Good News Agency – Year XI, n° 182
Weekly – Year XI, number 182 –
4th February 2011
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
UN
Secretary-General welcomes
26 January - Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon welcomed today’s adoption by the Russian
parliament of the law on ratification of the nuclear arms reduction treaty that
signed last year with the
The new Strategic Arms
Reduction Treaty (known as the New START Treaty) was signed by US President Barack Obama and Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev
in April
The action by Russian
lawmakers follows a similar move by the US Senate last month to support the Treaty’s
ratification.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37394&Cr=nuclear&Cr1=
26 January - Greek Cypriot and
Turkish Cypriot leaders agreed to intensify talks to reunify their island today
after meeting in
Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish
Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu
have clearly worked to move closer together through a range of bridging
proposals on the economy, governance and power-sharing since he last met with
them in November, but more work must be done to reach further accords on
outstanding core issues, Mr. Ban told reporters.
The UN-sponsored talks, which
began in 2008, seek to set up a federal government with a single international
personality in a bi-zonal, bi-communal country, with
a Turkish Cypriot constituent state and a Greek Cypriot constituent state of
equal status.
The Secretary-General will
provide the Security Council with a report on the state of the talks at the end
of February. “I am certain that if the constructive spirit that I witnessed
today continues, I will have a positive report to submit,” he said.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37386&Cr=cyprus&Cr1=
In the
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news/?id=2830
20 January – The International
Criminal Court (ICC) and the Government of Serbia signed an agreement today by
which people convicted by the court can serve their sentences in the Eastern
European nation. Five other countries –
At the signing ceremony, the
ICC President noted that having sufficient options to ensure the enforcement of
judicially ordered sentences is an important element in the overall credibility
of the judicial process at the Court.
The ICC is the world’s first
permanent court set up to try people accused of the most serious international
offences, such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Currently
investigations are ongoing into five situations:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37331&Cr=icc&Cr1=
30 January - The United Nations and the Government of
Afghanistan today signed an agreement in which the country made a commitment to
protect children affected by armed conflict and to prevent the recruitment of
minors into the national armed forces. “Today we come together to
undertake a big step for a better future for the children of Afghanistan,” Zalmai Rassoul, Afghanistan's
Minister of Foreign Affairs, who represented the Government at the signing of
the agreement in Kabul with Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN Special Representative on Children and
Armed Conflict. Also signing the document was Staffan
de Mistura, the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37419&Cr=Afghanistan&Cr1
N’Djamena /
Head of delegation Judith
Greenwood explains: “We agreed to the Chadian government’s request to help
these detainees get home on purely humanitarian grounds. The vast majority of
these people had been arrested following fighting between Chadian forces and
various armed groups in N’Djamena in February 2008 and in Am Dam, in the east
of the country, in May
As a neutral intermediary, the
ICRC takes no part in negotiations concerning the release of detainees. What
the organization can do if asked by the parties involved, however, is
facilitate communication between them and help them organize the transfer of
detainees on release.
In this particular case, ICRC
staff present when the detainees were released gave them a set of clothes and
enough money to get them back to their villages.
The ICRC had been visiting
these detainees regularly since 2008, and maintaining contact with the
detaining authorities, in order to verify that conditions of detention were in
conformity with the provisions of international humanitarian law that apply to
non-international armed conflict.
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2011/chad-news-2011-01-28.htm
27 January – The United Nations today honoured the
memory of the estimated six million Jews and countless others who perished in
the Nazi death camps of the Second World War with ceremonies around the world
and pledges to wipe genocide off the face of the Earth. The General
Assembly in 2005 designated 27 January, the date of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest and most notorious of all of the
camps, as the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, and
this year's theme pays special tribute to the suffering of women.
Paying homage to
the millions of Jews and thousands of other victims, including Roma, Slavs,
disabled people, homosexuals, Jehovah's witnesses, communists and other
political dissidents “whose lives were brutally cut short by the ideology of
hatred of the Nazis and their allies,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stressed that the
Holocaust should serve as a reminder of the dangers of marginalization of
particular groups and the need for urgent action at the first signs that a
climate conducive to genocide is emerging.
Exhibitions on the
Holocaust are being held at various UN offices, including New York, Vienna and
Paris, with a travelling exhibit due to visit other centres, including in
Africa, all stressing the categorical imperative of never allowing such a
catastrophe to be perpetrated again.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37397&Cr=holocaust&Cr1=
Gender conference
pushes for a better world
26 January - 'There can be a better world' was the rallying cry of almost
400 participants from 87 countries who participated in Education
International's first World Women's Conference, On the Move for Equality, in
Bangkok, 20-23 January. The teacher and education workers' representatives
from EI-affiliated member organisations were joined by partners from UN
agencies, Global Unions and the NGO community.
