Good News Agency – Year IV, n° 17
Weekly - Year IV, number 17 – 7
November 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 47 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
Geneva, 31
October - The United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) has initiated a series of workshops on issues
related to post-EU-enlargement economic cooperation and integration. The next
Workshop, entitled “EU Enlargement: Regulatory Convergence in Non-acceding
Countries”, takes place in Athens on 7 and 8 November. The Workshop is
supported by the Government of Greece.
For ensuring that the
non-acceding countries benefit from the enlarged EU Internal Market, common
rules and standards are indispensable. If companies, for instance, wish to
purchase materials for their supply chains internationally, they will need to
have harmonized standards. This Workshop will examine how non-acceding
countries can increase their trade and economic cooperation with the enlarged
EU by harmonizing their legislation and technical regulations and standards.
(…)
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2003/03trade_p10e.htm
Geneva, 31 October - To
strengthen environmental democracy and promote the public’s involvement in
environmental decisions throughout the European Union, the European Commission
has adopted three legislative proposals to put the Aarhus Convention,
negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe (UNECE), into practice. If the European Commission’s proposals are
adopted, the provisions of the Aarhus Convention will apply in full to the
European Union’s bodies and institutions. The European Commission is also
proposing a directive on access to justice in environmental matters and a
decision on formally ratifying the Aarhus Convention.
In effect, this means that
European Union bodies and institutions will have to respond to requests from
the public for specific environmental information. They will also have to make
information on the state of the environment available to the public at large.
Moreover, the public will have a say in the preparation of environmental
policies. According to the European Commission’s proposals, the public will
also be able to haul EU bodies and institutions before the European Court of
Justice if they do not comply with environmental legislation. (…)
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2003/03env_p23e.htm
Republic
of Korea Hosts United Nations Workshop on Space Law, 3-6 November
Vienna, 31
October (UN Information Service) - A four-day workshop on space law:
“United Nations treaties on outer space: actions at the national level”,
will be held at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in
Daejeon, Republic of Korea, from 3 to 6 November 2003, for the
benefit of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The workshop is
organized jointly by the United Nations Office
for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA), within the framework
of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications, and the
Republic of Korea. It is the second in a series
of workshops that OOSA intends to organize in order to build capacity in space
law. (…)
The goals of the
United Nations/Republic of Korea Workshop are: (a) to promote
understanding, acceptance and implementation of the United Nations
treaties and principles on outer space, especially
in the Asia-Pacific region; and (b) to discuss
the implementation of the United Nations treaties
on outer space on the national level and identify common changes
that States might need to make to their national laws, when becoming Party
to the treaties, especially any changes that are not obvious and apply both to
space-faring and non-space-faring countries. (…)
NGO
Declaration demands international monitoring of human rights practices in
terrorism fight
31st October
2003 - A group of international Non-Governmental Organisations has launched a
Joint Declaration calling on the United Nations to monitor the impact on human
rights of the fight against terrorism. Practices such as torture, detention
without judicial review, unfair trial, criminalisation of acts in exercise of
fundamental rights, and suppression of the right to association have been
sharply on the rise as a result of measures taken in the fight against
terrorism. The Declaration calls on the UN Commission on Human Rights at its
60th session in March/April 2004 to establish as a matter of utmost priority an
independent mechanism on the question of human rights and counter-terrorism.
(…)
The founding signatories of
the Declaration include the seven members of the Coalition of International
Non-Governmental Organisations against Torture (CINAT) (Amnesty International,
Association for the Prevention of Torture, International Federation of Action
by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT), International Commission
of Jurists, International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT),
Redress: Seeking Reparation for Torture Survivors, and World Organization
against Torture (OMCT)), as well as Fédération Internationale des Ligues des
Droits de l'Homme (FIDH), Friends World Committee for Consultation (Quakers),
Human Rights Watch, and International Service for Human Rights.
The Declaration is now open to
all international and national NGOs for signature.
http://www.icj.org/news.php3?id_article=3116&lang=en
31 October, United Nations,
New York -- The United Nations today launched a major international drive to
increase the production of rice. Launching the International Year of Rice 2004,
the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Dr.
