Good News Agency Year III, n° 3
Weekly - Year III, number 3
9 February 2002
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi,
Ph. D.
Rome Law-court registration
no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
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and education
First meeting to discuss
Draft International Convention Against Corruption
Vienna, 22 January - New steps by the international community
to fight corruption are being taken at the first meeting of the Ad Hoc
Committee on the elaboration of a United Nations Convention against Corruption
being held in Vienna this week. The Officer-in-Charge of the UN Office for Drug
Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP), Mr. Steinar B. Bjornsson, told delegates
that the meeting was the beginning of a historic process in the fight against
corruption. He reminded them that the task ahead is to equip the world with a
broad, comprehensive, functional and effective international instrument which
will strengthen the existing capacity of countries to counter corruption and
create that capacity for those countries which do not yet possess it.
The Ad Hoc Committee
(meeting from 21 January - 1 February 2002) is now considering the first draft
of a Convention against Corruption which derives from a wide range of proposals
from Member States which were discussed at the Informal Preparatory Meeting of
the Ad Hoc Committee for the Negotiation of a Convention against Corruption,
held in Buenos Aires from 4-7 December 2001. (
)
http://www.undcp.org/press_release_2002-01-22_1.html
Albania moves to tighten
controls on small arms
6 February - Albania is
shifting from collecting small arms to controlling them, Deputy Prime Minister
Skender Gjinushi told a recent international workshop on human security and
weapons control organized by UNDP and the Albanian Atlantic Association. A new
UNDP project will support these efforts. Mr. Gjinushi said the government had
retrieved one third of the weapons looted from government arsenals in 1997, and
more than 100,000 weapons have been destroyed. Illegal arms are no longer shown
off in public and illegal weapons possession has been reduced considerably, he
added.
Albanians still hold hundreds
of thousands of military arms and thousands of tons of explosives, and the
workshop discussed how to reduce this threat to public order and human
security. (
)
UNDP has actively supported
the government's efforts to collect illegal arms and explosives since 1998.(
)
The new UNDP project will focus on three regions (
) The European Union,
Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden are providing co-financing for the US$3.5
million budget.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
At fortieth session,
Commission for Social Development to consider integration of social, economic
policy, 11-21 February
6 February The Commission
for Social Development will hold its fortieth session from 11 to 21 February at Headquarters in New
York. During its current two-week session the Commission will consider the
priority theme, "Integration of social and economic policy," focusing
on its three main topics of discussion:
social aspects of macroeconomic policies; social assessment as a policy
tool; and expenditures in the social sector as a productive factor. Under the agenda item on the review of
United Nations plans and programmes pertaining to the situation of particular
social groups, the Commission is also scheduled to take up the outcome of the
second session of the Preparatory Committee for the Second World Assembly on
Ageing and the report of the Special Rapporteur on Disability. As it begins its consideration of its main
theme on Monday morning, the Commission will hold a high-level governmental and
expert panel discussion on these issues.
It will also have before it a related report of the
Secretary-General.(
)
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/dev2372.doc.htm
African NGOs, fearing impact of structural adjustment
programmes, adopt Cairo Declaration for food security
Cairo, 5 February (FAO) - Heads of 30 African
non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations (NGOs/CSOs)
concluded a two-day consultation held in parallel to the twenty-second Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Conference for Africa (4-8 February).
(
) The NGOs/CSOs consultation produced a Cairo Declaration on Food Security in
Africa and a detailed plan of action aimed at translating previous political
commitments into concrete actions to promote food security in order to reduce
poverty in Africa.
The plan of action identifies as priorities the
achievement of food sovereignty and the right to adequate food; effective
models of agricultural production; peace, democracy and good governance;
programmes to curb the growing HIV/AIDS threat; public health; gender equality;
financing for agriculture; and the improvement of rural infrastructures. (
)
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/sag97.doc.htm
IFAD to Support
the Western Uplands Poverty Alleviation Project in the Kingdom of Nepal
Rome, 5
February A USD 32.6 million project
in the Kingdom of Nepal The Western Uplands Poverty Alleviation
Project will receive
a USD20 million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD). A financing agreement was signed today in Nepal, by His Excellency, Mr.
Bimal Prasad Koirala, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Nepal and Mr.
