Good News Agency – Year II, n° 11
Weekly - Year II,
number 11 – 15 June 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 43 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, 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)
International Labour Conference to Explore
"Decent Work Deficit"
Geneva, 1 June - The shortage of adequate employment
opportunities is "the fault line in the world today," according to
the annual report * of the International Labour Office (ILO)
Director-General Juan Somavia to the 89th Session of the International Labour Conference, which meets in Geneva from 5-21 June.
In his report, which is addressed to Ministers of
Labour, employers and workers in the ILO's 175 member States, the
Director-General expresses "profound concern about a global decent work
deficit of immense proportions, reflecting the diverse inequalities of our
societies."
The decent work deficit "is expressed in the
absence of sufficient employment opportunities, inadequate social protection,
the denial of rights at work and shortcomings in social dialogue." These
failings provide "a measure of the gap between the world that we work in
and the hopes people have for a better life" and fall into four categories
[employment gap, rights gap, social protection gap, social dialogue gap]…
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2001/16.htm
International Organizations Join
Forces in Fight Against Drug Trafficking Through the Mail Network
Vienna, 24 May -- The
Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the United Nations Drug Control Program
(UNDCP) have embarked on a joint project aimed at combating drug trafficking
through the use of the postal service. Supported by two other international
organizations, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and
the World Customs Organization (WCO), the project will focus on the illegal
dispatch of drugs and drug-related money laundering operations through the
international mail network, particularly in Africa. The project, for which US$
300 000 has been earmarked, will assist 18 countries in East, West, and North
Africa to strengthen their postal control, inspection systems and cooperation
with law enforcement bodies. It will stretch over two years during which
postal, police and customs officers and managers will undergo specialized
training programs developed jointly by UPU, UNDCP, INTERPOL and WCO experts.
http://www.undcp.org/press_release_2001-05-24_1.html
(TOP)
Algeria:
Fourth series of visits to detainees
7 June – Under a 1999
agreement with the Algerian government authorizing the ICRC to visit detainees
held in establishments run by the Ministry of Justice, a team of five
delegates, including a doctor, carried out a fourth series of visits between 21
April and 2 June 2001. The team visited 11 prisons that housed a total of 4,904
inmates, including 39 women and 38 minors. The delegates held interviews in
private with 457 of them, including 186 arrested since summer 2000. The ICRC
doctor examined sick detainees and discussed detainee health and the quality of
medical care with medical and paramedical staff.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/
Guinea:
Over 600 members of the military receive instruction in humanitarian law
7 June – The international
humanitarian law office of the Ministry of Defence of Guinea, the Red Cross
Society of Guinea and the ICRC jointly held four seminars on the law of war for
170 officers of the country's armed forces during the second half of May in
Faranah, Kissidougou and Guékédou. The ICRC also helped the office organize
four one-day workshops on the basic rules of humanitarian law for 450 soldiers
and other bearers of weapons. A total of nine seminars and nine workshops on
the topic are to be held throughout Guinea in 2001.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/
(TOP)
Public-private partnership pilots to be launched
Powerful Group of Regional Leaders Will Guide a
Successful Project Implementation
A special meeting of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe’s Expert Group on Public Private Partnership (PPP’s) has agreed to work with governments to develop
pilot projects in infrastructure. The purpose of this agreement is to showcase
to countries in South East Europe and other transition economies the potential
of PPPs and to facilitate dialogue between the private and public sectors that
is essential for their success.
Leading experts on PPPs from all over the world
resolved to implement a programme under which governments will propose a few
infrastructure projects to the UNECE Expert Panel. The Expert Panel will select
one from these submissions. This will be developed as a pilot project. By
adopting this innovative method, the Group seeks to accelerate the delivery of
successful PPPs into the market place. The UNECE Expert Panel is made up of
businesspeople, project managers, bankers, legal experts and leading government
officials, and they will select the project based on criteria they have set
forth and to help facilitate the progress of the PPP into fruition. The UNECE
Group will at the same time ensure that the social and environmental objectives
of PPPs are encouraged and that principles of transparency, good governance and
fair business are respected in developing PPPs in the region.
