edu/AIUSA-syl/
IFAD
provides grant of US$5.66 million for smallholder farmers in
Rural
development: €5 billion in total injected into rural development programmes following last vote on Health Check and Recovery
package changes
Kenyan
farmers’ group to receive drip irrigation greenhouse gift
28 January - ACDI/VOCA is
pleased to announce that the Kenyan farmers’ group, Kipchamo
Poverty Eradication Program (KIPEP), will receive the drip
irrigation-greenhouse package from the Greenest of Gifts campaign. Our
KIPEP plans to invest some of
its own capital in the project to further expand benefits from the new
technology and training. Proceeds from vegetables grown in the greenhouse will
be shared by the 13 member groups. As a next step, ACDI/VOCA will purchase and
deliver the drip irrigation, water tank and greenhouse and will deploy an
expert volunteer to train farmers in how to use the equipment and market what
they produce. (...)
http://www.acdivoca.org/acdivoca/portalhub.nsf/ID/news_GreenestGiftKenyanFarmersGroupNamed
Holcim
supports ICRC field activities
As a new member of the ICRC
Corporate Support Group, Holcim will fund
humanitarian projects as part of its commitment to sustainable development.
(...)
The ICRC and Holcim will define on a yearly basis the field activities
the company will support. In addition, the two organizations intend to share
their expertise and experiences in areas of mutual interest such as crisis and
risk management, water supply and infrastructure development during the
six-year partnership. (...)
Holcim is one of the
world’s leading suppliers of cement and aggregates (crushed stone, gravel and
sand) as well as further activities such as ready-mix concrete and asphalt
including services. The Group holds majority and minority interests in around
70 countries on all continents.
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/private-sector-relations-news-280110
WTO
to establish chairs at 14 developing country universities
The
WTO Secretariat launched today a new programme of
support for teaching, research and outreach activities at 14 universities in
the developing world.
26 January - The WTO Chairs Programme (WCP) will assist national academic institutions
in providing students with a deeper understanding of trade policy issues.
Through analytical input into the formulation and implementation of trade
policy, the WCP will help strengthen the participation of the beneficiary
countries in international trade.
“Through this programme the WTO and its university partners are reaching
out to the leaders of tomorrow, helping them to better understand the complex
mechanism that is the global trading system. By enhancing the trade policy
skills of these young people, the WCP will help foster the capacity of
developing countries to participate fully in the trading environment of the
21st century,” said WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy.
(...)
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres10_e/pr593_e.htm
CEO
participation at top-tier conferences almost doubled between 2007 and 2009,
according to study
“I am incredibly pleased that
the Clinton Global Initiative continues to attract top CEOs to our Annual
Meeting to discuss and - most important - take action on pressing global
issues,” President Clinton said. “The private sector plays a critical role in
solving some of the critical issues of our time, from improving global health
and education, fighting climate change, and increasing economic empowerment
worldwide. I’m grateful these CEOs are proving through the Clinton Global
Initiative that businesses can do well by doing good.”
(...)
http://press.clintonglobalinitiative.org/index.php?s=43&item=81
13th
APF meeting to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 25 January 2010 at UN
Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Headquarters
APF Members from Africa, OECD
countries and international institutions working on Africa will focus on five
key priorities for
http://www.oecd.org/pages/0,3417,en_37489563_37489442_1_1_1_1_1,00.html
WIPO
Pledges Support for
The President confirmed
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2010/article_0002.html
Priority
is spring planting season as thousands flee, food prices rise
21 January 2010, Rome - FAO
Director-General Jacques Diouf said today that with
the first stage of Haiti’s rescue operation now underway the country and the
aid effort should simultaneously move to the urgent support of food production,
agricultural rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Haitian farmers must be given
immediate support before the spring planting season begins in March, said Diouf.
“The priority is to supply
them with seeds, fertilisers, livestock feed and
animal vaccines as well as agricultural tools,” he said.
