Good News Agency – Year IV, n° 13
Weekly - Year IV, number 13 –
25 July 2003
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. Editorial research by Fabio Gatti. Good News Agency
is published in English on one Friday and in Italian the next. It is distributed free of charge through
Internet to the editorial offices of more than 2,400
media in 46 countries, as
well as to 1,000 NGO.
It is a service of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della
Buona Volontà Mondiale, NGO associated with the United Nations Department of Public
Information.
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development
Solidarity – Peace and security – Health
– Energy and Safety
Environment and wildlife – Culture and education
United Nations Office On Drugs and Crime develops
model laws to help combat terrorism
Vienna, 8 July -- The United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC) is providing member states a new form of assistance in
bringing their national legislation in line with international conventions that
address terrorism: model laws designed to assist states in meeting their
obligations to counter the financing of terrorism. Within UNODC, the anti-money
laundering, legal advisory and anti-terrorism programmes have joined together
to produce the legal tools needed by States. An informal expert group, working
under the auspices of the Global Programme against Money Laundering (GPML), has
completed a draft of two such model laws.
Building upon the UNODC Legal
Advisory Programme's widely-used Model Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime
Bill (for Common Law systems), the first of the draft bills incorporates
terrorist financing elements to construct a legislative scheme covering
financial sector regulatory requirements, provisional measures (seizing and
freezing assets) and confiscation of terrorist-related property. The second bill implements the provisions of
the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism
and key Security Council Resolutions (including 1373 of 2001), and criminalizes
various acts of terrorist financing.
The two bills are designed to
work in tandem in providing States with a comprehensive system, adaptable to
their individual circumstances, which takes full account of the widely
recognized linkages between anti-money laundering measures (AML) and countering
the financing of terrorism (CFT). (...)
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press_release_2003-07-08_1.html
UN Convention against transnational organized crime to
enter into force on 29 September 2003
Vienna, 7 July - The fortieth
instrument of ratification of the United Nations Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime was deposited with the Secretary-General on 1
July. In accordance with Article 38 of the Convention, it will enter into force
on 29 September 2003. According to Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director,
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC): "With the entry into
force of the Convention, the international community will have demonstrated the
political will to counter the worldwide challenge of organized crime by
adopting a corresponding global response." (...)
The Convention is the first international instrument against transnational organized crime. By ratifying the Convention, States commit themselves to adopting a series of crime-control measures, including the criminalization of participation in an organized criminal group, money-laundering, corruption, and obstruction of justice; extradition laws; mutual legal assistance; administrative and regulatory controls; law-enforcement; victim protection; and crime-prevention measures.
At a High-level Political
Signing Conference, held from 12 to 16 December 2000 in Palermo, Italy, the
Convention received an unprecedented number of signatures by 123 Member States;
24 more countries signed soon after. (...)
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press_release_2003-07-07_1.html
ILO
Body updates minimum wage for seafarers
Geneva, 8 July (ILO News) – A
Sub-Committee of the Joint Maritime Commission (JMC) of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
today agreed to extend the validity of the current ILO minimum wage for
seafarers of $465 to 31 December 2004. That figure became applicable on 1
January 2003. It also agreed to increase this minimum wage to $500 effective 1
January 2005
The mechanism for setting the
minimum wage for able seafarers is provided for by the ILO Seafarers' Wages,
Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Recommendation, 1996 (No. 187). The ILO minimum wage takes
into consideration a formula which reflects changes in consumer prices and
exchange rates against the US dollar in 49 maritime countries and areas.
The application of
Recommendation No. 187 is not mandatory unless a government chooses to make it
so through legislation. It is nevertheless used by shipowners and trade unions
in setting wage scales. (...)
A substantial percentage of
the world's more than 1.5 million seafarers are affected by changes in the
recommended ILO minimum wage for able seafarers. (...) Ten nations, including the Philippines, Indonesia, China,
Turkey, the Russian Federation, India, the United States, Ukraine, Greece and
Japan supply almost 60 per cent of the world's seafarers. (...)
