Good News Agency – Year XI, n° 184
Weekly – Year XI, number 184 –
18th March 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
In the past, the
In March 2007 a Dutch
documentary on investments in cluster munitions producers by Dutch financial
institutions sparked public outrage and led to a Parliamentary debate on the
issue. Several Dutch financial institutions subsequently banned investment in
companies that produce cluster munitions, but the Dutch government had yet to
pass legislation to ban such investments, despite a majority of
Parliamentarians voting in favor. An October 2009 report by IKV Pax Christi and Netwerk Vlaanderen on worldwide investments in cluster munitions
producers coincided with the launch of a CMC campaign promoting disinvestment
from such companies.
The
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news/?id=2986
The
written declaration for the Statute of European Association is accepted
The EASEA today welcomes Jerzy Buzek's proclamation of the
European Parliament's support for a statute for European associations during
the plenary session in
Members of European Alliance
for the Statute of the European Association (EASEA) celebrate the success of
the campaign for the setting up of a European Statute for European
Associations, to give institutional recognition to the engagement and activism
of millions of citizens who freely and voluntarily join together in
associations across
For EASEA, the successful
passing of the Written Declaration is a key step along the road towards
building a common political culture that gives citizens from Member States the
possibility to gather together within legally recognised transnational
organisations.
10 March - Amnesty
International has welcomed the decision by Governor Pat Quinn of
The 15 other abolitionist
states in the USA are: Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island,
Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The
http://amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/illinois-abolishes-death-penalty-2011-03-10
Delta Airlines signs tourism
code of conduct, joining ECPAT-USA in the fight against child trafficking in
the travel sector
First major airline to combat global child
trafficking
New
York, 9 March - ECPAT-USA, a nonprofit organization
that advocates for policies to protect sexually exploited children, announced
that Delta Air Lines has become the first major airline in the world to enter
the fight against the commercial sexual exploitation of children by signing the
tourism Code of Conduct (The Code). The Code specifically focuses on the
protection of children from sexual exploitation in the travel and tourism
industries. While The Code has been signed by almost 1,000 travel industry
members worldwide, Delta is the first
As a
subscriber to The Code, Delta will implement policies that condemn child
trafficking and provide training to help their employees identify and report
trafficking activities. Delta will also raise awareness among customers by
including information about ECPAT and the Code in its Sky magazine and
delta.com website.
http://www.iccr.org/news/press_releases/2011/pr_deltaHT031011.php
8 March: Education International celebrates International Women' Day
8 March - Women around the world continue to face
systemic discrimination and inequality in education opportunities and access to
decent work.
On
International Women’s Day, educators worldwide are demanding greater
investments in girls’ education and training opportunities leading to full
employment and decent work for women.
The
year 2011 marks the centenary of International Women’s Day celebrations. Since
1911, this day has been a global event, celebrating the economic, political and
social achievements of women in the past, present and future, and mobilising to address the challenges. Around the globe, EI
member unions organise rallies, marches, fairs and
debates, and reflect on the progress made to advance women’s equality, assess
the challenges facing girls and women, look at ways to improve the quality of
life and to actualize rights, and to empower girls and women in all spheres of
human endeavour.
A
strong delegation of trade unionists participated in the 55th Session
of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in
February 2011. For the first time, gender, education and decent work were
included together as priority themes in the UN CSW working agenda.
At EI’s First World Women’s Conference in January 2011 – On the Move for
Equality, nearly 400 teacher trade unionists from all
corners of the world came together to discuss strategies for advancing and
empowering women and girls in today’s world.
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1544&theme=gender&country=global
ECJ
ruling against sex discrimination in insurances key victory for women’s rights,
say civil society organisations
2 March - The European Court
of Justice (ECJ) yesterday delivered its ruling in the Test-Achats
case (C-236/09) concerning sex discrimination in insurance premiums. The EU’s highest Court ruled that different insurance premiums
for women and men are not compatible with the EU's
Charter of Fundamental Rights. Member States are not allowed to derogate from
the principle of equality between women and men in their national legislation.
The ‘opt out’ clause in the Council's Directive 2004/113 on gender equality in
access to and supply of goods and services is thus illegal. As of 21 December
2012, no further differentiations in insurance premiums and benefits for women
and men will be permitted in the EU.