Phrang Roy, Director of the Asia and Pacific Division of the Fund. The programme will operate in the Western Uplands of Nepal, a remote and harsh area
with low rainfall and very poor access. (
) The project will cover 11 districts
in the far and mid-western development regions. By its close, in 11 years
time, it is expected to have helped 115,000 households. (
)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2002/05-02.htm
Leader
of 2002 Johannesburg Summit challenges business to become full partner in
sustainable development
World Summit Secretary-General Nitin Desai
calls on governments and advocates to forge partnerships with corporate sector
4 February Speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in New York,
Nitin Desai, Secretary-General of the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable
Development, today called on major corporations around the world to
dramatically increase their involvement in sustainable development
initiatives.
Sustainable development, he
said, is an approach to managing the worlds resources that integrates
economic, social, and environmental decision-making to improve the quality of
life of people today while preserving natural resources for future
generations. Mr. Desais remarks were
made as part of a World Economic Forum meeting held to examine progress made
since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, and discuss goals for the upcoming
Johannesburg Summit, to be held from 26 August to 4 September 2002.(
)
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/dev2369.doc.htm
4 February - Gearheads have
reason to feel smug about their Patagonia fleeces these days. Once again,
the company appears among Fortune Magazine's top 100 places to work in the U.S.
-- and this time it moved up 17 places in the rankings, to number 41. The
company sold $223 million worth of outdoor gear last year, but it's not just
the money that's green: Patagonia offers its workers everything from
financial rewards for buying eco-friendly cars to two months paid leave for
working for an environmental nonprofit to organic food in its cafeterias.
Plus the company pledges 1 percent of sales or 10 percent of pretax profits --
whichever is higher -- to conservation efforts. To top it all off, the California-based
company offers on-site childcare, flexible work schedules, and yoga and surfing
classes.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-000008837feb04.story?coll=la-news-science
Viet Nam embarks on E-Trade Bridge to boost trade
4 February - Viet Nam has launched E-Trade Bridge, an
innovative programme designed by the Geneva-based International
Trade Centre (ITC) to help small and medium-sized businesses in developing countries
harness the Internet and other new technologies to boost international trade.
The initiative is part of Viet Nam's broader trade
promotion strategy, supported by UNDP, which aims to increase merchandise
exports by at least 14 per cent a year to reach $50 billion by 2010.
The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) is carrying it out in cooperation with ITC and the Swiss Import Promotion Organization, with financial support from the Government of
Switzerland. (
)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Tobin or Not Tobin?
It was the main theme on the
Financial Capital Controls conference
By
Satya Sivaraman
3 February - It is
a tax whose time may have finally come and one that a significant portion of
the anti-globalisation movement swears by. And yet the proposal for a Tobin
Tax, which would be levied on global financial transactions, continues to
generate strong debate - not so much over its practicability as over its real
effectiveness in curbing the various ills associated with globalisation
today.(
)
Leading the charge
for implementation of the Tobin Tax was Dominique Plihon, French economist and
leading member of the Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions
for the Aid of Citizens (ATTAC). Pointing to the way the Tobin tax, in just the
past few years, has made strong inroads into French and European political
debate, he said that the tax was 'not a panacea' but its implementation will be
a very important first step in combating the problems created worldwide by
neo-liberal economic policies.
Within the past
few years ATTAC and other organisations supporting the Tobin Tax have managed
to get politicians across the world, particularly in Europe and Canada, to
bring the measure up for serious debate and push for its immediate
implementation. (
)
Equator Initiative seeks nominations for tropical
biodiversity awards
1 February - The Equator Initiative, an innovative programme launched Wednesday by UNDP
and several partners, is seeking nominations for five awards recognizing
extraordinary accomplishments in reducing poverty through conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity in the equatorial belt. The Equator Initiative
is designed to support the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg and the Convention on Biological
Diversity. Through recognition of local achievements, fostering South-South
capacity building, and contributing to generating and sharing of knowledge, the
programme aims to promote a worldwide movement that links efforts to reduce
poverty and conserve biodiversity across the tropics.
Partnering with UNDP in the initiative are the
Government of Canada, the International
Development Research Centre and the United Nations
Foundation. BrasilConnects and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives supported launch, attended by 450 development and
environmental leaders and ambassadors from around the world at the Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum in New York City. (
)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Jordan women's co-op protects Ajloun forest and
changes lives
31 January - The Women's Cooperative of Jabal Al
Akhdar and Khshaibeh, two villages in northern Jordan, is taking a pioneering
path leading to bigger roles in decision-making, new income earning
opportunities and more protection for the area's endangered Ajloun forest.
