Good News Agency – Year V, n° 12
Weekly - Year V, number 12 – 1
October 2004
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
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International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development
Solidarity – Peace
and security – Health
Energy and Safety – Environment and wildlife – Culture and education
Interview with UN Under-Secretary-General for the Least Developed Countries
Geneva
and Rome to host Rotterdam Convention secretariat
14
new hazardous chemicals and pesticides added to trade watch list
Geneva/Rome, 24 September -- Geneva and Rome have won the
competition to host the permanent secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention. The decision
was taken at the first Ministerial Conference of the Rotterdam Convention on
the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and
Pesticides in International Trade, which ended today in Geneva. The secretariat
will continue to be jointly managed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) headquarters in Rome and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) office in
Geneva.
Ministers and senior officials
from 130 Governments also agreed to add 14 new hazardous chemicals and
pesticides to an initial "watch list" of 27 substances. There was no
consensus on adding a 15th chemical, chrysotile asbestos, at this
time. "By increasing the number of hazardous chemicals and pesticides
that require prior informed consent before being exported by almost 50 percent,
governments have given the Rotterdam Convention an enthusiastic vote of
confidence," said FAO Assistant Director-General Louise Fresco.
The conference also
established a Chemical Review Committee that assesses future proposals to add
new chemicals and pesticides to the Prior Informed Consent list, thus keeping
the Convention dynamic and up-to-date. (…)
Campaign
for GMO free zones launched
21 September - The Assembly of European Regions (AER)
and Friends of the Earth (FoE) launched a joint campaign in Strasbourg on 14
September that aims to protect traditional crops from the consequences of the
introduction of new genetic technologies. The AER and FoE will lobby, among
other things, for a European legal framework on the coexistence of traditional
and transgenic crops as well as a legal recognition of GMO - free zones in
Europe.
The two groups call for
several measures to be implemented including:
¨Separation distances¨ between
Genetically Modified and traditional crops and a register for GMO’s
The introduction of a
liability scheme, to compensate for the contamination of conventional or
organic crops including their seeds by GMO’s.
The right of Member States and
regional authorities to restrict the use and sale of GMO within the common
market if there is evidence of a negative impact on the environment or a risk
of extensive dissemination.
Regions to be allowed to
define all or part of their territory as a GMO - free zone or region, without
the decisions being seen as an infringement on the principle of free movement
of goods. (…)
Italy
pledges five million euros for criminal justice reform in Afghanistan
Vienna, 17 September (UN Information Service) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy has pledged five million Euros in support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Criminal Justice Reform Programme in Afghanistan. The money will be allocated to the project "Prison System Reform in Afghanistan -- Extension to the Provinces". UNODC, which is the leading UN agency working on the rehabilitation of the Afghan penitentiary system, will base its work on the lessons learnt from its pilot project in Kabul, also being funded by Italy.
This pilot project which is
currently under implementation was designed to revise Afghan penitentiary rules
and regulations. Its other activities include the rehabilitation and
construction of the main detention centres in Kabul. The activities of the new
project are related to penitentiary reform in selected provinces and districts,
requested by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the
Afghan authorities and other stakeholders. As is the case with the pilot
project, the new project will be implemented in close consultation with the
Afghanistan Judicial Reform Commission, the Ministry of Justice of Afghanistan
and agencies of the UN family. (…)
Italy is the lead country
assisting in reforming Afghanistan’s Criminal Justice System. UNODC developed
this project under the guidance of the former President in the Supreme Court of
Italy and Special Coordinator for the Italian Lead for Justice in Afghanistan
Giuseppe di Gennaro. With this pledge, Italy’s contribution to UNODC’s Criminal
Justice Reform programme in Afghanistan has reached 8.5 million Euros.
http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2004/unisnar858.html
Committee
on World Food Security adopts Right to Food Guidelines Breakthrough in
negotiations
Rome, 24 September - The FAO Committee on World Food Security (CFS) yesterday evening adopted Voluntary Guidelines to "support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security." Seen by many as a breakthrough, the adoption of the Right to Food Guidelines comes after two years of often difficult, but constructive negotiations.
