Good News Agency – Year XI, n° 187
Weekly – Year XI, number 187 –
27th May 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
25 May – United Nations human
rights officials and their counterparts in
The new law states that
caste-based discrimination and untouchability practices
are prohibited in both public and private spheres, and increases punishments
for public officials found responsible of discrimination. It also requires
perpetrators to provide compensation to victims and criminalizes incitement for
caste-based discrimination.
“This is the first time ever
According to OHCHR and the
National Dalit Commission, discrimination remains
widespread in
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38496&Cr=Nepal&Cr1=
20 May – Grenada has become
the latest country to agree to be bound by the International Criminal Court
(ICC), the permanent global tribunal tasked with trying people accused of
genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The
An independent court, the ICC
was established in 2002 after the number of ratifications of the Rome Statute
surpassed 60 earlier that year. The Security Council is authorized to refer
matters to the court for investigation.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38451&Cr=international+criminal+court&Cr1=
17 May – The United Nations
tribunal set up after the 1994 genocide in
François-Xavier Nzuwonemeye, who served as commander of the Reconnaissance
battalion in the Rwandan army, and Innocent Sagahutu,
his second-in-command, were each sentenced to 20 years in prison.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38416&Cr=Rwanda&Cr1=
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news/?id=3190
On 1 May
The
Launch
of United Nations Indigenous Peoples’ Partnership
May 20 - Using $1.5 million in
start-up funds supplied by the Government of Denmark, the United Nations
Indigenous Partnership (UNIPP) would work at the country level to promote
dialogue and build partnerships, Raja Devashish Roy,
a member of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, said at Headquarters
today.
“This (partnership) will work
on the ground,” he said at a press conference to launch UNIPP. “It will take projects and programmes
and develop the capacity of Governments and indigenous peoples’
organizations. It will build
partnerships at the country level with indigenous peoples in the driver’s
seat.” The Partnership would expand on
the global endeavours now carried out by the
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, he added.
Mr. Roy said the initiative
aimed to coordinate and deepen the work of the United Nations system on the
rights of indigenous peoples at the country level, by bringing together the
experience and power of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2011/110520_Indigenous.doc.htm
Dutch
students bring a resolution on child labour to the European Commission
19 May - Twenty-eight students
and four teachers from the public school Stedelijk
Gymnasium Nijmenen,
The 12-14 year old students
were welcomed by EI General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen,
who highlighted that both EI and the International Trade Union Confederation
(ITUC), the main international trade union organisation, combat poverty,
promote human rights and work towards achieving the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), especially Education for All EFA, which
is put at risk by child labour.
EI Coordinator Jefferson Pessi stated that these students were privileged to be able
go to school, official UNESCO statistics indicating that 100 million 5-14 year
old children are out of school far and wide, 60% of them working in
agriculture. He indicated that the most child labourers, 97 million, are
exploited in Asia-Pacific, 60 million in Sub-Saharan Africa and 10 million
Latin America and Caribbean. Main reasons to child labour: poverty and war and
conflict.
http://www.ei-ie.org/news/news_details/1807
UN
human rights official lauds ratification milestone for disability pact
13 May – The United Nations
human rights chief today added her voice to the chorus welcoming the 100th
ratification of the UN’s disability convention, but warned that too few
countries currently have laws protecting persons with disabilities from discrimination. “The adoption of this treaty brought great
hope to many individuals with disabilities,” UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Navi Pillay said.
“It is great news that 100 States have now taken these standards on board in
their legal systems and committed to making life better for people with
disabilities.”
On Tuesday,
The convention was adopted by
the General Assembly in 2006 in an effort to ensure that persons with
disabilities enjoy the same human rights as everyone else. Eighty-two countries
immediately signed it – the highest number for a UN treaty in history.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38371&Cr=disability&Cr1=
Meeting
of African Union Commission and European Commission
On 31 May/1 June the African
Union Commission and the European Commission are convening in
The Strategic Partnership
between
The programme
of the meeting between the two Commissions covers two days and is divided
between thematic cluster meetings of Commissioners, bilateral meetings and a
plenary session, which takes place in the morning of 1 June. Discussions aim at
strengthening the political and technical cooperation between the two institutions, provide fresh impetus to the implementation of
the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and elements for the future political agenda.
