Good News Agency – Year X, n° 6
Weekly - Year X, number 6 – 1st
May 2009
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi,
Ph. D.
Rome Law-court
registration no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
Good News Agency carries
positive and constructive news from all over the world relating to voluntary
work, the work of the United Nations, non governmental organizations, and
institutions engaged in improving the quality of life – news that doesn’t “burn
out” in the space of a day. It is
distributed free of charge through Internet to the editorial offices of 4,000 media in 49 countries and to 2,800 NGOs and 500 high
schools, colleges and universities. It is an all-volunteer service
of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà Mondiale,
NGO associated with the United Nations Department
of Public Information. The
Association has been recognized by UNESCO as “an actor of the global movement for a culture of peace” and it has
been included in the web site http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_sum_monde.htm
Contents
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development – Solidarity
Peace and security – Health
– Energy and Safety – Environment and wildlife
Religion and
spirituality
– Culture and education
Power markets will be further opened by EU
liberalisation package
Brussels, 22 April - “The newly-adopted market liberalisation package will help open European power
markets and allow a higher penetration of renewables,
particularly wind power. One drawback comes in the form of possible opt-outs to
full ownership unbundling,” said Christian Kjaer,
Chief Executive of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). The European
Parliament adopted the final version of the third internal market package
earlier today, 19 months after the Commission’s initial proposal in September
2007.
According to the final text, National Regulatory Authorities will have
to facilitate the integration of renewables into the
power grid, and TSOs will have to grant electricity
from renewable sources priority dispatch, confirming the requirement contained
in the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive. This will help adjust the balance of
the power markets, currently heavily tilted towards conventional fuels. (...)
http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=60&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1496&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1588&cHash=b3d068e164
‘Solvency
II’: European Parliament approval of proposed Directive brings modern insurance
regulation nearer
Brussels, 22 April - The European Commission has welcomed the European
Parliament’s approval of the proposed Directive on the taking-up and pursuit of
the business of Insurance and Reinsurance, also known as the Solvency II
Directive. Solvency II is a ground-breaking revision of EU insurance and
reinsurance law designed to improve consumer protection, modernise
supervision, deepen market integration and increase the competitiveness of
European insurers. Under the new system, insurers and reinsurers
would be required to take account of all types of risk to which they are
exposed and to manage those risks more effectively and with increased
transparency. In addition, insurance groups would have a dedicated ‘group
supervisor’ that would enable better monitoring of the group as a whole.
Intensive negotiations between the Parliament, the Council and the Commission
over the recent months have prepared the ground for swift adoption by the EU’s Council of Ministers, to which the text as approved by
the Parliament will now return.(…)More info:http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/insurance/solvency/index_en.htm http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/621&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Southern Sudan enacts
child-protection law
14 April - Southern Sudan has implemented legislation recognising the rights of children in line
with the United Nation’s convention on the Rights of the Child. The United
Nations Children’s Fund praised the government for its efforts to create a
society in which children can grow and develop to their full potential. “This
legislation is a major milestone in creating a protective environment in which
children can enjoy their rights to health, education and other basic services,
to access information, to express their views, and to be protected from abuse,
neglect, exploitation and harm,” said Peter Crowley, Director of Operations for
UNICEF’s Southern Sudan Area Programme. The South Sudanese Child Act defines a
child as any person under the age of 18 and requires the government to
recognise, respect and ensure the rights of children enshrined in the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child. Under the new law, any community member
who suspects that a child’s rights have been violated or are at risk must
report the case to local authorities.
http://www.africagoodnews.com/women-and-youth/southern-sudan-passes-child-protection-law.html
UN
joins forces with world’s parliaments to combat human trafficking
7 April - The United Nations
today launched a manual for parliamentarians across the world aimed at helping
lawmakers end the global scourge of modern-day slavery and human trafficking.
“Around the world, millions of people, usually women and children,
are trapped in a modern form of slavery called human trafficking,” Antonio
Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),
said at the launch of the handbook. (…) “Twenty-first century abolitionists are
now needed to enact laws and take measures to set victims of trafficking free
and stamp out a crime that shames us all,” stressed
Mr. Costa, as he called on parliamentarians to put an end to human trafficking
at the 120th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Addis Ababa. (…)
“Combating Trafficking in
Persons: A Handbook for Parliamentarians” - created in collaboration with IPU -
contains a compilation of international laws and good practices developed to
combat human trafficking, and offers guidance on how national legislation can
be brought in line with international standards. The handbook not only outlines
measures to prevent the crime but also to prosecute offenders and to protect
victims, and includes advice on how to report on human trafficking and how to enlist
civil society in the cause.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30418&Cr=Human+trafficking&Cr1=
Number
of Sudanese returnees from Uganda
in 2009 tops 20,000 – UN
23 April - The number of
Sudanese refugees returning home from Uganda this year with the
assistance of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) topped
the 20,000 mark today. This brings the total number of people helped home by
UNHCR since the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which
ended Sudan’s long-running north-south civil war, to nearly 150,000, including
85,000 from Uganda. An additional 160,000 others have repatriated on their own from neighbouring
countries. “We are very pleased to see the steady increase in the number of
Sudanese returning to their country,” said Stefano Severe, UNHCR Representative
in Sudan,
adding that the agency looks forward to helping many more repatriate.