The objective of the
Guidelines, says FAO, is "to provide practical guidance" to states in
implementing their obligations relating to the right to adequate food. This
should improve the chances of reaching the hunger reduction target of the World
Food Summit.
The Voluntary Guidelines take into account a wide range of important principles, including equality and non-discrimination, participation and inclusion, accountability and the rule of law, and the principle that all human rights are universal, indivisible, inter-related and interdependent.
According to FAO, various
non-governmental stakeholders and intergovernmental organizations contributed
significantly to the preparation of the Guidelines. These included the Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on the
Right to Food and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the
North-South Alliance, which is a coalition of a large number of NGOs. (…)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/50821/index.html
Jordan:
Professors conclude regional seminar on international humanitarian law
16 September - The ICRC
recently organized a seminar on international humanitarian law that brought
together some 40 law professors from 15 Arab countries and Pakistan. Opening
the event in Amman, Jordan's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific
Research, Dr Issam Za'balawi, told an audience of 250 Jordanian and foreign
diplomats, law professors, and representatives of the armed forces and civil
society that Jordan remained committed to enhancing the teaching of
humanitarian law in its schools and universities. He noted that eight law
faculties had already started teaching this law and that others were set to
follow.
The participants were
particularly interested in finding out how those who violate international
humanitarian law can be held accountable for their actions. This issue was
discussed by an expert panel. Chaired by Jordan's Minister of State and
Government Spokesperson, Asma Khader, it included Judge Sang-Hyun Song of the
International Criminal Court and Judge Amin Mehdi of the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Many participants left the
seminar determined to further expand the network of Arab professors who teach
international humanitarian law, and with a keen interest in spreading knowledge
of its principles and rules at Arab law faculties. (…)
Investors
meet to explore opportunities in Albania
New York, 23 September - Albania, a country in transition from crisis and recovery to development and growth, now seeks to increase foreign direct investment. This is the premise of an investor's forum held in New York today. The forum will promote investment opportunities in Albania’s telecommunication and energy sectors, among others, to potential US investors through discussions with the country's leaders, and through a documentary film especially prepared for the event. By creating opportunities for networking among participants, the forum lays the ground for future activities between the Government of Albania, interested investors and supporting agencies and organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (…)
The investor's forum is
convened by the Ministry of Economy of Albania with the support of the UNDP, in
partnership with the US Department of Commerce and the Eurasia Group. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2004/september/pr23sept04.html
Young
leaders say "No" to business as usual in Asia and Pacific countries
New
declaration calls for youth platform at regional governmental meetings
New York, 22 September - In a
declaration adopted in Hiroshima, Japan this week, 100 Asia and Pacific youth
challenge the region's premiere international organizations to heed their
recommendations for tackling poverty, hunger and disease. The declaration
centres around the Millennium Development Goals, eight global benchmarks to be
achieved by 2015. (…)
They also highlight their
concern that, while some countries in Asia and the Pacific have made
significant strides towards the Goals, the region has the highest number of
people living in poverty, with close to 700 million of the world's 1.2 billion
poor people.
The delegates, who signed on
as Millennium Campaign Youth Advocates, promised to do everything possible to
encourage their communities to reduce poverty and committed to establish-ing a
permanent network of young leaders in their region to shape their common
agenda. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2004/september/hiroshima.html
IFAD
to provide funds for post conflict reconstruction in Burundi to help rural poor
people rebuild their lives
Rome, 20 September – The
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide assistance
to rebuild livelihoods of rural communities in post-war Burundi.The USD 32.7
million Transitional Programme of Post-Conflict Reconstruction will help
restore the country’s agriculture, infrastructure and social fabric damaged by
the civil strife. The programme will benefit about 370,000 people living in the
provinces of Bujumbura Rural, Bururi and Ruyigi. Of the total programme cost,
IFAD will provide USD 16.3 million in loan that will be used for regenerating
people’s livelihoods and restore food security in about 74,000 vulnerable rural
households.
The loan agreement was signed
today at IFAD Headquarters by the Minister of Finance of the Republic of
Burundi, Athena’s Gahungu, and the Vice-President of IFAD, Cyril Enweze.
