Good News Agency – Year XI, n° 179
Weekly – Year XI, number 179 –
12th November 2010
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi, Ph. D.
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 1,600
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
In
Lao PDR, cluster bomb survivors hopeful key meeting will help to end suffering
The
treaty’s historic First Meeting of States Parties is being held from 9-12
November
(Gemima Harvey)
November 8 -
The treaty highlights the
power of civil society working in collaboration with governments, the United
Nations and international organisations to prevent more
cluster bomb victims and future suffering. Lao PDR is the world’s most heavily
cluster-bombed country and a fitting place for governments to commit additional
resources to assisting victims and clearing contaminated areas. The Convention
seeks to create a future without these weapons, giving hope to cluster bomb
victims like Chanthava Pobuly
from Savannakhet province in Lao PDR.
People suffer. Development is
stalled. Now cluster munitions are banned under international law, but all
countries need to heed to the call and get on board the ban to end the
suffering caused by cluster munitions.
More information on COPE: http://www.copelaos.org
More information on the Ban
Advocates: http://www.banadvocates.org
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news/?id=2721
Announcing
launch of deed of commitment on children and armed conflict
November 2 - Geneva Call is pleased
to announce the launch of the Deed of Commitment under Geneva Call for the
Protection of Children from the Effects of Armed Conflict. This standard and
universal instrument aims to provide Armed non-State actors (NSAs), which lack the legal capacity to become party to
relevant international treaties, with an opportunity to demonstrate their
commitment to international norms protecting children from armed conflict.
This is the second such Deed
of Commitment under Geneva Call. Its launch comes during the 10 year
anniversary of the first – the Deed of Commitment under Geneva Call for
Adherence to a Total Ban on Anti-Personnel Mines and for Cooperation in Mine
Action with which to date, – 41 NSAs from around the
globe have signed and substantially complied.
The new Deed of Commitment has
been developed by Geneva Call following focused discussions with NSAs, and under the advice of an expert advisory group
including participants from the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers,
UNICEF, the ICRC, the Quaker UN Office and international legal experts. As with
the Deed of Commitment banning anti-personnel mines, the Republic and Canton of
Geneva will act as custodian, and when possible, signings will take place in
the Alabama Room where the 1st Geneva Convention was signed in 1864.
http://www.genevacall.org/news/press-releases/f-press-releases/2001-2010/GC_2010_DoC_Communique.pdf
Opening
door to Western Balkans
Soon citizens of
To obtain the visa waiver for
the Schengen area (which covers all EU member states
except the UK and Ireland, as well as three non-EU members: Iceland, Norway and
Switzerland) the two Balkan states had to fulfil a
number of criteria, contained in the so-called "roadmaps" which they
designed together with the EU member states and the European Commission.
The two candidates for
visa-free travel had to carry out a number of important reforms, e.g. improve
their capacity to fight organised crime and
corruption, increase passport security and improve border controls. The
European Union, which considers stability, peace and prosperity in the Western
Balkans to be one of its highest priorities, helped to bring about these
necessary changes and provided the requisite technical and financial
assistance.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showFocus.aspx?id=1&focusId=532&lang=en
International Day for the
Elimination of Violence Against Women - November 25
Violence against women takes
many forms; all are unacceptable violations of human rights.
Each year, for 16 days, bookended by the International Day to End Violence Against
Women (25 November) and Human Rights Day (10 December), groups from around the
world join together to speak out against gender violence. Because all too
often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned.
This year's theme is one of
empowerment: Commit. Act. Demand. We CAN
End Violence Against Women. It reflects the fact that gender violence is
increasingly being recognized as a stain on humanity and something that must
and can be dealt with.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/campaigns/stop-violence-against-women
http://www.stoprapenow.org/
http://www.unfpa.org/public/news/events/16days
http://www.saynotoviolence.org/
Universal Children's Day -
November 20
One of the outstanding
keynotes of our present time is the focus that is being put on children: the
rights of children; the needs of children; the importance of considering children
in every area of life. At a global level this is reflected in The Convention on
the Rights of the Child, an international human rights treaty that is
transforming the lives of children and their families around the world. Under
the Convention all but two of the world's countries have agreed to meet
universal standards, guaranteeing children the rights to survival, health,
education, a caring family environment, play and culture...