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2001/01opa04e.htm
FAO announces new initiatives to improve food safety
and quality
Rome, 1 June - A series of initiatives aimed at
improving food safety and quality, following recent food safety incidents which
have caused serious turmoil in the world food markets and raised concern among
consumers, was announced today by the Assistant Director-General of the UN Food
and Agriculture Organization, Hartwig de Haen.
At the Committee on World Food Security currently
meeting in Rome (28 May - 1 June 2001), Mr. de Haen said: "Food safety and
quality have become subjects of increased concern for consumers, producers and
policy makers all over the world."
In collaboration with the World Health Organization
(WHO), the FAO intends to convene a Global Forum on Food Safety Regulators in
October 2001. The venue is yet to be determined. "The main purpose of the
Global Forum is to promote the exchange of information and experience on how to
deal with food safety issues of potential importance to public health and international
food trade," Mr. de Haen underlined.
http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/PRESSENG/2001/pren0135.htm
USD 20.0 Million IFAD Loan for
National Programme for Local Development
Rome, 25 May - A USD 31.3 million project in the Republic of Honduras, the "National Programme for Local Development (PRONADEL)"
will receive a USD 20.0 million loan from the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD).
The area targeted by the
project suffers from the risk of harvest losses due to a prolonged dry season
and uncertain rainfall; the household economy of the population living in the
area is based primarily on subsistence production. The target population
consists of approximately 700 000 people who are settled on hillside lands in
the poorest regions of Honduras both subject to severe environmental
degradation and at risk from natural disasters. Of the target population, the
project will focus on 15 000 families in 135 municipalities organized into ten
clusters.
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2001/01-18.htm
USD 4.2 Million IFAD Loan to
Rural Enterprise Project in Grenada
Rome, 25 May - A USD 7.7 million programme in Grenada, the "Rural Enterprise Project" will receive a USD 4.2
million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Grenada is a vulnerable small
island state. Much of the population live in poverty and are cut off from the
mainstream economy which cannot absorb too many external shocks. The project
will be able to replicate successful aspects of similar projects in Dominica
and Saint Lucia, build upon community mobilization work. The projects’
participatory methodology and its approach to promoting business are innovative
features that characterize IFAD support to development activities in the
Windward Islands of the country
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2001/01-17.htm
6 June - The executive director of the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA), Thoraya Obaid, and the president of Rotary
International, Frank Devlyn, today signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to work
together on population and reproductive health issues and promote awareness worldwide
of the social, economic and environmental implications of population growth and
challenges. The UNFPA and Rotary will cooperate on projects to address
development needs and the challenges of a global population that increases by
77 million people each year, mainly in the world's poorest regions (…)
By the terms of the Memorandum, the UNFPA and Rotary
will work together to identify local population and development needs,
especially in health, and seek ways to collaborate on them. The UNFPA will encourage
its offices to initiate consultations with Rotary clubs and districts in the
field. Rotary will promote assistance for population and development programs
by incorporating related projects into the Rotary International Projects
Database and by encouraging its clubs and districts to support public and
private funding for them.
http://www.rotary.org/newsandinfo/presscenter/releases/94.html
(TOP)
29 May – Divac of the Sacramento Kings, a United Nations International Drug
Control Programme (UNDCP) Goodwill Ambassador, will lead nine National
Basketball Association (NBA) players, including Toni Kukoc of the Atlanta
Hawks, a three-time European player of the year and a native of Croatia, at a
basketball camp in Treviso, Italy, from 29 June to 2 July. The event – "Basketball without Borders" ("Košarka bez granica") – will benefit 50 players ages 12 to 14 years.
Divac is widely regarded as
one of the greatest basketball players of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
He led the Yugoslav team to silver medals at the 1988 Seoul and 1996 Atlanta
Olympic games.
http://www.undcp.org/press_release_2001-05-29_1.html
Uganda--World
Bank approves first poverty reduction support credit
County
to receive $150 million in fight against poverty
Washington,
June 1 - Uganda yesterday became the first country to benefit from a Poverty
Reduction Support Credit (PRSC), a new approach to World Bank lending designed
to help low-income countries with strong policy and institutional reform programs
carry out their poverty reduction strategies. The PRSC provides the Bank with a
vehicle for supporting the implementation of the country's comprehensive
poverty reduction strategy, set out in its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.