One of the key aspects of the
reconstruction-programme will be community-driven development. The programme
will work to establish Community Development Committees (CDC), responsible for
development planning, resources mobilization and implementation of related
activities. The programme will train some 10,000 people to become CDC members.
Civilians will be also trained in legal counselling. A mobile legal clinic will
offer legal support to rural women that suffered various forms of violence
during the conflict. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2004/31.htm
UN-HABITAT
and UCLG sign historic agreement
Barcelona, 17 September – In a
fitting conclusion to the Second World Urban Forum in Barcelona, United Cities
and Local Governments (UCLG) leaders and UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director, Anna
Tibaijuka, today signed a historic agreement that will elevate the working
relationship between the United Nations system and local governments around the
world to a new level. The agreement is aimed essentially at localizing the
Millennium Development Goals to which world leaders committed themselves in the
year 2000.
Headquartered in Barcelona, UCLG is a new world organization dedicated to promoting the values, objectives and interests of cities and local governments worldwide. It is the largest local government organization in the world, with members representing over half the world’s population. UCLG gives a voice to every type of local government – large and small, rural and urban – representing their interests at the global level, and addressing key issues for the future of cities and their citizens.
The new agreement will cover
five key areas deemed of crucial importance – governance, local democracy, a
new urban millennium partnership to localize the MDGs in cities, an
international dialogue supported by the Advisory Group on Decentralization
(AGRED), and a stronger UN Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA).
(…)
http://www.unhabitat.org/wuf/2004/UCLG_Sign_Historic.asp
European
Union and UN-HABITAT in new joint initiative
Barcelona, 16 September - The European Union (EU) and UN-HABITAT this week launched a new joint initiative on making cities around the world more sustainable as part of a new stage of closer cooperation between the two organizations.
For the past three years,
UN-HABITAT and the EU´s executive Commission have been engaged in a process of
reinforcing collaboration in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs), with specific reference
to urban poverty reduction .
At a special event at the
Second World Urban Forum in Barcelona, in the presence of representatives from
more than 10 EU Member States and other diplomats, the European Commission´s
Research Directorate and UN-HABITAT launched a joint publication entitled
"Creating a World of Sustainable Cities". Mr. Ponthieu, Head of
Sector, Directorate General for Research, European Commission (EC) said that
the publication was of vital importance to both UN-HABITAT and the European
Commission, as the research carried out by the two institutions was very much
driven by the need to resolve urban problems and to apply new cost-effective
solutions. (…)
http://www.unhabitat.org/wuf/2004/European_Union.asp
FAO
and European Commission forge strategic partnership to achieve development
goals
Joining
forces to alleviate poverty and hunger in developing countries
Brussels/Rome, 13 September - The European Commission and the UN
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today signed a strategic partnership
agreement designed to reinforce their joint efforts to reduce poverty, promote
agricultural development and fight hunger in developing countries. Specific
areas of collaboration will be food security, sustainable rural development and
agricultural policies, food safety and quality, natural resources management,
statistics and information exchange. (…)
Cooperation between FAO and
the European Commission dates back to 1991. It has so far resulted in the
implementation of 116 projects with a total budget of approximately 108 million
euros (US$131 million). Most of the projects have provided technical assistance
to developing countries in the fields of food security, agriculture, forestry
and fisheries. In 2003 alone, the EC financed 21 projects for a total amount of
19 million euros (US$23 million).
Since the World Food Summit,
convened by FAO in Rome in 1996, the global problem of food insecurity has been
drawing increased attention. The EC has consequently increased field operations
and activities directly oriented at achieving food security.
Under the new partnership, the
Commission and FAO will further enhance policy dialogue at headquarters level
and strengthen collaboration, particularly at country level. This will help to
bring the country support strategies of the Commission and FAO's technical
assistance into closer harmony, resulting in greater synergies and improved
efficiency in delivering assistance to developing countries.
Quality
seeds for rehabilitation of rice farming in Sri Lanka
Over
55 000 conflict-affected families in northeastern part of country to benefit
24 September, Rome -- Over 55
000 conflict-affected families in the northeastern part of Sri Lanka will get
access to quality rice seed through a recently launched emergency project
funded by the Government of Japan, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) said today.