It is of vital importance to
boost local production programmes of quality seeds,
prepare fertilisers suitable for
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/39290/icode/
Gaza
Community Development Working Group forms
http://www.anera.org/newsResources/QatarGazaCommunityDevelopmentWorkingGroup.php
Online
forum: Women in Power and Decision-Making, 20 January – 18 February
This month-long online
discussion on “Women in Power and Decision-Making,” facilitated by UNIFEM, is
part of a series of UN online discussions hosted by WomenWatch,
dedicated to the fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), as well as outcomes of the
twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (2000). These discussions
will be a contribution to the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of
Women to take place 1-12 March 2010. (...)
http://www.unifem.org/news_events/event_detail.php?EventID=321
US$20
million loan from IFAD to support Smallholder Agribusiness in
IFAD has funded 11 projects in
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2010/1.htm
In
WFP
operations in Léogâne, a town west of Port-au-Prince,
1 February - The United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is “cautiously
optimistic” about a newly launched scheme that could provide rice to some 2
million Haitians over the next two weeks, and promises to cut down on the
recent chaotic scrambles around food trucks as men, women and children pushed
to obtain supplies.
“We have been very encouraged
by how things have gone yesterday and today. (...)” Natasha Scripture, public
information officer with WFP in
The rice ration is expected to
feed a family of six for up to three weeks. So far, some 100,000 people picked
up their rations, nearly all of them women.
“WFP generally targets female
heads of household with food assistance. Distribution to women tends of be more
orderly and calm. Women are often the first ones pushed out of line,” explained
Ms. Scripture. (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33643&Cr=haiti&Cr1=
By
Fredrik Barkenhammar, German Red Cross, in
29 January - In the middle of
the destruction, Red Cross Red Crescent teams from 22 countries work around the
clock to help the people in
“Today was a great day,”
smiles nurse Sarah Bon as she gets out of the white
Red Cross Red Crescent Landcruiser. Sarah is part of
a mobile health team, which consists of a doctor and
two nurses who visit parks, schools and other places where many of the homeless
Haitians gather. They open the backs of their trucks and start treating people
- changing dressings, treating diarrhoea and tending
to small injuries.(...) Sarah had another very good experience that day - she
was able to find a missing German doctor who had already been living in Haiti
before the earthquake. (...) “We found her. She is living in one of the camps
and has been treating people the whole time. She is alive and well,” Sarah
smiles.
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/10/10012901/index.asp
Source: United Nations Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/VVOS-825R4N?OpenDocument&RSS20&RSS20=FS
Poverty
is a scandal: Launch of Caritas Europa’s zero poverty
campaign
The
Poverty Paper: Prevention is better than cure
By Caritas Europa
28 January - (...) It is with
this central message - poverty is unacceptable in the 21st century - that
Caritas Europa is launching today its Zero Poverty
campaign for the European Year 2010 for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion
at the European Parliament in Brussels. (...)
Sharing a platform with
Elisabeth Schroedter MEP, Vice-Chairwoman of the
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, and with presentations by Erny Gillen (President of Caritas Europa)
and Paolo Pezzana/Patrizia Cappelletti
(representing Caritas Italy), Caritas Europa is
offering the vision of Zero Poverty - a vision of a different world, in which
no-one is forced to live on the streets or dies prematurely because cannot
afford healthcare. (...)
Caritas believes that in order
to achieve the vision of Zero Poverty, society has to tackle poverty’s root
causes rather than merely respond to its consequences. Today, social policies
are still focused on assisting poor people. (...)
Rotarians
focus on
By Ryan Hyland
Rotary International News, 22
January - Rotary clubs and districts worldwide are mobilizing resources to
deliver urgently needed relief to the millions affected by
District 7020, which includes
The district’s Haiti Task
Force, set up two years ago to administer all financial aid to the nation, is working with local clubs to deliver aid to
ShelterBox has already
delivered more than 3,300 containers to
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/100113_news_haitirelief.aspx
Dominican
teachers show solidarity to Haitian refugees
22 January - Teacher unionists
in the
EU
launches 2010 European Year: Stop poverty now!
Today, 21 January, the
European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the EU are launching the 2010
European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion with an inaugural
conference in
Almost 84 million Europeans -
or 17% of people across the EU - currently live below the poverty threshold.