Background information on the
Partnership and its eight thematic areas can be found at: http://www.africa-eu-partnership.org/
US$17.40
million from IFAD to boost food security and rural infrastructure in
Rome, 20 May 2011 – A US$8.95
million loan and a US$8.45 million grant from the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) to the Republic of Chad will help improve the
livelihoods of poor rural people and increase economic growth potential in the
country’s Guéra region, the UN rural poverty agency
has announced.
Through this new programme, the Government of Chad and IFAD will work
together with the collaboration of the European Union, the United Nations
Capital Development Fund and the World Food Programme
to help the rural poor populations of Guéra lay the groundwork for improving their food security and
incomes in a sustainable manner.
The programme
is aimed at extending the results of the two first phases of the Food Security
Project in the
Newly available funding will
also go to building and rehabilitating rural roads to link producers with
markets and to strengthen the capacity of grass-roots producer organizations
and their members at the local and regional level. More than 132,000 vulnerable
people, including smallholder farmers, very poor rural women (especially those
heading a household) and rural young people will benefit directly from the programme.
Best coffee named
in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Coffee
competition promotes higher incomes, licit livelihoods for smallholder farmers
May 19 – Elias Enrique Eguisa Sanjuán’s entry won the honor of “Best Coffee of the Sierra Nevada de
Coffee is behind only
petroleum as the world’s most commonly traded commodity. The event’s goal is to
promote the high-caliber coffees from the
The event’s top 10 coffees
will be sold as special micro-lots on the international market with support
from the Federation. These micro-lots are attractive to global buyers and are
expected to yield premium prices for the growers.
http://www.acdivoca.org/site/ID/news-Best-Coffee-Colombia-Sierra-Nevada-de-Santa-Marta
Africa
2011 - UN report projects continued high growth rates for African economies
18 May – African economies will continue to
enjoy high rates of growth this year, but that growth will only translate into
job creation and poverty reduction if the State takes a larger role, according
to a report released today by the United Nations.
The 2011 Economic Report on
Africa, produced by the UN Economic Commission for
An increased role for the
State, the report stresses, does not mean a rejection of the free-market system
or the role of the private sector in generating economic growth. “A
developmental State can be defined as one that has the capacity to deploy its
authority, credibility and legitimacy in a binding manner to design and
implement development policies and programmes for
promoting long-term economic transformation and growth, as well as the
expansion of human capabilities, equity and welfare.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38432&Cr=employment&Cr1=
IFAD
and
With international migrants
sending home more than US$325 billion a year in remittances, they have become
among the largest sources of cash and investment for many developing countries,
often surpassing official development assistance and foreign direct
investment. The DIA aims to encourage
migrants to invest their savings in enterprises that will help strengthen the
agricultural sector in their home countries, link farmers with emerging
markets, create jobs in rural areas, and contribute to food security.
The initiative will target a
number of countries, including
UN
summit adopts 10-year plan to help lift developing countries out of poverty
13 May – Participants at a
United Nations summit today outlined a 10-year plan to support the world’s most
vulnerable countries overcome poverty, calling on the private sector to play a
greater role in the fight, urging wealthy nations to step up their aid
commitments and demanding the elimination of many trade barriers. The Istanbul Programme
of Action to spur development and economic growth was made public at the end of
the Fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
after five days of discussions in the Turkish city.