Jacques Diouf, said that rice "is the staple food for over half of the
world's population" but warned that "its production is facing serious
constraints." Dr Diouf pointed out that the world population was
continuing to grow, but land and water resources for rice production are
diminishing. (…)
FAO figures show that, by
2030, total demand for rice will be 3 percent higher than the annual amounts
produced between 1997 and 1999. Rice is the most rapidly growing food source in
Africa and has a major influence on human nutrition and food security all over
the world. Sustainable rice-based production systems can help the eradication
of world hunger and achieving the UN Millennium Goals. (…)
The campaign was sparked by a
proposal last year from 44 UN member countries, citing a 'pending crisis' in
rice production. (…)
http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2003/24159-en.html
Improved
rural financial services in Uganda will benefit rural poor people
Rome, 27 October – Farmers in some of the poorest areas of
Uganda will benefit from a new USD 24.5 million loan programme that will make
financial services such as credit and savings facilities more accessible to
rural poor people. The seven-year programme will be financed largely by a USD
18.43 million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD). The loan agreement was signed today at IFAD headquarters (…)
This programme will strengthen
the country’s existing microfinance institutions and rural finance services and
expand their reach to a greater number of rural people. By complementing the
government’s existing programmes and those of donor partners, it will help
create a strong, long-term finance system that will help rural poor people
improve their livelihoods and quality of life.
This programme will continue a
trend in mobilizing and assisting women in rural Uganda. For example, a typical
women’s enterprise is the production of a banana locally known as matoke, a
staple crop in Uganda. With even a minimal loan, a Ugandan woman could purchase
new seeds or fertilizers that may improve her output, and so increase her
income and her ability to save.
With this project, IFAD will
have financed 10 projects in Uganda, totalling USD 132 million.
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2003/35.htm
30 October, Geneva - Ronaldo
and Zinédine Zidane, United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Goodwill
Ambassadors are inviting 40 of their friends from European football clubs to
play in a “Match Against Poverty” on 15 December at the St. Jakob Park Stadium
in Basel, Switzerland. Ronaldo and Zidane will each captain a team of star
football players who will contribute their time and talent to raise resources
that will help combat poverty and to call upon everyone to get engaged in one
way or another. Pierluigi Collina has agreed to referee the match.
Actively supported by FIFA
(Fédération Internationale de Football Association), “The Match Against
Poverty: Ronaldo and Friends vs. Zidane and Friends,” is included in FIFA’s
official events 2003 Calendar. It will kick off after the FIFA World Player
Gala, which takes place earlier the same day. (…)
Net profits of ticket sales,
sponsorship and television rights will fund anti-poverty projects selected by
UNDP in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and help mobilize people around the
globe. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2003/october/30oct03.html
October 27 - The Canadian
Minister of International Cooperation, Ms. Susan Whelan today signed a
memorandum on behalf of the Canada Fund for Africa of the Canadian
International Development Agency committing over US$10 million (15 million
Canadian dollars) to UN-HABITAT's Water and Sanitation Trust Fund. She
congratulated UN-HABITAT for the success of the first part of the Water for
African Cities programme.