The European Women’s Lobby
(EWL) and AGE Platform Europe, who partnered up with the Belgian consumers’ organisation Test-Achats in the
context of the adoption of the Directive, are delighted at the result: ‘This
ruling, which confirms that there can be no exceptions to fundamental rights in
the EU, is a victory for fairness, common-sense, solidarity and the rule of
law’, says Alexandra Jachanova Dolezelova,
EWL Vice-President. ‘We expect it to have substantial direct and indirect
impacts on the quality of women’s lives in
Geneva/Baghdad,14March - The International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) has announced plans to expand its micro-grant initiative in
An
estimated one million women are shouldering the burden of caring for their
families alone because their husbands have been killed or arrested, or have
gone missing. In addition, tens of thousands of men and women around the
country have been disabled by war injuries.
In
an effort to help needy Iraqis get back on their feet and create ways to
support themselves and their families, the ICRC launched its micro-grant
initiative in 2008. The programme has so far made over 800 grants enabling
almost 5,000 people in
The
ICRC is looking forward to expanding the grant programme in 2011 so that even
more people will benefit, particularly in the areas hardest hit by violence.
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2011/iraq-news-2011-03-14.htm
Walmart
commits more than $2.5 million to empower women in
The Walmart
Foundation funds initiatives focused on education, workforce development,
economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness.
From Feb. 1, 2009 through Jan. 31, 2010, Walmart and
the Walmart Foundation gave more than $512 million in
cash and in-kind gifts globally, $467 million of which was donated in the
New
Project won:
10 March – ACDI/VOCA has won a
$7 million, four-year North Caucasus Agricultural Development Project (ADP),
funded by USAID, to strengthen agricultural value chains to reduce poverty and
mitigate conflict.
As part of USAID’s
ACDI/VOCA staff will
collaborate with local authorities and organizations to drive economic growth
in the republics of
ADP staff will strengthen and
ensure the long-term sustainability of key local organizations that support
producers, processors and other stakeholders.
These organizations will
include cooperatives, associations, agricultural extension services, vocational
training institutions and others.
The
On March 9, Ambassador Maura
Connelly inaugurated the five-year, $12 million Developing Hydroponics to
Access International Markets (DHAIM) program, funded by the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID).
The DHAIM program will help establish hydroponic
production of high-value fruit, vegetables and flowers in
DHAIM uses a value chain
approach to enhance
http://lebanon.usembassy.gov/latest_embassy_news/press-releases-2011/pr030911.html
Closing
the gender gap in agriculture
FAO
report makes strong business case for investing in women
Rome, 7 March - If women in
rural areas had the same access to land, technology, financial services,
education and markets as men, agricultural production could be increased and
the number of hungry people reduced by 100-150 million, FAO said today in its
2010-11 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture report.
Yields on plots managed by
women are lower than those managed by men, the report said. But this is not
because women are worse farmers than men. They simply do not have the same
access to inputs. If they did, their yields would go up, they would produce
more and overall agricultural production would increase, the report said.
"The report makes a
powerful business case for promoting gender equality in agriculture," said
FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf. Just giving women
the same access as men to agricultural resources could increase production on
women's farms in developing countries by 20 to 30 percent. This could raise
total agricultural production in developing countries by 2.5 to 4 percent,
which could in turn reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12 to 17
percent, or 100 to 150 million people. An estimated 925 million people in the
world were undernourished in 2010, of which 906 million live in developing
countries.
http://www.fao.org/news/newsroom-home/en/
Save the Children deploys
emergency response teams to tsunami-affected areas in
“We
are extremely concerned for children in tsunami-affected areas that are at risk
because of a triple whammy of life-threatening incidents including an
earthquake, tsunami and now an incident at a nuclear reactor,” Stephen
McDonald, Save the Children’s team leader in
The
Save the Children teams will be within 80 miles of the nuclear reactor at
Evacuations
centers are being established in the area and along
the tsunami-affected coast to accommodate people, and it will be important that
children’s needs are met while parents register for help and assistance from
authorities. “We’re looking to set up child-friendly spaces in the worst
affected areas. These spaces provide children with an opportunity to play
safely with other children while freeing up their parents to work on the
recovery,” added McDonald.