The summit focused on ways to
harness the potential of the 48 countries – many of them in sub-Saharan
The programme
of action emphasizes the strengthening of the productive capacity in LDCs – building infrastructure, enhancing human capital and
governance capabilities. Economic reforms in many poor countries over the past
decade have led to favourable business environments,
and a boom in the prices of the primary commodities in the international
markets have resulted in rates of growth that exceeded both worldwide and
developing countries’ averages.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38373&Cr=least&Cr1=developed
Yaajeende
Program launches in
May 12 – Counterpart
International celebrated the launch of our new Feed the Future initiative, the
USAID/Yaajeende Agriculture and Nutrition Development
Program in
The Yaajeende
Program, which is projected to reach one million Senegalese, aims to increase
revenues in agricultural homes by 250 percent, reduce stunting by 25 percent
and reduce the number of children underweight by 35 percent. The program
focuses on intensification of agriculture production, enhancement of agro-food
links, promotion of good nutrition and enhancement of governance linked to food
security. Heifer International, Manobi and Sheladia Associates are also consortium members.
http://www.counterpart.org/blog/yaajeende-program-launches-in-senegal
Rotarians
complete library for
By Janis Young
Rotary International News, 22
May – Rotarians gathered at a mission in downtown
Rotarians from 24 clubs in
five districts spent three days finishing and furnishing a 1,400-square-foot
library and reading room at the New Orleans Mission as a preconvention
service project. After the work was complete, Klinginsmith
cut a yellow ribbon and declared the library open. (...) Hundreds of hours,
$30,000 in cash and in-kind donations later, a hurricane-devastated library was
transformed into a bright, tranquil space filled with comfy furniture and
hundreds of books.
The New Orleans Mission, the
largest private service provider for the city’s homeless, houses 200 to 250 men
and women, provides 12,000 to 15,000 hot meals a month, and helps its residents
find work and ultimately housing, according to Executive Director Ron Gonzales.
When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, the mission was destroyed, and the city’s
homeless population more than tripled.
Rotarians contributed to the
restoration by cleaning, doing roof and ceiling repairs, replacing lighting and
windows, and collecting furniture, rugs, and hundreds of books. Then on 19 May,
Rotarian volunteers from
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/110522_IC11_library.aspx
Treating
vulnerable populations in
20 May – The port city of
In addition to patient visits
at the health center, MSF health care workers go into
the community to reach vulnerable populations, organizing education sessions
and outpatient medical activities in the "barrios", the city's
low-income neighborhoods.
http://www.msf.org/msf/articles/2011/05/treating-vulnerable-populations-in-buenaventura-colombia.cfm
DanChurchAid
intervenes to reduce drought in
13 May - The pastoral and
agro-pastoral community of
DCA has initiated the
formation and implementation of Emergency Response and Recovery Project in
partnership with a local non-governmental organization, Action for Development
(AFD). The project funded by European Commission for Humanitarian Aid &
Civil Protection (ECHO) and DCA’s material aid grant
was launched at the end of February 2011. Its objective is to protect the lives
of vulnerable families in targeted pastoralist communities through water and
hygiene provision and livelihoods protection, including enhanced disaster
coping capacity.
ANERA
to help disabled in Madaba Camp, Jordan
May 12,
ANERA is developing the
program in cooperation with the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf and its
service providers. HLID is a leader in
the field of deaf education. ANERA is currently partnering with HLID for a
similar program in Sukhneh Camp.
Madaba Camp, located 45 kilometers from
In addition to aiding the
disabled in Madaba and Sukhneh
Camps, ANERA has partnered with the Jordan Breast Cancer Program to extend a
Breast Cancer Awareness project to Wehdat Camp for
more than 7,000 women and to Al Hussein Camp for 6,000 women. (…)
http://www.anera.org/newsResources/ANERAHelpsDisabledinJordan.php
'Reggae
Against Landmines' album to benefit nonpProfit landmine clearance organization
By Nick Krewen
12 May – A Toronto-based
reggae record label is joining such musical activists as Emmylou Harris, Paul
McCartney, and Bruce Cockburn in their attempts to transform Earth into a
landmine–free planet. Turning its attention towards atrocities in
Republic
of the
Geneva/Brazzaville, 9 May –
Residents of the department of Likouala, in the north
of the Republic of the
Together with Congolese Red
Cross volunteers, the ICRC is providing aid for people in the districts of Bétou, Enyellé, Liranga, Impfondo and Dongou. In addition to farming and fishing supplies,
cuttings of varieties of cassava that are resistant to the harmful mosaic virus
disease are also being distributed. Over 40,000 people in the districts of Enyellé and Bétou have received
these items since 18 April. As the area is accessible only with great
difficulty, the distribution is being carried out by means of barges, pirogues
and trucks.