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2003/39.htm
Afghanistan:
Training the trainers
17 July - The ICRC last week launched
a programme to train officers of the future Afghan National Army in the law of
armed conflict.
Fifty-eight officers, about
half of the force's senior commanders, attended the first ICRC seminar, held in
the capital Kabul. The event consisted of an introduction to the organization's
programme to teach the law of war, informing the participants about how this
body of law developed and dealing with subjects such as command responsibility
and the International Criminal Court, whose statute was recently ratified by
Afghanistan. The seminar will be followed by workshops designed for more junior
army instructors. The response from last week's participants was overwhelmingly
positive. (...)
Under the Geneva Conventions,
it is the responsibility of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan to
ensure that the rules and principles of the law of war are known and
implemented by all members of the Afghan armed forces. The ICRC is assisting
the country's authorities by organizing teaching and providing documentation.
Never
Again! - European conference against racism and fascism
November 19-23, 2003 in Poland
Choosing Poland as the venue of this meeting is
symbolic: it is a country that suffered under Nazi occupation during World War
II and it is one of the current EU accession states. This will help the
participants to see and analyse the implications of the new situation in Europe
for minority rights as well as migration and refugee issues.
The UNITED conference in Poland will bring together
activists from organisations from all over Europe to share experiences in these
fields and find new ways to deal with the situations we are facing every day.
The programme will emphasise on sharing good practices - successful examples of
actions in the fight against racism and fascism.
UNITED for Intercultural Action is a European network
against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants and refugees.
It is based on the Voluntary cooperation of more than 550 organisations from 49 European countries working together - united
in the biggest anti-racism network.
http://www.united.non-profit.nl/pages/confPL.htm
European
Commission and FAO strengthen partnership
Poul
Nielson and Jacques Diouf sign agreement in Brussels
Brussels/Rome 17 July - The European Commission and FAO today signed an agreement
designed to create a closer strategic partnership between the two institutions
in the fields of development and humanitarian aid. Poul Nielson, the EC
Commissioner for Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid and FAO
Director-General Jacques Diouf signed the agreement under which the FAO will
adhere to the Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement (FAFA) recently
concluded between the EU and the United Nations. (...)
The strategic partnership, to
be designed in the coming months, will involve a closer programming dialogue
between the European Commission and the FAO, and the prospect for more
long-term financing in the case of development programmes.
Concretely, the FAFA will
lower the transaction costs of joint projects or programmes, thereby helping
the institutions to make better use of their resources for development and
humanitarian relief to benefit those in need. (...)
http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2003/20406-en.html
Managing
corn pest in Central and Eastern Europe
Italy
funds three-year regional project under FAO Trust Fund for Food Security
Rome, 16 July - The Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will help seven countries in Central
and Eastern Europe to control the spread of the Western Corn Rootworm, a major
threat to corn production in the region.
A US$ 2 260 000 regional
project was signed today in Rome by the FAO Assistant Director-General for
Technical Cooperation, Henri Carsalade, the Italian Director-General for
Development Cooperation, Giuseppe Deodato, and representatives from the
ministries of agriculture of the European countries.
During the next three years,
Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Croatia and the Slovak Republic will benefit from the 20-year experience of FAO
in participatory Integrated Pest Management programmes (IPM). The project aims
to enable farmers to monitor and control the pests in their fields, keeping the
use of expensive and potentially damaging and dangerous chemical pesticides to
an absolute minimum. (...)
http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2003/20643-en.html
Washington, July 14 - Chad’s
petroleum project enters its production phase today with the first flow of oil
from wells in the south of the country.
Esso Explorations and Production Chad, Inc., the consortium drilling for
oil in the Doba basin, and the government of Chad have informed the World Bank
that implementation of the $3.7 billion project was a year ahead of schedule
and oil should reach loading facilities off the coast of Cameroon and the
international market around the end of 2003.
The official inauguration of the project is scheduled for September 30,
2003.
