Good News Agency – Year II, n° 10
Weekly - Year II,
number 10 – 25 May 2001
Managing Editor:
Sergio Tripi, Ph. D.
Rome Law-court
registration no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
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.
Good News Agency is distributed through Internet to over 2,400 editorial offices of the daily newspapers and periodical magazines and of the radio and television stations with an e-mail address in 41 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Finland, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, USA, and it is also available in its web site:
It is a free of charge service of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della
Buona Volontà Mondiale, a registered non-profit educational organization
chartered in Italy in 1979. The Association operates for the development of
consciousness and supports the activities of the Lucis Trust, Radio For Peace
International, The Club of Budapest and other organizations promoting a culture
of peace in the ‘global village’ perspective based on unity within diversity
and on sharing. Via Antagora 10, 00124 Rome, Italy. E-mail: s.tripi@tiscalinet.it
Contents:
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International legislation
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Health
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Human rights
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Energy and safety
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Economy and development
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Environment and
wildlife
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Solidarity
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Culture and education
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(TOP)
Corruption
to be central theme of UN Crime Commission meeting
Vienna, 7 May - Progress in
fighting corruption will be the chief focus as 40 governments and observers
convene here starting 8 May to review a number of issues facing the UN's
world-wide crime control programme. In debating the question, led by a panel,
the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is expected to set
the stage for preparations to negotiate a legally binding international treaty
on corruption. That process would require a go-ahead from the General Assembly
at its fall session.
The panel on corruption will
include experts from countries engaged in pilot programmes with the
Vienna-based UN Centre for International Crime Prevention. As background for
the discussion delegates will have analysis of existing instruments on
corruption, both binding and non-binding. Most of the agreements covered are
regional, with many disparities in terminology, actions to be criminalized,
jurisdiction, sanctions and other matters.
http://www.undcp.org/press_release_2001-05-07_1.html
Governments
give green light to phase out of world's most hazardous chemicals
Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) set for signature on 22-23
May
Nairobi/Geneva 9 May - An historic chemicals convention, which
many scientists expect will deliver a healthier world for people and wildlife
from the polar regions to sub Saharan Africa and Latin America, is set to be
signed this month in Stockholm by more than 100 countries.
Klaus Toepfer, the Executive
Director of UNEP under whose auspices the treaty was negotiated, said:
"Persistent organic pollutants threaten the health and well-being of
humans and wildlife in every region of the world. It is therefore vital that
after adopting and signing the Convention in Stockholm governments follow up
quickly by ratifying the treaty so it can enter into force by 2004 at the
latest”. Fifty ratifications are required to make the agreement legally
binding.
23 May – The agreement was
signed by 90 countries. Canada ratified it two hours after the signing. The
Convention defines quotas for the production, import /export and use of the
twelve most Persistent Organic Pollutants.
http://www.unep.org/Documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=201&ArticleID=2822
BRUSSELS,
Belgium, May 9 - The European Union could cut its greenhouse gas emissions in
line with Kyoto Protocol commitments at an annual cost of under 0.1 percent of
Gross Domestic Product, says a study released by the European Commission. The
estimated cost is considerably lower than previous figures and will strengthen
the European Union’s hand in the global argument over the “affordability” of
responding aggressively to climate change.
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-09-02.html
Civil
society organizations have an opportunity to speak with one voice when the
Second Global Forum on Fighting Corruption takes place in The Hague, The
Netherlands from May 28-31, 2001. The Humanist Institute for Co-operation with
Developing Countries (Hivos) and Transparency International, in co-operation
with a number of Southern anti-corruption organizations, have drawn up an open
letter which will be presented to the second Global Forum’s plenary session of
Government Ministers on May 31.
Berlin May 18 - In the belief that every child,
without exception, should be assured the right to dignity, security and
self-fulfilment, delegates from 51 countries across Europe and Central Asia and
the Holy See, concluded an extraordinary meeting in Berlin today with a special
commitment to creating an environment fit for children in the region.
The "Berlin Commitment" outlines goals and
focus for further development of child-friendly policies in the different
States over the next 10 years. The conference is the culmination of a series of
consultations between governments, civil societies, NGOs, young people, UNICEF,
other UN agencies, the EU, the Council of Europe, OSCE and other regional
bodies, all dedicated to improving the lives of children. The continued
discussions in Berlin , in addition to the "Berlin Commitment", will
also result in a detailed report outlining strategies and recommendations for
action.