ACT
donates more food to displaced victims in Preah Vihear
By Ratna
Leak
8 March – In Cambodia's Kulen district, in Preah Vihear province, ACT Alliance has donated 30 tons of food
worth US$41,092 to people displaced by fighting between Cambodian and Thai
troops around Preah Vihear
temple in February. The humanitarian aid was channelled through Life With Dignity (LWD), a Cambodian NGO in the Cambodia ACT
forum. The ACT Alliance aid was administered by LWD to address the emerging
needs of the victims in cooperation with the National Committee for Disaster
Management, DanChurchAid, Christian Aid and Church
World Service. (...)
According to Chan Vibol, who leads the LWD Emergency Response Team, 2,420 out
of 2,678 families who are staying at Takueng
Displaced People Camp in Kulen district were
identified by the joint assessment team as the most vulnerable families. They
were classified into two groups—the first group consisted of 697 families of
which each family has more than 3 female members, and the second group
consisted of 1,723 families. Families received packages with basic foodstuffs.
(…)
http://www.actalliance.org/stories/lwd-donates-more-food-to-displaced-victims-in-preah-vihear
The
southern Senegalese region of Casamance has witnessed
new rounds of clashes between the Senegalese armed forces and armed groups
since late December 2010. Hundreds of people have fled their homes, seeking
refuge with host families across the border in
Through
its newly opened mission in
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2011/gambia-news-2011-03-08.htm
The
fight against poverty and social exclusion
The European Union has pledged
to lift at least 20 million people out of poverty over the next ten years. As a
contribution towards achieving this target, on 7 March the Council adopted
conclusions backing the Commission's proposal to create a platform against
poverty and social exclusion. This platform provides a framework for the
development of national strategies and for policy coordination between the
member states and with the EU. It proposes a series of actions to tackle
poverty by encouraging and developing more effective and innovative methods and
instruments.
The implementation of the
initiative does not necessarily require more spending, but a better use of
funds. Efforts and instruments must be combined at EU and national levels, with
a particular focus on groups most at risk of social exclusion. Emphasis should
be put on areas which are likely to have the most decisive impact. The
structural funds should support social inclusion and social innovation.
Poverty is a widespread
phenomenon in the EU, affecting 8 % of Europeans who cannot afford the basics.
More than 80 million people - 16% of the population,
and 19% of the children - are currently at risk of poverty. The crisis has hit
the most vulnerable hardest.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showFocus.aspx?id=1&focusId=569&lang=EN
DCA
allocates DKK750.000 to aid Libyan refugees
By Lisbeth
Engbo
3 March - DanChurchAid
allocates DKK 750,000 for emergency relief supplies to refugees from the civil
riots in
According to new estimates, up
to 147.000 people have fled
http://www.danchurchaid.org/news_publications/news/dca_allocates_dkk750.000_to_aid_libyan_refugees
Video
on deadly cluster bomb legacy in
London, 16 March – An original
video news report on the devastating impact of cluster bombs in Lao PDR won the
first-ever CNN iReport Community Choice Award, CNN
announced on 15 March.
The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) worked with reporter Samantha
Bolton and an independent video production team to release the video, “Clearing
cluster bombs on the Ho Chi Minh Trail,” from Lao PDR
during the historic First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on
Cluster Munitions in November 2010.
The short video focuses on the
decades-old cluster bomb problem in Lao PDR and documents the work being done
today by civil society and governments to tackle the humanitarian problems
caused by unexploded cluster bombs in affected countries around the world.
“To shoot this video, demining professionals walked us through forests infested
with cluster bombs, where we saw how children playing and farmers ploughing still
risk being blown up long after the Vietnam War ended,” said Bolton. “Getting
the most votes to win the CNN iReport award shows
just how many people and organisations care about eradicating cluster bombs in
affected countries like
The CNN iReport
Community Choice award called on viewers to vote for the video they thought
embodied the best of CNN iReport in 2010. Competition
was stiff, with 30 nominees across six categories. To
view “Clearing cluster bombs on the Ho Chi Minh
Trail,” visit:
http://ireportawards.cnn.com/nominees/9
UN-backed talks on future of
3 March – Delegations of the
parties to the Western Sahara dispute,
Meanwhile, the UN Mission for
the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) reported that Frente
Polisario has destroyed another 1,506 anti-personnel
mines in its stockpiles in line with international efforts to end the use of
the explosives, which kill and main indiscriminately.