The US$1.4 million project
will respond to the immediate needs of small-scale farm families affected by 20
years of conflict in the country. It will also support long-term rehabilitation
of certified quality rice seed production in the area.
A total of 15 000 returning
internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable farmers will receive
packages of quality rice seed for the Maha season starting in September.
Through a revolving seed scheme, a farmer receiving one bushel of quality seed
and matching quantity of fertilizer returns two bushels of seed after harvest.
These seeds will be forwarded to two new beneficiaries. In addition to
receiving rice seed, the farmers will be trained in modern production
techniques. (…)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/50387/index.html
Caritas Responds to Haiti Hurricane Crisis
Caritas Internationalis is launching a nearly 900,000 USD appeal to provide immediate relief to Haitians suffering from the most recent hurricane to sweep through their country. Hurricane Jeanne followed quickly on the heels of other powerful hurricanes and tropical storms and is considered the worst to hit the Caribbean in over a decade. According to local Caritas officials, landslides killed more than 1,000 people in Haiti alone, injuring 100,000.
Haiti has
experienced a plethora of natural and man-made disasters in the past year. In
March, the Caritas Confederation appealed for 1 million USD to provide
emergency medicine and food to victims of the political violence that overran
the country. In May, Caritas Internationalis launched another appeal in
response to devastating flooding that killed over a thousand people and
destroyed countless towns and villages.
This latest
appeal following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Ivan is an initial
response. The funds will provide food and non-food relief items, such as
kitchen utensils, sleeping bags, tents, medicine, chlorine, and clean drinking
water to 2,000 families in three different parts of the country. A Caritas
Confederation Emergency Response Support Team is leaving for Haiti to assist
Caritas Haiti in their assessment of needs. (…)
Caritas
Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and
social service organisations present in over 200 countries and territories.
WFP
relief convoy reaches flooded Haitian city of Gonaives
Port Au Prince, 22 September –
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has sent the first humanitarian
convoy to the Haitian city of Gonaives, which was engulfed over the weekend by
devastating floods that left hundreds of people dead and thousands more in
desperate need of food assistance. The
convoy of 12 all-terrain trucks carrying 40 metric tons of rice, vegetable oil
and dry rations, reached the city on Tuesday night. The food will be
distributed by the non-government organisation, CARE, over the coming days. A
second convoy is due to leave Port au Prince for Gonaives later today. (…)
Haiti has been hit several
times this year by serious flooding. Thousands of people were cut off in May by
floods and landslides, as the country was already struggling to recover from
months of civil and political upheaval. WFP provides food to more than 500,000 people
in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. (…)
ADRA
continues distributing hurricane aid in Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, 23 September - The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is continuing with its comprehensive assistance to those affected by the recent hurricanes in the Caribbean. Yesterday, nearly 8,000 pounds of items were airlifted to the Cayman Islands to be distributed by ADRA. (…)
A 40-foot ocean freight
container of relief supplies also sent yesterday to those affected by the
hurricane that passed through Grenada will also be distributed by ADRA. The
items, valued at approximately $38,000, were donated by the Capital Area Food
Bank in Washington, D.C. Included in the nearly 24,000 pounds of supplies were
toothpaste, soap, canned vegetables, beverages, crackers, cookies, and other
food items. (…)
http://www.adra.org/ADRANews/092304.html
Democratic
Republic of the Congo: Over 5,200 families receive aid in South Kivu
8 September - From 4 to 7
September the ICRC organized the distribution of non-food aid for over 5,200
families in the Fizi region in South Kivu. Trucks setting out from Bukavu
carried household kits, each containing a set of blankets, kitchen utensils,
clothing, soap, a jerrycan and a hoe.
The Fizi region, situated some
250 km south of Bukavu on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, has been the scene of
several armed conflicts since 1998. The population has suffered tremendously
all these years – from looting, destruction of infrastructure (schools,
hospitals and administrative buildings) and frequent displacement due to
insecurity. Relative calm has reigned in the area, however, since the end of
2003, and those who fled the fighting have begun to return.