Last year saw the return of
42,000 Sudanese refugees from Uganda,
compared to just 17,000 in
2007. Thousands more of the 50,000 Sudanese still in Uganda are expected to return
before the end of the year.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30578&Cr=sudan&Cr1
Kuwait: Iraqi families visit their detained relatives for
first time since 1991
Kuwait/Baghdad, 13 April
(ICRC) - From 13 to 16 April, members of five Iraqi families will for the first
time travel to Kuwait
to visit their relatives detained there since the 1990-91 Gulf War. Their visit
has been organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in
coordination with the Kuwaiti authorities. The detainees are among those
arrested and sentenced in connection with the 1990-91 Gulf
War and still being held in the Kuwait Central Prison. “The Kuwaiti
authorities have fully supported and facilitated the visits, which will bring
some relief to the detainees and their families,” said John Strick
van Linschoten, the ICRC’s
coordinator for visits to detainees in Kuwait. “The ICRC organizes family
visits to re-establish and maintain family links severed by armed conflict. We
hope to be able to arrange further such visits in Kuwait on a regular basis”. (…)
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/kuwait-news-130409
New
web portal calls on public to address serious humanitarian challenges
Geneva, 8 April
(ICRC/IFRC) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) are
launching a joint online initiative on 8 April to raise awareness of the
world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges and to show what individuals are
doing to make a meaningful difference.
The new web portal,
www.ourworld-yourmove.org, puts the spotlight on the human cost of wars,
climate change, displacement, disease, food insecurity and forgotten crises. It
also invites members of the public to post videos and photos, and write about
what they are doing to help others. The online gateway features images from
award-winning photographers such as James Nachtwey and
Ron Haviv, personal accounts from conflict and
disaster survivors, and a wealth of ideas for anyone looking for ways to be
involved. (…)
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/pr09/1709.asp
Good news from Afghanistan:
FAO dairy scheme boosts farm incomes
Rome, 27 April
- There’s not so many
feel-good stories coming out of Afghanistan these days, and even fewer about
life getting better for women there. But FAO has one to tell. A dairy
project started by FAO in Kabul and four Afghan provinces: Logar,
Wardak, Mazar and Kunduz, has proved so successful that the 1,600 farming
families taking part have seen their incomes increase fivefold, from $130 to $650
a year. And as it’s women who do most of the work
involved, they keep 95 percent of the money. The project started in 2003 with
German funding and its success is built on a number of integrated elements such
as improved fodder, access to artificial insemination or breeding bulls,
improved veterinary services and better organization. “That plus a lot of hard
work,” says Tony Bennett, FAO’s Dairy Officer.
“Starting from scratch we helped them increase their milk production to 10,000 litres
a day.” The approach is now known as the Integrated Dairy Schemes (IDS).
(...)
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/12568/icode/
UNCTAD
& NGLS: The global economic crisis and development - the way forward
Geneva 23 April, World Book and Copyright Day
(UN-NGLS) - On 18 and 19 May
UNCTAD, in collaboration with UN-NGLS and other partner organizations, will
hold its first public symposium on The global economic
crisis and development - the way forward in Geneva. The symposium will provide a platform
for people and organizations whose perspectives have not been heard enough in
the debate on the causes and effects of the current global economic turmoil. It
also aims to deepen understanding of the crisis and to complement other current
initiatives that try to address the crisis.
Key topics which will be
debated at 3 plenary sessions of the symposium are:
• The global economic crisis -
its causes and its multiple impacts;
• Assessing existing responses
to the crisis at the international, regional and national levels – limitations
and best practices;
• Proposals for the way
forward - obstacles and opportunities.
In addition, there will be focussed group sessions/panels to address the issues raised
and related to those of the above plenary sessions.
The symposium is open to civil
society, international organizations, the media, Member States, UN agencies,
Parliamentarians, the private sector and academia. For more information on how
to contribute and participate, please visit: http://www.unctad.info/en/Public-Symposium-Website/
IMF Approves $47 Billion
Credit Line for Mexico
17 April - The IMF approved a credit line for Mexico of $47
billion in the first use of a new instrument designed to bolster strong
performing economies against fallout from the current global economic crisis.
(...) The Executive Board approved the arrangement under the IMF’s new Flexible Credit Line (FCL), which was created in
the context of a major overhaul of the Fund’s lending framework on March 24,
2009. The FCL is particularly useful for crisis prevention purposes as it
provides the flexibility to draw on the credit line at any time. Disbursements
are not phased nor conditioned on compliance with policy targets as in
traditional IMF-supported programs. This flexible access is justified by the
very strong track records of countries that qualify for the FCL, which gives
confidence that their economic policies will remain strong. The Board is also
scheduled to discuss an application by Poland for a precautionary credit
line of $20.5 billion. (…) http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2009/CAR041709A.htm
Belgium and FAO link to help African farmers: $6.6 million
for DRC, Burundi, Niger and Ethiopia
Rome, 15 April - Belgium has agreed a $6.6
million programme for FAO to provide emergency
assistance to poor farmers in Africa as part
of an ongoing partnership that has totalled more than
$80 million over the past twelve years. Around $ 2.6 million of the latest
contribution from the Belgian Development Cooperation will go to directly
support farming households whose livelihoods have suffered from the conflict in
the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cassava and sweet potatoes cuttings as well
as hand tools, vegetable and other crop seeds will be distributed to 25,000
farmers. In addition, another 4,000 small farmers will receive backing to increase
maize production in order to meet market demand. Producer associations will be
given basic training in the use of machinery and how to repair warehouses and
roads to enable harvested produce to be stored and transported away. This part
of the project will be implemented jointly with a World Food Programme “Purchase for Progress (P4P)”, also funded by
Belgium. WFP supports local farmers by buying their products which is then
distributed as food assistance to hungry people. The Belgian donation to FAO will
also assist returning ex-soldiers and farming households hit by floods and high
food prices in neighbouring Burundi. They
are to benefit from a $2 million programme that will
help them return to farming. The rest of Belgium’s
donation will go to support farmers in drought-stricken Niger and Ethiopia. (...)
Since 1997, Belgium has
financed more than 105 emergency and rehabilitation projects in over 20
disaster affected countries.
http://www.fao.org/news/story/it/item/11727/icode/
We're
walking for water! The BARKA Foundation has organized the first Peace, Water
& Wisdom Walk, a 500-mile journey by foot from the UN HQ to Bangor, Maine!
1st May - The Walk
will begin on May 11 at the Burkina Faso UN Mission in NYC and travel through 6
states on its way to the Unitarian Universalist
Society in Bangor, ME on May 30 (check the website for full
details and press release). The
objective of this endeavor is to raise funds for BARKA's
efforts to make clean water available to the rural population of Burkina Faso.
