Good News Agency – Year XII, n° 190
Weekly – Year XII, number 190
– 22nd July 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
welcomes South Sudan as 193rd
New York, July 14 - The
General Assembly today admitted the Republic of South Sudan as the 193rd member
of the United Nations, welcoming the newly independent country to the community
of nations.
South Sudan’s independence
from the rest of
The latest country to join the
world body had until now been
29 June – The Republic of
Botswana ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 27 June 2011, becoming
the 58th State Party.
In Africa overall, there are
16 States Parties, 23 countries that have signed but not yet ratified and 15
countries that have not yet joined the Convention.
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/
To
honour Mandela, UN asks everyone to devote 67 minutes to public service
15 July – To mark the second
annual Nelson Mandela International Day, the United
Nations is encouraging people around the globe to perform 67 minutes of public
service – one minute for every year of the South African leader’s own service
to humanity. The call is part of the “Take Action! Inspire Change” campaign by
the Mandela Foundation in recognition of the contributions made by Mr. Mandela,
as a human rights lawyer, freedom fighter, prisoner of conscience,
international peacemaker, and the first democratically-elected president of a
free South Africa. In November 2009, the UN General Assembly declared 18 July –
Mr. Mandela’s birthday – “Nelson Mandela International Day” in recognition of
the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and
freedom.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39048&Cr=Mandela&Cr1=
UN: Resolution on the right to education in armed
conflict areas
15 July - Education International welcomes a new
resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council as a major step
forward in preventing attacks and making schools safe for children and
education personnel in armed conflict situations.
The new resolution was passed on 12 July by the UN
Security Council which is responsible for the maintenance of international peace
and security. Its powers, exercised through resolutions, include establishment of peacekeeping operations, international sanctions and the authorisation
of military action. The resolution calls on the UN Secretary-General to report about parties to
armed conflict that attack schools and hospitals and/or their personnel, or
threaten to do so. It also calls for UN monitoring of the military use of
schools and hospitals. Parties that attack these institutions will be required
to negotiate with the UN to create time-bound action plans to stop these
abuses.
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/news_details/1884
First
UN Human Rights office opens in
New York, July 14 - The United Nations today opened its first
human rights office in Tunisia, with the world body’s top rights official
lauding the country for inspiring the quest for political reform and human
dignity across North Africa and the Middle East with its own popular uprising
earlier this year. “The whole world watched with amazement and growing respect
as Tunisians kept demanding your rights, refusing to be cowed by the
repression, the arrests, the torture and all the injuries and tragic loss of
life that occurred,” said High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, as
she opened the office in the capital,
The new office is not only the
first in
Ms. Pillay noted that although
the Tunisian transition was also far from over, great strides had already been
made since the ouster of the long-standing regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
earlier this year. In the past three weeks alone, she said,
A week earlier, on 24 June,
July 12 –
Due to the intense scale of
SGBV that has been reported in
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=11407&news_iv_ctrl=1141
Johnson
& Johnson launches Healthy Future
2015, its citizenship and sustainability goals
Company
establishes sustainability priorities for next five years and launches New
responsibility website
Healthy Future 2015 extends
the Company's commitment to help address global health needs with goals ranging
from targeting affordable access to HIV and TB therapies for populations in
some of the least-developed countries of the world, to donating medicines for
treating intestinal worms in more than 30 countries where prevalence is high.
These targets align with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and
the Company's commitments to date.
Aggressive absolute reduction
targets of CO2 emissions, water usage and waste disposal are supplemented by
product stewardship goals that will help the company strive to introduce at
least 60 products that meet the company's rigorous sustainability innovation
criteria.
EC
and Rome-based UN Agencies sign Strategic Framework of Cooperation
Rome, 27 June – The European
Commission (EC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World
Food Programme (WFP) have signed today in Rome a new Strategic Framework of
Cooperation to increase the capacity of the international community to deliver
effective, coordinated, timely and sustainable support to Food Security and
Nutrition.
By joining forces, the four
partners are seeking to achieve higher collective impact on the world's food
security. The Strategic Framework of Cooperation defines the complementary
roles of the three Rome-based UN Agencies, putting emphasis on the coherence of
their comparative advantages and core mandates enhanced through strengthened
coordination and collaboration.
