Good News Agency – Year X, n° 168
Weekly – Year X, number 168 – 26th
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
17 February - Enrolling every
country on earth in the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and
raising global awareness about it have been presented as part of an action plan
to gain the Treaty’s entry into force. The ambassadors of
The CTBT bans all nuclear
explosions. It has been ratified by 151 States and signed by 182.
Working together in
http://www.ctbto.org/press-centre/highlights/2010/france-and-morocco-presentpresidency-action-plan/
Cluster
bomb ban treaty reaches 30th ratification milestone
Cluster
bomb ban treaty reaches 30th ratification milestone
Will
become binding international law on 1 August 2010
“The rapid pace of reaching 30
ratifications - only 15 months - reflects the strong global commitment to get
rid of these weapons urgently,” said Steve Goose, CMC co-chair and director of
the Arms Division at Human Rights Watch. “Cluster munitions are already stigmatised to the point that no nation should ever use
them again, even those who have not yet joined the Convention.” The Oslo
Process and the treaty negotiations were characterised
by a close partnership between pro-ban governments, civil society led by the
CMC, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and UN agencies, as well as
by the leadership of affected states such as Lao PDR and of individual
survivors themselves. (...)
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news/?id=2040
UNESCO
and CTBTO sign agreement to benefit disaster mitigation and capacity-building
in developing countries
8 February - Irina Bokova, Director-General of
UNESCO, signed an agreement on 3 February with Tibor Tóth, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for
the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), to enhance
cooperation between the two organizations, notably for the benefit of tsunami
early warning systems and capacity-building in developing countries. (...) At
the signing ceremony, Ms Bokova noted that “The
agreement will lead to greater synergy between UNESCO and the CTBTO, especially
for training and capacity-building in developing countries. Besides their
importance in disaster mitigation, the data received by the CTBTO from its
global network of monitoring stations can advance research on ocean processes
and marine life and contribute to sustainable development.” (...) The CTBT’s verification regime will comprise 337 facilities
worldwide when complete. Monitoring data
have a number of other possible uses including research on the Earth’s core,
monitoring of earthquakes and volcanoes, climate change research, atmospheric
monitoring and biological research.
Alexandria, 3 February - On
3rd February 2010, a two days workshop hosted by the Arab Academy for Science,
Technology and Maritime Transport in Alexandria/Egypt for more than two hundred
government and industry delegates and experts from 15 Arab League countries
(Djibouti, Egypt, lraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya,
Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen)
ended with a joint declaration - the Alexandria Declaration 2010 - recommending
to the Arab League transport and trade ministers to jointly sign the United
Nations Convention on Contracts for the lnternational
Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea - the Rotterdam Rules 2008. The
workshop was supported by an expert team sent by UNCITRAL (United Nations
Commission on International Trade Law) and led by DLA Piper partner Mr. Carsten Grau (
Until now, the Rotterdam Rules
have been signed by 21 countries:
In order to become binding
international law, the Rotterdam Rules need to be signed and ratified by at
least 20 UN member states.
http://www.uncitral.org/pdf/english/news/ArabPressReleaseRR.pdf
African
officials at UN-backed meeting seek to protect migrating children
Pretoria, 23 February - With
cross-border movement of unaccompanied minors reaching into the thousands, senior
officials from 15 Eastern and Southern African countries are thrashing out ways
to strengthen cooperation for the protection of children at risk, at a
three-day United Nations-backed meeting beginning today in Pretoria, South
Africa.
“UNICEF is committed to
accompany all countries in this region in their efforts to comply with the
Hague Conventions on children,” he added, referring to four inter-governmental
pacts adopted since 1980 on international child abduction, inter-country
adoption, protection, and international recovery of child support.
Although Governments have
ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child, many countries have yet to ratify the
Hague Conventions, which seek to standardize international law and provide a
comprehensive legal framework for the cross-border movement of children between
countries.
This meeting, hosted by the
South African Government and the Hague Conference on Private International Law
with support from UNICEF, brings together high officials from Angola, Botswana,
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and
Zimbabwe, as well as from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
and the African Union (AU) Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. (mgdd)
Engaging
philanthropy to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality
United Nations, New York, 22
February - The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is hosting a
special event, co-sponsored by UNIFEM and other partners, showcasing expanding
and new partnerships between the UN, private sector and philanthropies.