The region's economy is based
mainly on agriculture but owing to the succession of armed clashes, harvests
have dwindled to such an extent that many households have had trouble setting
aside enough seed for planting during the past few farming seasons and are
finding it difficult to get production going again.
TRANSCEND
– Advanced International Training Programme on War to Peace
Transitions
and Post-War Recovery, November 22 – 26, 2004, Romania
Peacebuilding,
Conflict Transformation and Post-War Rebuilding, Reconciliation and Resolution (PCTR) is one of TRANSCEND’s most advanced international training
programmes for practitioners, UN staff, international and national aid and
development workers, and those working in post-war rebuilding, rehabilitation and
reconciliation, and war to peace transitions. The programme also includes
special modules on (i) peacebuilding and conflict transformation before war and violence to transform
conflicts before they become violent and to prevent the outbreak of war, (ii)
mobilising, empowering and strengthening resources and local and international
capacities for peace and conflict transformation for ending violence during wars, and (iii) developing
strategic frameworks and integrated approaches for peacebuilding and conflict
transformation at the local, national and regional levels for local and
national NGOs, international actors, and UN agencies.
For
more information please visit: PCTR or www.transcend.org where you will find the
announcement for the programme on the right column at the top, or write to:
Calina Resteman, training@transcend.org
WHO
issues revised drinking water guidelines to help prevent water-related
outbreaks and disease
Marrakech/Geneva, 21 September
2 - Ensuring drinking water is safe is a challenge in every part of the world,
from water piped into people's homes, to rural wells and water provided to
refugee camps in an emergency. Contamination of drinking water is too often
detected only after a health crisis, when people have fallen ill or died as a
result of drinking unsafe water. Today, WHO is releasing new recommendations
which will help pre-empt drinking water contamination.
WHO advises national and local
drinking water regulators, and the enterprises and organizations which actually
provide drinking water to five billion people around the world, that the challenge
of providing safe drinking water is growing. WHO's updated Guidelines for
Drinking-water Quality (GDWQ) will help regulators and water service providers
the world over maintain and improve the quality of their drinking water. (…)
ECHO
donates 1.6 million euros to UNICEF for Zimbabwe's children
Harare, Zimbabwe, 20 September
- The European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) in Zimbabwe has
contributed EURO 1,600 000 to UNICEF for providing targeted assistance to the
country’s most vulnerable women and children. (…)
The funding comes at a time
when many families and communities continue to struggle with the consequences
of diminishing access to basic social services, the aftermath of three years of
drought and the impact of the AIDS pandemic.
Zimbabwe, with an estimated HIV infection rate of 24.6% and
approximately 1,820,000 living with the disease, currently faces one of the
highest AIDS prevalence rates in the world. The number of orphaned children
continues to grow, with close to 800,000 children under the age of 18 having
lost one or both of their parents to AIDS (Children on the Brink, 2004). Of the more than one million orphans, many
children are dependent on elderly grandmothers or live in child headed
households, having to care for younger siblings and forced to survive on their
own.
The contribution will target
malnourished children, orphans and other vulnerable children, especially child
headed households, as well as the families and communities supporting these
children. It also builds on the existing UNICEF programmes that were initiated
with ECHO support received in 2003/2004. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_23874.html
Up to
13 million children under age five in eight northern Nigerian states were
targeted in Subnational Immunization Days
(SNIDs) held 6-9 September
17 September - The
door-to-door event was aimed at countering the effects of a yearlong suspension
of immunization activities in several states in northern Nigeria, in reaction
to widespread rumors there that the oral polio vaccine might be harmful to
children. This was the second round of SNIDs held in northern Nigeria since
July, when the affected states declared the vaccine safe and lifted the
controversial suspension.
Participants and various news
agencies reported that despite continued resistance to immunization activities
from some parents, the four-day event was largely a success.