The project is expected to
generate substantial revenues for Chad, and the government is committed to
using its oil revenues for poverty reduction in accordance with a December 1998
law on revenue management passed by the country’s parliament. The law set out the government’s poverty
reduction objectives and arrangements for the use of revenues:
Ten percent of royalties and
dividends will be held in trust for future generations;
Five percent will be earmarked
for regional development in the oil producing area;
Eighty percent will be devoted
to education, health and social services, rural development, infrastructure and
water management. (...)
IFAD-backed
management programme to boost community development in the Niger Delta
Rome, 9 July – Extremely poor rural people in Nigeria’s
nine Niger Delta States will benefit from a USD 82.2 million programme that
will help communities organize to better manage their natural resources and
take advantage of other opportunities for development. The programme will be
financed partly by a USD 15 million loan from the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The loan
agreement was signed today at IFAD headquarters (...) An equal financing partner in this programme is the Niger
Delta Development Commission (...)
A major challenge for the
programme will be to reduce tension and conflict in the region, especially
among young people who have not been able to take advantage of the riches
produced by the Niger Delta’s extensive natural resources. Improving employment
opportunities for young people will therefore be a focus of the programme. (...)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2003/29.htm
The
Japanese Government provides two C130 aircraft for humanitarian aid for Iraq
Brindisi/Rome, 17 July - Two
C130 aircraft belonging to Japan’s Self Defence Forces will begin flights today
between Amman, Jordan and the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot
(UNHRD) in Brindisi, Italy.
On 4 July, the Japanese
government decided to provide airlift service for humanitarian relief in
accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1483. The decision follows a request to the
Japanese government by the World Food Programme, the world’s largest
humanitarian agency, to provide logistic support – in particular airlift
service - to its humanitarian relief operations. WFP - through the UN Joint
Logistics Cell (UNJLC), UN Humanitarian Air Assistance (UNHAS) and UNHRD -
co-ordinates transportation and logistical arrangements on behalf of UN
agencies and NGOs providing humanitarian relief assistance for Iraq and
neighboring countries. The Japanese C130s will transport essential items for
the humanitarian operation from Europe to the Middle East, although no flights
will go to Iraq.
WFP welcomes the logistic air
lift service provided by Japan – one of its most important donor which has
already this year contributed US$117 million for the Agency’s worldwide
operations. The Japanese operation will contribute greatly to both the
humanitarian effort in the region and the population in Iraq. In carrying out
the largest food aid operation in history, WFP intends to bring about 2.2
million tons of food commodities into Iraq by the end of October.
PEFC:
For Polio Eradication, 7 acres of prime real estate in El Paso, Texas, USA
16 July - Seven acres of land
in El Paso, Texas, USA, has been donated to the polio eradication fundraising
campaign (PEFC) — a gift worth US$430,000 — as a result of two Rotarians from
two clubs working together for one goal: to stop the spread of the crippling
disease.
It all began when Alan Aiello,
a member of the Rotary Club of La Jolla, California, USA, and an investment
manager for the joint venture that owned the Texas property asked the
property's listing agent if The Rotary Foundation would be interested in
receiving the land. The agent was Rotary Foundation Trustee Sonny Brown and a
member of the El Paso Rotary club. (...)
By 31 December 2002, the
property had been transferred to the Foundation and each club received $215,000
credit toward the PEFC. But the fundraising didn't stop there. The clubs
decided to share the credit with their respective districts and an additional $354,100
in matching funds were generated.
In total, Rotary District 5520
(parts of New Mexico and Texas) raised more than $750,000 to help eradicate
polio, exceeding its goal of $350,000 by 101 percent. District 5340
(California) contributed more than $1 million to the PEFC, which included a
personal donation of $118,000 from a member of the Rotary Club of San Marcos.
When this Rotarian heard that the district's contribution level had reached
$992,000, he decided to increase his original donation of $110,000 to bring the
total to the $1 million mark. (...)
ADRA
responds to drought in Bahia, Brazil
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA,
16 July - More than 22,000 people living in the drought-affected northeast
region of Bahia, Brazil will receive relief assistance starting in July, 2003,
from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) offices in Brazil.
"The ongoing drought is
in one of the poorest regions of Brazil and has caused a considerable reduction
in the amount of food and water resources available. It has also had a severe
economic impact on this agricultural region," said Frank Teeuwen, bureau
chief for disaster preparedness and response at ADRA International.