Participants
stressed the role and responsibility of teacher unions in the creation of a
world rooted in gender equality. They also agreed that EI's
Women's Networks are a key tool to achieving results; generating more women
leaders, and a better education of both men and women leaders. Access to and
participation in quality public education for girls and illiterate women
leading to full employment and decent work for women, with equal pay and
opportunities for progression, was a critical goal. http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1499&theme=ei&country=thailand
World
Social Forum,
The World Social Forum is an
open meeting place for reflective thinking, democratic debate of ideas,
formulation of proposals, free exchange of experiences and interlinking for
effective action, by groups and movements of civil society that are opposed to neoliberalism and to domination of the world by capital and
any form of imperialism, and are committed to building a planetary society
directed towards fruitful relationships among Humankind and between it and the
Earth.
First held in
http://fsm2011.org/en/wsf-2011
Heineken
to be inaugural participant in United Nations Global Compact LEAD
Davos and Amsterdam,
January 28 - Today, during the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, Jean-François van Boxmeer, Chairman of
the Executive Board and CEO of Heineken NV, joined United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and CEOs
of other leading international companies for the launch of Global Compact LEAD.
This new platform created by
the UN Global Compact has been established to set a new benchmark for corporate
sustainability. Heineken is one of 54 companies invited by the UN to make a
commitment to work towards implementation of the 'Blueprint for Corporate
Sustainability Leadership' a roadmap of actions to achieve greater
sustainability.
In his remarks to the group,
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "From the
beginning, the Global Compact has been driven by business leaders willing to
move beyond the status quo. Through Global Compact LEAD, you can help guide the
way to the level of sustainability performance our world requires from business
today."
'Brewing a Better Future' is
Heineken's long-term sustainability initiative. The 23 integrated programmes
that make up the initiative focus on improving the environmental impact of
Heineken's brands and business, empowering people and the communities in which
Heineken operates and positively impacting the role of beer in society. (…)
ACDI/VOCA
gives $30,000 to help job-building program in
January 13 - ACDI/VOCA is pleased to announce
that it has committed an additional $30,000 to its
Last year, ACDI/VOCA worked
with local partner APTECH (Ateliers Pilotes de Technologie), a Haitian educational association based in Cayes-Jacmel, to design a six-month job training program to
help train workers in new building techniques important to this region, which
is prone to natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes.
The REACH funds allowed
ACDI/VOCA to send an expert volunteer to Haiti in October to work with APTECH
and pay for the materials and supplies needed for the four-week, hands-on
skills training of local trainers and construction workers in Haiti’s Southeast
Department.
The training has since
continued and, as part of the hands-on coursework, students expect to complete
construction of a classroom in Jacmel by March.
http://www.acdivoca.org/site/ID/News-ACDI-VOCA-Gives-30000-to-Help-Job-Building-Program-in-Haiti
Mattel
announces $750,000 donation to Save the Children’s new
corporate partners in emergencies fund
Initiative
marks groundbreaking shift in disaster preparedness support efforts
Westport, Conn.,
USA, 28 January - Save the Children, one
of the leading global humanitarian and relief agencies, has partnered with
Mattel, the world’s largest toy company, and the Mattel Children’s Foundation
to create a multi-year disaster response strategy, which includes a $750,000
cash donation and toy donation program for Save the Children and the American
Red Cross. The initiative represents a strategic focus and groundbreaking shift
toward corporate support of proactive preparedness planning with first
responder organizations for immediate disaster relief globally when needs
arise. Mattel’s toy donation program also is a crucial component of its
disaster preparedness planning initiative, which will pre-position toys around
the world to allow for immediate distribution to local disaster relief efforts.
Mattel has a long and rich
history of actively supporting communities around the world with a global
commitment to serve children and families in need.
D.W.Morgan
donates meals for starving children worldwide with every shipment in February
In February, Morgan will
donate six meals for each shipment it delivers through its supply chain.