The fund, launched in October
2002, is designed to improve water and sanitation in African cities, provide
sanitation and hygiene education in schools, and demonstrate innovative
approaches to providing affordable services to urban poor. (…)
http://www.unhabitat.org/canada_pledges.asp
New York, 27 October - Good ideas
often have humble beginnings. Such is the story of "Trick-or-Treat for
UNICEF," which started in 1950 when a group of young trick-or-treaters
went door-to-door on Halloween with their pastor in Philadelphia. At each door, they not only opened their bags
for candy, but held out empty milk cartons to collect coins for children in
need overseas. They collected $17 and sent it to UNICEF. The result was much
bigger than those children ever imagined. (…)
Since 1950,
"Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" has been responsible for bringing new
meaning to Halloween. Through the years, the children of the United States have
raised more than $119 million to help build a better future for children around
the globe. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_15216.html
WFP
welcomes donation from Thailand to people of Iraq
Bangkok, 21 October – The
United Nations World Food Programme today warmly welcomed a donation of 902
metric tons of rice from the Government of Thailand destined for the vulnerable
people of Iraq. The donation, with a cash value of 15 million Thai Baht (US
$372,670) is the second donation from the Government of Thailand to a WFP
emergency operation. In 2001, the Government of Thailand gave WFP 3,000 metric
tons of rice for its assistance to Afghanistan after the outbreak of war in
that Central Asian country. (…)
WFP launched the largest food
aid operation in history in Iraq this year, planning to bring into the country
about 2.2 million tons of food commodities by the end of October. The budget
for the operation stands at US$1.5 billion. (…)
11 October, Mt. Katahdin,
Maine (Northern Terminus, Appalachian Trail), USA - After enduring seven months
of blisters, camp food, heat, cold and rain, attorneys Mike Kanarick and his
wife Liz Kleinberg completed their promise to the kids- to hike the entire
length of the 2,172 mile Appalachian Trail, raising funds for children in need
through the venerable Child Welfare League of America. This week they were
greeted by family, well-wishers and cameras as they completed in Millinocket,
Maine. (…)
Maine was the objective from
the start. It marks the end of the Appalachian Trail, which Mike and Liz began
climbing from Amicalola Falls in Georgia on March 24. Kanarick and Kleinberg
have gathered sponsorships for the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), the
country's oldest and largest membership-based child welfare organization. The
CWLA and its 1,100 private and public member agencies offer help including
programs for children separated from their families, in foster care and
adoption programs. CWLA helps more than 3 million kids per year. The pair has raised
over $50,000.00 over these past 8 months. (…)
http://www.cwla.org/newsevents/news031011at.htm
Bradford, Yorkshire, UK, 29
October - More than 400 professional and business leaders, members of Rotary
clubs throughout the world, will discuss the humanitarian organisation's newest
peace initiative, the Rotary Centres for International Studies in peace and
conflict resolution at a Rotary Presidential Celebration on 1 November at the
University of Bradford, Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom. Rotary International
President Jonathan Majiyagbe will deliver the keynote address and renowned
peace expert Professor Paul Rogers will speak on world conflict issues. (…)
The University of Bradford's
Department of Peace studies was selected from over 100 institutions around the
world to become one of only seven Rotary Centres for International Studies in
peace and conflict resolution.
This year marks the completion
of the first year of study for Bradford Rotary World Peace Scholars, who have
completed one of the University's internationally-renowned MA courses in Peace
Studies, Conflict Resolution, or International Relations and Security Studies.
(…)
Mine-affected
countries Burundi and Sudan come on board.
Author: Sue Wixley
24 October - Burundi and
Sudan, both mine-affected countries, recently ratified the Mine Ban Treaty.
Burundi submitted its ratification instrument to the United Nations on 22
October and Sudan completed its ratification on 13 October 2003. Now Somalia
(which does not have a functioning government) is the only country in
sub-Saharan Africa that is neither a State Party nor a signatory to the Mine
Ban Treaty. Ethiopia is the only remaining signatory in the region.
The ratifications bring to 141
the number of States Parties to the convention, with a further 9 countries
having signed but not yet completed their ratification process. Treaty
universalisation has gathered pace in recent months. Long-awaited ratifications
and accessions have now been completed by Belarus, Greece, Guyana, Serbia &
Montenegro and Turkey. Campaigners are pleased that Bujumbura and Khartoum have
confirmed their commitment to a comprehensive ban on antipersonnel landmines by
ratifying the treaty. However, they are concerned about allegations of ongoing
mine use in Burundi and Sudan. Any allegations of use will now be subject to
critical examination by fellow States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty. (…)
24 October - A group wedding
was celebrated under ICRC relief tents this week by families whose homes in
Rafah had been destroyed in the Israeli military operation conducted on 11 and
12 October. The grooms invited friends and relatives from Rafah and the
neighbouring towns to take part in the festivities. (…) More than 250 families
in the Yebna refugee camp had had their homes destroyed in the military
operation and at least 10 men had been planning to get married. They all
decided to put the tragedy behind them and celebrate their weddings on the same
date, using tents provided by the ICRC. (…)
The ICRC has been working in
Israel and the occupied/autonomous territories since 1967. In the Gaza Strip,
it helps people whose homes have been destroyed or damaged or whose movements
are restricted by military operations. The organization also monitors
compliance with international humanitarian law, mainly the Fourth Geneva Convention
for the protection of civilians. In addition, it visits people detained by the
Palestinian Authority to monitor their treatment and living conditions.