Typically structured as a series of two or three operations that together
provide a comprehensive road map for medium-term reform, it is expected to
facilitate the alignment of donor programs with the country's own reform and
poverty reduction agenda.
With
today's Board decision, Uganda will receive a US$150 million PRSC to support
the implementation of the government's poverty reduction strategy, which aims
to improve the delivery of basic services to the population.
http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/news/
28 May - The African
Development Bank (ADB) has given US $500,000 to help flood victims in
Mozambique. The ADB said in a statement that money would be used to help
victims in the provinces of Zambezi, Tete, Manica and Sofala in the central
region of Mozambique. "The Bank's contribution will be used to provide the
necessary drugs and supplies for the prevention and control of malaria, cholera
and other water-borne diarrhoeal diseases. The operation will also provide the
necessary operational and logistic support for the emergency of diarrhoeal and
malaria control programmes in the most affected flooded areas of the four
provinces," the statement said.
28 May - The African
Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US $500,000 grant for emergency relief
support for flood victims in Malawi. "The objective of the humanitarian
relief assistance is to alleviate the suffering of the victims of the 2001
floods in the southern and central districts of Malawi. It specifically seeks
to prevent loss of human life and maintain the nutritional status of the
displaced population in the seven most-hit areas affected by the flood.
Eritrea/Ethiopia:
ICRC repatriates civilians from Eritrea and Ethiopia
7 June – On Friday 1 June the
ICRC, acting in its capacity as a neutral and independent intermediary,
facilitated the repatriation to Ethiopia and Eritrea of a total of 1,418 civilians.
The civilians of Ethiopian
origin, numbering 1,133 and coming from Asmara and surrounding areas, were
taken to the Mereb river, the usual crossing point between the towns of Adi
Quala and Rama. On arrival they were handed over to the Ethiopian authorities
and transported to Adwa in the 16th operation of this type since the beginning
of the year. Coming from southern and central Tigray, 285 persons of Eritrean
origin were taken to the same crossing point and given into the care of the Eritrean
authorities in the third operation to repatriate civilians from Ethiopia this
year.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/
Indonesia:
Missing children reunited with families
7 June – A small team made up
of staff from the Indonesian Red Cross Society and the ICRC have returned to
their families 13 children separated while fleeing the violence that erupted in
North Maluku province in 1999. The latest was a girl reunited with her loved
ones in mid-May.
Many separated children are
living with foster families. Since June 2000, the Red Cross tracing and mailing
service in North Maluku has received 80 tracing requests from families who have
lost children and a number of messages from those caring for children they have
found.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/
ICRC
to step up aid to Afghanistan
Geneva, 6 June - The
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launched an appeal for a budget
extension of over 10 million Swiss francs to cover the cost of an operation in
Afghanistan which will bring aid to an additional 600,000 people suffering the
effects of the ongoing conflict and a prolonged drought. The ultimate aim of
the operation is to prevent further mass population movements.
Activities will include the
distribution of seed and food rations to households facing starvation in the
particularly hard-hit central regions of Ghor and Dar-i-Suf. Tents will also be
provided so as to increase, if need be, the capacity of the camps in Herat and
Mazar-i-Sharif where most displaced persons are currently assembled.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/
Moscow, June 6 – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will
stage a photo exhibit entitled "The Fire Within" at the Andrei
Sakharov Museum and Public Center in Moscow starting June 6th, 2001. The
exhibit, to be inaugurated by the Prince of Orange of the Netherlands, will
feature the photographs of John Ranard. Printed by inkjet on large canvases
(1.8 x 2.75 meters), the photos chronicle the evolution of contemporary Russian
drug culture revealing the social impact of HIV/ AIDS. The exhibit will be on
display at the Andrei Sakharov Museum and Public Center until June 30th and
posted on the web at www.msf.org
Médecins Sans Frontières provides assistance to the victims of natural disasters, armed conflicts, epidemics, and social marginalization in more than 80 countries worldwide. Besides HIV/AIDS prevention programs, in the Russian Federation the organization is currently assisting the homeless in Moscow; displaced persons in republics neighboring Chechnya; the victims of tuberculosis in Kemerovo, Siberia; and the victims of the floods in Lensk, Yakutia.
http://www.msf.org/projects/europe/russia/reports/2001/06/firewithin/info.htm
(TOP)
$30 million contribution to UNICEF helps address major
funding gap
New York/Geneva/Tokyo, 1 June – The Japanese Government has greatly bolstered the
final effort to purge the world of polio by donating US$30 million to the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced today.
Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director, applauded
Japan for the donation, part of Tokyo’s traditionally strong support for fighting polio and
other infectious diseases. The contribution brings the total Japan has
contributed this year to UNICEF for polio eradication to US$40 million. Last
year Japan also made a donation of $35 million to UNICEF to support the polio
eradication campaign(…)
With this latest increase in available funding,
Bellamy expressed confidence that the 2005 target date for certifying the world
polio-free is still within reach(…)
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, spearheaded
by WHO, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, and UNICEF is one of the largest public health campaigns ever. Last
year a record 550 million children were immunized in 82 countries. Reported
polio cases numbered 2,857 last year, compared to an estimated 350,000 cases in
1988, when the campaign started. The poliovirus circulates in 20 countries
today, down from 125 in 1988.
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/01pr51a.htm
WFP
organizes first HIV/AIDS awareness training for its truck drivers
Addis Ababa, May 29 – The United Nations World Food Programme has started today a series of
innovative training sessions for its contracted truck drivers in Ethiopia to
raise their awareness on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STD). It
is WFP's first large-scale initiative in the fight against the spread of the
epidemic.
The training is aimed at some
2,300 truck drivers contracted by WFP to move relief food from the Port of
Djibouti to warehouses and distribution sites within Ethiopia. The truck
drivers will be trained on risk reduction and prevention methods to help them
avoid becoming infected and infecting their partners.
Although everyone can be
vulnerable to the HIV virus, which causes AIDS, some groups because of the
nature of their work are at greater risk than others. This includes for
instance truck drivers who in most cases work away from their families for long
periods of time and are presented with opportunities for high-risk sexual
behaviour.
http://www.wfp.org/prelease/2001/0529.htm
UNIFEM and UNAIDS target
gender inequalities in HIV/AIDS
30 May - The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Joint
UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launched a new cooperation agreement last week to try
to stop the alarming spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls.
Women constitute 47 per cent of the nearly 35 million
adults living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, according to UNAIDS. In sub-Saharan
Africa, the most severely affected region, 55 per cent of all HIV positive
adults are women. If women had control over their bodies and were able to
negotiate safe sex, the disease might not have reached such vast proportions.
For instance, a Zambian study found that less than 25 per cent of women believe
that a married woman can refuse to have sex with her husband, and only 11 per
cent think they can ask their husband to use a condom.
UNIFEM and UNAIDS will work together to raise
awareness about how power imbalances between women and men and other aspects of
gender relations affect HIV transmission.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
(TOP)
Telecommunications
Industry Launches Sustainability Initiative
Torino/Nairobi, 5 June - An initiative to improve the
global environment and support sustainable development by promoting business
practices and technologies that save energy, minimize waste and help bridge the
"digital divide" is being launched here in Torino on the occasion of
World Environment Day.
The new alliance, called the Global e-Sustainability
Initiative (GeSI), brings together some of the world's biggest information and
communications technology (ICT) companies and their industry associations and
is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
It is the first alliance of
its kind to involve both telecommunications operators and their suppliers who
have committed to manage their own business operations in an environmentally
friendly way and also promote sustainable business practices and technologies
around the world.