To date, a total of 10,148
mines have been destroyed, according to a news release issued by MINURSO, which
added that its Mine Action Coordination Centre (MACC) conducted the quality
control of the stockpile destruction, while the UN Mine Action Service’s
(UNMAS) implementing partner, Landmine Action UK, provided technical support.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37675&Cr=western+sahara&Cr1=
UN opens office to help Central
African nations consolidate peace, prevent conflict
2 March – The United Nations
today opened a new political office designed to support the efforts of Central
African nations to consolidate peace and prevent conflict, as well as to tackle
cross-border challenges such as arms trafficking and organized crime.
The UN Regional Office for
Central Africa (UNOCA) has an initial mandate of two years and will be headed
by a Special Representative, who will be appointed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It will work closely with the Economic Community
of Central African States (ECCAS), which comprises
UNOCA is the third regional
political office set up by the world body to promote preventive diplomacy and
assist regions to manage shared problems and crises, and follows the UN Office
for West Africa (UNOWA) and the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for
Central Asia (UNRCCA). (…)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37663&Cr=central+africa&Cr1=
Mine action field staff meet
in Serbia
In the period between the 28th of February to the 4th of March, the
Norwegian People's Aid regional office in
The important issues analyzed,
discussed as well as solutions suggested will be further developed at the NPA
meeting for programme managers of mine action programmes in Oslo in August 2011.
http://www.folkehjelp.no/en/News_Archive/
Cypriot leaders hold
UN-sponsored talks on reunification; meet again on Friday
28 February – Greek Cypriot
and Turkish Cypriot leaders today held the first of two top-level meetings
scheduled for this week, under United Nations sponsorship, as they intensified
their efforts to reunify the Mediterranean island which has been split for
almost 50 years.
The leaders have met more than
90 times since the UN-sponsored talks began in 2008 with the aim of setting up
a federal government with a single international personality in a bi-zonal,
bi-communal country, with Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot constituent states
of equal status.
The Secretary-General met with
both leaders in
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37638&Cr=cyprus&Cr1=
Ban welcomes resolution of
situation in UN compound in Gabon
27 February –
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the
peaceful resolution of the situation regarding a group of people in
Mr. Ban welcomed the
willingness of the people of
“The Secretary-General
reaffirms his readiness to continue working with the Government and the people
of
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37636&Cr=Gabon&Cr1=
ITF and Serbian Mine Action
Centre have signed Memorandum of understanding
24 February - By signing the
Memorandum of Understanding in Belgrade on 24 February 2011, ITF and Serbian
Mine Action Centre (SMAC) agreed to strengthen its cooperation on clearance of
cluster munitions, bombs and other unexploded ordnance and also to extend its
cooperation on destruction of surplus conventional weapons in Republic of
Serbia, with an aim to raise the level of human security and socio-economic
development of country.
Long-standing cooperation
between the ITF and SMAC has began with the establishment of SMAC in 2002 and
the start of mine action activities in
In year 2010, 813.050 square
meters of land, contaminated with cluster munitions, bombs and other unexploded
ordnance, was cleared. With this new Memorandum of Understanding, ITF and SMAC
agreed to extend their cooperation on destruction of surplus conventional
weapons, what is in accordance with ITF Strategy 2009-2013.
1
August 2011: Plan a sports event to celebrate the first anniversary of the CCM’s entry into force
On 1 August 2011, the Cluster Munition Convention (CMC) will mark the first anniversary
of the Convention’s entry into force with campaign events worldwide. The CMC
will call on all states to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions and will
mark this day with a sports theme. This
theme was inspired by successful events such as the wheelchair basketball event
held at the COPE reception during the First Meeting of States Parties in Lao
PDR and the “Rumble in Cartagena” wheelchair rugby
match on the sidelines of the Cartagena Summit on a
mine-free world, which won the Sports Event for Peace Award 2010.