This is the first time that governments from Europe
and Central Asia come together and jointly commit themselves to further the
efforts of implementing the Convention of the Rights of the Child. To ensure
that all children are respected, without any discrimination, the active
collaboration with civil society will be sought.
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/01pr47.htm
(TOP)
New York, 14 May -The world's religious communities
must assume a key role in promoting children's rights and taking action to
ensure that all of the world's children are able to achieve their full
potential, Religions for Peace
(the World Conference on Religion and Peace) and the United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF) announced today.
The joint statement marked the conclusion of a meeting
in preparation for Religions for Peace's participation in the U.N. Special Session on Children,
scheduled for September 19-21. During that meeting, UNICEF and Religions for
Peace also discussed the importance of religious communities in the "Global Movement for Children",
a new campaign dedicated to building a massive constituency of people that
support the right of all children to grow up in peace, health and dignity.
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/01pr41.htm
(TOP)
FAO
raises agricultural issues at UN Conference on Least Developed Countries
May 13 - Food security and the
development of the agricultural sector in the world's poorest countries is a
major spotlight of discussion at the Third United Nations
Conference on the Least Developed Countries (UNLDC III) being held in
Brussels from 14 to 20 May 2001. Participating at the Conference are FAO and
other UN agencies as well as UN Member States and non-governmental
organizations.
Least developed countries
(LDCs) are countries with a gross domestic product per capita below US$800,
weak human resources and a low level of economic diversification. Agriculture
is the mainstay of most LDCs' economies, underpinning their food security,
export earnings and rural development. Currently, 49 countries with a combined
population of more than 600 million people are identified as LDCs…
http://www.fao.org/news/2001/brief/BR0105-e.htm#ldc
Lester Brown coins new institute to build eco-economy
Washington, DC, May 11 - The man who founded the influential WorldWatch Institute
26 years ago, Lester Brown, today announced the formation of a new
organization, the Earth Policy Institute. Brown says a new organization is
needed because "we are losing the war to save the planet."
WorldWatch, based
in Washington, DC, is a non-profit public policy research organization. Founded
on the idea that information is a powerful tool of social change, WorldWatch
publishes an annual environmental State of the World report, a monthly
magazine, does research, publishes in some 30 languages, and maintains a
working relationship with the world's major news organizations…
To effectively win the war to save the
planet, Brown intends to create the building blocks of an environmentally sustainable
economy, what he calls "an eco-economy." By definition, an
eco-economy is "designed to mesh with Earth's ecosystem instead of
disrupting and destroying it," he says. The new institute will produce a
book, "Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth," containing
detailed descriptions of the policy tools that can be employed, such as a
restructuring of the tax system that will simultaneously reduce income taxes
and raise taxes on environmentally destructive activities.
The Earth Policy Institute is online at: http://www.earth-policy.org/
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-11-02.html
IISD signs $700,000 agreement to conduct research project in India to
study problems Indian farmers face due to economic globalization and climate
change
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, May 11 - The
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has just signed an
agreement for a $700,000 research project to be conducted in India with
partners from India and Norway. The project will look at how farmers in India
may be vulnerable to the problems caused both by economic globalization and
climate change.
The project will construct a map showing
the areas in India that are most vulnerable to such physical changes. Maps of
these economic variables will also be developed, and compared with factors such
as poverty levels. The result will be a map showing those parts of India most
vulnerable because of their poverty, their climate, and their farm products.
Case studies of four of these vulnerable areas, and analysis of the types of
government policies that might reduce the potential problems, will then be
conducted. The result will be a better understanding of these linked issues in
India, some policy suggestions to deal with the issues, and thus a better
capacity to deal with the problems as they arise.
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/May01/11May0103.html
Prodi
articulates sustainable development strategy for Europe
Brussels, Belgium, May 16 -
The European Commission has published its long awaited sustainable development
strategy for the 15 nation European Union, to be submitted to heads of state at
next month's Gothenburg summit. Introducing the plan Tuesday, Commission
President Romano Prodi said the strategy would need "initial
sacrifices" but would reap "major benefits in the longer run."