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2011/congo-brazzaville-news-2011-05-09.htm
Save
the Children distributes shoes, diapers; deploys child-friendly spaces to
children who’ve lost everything in tornadoes in
Additionally, Save the
Children is working with the Gilmore Foundation to set up a Child-Friendly
Spaces/emergency child care program for nearly 200 children in Smithville,
Miss., where an EF-5 tornado — the highest severity-rating for tornadoes —
demolished the entire community, leaving untold families homeless. Staff from
The Child-Friendly Spaces
Program is one of Save the Children’s key emergency response programs.
21 May – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will host
a joint meeting of the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities
on 7 July in Geneva, his office has announced, stressing the need for both
leaders to accelerate the process of negotiations aimed at the reunification of
Cyprus. The July meeting with Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris
Christofias and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Dervis Eroglu, will be a follow
up on previous meetings between the Secretary-General and the two leaders in
The UN has been facilitating
talks between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leadership with a view to
the eventual establishment of a Federal Government with a single international
personality, consisting of a
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38464&&Cr=Cyprus&&Cr1=
UN-backed conference on
improving elections in
18 May – In a year when many
West African countries are preparing to stage critical elections, more than 100
delegates from across the region gathered today for the start of a three-day
United Nations-backed conference aimed at helping to ensure that the polls
consolidate peace and deter conflict. The meeting in
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38424&Cr=West+Africa&Cr1=
Convention
on Cluster Munitions takes effect in
16 May – Cluster Munition Coalition members and cluster bomb survivors
joined Lebanese government officials and United Nations representatives in
On 1 May, the Convention
entered into force in Lebanon, meaning that Lebanon now has 10 years to clear
all known contaminated areas, and must continue to provide strong assistance
for survivors, their families, and their communities so that they can be fully
included in society and enjoy their fundamental human rights.
In addition to implementing
the Convention, Foreign Minister Dr. Al Chami
announced that
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news/?id=3201
Using
radio to facilitate dialogue on governance in
15 May - The increasing
penetration of mobile telephone in
The effectiveness of these
technologies in allowing more people to take part in discussions of governance
and political participation is still difficult to evaluate. This is why FrontlineSMS:Radio is uniquely partnered with the
University of Cambridge Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CGHR).The Centre
is conducting a two-year research project to explore the extent to which new
information and communications technologies influence citizen participation in
processes of governance in Africa.
ADRA
advocates increased road safety
May 12,
Publicly launched on May 11
2011, the Decade of Action for Road and Safety's goal is to stabilize and
reduce worldwide road traffic deaths by year 2020. With supporters in more than 100 countries,
local and foreign governments, NGO's, and civil community groups have
simultaneously launched the campaign to express their commitment to the cause
and introduce national plans to help reduce the number of traffic related
deaths and accidents.
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?news_iv_ctrl=1141&page=NewsArticle&id=11353
Norwegian People's Aid clears
cluster bombs after clash in
The Thai military used cluster
bombs during the four day clash with
In the beginning of April NPA
conducted a rapid assessment of the contaminated areas together with
representatives from Cambodia Mine Action Centre (CMAC) and one representative
from Land mine and Cluster Munitions Monitor. The findings were discouraging.
The areas were heavily contaminated by unexploded M42/M46 and M85 SD
sub-munitions fired from
http://www.npaid.org/en/News_Archive/?module=Articles&action=Article.publicShow&ID=17521
Eradicating
polio will take renewed resolve, says Gates
Bill
Gates addressed Rotarians during the third plenary session of the 2011 RI
Convention
By Ryan Hyland
Rotary International News, 24
May - Bill Gates, cochair of the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, praised Rotary for its continued success in the effort to
eradicate polio, but cautioned that Rotarians will need to redouble their
efforts to keep the disease from spreading -- and threatening hundreds of
thousands of children.