Campaigners will be encouraged
to organise or participate in sporting events including sports events for
people with disabilities, as a way of celebrating the anniversary of the
Convention’s entry into force and urging governments to join and implement the
Convention.
A logo and campaign slogan on
this theme will be developed that can be used throughout 2011 and in particular
on the 1 August campaign action day. An action alert on this day of action will
soon be shared with the campaign. We welcome your input and ideas on a campaign
slogan!
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news/?id=3035
Pediatric
HIV/AIDS clinic opens in
10 March - The doors to a
specialized pediatric HIV/AIDS outpatient clinic in
The Baylor College of
Medicine-Texas Children's Hospital-Abbott Fund Children's Clinical Centre of
Excellence-Tanzania is located on the grounds of the
The Abbott Fund committed more
than $2.5 million to the project, which will be run by BIPAI and its local
non-government organization affiliate the Baylor College of Medicine Children's
Foundation-Tanzania. The clinic will be staffed almost exclusively by Tanzanian
personnel, augmented by a small number of BIPAI and Texas Children's Global
Child Health pediatricians, who will assist in care
and treatment, as well as building local health professional capacity through
education, training and mentoring. USAID will provide funds for ongoing care
and treatment operations at the center through
President Obama's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
(PEPFAR).http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/31754-Pediatric-HIV-AIDS-Clinic-Opens-in-Mbeya-Tanzania
UEFA donation for
Geneva/Nyon, 8 March - Football star Carles
Puyol of FC Barcelona is donating to the ICRC the 100,000
euro he has received from UEFA as captain of the UEFA.com users' Team of the
Year 2010. The donation will support the ICRC's
physical rehabilitation programme in
UEFA
began its partnership with the ICRC in 1997 with support for its anti-landmine
campaign. This will be the fourth time that the ICRC will benefit from the
cheque offered by UEFA in connection with the selection of the UEFA.com users'
Team of the Year. The donations are used to support the ICRC rehabilitation
project providing landmine victims in
More
than 60 people are killed or maimed by landmines in
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2011/afghanistan-news-2011-03-08.htm
MSF delivers more medicine and
supplies, by road and boat, to areas affected by violence
8
March - Access to areas further west is still extremely difficult, while
medical doctors in a number of locations have requested MSF's
support. MSF is working on delivering more drugs and supplies. On March 6, an
MSF team headed for Ras Lanuf
was unable to continue due to high insecurity.
Since
the first MSF team was able to cross the Egyptian border into
So
far, MSF has delivered 22 tons of medical equipment and supplies to
The
MSF team continues to try and access Ras Lanuf and other areas further into western
Mosques,
schools, hospitals made accessible to disabled Afghans
Posted by: Karen Matthee
25 February 25 - CPI [Clear
Path International] has been at the forefront of developing practical
guidelines for the construction of physical accessibility ramps in
With special funding from the
Weapons Removal and Abatement section of the U.S. Department of State's
Political Military Affairs Department, CPI has developed pilot projects in
conjunction with three of its implementing partners. Each partner undertook
physical accessibility project sites at key public buildings in different
provinces where unmet needs were prioritized and where security conditions
permitted the projects to be undertaken.
In Kabul, Accessibility
Organization for Afghan Disabled (AOAD) developed and implemented access ramps
at four locations, including three mosques: a neighborhood
mosque that functioned as a polling station in last year's parliamentary
election; a larger community mosque with a rare co-educational madrassa; and one of the highest profile mosques in all of
Afghanistan, the Eid Gah
Mosque, where several VIPs regularly worship and where important funeral
prayers of martyrs are held.
In
http://clearpathinternational.org/cpiblog/archives/001027.php
End
Polio Now: Rotary lights up the world
24 February - Most people
celebrate a birthday with cake - but not Rotary International. Living up to
their motto, 'Service Above Self', Rotarians instead
used the organization's 106th anniversary to spread the message about polio
eradication.