Morgan's goal is to provide 50,000 meals to starving children via nonprofit partner Feed My Starving Children, a 501(c)(3) organization focused on providing critical meals to
children in the neediest regions in Africa, Asia and the
Feed My Starving Children (FMSC)
distributes meals in more than 60 countries through missionary partnerships at
orphanages, schools, clinics, refugee camps and malnourishment centers. Of all donations to FMSC, 94 percent goes directly
toward the feeding program. In the 2009 fiscal year, the organization brought
more than 78 million meals to children around the world. http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/31495--D-W-Morgan-Donates-Meals-for-Starving-Children-Worldwide-With-Every-Shipment-in-February
Jet
Li promotes the spirit of volunteerism among
By Patrick Fuller, IFRC
communications manager,
24 January - On his first
visit to
Jet Li arrived in
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/11/11012401/index.asp
ADRA
delivering aid to survivors of
Silver Spring, Md., USA, 19 January
- Following extensive flooding that has so far left more than 700 people
dead in Brazil’s mountainous state of Rio de Janeiro, the Adventist Development
and Relief Agency (ADRA) is delivering relief aid to survivors in some of the
worst hit areas.
To meet the immediate needs of
survivors, ADRA is providing essential hygiene kits to benefit 400 households,
or approximately 2,000 people, who were left homeless by mudslides. This
assistance is expected to meet the hygiene needs of a family of five for up to
a month. In addition, a $100,000 donation from the United States Embassy in
ADRA is working closely with
local government authorities, the Civil Defense, and
trained volunteers to ensure efficient distribution of relief materials.
Priority is being given to women-headed families, families with disabled
children or elderly dependents, and families whose members were directly
impacted.
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=11207&news_iv_ctrl=1141
Silver Spring,
In response to the devastating
flooding, which has already left more than 30 people dead and caused upwards of
US$20 billion in damages, ADRA Australia has already
assisted hundreds of people with emergency accommodation in three separate
shelters in northern
ADRA Australia continues to
work with state and local governments to develop programs that will address the
immediate needs of flood-affected communities and post-flood cleanup efforts,
which are expected to take time.
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=11208&news_iv_ctrl=1141
Full
Circle exchange and CARE team up to offer chocolate lovers an
opportunity to "Share Your Love" this Valentine's Day
Through the "Name Your
Love, Share Your Love" Valentine's Day promotion, customers can create a
custom label for their box of chocolates and add a personalized note to those
they love. Each gift box will include a beautiful card highlighting CARE's work to empower girls and women all over the world
to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty. (...)
The Valentine's Day program is
an extension of Full Circle Exchange's "Wake Up To Justice – Dollar 4
Dollar" campaign. Designed to support CARE's
global poverty-fighting programs that help girls and women, Full Circle
Exchange and its philanthropic partners are committed to donating the full
purchase price of all CARE co-branded chocolate and coffee, up to $1 million
through December 31, 2011.
http://www.care.org/newsroom/articles/2011/01/Full-Circle-Exchange-Valentines-promotion-20100118.asp
Transport
union partners with UN to de-mine Afghan roads
28 January – The challenge of
ridding
“The United Nations is
confident that the landmine problem can be solved in years rather that decades
if sufficient funding is made available,” he stated at a ceremony in New York
at which the International Road Transport Union (IRU) donated $2 million to the
UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) for its work in Afghanistan.
Maxwell Kerley,
the Director of UNMAS, said the programme has cleared 15,000
landmine-contaminated areas in
The IRU donation will be used
to fund a project to clear landmine-contaminated areas along the ring road that
links
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37412&Cr=Afghan&Cr1=
Top
UN officials welcome inauguration of new Afghan parliament
26 January – Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon and his top envoy for Afghanistan have
welcomed the inauguration earlier today of the country’s new Parliament, which
comes four months after the 18 September elections for the Wolesi
Jirga, or lower house.
Mr. Ban commended Afghan
political leaders, and all who participated in the electoral process – voters,
the electoral institutions, and both winning and losing candidates – for their
contribution to
The 249 members of the Wolesi Jirga were sworn in by
President Hamid Karzai. The
country’s second Parliament to be inaugurated since the ousting of the Taliban
regime in 2001 includes 69 women.
“Today is a historic day for
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37388&Cr=afghan&Cr1=
UN
mine action programme clears 27,000 landmines in
20 January – United Nations
de-miners have removed over 27,000 landmines from the buffer zone in Cyprus
over the past six years, the UN envoy to the country said today, while
announcing that the mine action programme will come to an end next month due to
lack of access to remaining minefields. A total of 74 minefields or 9.7 square
kilometres of land have been cleared throughout the buffer zone. The cleared
area can now be farmed or put to other productive use.