The 2010 European Year aims to raise greater awareness of the causes and
consequences of poverty in
The Year’s activities will be largely decentralised, with national programmes
drawn up by each of the 29 countries taking part (the 27 EU countries plus
http://www.2010againstpoverty.eu/news/news/news10.html?langid=en
Sudanese
peace pact has accelerated pace of mine removal, says UN official
28 January - The 2005 peace
accord that ended
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33610&Cr=sudan&Cr1=
25 January - Members of MAG
Iraq’s Community Liaison team have trained Iraqi charities and youth workers on
the dangers of guns, under a new UNICEF-supported project aimed at preventing
needless child deaths. Teachers from 60 schools in Diyala
and Kirkuk, staff from Basra-based non-governmental organisations ‘The Humanitarian Women and Family Organisation’, ‘Hadea for Human
Rights’ and ‘ISCP’ (Iraqi civil society programme),
and youth workers were among the hundreds of Iraqis trained in ‘risk education’
techniques. It is expected at least 12,000 children, parents and youth workers
will be safer as a result.
Small arms casualty figures
from
UNICEF Iraq Representative, Sikander Khan, stated: “This training is a critical start
to raise awareness of how the widespread presence of guns and other light arms
in
http://www.maginternational.org/news/iraq-thousands-of-iraqis-taught-gun-safety-/
UN
anti-crime agency to help set up police academy in
25 January - The United
Nations anti-crime agency is supporting efforts to rebuild a safe and stable
UNODC will work with the
Brazilian Federal Police Department, which will coordinate activities for the
new police academy, to be located in the capital,
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33569&Cr=bissau&Cr1=
22 January - In his latest report to the Security Council on
the
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33564&Cr=sudan&Cr1=
Lao
PDR: New project takes bombs and leaves skills
21 January - MAG and World
Vision have begun an innovative new project to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO)
and improve livelihoods in 24 villages in
The target villages are in Mahaxay District and are all heavily contaminated with UXO,
creating an obstacle to development for the 6,000-plus people who live there.
Funding of US$864,885 is being provided by AusAID. An
innovative element of the project is the inclusion of the “Safe Community”
approach, which will encourage communities to take responsibility for reducing
the risk from UXO. The idea is that once MAG has completed its work in a
village, community members are able to undertake ongoing risk management. (...)
Both UXO clearance and support
to improve livelihoods are much needed in Mahaxai, a
district that the World Food Programme categorises as highly vulnerable to food insecurity. (...)
http://www.maginternational.org/news/lao-pdr-new-project-takes-bombs-and-leaves-skills-/
This
year can be ‘historic’ for progress on disarmament – Secretary-General
19 January - Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon today voiced optimism that 2010 will be a
“historic year” for progress on disarmament and non-proliferation goals, vowing
to press ahead with efforts to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction.
“My hope is based, not on wishful thinking, but on real opportunities for
concrete action,” Mr. Ban told this year’s first plenary session of the
Conference on Disarmament, the world’s sole multilateral forum for disarmament
negotiations, which is meeting in
Last July,
In September, United States
President Barack Obama
chaired a Council meeting on disarmament, which helped build growing momentum
on non-proliferation issues.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33515&Cr=disarmament&Cr1=
Security
Council authorizes 3,500 more UN peacekeepers for
19 January - The Security
Council today backed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s
call to increase the overall force levels of the United Nations peacekeeping
mission in
The Council, in unanimously
adopting resolution 1908, decided that MINUSTAH will consist of a military component of up to 8,940
troops of all ranks and of a police component of up to 3,711 police, and that
it will keep the new force levels under review as necessary. (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33516&Cr=&Cr1=
On 11
January, MAG’s small team in
It seemed a day like any other
at the National Weapons Destruction Workshop on the outskirts of
Corporal Zibera
is one of three RDF personnel trained by MAG to cut small arms using the
specialist shears imported from the
MAG’s activities in
UNOY
-
Columbian
member of UNOY Peacebuilders, Escuelas
De Paz, is implementing a project that hopes to reach 360 young people from
Altos de Cazuca, a run-down area of Soacha,
The current public policy for
youth in Soacha aims to enhance dynamics within the
family and school; protect youth rights; raise awareness; and promote respectful
relations among individuals and their surroundings; and recognise, strengthen
and integrate cultural identities.