The Strategic Framework of
Cooperation highlights the key priorities for food security and nutrition where
all four partners will work together particularly on the basis of their
converging objectives and mandates.
The four partners are
unanimously committed to an adequate monitoring and evaluation of the Strategic
Framework of Cooperation to ensure that it will genuinely lead to increased
efficiency and more importantly to improve the economic and social well-being
of the one billion people who live in chronic hunger.
Relief
International introduces “bob” to Ugandans
Bob was developed through Relief
International as an affordable way for poor households to collect and store
rainwater. The way it works is this: RI
staff members check up on clients, use field testing and focus groups to
continue to improve the bob prototypes.
While 266 Ugandan households currently have functional bobs installed,
Relief International hopes this number will exceed 1,000 by the end of 2011—and
spread to the rest of the world.
Ugandan families that receive
clean water through this revolutionary water collection system enjoy the
benefits of a rain water bag that not only utilizes natural resources, but also
optimizes financial resources. Bob only costs $54 USD, and allows women to
spend more time working outside the home, in roles that enable them to work and
earn money. Those who have benefited
from bob have found not only relief from long trips to water holes, but also
improved health and more time to use on other work – both in and outside the
home.
Relief International is a
humanitarian non-profit agency that provides emergency relief, rehabilitation,
development assistance, and program services to vulnerable communities
worldwide. http://www.ri.org/newsroom/news-article.php?ID=27
Ministerial-level
meeting to address drought crisis
Horn
of Africa to be focus of 25 July session in
21 July - FAO is convening an
emergency ministerial-level meeting on Monday 25 July 2011 to address deteriorating
drought conditions in the Horn of Africa and several other regions worldwide.
Organized at the request of
the French Government, currently chairing the G20, the meeting will look at
possible measures to address the crisis, which is affecting food supplies and
prices in several countries. The meeting itself does not intend to be a
pledging conference.
In a special report published
on 20 July 2011, the FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for
Technical background papers will be published on this webpage as they
become available.
http://www.fao.org/crisis/emergency_meeting2011/en/
UN
airlift arrives with vital aid for Somali refugees in
The giant cargo jet chartered
by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that landed in Nairobi brought
with it 100 tonnes of tents that are destined for the Dadaab refugee camp
complex near the Kenya-Somalia border. The airlift will support UNHCR's efforts
to help more than 430,000 Somali refugees in
Today's flight is the first of
five scheduled for
Somalia is the country worst
affected by a severe drought that has ravaged large swaths of the Horn of
Africa, leaving an estimated 11 million people in need of humanitarian
assistance.
UN agencies have asked for
$1.6 billion to pay for essential programmes in the Horn of Africa, but have
only received half that amount.
Save
the Children feeding malnourished Somali children awaiting registration into
Because of the overwhelming
numbers of new arrivals, many Somalis wait days or weeks in the preregistration
site and transit centers before they are registered. Save the Children is
feeding thousands of the newly arrived children waiting to be registered with a
simple porridge made from corn soy blend. This nutritious meal is crucial for
children and their parents who have little access to food while waiting to be
registered.
The number of Somalis in need
of emergency humanitarian assistance is now 2.85 million, or about
UN
welcomes opening of new camp for Somali refugees in
New York, Jul 15 - The head of
the United Nations refugee agency today welcomed the decision by Kenya to open
a new camp set up to ease congestion in the Dadaab refugee settlement where an
influx of people fleeing drought and conflict in Somalia has swelled the
refugee population to nearly
UNHCR plans to begin a massive
airlift at the weekend to bring additional tents and other relief supplies to
the Dadaab refugee complex, which is spread over 50 square-kilometre area in
the arid Kenyan region. Some 60,000 new refugees have arrived in Dadaab from
The airlift, starting with a
Boeing 747 flight carrying 100 tonnes of tents from UNHCR stockpiles in
Victoria's
Secret and Limited Brands Foundation raises more Than $200,000 for Pelotonia at
Supermodel Cycle
Columbus, Ohio, USA, July 13 -
Victoria's Secret and its Angels, Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel, Lily
Aldridge, Lindsay Ellingson & Erin Heatherton cycled away at the first-ever
Supermodel Cycle fundraiser held at SoulCycle in New York which brought in more
than $100,000 for Pelotonia - a grassroots bike ride that raises money for
cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center -
James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (The James).