Representatives of foundations, private companies and civil society
organizations will participate in discussions, exploring collaborative
opportunities to boost gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide.
The event on 22 February
coincides with International Corporate Philanthropy Day. Chaired by the
President of ECOSOC, Hamidon Ali, the opening session
will be addressed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon
and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. Parallel dialogues will follow on the
themes of ending violence against women and girls, and promoting women’s
economic empowerment. (...)
http://www.unifem.org/news_events/event_detail.php?EventID=326
Social
justice more important than ever in global economic crisis, Ban says
World
Day of Social Justice – 20 February
20 February - “On the World
Day of Social Justice, we recognize the importance of tackling poverty,
exclusion and unemployment, in order to promote solidarity, harmony and
equality of opportunity within and between societies,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today. (...) He called for a major push this
year to put countries back on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), which seek to
slash a host of social ills, from extreme poverty and hunger to maternal and
infant mortality, to lack of access to education and health care, all by 2015,
calling them one of the United Nation’s key means of bringing social justice
and development together to benefit the poorest and most vulnerable.
“Social justice is based on
the values of fairness, equality, respect for diversity, access to social
protection, and the application of human rights in all spheres of life,
including in the workplace,” he said. “Let us take this opportunity on the
World Day of Social Justice to renew our commitment to this important cause and
to recognize that while progress has been made, much more needs to be done.
Lack of social justice anywhere is an affront to us all.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33837&Cr=justice&Cr1=
See also: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/intldays/IntlJustice/2010/index.html
UNHCR
welcomes first ratification of AU Convention for displaced
19 February - UNHCR warmly
welcomes the
UNHCR also notes with
satisfaction that twenty-five nations - or nearly half of the African Union
Member States - have now signed the Convention, which was adopted during the
first African Union Special Summit on Refugees, Returnees and Internally
Displaced Persons convened in
UNHCR encourages other AU
Member States to follow
http://www.unhcr.org/4b7eb01c6.html
http://www.unhcr.org/4b797b3e9.html
European
Gender Equality Law Review
16 February - In this fourth
issue of the European Gender Equality Law Review several experts via their
individual contributions, the independent experts of the European Network of
Legal Experts in the field of Gender Equality highlight interesting
developments at national level.
They discuss legislative
initiatives, recent case law and current policies in the 27 Member States of
the European Union and three EEA countries (
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=705&furtherNews=yes
Empowering
Indigenous women leaders in
10 February - In January of
2010, close to 100 Indigenous women leaders from across Latin America and the
Caribbean met in
The conference resonated
deeply with the Indigenous women parliamentarians who were in attendance. It
provided a rare opportunity for women from across Latin America and the
http://www.madre.org/index.php?s=4&news=291
International
Women’s Day will be observed at the United Nations on 8 March
This
year’s theme is “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All”
(...) In 1977 the UN General
Assembly adopted a resolution inviting Member States to proclaim a United
Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace - International Women’s
Day - to be observed on any day of the year in accordance with their historical
and national traditions. Since then, the United Nations Organization has
observed March 8th as International Women’s Day. The purpose of this day is to
recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full
enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active
participation, equality and development of women; and to acknowledge the
contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security.
For the women of the world,
the symbolism of International Women’s Day has a wider meaning: It is an
occasion to review how far women have come in their struggle for equality,
peace and development. It is also an opportunity to unite, network and mobilize
for meaningful change.
http://www.unifem.org/campaigns/csw/international-womens-day/
See also: http://www.un.org/events/women/iwd/2009/
2nd
Vaclav
Havel and Lech Walesa, the former presidents of the Czech Republic and
Poland, will co-chair the
The 2nd annual session of the
Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy, organized by an
international coalition of human rights NGOs, aims to place some of the world’s
most compelling human rights situations on the United Nations and international
agenda.
More than 25 human rights NGOs
from around the world have joined hands to organize the
The
UNIFEM
at the 54th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
UNIFEM is sponsoring a number
of side events at the 54th Session of the CSW, which will be held 1-12 March.