ADRA Brazil is responding to
the crisis by providing clean water to more than 18,400 people during the four
driest months of the year. Food baskets will be distributed to the 3,500 people
most affected by the drought - the worst the region has seen in 30 years. In
addition, ADRA is making available seeds and training to eight villages to
improve their vegetable production.
Rain last fell in this region
of Bahia in January of 2002.
http://www.adra.org/ADRANews/071603.html
Republic
of the Congo: help for 10,000 displaced persons in Brazzaville
15 July - Last Friday, the
ICRC completed a further aid distribution programme for displaced persons
living at eight locations south of Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of
the Congo.
ICRC teams had spent ten days
distributing soap, clothing and children's sandals to some 4,400 families, or
almost 10,000 people. This programme follows other ICRC activities at these
locations. (...)
all these activities aim at improving health by improving hygiene.
The people the ICRC is helping
come from Pool, a region south of the capital, and took refuge in the area
following fighting in 2002. The ICRC is planning its assistance using lists
maintained by the people responsible for each site and by village chiefs among
the displaced persons.
Swedes
donates US $ 5.6 million to UNICEF actions in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 11 July
2003 – The Government of Sweden has donated US $ 3.9 million for UNICEF
emergency programmes in drought-affected areas. The donation will support
emergency interventions targeting millions of children in acute need of food,
safe water, shelter and protection against preventable diseases. This is the
second emergency contribution to UNICEF Ethiopia from the Swedish Government
this year, bringing the total amount of assistance to nearly US $ 5.6 million.
“In an emergency like this
children are always the most vulnerable,” said Erik Korsgren, Counselor for
Development Cooperation, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
(SIDA) in Ethiopia. “We support UNICEF’s efforts to meet both their survival
and development needs and we hope that other donors will follow our example and
contribute toward fulfilling the immediate and longer-term needs of Ethiopian
children”.
This contribution from the
Swedish Government will provide 222,000 women and children with supplementary
feeding under UNICEF’s emergency nutrition programme. The donation will also
fund an emergency measles and Vitamin A campaign in 2004 targeting more than
8.3 million children between 6 months and 14 years. 100,000 people will benefit
from emergency water supplies, sanitation and hygiene education, and 170,000
will receive shelter materials. (...)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_12031.html
MSF
sending four cargo planes of relief goods to Bunia, DRC
Bunia/DRC, 11 July - The
international humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today
announced that it is sending four cargo planes full of emergency relief goods
to the town of Bunia, the capital of the volatile Ituri district in the
north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In total, the planes will bring 50 tons of relief goods to Bunia
(...)
MSF has set up a medical
screening post for the families coming back to Bunia at one point of entry into
town where first aid is provided and patients who need urgent care are referred
to the MSF hospital. According to MSF workers at the screening post, the
returnees are exhausted, many are ill, wounded and many children are suffering
from severe malnutrition. (...)
Yemen
begins second phase of landmine clearance
17 July - Yemen has made great progress
clearing landmines, a bitter legacy of three decades of conflict, and is
launching a second phase of its mine action programme. (...) "Yemen has become a leader in all aspects of
mine action," said UNDP Resident Representative James W. Rawley to the
Council of Ministers in Sana'a last month. It is among the best of 20
UN-supported programmes worldwide, he said, and Yemen is to provide technical
assistance and personnel to help Lebanon with its landmine problem — the first
country in the region to give such aid.
The programme includes a full
spectrum of activities, including surveying and clearing mined areas, educating
communities about the risks, and assisting people injured by mines. In the
second phase, it will be nationally managed, with UNDP providing administrative
and logistical assistance and technical services through the UN Office for
Project Services. (...)