A $31,000 grant from the UNDP
Global Environmental Facility SGP (Small Grants Programme) has helped the 140 members of the cooperative improve
their livelihoods and communities while protecting the environment. The project
is an example of activities the SGP highlighted at a side event on 30 January during the preparatory meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development at the UN in New York this week.
Since some villages still don't allow women to work or
participate in income generating activities "our cooperative represents a
step forward, not only supporting women as economic participants, but also
empowering them to be active decision-makers in the community and at home,"
said Jehad Amarat, head of the cooperative in Jabal Al Akhdar. (
)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
New York/Rome, 29 January - Dr Jacques Diouf,
Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), today
underlined "the important potential of agriculture" to help achieve
the goals of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in
Johannesburg on 26 August - 4 September 2002.
Dr Diouf, in a message to the participants to the
second preparatory committee meeting of the WSSD (Prepcom II) at UN
Headquarters in New York, that was delivered by FAO Assistant Director-General
Jacques Eckebil, stressed that agriculture, forestry and fisheries should take
a central position on the agenda of all preparatory events leading to WSSD.
"Environmental degradation and poverty are
strongly linked," Dr Diouf pointed out. Therefore, initiatives to reduce
poverty and hunger should be accompanied by good environmental management,
which can only be achieved if the needs and motivations of farmers are given
due consideration, the FAO Director-General said. (
)
http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/2002/2360-en.html
International Conference on
Financing for Development (FfD)
Monterrey, Mexico, 18-22 March
2002 - Organized jointly by The United Nations General Assembly and the
governing bodies of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO), is a process seeking innovative
ways to strengthen the financing of development and the stability of the global
financial system. UNIDO has presented three sets of initiatives in the context
of the FfD process: strengthening of productive capacities; increasing export
trade; promotion of foreign investment.
More info: A.DeGroot@unido.org
WFP will continue to help millions of Afghans recover from war and
drought
5 February 2002, Washington
D.C. - The United Nations World Food Programme today announced a new US$285
million operation to assist millions of Afghans beyond the current crisis. The
operation aims to provide immediate relief as well as to support the
longer-term rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan after three years
of crippling drought and 23 years of devastating conflict.
WFP is currently
assisting about six million people in Afghanistan. Under the new nine-month
operation due to start 1 April and continue through to December 2002 the focus
will shift from relief to recovery with particular emphasis on schoolfeeding
for education. It is estimated a total of 544,000 tons of food will be
required. (
)
http://www.wfp.org/newsroom/subsections/year.asp?section=13#
Liberia: WFP assists
victims of new displacement
Abidjan, 4 February - The UN World Food Programme
(WFP) says it completed on Monday the delivery of emergency food rations to
over 9,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled to Klay Junction, about
58 km north of the Liberian capital, Monrovia, to escape fighting between pro-
and anti-government forces.
Another 2,300 displaced persons were assisted at the
weekend at Sinje, 80 km northwest of Monrovia, WFP said. Sinje is also the site
of two refugee camps where about 17,100 registered Sierra Leonean refugees
receive regular WFP food rations, the UN agency said. (
)
United Nations, New York, 4
February - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has sent more than five
tonnes of emergency reproductive health commodities to Goma, Democratic
Republic of Congo, to meet reproductive health needs of the thousands of people
displaced by the eruption of a volcano last month. (
)
UNFPA has dispatched various
supplies needed to address pregnancy complications and reduce infant and
maternal deaths, in adequate quantities to meet the needs of a population of
300,000. They include emergency kits for basic personal hygiene, and equipment
and drugs for safe delivery and post-partum care. The reproductive health kits
have been developed by UNFPA in close collaboration with the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). (
)
http://www.unfpa.org/news/2002/pressroom/goma.htm
ICRC aid for the internally displaced in Jammu and
Kashmir
Geneva, 1 February - The current tension
between India and Pakistan and the military build-up along the international
border and the Line of Control has caused the inhabitants of several dozen
villages close to the border to leave their homes and seek refuge in safer
areas. While most of the displaced people are staying temporarily with friends
and relatives, several thousand of them are having to camp in buildings such as
schools, a commercial centre and a disused factory. After consultations with
the civilian authorities (
), the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) assessed the needs of some 2,600 families living in public buildings in
the districts of Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch.