Jerusalem, 31 October – The
Government of Japan has donated 2 million US dollars to UNICEF in support of
the prevention of infectious diseases for Palestinian Children and Women in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
Immunization Plus is one of
the key priorities of the UNICEF medium term strategic plan that would
contribute to the global efforts to eradicate polio and in line with the
Millennium Development Goals. Japan’s
gift is an infusion not only of needed funds but of moral leadership in
contributing towards improving the quality of life of Palestinian children. It
recognized the right of every Palestinian child and women to basic health
services which is central to poverty reduction and a core indicator of human
progress.
The donation from Japan aims
at supporting the Palestinian Authority in sustaining the over 95% immunization
coverage rates for basic Expanded Programme on Immunization antigens and to
ensuring effective management of the national immunization programme in
OPT. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_15407.html
29 October - The Olympus
Corporation is donating US$33,000 for HIV/AIDS education in Africa at the
opening of an exhibition of images from its landmark A Day in the Life of
Africa collection at the United Nations in New York today. The funds, donated
on behalf of the Japanese people, are from ticket sales at a recent exhibition
of the images in Kobe, Japan. (…)
Olympus organized the exhibit
in partnership with UNDP to focus attention on the International Day for the
Eradication of Poverty, 17 October, and the UNDP Poverty Eradication Awards.
UNDP is presenting the awards
at the UN tonight to recognize five individuals, one from each region of the
world, who are making a significant impact in support of efforts to meet the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). (…)
The funds will help an
exciting new UNDP initiative, Africa 2015, to mobilize Africa's best-known
musical artists, writers and other cultural leaders and sports stars to reach
out to all Africans to promote "an AIDS-free generation by 2015."
This is to help achieve MDG Goal 6 — halting and then reversing the spread of
HIV/AIDS. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2003/october/29oct03/index.html
"With
this announcement, the World Health Organization's objective of reaching three
million by 2005 becomes much more feasible."
Geneva, 23 October - Médecins
Sans Frontières (MSF) has welcomed today's announmcement by the Clinton
Foundation that generic AIDS drugs will now be available in some developing
countries at dramatically reduced prices - the new price of US$0.36 per day
nearly halves the lowest price to date. The generic companies involved in this
agreement are producing fixed-dose combinations, which can be taken in the form
of one pill twice a day. (…)
The best price of the most
frequently used fixed-dose combination in MSF's projects -
lamivudine/stavudine/nevirapine - until today has been US$255. The new price for
this combination will be US$132 per patient per year, a near 50% drop. (…)
Mass
immunization campaign launched to protect 15 million children from polio, as
outbreak in Nigeria spreads across West Africa
Geneva, Switzerland, 22
October - A new polio outbreak spreading from Nigeria to neighbouring countries
is putting 15 million children at risk, requiring a massive immunization
campaign across five countries in west and central Africa. Beginning today,
hundreds of thousands of volunteers and health workers in Benin, Burkina Faso,
Ghana, Niger and Togo will aim to reach every child in those countries with
polio vaccine in just three days.