Gates, the keynote speaker at
the third plenary session of the 2011 RI Convention, 24 May in
The Gates Foundation has awarded two grants
totaling US$355 million to Rotary in support of its work in eradicating the
disease. Rotary has responded with Rotary's
US$200 Million Challenge. To date, Rotarians have raised $173.2 million for
the challenge. Gates said he plans to work with Rotary leadership to
keep polio front and center in the public eye. “You have helped so many people
understand that we are ‘this close.’ I challenge you to make your voices
louder.”
Countries including
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/110524_IC11_plenthree.aspx
Volunteers
help treat nearly 5,000 in
Posted By: Kris Radder
May 19 – The Pacific
Partnership 2011 (PP 11) medical team leaves
Several of the volunteers have
spent more than a month on the ship, yet all agree is now seems like just
seconds. William Aiken, Jo Anne Bennett and Aislinn Mangan take some time to reflect on the memories they made
as part of PP 11 team before departing the USS Cleveland. (…)
http://www.projecthope.org/news-blogs/In-the-Field-blog/volunteers-help-treat-nearly.html
WHO
Director-General and Bill Gates convene urgent meeting on polio eradication
One
year after launch of new plan, infected countries and donors review
effectiveness of strategies and agree on essential steps to finish the job
quickly
Geneva, Switzerland, 17 May -
As international public health leaders gather in Geneva this week, World Health
Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Margaret Chan and Bill Gates, Co-chair
of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, met today with Ministers of Health
of polio-infected countries and international development agencies, to discuss
urgent steps needed to eradicate polio rapidly and efficiently.
The high-level meeting comes
on the heels of the publication of a sobering report by the Independent
Monitoring Board (IMB), a body set up at the request of the World Health
Assembly to independently monitor progress towards a polio-free world. While
affirming the effectiveness of the new Global Polio Eradication Initiative
(GPEI) Strategic Plan 2010-2012 launched 12 months ago,
the IMB expressed serious concern that remaining operational gaps in key
infected countries are undermining progress. The IMB also identified a global
funding gap of US$665 million through 2012 as the 'single greatest threat to
the GPEI's success'.
http://www.polioeradication.org/tabid/408/iid/110/Default.aspx
Getting
the “Last Hair” in
Dr
Muhammad Pate, Executive Director of Nigeria’s National Primary Healthcare
Development Agency, blogs about his country's fight
against polio
May 13 – In
The polio program has provided
the momentum to combat other vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, which
cost us our children’s lives as well. In January 2011,
http://www.polioeradication.org/Mediaroom/Newsstories/Newsstories2011/tabid/408/iid/109/Default.aspx
The H.E.L.P. course, created
in 1986 by the ICRC, is organized in partnership with the World Health
Organization and with research institutions and universities all over the
world. It has been given in various parts of Latin America, North America,
Africa, Asia, and in Western and
HOPE
offers critical medical expertise to help
Volunteers from Project HOPE,
a global health education and humanitarian assistance organization, are
providing hands-on clinical training and mentoring to doctors and nurses in services
such as obstetrics, pediatrics, neonatal care,
midwifery and gynecology in the first-ever HOPE
mission at the hospital, located in the capital,
Founded in 1958, Project HOPE
(Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) is dedicated to providing lasting
solutions to health crises, with the mission of helping people to help
themselves. Identifiable to many by the SS HOPE, the world’s first peacetime
hospital ship, Project HOPE now conducts land-based medical training and health
education programs in 35 countries across five continents.
http://www.projecthope.org/news-blogs/press-releases/hope-offers-critical-medical.html
(top)
Groundbreaking
report underscores advantages of renewable energy future
Posted on 9 May,
“The IPCC and governments of
the world signal loud and clear: fossil fuels and nuclear are no real
alternatives to renewables,” said Dr Stephan Singer,
Director for Global Energy Policy for WWF International. “As oil and gas within
easy reach is dwindling, the world needs to move to clean and sustainable
sources of energy and avoid any investment into dirty alternatives.”