On
the basis of its findings, between 25 January and 1 February the ICRC
distributed family parcels comprising food (lentils, sugar, oil), hygiene
products and blankets to these displaced families. (
) The ICRC will continue
to monitor the needs of the displaced, alongside its ongoing detention-related
activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/
Mauritania: WFP approves US $200,000 in emergency aid
1 February - The World Food Programme (WFP) has
approved the distribution of 400 mt of wheat to 6,785 victims of adverse
weather in Mauritania. The emergency aid, worth some US $200,000, will be
distributed in February, WFP said on 25 January.
Mauritania has been hit by drought since last year.
Then, in January, unexpected heavy rains and a cold front killed at least 25
people and 80,000 camels, cattle and sheep. Some 5,500 families were affected.
WFP plans to provide more emergency aid to the affected populations in the
northwest African nation. A team is due to complete an evaluation of their food
needs by 4 February.
Afghanistan: Reconstruction deal signed with
Uzbekistan
Islamabad, 31 January - An Afghan government
delegation led by the new planning minister, Hoji Muhammad Muhaqeq, signed a
statement of cooperation with Uzbek foreign ministry officials on Wednesday in
the capital Tashkent, a move hailed by a regional analyst in Pakistan.
"Uzbekistan can help the new administration in reconstruction by providing
expertise and raw material," Dr Fazle Rahim Marwat, a central Asian expert
at Peshawar University, told IRIN on Thursday. (
)
According to media reports, the two neighbours
discussed the reconstruction of existing roads as well as the building of new
ones. Joint operations against drug trafficking, energy supplies and he
construction of infrastructure by Uzbek engineers were also discussed. (
)
Rome, 31 January
- To assist refugees and farmers in the city of Goma in eastern Congo,
hit by a volcanic eruption on 17 January, the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) today appealed, in the framework of a UN integrated effort,
for US$1.25 million immediate aid. International emergency assistance to
farmers and their families could help to avoid serious repercussions on food
security and agriculture in the Goma area, FAO said. (
)
In close cooperation with non-governmental
organisations, FAO is preparing to help farmers rebuild their lives by
providing construction materials, seeds of fast growing vegetable and
agricultural tools to around 6 000 affected farmers in Goma and nearby
villages. With this help, amounting to more than US$ one million, some of the
worst affected families will be able to supply themselves in the next three
weeks with basic food. (
)
http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/2002/2420-en.html
New Tool for Engaging
Private Sector in Fight Against HIV/AIDS
New York, 2 February -
UNAIDS and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have created a new tool to help the
private sector find innovative HIV/AIDS partnership opportunities in developing
countries. Known as the Partnership Menu, it provides potential
donors with a list of HIV/AIDS projects they can sponsor at the country level,
ranging from youth-friendly health services, to home-based care programmes, to
education for orphans. The first series of menus features Brazil, India and
Zambia. (
)
The menus are part of the
Global Health Initiative, which was launched at the World Economic Forum annual
meeting in Davos last January by UNAIDS, the World Health Organization and the
WEF. Its purpose is to engage the private sector in the fight against HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria. Forum member companies participating in the
initiative are currently exploring ways in which corporations can make a
difference through workplace and community best practices, resource mobilization
and advocacy.
http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/press/eng/pressarc02/INpartnership_0202.html
New York, 1 February - Two years after its official
launch at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, or GAVI, reports that its
goal-oriented approach to development aid could raise basic immunization rates
in funded countries by 17 percentage points and increase coverage of hepatitis
B vaccine from 18 to 65 percent by 2007, ultimately saving more than two
million lives, according to new data released at the World Economic Forum
today.
GAVI is a public-private partnership focused on
increasing access to vaccines among children in poor countries. Partners
include national governments, UNICEF, WHO, The World Bank, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, the vaccine industry, public health institutions and
NGOs. (
)
The GAVI data are based on the plans prepared by the
countries and partners in the 53 approved countries. Five-year commitments to
these countries total more than $800 million. GAVI partners estimate that this
investment could result in more than two million lives saved, based on current
data of disease burden and immunization costs. The projected results are
subject to change, both because some countries may not reach their targets, and
others may surpass them.
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/02prgavi1.htm
South Africa: Government under pressure to provide
AIDS drugs
1 February - Frustrated at the South African
government's refusal to provide antiretroviral treatment in state hospitals,
international humanitarian organisation, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and
AIDS activist group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), announced this week
that they were importing generic drugs from Brazil.