The campaign, organized at a
cost of more than US$10 million, comes in response to nearly a dozen children
being paralyzed in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger and Togo, from poliovirus
genetically traced to northern Nigeria. A further case recently reported in
Chad means similar campaigns are planned in that country and Cameroon for
mid-November. The polio-infected states in Nigeria, centering around the state
of Kano, have re-infected other areas of the country, most worryingly the city
of Lagos with its ten million inhabitants. (…)
Senior epidemiologists from
the Global Polio Eradication Initiative convened a high-level meeting with the
Nigerian Minister of Health at the end of September, at which the Minister
provided his assurance and commitment to eradicate polio in Nigeria by
end-2004. (…)
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/presscenter/releases/175.html
Timely emergency obstetric care for pregnant
women will spur progress to curb maternal mortality
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 21
October – Obstetric complications continue to be a leading cause of death and
disability for women of reproductive age in developing countries. Over half a
million women die during pregnancy and childbirth each year, the majority in
Africa and Asia. Although a key Millennium Development Goal, agreed upon by 189
governments, is to reduce maternal deaths by three quarters by 2015, global
progress to save women’s lives remains slow. (…)
Mr. Waki [a Deputy Executive
Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund] reported on advancements
made by UNFPA over the past four years to improve the availability, quality and
use of emergency obstetric care in 16 countries through the AMDD programme. In
India, Morocco, Mozambique and Nicaragua, basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric
care facilities have been rehabilitated, equipped and staffed to provide
quality service round the clock. In eight West African countries, UNFPA
completed needs assessments to determine the national capacity to provide
emergency obstetric care and additional assessments are underway in four Latin
American and Caribbean nations. (…)
http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=386
(top)
New
Strategy for International Chemicals Management To Be Launched In
Bangkok 9 to 13 November - 500
delegates will look at ways to improve chemical safety
Bangkok, 5 November - A major
new effort to improve the way the world deals with chemicals begins this
weekend in Bangkok, Thailand. More than 500 delegates from environment, health,
agriculture, industry, labour, foreign affairs and development sectors will
participate in the meeting from 9 to 13 November. It aims to develop a
strategic approach to international chemicals management (SAICM), initiated
last year by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and endorsed at
the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. (…)
Global chemical sales have
increased nine-fold since 1970 and will continue growing, with production
shifting increasingly to developing countries. In 1998 the industry
generated $1,500 billion in sales, accounting for 9 per cent of international
trade and employing over 10 million people, according to 2001 report by the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD). (…)
UNEP has brought together a
broad partnership of international organizations to oversee planning for the
SAICM process. The steering committee comprise UNEP, IFCS, FAO, ILO,
OECD, WHO, the World Bank, as well as the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the
United Nations Institute for Training and Research. (…)
Information
and Communication Technology Division - The Information Society
The Regional
Profile for the Information Society in Western Asia - a flagship output of the
ICT Division for the current biennium - and the related Database on Regional
ICT Indicators was launched by ICTD at the Dubai GITEX Conferences on 18
October 2003 at the World Trade Centre. Mr. A. Farahat, Chief of ICTD and Mr.
M. Farah made a presentation of the report discussing its objectives, content,
main findings and recommendations.
The profile covers comparative
analysis of the 13 ESCWA member countries (EMC) endeavors in the main areas of
the information society, starting with the enabling environment, such as ICT
policies, strategies, legal framework and ICT infrastructure, all the way
through assessment of the process of capacity building and creation of an ICT
industry sector, and ending with a detailed review of key ICT applications
across various sectors, such as government, education, commerce, and health, as
well as digital Arabic content.
Shanghai,
Peoples Republic of China , November 1, 2003 -- The Shell Foundation, the World
Resources Institute (WRI) and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government today
announced the creation of the Shanghai Sustainable Transport Partnership. The
partnership, outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Shanghai
Municipal People’s Government Construction and Management Commission, is an
agreement to create a set of sustainable transport indicators and to design an
innovative mass transit system. The goal is to enhance the city’s ability to
alleviate traffic congestion and air pollution.
The MOU signed today is the
result of nearly a year of discussions with the Shanghai government. It follows
the April 2002 release of the Shanghai Metropolitan Transport White Paper, a
study prepared by the government, which outlines long-term goals for all forms
of transportation in the city. The transit system design outlined in the MOU
will focus on a bus rapid transit (BRT) model that will integrate with the
city’s existing and planned metro and light rail systems that are the core of
its mass transport service. (…)
http://newsroom.wri.org/newsrelease_text.cfm?NewsReleaseID=268
Washington DC, USA, 30 October
– Today the US Senate voted for the first time on mandatory carbon caps
included in the McCain-Lieberman bill. Forty-three senators supported the bill,
shattering the myth that the US senate will never seriously consider action to
address the environmental problem of global warming. (…)
The McCain-Lieberman bill sets
mandatory caps on CO2 emissions, the biggest contributor to global warming.