Although unique in its epic
scope, the IPCC underestimates the potential of deploying renewable energy even
faster, especially when combined with top level energy efficiency, WWF said.
The organisation’s own analysis, called The Energy Report, shows a pathway to a
100% renewable energy future by 2050. This analysis is the first that also
indicates the challenges and research needs to make sure this low carbon
development respects development needs of up to 9 billion people.
REACH and Restrictions
REACH foresees a restriction
process to regulate the manufacture, placing on the market or use of certain
substances, either on their own or in mixtures or articles, within the European
Union territory if they pose an unacceptable risk to health or the environment.
Such activities may be limited or even banned, if necessary. The restriction is
designed to manage risks that are not addressed by the other REACH processes or
by other Community legislation.
The European Commission has
banned cadmium – a harmful substance – in all jewellery products, plastics and
brazing sticks from December 2011. High levels of cadmium have been found in
some jewellery articles, especially in imported imitation jewellery. Consumers
including children risked being exposed to cadmium through skin contact or
through licking. The new legislation prohibits the use of cadmium in all types
of jewellery products, except for antiques. The Commission has also banned
cadmium in all plastics as from December 2011. The ban will protect the
environment by reducing cadmium pollution. The new rules also promote the
recovery of PVC waste for use in a number of construction products.
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/chemicals/reach/restrictions/index_en.htm
SCI
congratulates Jewish World Watch on the 5th anniversary of their Solar Cooker
Project
The Solar Cooker Project has
helped 90,000 Darfuri refugees in four camps in
The Solar Cooker Project is an
excellent example of how solar cookers effectively address the negative impacts
that come from cooking over an open fire with firewood. Solar cooking has zero
emissions and is a free and available source of power.
Middle
East - A $45 million investment in
May 25 - In a meeting held
yesterday in
The World Bank will support
the establishment of the Hebron WWTP by the Palestinian Authority, for the sum
of 45 million USD, of which 10 million USD will be invested by the World Bank
itself, and the rest by other contributors such as The French Development
Agency.
The Hebron WWTP project has
been stuck and delayed for almost a decade, despite several attempts by others.
This is a very promising turn of events, which will affect the lives of many
residents in both
Gidon Bromberg, Friends
of the Earth Middle East: gidon@foeme.org
Nader Khatib, Friends of the Earth Middle East: nader@foeme.org
Anti-locust
programme in Central Asia and Caucasus
The FAO Locust Group initiated
a process for assessing the needs and helping countries to improve national and
regional locust management; a two-year project (2009-2011), funded through its
Technical Cooperation Programme, contributed to this
effort.
Together with the concerned
countries, FAO then prepared a five-year programme
for sustainable management of locust issues in Central Asia and the
A major contribution to this programme was recently received from USAID ($1.6 million)
and negotiations are underway with other donors such as the
http://www.fao.org/news/newsroom-home/en/
EarthColor
joins the Appalachian Carbon Partnership to support sustainable forest
management in
Forests
efficiently reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere when they grow
Berea, Ky.,
USA, May 20 - The Appalachian Carbon Partnership, a project of the Mountain
Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), is proud to welcome EarthColor, Inc. to the growing network of socially and
environmentally responsible companies supporting sustainable forest management
in Central Appalachia through Appalachian Forest Offset investments. This new
partnership demonstrates how carbon trading can benefit Appalachian landowners
and forests while mitigating the effects of climate change. The Appalachian
Carbon Partnership currently has 47 landowners enrolled owning over 28,600
acres of forestland in
Growing trees take in carbon
dioxide, using the carbon to build new wood and releasing the oxygen back into
the air. Forests that are well managed can take in additional carbon dioxide
and keep the carbon locked in their wood for long periods of time. Through the
managed forest carbon offsets market, landowners are paid for the amount of
carbon dioxide that is removed from the atmosphere by their forests and stored
as a building block of new wood.