Limited Brands, parent company
of
Horn
of
July 12 –
Over the past 12 months, the
rain season has failed in some areas of
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=11409&news_iv_ctrl=1141
By Ryan Hyland
Rotary International News, 11
July – More than 65 people in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, have a roof over
their heads after moving into the newly built Elizabeth Street Common Ground, a
facility that provides affordable apartments, mental health services,
employment assistance, and medical referrals to the homeless.
In partnership with HomeGround
Services, the city's largest homeless support agency, the Rotary Club of
Melbourne raised US$32,000 to furnish rooms in the facility. More than 40 club
members each spent 35 days last year moving and assembling furniture and
preparing apartments for the tenants. "This project brings the community
together in so many ways," says Philip Endersbee, 2010-11 president of the
The Elizabeth Street Common
Ground opened in August with 161 apartments on 11 floors, and a 24-hour
concierge. The initiative, based on projects in
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/110711_news_homelessprojects.aspx
That
is how much water DanChurchAid and partner, East Jerusalem YMCA – Women’s Training
Program have created for the Bedouins in the
8 July – 51 agricultural
cisterns have been rehabilitated for agricultural purposes (such as drinking
water for animals and irrigation of land) and 50 household cisterns have been constructed
to provide clean drinking water for the families, who are otherwise not
connected to a water network. The project has benefitted around 31,500
people around
The project has in large parts
been implemented by the Bedouins themselves as DanChurchAid (DCA) and East
Jerusalem YMCA – Women’s Training Program (EJ YMCA-WTP) have paid unskilled
workers to clean and plaster the, sometimes, thousands of years old cisterns –
a term referred to as cash for work. This has provided much needed income for
the Bedouin population, who are among the poorest in the
http://www.danchurchaid.org/news/news/24-318-cubic-meters-of-water
Nelson
Mandela International Day - 18 July
"We
can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a
difference." - Nelson
Mandela
In November 2009, the UN
General Assembly declared 18 July “Nelson Mandela International Day” in
recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture
of peace and freedom.
General Assembly resolution A/RES/64/13
recognizes
Nelson Mandela’s values and his dedication to the service of humanity, in the
fields of conflict resolution, race relations, the promotion and protection of
human rights, reconciliation, gender equality and the rights of children and
other vulnerable groups, as well as the upliftment of poor and underdeveloped
communities. It acknowledges his contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally
and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world.
http://www.un.org/en/events/mandeladay/index.shtml
UN and
national police launch anti-crime operation in Haitian capital
15 July – The United Nations
and the Haitian National Police (HNP) have launched a joint security operation
to crack down on criminal activity in key areas of the capital,
The mission sent more than
2,100 peacekeepers into the three neighbourhoods as part of the operation,
which is designed to help the Haitian authorities provide security and
stability for the residents of
MINUSTAH, with over 12,000
military and police personnel currently deployed around the country, has been
on the ground since mid-2004 after then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide went
into exile amid violent unrest.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39051&&Cr=Haiti&&Cr1=
Annual
report of UNOY Peacebuilders now online!
11 July - You can now download
and read our 2010 annual activity report, which presents our members, projects,
and achivements.
The United Network of Young
Peacebuilders (UNOY) is a global network of young people and youth organisations
committed to establishing peaceful societies. UNOY Peacebuilders is a
non-political, non-religious, non-governmental organisation that welcomes youth
peace initiatives/ organisations and young peacebuilders regardless of gender,
ethnicity, social class, religion, or any other distinction.