Taking this into
account, Escuelas de Paz, supported by UNICEF, the Canandian International Development Agency and the
Secretary of Social Development and the youth management of the City Council of
Soacha, looks forward to strengthening the
The United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY Peacebuilders)
is a global network of 42 youth peace organisations and 350 affiliates active
in the field of peacebuilding and conflict
transformation. http://unoy.org/downloads/newsletter/2010/10_01_unoy_news.pdf
African
leaders join forces to help achieve UN goal for malaria prevention
1 February - Dozens of African
leaders met today in
The 26-nation ALMA coalition
said that in the past 12 months alone at least 90 million long-lasting,
insecticidal mosquito nets were delivered in Africa, and overall 200 million
such nets have been distributed to 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa,
where virtually all malaria deaths occur. (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33642&Cr=malaria&Cr1=
Bill and Melinda Gates pledge $10 billion in call for
decade of vaccines
Increased vaccination could save more than 8 million
children by 2020; significant funding gaps remain, others must join effort
Bill and Melinda Gates made their announcement at the World Economic
Forum’s Annual Meeting, where they were joined by Julian Lob-Levyt, CEO of the GAVI Alliance. (...)
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/decade-of-vaccines-wec-announcement-100129.aspx
On Tuesday, January 26, ADRA
and partner GlobalMedic installed an inflatable field
hospital on the campus of the
In addition to the medical
care ADRA continues to provide basic elements for survival. (...)
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10757&news_iv_ctrl=1141
2,100
children among displaced families in
27 January - On Tuesday,
January
Since November, 2009, new
waves of people fleeing violence in the neighbouring Bajaur Agency arrived in
Access to clean water,
latrines and showers were also set up by MSF to help those families, as well as
an additional 4,500 people staying in the marketplace, better cope with their
critical situation. Basic items such as blankets and cooking kits were
distributed as well. (...)
WHO
Executive Board shows strong support for polio eradication, 18-23 January 2010
Delegates at EB express
support for new 3-year plan to eradicate polio, as funding concerns grow.
At the 126th Session of the
Executive Board (EB) of the World Health Assembly (WHA), delegates expressed
strong support for finishing the job of polio eradication and for the
finalization of a new three-year Programme of Work to
do so, despite a particularly challenging year epidemiologically in 2009. After
hearing a report from the Chair of the Independent Evaluation of Major Barriers
to Interrupting Poliovirus Transmission and frankly acknowledging the remaining
hurdles, delegates noted other, positive outcomes of the 2009 Programme of Work, in particular the impact of tactical and
scientific innovations in each endemic area and the development and
introduction of a new, bivalent, oral polio vaccine. These outcomes, they
noted, advocate for new international commitment to complete the job of securing
a polio-free world.
Delegates praised the
country-driven approach to the new Programme of Work
2010-2012, building on the 2009 innovations and evaluations. Achieving the new
milestones requires the systematic scale-up and full application of these new
solutions in all areas, which in turn requires political commitment and
ownership across all sectors and all levels of government in polio-affected
areas. (...)
http://www.polioeradication.org/meeting_detail.asp?day=23&month=1&year=2010
EDC
and World Health Organization develop online course on violence and injury
prevention
To access TEACH-VIP
E-Learning, visit http://teach-vip.edc.org/
Kathmandu, 12 January (ICRC)
- A four-day emergency-room trauma course organized by the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Department of General Practice and
Emergency Medicine of Tribhuvan University Teaching
Hospital to improve medical care for people injured in violence, natural disasters
or traffic accidents began in Kathmandu today.
The course complements a
workshop on basic surgical management of wounds and trauma conducted in
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/nepal-news-120110
Dalai
Lama gives polio vaccine
Launching
campaigns in Buddhism’s holiest site
Bodh Gaya, 10 January - The Dalai Lama inaugurated polio
vaccination campaigns here today, in Buddhism’s holiest site. The campaigns in
Bihar state,
http://www.polioeradication.org/content/general/LatestNews201001.asp#01
(top)
Will
help promote widespread renewable energy installations and create jobs
Washington, DC, 21 January -
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu
announced today the selection of five projects to receive more than $20.5
million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support deployment
of community-based renewable energy projects, such as biomass, wind and solar
installations. These projects will promote investment in clean energy
infrastructure that will create jobs, help communities provide long-term
renewable energy and save consumers money. They will also serve as models for
other local governments, campuses or small utilities to replicate, allowing
other communities to design projects that fit their individual size and energy
demands. “Smaller, more localized renewable energy systems need to play a role
in our comprehensive energy portfolio,” said Secretary Chu.