This, coupled with the KwaZulu Natal province's recent
decision to make nevirapine available in all state hospitals, has put
additional pressure on the government to rethink its current policy on AIDS
drugs.
WHO launches online medical library
Abidjan, 1 February - The World Health Organization
(WHO) and six of the world's largest publishers of medical journals on Thursday
launched a project to enable medical experts in developing countries to gain
access, via the Internet, to medical literature which they could previously
obtain only by paying high subscription fees.
The 'Health InterNetwork Access to Research
Initiative' will allow thousands of doctors, researchers, health policy-makers
and others to have access for free or at significantly reduced charges to
"one of the world's largest collections of biomedical literature",
WHO said in a news release on Thursday. During the project's first stage, more
than 1,000 journals will be available to people in 70 countries. The project's
second stage will target other developing countries.
The online project, which is expected to run for an
initial three-year period, is part of a larger initiative, the Health
InterNetwork project, which aims to strengthen public health services by giving
specialists access to relevant and reliable medical information. (
) WHO Director-General Gro Harlem described
'Access to Research' as a big step towards "reducing the information gap
between rich and poor countries".
Cameroon: IFRC holds regional meeting on Ebola
Abidjan, 31 January - The International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) held a two-day regional meeting
this week to review its activities in combating the latest outbreak of Ebola
haemorrhagic fever, which has affected populations in Gabon and Congo. (
)
At the end of the meeting, the participants,
representing six Central African countries, resolved to conduct information
campaigns to raise awareness of populations, particularly those living in
wooded areas in close proximity to animals. The six countries would also adopt
a training curriculum for their volunteers as the group feels that they play an
important role in education and prevention (
)
ILO and UNIFEM work on socio-economic impact of
HIV/AIDS
29 January - UNIFEM and ILO are developing a
collaborative programme on gender, HIV/AIDS and the care economy. The joint
global programme will address the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS, run for a
minimum of two years and focus on Africa during the first year. The programme
will draw attention to the urgent need to increase sources of social
protection, address income insecurity and improve access to health and basic
social services that could alleviate the burden of care, especially for women.
Research, training and advocacy work to raise awareness
about unpaid care economy issues will be conducted in four pilot countries and
involve employers, workers, governments and households. Support will also be
given to develop gender-sensitive workplace policies and programmes that take
into account the burden of care shouldered by women workers. A vision-building
workshop with global partners and stakeholders is planned for March/April 2002
in Africa. For more information, contact Stephanie Urdang, Advisor on Gender,
HIV and AIDS, at stephanie.urdang@undp.org
President of the
International Narcotics Control Board welcomes drug-control assistance to
Afghanistan
Vienna, 23 January -
Professor Hamid Ghodse, President of the United Nations International Narcotics
Control Board (INCB), has welcomed the commitment of the international
community to support the Afghan Interim Government in its efforts to rid the
country of opium poppy cultivation.
"By banning opium
poppy cultivation, the Afghan Interim Administration has shown that it takes
its responsibilities under the three international drug-control treaties
seriously," the INCB President said, "INCB will continue its dialogue
with the Afghan authorities to ensure that the ban is maintained." (
)
http://www.undcp.org/press_release_2002-01-23_1.html
1 February Long unhappy
about pollution from Britain's Sellafield nuclear power plant, Norway announced
yesterday that it would call for a binding international agreement to force
polluting countries to pay for toxic cleanups beyond their own borders.
The nation's foreign affairs committee voted unanimously to ask the government
to impose economic sanctions on the U.K. until radioactive emissions from
Sellafield cease. Traces of the radioactive compound technetium-99
originating from Sellafield have been found along the entire Norwegian
coastline. Norway's environment minister, Boerge Brende, has been a force
behind the effort to create a U.N. high commissioner for the environment and a
unified system of environmental treaties.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/14316/story.htm
East-West Innovation Forum -
Warsaw, Poland, 25-27 April 2002
Held within the framework of
the INVEST-TECHNOLOGY International Fair of Innovations, New Technologies and
Economic Co-operation, the main objective of the Forum is to facilitate
co-operation between partners from EU countries and their counterparts in
Central and East European states, in joint implementation of projects related
to new technologies.