The position statement has received a generally warm response. The new ones
are:
·
Cutting EU greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by
2020;
·
Adopting by 2004 an ambitious EU energy tax regime
with "full internalization of external costs" and indexing of minimum
tax rates to inflation
·
Raising transport biofuel consumption to 20 percent by
2020
·
Introducing a system of "resource productivity
measurement" by 2003
·
Decoupling transport growth from economic growth by
introducing transport charges which "reflect costs to society" by
2005.
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-16-03.html
(TOP)
CIBA
Textiles to co-sponsor UN basketball camp for kids from former Yugoslavia
Vienna, 7 May – Ciba Textiles
of Austria announced today that it will join the Vienna-based UN International
Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) as a co-sponsor of "Basketball
without Borders," a camp for young players (aged 12-14) from Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM),
Slovenia and the Federal Republic (FR) of Yugoslavia.
Nine National Basketball
Association (NBA) players, led by veterans Vlade Divac of the Sacramento Kings,
a native of Yugoslavia and Toni Kukoc of the Atlanta Hawks, a three-time
European player of the year and a native of Croatia, will conduct a basketball
camp in Treviso, Italy, from 29 June to 2 July.
http://www.undcp.org/press_release_2001-05-07_2.html
Prelude to the UN Special Session on Children this September
Geneva/New
York, 11 May – Calling the month of May
“a major month for children,” the United Nations Children’s Fund today heralded
the start of a three-week period during which four regional meetings on
children and young people will take place [Beijing from 14-16 May, Berlin from 16-18 May, Kathmandu
from 19-24 May and Cairo from 28-31 May], involving some 130 governments and
hundreds of other organizations. The voices of thousands of participating young
people will infuse all four meetings with unusual urgency and relevance.
All four of the regional meetings will serve as preludes
to the UN Special Session on
Children taking place this September in New York, at which UN member states
and their leaders will review progress on global goals and commit to a new
agenda for children and young people.
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/01pr40.htm
11 May -
The European Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday that it was giving Guinea 4.5
million euros to provide health care, water and sanitation services, shelter
and other non-food items for refugees and displaced Guineans, and to support
the distribution of food to both groups. Netaid.org, an organisation founded by
UNDP and Cisco Systems Ltd., said this week it was helping to trace separated
children in Guinea and reunify them with their families.
On 4 May,
WFP reported that it had provided food for 14,742 internal displaced persons in
Mamou, north of the border with Sierra Leone. The beneficiaries, it said, were
the most vulnerable of some 32,310 IDPs registered by the area’s authorities.
11 May -
The World Food Programme (WFP) is to distribute 430 mt of millet to just over
7,000 schoolchildren and their families in drought-affected Zinder, southern
Niger, over a one-month period starting on 15 May. Up to 30,675 people have
been affected by drought in Zinder, according to NGO and government reports.
WFP said on 4 May that the food situation in the region was “extremely
insecure”, with reports of malnutrition and still births. It said cereal stocks
were low and prices had increased by 50 percent in March.
Niger has
asked Morocco to help it make rain so as to end the drought, AFP reported state
radio as saying on Tuesday. President Mamadou Tandja made the appeal during an
official visit to Morocco last week. Artificial rain is created by spraying
salt crystals into clouds. The crystals capture water vapour and become heavy,
resulting in rain.
11 May -
Mauritania and France have signed two agreements totalling US $1.2 million to
support administrative decentralisation and help to provide drinking water to
the semi-arid nation, Radio Mauritania reported on Monday. Meanwhile, Water and
Energy Minister Kane Moustapha, inaugurated on 5 May 204 projects costing about
US $14 million to provide clean drinking water in regions heavily affected by
Guinea worm, a debilitating water-borne disease.
(TOP)
UNAIDS
welcomes landmark US contribution to international fund
Geneva, 11 May - UNAIDS welcomes the announcement by the US
government to contribute US$ 200 million to a global HIV/AIDS and health fund
aimed at fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
UNAIDS applauds the US government’s
leadership in being the first country to respond to the call made by the UN
Secretary-General at the Organization of African States summit in Abuja,
Nigeria last month for a global trust fund. UNAIDS estimates that US$ 7-10
billion are needed from all sources annually to combat AIDS in low and middle
income countries for an effective response to the epidemic. UNAIDS hopes that
this announcement will give significant momentum to the development of the
fund. The US announcement is particularly welcome in the run-up to both the
United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS, to be held in New York from 25-27
June, and to the summit of the G-8 group of countries, scheduled for Genoa,
Italy, in July this year.
http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/press/eng/pressarc01/UScontribution_110501.html
World
AIDS experts call for urgent action, say leaders must demonstrate financial and
political commitment
Mont Pèlerin, Switzerland, 10
May – Some 30 world class experts on AIDS have met with the Joint United
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in an effort to help shape the next
phase of the global response to the epidemic. The high-level private meeting in
advance of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS sought
to clarify global goals and targets under discussion by UN member states and to
set priorities in defining how to deal with AIDS.