“These projects will help create jobs, expand our clean energy economy, and
help us cut carbon pollution at the local level.”
The selected projects will be
leveraged with approximately $167 million in local government and private industry
funding. DOE estimates that these projects will provide enough clean, renewable
energy to displace the emissions of approximately 10,700 homes. (...)
http://www.energy.gov/news2009/8536.htm
European
offshore wind power market grew 54% in 2009
18 January - In
Currently, 17 offshore wind
farms are under construction in Europe, totaling more than 3,500 MW, with just
under half being constructed in
In 2009, the turnover of the
offshore wind industry was approximately €1.5 billion, and EWEA expects this to
double in 2010 to approximately €3 billion. (...) More than 100 GW of projects
are at various stages of planning and could provide enough power to meet 10% of
European electricity demand.
The electric car – a green transport revolution in the
making?
18 January - The electric car
finally seems to be on the verge of breaking through, offering significant
environmental benefits, especially in urban areas. (...)
Energy Several European
countries as well as the US, Japan, China and others, have recently announced
bold plans for the introduction of electric vehicles. These include fiscal
incentives, funding research on batteries and electric vehicles and plans for
the deployment of a charging infrastructure. Major cities such as
http://www.eea.europa.eu/articles/the-electric-car-2014-a-green-transport-revolution-in-the-making
IRENA
takes off
500
delegates from 120 Member States attended IRENA’s
third session of the Preparatory Commission in
Abu Dhabi, United Arab
Emirates, 17 January - Member States of IRENA met today in Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates, to decide on the Agency’s Work Programme and Budget for 2010.
Five hundred delegates from 120 Member States discussed the different tasks and
projects the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will tackle this
year.
In 2010, IRENA will set out to
establish itself as the global base for renewable energy knowledge. Collecting,
generating and sharing knowledge about renewable energy will be a central
activity of the Agency. IRENA will act as a clearing house, informing about
existing renewable energy technologies that have worked well in the past and
could be deployed globally, as well as about promising innovative technologies.
IRENA will, in 2010, start advising its Members regarding successful policies
and financial schemes to promote renewables, as well
as related capacity building and training programmes.
With an adopted budget of US
$13,7 million for 2010, IRENA will focus on building a
network of international renewable energy experts, starting to map the global
potential of renewables and build up a comprehensive
database of policies to promote renewable energy. (…)
http://www.irena.org/downloads/PrepCom/3rdPrepCom/Press_Release_3rd_Prep_Comm.pdf
By Jonathan Lash
29 January - Today’s announcement
from the White House suggests that significant emissions cuts could save money
- along with the environment.
Many presidential executive
orders go unnoticed, but here’s one that actually merits greater attention.
Last October, President Obama issued Executive Order
13514, which (among other things) directed all federal agencies to develop
greenhouse gas reduction targets and plans to achieve them. As I remarked
earlier, the executive order could be an important indicator of climate change
policy in 2010.
Today, the White House
announced its target: a 28% reduction in GHG emissions by 2020. Furthermore,
the Administration released an extensive list (PDF) of energy projects that
various agencies are planning to use to meet their commitments.