So after the bell was rung and
the New York Stock Exchange closed yesterday, a message was beamed onto the
side of the building - 'End Polio Now'. This powerful message was also beamed
onto around 20 of the world's most famous landmarks including the Trevi Fountain in
Rotary International's most
important mission has been to eradicate polio. Since 1988, Rotary has raised
more than US$1 billion for polio eradication, and moved governments and private
foundations to give much more. More than 1 million Rotarians have volunteered
for the cause, helping to immunize more than two billion children in 122
countries.
This year, those at
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation joined in the celebrations, supporting
their fellow polio warriors by illuminating the side of their
http://www.polioeradication.org/tabid/408/iid/94/Default.aspx
(top)
Over
400 wind, solar and biogas industry players expected at
The forum provides a much
needed platform for wind, solar and biogas developers, manufacturers and
suppliers to explore the tremendous opportunities created by
Over 60 speakers from top
renewable energy manufacturers, developers and suppliers are confirmed on the
agenda including representatives from Canadian Solar, Siemens, GE Energy, Vestas, Brookfield Asset Management, International Power
Canada, Recurrent Energy, Enercon, Silfab, and Suncor Energy.
Speakers also include representatives from the
Ministers
commit to review the world crop gene pool
The ministers paved the way
forward on the eve of a meeting of the Treaty's Governing Body in
The Treaty, which came into
force in 2004, creates a multilateral system through which member countries
share the genetic material of 64 of the most important crops for food security
- crops that account for over 80 percent of our plant-sourced food.
127 countries have already
signed the Treaty with more signatures in the pipeline.
http://www.fao.org/news/newsroom-home/en/
DOE Honors Minnkota Power Cooperative
with 2010 Wind Cooperative of the Year Award
March 11 - The U.S. Department
of Energy's Wind Program, through its Wind Powering America initiative,
announced that Minnkota Power Cooperative has
received the 2010 Wind Cooperative of the Year Award. The award was presented
at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) TechAdvantage Conference in
Minnkota Power Cooperative
has executed wind energy power purchase agreements (with FPL Energy, among
others) which guarantee that energy from several wind projects will be
purchased and used.
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=502
Alcoa
leads the way in responsible e-waste recycling - Earns e-Stewards
Seattle, WA, USA 7 March – The
Basel Action Network (BAN) announced today that Alcoa has become an e-Stewards®
Enterprise, recognition for the company’s commitment to responsible recycling
practices for its electronic waste (e-waste) in North America and advocating
the responsible disposal of e-waste everywhere. The distinction is granted to
companies that agree to always make best efforts to use only e-Stewards®
Electronics Recyclers.
“Consumer electronics
represents a fast-growing market for aluminum, with the aluminum content in
laptops alone expected to increase 30 percent by 2013 from a 2010 baseline,”
said Alcoa’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Kevin Anton. "By joining the
e-Stewards
Alcoa is a recognized
sustainability leader and has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability
Index for nine consecutive years..
The Basel Action Network, an
environmental organization dedicated to promoting responsible e-waste recycling
practices and preventing toxic trade.
Key Russian fishery joins
sustainability lobby
Hamburg,
Germany, posted on 11 March - A key Russian fisheries organisation is to join
WWF in lobbying government for more sustainable policy and management measures
for one of the world's most important whitefish fisheries.
The
influential
The
new partnership will also push the signing of the bi-lateral port control
agreement with
The
Association also agreed that it is necessary to create a fund to finance the
transfer to improved vessel monitoring measures, to develop and adopt
methodology on IUU catch assessments in conjunction with the Russian Federal
Fishery Agency, the Russian Coast Guard, the Russian Customs Service and
independent experts, and to assess capacity of the Russian Far East fishing
fleet versus available fish stocks to avoid fleet over-capacity.