More info: KLoth@unido.pl
Next Stop Johannesburg
The spirit of Porto Alegre will be
carried to Rio+10 in Johannesburg come September
By
Ranjit Devraj, Terra Viva IPS
3 February - Environmentalists
attending the WSF have a wish. They want to see the spirit and momentum of
Porto Alegre carried to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) or
Rio+10 in Johannesburg come September. (
)
In September serious activists
will demand that government delegates to the Rio+10 conference endorse the
treaty which cuts through all the hoopla surrounding gene patents to hold that
the earth's gene pool cannot be patented for the simple reason that it is not a
human invention.
The parties to the treaty,
expected to include signatory nation states as well as indigenous people, must
agree to administer the gene pool as a trust and acknowledge the sovereign
right and responsibility of every nation and homeland to oversee their own biological
resources and determine how they may be shared. (
)
Dublin, 31 January - The Government of Ireland is
providing new money to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in
order to help tackle some of Africa's most pressing environment problems, it
was announced here today. Ireland Aid, the government's official development
cooperation programme, will give a minimum
of three million Euros (equivalent to US $2,647,650) over three years to
support the work of UNEP in Africa. The money will support activities focused
in the areas of freshwater, access to environmental information, protection of
the marine and coastal environment and the conservation of biological
diversity. (
)
The new Ireland Trust Fund for Africa will cover the
following four priority areas: Protection of freshwater resources; Access to
environmental information for decision-making; Protection of coastal and marine
environment (with an emphasis on coastal and marine fisheries management); and
Conservation of biological diversity (with an emphasis on monitoring of land
cover, protected areas, and indigenous vegetation change). In all areas, the
work will focus on poverty alleviation and capacity building.
http://www.unep.org/Documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=233&ArticleID=3004
Ethiopia: Girl launches campaign to improve children's
lives
Addis Ababa, 4 February - A 12 year-old girl has
become the new face of a campaign to improve the lives of children in Ethiopia.
Leah Abebe, who is in grade five at her primary school, told a conference in
Addis Ababa last week that children are the future of the country.
The campaign - called Say Yes for Children - is an
international project launched by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
in April 2001.
"It is us, the children of today, who will become
the teachers, doctors, engineers, judges, and national leaders of
tomorrow," Leah told the conference in Ethiopia. "We require care and
support in order to become educated adults...Yet, in our surroundings, we
witness children being insulted, beaten, and abused. There are also many
orphans who spend their nights on the street."
So far more than 50,000 pledges have been collected
from schoolchildren in Ethiopia. They will form part of the millions collected
internationally and will be presented before the UN's Special Session on
Children in May - which aims to improve the lives of children worldwide. (
)
First batch of African
women graduate from ECA CISCO Networking Academy
Addis Ababa, 31 January - Twenty-six African
women from 16 English-speaking African countries graduated from the Cisco
Internet Networking Academy today after 280 hours of training at the Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The training programme, organized by ECA's
Information Technology Centre for Africa (ITCA), is the first of its kind,
based on the established curriculum of the Cisco Networking Academy Programme,
a global programme operating in more than 133 countries worldwide.
The programme is underpinned by three goals:
- To reverse the current unequal access of women
and men to the new technologies;
- To address the shortage
of skilled African human resources in new technologies; and
- To provide trainees with skills that can
produce high-income employment and provide entrepreneurial opportunities. (
)
http://www.uneca.org/what_is_new_home.htm
United Nations, New York, 29 January - The United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and AIESEC International, the largest global
student organization, have agreed to collaborate on projects aimed at raising
young people's awareness of critical issues related to population and
development, including challenges related to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. UNFPA
Executive Director Thoraya Obaid and AIESEC International President Sahil Kaul
today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to serve as the overall framework of
partnership.
The Memorandum creates opportunities for
cooperation both at the global level and within countries, where it will serve
as a basis for developing joint programmes to educate young people about issues
related to population and sustainable development; gender equality; and the
linkages between population, resources, the environment and poverty
alleviation. (
)
http://www.unfpa.org/news/2002/pressroom/aiesec.htm
Idea
#3514
I
am at fault in these thousands of ideas for speaking much too much of what is
wrong or should be corrected, what should not be done, what dangers are expecting
us. I should speak more of what has been achieved, what is so beautiful
on this Earth, of all the love and good that exists in the people, of our
enormous progresses over time, of the paradise we already are in so many
places. I ask for forgiveness and will do it in the next work I have on
my mind and in my heart, namely How to Attain at Long Last Paradise on Earth.
From
volume IX of 4000 Ideas and Dreams for a Better World by Robert Muller www.robertmuller.org
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