“'There has never been a more
important opportunity for concerted world action against the HIV epidemic,”
said Gordon Perkin, Director of the Global Health Program at the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation. “There is an urgent need for a massive increase in
access to proven prevention and care tools.”
The call for urgent action
comes at a time when antiretroviral drugs are becoming more affordable in the
wake of commitments made recently by some of the world’s major pharmaceutical
companies.
http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/press/eng/pressarc01/montpelerin_100501.html
World Health Organization and Aventis announce a
major initiative to step up efforts
against sleeping sickness
Geneva and Frankfurt – 3 May – The World Health Organization (WHO) and Aventis
Pharma AG, the pharmaceutical company of Aventis, today announced a major step
forward in combating African Trypanosomiasis. Better known as sleeping
sickness, this deadly disease currently affects as many as half a million people
in sub-Saharan Africa, while an estimated 60 million people are at risk of
contracting the disease in 36 countries.
Aventis Pharma has committed US$ 25 million to support
WHO’s activities in
the field of African Trypanosomiasis over a five-year period. The project
involves three related efforts: drug donation, disease management and control,
research and development.
http://www.who.int/inf-pr-2001/en/pr2001-23.html
The
African Women’s Media Center (AWMC) will hold a five-day cyber training on
reporting on HIV/AIDS for French-speaking African women journalists from June
11 to June 15, 2001. The Internet-based seminar is designed to equip
French-speaking journalists with substantive knowledge about HIV/AIDS and
provide practical tips on reporting on HIV/AIDS in Africa. Sessions will be
live for four hours each day for five days.
http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=846
$100 Million Gift to Johns Hopkins University Targets
Malaria
Baltimore, Maryland, May 10 - An anonymous
donor has pledged $100 million to the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School
of Public Health for a 10 year effort to rid the world of malaria by developing
a new vaccine and drugs.
The gift will establish the Johns Hopkins
Malaria Institute. The multidisciplinary center will combine traditional
approaches with new weapons such as genomics and bioinformatics to take aim at
a disease that kills an estimated one million to two million people a year and
leaves hundreds of millions of others sick and destitute…
Attempts to develop a malaria vaccine have
failed. Research is underfunded, because malaria is a relatively small problem
in the developed world, the university said. Pharmaceutical companies have
limited economic incentive to develop drugs aimed at a market in the developing
world.
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria
Institute will collaborate with scientists across the United States and around
the world and with WHO's "Roll Back Malaria" program, aimed at
halving the disease's worldwide impact by 2010.
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-10-04.html
Secretary-General advances plans for International AIDS and Health Fund
Geneva, 17 May
- An international fund to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria
will be a major tool for economic growth in the developing world, UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in Geneva. In a speech to the World
Health Assembly, Mr Annan said that in order to encourage development in many
countries, the runaway contagion of HIV/AIDS, and other diseases must be
contained. "The devastation
wrought by HIV/AIDS is now so acute that it has itself become one of the main
obstacles to development," Mr Annan told the delegates of the World Health
Organization's 191 Member States who are meeting here this week.
http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/press/eng/pressarc01/WHA_170501.html
Leprosy: global target – 90% reduction of 1991 level - attained
Remaining endemic countries pose greatest challenge
16 May - The overall target, set ten years ago, for
the global elimination of leprosy as a public health problem has been attained,
the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners announced today. Those
involved in this effort hailed reaching this goal as a major achievement.
In 1991, WHO Member States resolved to decrease the
level of leprosy in the world by over 90%. This has now been accomplished.
To achieve this dramatic reduction of the disease
burden, the leprosy elimination effort has increased access to early diagnosis
and free cure in communities at risk.
The key force in the leprosy elimination effort is the
Global Alliance for the Elimination of Leprosy. Currently chaired by India, it
is spearheaded by the national programmes of major endemic countries, WHO, The
Nippon Foundation, the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations
(ILEP), Novartis and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development,
Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA) and the World Bank.