The Commission will review implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action
and the outcome of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly,
emphasizing the sharing of experiences and good practices, with a view to
overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges, including those related to
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The review will also focus on
how the implementation of the Platform for Action contributes to the full
achievement of the MDGs.
For more information, please
see the official documentation.
http://www.unifem.org/campaigns/csw/
US$25
million loan from IFAD to support agribusiness development in
Rome, 23 February - A US$25
million loan to the Republic of Sri Lanka from IFAD will directly benefit small
producers, women, landless households and young people in rural areas.
A loan agreement for the
National Agribusiness Development Programme was
signed today in
The overall goal of the programme is rural poverty reduction and improvement of
livelihoods. Approximately, 57 900 poor households in the rural areas will
benefit from the programme which aims to increase the
incomes of smallholder farmers by 20-30%. Farmers will be involved in
processing and marketing of their products like fruits, vegetables, spices,
cereal, milk and dry fish, earning from the sales of such products. (...)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2010/17.htm
Strong
farmers’ organizations key to achieving food security
Invest
in rural youth today who are farmers of tomorrow
Rome, 18 February - Millions
of smallholders and rural producers from all over the world were represented by
70 farmers’ leaders who gathered this week for the Third Global Meeting of the
Farmers’ Forum. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
hosted the Forum at its headquarters in
“Stronger organizations of
smallholder farmers, fishers and pastoralists are essential if we are to seize
the opportunities that arise from today’s challenges,” stressed IFAD’s President, Kanayo F. Nwanze, who opened the biennial meeting of the farmers’
organizations.
Rural producers have stronger
bargaining power when they unite and work together to achieve a common goal to
influence policies and development programmes. At the Forum, in discussions on rural
development policies, the farmers emphasized their right to be part of the
entire process, from programme design to
evaluation.
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2010/16.htm
New
FAO database eyes gender gap in land rights
Information
on how men and women differ in access to land
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/40081/icode/
Desertification
reduction key to improving livelihoods in rural
Silver Spring, Md., USA, 16
February - In Bolivia where desertification affects more than 40 percent of the
territory, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is helping
farmers better manage available natural resources in an effort to slow soil
erosion and preserve the environment. (...) ADRA expects that a project
launched in June 2009 will benefit more than 2,600 residents in nine
communities in the mountainous
Scheduled for completion in
2011, this project, worth more than $696,000, is being funded by the City of Badalona, Spain; the Generalitat Valenciana of
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?news_iv_ctrl=1141&page=NewsArticle&id=10789
New
Project Won:
2 February - ACDI/VOCA has won
an 18-month, $4,985,000 Consultative Service Delivery Program (CSDP) funded by
the World Bank. CSDP will build on our pilot program in Sulaymaniya
Governorate, titled the Consultative Service Delivery Initiative (CSDI), which
ended in February 2009. In this second phase, the program will expand within
the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and two other
This year, ACDI/VOCA will work
closely with the World Bank and the KRG to explore opportunities for
transitioning the program to government management. Given the different ethnic,
religious, security and linguistic challenges in this region, the focus will
continue to be on strengthening consultative decision making within the
community. CSDP will incorporate best practices and lessons learned under the
CSDI pilot.