United
States-Alaskan Pollock fisheries, have received Marine Stewardship Council
(MSC) certification; however the Russian Pollock fishery is not yet ready for
successful certification. The lobbying efforts that the PCA have now committed
to are positive steps towards rectifying this situation and then moving ahead
with MSC certification.
http://wwf.panda.org/?199627/Key-Russian-fisheery-joins-sustainability-lobby
Aussies
do their bit on Clean Up
6 March – An estimated 562,511
volunteers are pitching in for Clean Up Australia Day
– showing that even as the wild weather leaves a trail of destruction across
the nation, it has not dented
Armed with gloves and bags,
volunteers gathered at 7,400 registered sites across
Over its 21 year history
volunteers have transformed the nation on Clean Up
Australia Day. In total, they have devoted more than 25 million hours, removing
an estimated 253,780 tonnes of rubbish.
http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/Media/aussies-do-their-bit-on-clean-up-australia-day.html
Interfaith
Encounters –
We form and maintain on-going
interfaith encounter groups, or centers, that bring
together neighboring communities across the
country. Each center
is led by an interfaith coordinating team with one person for each community in
the area.
The goal of this group is to
develop into a “mini-community” that exemplifies the desired relations of
mutual respect and friendship while respecting and reinforcing the unique
identity of each community. These groups then act as models for the surrounding
community of how multiple faiths can live side by side in peace while becoming
growing islands of coexistence communities.
The backbone of the groups’
process is the monthly session of joint study. Dedicated to
one theme each time, these sessions usually open with a short presentation
followed by joint study and discussion of the beliefs, practices and sacred
texts of the respective traditions.
Women’s Interfaith Encounters
(WIE) In these encounters, Muslim, Christian, Druze and Jewish women study
topics of relevance to women from the perspective of the different
religions. Not only is interfaith study
is used as a vehicle
for understanding, acceptance and respect for the “other”, but
also as a way to deepen awareness of one’s own religion.
Youth Interfaith Encounters
(YIE) The YIE is a special place for young adults to have interfaith
encounters with their counterparts of other faiths. These encounters are run by young people, for
young people. Similar to the general
groups and the WIE groups, the YIE groups also develop into “mini-communities”
that seek to induce the desired change in the larger society. The YIE also acts as a gateway for young
adults to join the interfaith encounter process.
http://interfaithencounter.wordpress.com/groupseventsprojects/projects/
11 March -
The General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen, has told participants who gathered at the seventh
EI Research Network meeting, to press on because “without research or data on a
raft of indicators, it is virtually impossible to achieve our objectives.” He added: “We will increasingly need
to undertake research activities and become more dependent on this work. We
have incredible potential with our combined capacities. The challenge is to use
that potential in the most efficient and effective way.”
Discussing EI' sixth World Congress, to be held
in Cape Town during July 2011, Mr. van Leeuwen said:
“Congress will address professional issues, education and public services,
democracy and human and trade union rights...[and]... invite us to undertake
studies on topics such as teacher migration.” He finished by reminding
participants that research is a core EI activity and indispensable to defend
members and help us achieve our objectives (…).
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1556&theme=policy&country=global
New
support pledged for African cinema
7 March
- The European Commission have announced
further funding for culture in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific at the
Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in
The European Commission is supporting the organisation
of FESPACO with funding of €1.74 million for the 2011 festival. It also
provided a grant of €70 000 for the first African Television Day held on 27
February. This event made it possible for seven private African French-speaking
television channels to offer the same 100% African schedule of programmes, a veritable panorama of African productions,
potentially reaching some 100 million viewers in
http://www.africagoodnews.com/brand-africa/art-and-culture/2471-new-support-for-african-cinema.html
Education
researchers gather to ‘measure what we value’
8 March - Participants have
gathered at the Education International Research Network meeting to discuss the
global threats to unions from the reduction in public expenditure on education
and privatisation, to testing and ranking systems that only tell part of the
story.
The two-day event is being
held in Brussels, Belgium, and is attended by representatives of EI affiliates
from across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America who gather to
hear about the latest research developments and share experiences from their
own national and regional contexts.
EI’s Research
Co-ordinator, Guntars Catlaks,
opened the 7th Network event by reviewing the policy landscape that has emerged
in education. He described the fiscal consolidation practises that have
accelerated because of IMF pressures on governments to reduce deficit levels,
and explained how this was leading to austerity measures in public services and
a greater reliance on public-private finance initiatives. He demonstrated with
examples how this was having the impact of teachers being asked to do more with
less, creating precarious working conditions, with more insecure tenures, and a
greater prevalence of performance related pay offers.
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1551&theme=policy&country=global
* * * * * * *
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Next issue: 8 April 2011.
Good News Agency is
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