"After a lull of almost
11 months, it will take some time and efforts in advocacy and social mobilization
to be able to reorientate the parents," says Ade Adefeso, chair of
Nigeria's National PolioPlus Committee, who participated in the SNIDs alongside
Rotarians in Kano. The state led the suspension of immunization activities and
later became the epicenter of a polio outbreak that spread to 10 previously
polio-free African countries. (…)
Representatives of the Global
Polio Eradication Initiative, including local Rotarians, are currently working
closely with governmental, religious, and traditional leaders to accelerate
immunization activities in Nigeria. (…)
To interrupt the transmission
of the wild poliovirus that has spread from Kano since October 2003, Nigeria
and 21 other countries in Central and West Africa will conduct synchronized
National Immunization Days in October and November 2004.
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/polio/news02.html
Afghanistan:
household surveys motivate healthy water practices
8 September - Household survey
results from six months of repeated door-to-door household visits in Aqali
Shams, Kabul, Afghanistan by Population Services International (PSI)-trained
female health educators reveal a dramatic increase in healthy behavior relevant
to safe water practices and storage. PSI educators measured initial knowledge,
attitudes and practices of safe water and water storage, and instructed Afghan
mothers with illustrated picture cards on proper water storage and treatment
with PSI's safe water solution Clorin. The interpersonal education was
successful in motivating positive behavior: in the first month, 722 respondents
reported their water storage container was unclean and by the sixth month there
were only seven.
http://www.irc.nl/source/ (Water and Sanitation, no.35-36)
http://www.psi.org/news/0804d.html
(top)
California: Saving water cuts energy use, reveals report
8 September - While California
faces both an increasing demand for electricity and a drought, a new report [1]
shows the hidden connection between two scarce resources, energy and water.
Saving water is an untapped way to save energy and to cope with peaks in demand
for electricity. California's State Water Project (SWP), which transports water
from Northern California to Southern California is the state's largest single
energy user, consuming 2-3 per cent of all electricity.
Water supply and wastewater
plants are also energy consumers. Yet policymakers rarely consider the energy
costs – and potential savings - in water supply planning. At the consumer
level, using energy efficient water appliances can help cut both water and
energy bills. The report lists five key findings: (1) water conservation lowers
energy use and energy bills; (2) water recycling is a highly energy efficient
water source; (3) retiring agricultural land may increase energy use if the
water is transferred to other agricultural or urban uses; (4) retiring agricultural
land can save energy if the water is dedicated to the environment; and (5)
diverting water above dams costs power and money. [1] Cohen, R ; Nelson, B. and
Wolff, G. (2004). Energy down the drain : the hidden costs of California’s
water supply. New York, NY, USA, Natural Resources Defense Council. vii, 78 p. http://www.nrdc.org/water/conservation/edrain/contents.asp
http://www.irc.nl/source/ (Water and Sanitation, no.35-36)
http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressReleases/040824.asp
Wastewater
Reuse: treating urban wastewater for local gardening
8 September - Research is underway
in Dakar, Senegal, using pistia
stratiotes (water lettuce) to treat wastewater that can be safely reused in
market gardening for the urban poor. Now in its second phase (2004-2005), this
research is being undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of biologists, urban
planners, engineers and others with support from the International Development
Research Centre (IDRC), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
During the first phase of the
project (1999-2002), researchers found that some vegetables irrigated with
wastewater produced higher yields, compared to plants irrigated with tap water
and fed fertilisers. Another finding was that malaria-carrying mosquitoes could
not breed in the wastewater ponds. However, researchers also found some of
their test plants could not survive in the basins while other plants were
unable to produce water that complied with World Health Organization (WHO)
recommendations.
The second research phase now
seeks to produce water that can be reused in market gardening, in accordance
with WHO recommendations, while seeking ways to make use of treatment
by-products. For example, the plants, once dried, could be used as a
high-protein source of fodder for livestock.
http://www.irc.nl/source/ (Water and Sanitation, no.35-36)
http://www.sanicon.net/titles/topicintro.php3?topicId=3
International
meeting on sustainable development of mountain regions
Rome, 29 September - The second meeting of the "Adelboden Group" on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountain Regions will take place at FAO Headquarters in Rome 4-5 October 2004. Governments from developing and developed countries, several UN and non UN organizations, civil society including major groups representatives will attend this international meeting. Discussions will focus on an interregional and multi-stakeholder project to be launched early next year.Supporting specific policies, institutions and legislations, the project will aim at enhancing sustainable livelihoods of mountain people.