The Walk is being led by
renowned "prayer walker" Danny Garcia, a 64-year old ex-marine and
ordained minister, who has walked over 25,000 miles (more
than the circumference of the earth) for various humanitarian causes over the
past 12 years.
The BARKA Foundation is a
501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Housatonic, Massachusetts,
USA, and Burkina Faso, Africa.
http://www.barkafoundation.org
Cambodia: ADRA first to respond to needs of fire survivors
Silver Spring, Md.,
USA, 21 April - On April 16, a deadly fire broke out
in an impoverished neighborhood of Phnom
Penh, Cambodia,
killing one person, destroying nearly 100 homes, and displacing more than 1,120
people. To help survivors recover, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency
(ADRA) launched an immediate emergency response, providing food and shelter for
250 families left homeless by the fire. In the aftermath of the disaster, ADRA
met with community and district leaders to identify the most pressing needs,
which included the distribution of food kits stocked with rice, sugar, salt,
oil, fish, noodles, and soy sauce, and plastic tarpaulins. The distribution was
implemented in partnership with the Seventh-day
Adventist Church
in Cambodia, and received
funding from ADRA International, the ADRA Asia Regional office in Bangkok, Thailand,
and ADRA Cambodia. (...)
ADRA is a non-governmental
organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community
development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious
association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.
http://www.adra.org/site/News2/943079601?page=NewsArticle&id=9874&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1141
Empress
Shôken Fund: helping National Societies respond
today, plan for tomorrow
16 April - In 2009, the
Empress Shôken Fund will grant more than 148,000
Swiss francs (US$130,000/€98,000) to four projects carried out by Red Cross and
Red Crescent National Societies on four continents. The awarded projects range
from health and care in the Comoros Islands, community-based risk reduction in Panama, cultural orientation of migrants in Malta and strengthened financial systems in Kazakhstan. The
Empress Shôken Fund was established in 1912 by Her
Majesty the Empress of Japan to support Red Cross and Red Crescent activities
worldwide. Since then, it has grown thanks to contributions from the Japanese
government, the Japanese Red Cross Society and the Imperial Family. The annual
allocation of grants traditionally takes place on 11 April, the anniversary of
the Empress’ death. The projects are selected by the Joint Commission of the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). (...)
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/Funds-and-medals-news-160409
Natalie Cole to support Love. Hugs. Peace. Movement
benefiting Save the Children
Camp Rock’s Meaghan Martin and David
Archuleta Also Add Talents to Movement’s Song “Let’s Talk About Love”.
Westport, Conn.,
USA, 16 April - What do
GRAMMY® award-winning singer Natalie Cole, Camp Rock
star Meaghan Martin and David Archuleta of American
Idol fame have in common? They all have joined the 2009 Love. Hugs. Peace.™ movement, a global
giving campaign created by Build-A-Bear Workshop® that offers young people
around the world fun and simple ways to give back and support Save the
Children. These artists have added their vocal talents to the movement’s
signature song, “Let’s Talk About Love,” each creating
a special rendition that helps spread the message of sharing and love and
benefits Save the Children. (…)
To date, with the help of its
guests, Build-A-Bear Workshop has already raised more than $100,000 to support
Save the Children. In addition, nearly 150,000 kids from around the world have
joined the movement at www.buildabear.com/lovehugspeace and made a love,
hugs or peace pledge to do something small to make the world a better place.
(…)
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2009/natalie-cole.html?print=t
In Brussels, Ban welcomes over $200 million in pledges for
security in Somalia
23 April - Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon today welcomed over $200 million pledged
to help the emergent Government in Somalia gain a security foothold in
the faction-torn country by funding its nascent security forces and the
peacekeeping efforts of the African Union (AU). “We have a unique opportunity
to support leaders who have shown a commitment to building peace and rebuilding
the Somali state,” Mr. Ban said as he opened the donors’ conference in Brussels under the joint
auspices of the UN, the AU, European Union (EU) and the League of Arab States.
“By opening the space for security, we open the door to a better life for Somalia’s
people,” he added, warning that “the risks of not supporting the new government
are too high and the costs of failure too enormous.” In total, pledges of $213
million were received by the days’ end, surpassing the $166 million requested
by the AU, of which $135 million was targeted to the AU Assistance Mission in
Somalia (AMISOM) and $31 million for Somali security forces. (…)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30575&Cr=somali&Cr1
Burundi: Ban welcomes political conversion of former militia
22 April - Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the accreditation of a
former armed opposition group in Burundi as a political party,
lauding its renunciation of armed conflict. The certification of the Forces Nationales de Libération (FNL)
yesterday comes on the heels of the separation and formal disarmament of its
armed wing, including the separation of children associated with the group. The
FNL’s rejection of violence “paves the way for its
participation in the democratic process in Burundi,” Mr. Ban said in a
statement. (…) The Secretary-General noted the decisions made by the Burundian
Government and the FNL on 8 April, under the leadership of a South African
facilitator, to set up a mutually accountable roadmap for the finalization of
the peace process. He urged both parties to “continue their enhanced
cooperation” to complete the last phase of the Comprehensive Ceasefire
Agreement. (…)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30559&Cr=burundi&Cr1
UN,
Congolese forces call joint operation in northeast a success
20 April - The UN Mission in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said today that most of the
objectives of its joint military operation with the Congolese Armed Forces
against armed groups in the north-east of the vast country have been achieved.
The operation, launched earlier this month and code-named “Rock of Steel,” is
intended to neutralize the remaining forces of the Front for Patriotic
Resistance of Ituri, known under its French acronym
FPRI, and other illegal armed groups in the area. Bangladeshi contingents of
the UN Mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, supported the Congolese in taking
control of several towns, and are currently aiding with mop-up operations in
hilly areas that the militias have left, according to a press release issued by
the Mission.