Universal
Children's Day is observed on different days in different countries. It is a Day to
celebrate children and to empower the vision of an interdependent world of
families, communities and nations in which the rights and needs of children are
accorded the highest priority. 20 November marks the day in which the UN General
Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the
Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, in 1989.
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/children_day/index.html
Media
Literacy Week explores gender representation in media
November 3 - The Canadian
Teachers’ Federation (CTF), together with Media Awareness Network, a
not-for-profit centre for media and digital literacy, have launched
Media Literacy Week has been
promoting the integration of media literacy activities in communities, schools
and families across
Education International
Vice-President, Irene Duncan-Adanusa, welcomed the
initiative by CTF, an EI affiliate, and acknowledged the importance of
educating young people about stereotypes still attached to gender and the
advantages and dangers brought by new information technologies.
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1417&theme=ict&country=canada
Food
Security and Agricultural Strategies: What Room for Multilateral Governance?
On
17 November at the Committee of the Regions, 101, rue Belliard,
Recent food riots, hyper-volatile agricultural
prices and speculation on agricultural raw materials have reminded politicians
that agriculture is not only a specific sector, but a strategic one. What are
the objectives of the world’s major powers’ agricultural policies? What kinds
of means are being implemented towards their achievement? What consequences do
they have in terms of food security, environmental and geopolitical stability?
This one-day conference, taking place on the very
day when Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos will be presenting the Commission’s communication on
agricultural reform post-2013, will open a timely debate, raising new elements
in the reflection on the future of agricultural systems throughout the world.
Bringing together international actors to expose current challenges and
exchange views on possible ways forward, the conference will explore proposals
for the advancement of multilateral governance, taking into consideration the
important role that the EU could potentially play in this field. To register,
please send your name, position, and the name of your organisation,
before 12:00 on Tuesday 16 November, to info@madariaga.org
The Madariaga -
Interactive 43-nation guide on
what to plant, when and where
The FAO crop calendar is especially useful in case of an emergency such
as drought or floods or for rehabilitation efforts following a natural or manmade
disaster. As well as crops, it advises on tried and tested seed varieties that
are adapted to the soil and climate conditions of each area.
There are 283 agro-ecological zones covered in the calendar,
representing the vast richness and variety of the African ecology as well as
challenges of land degradation, sand encroachment and floods. An estimated 50
percent of the global increase in yields over the past ten years has come from
improving the quality of seeds. The other fifty percent has come from better
water management and irrigation practices.
http://www.fao.org/news/newsroom-home/en/
US$
19.90 million IFAD loan-grant for economic empowerment of ethnic minorities in
The project will help to
strengthen provincial institutions that will help to integrate the priorities
of ethnic minority groups, particularly women within the Government planning
process.
Under the project, joint
liability groups will be established as the conduit for bank lending to
individual members, along with training. The main focus of the project will be
on minority livelihood development, rural financial services and in providing
agricultural and value chain lending. Collective action will be crucial to the
empowerment of people in order to help them overcome poverty; by setting up
shared liability groups and savings and credits associations among poor ethnic
minority women.
Over 31,370 households are
expected to benefit. These households consist of indigenous and migrant ethnic
minorities. The project activities will, in particular, involve women in the
poorest communes of the
World
Bank forms partnership for valuation of ecosystems
by Robert Kropp
SocialFunds.com
talks with the World Resources Institute about the initiative to integrate the
economic benefits of ecosystems into national accounting systems.
SocialFunds.com, November 3 -
The momentum for integrated reporting by companies, or at least a form of
accounting for ecosystem services in corporate sustainability reporting,
received support on the macroeconomic level last week, when the World Bank
announced the formation of the Global Partnership for Ecosystems and Ecosystem
Services Valuation and Wealth Accounting. According to the World Bank, the new
initiative intends to "give developing countries the tools they need to
integrate the economic benefits that ecosystems such as forests, wetlands and
coral reefs provide, into national accounting systems."