The budget for the second
phase is US$3.6 million. The Government has provided $400,000; Italy has
contributed $750,000; UNDP $450,000, and the UK Department for International Development
$250,000. (...)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2003/july/17july03/index.html
http://www.mineaction.org/countries/_refdocs.cfm?doc_ID=1290
Author/Origin: ICBL
(International Campaign to Ban Landimes)
1 July - Help us stop
production and use of antipersonnel mines in these seven countries in Asia:
China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Vietnam. Urge them to
take a step towards the Mine Ban Treaty in the lead-up to the Fifth Meeting of
States Parties (Bangkok, Thailand, 15 – 19 September 2003). As the Bangkok
meeting slogan urges: "Hold hands against mines!”. Take Action!
·
If you are a youth or student please focus on INDIA AND PAKISTAN and the Youth Against War
Treaty.
·
Or, for everyone, please write to NEPAL and SRI LANKA and urge them to ban mine use
as part of their peace processes.
·
And/or write to CHINA, SINGAPORE AND VIETNAM and demand that they
stop producing mines (or promise never to produce them again). (...)
Remind them that the Fifth Meeting of States Parties
(5MSP) takes place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 15 to 19 September 2003. This is
the annual gathering of the 134 states that have joined the 1997 Mine Ban
Treaty and others, including the ICBL. This event will highlight the countries
in the region that remain outside the international norm against mine use,
production, trade, transfer and stockpiling. (For more info: 5MSP
webpage.) (...)
Share
the Spirit of Peace International Youth Summit – UN New York, September 19
We have begun a series of
Global Peace Summits that are circling the globe as people respond increasingly
to this new realization of Peace. The initial inspiration emerged as the We the People Summit for Peace in
Vermont, USA on September 28, 2002, where youth and public forums featured the
Earth Charter and the Department of Peace. The Summit’s success inspired a
second Summit called Share the Spirit of
Peace in Sydney, Australia on March 1, 2003, www.sharethespiritofpeace.com where politicians
from the four major parties shared the platform with UNA President Margaret
Reynolds and young people in a united appeal for peace. www.sharethespiritofpeace.org
The Share the Spirit of Peace International Youth Summit, honoring the International
Day of Peace, will take place in New York at the United Nations on September
19, 2003, where youth will participate in a satellite teleconference and
culminate in participation at the World Peace Prayer Festival on Sunday
September 21, 2003. We have over 150 applications from over 40 countries, and a
youth peer facilitation team that is just terrific. The fourth Summit will be
in London early 2004, followed by Peace Summits in Geneva, Darjeeling and
Tokyo.
The primary focus of the
Global Peace Summits is a shared vision of Peace, including the proposal for a
national Department of Peace, as presented by Dennis Kucinich as HR Bill 2459
in the U.S. Congress, www.house.gov/kucinich and the Earth Charter, a
global document promoting peace and sustainability. www.earthcharter.org
(...)
16 July - For vacationers
seeking beautiful beaches, friendly people, and exciting nightlife, the island
city of Phuket, off the west coast of southern Thailand, represents an ideal
destination. But like a number of the world's most popular tourist and
entertainment destinations, Phuket also harbors poverty and HIV/AIDS — a side
to life on this island city that often goes unseen or unnoticed.
The 33 members of the Rotary
Club of Phuket, however, do notice — and take action — to combat these
problems. One way is through their annual barbecue. This year, the event raised
400,000 baht (approximately US$9,647), which the club earmarked for the Life
Home Project — a local residence and education center for HIV-positive mothers
and their children. (...)
Because they are stigmatized
by society, HIV-positive women often cannot find work. The donation by Phuket
Rotarians helps Life Home teach women the skills they need produce local arts
and crafts, which they can then sell to the public to provide for their daily
needs (...)
Currently the home of 40 adults and children, Life Home provides daily necessities as well as a nursery for HIV-positive children, plus counseling and medical services. (...)
Over
$1 billion committed to immunize world’s poorest children
Over
30 million children have been reached to date; New funds urgently needed to
continue success
Issued on behalf of the Global
Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI)
Washington, DC - 15 July 2003 --
Five-year commitments to immunize children in the world’s poorest countries
have topped $1 billion, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization
(GAVI) and The Vaccine Fund announced today.
Angola, Chad and Congo were approved for funding by GAVI’s Board,
bringing to 71 the total number of countries receiving support for health
infrastructure, vaccines and supplies from The Vaccine Fund, GAVI’s financing
arm.