http://www.acdivoca.org/acdivoca/portalhub.nsf/ID/news_newprojectIraqCSDPWorldBank
Informal
meeting of development ministers in
18 February - The EU, the
http://www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/en/article_9501_en.htm
Rotary
Day, 23 February – Celebrations for the 105 years of Rotary International
Three
of the events took place in
In
At the Circo Massimo in
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/uganda-news-150210!OpenDocument
Development
and Peace raises $13.5 million for
http://www.devp.org/devpme/eng/pressroom/2010/comm2010-02-15-eng.html
Physicians
for Peace donates over $53,000 towards rebuilding
by Walking Free
12 February - Shortly after
the earthquake ripped open the heart of
UN
agency pledges $25 million to reinforce good governance in developing nations
19 February - The United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has pledged $25
million to strengthen credible national institutions like parliaments, human
rights organizations and anti-corruption commissions in developing countries
during 2010, with more than half going for elections in Sub-Saharan Africa. The
funds will also go toward promoting inclusive governance programmes
such as access to information and channels that allow stakeholder voices to be
heard in governance processes. The decision comes at the end of a week-long
conference in
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33831&Cr=undp&Cr1=
Darfur:
UN-African Union mission,
21 February - The joint United
Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in the war-ravaged
Germain Baricako, Director of UNAMID’s
Rule of Law division, voiced hope that the implementation of the new agreement
will “help to provide prison support in a more systematic, coordinated and
concentrated manner.” (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33841&Cr=darfur&Cr1=
Indo Yacouba,
director of the Prison and Rehabilitation Service, welcomed the ICRC’s contribution to improving living conditions in
places of detention. She also thanked the ICRC once again for its exemplary
cooperation with her ministry, which had since 2004 resulted in an overhaul of
sanitary facilities in several prisons. (...)
Neutral, impartial and independent,
the ICRC is a trusted organization regarding detention-related issues in
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/niger-news-180210
8 February - MAG, Handicap
International and the Burundian Civilian Disarmament and Small Arms Commission
have teamed up to put on a month-long festival celebrating disarmament efforts
in
The festival aims to celebrate
the Burundian authorities’ ongoing efforts to reduce armed violence, in which organisations like MAG and Handicap International play a
vital role. (...)
http://www.maginternational.org/news/burundi-arts-festival-celebrates-disarmament-/
5 February -
ITF cooperates with the
Croatian national authorities in the field of mine action since 1999, and until
now with the support of the donor community for the
http://www.itf-fund.si/news/news.asp#m300
Rotary
clubs light up the world to end polio
From
the Egyptian Pyramids to the
Evanston, Ill. U.S.A., 19
February - (…) “By lighting these historic landmarks with Rotary’s pledge to
end polio, Rotary is saying to the world that we will fight this disease to the
end,” says Glenn E. Estess, Sr., chair of The Rotary
Foundation, which oversees Rotary’s polio eradication program. (…) The End
Polio Now illumination of the pyramid is particularly symbolic because
In addition to the Egyptian
Pyramid of Khafre, other sites scheduled for
illumination the week of Feb. 23 include the Taipei Arena, Taiwan; the
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia,
Spain; the Old Port Captain’s Office on the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town,
South Africa, with world-famous Table Mountain as the backdrop; the Obelisk of
Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Lake Marathon Dam overlooking the historic
Marathon Memorial Battlefield in Greece; the Royal Palace of Caserta in Italy; and in the city where Rotary was founded
105 years ago, Chicago’s famous Wrigley Building. (…)
Polio eradication has been
Rotary’s top priority for more than two decades. The international humanitarian
service organization is a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication
Initiative, along with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF.
www.rotary.org Contact: sandra.prufer@rotary.org
WHO
Executive Board shows strong support for polio eradication – 18-23 January
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. (...)
To secure ownership at all
levels and across all sectors for polio eradication, the spearheading partners
of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) - the World Health
Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF - are consulting widely with both
polio-affected countries and members of the international development community
in the development and finalization of the Programme
of Work 2010-2012. (...) http://www.polioeradication.org/meeting_detail.asp?day=23&month=1&year=2010
Of the three million Haitians
affected by the quake, more than one million are children, according to the
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Due to the severity of the traumatic
events they have experienced, many of these children are currently suffering
from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), an illness that can cripple a
person’s emotional and mental health, causing a wide range of problems,
including depression, an inability to sleep, emotional numbing, violent
behavior, and delayed development. (...). Nearly 100 volunteers are staffing
the center, many of which are teachers from the local university and primary
schools. (…)
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10805&news_iv_ctrl=1141
Save
the Children provides songs with lifesaving health and nutrition advice to
Haitian radio stations
Creole
songs with tips on breastfeeding and basic hygiene to help save babies’ lives
during upcoming rainy season
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 16
February - In anticipation of the dangers threatened by the upcoming rainy
season in Haiti, after the devastating earthquake in January, Save the Children
is providing broadcast-quality songs in Creole, along with public service messages,
to radio stations to spread lifesaving health and nutrition advice. The songs
provide Haitian mothers with simple tips and hints about breastfeeding, feeding
and hand washing to enable them to better protect their newborn babies and
children against preventable diseases and malnutrition. (...)