The World Bank initiative was
announced at the The Convention on Biological
Diversity meeting, held in
The partnership builds upon
the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), a project hosted by the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Earlier
in October, TEEB released its final report, which states, "The failure to
account for the full economic values of ecosystems and biodiversity has been a
significant factor in their continuing loss and degradation."
http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/3073.html
Hydroponic
sector development in
October 27 – ACDI/VOCA has won
a $12 million, five-year Hydroponic Sector
Development in Lebanon (HSDL) program to foster local economic growth. The
innovative USAID-funded program will strengthen horticulture export market
linkages and establish a vibrant high-value fruit, vegetables and flowers hydroponic sector. Hydroponics is an agricultural technique
where plants are grown without soil in nutrient-rich water solutions or inert
mediums like bark, coco peat and pumice.Lebanon’s
varied climate—the country has nine growing areas due to multiple sub-climates
and diverse environments—creates an opportunity for its greenhouse sector to
become more competitive and access lucrative markets in Central Asia, the
European Union and Gulf States.
http://www.acdivoca.org/site/ID/news-New-Project-Hydroponic-Sector-Development-Lebanon
Rural
Poverty Report 2011
New
realities, new challenges: new opportunities for tomorrow's generation
The Rural Poverty Report 2011
provides a coherent and comprehensive look at rural poverty, its global
consequences and the prospects for eradicating it.
Since the last Rural Poverty
Report was published by IFAD in 2001, there has been progress toward achieving
the Millennium Development Goals. But 1.4 billion people continue to live in
extreme poverty – and more than 70 percent of them are living in rural areas of
developing countries, while the latest measurements show that 925 million of
them are undernourished.
Young people and children make
up the single largest group among poor rural people, and the Report emphasizes the
importance of creating new and better opportunities for them – in particular,
with a focus on expanding educational opportunities that specifically address
the skills young people will need to succeed in the rural context.
Through extensive research by
a team of international, regional and national experts in the field of poverty
reduction – as well as through case studies and interviews with poor rural
people themselves – the report provides unique insights into rural poverty
around the world and how the livelihoods of the rural poor are changing. It
explores the challenges that make it so difficult for rural people to overcome
poverty, and identifies opportunities and the way forward to greater
prosperity. And it highlights policies and actions that governments and
development practitioners can take to support the efforts of rural people to
overcome poverty.
http://www.ifad.org/rpr2011/index.htm
By
Rodolfo Bergantino, IFRC, in Panama
November 5 - As Hurricane
Tomas passed over the Antilles, it brought heavy rains and sustained winds of
more than
Staff and volunteers of the
Saint Lucia Red Cross have been active since the storm alert was issued. The
team has continued to deliver relief items to affected people and is carrying
out damage and needs assessments to guide the relief efforts. However, several
landslides triggered by Hurricane Tomas have severely damaged road networks,
making assessments difficult and hampering access to affected communities.
Despite such difficulties, the
Saint Lucia Red Cross -- with the support of its national intervention team and
community disaster response teams – is currently providing assistance to
displaced people who have taken up temporary residence in community shelters.
The teams are also carrying out relief distributions to some of the
affected communities (...)
http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/10/10110501/index.asp
Private
giving in
November 5 - Charitable giving
in
The growth in the giving
numbers comes in part from wealthy individuals.
“More private entrepreneurs
want to exercise their social responsibility after accumulating huge wealth,”
says Li Zhiyan, director of the Social Resources
Institute, in the report.
http://philanthropy.com/blogs/philanthropytoday/private-giving-in-china-tops-800-million/28570
Newman’s
Own donations total $300-Million
November 5 - Newman’s Own, the
company founded by the late actor Paul Newman, which donates all of its profits
to nonprofit groups, has given $300-million to charity, says USA Today.
The company, whose salad
dressing and other products are a staple on grocery shelves across the country,
supports charities such as a camp for children with serious medical conditions
and a program to award money to people who are outstanding volunteers.
Mr. Newman died in 2008 but
his daughter, Clea Newman Soderlund,
who sits on the board of Newman’s Own Foundation, said, “He felt that when you
are given so much, you should reach out and help others that haven’t been so
lucky.”
http://philanthropy.com/blogs/philanthropytoday/newmans-own-donations-total-300-million/28574
Save
the Children assists families evacuated as Indonesian volcano continues to
erupt
Save the Children is
distributing more then 7,100 hygiene kits to families who have sought refuge in
temporary shelters. It has provided 12,000 face masks to children in schools in
Boyolali District and another 6,000 face masks to
evacuees in camps. The agency also is pulling additional supplies, including
tarps, school tents and school kits, from its warehouse in
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=6230287&ct=8860177
Canadian
couple gives lottery winnings to charity
November 5 – A couple in
Allen and Violet Large, a
retired couple who say they are living comfortably, told news agencies that
winning the money was a hassle. They decided to give some to family and
friends, and the rest went to charities such as hospitals where Ms. Large had
received cancer treatments, churches, and organizations including the Red Cross
and Salvation Army.