Since late 2004, teams of
de-miners working with the UN Mine Action Centre in Cyprus (UNMACC) have been
working to rid the 180 kilometre-long buffer zone of landmines laid during the
outbreak of inter-communal violence in 1964.
According to UNMACC estimates,
some 15,000 landmines may still remain in
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37326&Cr=cyprus&Cr1=
New
law to protect
13 January - The Republic of Congo
is set to become the first country in
Indigenous people, some of
whom are known as Pygmies, make up about 10 percent of
"This legislation is a
major innovation, a revolution in the rights of indigenous people and the
Bantu. It corrects the wrongs that were in place," Valentin
Mavoungou, director of human rights at the Ministry
of Justice and Human Rights, told IRIN.
Source:
IRIN News and UN News
http://www.africagoodnews.com/brand-africa/changing-perceptions/2383-new-law-to-protect-rights-of-indigenous-peoples-in-congo.html
Official
opening ceremony of the demining activities in Čista Mala community
On January 10, German
Ambassador to
Following the conference, a
visit of the project site was organized where CROMAC gave a short introduction
of the project location and mine situation in the area. Also, the Contractor
(company RUMITAL ltd from
Federal Republic of Germany is
one of the major ITF donor and has altogether
contributed over 19 million EUR of donations for the Region of southeast
A big
step forward for Mine Action in
By Tine Johansen
10 January - On December 21
2010, the first draft of the National Mine Action Standards (NMAS) was handed
over to Thailand Mine Action Centre’s (TMAC) Director General, Lieutenant
General Attanop Sirisak. As
Lt Gen Sirisak stated this “valuable support” to Mine
Action in
Throughout 2010, NPA has
continued to assist TMAC in its development of Information Management and this
will continue throughout 2011.
With the National Strategy and
National Standards now developed, NPA will continue to use its global
experience in further assisting Mine Action in Thailand at an operational
level. With base funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NPA
along with local partners, Thailand Civilian Demining
Association (TDA) will field supplementary teams to assist in conducting Land
Release operations, initially in North East Thailand along the border with
http://www.npaid.org/en/News_Archive/?module=Articles;action=Article.publicShow;ID=12907
Changing
lives through clean water – Africare partners with
President Obama’s effort to improve lives in
Clean water is the gateway to
good health and development. This is why Africare,
using the Nobel Prize monies generously donated by President Obama, launched the Ghana Water Access, Sanitation and
Hygiene for Health (WASHH) Project in the Wasa Amenfi West District of Ghana on September 1, 2010. The
six-month project is a response to significant challenges in the availability
of clean water and decent sanitation in the country. The goals of the WASHH
project are to: increase access to clean water and sanitation facilities;
expand knowledge and awareness of good sanitation and hygiene; and, improve
health and quality of life for 1,200 beneficiaries, especially children, in
four of the district’s communities.
Since the launch of the
project, Africare has begun implementing activities
that will lead to a sustainable and successful intervention, and is on track to
complete the project by early spring 2011.
http://www.africare.org/news/news2010/Obama-Water-Project-Update.php
Citing
dramatic gains achieved with polio vaccines, Prime Minister David Cameron joins
Bill and Melinda Gates to call on world leaders to finish the job
In 20 years, polio cases have
been reduced by 99 percent and the disease is now close to being only the
second in history – after smallpox – to be wiped out. In 2010,
The new contributions build on
the progress to date in bringing polio close to eradication, due in no small
part to the leadership of Rotary International. Both Mr Cameron and Mr Gates
paid tribute to Rotarians, who will have contributed nearly US$ 1.1 billion to
polio eradication.
The contribution from the
http://www.polioeradication.org/tabid/408/iid/89/Default.aspx
By Dan Nixon
Rotary International News --
28 January 2011 – Responding to a sharp increase in the number of polio cases
in
That increase “was a cause of
alarm for the nations of the world, who were preparing to usher in, [in] the
near future, a world without the scourge of this disease,” says health minister
Makhdoom Shahabuddin.
“Failure is no option. We have come this far after years of efforts with the
support of our international partners, and we must now finish the job with a
more focused approach toward the last remaining bottlenecks that threaten to
reverse the gains we have made.”
A national task force will
oversee implementation of the plan, which is aimed at reaching children in
high-risk districts, mobile populations, and insecure areas. (...)
Rotarian coordinators assigned
by the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee are mobilizing
Rotary clubs to provide support in the country’s four provinces. Club members
will assist with the effort “to cover every nook and corner of the country,”
says Aziz Memon, chair of
the committee. “We are committed to a polio-free
The plan’s progress will be
evaluated by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s independent monitoring
board, established in 2010 to assess the GPEI’s
effectiveness in fulfilling its 2010-12 strategic plan.