Created in 1999, this formal Alliance was the natural successor of a little
known, but highly effective, partnership actively fighting the disease over the
last decade.
http://www.who.int/inf-pr-2001/en/pr2001WHA-2.html
Expert Body stresses need for urgent polio eradication and funding for
global effort
18 May - The Polio Technical Consultative Group (TCG)
reported today that there has been unprecedented progress in polio eradication
since the World Health Assembly’s 1999 Resolution (WHA52.22) calling for the acceleration of polio
eradication activities in all countries. Since then, the global polio burden
has been cut in half, and the number of polio-endemic countries has been
reduced from 50 to 20. The TCG is the oversight body which sets policies and
strategic priorities for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
It is now urgent that eradication be achieved to
ensure that polio-free areas are not reinfected. This success also underscores
the need to further develop the policy options on when and how to safely stop
the use of oral polio vaccine (OPV).
During a special technical briefing, delegates to the
54th World Health Assembly were presented with highlights from the
2001 Report of the Technical Consultative Group on the Global Eradication of
Poliomyelitis. The report stressed that a US$ 400 million funding gap now poses
the greatest threat to the programme, with half of those funds urgently
required before the end of 2002.
http://www.who.int/inf-pr-2001/en/pr2001WHA-5.html
(TOP)
10 May -
An alliance of religious groups began a campaign this week to make California’s
50,000 congregations more energy-efficient and to encourage them to use
renewable power. Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown (D) joined Rev. Sally Bingham
in screwing in a compact fluorescent in an Oakland church and in criticizing
President Bush’s energy policies. Bingham said, “This is going to save money
and save Creation.” With energy prices rising, some experts predict
renewed conservation efforts across the country, even though the White House
has dismissed conservation as a core part of a national energy strategy.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/05/09/MN73268.DTL
http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/05/10/p1s1.htm
More new wind generating capacity than nuclear
installed worldwide for second year in a row - Trade group predicts 2001 will
follow trend as global wind installations rapidly expand
Washington, DC, May 10 - Worldwide installations of wind energy generating capacity
outstripped those of nuclear for the second year in a row in 2000, an
indication that wind is becoming a competitive player in today's power markets,
the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said today. The steady growth of
investment in wind farms makes it clear that deployment of wind power can be
part of the solution to America's energy crisis, according to AWEA.
Additions to wind energy capacity
worldwide totaled 3,800 megawatts (MW) in 2000, according to figures from the
European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and AWEA. Some 3,056 MW of new nuclear
capacity was installed in 2000, according to the International Atomic Energy
Agency's (IAEA) Public Reactor Information System. In 1999, additions to wind
generating capacity totaled 3,600 MW and additions to nuclear, 2,700 MW.
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/May01/10May0107.html
54
countries and 5 international organizations join in a worldwide exercise in
nuclear emergency management
Vienna, 16 May -- As part of ongoing international
collaboration to deal with possible nuclear emergencies, on 22-23 May 2001 an
extensive international nuclear emergency exercise will be carried out based on
a French national exercise at the Gravelines nuclear power plant located in the
north of France, near the Belgian border. The Gravelines site is home to six
pressurized water reactors, each providing 910 MW(e) of electrical power. This
exercise will involve a simulated incident at a fictitious unit on this site
with the possibility of an environmental impact. Participants may have to
decide on measures to protect the public based on actual weather conditions at
the time of the exercise.
The exercise is jointly
sponsored and co-ordinated by five international organizations, European
Commission (EC), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), OECD Nuclear Energy
Agency (NEA), World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological
Organization (WMO). The 54 countries participating worldwide will follow their
own actual national emergency response plans and procedures, using their own
emergency response centres, and will share information and co-ordinate response
activities.
http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/Press/P_release/2001/prn0111.shtml
UN sets up regional disaster management facility in
India
18 May - The United Nations system is setting up a
UNDP Regional Disaster Management Support Facility, based in India, to help
governments and communities in the region prepare for natural disasters,
mitigate their impact and promote recovery. Dr. Hafiz Pasha, Assistant
Administrator of UNDP, announced the initiative at the National Conference on
Sustainable Recovery and Vulnerability Reduction in Ahmedabad last week, an
event sponsored by the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority, the
Government of India and the UN.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
U.S.