Ms. Large says giving the
money away simply felt good.
“That money that we won was
nothing,” Mr. Large adds. “We have each other.”
Airwalk and
Payless ShoeSource team up to democratize giving and
deliver hope to children in need with launch of The Good Shoe Project(TM)
Topeka, Kan., USA - November 4
- Airwalk, a leader in youth lifestyle footwear and
apparel, is teaming up with Payless to democratize a new shoe-giving program to
help those in need with the launch of The Good Shoe Project. Whenever a
customer purchases the exclusive Airwalk Hope shoe
for $19.99 at Payless between Dec. 15, 2010, through Feb. 14, 2011, the
retailer commits to giving a free pair of kids' shoes to a child in need in
Central America through a new alliance with humanitarian organization World
Vision.
The Good Shoe Project is a
strong complement to the Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids giving program that was first launched by the
retailer in 2008. Over the past two years during the December holiday, Payless
has given away a total of $2.2 million in free shoes to children in need in the
Save
the Children education programs to benefit from IKEA Soft Toy Campaign this
holiday season
The funds raised through the
soft toy campaign contribute to better school facilities, access to water and
toilets, work towards strengthening the right to education for minority
children, provide educational supplies and go to training teachers in
child-friendly teaching techniques.
“With over 300 IKEA stores and
many millions of customers joining the movement for children’s education, we
can make a substantial and long-lasting impact on children’s lives. This year,
we hope to raise a record 10 million euro (13 million dollars) from the sale of
soft toys, Children’s IKEA products and the special kids’ meal while also
raising awareness of the importance of education. This will help millions of
children learn and thrive,” says Marianne Barner,
head of IKEA Social Initiative.
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=6230287&ct=8852577
ADRA
responds to worst flooding in 30 years in
October 29 –
Following four days of
continuous torrential rains that caused rivers to overflow their banks and
flood thousands of homes, ADRA responded immediately targeting more than 500
households, or 3,000 people, in the hard hit Huong Khe District, Hà Tĩnh Province. Each family received a food package
designed to sustain them for up to 14 days. In addition, they also received two
mosquito nets to decrease the spread of insect borne diseases such as malaria.
ADRA is working closely with
the Hà Tĩnh People’s
Committee to ensure that effective coordination takes place with other
international non-governmental organizations assisting in the region.
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=11150&news_iv_ctrl=1141
8 November – The United
Nations envoy for West Africa today welcomed the peaceful conclusion of the
second round of the presidential election in
In an interview with the UN
News Centre, Mr. Djinnit, the Secretary-General’s
Special Representative for West Africa, said the UN had facilitated efforts by
the international community to ensure the success of
The presidential election,
which includes yesterday’s run-off poll and the first round of voting held in
June, was the final stage of the interim Government’s efforts to restore
democracy after Captain Moussa Dadis
Camara seized power in a coup in 2008 following the
death of long-time president Lansana Conté.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36702&Cr=+guinea+&Cr1=
First
formal meeting of the treaty countries to open on november
9
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/11/06/lebanon-ratifies-cluster-munitions-ban
High-level
meeting ends with pledges of $29 million to UN Peacebuilding
Fund
5 November - The United
Nations efforts to augment peace and stability in countries emerging from
conflict has received a boost, with Member States pledging $29 million for the
business plan of the UN Peacebuilding Fund. The
pledges were made at the inaugural High-Level stakeholders meeting in
The Fund, established by
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in October 2006
following a request from the General Assembly and the Security Council is a
global fund designed to support post-conflict peacebuilding
initiatives. It seeks to support peacebuilding
efforts in up to 20 countries in areas such as security sector reform, rule of
law, national dialogue, support to women and civil society, and economic
revitalization. As of October 2010, the Fund has extended its reach to 18
countries, working with 15 recipient organisations
which are implementing 150 projects.
For the Fund’s business plan,
pledges and receipts this year amount to $53 million from 21 Member States, of
which $29 million was newly pledged during the meeting.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36683&Cr=peacebuilding&Cr1=
November 3 - Voters in
Some 90.18 percent of voters
backed a proposed constitution that will undo sweeping new presidential powers
which Tandja awarded himself before he was deposed,
and aims to improve governance in the mining sector of the leading
uranium-producer.
Turnout was nearly 53 percent,
the election commission said in a statement, noting that was high for a country
where past votes have seen barely a third of voters cast their ballots.