The press release said that Congolese military and administrative officials had
agreed that “MONUC’s support was excellent and the
unrolling of the operations on the ground was a success.” (…) http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30533&Cr=monuc&Cr1
Productive
quarter for mine-detection dogs in Ethiopia
More than half a million square metres
were cleared from January until the end of March 2009.
by Tormod
Nuland
15 April - There are currently
35 mine-detection dogs trained by Norwegian People’s Aid. The Ethiopian Mine
Action Organization (EMAO) is deploying them in Togowchale,
Somali Region, and Gemhalo in Tigray,
close to the Eritrean border. In the first quarter of 2009, a total area of more
than half a million. square metres
were cleared by the dogs. 19 unexploded ordinances were found in the process.
“We have a number of young dogs in the field, and they are steadily progressing
in terms of working capacity. They started off around 300 square metres
per day, and now they are doing 500”,
says Nedim Fejzic, MDD-cordinator for NPA in
Ethiopia.
From 2005 until 2007, about 2 ½ million square metres
were cleared by mine-detection dogs in Ethiopia. The number in 2008 was
around 1,6 million. For 2009, Fejzic
has high hopes in terms of output for.
“Our aim is to clear 2 million
square metres this year”, Fejzic
adds.
http://www.npaid.org/?module=Articles;action=Article.publicShow;ID=7997
The Komalah - The Kurdistan Organization of the Communist Party
of Iran and The Komala Party of Kurdistan prohibit the use of anti-personnel mines
Geneva, 7 April - The
quest to rid the Middle East of anti-personnel mines has taken another step
forward with two armed non-State actors signing Geneva Call’s Deed of
Commitment in Geneva.
By signing this document, the “Komalah-The Kurdistan
Organization of the Communist Party of Iran” and the “Komala
Party of Kurdistan” have pledged to ban anti-personnel mines, as well as carry
out, or co-operate in, necessary mine action. (...) The importance of victim
assistance and conduct awareness raising programmes
will be promoted through the two organization’s commitment to a total
anti-personnel mine ban, thus helping to reduce casualties in Iran. Iran is not a
State Party to the anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention. (...)
Geneva Call is an international
humanitarian organization dedicated to engaging armed non-State actors to
respect and to adhere to humanitarian norms, beginning with the ban on
anti-personnel mines. (…) With the commitment by the two Iranian-Kurdish
parties today, 38 armed organizations around the world have prohibited
anti-personnel mine use with their signature. The Government of the Republic
and Canton of Geneva serves as the custodian of these Deeds.
http://www.genevacall.org/news/testi-press-releases/gc-07apr09.html
Health
World
Malaria Day: community mobilization crucial to malaria eradication
Silver
Spring, Md., USA, 24 April - On
World Malaria Day, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is
continuing its work to reduce the numbers of people infected and killed by
malaria every year worldwide. In Mozambique, a country ravaged by
this deadly disease, ADRA is working to change the attitudes and behaviors of
more than a million people through the power of community mobilization. (...)
To reach community-level organizations, the Inter-Religious Program Against Malaria (PIRCOM) and ADRA Mozambique launched
Together Against Malaria (TAM) in 2007, a project aimed at empowering these
organizations to motivate their local communities to actively fight against
malaria. PIRCOM leaders have organized faith communities at provincial,
district and local levels into smaller committees, training them to deliver
five key malaria prevention and treatment messages, including consistent use of
insecticide-treated nets, immediate care for sick, fever-ridden children,
medicine and hospital visits for new mothers, the importance of eliminating
stagnant water, and the value of cooperating with local house fumigation
campaigns. (…)
http://www.adra.org/site/News2/943079601?page=NewsArticle&id=9879&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1141
MSF
struggles to provide meaningful aid following limited expulsion in Darfur, Sudan
23 April - An expulsion order
by Sudanese authorities in early March forced two out of five MSF sections to
close nearly half of the organization’s medical programs in Darfur. MSF programs remaining in the region
have been struggling to provide meaningful humanitarian assistance to those in
need, as a result of insecurity and administrative constraints. After the
expulsion, valuable assets were seized, and medicines and other supplies had to
be abandoned. Sudanese authorities also held passports of senior staff from the
expelled MSF teams, making it impossible for them to leave the country until
mid-April, more than one month after their official expulsion. (...) Today, six
other MSF projects continue to remain open in northern Sudan, although
their future is under careful review and depends on a clear improvement in the
working environment in the coming weeks. MSF remains fully committed to
providing impartial medical assistance to the people of Sudan.
Consequently, MSF is currently engaging in direct discussions with the Sudanese
authorities in order to continue to deliver emergency medical aid in Darfur and elsewhere in northern Sudan.
MSF
has been working in Sudan
since 1979 and began working in Darfur
in December 2003.
http://www.msf.org/msfinternational/invoke.cfm?objectid=D24D6B67-15C5-F00A-25C3A3CDB4642ABC&component=toolkit.article&method=full_html
(top)
European Commission welcomes adoption of climate and
energy package
Brussels, 23 April - The European Commission welcomes the formal adoption today of the
climate and energy package and legislation to reduce CO2 emissions
from new cars and transport fuels. The measures, agreed in December, put Europe firmly on the road towards becoming a low-carbon
economy and will increase energy security. The package sets legally binding
targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 20% below 1990 levels and to
increase the share of renewable energy to 20%, both by 2020. It will also help
achieve the EU’s objective of improving energy efficiency
by 20% within the same timeframe. The package makes Europe
the first region in the world to implement such far-reaching, legally binding
climate and energy targets. It represents an important contribution to reaching
an ambitious international climate agreement at the United Nations climate
conference in December. (...)