While the cap is much weaker than WWF would have liked, it indicates major
advances in the support of the US Senate for serious action on global warming
and blows the myth that there is no federal support for mandatory caps on CO2
emissions.
This vote adds to the growing
support for action on global warming. In the past year, there has been a
groundswell of state legislation and legal action on climate change, growing
investor concern over the financial risk posed by CO2 emissions, and continued
strong public support for action. (…)
Kabul/Nairobi, 28 October - At
the request of the Transitional Islamic Government of Afghanistan, the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) together with the European Commission and
the Ministry of Irrigation, Water Resources and Environment (MIWRE) today
announced a €4.27 million programme to promote good environmental governance
and to support the rehabilitation of the country’s environment.
The two phased project,
largely funded with €3.75 million from the European Commission, will address
the key environmental intervention priorities inscribed in the 1382 National
Development Budget of the Government of Afghanistan. These interventions aim to
address many of the institutional recommendations contained in UNEP’s January
2003 “Afghanistan Post-conflict Environmental Assessment” report.
With an initial funding of
€973.000, phase one of the project was launched in Kabul today as a part of the
European Commission’s Public Administration Programme. The first phase will
organize and build the capacity of a specialized environmental Afghan public
administration.
The second phase of the
programme, beginning in 2004, supported with another €3,3 million, will further
strengthen the capacity of the Ministry’s Department of Environment. This phase
will also address other pressing environmental needs such as the development of
a protected areas network and related management plans, and the development of
environmental education at the university, secondary, primary, and community
level. (…)
Sustainable
development pioneer and wildlife champion co-winners of prestigious Environment
Trop
United
Nations Environment Programme announces 2003 recipients of the UNEP Sasakawa
Environment Prize
Nairobi, Kenya, 27 October –
Xie Zhenhua of China, who has worked tirelessly to steer the world’s most
populous country and fastest growing economy on an environmentally friendly
path, is co-winner of this year’s prestigious United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) Sasakawa Environment prize. He is joined by Dener Jose
Giovanini of Brazil, whose innovative approach to curbing illegal wildlife
trafficking has become a model not only in Latin America but for the rest of
the developing world. The Prize, worth US$200,000, which will be shared equally
by the winners, is considered one of the most prestigious environmental awards
in the world.
Mr. Xie, Executive Vice Chair
of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and
Development (CCICED) and Minister of State Environmental Protection
Administration of China (SEPA), will receive the prize from the
Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi A. Annan on 19 November 2003. He
will be joined by Mr. Giovanini, founder of the National Network for Combating
Wild Animal Trafficking (RENCTAS), at a special evening ceremony to be held at
the New York Historical Society. (…)
Conference
of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Milan, Italy
from 1 to 12 December
The ninth Conference of the
Parties (COP 9) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
will take place in Milan, Italy from 1-12 December 2003. The conference, which
is likely to attract 4,000 participants, includes a special high level segment
on 10-11 December during which ministers from some 70 countries will take part
in a series of round table discussions. The Executive Board of the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) will meet in Milan prior to the opening of COP 9 on
27-28 November.
Press accreditation for media
participation to COP 9 is now open. Full details, forms and conference
information are available at: http://unfccc.int/press/accred/index.html
28 October - For the second
consecutive year, UNESCO is organizing Philosophy Day, an event for the general
public, which is invited to reflect on current issues in the company of some 50
philosophers from different regions of the world. It will take place at UNESCO
on November 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. UNESCO and its partners have
organized 12 thematic round-table discussions (…)
For this event, UNESCO's Paris
Headquarters will turn into a huge forum hosting an array of activities,
including a “Café Philosophique”, a Philosophy Book Fair, documentary film screenings, an “art event” and the XIth
International Philosophy Olympiads.
The day will conclude with a
philosophical conversation with Roger-Pol Droit, followed by a debate on
philosophy and music and a concert featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater, Herbie
Hancock, Wayne Shorter and the Thelonious Monk Jazz Institute Musicians.