The constitution guarantees
immunity for the leaders of February's coup and commits them to handing over
power on April 6 next year, by which time a newly elected civilian president is
due to have been inaugurated.
http://www.africagoodnews.com/governance/democracy/2248-niger-backs-new-constitution-towards-civilian-rule.html
Empowering
the next generation of peacemakers
by Peter Schmidtke
Rotary International News, 3
November - Cameron Chisholm didn’t waste any time deciding how he would provide
others with the skills he was gaining as a 2006-08 Rotary Peace Fellow. During
his fieldwork in
“I had been studying early
conflict warning systems and thought I had it figured out,” says Chisholm, who
studied at the University of Bradford, England, sponsored by the Rotary Club of
Corpus Christi, Texas, USA. (...) “I asked myself how I could
create this for other people to allow them to experience these things,”
Chisholm says. In 2009, while working as a global security
analyst and watch officer for the World Bank, Chisholm founded the
International Peace and Security Institute (IPSI), based in
In cooperation with
IPSI will offer the
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/101102_news_chisholm.aspx
Swift
implementation of cluster munition ban saves lives
Seven states that have joined
the convention have already completed destruction of their stockpiles of
cluster munitions, destroying more than 13.8 million submunitions
contained in 176,000 cluster munitions. At least eleven other countries are
currently destroying their stocks.
Among the 108 countries that
have signed the convention are 38 former users, producers, exporters, or stockpilers of the weapon. Of these signatories, 42 have
now ratified the convention, and 10 have already enacted national legislation
to implement the convention.
http://www.icbl.org/index.php/icbl/Library/News-Articles/Work/CMM10-release
International
Day for Tolerance - 16 November
In 1996, the General Assembly
invited Member States to observe the International Day for Tolerance on 16
November, with activities directed towards both educational establishments and
the wider public ((resolution
51/95 of 12 December). This action came in the wake of the United Nations
Year for Tolerance, 1995, proclaimed by the Assembly in 1993 (resolution
48/126). The Year had been declared on the initiative of the General Conference
of UNESCO. On 16 November 1995, the UNESCO member States had adopted the Declaration of
Principles on Tolerance and Follow-up Plan of Action for the Year.
The 2005 World Summit Outcome
document (A/RES/60/1), outlines the
commitment of Heads of State and Government to advance human welfare, freedom
and progress everywhere, as well as to encourage tolerance, respect, dialogue
and cooperation among different cultures, civilizations and peoples. http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/tolerance/
Norwegian Government announces $1 million for
initiative using mobile technology to support maternal health
Grant to mHealth
Washington,
DC, November 9 - The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norad, will commit US$1 million to support the Maternal mHealth Initiative. The commitment was announced during
opening keynote remarks at the mHealth
“More
than five billion people around the world already have a mobile phone. Our aim
is to transform this into a tool that can be used to provide access to the
information and services that save mothers’ lives and help them deliver healthy
babies,” said Tore Godal, Special Advisor for Global
Health to the Prime Minister of Norway.
As
co-chair of the United Nations’ Innovation Working Group for the Global
Strategy for Maternal Health,
2010 mHealth
In
partnership with the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH)
and the NIH, the mHealth
The
2010 mHealth
The
debate: “mHealth: Digital Efficiency and Extension or
Disruptive Transformation?,” will close the 3-day 2010 mHealth
Summit on Wednesday, November 10, at 1:15-2:45 pm at the Walter E. Washington
Convention Center. This special session will deal with several key issues that
are sparking contentious dialogue within the mobile health ecosystem.
http://www.mhealthsummit.org/conference/program
Bivalent oral polio vaccine delivers powerful blow
by
Dan Nixon
Rotary
International News, 8 November - Developed to stop transmission of the type 1
and type 3 wild polioviruses simultaneously,
bOPV was introduced in all four polio-endemic
countries --
"There’s
been the largest ever year-to-year drop in polio cases following the use of bOPV," says Dr. Bruce Aylward,
director of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) at the World Health
Organization. The results of a field trial published in the British medical
journal the Lancet in October underscore the effectiveness of the new vaccine.
The randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, conducted by WHO between August
and December 2008, involved 830 newborns in
"In
this study we showed that the bivalent [vaccine] is much better than the
trivalent," says Dr. Roland Sutter, coordinator of the GPEI’s
research and product development team. "We get about 30 [percent] to 40
percent more immunity [from] the bivalent compared to the trivalent for types 1
and 3." (...)