The project, a collaboration with the Ministry of Health and with support
from the U.S. Agency for International Development, produced Creole songs and
public service announcements before the earthquake, working with local
communities and children. The songs will be aired on local radio stations and
Creole services provided by international broadcasters. (...)
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2010/songs-health-advice.html
EDC
and World Health Organization develop online course on violence and injury
prevention
Dhaka, 13 February -
(top)
ICT
for Energy Efficiency Conference –
On
the path towards a sustainable society
The second edition of the High
Level event on ICT (Information and
Communication Technology) for Energy Efficiency is organised
by the European Commission’s Information Society and Media Directorate-General,
in cooperation with the Spanish Presidency of the European Union. (...)
Through the Recommendation,
the Commission calls on the ICT sector to agree on common methodologies for
measuring energy consumption and carbon emissions by 2010.
Furthermore, addressing EU
Member States and the ICT sector, it aims to unlock energy efficiency potential
through more public-private partnership initiatives and also through
partnerships between the ICT industry and defined strategic sectors.
In addition to the two-day
conference, there will be an exhibition showcasing the 30 best EU-funded
projects in the field of ICT for Energy Efficiency. The exhibition will mainly
show projects’ results as well as the European Commission and European
Institutions key initiatives.
For the first time in 2010,
several projects will be competing for an “ICT4EE European awards”. The awards
ceremony will be organised at the event.
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/ict4ee/2010/index_en.htm
EIB
provides EUR 20.8 million for construction of a biofuel
plant in
The
European Investment Bank (EIB) will lend 20.8 million euros ($28 million) to
support the construction and operation of a bio-ethanol plant in southwestern
17 February - This is one of
the first projects of its kind financed by the EIB in
The new plant will produce
annually 139 million litres of bioethanol
and 100 000 tons of animal feed as a bi-product using locally grown and
imported maize. The projected CO 2 emission savings of the project are in line
with EU legislation relating to the use of renewable energy for transport.
The mission of the EIB, the
European Union’s bank, is to contribute to the integration, balanced
development and economic and social cohesion of the EU Member States by
financing sound investment. (mgdd)
EU
nations expect to meet the EU’s renewable energy target
16 February - The EU will meet
its 2020 20% renewable energy target - slightly exceeding it - according to an
analysis by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) of all 27 Member
States’ national forecast documents. The EWEA analysis shows that EU member
states are on course to achieve over 20% renewable energy by 2020, with 21
Member States meeting or exceeding their national targets. The top 21 are made
up of 13
Top achievers are
Christine Lins,
Secretary General of the European Renewable Energy Council stated, “The clear
majority of European Member States recognise the
economic, environmental and social benefits of promoting a broad range of
renewable energy technologies nationally, as reflected in their forecast
documents”. For further details see EWEA’s table by clicking here.
On 4 February 2010,
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.
(...)
President
Obama announces three steps to boost biofuels
3 February - President Barack Obama announced on
February 3 three actions that the federal government is taking to boost
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/news_detail.html?news_id=15788
United
Nations launches global campaign to strengthen synergies in chemicals and
wastes management
Simultaneous
extraordinary meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the
Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, 21 February - On 22 February 2010,
more than one hundred forty governments will meet in Bali to strengthen ties
between the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the world’s three
leading treaties promoting the sound management of hazardous chemicals and wastes.