Groundbreaking
Holocaust study program opens for Israeli Arab teachers:
Recognizing
the historical experience of the Jewish people
Givat Haviva's Northern Branch
in Sakhnin has opened a fourth session of its groundbreaking program "Holocaust
Study: Recognizing the Historical Experience of the Jewish People." Designed to enrich the knowledge and
understanding of Israeli Arab high school educators regarding the Holocaust,
the course includes 112 hours of study and has been officially approved by the
Israeli Ministry of Education. 160 teachers from northern
The overall aim of the program is to
contribute to the creation of a shared society and improved Jewish-Arab
relations based upon the mutual recognition the historical experience of
"the other".
http://www.givathaviva.org.il/english/peace/peace-001.htm
Applied
Conflict Transformation course - skills and strategies for engaging with
conflict
24 –
28 October, Johannesburg, South Africa. Closing date for applications: 31
August
ACTION for Conflict
Transformation is a global network of individuals and organisations working for
sustainable peace. In
http://www.asc.org.za/eventsnew.html
Rotarians play key role in
By Dan Nixon
Rotary International News, 21 July - otarians are in the forefront of
the drive to implement
Turning the tide against the disease in
Rotarians assigned by the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee are mobilizing
Rotary clubs to provide support in the country’s four provinces. Rotarians are
helping to immunize children against polio and to raise public awareness of the
disease. Club members are working “to
cover every nook and corner of the country,” says Aziz Memon, chair of the
committee. “We are committed to a polio-free
"Aziz Memon is a participant in meetings with the president,
regional governors, and health advisers,” said Bill Gates at the 2011 RI
Convention in May. “Rotary’s in the room when decisions are made in Pakistan.”
Gates is cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has awarded
US$355 million in challenge grants to Rotary for polio eradication
efforts.
http://www.rotary.org/en/mediaandnews/news/Pages/ridefault.aspx
DNDi
launches new drug development programme to address treatment needs of children
with HIV/AIDS
Rome/Geneva, 18 July – Today at
the 6th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis,
Treatment and Prevention, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)
announced the launch of a new drug development programme to address critical
unmet treatment needs of children with HIV/AIDS.
Because HIV transmission in
young children has largely been eliminated in high-income countries due to
effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) interventions,
little market incentive exists for pharmaceutical companies to develop
antiretroviral (ARV) drugs adapted for children. The World Health Organisation
(WHO) recommends immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all HIV-positive
children less than two years old, but the safety and correct dosing of key ARVs
have not been established in very young children, and appropriate child-adapted
formulations do not exist.
Local
authorities take charge of water services in
14 July – The Haitian National
Red Cross Society (HNRCS) and its international partners have handed over
management of its water supply projects to DINEPA, the Haitian government’s
water authority. The HNRCS, supported by the International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the American Red Cross, has
finalised an agreement with the National Directorate for Water and Sanitation
of the Republic of Haiti - Direction Nationale de l’Eau Potable et de
l’Assainissement (DINEPA), the Government water and sanitation agency to
transition the provision of water supply, back to the authorities.
As part of the multi-million
dollar agreement the National Society and partners will provide technical,
material and financial support to increase DINEPA’s capacity to provide improved
water and sanitation services to the population, mainly within
The Red Cross will provide 15
water trucks and three desludging trucks and will support DINEPA with financial
support and training.
Uganda
free of maternal and neonatal tetanus, UNICEF reports
New York, July 14 - The United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has lauded the efforts of Uganda, which has
become the 20th country since 2000 to have eliminated maternal and neonatal
tetanus (MNT).
A UN-supported programme
targeted 25 high-risk districts in
In compliance with the UN
World Health Organization’s guidelines, the most at-risk district for MNT in a
given country must have no recorded cases for a specific period of time in
order to claim elimination. In 2010,
New
advances for HIV treatment and prevention
Amid
recent concerns over trade agreements preventing the manufacture of cheap
pharmaceuticals in
July 13 - The Medicines Patent
Pool, a project designed for drug makers to allow low-income countries to make
low-cost generic versions of HIV medicines, has had its first major
pharmaceutical company join—Gilead Sciences. While the pool excludes several
middle-income countries, it is still a landmark step for the treatment of HIV
and AIDS for those unable to afford expensive medicines. Out of an estimated 9
million people in need of treatment in low-income countries, approximately 6.6
million currently have access to treatment.