As with last year, Philosophy
Day will be celebrated in several countries. More than 3,500 people attended
the event at UNESCO last November 21.
27 October - Paris - UN
agencies will launch the 2003 Education For All Monitoring Report on 3 November
in London, UK. The official release of the report will be held in New Delhi,
India on 6 November at the EFA High-Level Meeting, which will be attended by
Education International President Mary Futrell. Entitled "Gender and
Education For All: The Leap to Equality", the report is divided into 7
chapters which elaborate on the progress made, various strategies used, lessons
to be learnt as well as the importance of achieving gender equity in education.
http://www.ei-ie.org/main/english/index.html
Australia:
victory in higher education
23 October,
Australia - Virtually all Australian higher education institutions closed on 16
October in a strike to protest against the Federal government's proposal to tie
a $404 million (US$283 million) in education funding to hard-line industrial
reform. The latter listed a series of conditions for universities to access the
amount in additional funding, including stripping higher education personnel of
the right to collective bargaining. Education International affiliates NTEU and
AEU jointly referred the matter to the ILO's Committee of Experts, condemning
the breach of Article 4 of ILO Convention 98 on freedom of association and the
right to bargain collectively. The strike was a huge success, with the support
of students and parents. As a result, the Australian National University and
NTEU concluded a three-year agreement that contains none of the hardline
industrial requirements proposed by the Government. (…)
http://www.ei-ie.org/main/english/index.html
Earth Scouts: a new program
based on the Earth Charter
Earth
Scouts, a new national program based on the Earth Charter: A
Declaration of Interdependence, with badges centered on respect for nature,
economic justice, universal human rights and a culture of peace, is inviting
volunteers including parents, youth, educators, artists and other enthusiastic
community members to help in its formation. (…)
Program and badge
templates are being developed by "Trailblazer"
groups for children and youth from 3 years to 17 years. Historically,
badges prescribe specific steps for youth to follow. Instead, the badge
templates will give guidelines and examples for each of the 16 principles of
the Earth Charter in order to build experiences that demonstrate the
interdependence of life and inter-relatedness of all issues. Youth will be
given age appropriate guidance and support in designing their own requirements
for fulfilling the badge. (…)
Earth Scout groups
will be co-coordinated by one adult and youth who believe and act in ways
congruent with the Earth Charter principles and serve as mentors and models.
Training is being
offered to volunteers to "try out" the badge templates with children
and youth to assure the templates are "kid friendly" and meaningful.
Florence – Education
International will be organising its annual round table for affiliates in OECD
countries, this time in Florence (Italy) from 17-19 November. This year, the
round table will focus on the theme: Social inequalities and school success -
How schools and trade unions are taking into account the different levels of
success. The invitation is extended to all EI affiliates in OECD countries and
for the first time, members from some non-OECD countries (South Africa, Brazil
and Russia) will be joining in the discussions this year. For more information,
visit our Events
section.
http://www.ei-ie.org/main/english/index.html
31 October - UNESCO
Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will name Ukrainian athlete Serhiy Bubka
UNESCO Champion for Sport at a ceremony to be held in the presence of Mykola
Kostenko, Minister of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine, on November 4 at
8.15 p.m. at Organization Headquarters. The appointment of the pole vaulter
Serhiy Bubka as UNESCO Champion for Sport recognizes “his role in the promotion
of peace and tolerance through sport and the Olympic spirit, his humanitarian
activities in favour of young people, his action to enable disadvantaged
children to benefit from physical education and his dedication to the
Organization’s ideas.”
Six time world champion (1983,
1987, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997), European champion (1986) and Olympic champion
(1988, Seoul), Serhiy Bubka, who passed the six-metre mark 44 times, became an
international star of pole vaulting. He went on to found the Annual
International competition “The Pole Stars” in Ukraine. (…) He created a
Children’s Sports Club in Donetsk (Ukraine), which has 300 members. He is also
a member of the Public Regional Coordination council for Social Protection of
Disabled Children and Orphans. (…)
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