The Executive Order and
today’s announcement are significant in several respects. (...)
http://www.wri.org/stories/2010/01/leading-example-federal-agencies-reduce-emissions-28-percent
Unique
28 January -
Creation of the new Mt
Cameroon National Park is the result of intense efforts and collaboration since
2007 between MINFOF (
http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/news/?187521/Unique-Cameroon-mountain-area-gets-crucial-protection
Climate
change: EU makes emission reduction targets official following
Brussels, 28 January - The
European Union has today formalised its support for
the Copenhagen Accord on climate change and presented its commitments for
emission reduction targets. In a joint letter with the Spanish Presidency of the
Council, the European Commission has formally notified the EU’s
willingness to be associated with the Accord and submitted for information the EU’s established greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets
for 2020. These consist of a unilateral commitment to reduce the EU’s overall emissions by 20% of 1990 levels and a
conditional offer to increase this cut to 30% provided that other major
emitters agree to take on their fair share of a global reduction effort. Under
the Accord, notifications are to be submitted by 31 January 2010. (...)
http://www.europa-eu-un.org/articles/en/article_9449_en.htm
UNESCO
IYB Biodiversity Science-Policy Conference, UNESCO Headquarters,
Science
Policy for our Future
In the framework of the United
Nations’ International Year of Biodiversity (IYB), the UNESCO IYB Biodiversity
Science Policy Conference provides an opportunity to present new scientific
findings on biodiversity and ecosystem services, including in relation to
global and climate change and to assess related implications for policy-making.
While taking into account the priorities expressed by the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Conference is intended to pay
special attention to the voice of the scientific community in order to bring
novel knowledge that could be used in the context of biodiversity-related
decisions. As such, all papers included in the proceedings of this Conference
will be presented with the main recommendations and the declaration emanating
from the Conference at the 185th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO in
the autumn of 2010 and at the tenth Meeting of the Parties to the CBD to be
held in
http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/ev.php-URL_ID=8090&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Private
sector outlines plan to protect Coral Triangle
25 January - Seafood, travel
and tourism operators in the Coral Triangle made a joint declaration reduce the
impact of their businesses on the world’s most important marine region. More
than 160 delegates gathered last week in the Philippine capital
In the seafood sector, fishing
operators and buyers agreed to address the problem of overcapacity and overfishing through a number of measures including ensuring
that fish are not sourced from illegal operations as well as implementing catch
and trade documentation schemes to ensure traceability. Participants also
agreed to promote low carbon fish production methods and trade practices. (...)
The
http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/news/?187243/Private-sector-outlines-plan-to-protect-Coral-Triangle
Sixty
corporations begin measuring emissions from products and supply chains
Developed by the World
Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable
Development (WBCSD), the two new GHG Protocol standards - the Product Life
Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard and the Scope 3 (Corporate Value Chain)
Accounting and Reporting Standard - provide methods to account for emissions
associated with individual products across their life-cycles and of
corporations across their value chains. (...) Companies participating in the
road testing represent 17 countries from every continent and more than 20
industry sectors. (...)
Outstanding
new book – The Tao of Liberation – by Hathaway and Boff
19 January - Earth Charter
International gladly presents a new book by two outstanding authors, a
prominent liberation theologian Leonardo Boff, and
Mark Hathaway - The Tao of Liberation: Exploring the Ecology of Transformation.
The book has a Foreword by Fritjof Capra and is
published by Orbis Books.
The Tao of Liberation
skillfully combines social, political, economic, ecological, emotional, and
spiritual approaches of the current crises rooted in unsustainability
of global capitalism, which has resulted in rising social inequality,
exclusion, a collapse of democracy, deterioration of the environment, and
growing poverty. Moreover, authors go further and claim that all current
hazards are symptoms of a more profound cultural and spiritual sickness, and
the great challenge for the twenty-first century will be to make a fundamental
shift in our attitude to nature, and within our value system. This book takes a
different approach to sustainability, traditionally seen in terms of limits and
restrictions, and rather offers a new conception of sustainability as
liberation both in the personal sense of spiritual realization, and in the
collective sense of people seeking their freedom from oppression. (...)
For more information see at http://www.taoofliberation.com/
19th
International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment
Theme:
Biodiversity: connecting with Nature
The International Children’s
Painting Competition on the Environment is organized every year by the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Japan-based
Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon Corporation.