Groups support new European electronics take back law
Washington, USA,
May 16 – U.S. public interest groups today applauded the European Parliament
which passed a law requiring manufacturers of electrical and electronic
equipment to reduce hazardous substances and to pay for the recycling of their
products. It is the second EU policy that requires producers to take
responsibility for their products when they are scrapped. The first law was for
automobiles. Until recently, few in the U.S. paid attention to this problem.
"Electronic equipment is one of the largest known sources of heavy metals,
toxic materials and organic pollutants in municipal trash waste," said
Leslie Byster of Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. "The new European law
sets high standards for producer responsibility and tougher requirements for
attaining higher recycling rates”. Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition: http://www.svtc.org/media/releases/ccc_51501.htm
EEB:
reduction of waste from electical and electronic equipment
The European Environmental
Bureau (EEB) is a federation of 134 environmental citizens organisations based
in all EU Member. Its aim is to protect and improve the environment of Europe
and to enable the citizens to play their part in achieving that goal.
EEB published a
new report entitled "Towards waste-free electrical and electronic
equipment", an EEB argumentation paper concerning the proposals for
Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and on the Restriction
of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronical
Equipment.
The document is on
the EEB webpage: www.eeb.org
http://www.eeb.org/press/EEB%20Proposals%20for%20Reduction%20of%20WEEE.htm
(TOP)
The
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation’s largest animal
protection organization, now offers an online version of its popular Humane
Catalog at www.thehumanecatalog.com.
A portion of the proceeds from the catalog, which offers a colorful array of
gifts and treats for animal lovers and four-footed friends alike, goes to
support The HSUS’ efforts on behalf of animals.
“Giving a
gift from The Humane Catalog is the perfect way to delight an animal lover and
help animals at the same time,” says Steve Putnam, Director of Business Development
and Corporate Relations. “What better way to show you care about someone while
making the world a better place for animals?”
Kofi
Annan denounces U.S. global warming stance
Medford, USA, May 21 - United
Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan sounded an alarm Sunday that climate
change "may well be the greatest global challenge" for the next
generation, while expressing the "concern throughout the world" over
the recent U.S. decision to reject the Kyoto Protocol on global warming. In a commencement address delivered to graduating students
at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, the Secretary
General singled out the United States as the largest contributor to greenhouse
gas emissions, the human caused pollution that leads to global climate change.
“Developed countries are responsible for most of the world's current greenhouse
gas emissions. And they are best placed, both economically and technologically,
to make - and help others make - the necessary changes,'' Annan concluded.
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-21-06.html
Eco-friends:
Ganga cleaning and Environment Education Programs in India
Eco-friends, a local environmental NGO, formed an “Alliance For A Responsible And United Kanpur” and launched a
campaign “Kanpur-2001”involving 5000 families to identify and prioritise top 5
problems of Kanpur city: electricity, road condition, air pollution, garbage,
water pollution.
Eco-friends makes the results
public through media and demands that white paper be issued on these problems
so that people could understand the magnitude of the problem and an action plan
be prepared to address all these problems.
Kanpur is the most
populated (3 million) industrial town along the river Ganga in India. 60 % of
the water needs of the town are met through river Ganga. ‘Eco-friends’protects the environment against polluting activities, in
order to assure more safe and healthy living conditions perceiving the clean
environment (clean water, clean air and clean surroundings) as a fundamental
and constitutional right of Human beings.
Eco-friends
Society, Post Box. 287, Kanpur-1, India
http://www.elaw.org/partners/ecofriends/notable7.htm
WWF has been working
with the women of Navakosobu and Korovuli in Vanua Levu in northern Fiji to help them
record their traditional knowledge of the weaving
plant, Eleocharis dulcis, known
locally as the softer, sensual kuta. Kuta has been used as a weaving plant for
hundreds of years in parts of the Fiji Islands but its wetland habitat is
becoming more and more marginalised through deforestation, weed infestation and
agricultural run-off. With the help of WWF, the University of the South Pacific
and various Fiji Government departments and agencies, the women have put
together a restoration plan.