In his report to the GAVI
Board meeting being held at the World Bank, Executive Secretary Dr. Tore Godal
reported that well over 30 million children have benefited already from the
nearly $250 million in new vaccines and funding for infrastructure disbursed so
far from GAVI and The Vaccine Fund. (...) Furthermore, GAVI estimates that countries
have been able to provide basic vaccination to 8.3 million children who would
otherwise have not been reached with any vaccines at all. It is estimated that
as many as 300,000 deaths will be prevented because of the resources provided
so far. (...)
Kabul
Hospital rebuilt by UNFPA now provides lifesaving obstetric care
Kabul, 14 July 2003 — Mothers and infants in north-west Kabul have a far
better chance of surviving childbirth, following the inauguration today of a
modern hospital rebuilt and refurbished with support from the Government of
Italy and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.
The Khair Khana Hospital, once
filthy, overcrowded and woefully under-equipped, now has a clean delivery room
and an up-to-date operating theatre where Caesarean sections can be performed.
Its capacity has doubled, and the hospital now handles some 30-40 deliveries
per day. The facility serves a poor, densely populated area with a population
of 1 million. (...)
http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=348
Ethiopia's
leaders endorse new women's coalition against HIV/AIDS
14 July 2003: - Ethiopia's
Prime Minister and President are voicing strong support for a new National
Coalition for Women Against HIV/AIDS that aims to promote women's leadership in
efforts to stem HIV/AIDS and overcome poverty and harmful traditional practices
making women more vulnerable to the deadly virus. (...) The coalition includes
senior women officials, other prominent women, and women working with civil
society groups and grass roots organizations. UNDP is providing it US$200,000
in seed money.
HIV/AIDS prevalence increased
rapidly during the past decade, with 2.2 million people — nearly 7 per cent of
adults — living with the virus. As in other countries, women are more
vulnerable than men, accounting for more than half of those infected. Data from
Ethiopia and several other countries indicate that women are infected at a much
earlier age, often between 15 to 19.
The coalition will focus on
gender and poverty-related factors fuelling the epidemic and use strategies
employed by UNDP at the community level to change social norms, values and
attitudes that contribute to the spread of the disease. (...)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2003/july/14july03/index.html
ADRA
provides urgently needed medical supplies for Iraq
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA,
10 July - Health care professionals and patients in Tel Afar, Iraq will receive
much needed medical supplies from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency
(ADRA) when a shipment arrives in a matter of weeks. With a grant received by
ADRA Germany from the German government, pharmaceutical and medical supplies
valued at $458,000 will be provided to Tel Afar Hospital.
"Medical and
pharmaceutical supplies have been limited at Tel Afar Hospital due to its
remote location and the disruption of the distribution system since conflict
began in Iraq earlier this year," said Frank Teeuwen, bureau chief for
disaster preparedness and response for ADRA International. "ADRA is
providing these supplies on a short-term basis until the distribution system in
Iraq is able to service the Tel Afar region once again."
The Tel Afar Hospital serves
about 22,000 patients each month and also supports an outpatient clinic that
serves 4,700 patients monthly.
Additional funding for this
project came from ADRA Germany, ADRA Sweden, and ADRA International. ADRA will
purchase the supplies through its office in Turkey.
http://www.adra.org/ADRANews/071003.html
Aga
Khan University: second Symposium and Workshop on Ethical Issues in Health
Research in Developing Countries - August 14-18, Karachi, Pakistan
Organised by the Ethical Review
Committee and Bioethics Group of the Aga Khan University, Stadium Road
Campus, Karachi Pakistan. The themes that will be presented and discussed are:
Ethics & Equity; Standards of Care Issues; Informed Consent in Research;
Ethical Review Process.