http://www.unep.org/Documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=201&ArticleID=2864
Residents in Kariwa, Japan, who live near the world's largest nuclear plant, voted on Sunday to reject plans to fuel the plant with recycled plutonium, known as MOX. Turnout was high, at 85 percent, and though the referendum was not legally binding, such a vote is rare in Japan and puts the government's pro-MOX strategy in doubt. Meanwhile in Russia, the lower house of parliament, the Duma, will hold a final vote next week on whether to allow the import of nuclear waste, which would either be stored in perpetuity or reprocessed into nuclear fuel and exported. The plan, backed by President Vladimir Putin, is expected to pass. Alexei Yablokov, an anti-nuke scientist and activist, said a poll released by Greenpeace last week found that 90 percent of the voters in Russia are opposed to the plan.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/579050.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/26/world/26RUSS.html
Italy: contribution for
ecological vehicles
From May 23 the public may
request a contribution for the purchase of a new electric, methane or propane
gas vehicle (even without trading in an old vehicle) or for the installation,
in an already purchased gasoline vehicle and within the first year its
registration, of a methane or propane gas fuel system. This contribution could
be as much as three and a half million Lira (about $1,600 USD).
http://www.minambiente.it/Sito/settori_azione/iar/mobilita_sostenibile/decretoiar_01_04_05.asp
(TOP)
Cashing in on hyacinth weed and
household waste key themes of Kenya's World Environment Day celebrations
Nairobi, June 1 - Some of Kenya's top fashion models,
sporting dresses and accessories made from recycled plastic, rubber and other
waste materials, will take to the catwalk on the evening of June 4 as part of a
week long series of celebrations to mark World Environment Day (WED).
The PlasticFantastic show, which will feature work
from leading Kenyan and European clothes, jewellery, hats, belts and bags
designers including "Alix", ETRO, Kiko Romeo and Penny Winter, will
drive home the message that recycling and re-using rubbish is one of the keys
to improving the Kenyan environment.
Klaus Toepfer, the Executive
Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) which is
headquartered in Nairobi said: " Too many people view the waste they put
in their bins as rubbish that can only be burnt or dumped at tips. The 'throw
away society' is a global problem. PlasticFantastic aims to alert the public in
a fun, provocative and entertaining way to the fact that these materials have
real value and that to reduce, re-use and recycle makes economic and
environmental sense".
http://www.unep.org/Documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=204&ArticleID=2863
Georgia: GEF grant to help
conserve biodiversity in Georgia
Washington, May 31 - The World Bank has approved
a Protected Areas Development Project in Georgia funded by a Global
Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund Grant of SDR 6.9 million (US$ 8.7 million
equivalent).
Georgia, a mountainous country covering 70,000
km2 with a population of 5.5 million people, is situated between the south
slope of the Caucasus Mountains, the east coast of the Black Sea and the
northern edge of the Turkish Anatolia plain. Forests cover 40 percent of the
country, largely in the Greater Caucasus Mountains (Georgia's northern border),
the Lesser Caucasus (its southern border), and in intervening lowlands and
foothills. Since the transition, unsustainable timber harvesting, grazing, and
game hunting have accelerated, and now pose a major threat to Georgia's rich
and diverse biodiversity.
The grant seeks to conserve Georgian
biodiversity through the creation of three ecologically and socially sustainable
protected areas, and to build capacity for mainstreaming biodiversity
conservation into the production landscapes that connect them.
http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/news/
Washington, May 25 - Humane
Society Press (HSP) announces the publication of "The State of the
Animals 2001," a landmark volume that is the first in a series reviewing
the state of animal protection in North America and worldwide. The 211-page
book examines how animals throughout the world have fared over the last half
century.
HSP is the new scholarly and
professional book imprint of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS),
the nation's largest animal protection organization.
Edited by Deborah J. Salem, Director and Editor-in-Chief of Humane Society Press and Andrew N. Rowan, HSUS Senior Vice President for Research, Education and International Issues, "The State of the Animals 2001" shows the gains and setbacks in the animal protection movement since 1950. Contributors of the book's 13 essays include HSUS experts on animal protection issues and distinguished scholars.
Transport Ministers examine sustainability
Lisbon, Portugal, June 1 - Transport
ministers from over 30 European countries plus USA and Canada met in Lisbon
this week to debate the many challenges associated with achieving sustainable
transport systems. The event was the annual meeting of the European Conference
of Ministers of Transport, a 39-member intergovernmental body linked to the
Organization for Economic Development
and Cooperation (OECD). High on its agenda was a report on obstacles to
implementing sustainable urban transport policies. Other discussions concerned
the economic impacts of introducing sulfur free fuels and specific problems
faced by central and eastern European countries.