Further, two new African
studies released this week reveal that a daily dose of AIDS drugs among
vulnerable populations can cut the transmission of HIV by more than half. The
new study centered on people in
http://www.interaction.org/article/new-advances-hiv-treatment-and-prevention
A new
national Red Cross society for a new nation in
8 July, Juba - On the eve of
the declaration of
The South Sudan Red Cross will
be headquartered in
Training
for rehabilitation specialists from
July 4 – International Trust
Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF) has, in cooperation with
the University Rehabilitation Institute Republic of Slovenia (URI-Soča),
successfully concluded second training for rehabilitation professionals from
http://www.itf-fund.si/News/Training_for_rehabilitaiton_specialists_from_Egypt_357.aspx
Wheelchairs
for
At
Al-Hussein Society for the Disabled, a team of experts gathers every day to
produce artificial limbs and walking aids in the organization’s very own
workshop
July - Kareem Ziad al-Mufleh,
49 years old, carefully smooths the surface of a plastic leg and examines it,
his fingers searching for any imperfections. After his meticulous work,
artificial limbs, body and limb braces are lined up around the workshop. They
are destined to facilitate the mobility of people with disabilities. Since 1979
the non-governmental organization Al-Hussein Society (AHS) has worked in the
field of physical challenges, focusing on the rehabilitation and education of
the physically challenged in
The 200 wheelchairs delivered
by ANERA were provided by Hope Haven, which also provided 584 other
humanitarian aid items, including wheelchair parts and patient rehab items such
as walkers, crutches, and canes. The donated wheelchairs have been a great help
to Kareem, who was recently forced to do his job from a wheelchair after a hard
fall three years ago broke his leg.
ANERA is a leading provider of
health, development, and education programs in the
http://www.anera.org/ourWork/healthRelief/WheelchairsforJordan.php
(top)
U.S. Department of Energy,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Partners launch project to
improve wind forecasting
July 18 - Furthering the Obama
Administration's goal to generate 80% of our Nation's electricity from clean
energy resources by 2035, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S.
Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), and private partners today launched a project
to improve wind forecasting. More accurate forecasting of wind will accelerate
the use of wind power in electricity transmission networks by allowing utilities
and grid operators to more accurately forecast when, where, and how much
electricity will be generated from wind.
The Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP) focuses on
improving forecast accuracy for large changes in wind speed over periods of
time in the range of an hour or less, which will help utilities plan the mix of
electricity generators in operation on an hourly basis and ultimately reduce
costs. With better forecasting from projects such as WFIP, utilities can more
reliably connect variable power sources including wind energy with electricity
grids.
Ban
congratulates Brazilian-Argentine Agency for work on nuclear non-proliferation
“ABACC has made a very
substantial contribution to regional nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation
by providing for a sound regional framework for the application of
International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] safeguards and facilitated the entry
into force of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, the nuclear-weapon-free zone
encompassing of the entire Latin America and the
UN-backed
report shows strong performance by renewable energy sector
New York, July 13 - The renewable
energy sector has continued to perform well despite the global economic
slowdown, cuts in incentives, and low natural-gas prices, according to a United
Nations-backed report unveiled today, which shows that the sector supplied an
estimated 16 per cent of global energy last year.
The sector also delivered
close to 20 per cent of the world’s electricity production, according to the
report commissioned by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
(REN21), whose secretariat is supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
“The global performance of
renewable energy despite headwinds has been a positive constant in turbulent
times, said Mohamed El-Ashry, Chairman of REN21’s Steering Committee.
Global solar power generation
doubled last year compared to the previous year, thanks to government incentive
programmes and the continued fall in the price of Photovoltaic (PV) solar
panels, according to the “Renewables 21: Global Status Report”.
Globally, wind power added the
most new capacity, followed by hydropower and solar PV, but for the first time
ever,
http://unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=2647&ArticleID=8812&l=en
More
than 2 Megawatts of new solar installations expected, making solar power
accessible to businesses in the Bay Area without local rebates
13 July - The City of San
Francisco launched Solar@Work, a new program that offers solar energy systems
to businesses in the Bay Area through an innovative group purchase model. The
new program makes it possible, for the first time, for small- and mid-sized
businesses and commercial property owners to pay less for solar power than they
pay for electricity from the grid, without local rebates. This can allow some
business owners to save hundreds of thousands of dollars over the lifetimes of
these solar power systems. As the first major commercial group purchase of
solar power in the
The Solar@Work model was
developed by the City and
http://www.wri.org/press/2011/07/press-release-san-francisco-launches-solarwork
New
fund for livestock biodiversity management at FAO
Will
offer grants to developing countries
21 July,
The fund will provide
financing for individual projects submitted by countries in support of the
internationally-agreed Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources. The
plan, adopted by all FAO member countries in 2007, has become a key instrument
for the conservation and sustainable use of animal genetic resources at global,
regional and national level.