Rotary
International has been a major player in bringing about that achievement, Aylward said at the meeting of the International PolioPlus Committee in October. PolioPlus
grants awarded by The Rotary Foundation "have been strategically linked
closely to all of the major gains that we’ve seen over the last 12
months," he noted. "The most striking impact is what your funds have
achieved in
Health
officials see an expanded role for bOPV in the
vaccine arsenal. On 26 October, 15 African countries launched a synchronized
mass immunization campaign, the third on the continent in 2010. About 290,000
vaccinators went door to door to immunize 72 million children -- 55.7 million
of them received bOPV. By simplifying the logistics of immunizing
children against polio, bOPV has become the
centerpiece of the global strategy to end the disease. "This vaccine could
get us over the top and to the finish line for eradication," Sutter says.
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/101108_news_bOPV.aspx
At
November 2 – MSF teams are
currently supporting two Haitian Ministry of Health hospitals in the Artibonite Region, where the cholera outbreak originated.
At St. Nicholas Hospital in St. Marc, 170 people are admitted daily on average.
Further south, in Petite Riviere, approximately 150
people are admitted per day in the hospital there.
In the midst of the current
cholera outbreak in
At MSF’s
own five facilities in the capital, Port-au-Prince, teams are prepared to treat
people presenting with cholera-like symptoms, with more than 300 beds already
set aside for treatment in CTCs. Up to 800 beds will
be available soon, should the outbreak spread.
October 29 – Silver Spring,
Md., USA, - In the wake of a cholera outbreak in Haiti that has killed more
than 300 people and sickened thousands, the Adventist Development and Relief
Agency (ADRA) is ramping up efforts to prevent the spread of the disease to
vulnerable populations in Port-au-Prince. As a result, ADRA is focusing cholera
awareness efforts in various camps in Carrefour, a neighborhood of
Using live drama
presentations, pamphlets and posters in the local Creole language, ADRA staff
and volunteers have instructed residents on the dangers of cholera and
prevention practices. In addition, hand sanitizers and a total of 2,880 water
purification tabs have been distributed to camp residents. Each tab can
disinfect
In the displaced persons camp
located on the campus of the
Investors
applaud
The Medicines Patent Pool
Foundation is an initiative which was recently established with the support of
UNITAID, an innovative global health financing mechanism founded in 2006 to
improve access to medicines for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, diseases
that disproportionately impact the world’s poorest countries. The Medicines Patent Pool streamlines the
production of needed HIV/AIDS formulations and offers legal certainty for all
participants. Pharmaceutical companies can actually protect their business model
by operating within the patent pool because it will provide an alternative to
expected increased pressure for compulsory licensing in countries with
populations that cannot afford the more expensive treatments for a variety of
diseases.
http://www.iccr.org/news/press_releases/2010/pr_investorletter100410.php
(top)
Under today’s final rule, data
collection will begin in January 2011, and reporting of annual emissions to EPA
will begin in March 2012. EPA estimates that the rule will cover 85 percent of
the greenhouse gas discharges from the oil and gas sector and will require
reporting by about 2,800 facilities. EPA also finalized rules requiring
inventory and disclosure for large sources of fluorinated gases.
In addition to the oil and gas
rules, EPA has finalized rules for high-potency greenhouse gases that would
require reporting from producers of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and other
fluorinated greenhouse gas products, electronics manufacturing, manufacturers
of electrical equipment, and importers of pre-charged equipment and certain
foams.
Volvo
Group joins WWF Climate Savers in pledge to reduce emissions and lead transport
sector towards a CO2 neutral future
November 4 - The Volvo Group
announced today that it would join WWF Climate Savers Programme,
making it the world’s first vehicle manufacturer to take part in the
initiative.
As a WWF partner, the Volvo
Group’s truck companies will undertake to reduce the CO2-emissions from
vehicles manufactured between 2009 and 2014 by 13 million tons – equal to
The independent technical
experts from Ecofys will monitor this work on a
yearly basis and oversee that the Volvo Group complies with its targets.
More than 10 years ago, WWF
created the Climate Savers Programme, a unique programme to mobilize leading multinational companies to
cut their CO2 emissions in absolute terms and lead on the issue of climate
change. Over the decade more than 20 world-known companies have shown that it’s
possible to reduce their carbon footprint while growing both their business and
shareholder value. To be included, companies in the Climate Savers Programme agree to reduce their CO2 emissions in accordance
with an individual reduction target defined by WWF, the company and independent
technical experts.