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/628&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs welcomes the agreement of the three Baltic States
on the route of the electricity interconnection project between them and Sweden
Brussels, 27 April - Energy Commissioner, Andris
Piebalgs, welcomed the agreement signed today between
the Prime Ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to start without delay,
the implementation of a Baltic-Swedish electricity link. (…) This agreement
represents the first concrete result from the work of the High Level Group on a
Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan launched by President Barroso last October. “The project is included in the
European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR) and
after its adoption by the Council and the European Parliament, it could benefit
from the financial assistance earmarked for these energy projects,” confirmed Andris Piebalgs. This message was
conveyed today to the summit meeting of the Baltic countries in the Lithuanian
capital Vilnius
by the European Commission’s Director General for Energy and Transport, Mr Matthias Ruete who is also
chairing the High Level Group on a Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan.
The new interconnection if fully in line with the priorities of the Commission
in the framework of the Strategic Energy Review is to connect “energy islands”
with the internal market. (…)
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/646&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Wind industry can bring economic growth and
jobs to Czech Republic, with proper government
decisions
16 April - The future growth of the Czech wind energy sector, and the
consequent creation of many new jobs, will strongly depend on the government
removing the administrative and grid access barriers that currently hinder wind
energy projects. This is what delegates heard at a European workshop on the
integration of wind energy in the Czech
Republic organised by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA)
and the Czech Wind Energy Association (ČSVE). (...) Currently, 500 people are directly employed in the
wind industry in the Czech
Republic. In total, there
is 150 MW of installed wind power capacity in the country, out of the approximately
65,000 MW of total wind installations in the EU. The Czech Wind Energy
Association foresees a growth in the market of up to 1,500 MW by 2020. “It’s a
feasible target” said Michael Janeček, President
of ČSVE. “Investors are showing a growing interest and are just waiting
for a positive signal from the government to go out there and harness the
promising wind resources of this country”. (...)
http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=60&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1471&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1588&cHash=9cef34afc1
Eco-design
requirements for energy related products
MEPs adopted a
legislative report on the Eco-design requirements for energy related products. MEPs say that not later than 2012 the Commission shall
review the effectiveness of this Directive and of its implementing measures.
The resolution was adopted with 394 votes in favour,
13 against and 3 abstentions. The compromise achieved between Council and the
EP backs a Commission proposal to widen the scope of the 2005 Eco-design
directive (which allows the Commission to set design requirements for
energy-using products such as boilers, computers, televisions, industrial fans
and light bulbs), to include all energy-related products, which are products
that do not consume energy during use but have an indirect impact on energy
consumption, such as water-using devices, windows or insulation material. For
example, water-saving taps and shower heads reduce water consumption and
therefore also the amount of energy used for hot water without altering the
user’s perceived well-being. The current Ecodesign
Directive (Directive 2005/32/EC) establishes requirements that energy-using
products must meet if they are to benefit from free movement within the
Community. It covers only energy-using products (excluding means of transport).
For these, it can introduce mandatory minimum requirements corresponding to the
performance of the product that has least life cycle cost. (…)
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/064-54281-111-04-17-911-20090422IPR54280-21-04-2009-2009-false/default_en.htm
International
scientific agreement on validation of alternatives to animal testing
27 April - Global efforts to promote alternatives to testing
International on animals receive a significant boost today through the signing
of a cooperation agreement by international bodies, including the European
Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), tasked with the validation of
alternative test methods. (...)
The agreement establishes enhanced
international cooperation and coordination on the scientific validation and
evaluation of in-vitro toxicity testing methods. Strengthened
collaboration among the signatories will ensure that alternative methods are reproducible,
based on sound science and able to accurately identify health hazards. This, in
turn, should facilitate test methods that are widely accepted by regulatory
bodies in the EU, US, Japan,
Canada
and internationally by the OECD, for example. (...)
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/643&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
European Commission calls for a
shakeup in EU biodiversity policy
28 April
- European Commission conference on biodiversity in Athens has issued a forward-ooking message regarding the future biodiversity policy of
the European Union. Key findings include the need to improve communication
about the loss and its consequences, the importance of thinking about ecosystem
protection rather than species protection, and the need to ensure that
available funds are indeed channelled towards nature
protection projects. Scientists acknowledge that biodiversity is in crisis
around the world, and that too little is being done to protect it. Europe has a target date of 2010 for halting biodiversity
loss in the EU, and while some progress has been made in halting the decline,
the original target is unlikely to be met. The Commission called a conference
in Athens to
examine ways of improving its performance. (...)
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/649&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
United Nations proclaims 22
April “International Mother Earth Day”
22 April - Assembly President
Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann
thanked Bolivia for having taken the lead in bringing the resolution to the
Assembly and added that, by declaring the International Day, Member States
recognized their responsibility, as called for in the Rio Declaration, adopted
at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED),
also known as the “Earth Summit”, to promote harmony with nature and the planet
to achieve a just balance among economic, social and environmental needs of the
present and future generations of humanity. By the text, the Assembly
acknowledged that “the Earth and its ecosystems are our home”, and expressed
its conviction that, in order to achieve a just balance among the economic,
social and environmental needs of present and future generations, “it is
necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth”.
The resolution, spearheaded by
the Bolivian Government and supported by over 50 Member States, noted that
Earth Day is observed each year on 22 April in many countries. The Assembly
invites all Member States, the entire United Nations system, regional and subregional bodies and non-governmental organizations “to
observe and raise awareness of International Mother Earth day, as appropriate”.