Rotary is a spearheading partner of the initiative, along with the World Health
Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. (...)
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/110128_news_pakplan.aspx
The
"This inauguration is a
historic event, representing a milestone in the improvement of services to
people with disabilities," said Hazem Al Shawwa, the director of the Artificial Limb and Polio
Centre. "It is very significant for the Gaza Strip, whose inhabitants are
living in very difficult conditions." Over 2,800 people received treatment
at the centre in
“By supporting institutions
such as the INR, the ICRC can help improve access by vulnerable groups to physical
rehabilitation services,” said Karl Mattli, head of
the ICRC’s regional delegation for
The ICRC has provided support
for various institutions in the region since the 1980s with a view to ensuring
that victims of antipersonnel mines and other explosive devices receive
appropriate physical rehabilitation services. Since 2008, through its Special
Fund for the Disabled, the ICRC has also assisted migrants who have lost a
limb. This project, launched in
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2011/mexico-news-2011-01-26.htm
Save
the Children receives $3 million Wrigley Company Foundation Grant to expand
school health programs
$3
million (USD) dedicated to health initiatives with Save the Children in
Health
awareness sessions in
ANERA’s Milk for Preschoolers
(MfP) program is more than
just providing nutritious milk and biscuits. A key goal is raising awareness
among mothers and teachers about how to keep children healthy. MfP is active in more than 150
preschools across
Thirty-three mothers squeezed
into a classroom at New Maghazi Preschool in central
In the sessions, mothers learn
that iron drops they give their children should be swallowed with juice or
water an hour before or after eating and not during a meal with milk or tea as
mothers had thought. http://www.anera.org/ourWork/healthRelief/RaisingAwarenessforGoodHealth.php
(top)
By J. Espinoza, Editor,
Potencia eNewletter
The country's chamber of
renewable energy (CADER) believes
The push for a more prominent
use of wind energy could gather momentum thanks to new legislation introduced,
which if properly enforced could see the use of renewable energy increase to 8
percent by 2016. Currently, 50 percent of
Water
for Life provides clean drinking water for Haiti
By Ryan Hyland
Rotary International News, 27
January – Roy Sheldrick and other members of the
Rotary Club of Ancaster, Ontario, Canada, have spent
15 years helping to provide clean drinking water for 300,000 people in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti. A year after a massive earthquake
crippled the country, followed by a deadly cholera outbreak, their work in the
region is more important than ever.
Sheldrick and his wife,
Norma, founded Water for Life after taking part in a service trip to
With the main river in the
Since 1998, the Ancaster club and its Haitian partners have been awarded Rotary
Foundation humanitarian grants totaling $672,093 for
well and latrine projects. The grants have helped the program become more
sustainable.
"With the leveraged
contributions from the Foundation, Water for Life has expanded to do more work
for the communities, including teaching Haitians how to maintain the
wells," says Sheldrick. "We trained
plumbers and created all kinds of jobs. Water takes them out of poverty."
(...)
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/110127_news_H2O.aspx
Rescue the bees!
Honeybee populations are mysteriously dying off in
In recent years, vast numbers of both wild and managed pollinators have
disappeared. In a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder, bees become
disoriented and die far away from their hives. Many factors have been blamed,
including parasites, viruses, fungi and pesticides. So far, however, scientists
have not been able to pinpoint the exact causes.
The EU aims to start a pilot surveillance programme by the end of 2011
to tackle the current shortage of comparable bee data. An EU Reference
Laboratory for bee health will be set up in Sophia Antipolis,
France, by April 2011. Member states' officials are receiving bee health
training under the Better Training for Safer Food initiative.
Habitat loss and fragmentation is another threat to bee populations. The
EU seeks to address this problem by encouraging biodiversity in its programmes.
The
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showFocus.aspx?id=1&focusId=555&lang=EN
Al Gore and WWF unite to
promote business solutions for forest conservation in the Heart of
Posted on 9 January - Jakarta, Indonesia - More than 600 hundred
Indonesian government and business leaders joined former US Vice President and
Nobel Laureate, Al Gore and WWF Indonesia’s CEO, Dr. Efransjah
at a gala dinner to celebrate the United Nation’s International Year of the
Forest and to discuss the role of business in finding forest solutions to the
challenge of climate change.