In an effort to further synergies between the three treaties and better target
resources for chemicals and waste management on regional and national level,
the parties to the
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=612&ArticleID=6466&l=en
Decade-old
dream comes true for
Gland, Switzerland, 2 February
- World Wetlands Day is being celebrated with the full recognition of Africa’s
Lake Chad as a wetland of international significance, fulfilling an agreement
made a decade ago by the four nations that share it. The declaration by the
Cameroon Republic that its portion of Africa’s fourth largest lake is being
declared a wetland of international importance under the 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands follows similar declarations
by Niger and Chad (both in 2001) and Nigeria (2008).
http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/news/?187941/Decade-old-dream-comes-true-for-Lake-Chad
A
company in
2 February - In January Promotora Ambiental
(Environmental Promoter) - PASA inaugurated a Biogas Plant in León, Guanajuato in one of the lanfields it owns. For some time PASA has been using the
Earth Charter as an ethical framework for its work. It owns and manages 23 landfields in the country and is active in 44 cities of
Ecumenical
Patriarchate: Bartholomew I, “Truth is not afraid of dialogue”
19 February - Orthodoxy “must
be in constant dialogue with the world” and, above all, it does not have to
“fear dialogue” with other Christian Churches because “truth is not afraid of
dialogue”. In his long message released yesterday for the celebration of the
“Sunday of Orthodoxy” on the first Sunday of Lent, the Ecumenical Patriarch of
Constantinople, Bartholomew I, called for cultural and ecumenical openness.
(...) As the great Fathers of the Church have done in the past, Orthodoxy is
now “called to continue this dialogue with the outside world in order to
provide a witness and the life-giving breath of its faith. However, - continued
Bartholomew - this dialogue cannot reach the outside world unless it first
passes through all those that bear the Christian name. Thus, we must first
converse as Christians among ourselves in order to resolve our differences, in
order that our witness to the outside world may be credible. Our endeavors for the union of all Christians is the will and
command of our Lord” and therefore we cannot “remain indifferent about the
unity of all Christians.
US
Lutherans discuss need for unity with ecumenical leaders
17 February - “The prayer of
Jesus that his disciples may be one so that the world may believe (John 17:21)
takes on new urgency in view of the challenges peoples and churches are facing
today”, said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, the Rev. Dr
Olav Fykse Tveit, in
welcoming a delegation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Tveit was one of three
general secretaries of world ecumenical organizations who met with the ELCA
group of clergy and lay leaders in
Tveit told the ELCA
delegation that Jesus’ prayer for unity “is not only a word of information, but
it is a word of transformation. That is what we do here – you’re not only here
to be informed, but you’re here to make a difference.” Among the current
challenges that need to be taken on by the ecumenical movement, Tveit mentioned the consequences of the financial crisis,
full participation of the younger generation, relationships with Evangelicals
and Pentecostal and charismatic churches, inter-religious dialogue and
co-operation, and the environmental crisis. (...)
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1634/us-lutherans-discuss-need.html
Palestine-Israel
Ecumenical Forum launches website and newsletter
4 February - http://pief.oikoumene.org is a new website
launched by the Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum geared to providing a springboard
for advocacy, public education, and mobilization. The forum’s role consists in
convening networks for common action in order to generate church-based
awareness raising and advocacy for peace in the
A regular newsletter will
provide up-to-date information on Christian campaigns for a just peace and an
overview of the latest news from an ecumenical perspective.
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1634/palestine-israel-ecumenic.html
What’s
the future for EU’s online library Europeana?
MEP
wants public funding
22 February - You can now
access books, journals, films, maps etc from across
The report drafted by German
Green MEP Helga Trüpel asks for more and better
content on Europeana while respecting intellectual
property rights. It also wants better promotion of the library among the
broadest possible public and “urges the Commission and member states to take
all necessary steps to avoid a knowledge gap between Europe and the
It was launched on 20
November, 2008. Europeana is a multi-lingual online
collection of millions of digitised books, journals,
films, maps, photographs and music from European museums, libraries, archives
and multi-media collections. It is accessible to every citizen with an internet
connection. It also preserves the items for future generations. Europeana’s collection has doubled since its launch and
there are now more than 6 million items. The aim is to have 10 million digitised objects by the end of 2010. See http://www.europeana.eu/portal/aboutus.html
High
Level Group meeting on Education for All to focus on
impact of economic crisis
17 February - The impact of
the global economic crisis on education and challenges related to
marginalization will be the focus of the High Level Group Meeting on Education For All (EFA) in
UNESCO
lays foundation for International Coordination Committee (ICC) for Haitian
culture
17 February - UNESCO laid the
foundation for an International Coordination Committee (ICC) for Haitian
culture at a meeting on 16 February in
Knowledge
at the heart of economic recovery
16 February - The key role of
education and training in the recovery of
Partnerships with the business
world must be encouraged at all levels of education to fit new skills for new
jobs. Vocational training must be modernised to
address mismatches between competences and job requirements. The quality of
teaching depends on the quality of teachers’ education. Targeted action must be
proposed to all trainers to allow them to acquire new competences, for instance
in special learning needs and skills in information and communication
technologies.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showFocus.aspx?id=1&focusId=443&lang=en
A
Strategy for the Global Movement for a Culture of Peace, by David Adams
Part of a trilogy along with
The History of the Culture of War and I Have Seen the Promised Land, this is
the most comprehensive and feasible plan ever put forward to achieve world
peace. It is based on the author’s responsibility for the United Nations
International Year for the Culture of Peace (2000), the Manifesto 2000 signed
by 75 million people, and the United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action
on a Culture of Peace.