Innovative
selection process - Any developing country may put forward projects for
financing by the fund, which is due to become operational in September.
"The money will be disbursed on the basis of letters of agreement between
applicant countries and FAO, following an innovative, transparent and impartial
selection process led by FAO's Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture," says Linda Collette, the Secretary of the Commission.
Some 21 percent of the world's
more than 8000 livestock breeds are classified as at risk of extinction. But
since the Global Plan of Action went into force, countries' reporting on
breeds' population status is improving and points to a slowing of the reported
rate of extinction.
http://www.fao.org/news/newsroom-home/en/
CSE’s Green Schools Awards,
2010-11 - Once again, rural, semi-urban and government schools corner most of
the awards
These schools have taken up
rainwater harvesting, use of public transport, waste management and
conservation of energy as long-term actions
The awards are being given out
since 2006 under CSE’s Green Schools Programme (GSP). Under this programme,
schools across
http://www.cseindia.org/content/cse%E2%80%99s-green-schools-awards-2010-11
WWF
and UniCredit partnership leads to new company
7 July – WWF (through the
WWF-Italy Foundation) and UniCredit have created Officinae Verdi, the first
company in Europe to use a unique formula that combines finance, technology and
environmental sustainability to reduce emissions and energy consumption among
the public and businesses. The company will invest in energy-saving schemes and
renewable energy resources management, offering families, businesses and public
administrations the opportunity to reduce energy bills and CO2 emissions.
The company,which will start
operating in late September 2011, will have its headquarters in
Each of the three groups owns
one-third of the company’s shares. WWF-Italy’s Foundation will monitor the
environmental impact of projects, UniCredit will provide financial consulting
and products targeted to renewables and energy saving investments, and Solon
will provide technology and logistics.
An Energy Desk service will
lead customers through all technical and administrative steps including
planning, setting up, testing and energy certification of households and
companies.
Dilatato
Corde, An Expanded Heart: a new online journal of interreligious spirituality
by Leo Lefebure, CPWR Trustee
Dialogue Interreligieux
Monastique/Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (DIM/MID) recently launched a new online
journal dedicated to exploring interreligious dialogue concerning spirituality
and religious experience. The multi-language journal provides a forum for
interreligious exchanges concerning prayer and contemplation, spiritual
experience, and the spirituality of interreligious dialogue, including
contemporary personal testimonies as well as academic and historical studies.
The new journal takes its name from a phrase in the prologue of the Rule of
Saint Benedict, which invites readers to follow the path of God’s commandments
“with an expanded heart.”
Dilatato Corde, as the journal
is known, appears twice a year free of charge at www.dimmid.org.
In the Foreword of the second issue, dated July 1, 2011, editor-in-chief
Pierre-Francois de Bethune, OSB, considers the significance of the twenty-fifth
anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace, convoked by Pope John Paul II
at
Some authors consider the
meaning of another religion’s perspectives for their own practice. Archbishop
Michael Fitzgerald, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Arab Republic of Egypt and the
Delegate to the League of Arab States, reflects on the significance for
Christians of Muslim veneration of the Ninety-nine Most Beautiful Names of God.
Fitzgerald notes texts from the Qur’an and the Bible that may be conducive to
prayer, exploring both the Qur’anic context of the Beautiful Names of God and
analogies in the Hebrew Bible, and then offering a Christian reflection in
light of the New Testament. Richard Zeikowitz ponders the significance of the
teachings of the Rule of Saint Benedict in light of his personal experiences of
Tibetan Buddhist and Christian monasticism.
DIM/MID is an international
organization of Catholic monastics involved in dialogue with the spiritual and
monastic traditions of the world’s religions. For more than half a century,
Catholic monastics have been pioneering and developing new forms of spiritual
encounter and interreligious dialogue with monastics and practitioners of other
religious traditions. (...)
http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/news/
An
ecumenical statement on appropriate missionary conduct
28 June - The World Council of
Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance, and the Pontifical Council for
Interreligious Dialogue have issued a joint statement on appropriate missionary
conduct entitled “Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious
World: Recommendations for Conduct.”