Co-hosted by the Republic of Indonesia’s House of Regional
Representatives (DPD), WWF-Indonesia and Global Initiatives (GI), the dinner
was part of the 2011 Business for Environment (B4E) Forest Dialogue - the
forerunner to the world’s leading international conference for business-driven
action for the environment -the B4E Global Summit, organised by GI and
scheduled for 27 - 29 April,
As one of the world’s most influential voices on the environment and
climate change, Mr. Gore delivered an exclusive keynote address sharing his
vision for the role of forests in a sustainable future. “The beginning
of the U.N. International Year of the Forests is the perfect time to have the
impressive collaboration that this dinner and forthcoming B4E gathering between
the business community, government leaders and NGOs represents,” he said.
He went to outline the huge advantage for
World Interfaith Harmony Week - February 1 - 7
In November 2010, following a proposal by HM King Abdullah II and HRH
Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan, the United Nations General Assembly
decided to observe the first week of February every year as World Interfaith
Harmony Week. The resolution recognized that the moral imperatives of all
religions, convictions and beliefs call for peace, tolerance and mutual
understanding, and it reaffirmed that mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of
a culture of peace … Read the full resolution here.
In the words of HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, the Week has three
objectives:
- To co-ordinate and unite the efforts of all the interfaith groups
doing positive work with one focused theme at one specific time annually,
thereby increasing their collective momentum and eliminating redundancy.
- To Harness and utilise the collective might
of the world's second-largest infrastructure (that of places of worship — the
largest being that of education) specifically for peace and harmony in the
world: inserting, as it were, the right "software" into the world's
religious "hardware".
- To permanently and regularly encourage the silent majority of
preachers to declare themselves for peace and harmony and providing a
ready-made vehicle for them to do so. Moreover, if preachers and teachers
commit themselves on the record once a year to peace and harmony, this means
that when the next inter-religious crisis or provocation occurs, they cannot
then relapse into parochial fear and mistrust, and will be more likely to
resist the winds of popular demagoguery. See the web site listing activities
around the world during the Week:
http://worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com
Teachers
join voices on Education for All in
31 January - Teacher unionists
from all over the world called for reinforced investments into the education
sector and teachers to ensure the continent’s future and to meet the EFA
commitments concerning recruitment and retention of qualified teachers. This
call was made at a conference organised by the
International Task Force on Teachers for Education for All (EFA) held in
Participants from 27 countries
in
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1502&theme=educationforall&country=kenyaAfrica
Thousands
of events scheduled to share chemistry with young people
A subject often overlooked in
the classroom, chemistry will be back on the map through a series of events
directly coordinated by Cefic – the European Chemical
Industry Council – its member federations from throughout
The chemical industry sees a
growing need to put chemistry back on the map in ways that attract more people
to the field, especially to bridge the gender gap in chemistry in
http://www.cefic.be/Media-Centre/latest-news/
In
massive effort, over 1,000 Liberian teachers receive education training
The training, the second of
its kind, will not only build basic skills, but will assist Ministry of
Education teachers and facilitators to better serve youth who missed the chance
to enter formal conventional school. Participants will deepen their knowledge
of literacy, numeracy, math, work readiness, and life
skills. The training will also include developing lesson plans and techniques
to enhance the development of critical thinking. Looking beyond the classroom,
facilitators and teachers will also learn how to promote a culture of reading,
prevent gender violence, and adhere to the teachers’ code of ethics.
The newest training will
contribute to the piloting of a nonformal education
curriculum, expected by the summer of 2011, to meet the needs of older youth,
who can then be placed into junior secondary school or into skills training,
self-employment, or formal employment opportunities.
The CESLY program is a
bilateral collaboration between the Ministry of Education of
International
Mother Language Day - February 21
We live in One World, and are
all part of One Life. Yet within this unified whole each individual unit is
precious and significant. It is essential that cultural diversity be fostered
to maintain richness and variety in the human community. At the heart of
culture is language.
Each individual's mother
language plays a vital role in their health and development: "It is the
language of childhood, of intimate family experience and of our social
relations". Yet in a world of increasing globalization small language
groups find it increasingly difficult to survive. UNESCO estimates that about
half of the approximately 6,000 languages spoken in the world are under threat.
International Mother Language
Day promotes linguistic and cultural diversity and multi-lingualism
The date represents the day in 1952 when students
demonstrating for recognition of their language, Bangla,
as one of the two national languages of the then
http://www.un.org/en/events/motherlanguageday/
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Next issue: February 25, 2010.
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