Ministers based their discussions in part on the findings of a survey of
practices in 168 cities. A synthesis report of the survey will be published
this autumn.
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-01-01.html
New York, N.Y., May 30 - To celebrate the
work of young winners of the United Nations Environment Programme Global 500
Award, Horizon Communications and the Environment
News Service have joined forces to create a Youth Environmental News Desk.
News reports on successful environmental
endeavors written by people up to the age of 19 will be published and
distributed worldwide by the Environment News Service (ENS), the original
international daily newswire of the environment, online at: http://ens-news.com and featured on the at: http://www.solutions-site.org.
The Youth Environmental News Desk will
officially open on World Environment Day, June 5, 2001, with a monthly contest to
choose articles for publication.
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/May01/30May0109.html
Peru creates huge new park in rainforest
Chicago, IL, USA, May 30 - On May 22 the
Peruvian government created a 5,225-square-mile national park, thereby
protecting a pristine area of Andean rainforest that is bigger than Connecticut
and extraordinarily rich in biodiversity. The new Parque Nacional Cordillera
Azul - one of the largest parks in the world - sits in one of the last tracts
of virgin rainforest still undeveloped and largely uninhabited. As such, its
creation represents a major victory for conservation and the environment.
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/May01/30May0108.html
EEB: 11 substances to be rapidly eliminated from Europe’s waters
Brussels,.6 June - The EEB
(European Environmental Bureau), which represents 135 environmental citizens’
organisations across Europe, welcomed the decision taken by the Environment
Council yesterday to accept the European Parliament’s changes to the first list
of priority substances to be controlled through EU-wide measure, an important
first step by the EU to stop the release of all hazardous substances within one
generation. The list contains 33 substances or groups of substances, all of
which pose a major threat to EU waters. The Commission now has two years to
draw up measures for emission reductions and quality standards.
http://www.eeb.org/press/EEB%20welcomes%20phase%20out%20of%2011%20hazardous%20substances.htm
Argentina's first national coastal park created in Patagonia
Buenos Aires, June
6, 2001, Argentina - The first steps towards the creation of Argentina's first
national coastal park were accomplished Monday, June 5, in celebration of World Environment Day.
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-05-03.html
Success
Story: Mafia Island
11 June – Mafia Island Marine
Park, Tanzania - While 90% of the local population is dependent on fishing for
their livelihood, only a small minority lives off agriculture. Considering the
general sensitivity of the locals to their rich heritage, and the simplicity of
the fishing methods they employed, the ocean might yet have been able to
sustain itself and the community. When local fishing was accompanied by
dynamite fishermen from outside the community, the effects were disastrous. WWF
worked closely with people living in Mafia isle to help them develop
sustainable livelihoods and giving ecologically consciousness, so they were
able to restore the peace between conservation and commerce. Now Mafia island
is classified as part of the WWF’s Global
200 initiative – one of those rare and beautiful places that simply abound
with biodiversity.
Apiculture, once a cottage
industry, it is now being looked at as the next potential ‘Big Idea’ by
islanders. The traditional bee-keepers are now being convinced to incorporate
modern methods to increase profits, in the hope that such ventures will
encourage people to turn away from fishing towards viable alternatives.
http://www.panda.org/news/press
Zagreb, 2001,
June, 13, Croazia - WWF, the conservation organization, today welcomed the signing of an agreement by the
Government of the Republic of Croatia, that will significantly contribute to
the protection of the Velebit forests. The 770 square mile area of scenic rocky
landscapes contains some of the few old growth forests remaining in the
Mediterranean region.
http://www.panda.org/
Massive
Public Support for Europe to Lead Against Global Warming, Even Without the
United States
12 June – Results of public opinion surveys released today by
WWF, the conservation organization, show overwhelmingly that Europeans want
their governments to take the lead in the fight against global warming by
bringing into force the Kyoto climate treaty, even if the United States does
not take part now. This is an important signal to European heads of government
who will hold a meeting on climate change with US President Bush in Gothenburg
this Thursday, 14 June.