Two Fijian
communities who have been working closely with WWF to restore the habitat of
their kuta, have discovered unexpected benefits from their action plan. “The
whole community has come together - men, women, old, young - everyone is
involved in the effort to bring these weed-choked, silted up ponds back to
their former glory”, said WWF SPP staff Penina Namata and Kesaia Tabunakawai
and said the project has brought the community together as never before and has
brought unexpected health benefits.
http://www.wwfpacific.org.fj/kuta.htm
Trex Company announces large-scale plastic
recycling plant in Spain
Winchester,
VA, USA -May. 11 -/E-Wire/-- Trex Company, Inc., manufacturer of Trex® Easy
Care Decking®, today announced the company’s participation in a joint venture,
named Denplax, SA, to recycle polyethylene at a new facility in El Ejido,
Spain. The other joint venture partners are a local Spanish company responsible
for public environmental programs in southern Spain, and an Italian equipment
manufacturer. The initial phase of construction has been completed and the
recycling plant has begun limited operations.
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/May01/11May0101.html
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Kiarostami’s
ABC Africa in Cannes Film Festival
The Iranian Director Abbas
Kiarostami’s film "ABC Africa" has been selected for projection on 12
May 2001 at the 54th
Cannes Film Festival, Films out of Competition. The 90 minute documentary
was filmed last year by Kiarostami on a project that assists AIDS orphans in
Uganda.
This was the first time that
Kiarostami made a film outside his home country. Particularly sensitive to the
cause of children rights as reflected throughout his film repertoire,
Kiarostami has won the admiration of audiences and critics worldwide. He
himself has been a member of the jury of Cannes Film Festival in 1993 and
received the Palme d’Or in 1997 for the film "The taste of the
cherry". He was also awarded the Special Prize of the Jury at the Venice
Film Festival in 1999.
http://www.ifad.org/media/events/cannes.htm
UNESCO and Felissimo launch “Continuous Connection”, an international design contest
Paris, May 10 - UNESCO and the Japan-based Felissimo
Corporation have launched a new international design contest called “Continuous Connection”, to highlight the connections between people, and
between people and their environment.
Held within the framework of the “Design 21” Programme, the contest targets young designers
world-wide who are keen to develop original products representing innovative
visions of the art of living in the 21st century in the categories
of Fashion, Fashion Accessories, Home, Home Accessories and New Essentials, which include tools,
items for the office, travel, food, etc.
An exhibition by professional designers and artists
will be held at the Felissimo Gallery in New York, from May 17, 2001, to
illustrate the main theme of the contest. Then, after the application deadline
for entries of August 15, a committee of fashion and design specialists will
meet in Paris to pre-select 100 designs for competition, 20 in each category.
Those pre-selected will receive financial assistance to develop their project
and will have to submit their final designs and models by January 5, 2002.
http://www.unesco.org/opi/eng/unescopress/2001/01-70e.shtml
Southern Africa: Education plan for San in
pipeline
11 May -
Over 80 educationalists, academics and delegates from various countries are
attending a conference to formulate the first-ever education plan for the
estimated 100,000 San people in the SADC region, the ‘Namibian’ reported on
Tuesday. Recent studies indicate that San communities have special problems
with formal education that are consistent across the region and that they are
in need of specific, targeted attention from policy makers, teachers, NGOs and
other stakeholders.
The
week-long conference at Okahandja, 50 km north of the capital Windhoek,
attracted delegates from Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. The aim of the
gathering was to develop a regional plan of action that “will meaningfully
address the challenges that San children face in the education systems of
Southern Africa”.
Election support project underway in East Timor
11 May - UNDP launched an initiative yesterday in Dili
to support key elections in East Timor through civic education and public
discussion of the constitutional process. The $4 million project will also
coordinate international and national election observers.
East Timorese go to the polls in August to elect 88
representatives, who will form a Constitutional Assembly. The Assembly will
draft and adopt a constitution for an independent and democratic East Timor. Before
East Timor can gain full independence, the new constitution must be endorsed by
the people. “Understanding the urgent need for this project to get underway
immediately, UNDP has sidestepped the red tape and is covering running costs
until donor commitments are confirmed,” said Sergio Vieira de Mello, special representative
of the UN Secretary-General in East Timor. “It is for this reason that we can launch this
initiative today.”
Finn Reske-Nielsen, UNDP Resident Representative, said
some activities, such as production of voter education materials, are already
underway. Last week, UNDP and the UN Department of Political Affairs began
training 60 civic education facilitators who will soon be deployed throughout
East Timor.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Cultural Centre a new symbol of tolerance in Kosovo
9 May - More than 200 guests attended a reception last
week in Kosovo marking the reopening of the Mitrovica Cultural Centre, which
has been restored by Albanians and Serbs working together.