It has been held since 1991 and has received more than 2.4 million entries from
children in over 100 countries. The theme for this years
competition is Biodiversity and it will focus on our beautiful earth, full of
different life forms and what can we do to protect it. The children’s paintings
will focus on concrete actions to preserve biodiversity such as tree planting,
marine and animal conservation, restoration of coral reefs etc. (...) The
organizers are inviting children all over the world to submit their paintings
to the UNEP office in their regions. (...) Entries must reach the relevant UNEP
regional office by April 15 2010 at the latest.
http://www.unep.org/tunza/Events/19thPaintingCompetition/tabid/1328/language/en-US/Default.aspx
2010
focus on peace building in
2 February - The role of the
church in building just peace was highlighted last week in
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1634/2010-focus-on-peace-build.html
Committee
looks at pathways toward unity
28 January - The Continuation
Committee on Ecumenism in the 21st Century, coordinated under the auspices of
the World Council of Churches and composed of 15 representatives drawn from
diverse churches and Christian organizations, met in
The committee stayed in
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1634/committee-looks-at-pathwa.html
EU
Parliament, “Protecting freedom of religion in
Safer
Internet Day - Think before you post!
Safer
Internet Day will be celebrated on 9 February
On Safer Internet Day, the
European Commission will announce if major internet companies have acted on
their commitment to improve the safety of under-18s who use social networking
sites. An EU-wide campaign to encourage teenagers to “Think before you post”
will also be launched.
Social networking sites count
today 41.7 million users in
The seventh Safer Internet Day
will focus on the topic “Think before you post!” A campaign will be launched in
more than 60 countries across the world aiming to make young people aware that
they can control their online identity by using the privacy settings offered by
social networking sites, selecting friends online that they can trust, and
publishing photos after thinking carefully about the consequences. (...)
Radio
will be used to provide education in
The joint program will use EDC’s expertise in primary education and youth training and
utilize more than a thousand Freeplay
wind-up and solar-powered Lifeline radios to reach students in grades 2,
3 and 4. Via interactive radio instruction, a form of distance learning, the
program will provide important life skills lessons on such topics as water and
sanitation and classes in math and Creole. The program also will include
accelerated primary education lessons EDC originally developed for
out-of-school youth. (...)
http://www.edc.org/newsroom/press_releases/radio_will_be_used_provide_education_haiti
New
publication explores Holocaust education in sub-Saharan
A new
UNESCO publication, Combating Intolerance, Exclusion and Violence through
Holocaust Education, is launched in time to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2010
(January 27)
27 January - The publication,
which reflects UNESCO’s continuing commitment to promoting Holocaust awareness
and combating all forms of Holocaust denial, is based on the proceedings of a
workshop of the same name held in May 2009. (...)
The publication examines how
Holocaust Education could be used in the African context to address issues such
as peace and conflict, human rights violations, tolerance, racism and respect
for diversity. It includes reflections, case studies and pedagogy for combating
intolerance, exclusion and violence using the Holocaust as a learning paradigm.
(...)
Youth
at the heart of the 1st Forum of Ministers of Social Development for the
The 1st Forum of Ministers of
Social Development for the Caribbean was organized by the Ministry of Youth,
Sports and Culture of the Government of Jamaica, in cooperation with the
UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme
and the UNESCO Office in
The Ministers of Social
Development for the
UNESCO’s
education priorities in
Reactivating
schooling and supporting national education authorities are UNESCO’s priorities
on the ground in
22 January - The Haitian
education system was severely affected by the earthquake of 12 January 2010,
with at least half of the nation’s 15,000 primary and 1,500 secondary schools
either destroyed or badly damaged. The three universities in
Iraqi
calligrapher Ghani Alani
and Polish publisher Anna Parzymies share 2009 Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=47224&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
2010,
International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures
The year 2010 will be
celebrated as the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures. The
goal of the International Year consists in making the rapprochement of cultures
the hallmark of all policy-making at local, national, regional and
international levels, involving the greatest number of relevant stakeholders.
Entrusted with the mandate to
contribute to build “the defences of peace in the
minds of men” thanks to international cooperation in the fields of its
competence, namely through education, sciences, culture and communication,
UNESCO is designated to play a leading role for the celebration of the Year
within the United Nations system. In fact, over the years and indeed in the
past decade, the Organization has gained special experience and has won
recognition through its efforts to demonstrate the beneficial effects of
cultural diversity highlighting the importance of borrowings, transfers and
exchanges between cultures. (…)
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=39761&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
* * * * * * *
(top)
* * * * * * *
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 3,000 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)