(...)
http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/ev.php-URL_ID=7632&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Draft
standards for responsible pangasius aquaculture
completed
by Jill Schwartz
Washington, DC, 22 April -
Draft standards for responsible pangasius farming,
created by the 250-plus participants of the Pangasius
Aquaculture Dialogue (PAD), were posted for public
comment today. Feedback received during the 60-day comment period will be used
by the PAD’s technical working groups, as well as the
Process Facilitation Group that manages the PAD, to revise the standards. The
global standards will address the key environmental and social issues related
to pangasius farming, one of the fastest growing
types of aquaculture in the world. Pangasius
production increased from 400,000 tons in 2005 to 1.1 million tons in 2008. (…)
The draft standards were
developed through a transparent, consensus-based process that began when the
PAD was created in September 2007. It is similar to the process used by the
Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue, which is in the midst of revising tilapia
standards to incorporate feedback received during the first of its two public
comment periods. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) coordinates these and six other
aquaculture Dialogues. (…)
http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/media/press/2009/WWFPresitem12171.html
Internews
announces Earth Journalism Awards on opening day of G8 Environment Ministers’
Meeting
22 April - The global media
assistance organisation Internews
today announced the creation of the Earth Journalism Awards for climate change
reporting at a round table on communication at the G8 Environment Ministers’
Meeting in Siracusa,
Italy. Designed
to increase and improve media coverage of climate change around the world, the
competition will culminate with a ceremony at the pivotal United Nations
Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen
this December. (…) Also featured in remarks by Mary Robinson, former President
of Ireland, in her Earth Day speech at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.,
the Earth Journalism Awards will honor journalists in all media formats and
from different global regions who produce the best climate change stories this
year. Winners will be selected by expert international juries and invited to
attend and cover the Copenhagen Conference, where they will receive their
awards in a high profile ceremony on the eve of the political negotiations.
The Earth Journalism Awards’
partners and sponsors to date include the Government of Denmark, which is the
COP15 host country, the Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea of Italy,
The World Bank, MTV International, the V. Kann
Rasmussen Foundation, the Edgerton Family Foundation and Flip Video Spotlight.
(…)
http://www.internews.org/prs/2009/20090422_eja.shtm
Rotaractors
plant 1,000 trees in Swaziland
by Jennifer Lee Atkin
Rotary International News, 21
April - Four Rotaract clubs in Swaziland recently teamed up to plant 1,000
trees at a school in the Ezulwini Valley
in an effort to combat deforestation. It is one of many projects that Rotaractors and Rotarians take part in throughout the year
to help the environment. On 22 April, 500 million people in 175 countries will
observe Earth Day, which focuses attention on environmental stewardship. (…)
The Rotaract
clubs of Malkerns
Valley, Manzini,
Mbabane-Mbuluzi, and University College of Swaziland
partnered with the Swaziland Environment Authority and Nedbank
Swaziland
to plant their trees over two Saturdays in February and March. The effort was
part of the larger Billion Tree Campaign, launched by UNEP in 2006 to curb
deforestation, one tree at a time. According to the organization, tree planting
is one of the most cost-effective ways to address global climate change. Rotaract clubs throughout District 9250 (Botswana;
Mozambique; South Africa; Swaziland) are participating in the Billion Tree
Campaign through their district’s Plant for the Planet project, says Eurídice Vicente, 2008-09 district Rotaract
representative and past president of the Rotaract
Club of Maputo, Mozambique.(…)
In March, UNEP declared that
the Billion Tree Campaign had already resulted in three billion new trees being
planted. It announced a new target of seven billion by December, when the next
UN Climate Change Conference will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
(…)
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/090421_news_billiontrees.aspx
A
Guide for Using the Earth Charter in Education was launched
6 April - A Guide for Using
the Earth Charter in Education was launched during the UNESCO World Conference
on Education for Sustainable Development held in Bonn (31 March – 2 April).
After years of dialogue,
drafting and the inputs of a group of individuals involved in education, a
Guide for using the Earth Charter in Education is finally ready for use and
dissemination. Earth Charter International welcomes comments and suggestions
for improving it and plans to release a second version in 2010.
This Guide is intended for all
educators who are concerned to develop educational systems and programs that
prepare young people and adults to live sustainably
and become responsible local and global citizens in the 21st century.
It provides basic information
on how to use the Earth Charter in educational settings. It will be especially
helpful to educators who are working in the fields of environmental education,
education for sustainable development, human rights education, human ecology
education, peace education, humane education, social education and allied
areas. (...)
http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/articles/268/1/A-Guide-for-Using-the-Earth-Charter-in-Education-was-launched-/Page1.html
Religion and spirituality
Global church groupings welcome Durban
II outcome, with some regrets
24 April - Two global church organizations have congratulated the Durban
Review Conference on the adoption of its outcome document, while regretting
that the latter makes no mention of the plight of hundreds of millions of
people affected by caste-based discrimination.
In a joint oral
intervention at the conference today, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) welcomed the reaffirmation of the 2001
Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, as well
as the international community’s commitment to overcome all forms of racism “in
all parts of the world, including those ‘under foreign occupation’”. (...)
The two global church
groupings welcomed the proposal made by the High Commissioner for Human Rights
of creating an “observatory on discrimination”, which may help throw further
light on the situation of the millions of victims of untouchability
practices. There are some 260 million Dalits
worldwide, 200 million of them in India. Another welcomed development
is the exclusion of the concept of “defamation of religions” from the
conference outcome document. By not allowing the concept to “inappropriately
intrude into [the document’s] human rights framework,” the document instead
“properly addresses itself to the ‘stigmatization of persons based on their
religion or belief’,” the two organizations stated.
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1722/global-church-groupings-w.html
Dalits’ inner strength defeats caste-based discrimination
15 April - Caste-based discrimination in India may be 3,500 years old, but
something new is unfolding. An emerging liberation movement has consciously
chosen not to focus on Dalits’ victimhood,
but on the latent strength of the Dalit people, drawn
from their own history and culture. (...) Organized by the World Council of
Churches (WCC) together with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and hosted by
the Christian Conference of Asia, the
conference gathered 95 leaders and representatives of churches and
organizations worldwide. The conference’s aim was to stimulate solidarity and
support within the global ecumenical family for the 260 million people affected
by caste-based discrimination worldwide. (...)
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1722/dalits-inner-strength-de.html
Europe's top innovation prize winners announced
Brussels, 28 April - Health
and the environment were the big winners when the European Commission and the
European Patent Office presented the 2009 European Inventor of the Year awards.
In the presence of Czech President Václav Klaus and
over 400 guests in Prague
Castle, European Patent
Office (EPO) President Alison Brimelow and EU
Commissioner Vladimír Špidla
today honoured inventors in four different
categories.