(TOP)
World Bank approves credit
to the Palestinian Authority for an education action project
Washington, June 1 - The World Bank's Board of
Directors yesterday approved a credit to the Palestinian Authority in the
amount of US$7 million for an Education Action Project.
The project primarily aims to strengthen the
capacity of the Ministry of Education to manage the education system more
efficiently through improved policy-making, planning and budgeting at central
and district levels. It is also expected to support the implementation of
activities in targeted domains derived from the Five-Year Education Plan
(2001-2005). This should lead to improved utilization of funding from the
budget and international donors and improve the sustainability of the education
system under present critical circumstances.
The project is expected to benefit school level
children and their families, through an improved education system with better
learning outcomes and opportunities, for girls in particular.
The overall project cost is US$7.63 million. The
World Bank's credit of US$7 million is drawn from the Trust Fund for Gaza and
the West Bank and is on standard IDA (International Development Association)
terms with a 40-year maturity, a 10-year grace period, and 0.75 percent service
charge. The credit is accompanied by counterpart financing from the Palestinian
Authority of US$630,000.
http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/news/
Learning Across Borders:
Capacity Building For Japanese and Other Asian Pacific NGOs
Workshop in partnership with Government of Japan
Washington
D.C., May 29 - The World Bank, in partnership with the Government of Japan, is
today wrapping up a series of four workshops entitled "Learning Across
Borders: Capacity Building of Japanese and other Asian Pacific NGOs". This
series of four day workshops ran from January to May 2001 and included events
in Tokyo and Manila.
This workshop series aimed to improve the
knowledge, skills, and organizational capacity of Japanese and other Asian
Pacific NGOs so that they can effectively support national development and
poverty alleviation efforts, particularly in collaboration with the World Bank
and other agencies.
http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/news/
Opening of a new branch of
“IFLAC Pave Peace” in Israel
“We
are going through hard times over here, with an uncalled for escalation of
violence. However, IFLAC goes on with its efforts to keep sane and moderate,
and to call for a cessation of the violence on both sides”, Mrs. Ada Aharoni,
IFLAC President, wrote to Good News Agency recently. “We are doubling our
efforts, and I'm attaching the invitation for the opening of our new IFLAC
Branch, which you may perhaps like to publish in the next GNA.”
We are glad to report that since last May the
activity of the new branch at the Writers’ House in Daliat El Carmel is
contributing to the development of a dialogue for a culture of peace.
http://tx.technion.ac.il/~ada/home.html
Planetary Vision Festival
2001: World Peace and Prayer Day, 21 June
The next major event connected with the Planetary Vision Festival is the
sixth World Peace and Prayer Day on June 21st, the summer solstice in the
northern hemisphere. World Peace and Prayer Day is a major initiative of the
world’s Indigenous peoples led by Chief Arvol Looking Horse, a Native American
Chief of the Dakota Sioux. WPPD was initiated in 1996 when Chief Looking Horse
called upon spiritual leaders from around the world to join him in praying for
global peace and the healing of Mother Earth and issued an invitation for
people of all faiths to gather at their sacred sites or at any appropriate
place and pray in their own way for this positive shift in our collective
global consciousness. Information on this important initiative is at www.worldpeaceday.com/2001
Plans are also now underway
for the first World Day of Planetary Ethics on September 22, 2001. The central
special event will take place in Sao Paolo, Brazil with a major conference on
"Business Ethics" and a Sunrise Celebration.
Book of “New Songs For Peace” being prepared for
schools
The project entitled "New Songs For Peace" is requesting
new songs that can be submitted for inclusion in a book that will be
distributed mainly to schools. This book will include approximately 100
new songs for peace. This project was created in response to the UN
proclamation of the International Decade (2001-2010) for a Culture of Peace and
Non-Violence for the Children of the World. All songwriters (even if they are
amateurs) will keep their own copyright and the songs can be sent to the
attention of Honey Novick at the Creative Vocalization Studio Suite 208,
707 Eglinton Ave. WEST, Toronto Canada M5N lC8
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