These three bodies joined together to respond to the increasing
interreligious tensions and conflicts in the world today in which Christians
are sometimes involved, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, either as those
who are persecuted or as those participating in violence,
The statement is the result of
a five-year process. It was finalized at a meeting of the third (inter-Christian) consultation that was
held in
A Feature Story from the World
Council of Church's news service is available on this link.
http://www.dimmid.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={5AE743CF-7345-4D94-960E-6E04D5DBB49E}
The
Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations™ -
Endorsed
and supported by Permanent Missions to the United Nations and affiliated NGOs
The Youth Assembly (YA)
demonstrates what committed, global youth leaders can and have accomplished in
support of the MDGs. Each year the reviews grow stronger in appreciation for
what the Youth Assembly offers and what it proves we can all do together.
The program will include:
plenary sessions, workshops, round table discussions, networking; renowned
speakers and expert workshop facilitators; young leaders from around the world.
Participants will focus on Youth-Led Development toward the success of the
Millennium Development Goals. They will
engage in discussions and workshops with specialists on issues pertaining to
the eight goals.
The Youth Assembly shows how
one person can make a difference by engaging with present-day challenges
through education and active citizen diplomacy. It provides avenues for
students and young professionals to learn about and become involved with
programs that address the global issues resonant in the MDGs, network among the
large, international delegate presence, and become engaged and empowered to
take leadership roles in their home communities.
Awards will be assigned to a
selection of candidates for Youth Achievement Recognition by the 9th Annual
Youth Assembly at the United Nations. All candidates are 16-18 year old Youth
Achievers who have contributed to humanitarian service or the success of the 8
UN Millennium Development Goals.
Previous Assembly, the 8th
Annual Youth Assembly, January 20-21 2011 by the numbers: 40+ countries
represented • 600+ attended (over registered 3rd year in a row) • 35+ Missions
endorsed or visited. One of the participants, Andrew Septimus, Algae Systems
(Biodiversity, startup social enterprise) wrote: "The participants at the Youth Assembly are exceptional. You could
witness faces shining with inspiration and minds racing with deep thoughts when
enlightened and challenged with new ideas that benefit the global community.
The energy that was created was mirrored off each participant creating a
brilliant glow in an exciting environment that promises action."
http://www.faf.org/unyouthassembly/ya_home.htm
In
New York, July 21 - After
breaking the world record for the number of people dribbling soccer balls last
week, children at the United Nations-organized summer games in Gaza today set
another record by creating the largest ever hand painting, a 5,620-square metre
mosaic of handprints on canvas.
The previous record of
hand-painted impressions stood at 4,355-square metres.
More than 5,000 children,
including some with disabilities, took part in the hand painting competition as
part of the annual six-week summer games organized by the UN Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The printed canvas was
unveiled at the Khan Younis stadium in southern
“I had no doubt that the children of
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39110&Cr=gaza&Cr1=
“Teacher
training in climate change education is in its infancy”
(EduInfo, July/August) In advance of the tenth anniversary of the
Rio Earth Summit (
"What does the new
Teacher Education Course on Climate Change Education for Sustainable
Development (CCESD) hope to achieve?"
Fumiyo: "In a nutshell,
the course is designed to give teachers confidence in facilitating CCESD inside and outside the classroom so
that they can help young people understand the causes and consequences of
climate change, bring about changes in attitudes and behaviors to reduce the severity of future climate change, and
build resilience in the face of climate
change that are already present." - Full interview on the web site:
Another
nine historic sites added to UN World Heritage list
UNESCO said the newest
entrants are: the ancient villages of northern Syria; the cultural sites of Al
Ain in the United Arab Emirates; the Persian Garden in Iran, the cultural
landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana in Spain; the pile dwellings in the
European Alps; Selimiye Mosque in Turkey; the Konso cultural landscape in
Ethiopia; Fort Jesus in Kenya; and the citadel of the Ho Dynasty in Viet Nam.
A total of 35 nominated sites
are being reviewed by the World Heritage Committee, which is holding its 35th
session at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, to determine whether they should be
added to the <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list>World
Heritage List.
* * * * * * *
(top)
Next
issue, after the August break: 9 September 2011.
Good News Agency is published in English
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