The well-attended event demonstrated strong support
from both the international and local communities for restoring the centre to
its original splendour and encouraging progress towards peace building and tolerance
in the region.
The centre features two exhibits: an art exhibit on “Mother Teresa, Symbol of Peace” and a collection of work from artists from various
ethnic groups in Kosovo, including Serbian, Bosniac and Hungarian artists…
The centre is the first public structure in the city,
the most ethnically divided in Kosovo, to be rehabilitated by Albanians and
Serbs working together. Albanian and Serbian companies carried out the work
under the UNDP Village Employment and Rehabilitation Programme, with funding
from the European
Agency for Reconstruction and the Municipal Authority of Bolzano, Italy.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Canadian Government and UNESCO sign agreement to establish Institute For
Statistics in Montreal
Paris, May 18 - Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura and
Louis Hamel, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Canada to UNESCO, today
signed the formal agreement on the installation of the UNESCO Institute for
Statistics (UIS) in Montreal, Quebec. The agreement result from the decision
taken by the Executive Board of the Organization in May 2000 to accept Canada's
bid to host the Institute. The agreement governs the conditions of the
Institute's location in Canada together with the financial support the
Governments of Canada and Quebec are to provide. The Institute's permanent home
will be on the campus of the University of Montreal to which the UIS is due to move
to in September 2001.
The UIS is the statistical office of UNESCO and is the
international agency in charge of global and cross-national data relating to
education, science and technology, culture and communication.
http://www.unesco.org/opi/eng/unescopress/2001/uis-unesco2.shtml
UNESCO issues first ever proclamation of masterpieces of the oral and
intangible heritage
Paris, May 18 - The oldest opera
tradition of China, Japanese Nôgaku theatre, Sicilian puppet theatre, the
Andean carnival of Oruro, Georgian singing, Ifugao narratives from the
Philippines, the world of story-tellers, musicians and other mountebanks of a
public square in Marrakech, as well as the oral and musical heritages of
several African communities, are among the 19 cultural
spaces and forms of expression to which UNESCO today gave the title of “masterpieces of
the oral and intangible heritage of humanity”.
The proclamation of masterpieces of the oral and
intangible heritage of humanity, the first of its kind, was made at the end of
a 3-day meeting of an international jury of 18 members, chaired by the Spanish
author Juan Goytisolo, which reviewed 32 candidatures.
Four of the proclaimed masterpieces were presented by
countries of the American continent. They are: the language,
dances and music of the Garifuna (Belize, supported by Honduras and Nicaragua);
the Oruro
Carnival (Bolivia); the cultural space of the Brotherhood
of the Holy Spirit of the Congos of Villa Mella (Dominican Republic); the oral heritage and
cultural manifestations of the Zapara People (Ecuador and Peru).
Three African cultural spaces and forms of expression
have also been distinguished as masterpieces: The oral
heritage of Gelede, (Benin, supported by Nigeria and Togo); the Gbofe of
Afounkaha: the Music of the transverse trumpets of the Tagbana community
(Côte d’Ivoire);
the cultural space of Sosso Bala in
Niagassola (Guinea).
http://www.unesco.org/opi/eng/unescopress/2001/01-71e.shtml
Remembering/Forgetting:
writing histories in Asia, Australia and the Pacific
(conversations about the
writing of subaltern, indigenous and intercultural histories...)
July 5 and 6, Blackfriars
Campus, Broadway University of Technology, Sydney. This workshop will deal with
specific lines of inquiry, such as:
How to write decolonising and
post-colonial histories which disperse the binaries imposed by colonial
politics? How to write the violence of colonialism and decolonisation and its
fluid and contested remembrance? How intercultural histories might be
written?……. Remembering/Forgetting:
writing histories in Asia, Australia and the Pacific is supported by the Institute for Cultural Research, a
collaboration between the University of
Technology Sydney and the University of
Western Sydney and organized by Trans/forming Cultures.
The Trans/forming Cultures
research program explores the ways "narratives of the local" are
undergoing transformation - both in content and in forms of telling - in our
globalising world. Trans/forming Cultures examines the composition of
narratives, their circulation and frequent contestation within public culture.
On both an individual and
collective basis, narratives offer explanations for current situations, as well
as visions for the future: they shape how people make choices and decisions.
transforming.cultures@uts.edu.au
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