This meeting is a follow-up to
the Adelboden Conference (Switzerland, June 2002) which -- on the eve of the
Johannesburg Conference on Sustainable Development -- drew the attention on the
vulnerability of the mountain people and the need for a sustainable agriculture
and rural development in mountain regions.
US
park management company pledges CO2 reductions
Washington, DC, USA, 22
September - As part of WWF's Climate Savers Initiative, Xanterra Parks &
Resorts, America's largest park and resort management company, has announced
its commitment to cut its heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
“WWF is excited that approximately 17 million people who visit the
parks and resorts where Xanterra’s lodges, restaurants and retail operations
are located will be able to see and hear about the solutions to global
warming,” said Katherine Silverthorne, WWF-US Climate Change Programme
Director. “Ultimately, the survival of many of our national parks depends on
such solutions," she added. "It’s fitting that Xanterra, as the
nation’s largest park management company, leads the way in helping to slow
global warming and protect wildlife and wild spaces.”
Working with WWF and the
Center for Energy & Climate Solutions, Xanterra projects that it will
reduce its CO2 emissions 10 per cent below its 2000 emissions levels by 2015.
This target represents an approximate reduction of 9,308 tons of CO2 by 2015.
Under the Climate Savers
agreement, WWF and Xanterra will also work together to educate the public about
available solutions to climate change, including on-site education of
Xanterra’s customers in national parks. (…)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/other_news/news.cfm?uNewsID=15373
USD
1.55 million in IFAD grants will battle desert locusts in West Africa
Rome 20 September - To stop
the spread of the desert locust the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) has approved USD 1.55 million in grants. The 12 grants will
also help to form the basis for longer-term solutions to prevent future
attacks. So far, emergency efforts to spray locust-infested fields have not
been sufficient to contain the large swarms sweeping across more than ten
countries in northern and western Africa, devouring crops and grasses. (…)
Ten of the twelve grants will
provide immediate assistance to train personnel, pay for supplies and equip
laboratories in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, The Gambia, Mali, Mauritania,
Morocco, Niger, Senegal and Sudan. Another two grants, totalling USD 0.5
million, will be used to continue efforts to offer long-term solutions to
recurring outbreaks of desert locusts throughout Africa.
Since the 1980s, IFAD has
worked along with its United Nations partners, especially the Food and
Agriculture Organization, to test biologically-friendly control methods that
treat locust invasions while protecting the health of livestock and the
environment. Pheromones are used to disorient the locusts, preventing them from
swarming. Another safe option, the naturally occurring fungus Metarhizium, is
sprayed on locusts, invading them and killing them within one to two weeks. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2004/30.htm
UNEP
and Iraqi Environment Ministry to assess key polluted sites
Nairobi/Geneva, 14 September –
Environmental ‘hot spots’ in Iraq are to be investigated as part of a long term
plan to clean up the country after well over a decade of instability and
conflict, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today.
Iraqi scientists, trained in
the latest laboratory and field testing skills, will be carrying out tests at a
handful of contaminated sites in order to assess their threats to human health,
wildlife and the wider environment. Under the project, coordinated by UNEP in
close cooperation with the Iraqi Ministry of the Environment, the scientists
will share samples with UNEP’s Post Conflict Assessment Unit (PCAU) in Geneva
so that testing can be carried out both in Iraq and in independent and
reputable laboratories in Europe.
The new initiative underlines
the Iraqi government’s commitment to put environmental issues in the centre of
the reconstruction efforts, despite the continuing difficulties prevailing in
the country. (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=406&ArticleID=4602&l=en
Children
Urged to Express their Fears and Hopes for World’s Cities
International
Children's Painting Competition on the Environment - 2004
Nairobi, 24 September - The
majesty and misery of the world’s cities will be at the heart of this year’s
International Children’s Painting Competition, sponsored by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), the Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and
Environment (FGPE) and Bayer AG, a German-based chemical and health-care
company. The painting competition, the fourteenth of its kind, has been held
since 1990 and has received over 160,000 entries from children in more than 150
countries.