It foresees the coming
collapse of the global economy and nation states as an opportunity to refound the United Nations on the
basis of those who understand the need for a culture of peace: individuals,
civil society organizations and local governments. It provides descriptions of
initiatives already underway, as well as approaches that can be used by those
who wish to take up the task.
The book can be read on-line;
also, a link allows to order a printed copy.
http://www.culture-of-peace.info/books/worldpeace.html
Symposium
on translation and cultural mediation at UNESCO to mark International Mother
Language Day
16 February - International
Mother Language Day (IMLD) on 21 February will be celebrated at UNESCO this
year with a two-day symposium (22-23 February) on translation and cultural
mediation. Following the symposium, presentations on UNESCO’s languages
activities will focus on the New Atlas of Endangered Languages and on new
approaches to multilingualism. Highlighting the importance of cultural and
linguistic diversity and multilingual education, International Mother Language
Day has been observed annually since 2000.
The 11th IMLD will be
celebrated as part of 2010 International Year for the Rapprochement of
Cultures, noted Irina Bokova,
Director-General of UNESCO, in her message for the Day. “Languages are the best
vehicles of mutual understanding and tolerance. Respect for all languages is a
key factor for ensuring peaceful coexistence, without exclusion, of societies
and all of their members,” she said. (...)
Global
Action Week 2010: Ten years after the promise
10 February - This Saturday 20
April will be the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Dakar Goals for
Education For All. Despite the progress made, much
remains to be done to realise the objectives laid
down to give all children their right to education. 2010 is the crucial year to
turn the situation around and accelerate our efforts towards EFA. The past ten
years were crippled by the refusal of governments to honour
their promises and more recently the economic crisis last year led certain
donors to reduce the sum or level of their aid. For this reason, Global Action
Week, which will take place from 19-25 April, will unite all unionists,
teachers, children and parents under the slogan of “Financing quality public
education: a right for all.” (…)
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1191&theme=educationforall&country=global
Workshop
focuses on improving web accessibility for persons with disabilities
Geneva, 5 February - A
workshop hosted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) from
February 2 to 5, 2010, brought together over 180 persons from some 32
organizations to promote awareness about accessibility for people with disabilities
and to encourage webmasters within the United Nations system and other
organizations to implement principles of accessibility in their daily work. The
workshop, co-organized with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU),
was opened by WIPO Director General Francis Gurry,
who underlined the importance of accessibility in general and reaffirmed WIPO’s commitment to establishing an accessible web
environment that promotes easy access to intellectual property information.
This, Mr. Gurry said, is in line with WIPO’s visually impaired persons (VIP) initiative launched
in 2008 to explore ways to facilitate and enhance access to literary, artistic
and scientific works for the VIP community. (...) http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2010/article_0001.html
Keep
Over 1,000 schools in
More than 60% of schools in
http://www.eco-schools.org.uk/news/index.aspx?ID=103
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Good News Agency is
published in English on one Friday and in Italian the next. Past issues
are available at www.goodnewsagency.org
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Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi, Ph.D.
Editorial research by Fabio Gatti, Maria Grazia Da Damos,
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