Latin
American Mayors unanimously support nuclear weapons ban
Sunflower Newsletter, November 1 - Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba, President of
Mayors for Peace, received unanimous support from the Latin American mayors
during the “Semana del Municipalismo”
in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In mid-October, FLACMA (Latin American Federation
of Cities, Municipalities and Associations of local governments) signed an
agreement with Mayors for Peace to support eliminating nuclear weapons by 2020.
The Treaty of Tlatelolco,
which entered into force in 1968, made all of
“Latin American Mayors Unanimous in Support of
Global Nuclear Weapons Ban by
www.wagingpeace.org/menu/resources/sunflower
WWF
prescribes recipe for climate success in
Delegations from approximately 30 countries are
meeting on a ministerial level in
Financing for poorer nations is pivotal for making
the climate deal work: apart from US$30 billion pledge for funding up to 2012,
developed country governments need to show how they will honor their
http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?196337/WWF-prescribes-recipe-for-climate-success-in-Mexico
EC
Presidency Conference on wild area restoration - Brussels 16-17 November
Titled ‘Restoring the Natural
Heart of Europe’, this event is organized by Wild Europe in association with
the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) who are providing the
venue. It has received official accreditation from the EC Presidency and is
supported by the European Commission.
“With future EU Biodiversity Strategy post
2010 being determined, this is a particularly important moment to raise the
profile of wilderness and wild areas in Europe” said René-Marie Lafontaine of the Royal Belgian Institute “Many wild areas
are threatened, but there are also substantial opportunities for restoration,
creation of new areas and linkage with ecological corridors - both in the EU
and neighbouring states”.
The conference will review the
success stories of restoration across
http://www.wildeurope.info/index.php
Rewilding
Europe - Official launch: 18 November, Flagey,
Representatives of the first five field projects
of Rewilding Europe (Velebit, Western iberia, Danube Delta, Southern Carpathians and Eastern
Carpathians), funding institutions, politicians, communities, and NGO’s from
all over the continent, will jointly call for action to rewild
Rewilding Europe is bringing
back the variety of life to
The Launch of Rewilding Europe is organized back to back with: The EU
Presidency Conference on wild area restoration – “Rebuilding the Natural Heart
of Europe”
www.rewildingeurope.com/launch
The
Aristotle Onassis International Prize for the
Protection of the Environment 2010
awarded to "Friends of the Earth
Tel Aviv /
The three FoEME
Directors, Jordanian Munqeth Mehyar,
Palestinian Nader Khateeb
and Israeli Gidon Bromberg, said, in one voice,
"we are humbled and honored to have been recognized to receive this prize
from such a well-known and prestigious organization. We applaud the Onassis Foundation for recognizing the critical
environmental issues of the Eastern Mediterranean, for focusing on promoting
sustainable development in the region and for helping us to encourage fairer
sharing of critical water resources between the peoples of
For more
information, contact Mira Edelstein, FoEME Foreign
Media officer, mira@foeme.org
Conference of Youth,
The International Youth
Climate Movement is a vast and diverse network of young people actively
responding to the dangers of climate change. Every year for the past 5 years
they have been meeting together for an international conference.
This year young people
attending the United Nations Climate Negotiations from all over the world will
meet together to strategise, plan and share just
before the main conference begins.
http://youthclimate.org/projects-and-actions/coy6/
United
Nations Climate Change Conference,
Continuing
on from the
Although
Cancun is primarily a negotiation for governments, a new economics is emerging
out of a vast, multi-faceted process involving peoples the world over,
business, science as well as governments. Governments are pressured by popular
opinion. So at
At
http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_16/items/5571.php and the official Mexican government site: http://cc2010.mx/en/ See also the Civil Society site: http://klimaforum10.org/en/
Earth Charter introduced at the World Forum of Spiritual
Culture,
The
organisers of this ongoing event sought to draw
attention of the global community to the ethical- and values crisis of the
modern human civilization, and find the answer to the question of existential importance:
should it be humanity’s spiritual destiny to survive collectively by means of
building a just, sustainable and peaceful world community? Marina Bakhnova Cary, ECI Secretariat coordinator for activities
in the Eurasian region, suggested that the ethical vision of the Earth Charter
shared by hundreds of thousands of individuals, communities and organisations worldwide, can be the answer.