An international jury selected the winners in
the following four categories:
1. Lifetime Achievement – Adolf
Goetzberger (Germany) - Commercial use of solar energy and helping to make solar cells a viable
alternative to fossil fuels (…)
2. Industry - Brian Druker
(USA) and Jürg Zimmermann (Switzerland) - Effective drug to combat chronic myelogenous leukaemia, providing unprecedented rates of recovery(…)
3. Environment - Joseph Le Mer
(France)
- A heat exchanger of such a brilliantly
simple design that it makes heating systems both inexpensive and
energy-efficient (…)
4. Non-European Inventors – Zhou Yiqing (China)
- Anti-malaria drug based on a herbal agent, which has been instrumental in saving
hundreds of thousands of lives. (…)
This year's award ceremony was held in Prague alongside the
European Patent Forum 2009 and the Patinnova 2009.
The conference, organised by EPO, provides a platform
for internationally renowned experts to discuss the potential role of the
intellectual property system in combating climate change.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/207&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Speakers
laud Rotarian’s involvement at opening of Holocaust museum
by Antoinette Tuscano
Rotary International News, 24
April - The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, which opened 19
April, is more than just 65,000 square feet of bricks and mortar for
many people, including Rotarian and Holocaust survivor Sam Harris. As museum
board president, Harris helped guide the project through more than 10 years of
planning and building. It may be one of the last institutions of its kind built
with the active participation of Holocaust survivors.
Thousands turned out for the
opening ceremony in Skokie,
Illinois, USA,
an event that highlighted the museum’s purpose and Harris’s role in the
project. Harris, a member of the Rotary Club of Northbrook, was thanked for his
work by nearly a dozen dignitaries and politicians. The remarks included video
messages from U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Audience members included
several U.S. politicians and
ambassadors from Germany, Poland, and
other countries around the world. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel and former U.S.
President Bill Clinton spoke at the event. (…)
Clinton, the keynote speaker,
like others throughout the day, stressed that although the museum was built for
remembrance and learning, we must do more than that if we are to truly say
“never again.” “People have been dying for too long because of who they are,” Clinton said. “It’s not
enough to refrain from doing evil; we must stand up against it.”
Many of those who came to the
opening did so, in part, to take a stand for what the museum represents: saying
yes to life and light and no to darkness and evil, a concept integrated into
the building’s architecture. As expressed by the speakers at the event, the
museum is more than a repository for artifacts; it is a monument to the hopes
for a future without genocide -- a future not yet realized.
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/090424_news_holocaust.aspx
First
ever Global Model UN conference organized by the United Nations Department of
Public Information and its partners - Geneva from 5-7 August
For the first time ever, the
United Nations Department of Public Information and its partners will be
holding the Global Model UN (GMUN) conference for University students at the Palais des Nations in Geneva,
Switzerland
from 5-7 August. The conference will be a simulation of General Assembly
plenary sessions and the Assembly’s Main Committees, on the theme “The
Millennium Development Goals: Lifting the Bottom Billion out of Poverty.” We
hope that GMUN will inspire the next generation of leaders to be come involved
in national and global issues. Individual applications for delegates are now
being accepted!
Please visit: www.un.org/gmun
6th
Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations: New York, August 5th - 7th, 2009
Make
Your Mark: Youth Led Development and the MDGs
Registration is almost
completely full and closed. Don't wait until June 5 (Closing Day for
registration), decide to come as a delegate today. June 5, Deadline for Registration. (…)
UN DPI and Permanent Missions
Endorse the YA. This year the Youth Assembly at the United Nations is being
prepared in full partnership with the UN Department of Public Information. The
UN Programme on Youth has a presence on this year's
Planning Committee, too.
More than a dozen UN Permanent
Missions Endorse and Support the YA. In 2009, the Youth Assembly will be among
the largest international youth gatherings on the U.N.s
calendar. (…)
The 6th annual Youth Assembly
at the United Nations: Meet youth delegates, NGO leaders, U.N. specialists,
well- known, respected global diplomats. Three days of intensive discussion and
exchange about Youth Led Development and the Success of the Millennium
Development Goals. Be there ... and be the change you want to see in your
world.
Contact
Us - email:
yaapplications@faf.org web: http://www.faf.org/hl_youthassembly.htm
A new online platform gives
easy access to national policy initiatives in education and training
23 April - The European Commission has just launched a new online
platform to give greater visibility and better access to its joint work with
Member States on policy initiatives to reform education and training systems in
Europe. Exchanges of information and other
activities based on mutual learning between countries are key elements in the EU’s co-operation with its Member States under the
‘Education and Training 2010 work programme’. The Knowledge System for Lifelong
Learning (KSLLL) contains easily accessible and up-to-date information on such
activities with the aim of making lifelong learning a reality in Europe. (…) The KSLLL will be adapted to support the
priority areas and working methods under the new Strategic framework for
European co-operation in education and training, which will set out a work
programme for the next decade up until 2020, in particular to develop the visibility
and dissemination of results.
http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/news1337_en.htm
World Press Freedom Day 2009:
Dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation
Paris, 22 April - The way the media influences thought and action and its
capacity to foster dialogue, understanding and reconciliation will be the focus
of discussions at a UNESCO conference marking World Press Freedom Day 2009, to
be held in Doha (Qatar) on 2 and 3 May.
In his message for World Press
Freedom Day 2009, the Director-General of UNESCO Koïchiro
Matsuura stressed that: “We must strengthen our efforts to build a media that
is critical of inherited assumptions yet tolerant of alternative perspectives;
a media that brings competing narratives into a shared story of
interdependence; a media that responds to diversity through dialogue.” (…) The
conference has been organized under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint
Nasser Al- Missned, consort of His Highness the Emir of Qatar Shiekh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani. (...)