May
16: United Nations Vesak ceremony marking the 2600th
anniversary of the Buddha's enlightenment
In 1999, the UN General
Assembly resolved that the most sacred Buddhist festival of Vesak,
on the May full moon, commemorating the birth, enlightenment and death of the
Buddha, be observed at UN Headquarters and, where appropriate, different UN
offices. Every year the Secretary-General delivers a Vesak
message.
This year special celebrations
will be held at UN Headquarters to mark the 2600th Anniversary of the Buddha's
enlightenment. These will include an exhibition, an alms round in
www.e2600.org/ www.un.org/ga/54/president/brief/br12_15.htm
http://www.un.org/ga/54/agenda/a235.pdf
Religious
Education essential in current climate
The Three Faiths Forum (3FF)
is adding to the voices calling for Religious Education to be included in
the English Baccalaureate (EBac).
The Ebac
is the government’s new performance measure for schools, recognising
where pupils have secured a C grade or better in ‘core’ subjects – English,
mathematics, history or geography, the sciences and a language. Religious Education (RE) is not included,
which will likely lead to the subject being devalued in the eyes of schools,
teachers, students and parents.
We believe that this is a
serious mistake in the current climate. Students desperately need RE to learn
and talk about faiths and beliefs.
We back the 70+ MPs that have
called for an early day motion to challenge the government’s recommendations.
It states “that the rise of religious extremism around the world and in the
If the EBac
excludes RE, 3FF school sessions may become the principal way that students
learn to communicate with those of other faiths or beliefs. 3FF works in nearly 100 primary and secondary
schools, but there are hundreds of schools in Greater London.
Our education programmes help students become more confident in
discussing sensitive topics. Our
“Controversial Issues” training helps teachers address faith related topics,
and “Shared Futures” links up different classes from two faith-based schools in
joint activities over the year.
http://www.threefaithsforum.org.uk/newsletter/2011/04/re.html
85%
of voters say it is important the
"The United Nations today
is on the frontlines of some of the most critical places in the world. From
reconstruction in Haiti to protecting civilians in Libya, from environmental
security in Japan to peace in Sudan, Americans understand that working together
with our partners to solve global problems is more effective than going it
alone," said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation.
"This survey shows that across all party lines, voters recognize the value
in our participation at the United Nations. Congress should reaffirm its support
for full funding for the UN and UN peacekeeping operations."
Libraries
for
Posted by: Karen Matthee
May 5 – Clear Path
International aims to reignite the love of books and reading in
Clear Path is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that assists landmine survivors and
others disabled or displaced by armed conflict in Southeast Asia and
The project begins June 1,
2011 and is estimated to benefit 3,461 children and more than 100 teachers, as
well as the families of the students.
http://clearpathinternational.org/cpiblog/archives/001033.php
A Givat
Haviva flagship program, Shared Communities is a
bold, concrete response to the urgent challenge of creating a socially cohesive
society in
By actively demonstrating the
mutual benefits of cooperation in the day-to-day experience of a wide
cross-section of divided populations, the program builds the sustainable
underpinnings for creating a shared future and shared society. Local activity
is linked to broader efforts that will facilitate replication across
Under the leadership of the
mayors, a joint steering committee was established comprised of 15 municipal
officials, facilitated by Givat Haviva.
The committee completed a mapping process to assess the needs of both
communities, including joint study tours of both towns. Community leaders were
recruited to form joint working groups that are coordinating the development
and implementation of cooperative projects that address the range of needs
identified.
http://www.givathaviva.org.il/english/info/11411_shared.htm
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Next issue: 17 June 2011.
Good News Agency is
published in English on one Friday and in Italian and in Portuguese the
next. Past issues are available at www.goodnewsagency.org .
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi, Ph.D.
Editorial research by Fabio Gatti, Arianna Cavallo, Azzurra Cianchetta. Webmaster: Fabio Gatti.
Media and NGOs coverage: Maurizio Palazzoni.
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