Programme: Pre Symposium
Workshop: August 14; Symposium: August
15 & 16; Workshop: August 17 & 18. For further
information: bioethics@aku.edu;
(top)
11 July - Top researchers on
biological control systems for cocoa pests and diseases gathered in Makassar
for the last two days to review and select the best methods to control the
cocoa pod borer insect using non-chemical controls. The meeting was jointly
sponsored by the PRIMA Project, with funding from the Dutch Government and
managed by Masterfoods/Holland, and the SUCCESS Alliance, funded by USAID and
managed by ACDI/VOCA. The cocoa pod borer insect pest is a serious threat to
Sulawesi cocoa production, inflicting significant losses and causing major
quality problems for the crop.
The recommendations of this
meeting will be immediately field tested and validated on 1,000ha of
smallholder cocoa that are being closely managed and monitored by the PRIMA
Project in South Sulawesi. The controls, once proven on the PRIMA Project
location, will then be included in the SUCCESS Alliance training program, which
will train over 38,000 Indonesian farmers in cocoa pod borer control over the
next 3 years.
http://www.acdivoca.org/acdivoca/Acdiweb2.nsf/news/release7.11.03?opendocument
New Dimensions Receives
International Award
July 14,
Ukiah, CA, USA - Michael Toms, founding president of New Dimensions
World Broadcasting Network announced that The Bioneers: Revolution From the
Heart of Nature, Series III has been awarded a Silver World Medal, in the 2003
New York International Festivals Radio Programming Competition, a pre-eminent
awards program, which recognizes outstanding achievements in communications
media. The Series also placed as a finalist in the 2003 United Nations
Department of Public Information Award given to honor radio programming which
best exemplifies the aims and ideals of the United Nations, and was chosen from
over 1400 entries from 42 countries. (...)
The Bioneers radio series is
composed of 13 half-hour programs highlighting cutting-edge solutions to major
environmental challenges and crises, along with broader social approaches for
ecological and cultural restoration. The breakthrough ideas, technological
innovations and bold activist social strategies make for compelling radio,
powered by the charismatic voices of the Bioneers themselves.
WWF
China calls for continued conservation of Three Parallel Rivers new World
Heritage site
Beijing, China, 11 July - WWF
welcomes the recent announcement of the Three Parallel Rivers Region in
Southwest China's Yunnan province as a new UNESCO World Heritage site and calls
for the continued conservation of this fragile area. The Three Parallel Rivers
Region is considered an epicenter of Chinese biodiversity and is amongst the
most biologically diverse temperate regions on earth. The area contains
sections of the upper reaches of three of Asia’s great rivers: the Jinsha
(Yangtze), Lancang (Mekong) and Nujiang (Salween). This region is part of the Tibetan Plateau (ave. elev. 4,000 m),
the highest and largest plateau on earth. It shelters a wide array of unique
species, including the Tibetan antelope, Tibetan gazelle, wild yak, blue sheep,
snow leopard, brown bear, Bengal tiger, and black-necked crane. (...) WWF is
working to conserve the area through education programs, community development,
and watershed management. (...)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/other_news/news.cfm?uNewsID=7841
UNESCO
adds 15 new sites to world network of biosphere reserves
Paris, 10 July – Fifteen new
sites in 10 countries have been added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere
Reserves, including the first members of the network in Slovenia and Yemen.
Three extensions to existing biosphere reserves have also been approved,
reflecting on-going efforts to improve existing sites, illustrating the
vitality of the network. The World Network of Biosphere Reserves now consists
of 440 sites in 97 countries. The new biosphere reserves and extensions were
approved by the Bureau of the International Co-ordinating Council of UNESCO’s
Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme at its meeting on July 8-11 at UNESCO
Headquarters in Paris.
Biosphere Reserves are pilot
sites, which perform three complementary functions: biodiversity conservation;
development (integrating local communities) and logistic support (combining
research, education, training and monitoring). (...) The global network that
they constitute covers a representative - and growing - sample of the major
ecological regions and human use systems of the earth. The biosphere reserves
approved this year demonstrate an increasing interest in using the biosphere
reserve approach to reconcile conservation and development in coastal areas and
archipelagoes, and in protecting cultural values dependant on the maintenance
of certain traditional uses. There is also an increasing interest in
transboundary biosphere reserves, which straddle national boundaries, as
frameworks for joint efforts to manage and conserve shared ecosystems.