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=45149&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
UNESCO and its
partners launch online library to celebrate world cultures
21 April - In a bid to celebrate the world’s myriad
cultures, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) and dozens of partner institutions today launched the World Digital
Library, a Web site featuring cultural materials from libraries and archives
worldwide, free of charge. The new Library, known as WDL, will
function in seven languages - Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese,
Russian and Spanish - and includes content in over 40 languages. (…) At
today’s launch at UNESCO headquarters in Paris,
the agency’s Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura
hailed the WDL, noting that it “offers and invaluable platform for the free
flow of information, for international solidarity, for the celebration of
cultural diversity and for the building of inclusive knowledge societies.”
Developed by a team from the Library of Congress, the project seeks to expand
the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet; provide resources
for educators, scholars and general audiences; and close the digital divide
both within and between countries. (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30541&Cr=unesco&Cr1
UNESCO continues
to support Ethiopian mini-media through training
Addis
Ababa, 14 April - Students
from 10 high school mini-media clubs in Addis
Ababa visited Radio Fana FM
98.1 station as part of a weekend training programme
held from 28 to 29 March. The two-day event, organized by UNESCO and the Peace,
Family and Media Association (PFMA), is part of the programme
that seeks to build the capacity of school mini-media in Ethiopia to
support development communication among youth. For students, the field trip
was a practical learning experience as well as an opportunity to gain insights
into what could be a future profession. Nariss Mekuma, a student of Lideta Selam School, was ‘delighted by the
opportunity to see and understand how radio stations disseminate messages to
their audiences’. (...)
The half-day visit to Fana radio was facilitated by various departmental staff, who did their best to keep up with the stream of questions
from the eager students. During their tour students were able to see and learn
about the live studio, production rooms, archives as well as Radio Fana’s Internet radio broadcasts. (...)
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=28528&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
USAID’s
Value Chain Development Wiki launched
13 April - Designed to share
knowledge and increase learning, the USAID Value Chain Development Wiki was unveiled at a launching event April 13 in Washington, D.C. USAID
K&P II Cognizant Technical Officer Jeanne Downing gave opening remarks at
the kickoff, which was attended by over 50 representatives of various donors,
nonprofits, universities and private sector companies. Downing said the wiki will be a “body of knowledge and learning” and serve
as an important resource tool for furthering value chain development. Created
under ACDI/VOCA’s USAID-funded Knowledge and Practice
(K&P) II AMAP BDS Task Order, the USAID Value Chain Development Wiki contains numerous research papers, tools and
publications on the value chain approach. Its purpose is to codify these
resources and enable practitioners and researchers to learn about emerging best
practices and promote information sharing. (…) The wiki
draws from research led by ACDI/VOCA through the AMAP BDS consortium and also
contains input from more than 50 different practitioners, donors and academics.
The wiki will evolve as feedback is received on
additional methods, lessons learned and best practices. (…)
http://www.acdivoca.org/acdivoca/PortalHub.nsf/ID/NewsWikilaunch4.13.09
Grooming
Global Citizens: UNA's 2009 Middle School Model UN
If
Middle School Students Ruled the World, by Randa
Alattar
On the rainy afternoon of
April 3, eleven hundred middle school students from across the USA and around
the world lined up in front of UN headquarters to participate in the 2009
UNA-USA Middle School Model United Nations Conference. The enthusiasm and
excitement of the students was palpable as they entered the General Assembly
Hall for opening ceremonies.
For the weekend of April 3-4,
these students were no longer representatives of their school or home state –
instead, they would be known as delegates representing countries across the
globe and tasked with eradicating poverty, protecting children from unlawful
labor practices and preventing warfare between nation states. The delegates
addressed the issues by negotiating, creating alliances and critically thinking
about the consequences of their decisions.
The 4th Annual UNA-USA Middle
School MUN conference was the largest middle school MUN conference in the
world, having grown exponentially since its inception in 2005. This year’s
conference was attended by 63 schools from 12 states and four countries. (…) Through
compromises and negotiations, delegates listened to the major stakeholders and
provided resolutions aimed at achieving their goals. (…) To view photos from
the event, visit www.flickr.com/photos/unausa
Randa Alattar is an intern with UNA-USA’s education department
and a graduate student in New York University’s educational leadership,
politics and advocacy program.
Linking space to education
April - Space
studies bring a new dimension to science education. They introduce new
knowledge, values and perspectives on the planet Earth and develop better
understanding of the universe and beyond. Space studies, based on the rational
arguments of physics and mathematics, help the development of the critical
thinking process, participatory problem solving and decision making skills of
students, which are central to quality education, the priority goal of the UN
Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). (…)
The Space and
Education Program focuses on three disciplines: Space science - Space and
aeronautic engineering - Space
technology applications. (…) UNESCO implements the Space Education Programme in cooperation with space agencies, space-related
organizations such as the International
Astronautical
Federation & International Space University,
non-governmental institutions and associations (eg
EURISY) and with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. UNESCO is also a
partner in regional mechanisms that promote space education and the use of
space technology to improve daily life such as the Asia-Pacific Regional Space
Agency Forum (APRSAF) and the Space Conference of the Americas.
http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6252&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
* * * * * * *
Next issue: 22 May 2009.
* * * * * * *
Good News Agency is published in
English on one Friday and in Italian the next. Past issues are available at www.goodnewsagency.org . Rome Law-court registration no. 265 dated 20
June 2000.
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi,
Ph.D. Editorial research by Fabio Gatti, Maria Grazia Da Damos, Arianna
Cavallo, Azzurra Cianchetta. Editorial Secretary: Maria Grazia
Da Damos.
Good News Agency is distributed free of charge through Internet to 4,000 editorial offices of the daily newspapers and
periodical magazines and of the radio and television stations with an e-mail
address in 49 countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia,
Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, 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, Philippines, Portugal, Russia,
South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela,
USA. It is also distributed free of charge to 2,800 NGOs and 600 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 and associated with the Department of Public
Information of the United Nations. The Association has been recognized by UNESCO as “an actor of the global movement for a culture of peace”. 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 Rome, Italy.
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