The
work of the Forum was organised through discussions
held at the 8 working groups: Spiritual Culture and its impact on the
development of the human civilization; Social and moral responsibility of
power; Spiritual Culture and mass media; Education in the third millennium:
family, school, society; Global Strategic Initiative; Ideological and
philosophic foundation of the modern worldview; Interfaith dialogue;
Innovations: new ideas, new concepts; art as the key instrument of spiritual
transformation.
World Day of Prayer and Action
for Children - November 20
Religious
leaders and child rights advocates around the globe will observe the World Day
of Prayer and Action for Children on 20 November with celebrations aimed at
improving the welfare of the planet’s most disadvantaged women and children.
In
religious services, prayers and meditations from
In
Celebrated
every year on 20 November to coincide with Universal Children’s Day, the World
Day’s primary aim is to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development
Goals, a set of eight internationally agreed targets to improve the wellbeing
of the planet and its poorest inhabitants by the year 2015.
The World Day for Prayer and
Action for Children was initiated by the Arigatou
Foundation, a Japanese based interfaith organisation.
The Day brings people together to pray and take action for the well-being of
children. In 2009, more than 9,000 people in 29 cities in 22 countries
participated in programs on the Day.
http://www.dayofprayerandaction.org/
Dialogue travels to
In
On
the high plateau in Jos, central
Help
rebuild schools in
November 3 - The IAVE member
organization Voluntary Action for Development (VAD), based in Togo, works to
give young people from different countries the opportunity to become involved
in the construction of societal ideals in the West African country "by
giving a little of their time, energy and knowledge".
Since 1995 VAD-Togo has worked
to bring all youth to think positively and to join forces in building their
ideal worlds through social education, literacy and training for the young and
old alike. Inspired by the ideals of environmental protection and the promotion
of ecological agriculture, VAD is looking for volunteers for the construction
of buildings for public and community clinics as well as libraries, schools,
public toilets and the education of local children in Togo, West Africa.
The project includes tutoring
sessions with VAD mentors, games and useful recreational activities, such as
painting and staining with local children and with the assistance of professionals.The next project begins December 20, 2010 and
ends January 9th, 2011, though there are many opportunities with this
organization, depending on the volunteer’s goals. http://www.iave.org/content/vad-help-rebuild-schools-togo-west-africa
Media Literacy Week
explores gender representation in media
The
Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF), together with Media Awareness Network, a
not-for-profit centre for media and digital literacy, have launched
Media Literacy Week has been promoting the
integration of media literacy activities in communities, schools and families
across
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1417&theme=ict&country=canada
EDC
awarded $25M to provide education, job skills to youth in
The project will involve youth
living outside urban centers and in rural areas and, consequently, will have a
strong focus on agro-enterprise opportunities. EDC will also promote the use of
mobile technologies. For example, EDC will offer basic education lessons via
mobile phones to supplement classroom learning as well as offer youth involved
in agricultural activities the ability to use SMS text messaging to research
local and regional market prices.
http://www.edc.org/newsroom/press_releases/edc_awarded_25m_provide_education_job_skills_youth_mali
The
UPS Foundation renews support for NCSE green job internships
The Campus to Careers Program
supports young professionals in their first steps towards professional careers
in the environmental and energy fields. It exposes students to real world work
experiences and works closely with employers in the rapidly growing green
sector to train and mentor the future workforce. Launched in 2008, Campus to
Careers has expanded rapidly providing over 100 paid internships over the last
two years.
Through The UPS Foundation
grant, interns will have the opportunity to undertake field or policy work,
research and public outreach related to clean energy technologies,
environmental services or sustainability at businesses, research institutions
and non-profit organizations across the country. The grant allows Campus to
Careers to continue and expand the "Green Job Internships" program
that was initiated last year with a $75,000 grant from The UPS Foundation. http://www.cnie.org/Updates/cms.cfm?id=4148
Tele Lumiere launches multi-lingual international platform for
cultural diversity
The programs broadcast range
from a variety of cultural, social, educational, religious and family oriented
programs, including masses, documentaries, musical concerts, movies and series.
Kreidy said that the channel today is offering an
original 3 hours of Spanish, 3 Hours of English, two of French and one hour of
Portuguese programming. The programs are re-run twice and are broadcast
according to the countries time zones, in a special grid.
http://www.signis.net/article.php3?id_article=4211
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