Hungary:
Promoting humanitarian principles among the young
18 July - The ICRC has
organized a seminar for education specialists from government and National Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world to discuss the study of
international humanitarian law and related issues in secondary schools. The
event was held in Budapest from 5 to 11 July for over 100 participants from 39
countries.
The seminar took place in the
framework of Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL), an educational programme for
young people. Its objective is to introduce teenagers to the basic rules of
international humanitarian law and to inculcate them with the principles of
humanity, helping them to apply those principles in their daily lives and
assess events at home and abroad in the light of them. The programme consists
of five modules, which take about four hours each to work through. (...) A summary of the presentations and
discussions in Budapest will soon be available on the ICRC website.
Kampala, Uganda, 11 July 2003
- A team of fourteen adults and teenagers from Seattle, Washington, USA are
using their high-tech skills in computer installation and maintenance to
improve the lives of students at five schools in the Masaka District, Uganda.
The Rotary International-funded information technology (IT) project, entitled
"Computers for the World," is utilizing the on-site expertise of
students and faculty from Seattle schools Forest Ridge School of the Sacred
Heart and Mt. Si High School to equip four schools with a 15-station computer
lab and repair computers at a fifth location. Approximately 3100 students, most
of them young women, will be served by this gift of technology. (...)
Initiated by a Seattle Rotary
club, Computers for the World creates opportunities for secondary school
students to partner with Rotary clubs to supply computers and computer training
to communities around the world that lack IT resources. (...) The acquisition
of computer skills will enable students to directly enter the workplace after
secondary school and bridge the IT gap between Africa and the West.
Donated Pentium computers will
be standardized and software installed in Talents College, Archbishop Kiwanuka
School, Kaddugala Senior Secondary School and Christ the King Senior Secondary
School. Six computers will be repaired at the Kako Senor Secondary School. In
addition, the IT team will provide computer guides that explain how to maintain
computer systems as well as address solutions for power outages. Computer
classes and hardware and software maintenance will be taught on-site to Ugandan
students and faculty by the teen-age members of the team, who traveled from the
U.S. specifically to bring IT to their peer-groups in Masaka. (...)
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/presscenter/releases/161.html
UNESCO
and INTERPOL reinforce cooperation in fight against traffic in Iraqi cultural
goods
10 July - UNESCO and the
International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) yesterday reinforced
their cooperation in the fight against the illicit traffic in Iraqi cultural
properties by signing an amendment to their Cooperation Agreement of 1999. (...)
The amendment, which lays the ground for establishing and compiling a database
on cultural properties stolen in Iraq, for which the scientific responsibility
has been entrusted to UNESCO, was signed on July 8 at Organization Headquarters
by the Assistant Director-General for Culture, Mounir Bouchenaki, and the
Executive Director of INTERPOL’s Police Services, Willy Deridder.
This inventory, based on
information supplied by UNESCO - which will provide scientific expertise
alongside other national and international organizations -, will be distributed
in a CD-Rom on stolen objects throughout the world that INTERPOL has produced
and updated every two months since 2001. It is available in French, English and
Spanish and it will soon also be accessible through the Internet. (...)
The Arts & Science
Partnership symposium is the first in a series of symposia on Innovations in
Education planned by the Qatar Foundation. The Qatar Foundation, Doha,
Qatar is the sponsor and organizer of the symposium. International Child Art
Foundation (ICAF), Washington, DC, is the co-organizer.
The symposium in an innovative
approach to introduce and strengthen arts education and education through the
arts in the Arab world in particular and the developing world in general.
Arts educators, social scientists,
physicists, brain scientists and other researchers will present their findings
at the symposium, some for the first time to an international audience.
Symposium participants will
include ministry of education officials from Qatar and other GCC countries,
educators, art and science teachers, and educational policy makers and
curriculum experts. Invited guests include editors of journals and magazines
and prominent educators in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and South
Asia.
The symposium will be held at
the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Doha Campus in the Education City,
Doha, Qatar on October 19-20, 2003.
http://www.innovationsineducation.org/media/media.html
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