The 2004-2005 competition will
focus on the theme Green Cities. For the first time, the competition will begin
in each region of the world with participants being asked to submit their
entries to the nearest UNEP Regional Office - in Thailand, Switzerland, Mexico,
USA, State of Bahrain or Kenya. Paintings may be submitted as hard copies or
through the internet at http://www.unep.org/tunza. The Painting Competition
opens today, 24 September 2004. All paintings should be submitted to UNEP’s
Regional Offices before 31 January 2005.
Prize winners in each region
will be announced on Earth Day, 22 April 2005 and the first prizewinner, and
their parent or guardian, will be funded to travel to San Francisco where the
main international celebrations for World Environment Day will be held on June
5, 2005. (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=406&ArticleID=4612&l=en
Earth
Charter motion at the IUCN World Conservation Congress
Bangkok, 17 - 25 November 2004
The 3rd IUCN World
Conservation Congress will be held from 17-25 November 2004 in Bangkok,
Thailand. The Congress will be the key event of the year to address the worlds
most pressing challenges of environment and development.
At this meeting the UICN
Council will present a motion on the Earth Charter in which they are asking the
Congress to endorse the Earth Charter and consider it as an ethical framework
for their policies and programs, as well as an instrument for education on
sustainable development, among other things.
http://www.earthcharter.org/news/index.cfm?id_activity=605&actual=2004
2nd
IWA Leading-Edge Conference on Sustainability, Sydney, Australia , 8-10
November
Organised by the International
Water Association (IWA), the theme of the conference is Sustainability in Water Limited Environments. The conference will
consist of presentations and an orchestrated disputation (forum).
Conference topics: challenges
of water limited environments; new approaches to decision making: beyond cost
benefit analysis; the human dimension in sustainability; systems planning for
sustainability; leading-edge technologies for sustainability; health, hygiene
and risk; governance for sustainability.
http://www.irc.nl/source/ (Water and Sanitation,
no.35-36)
http://www.les2004.iwa-conferences.org
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Interview with Mr. Anwarul K. Chowdhury,
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative
for the Least Developed Countries (LDC), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC)
and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
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Good
News Agency: The International Conference on Financing for Development in
Monterrey (March 2002) aimed at providing a base for establishing an era of new
partnerships “with shared responsibilities and mutual accountability.” How would you describe the progress of this
perception among the leaders and the people of the least developed countries
and its translation into reality?
Anwarul
K. Chowdhury: I believe that this conference
on Financing for Development (which resulted in what is known as the Monterrey
Consensus) brought in a significant dimension in partnership. It re-established the notion that without partnership, global development
cannot take place; and also that partnership is essential for the Least
Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small
Island Developing States (SIDS).
Secondly, it has shown that the countries also need to look
beyond traditional areas earlier considered relevant for development. In that context, the most important element
which emerged very strongly in Monterrey was the issue of good governance. This means
it is no longer only a “one way street” of Official Development Assistance
(ODA) going to the developing countries.
It is very necessary that developing countries take steps to put “their
house in order,” to follow the right path, to make their systems more
accountable and transparent, and to fight corruption. This will enable these
countries to make the best use of the resources they have received. In the
process of implementing the Monterrey Consensus, we really need to see that
there is a genuine desire to implement commitments made.
Are
the industrial and developing countries fulfilling their ODA commitments?
Some commitments made in
Monterrey are being reflected, though partially, in a slight increase in
ODA. For the first time, in 2003 ODA
showed an increase, and that is wonderful.
ODA in 2003 reached a figure of US$68.5 billion. This is a very positive sign of countries
fulfilling their ODA commitments. And
within this larger figure – ODA for the LDCs has increased from US$12 billion
in 2002 to US$15 billion in 2003.
While this is a very encouraging sign, ODA -- while it is very
essential-- by itself will not
contribute to development. We need to develop capacity. The capacity to utilize and absorb the
assistance and the capacity for sustainability are key factors. These countries must have the necessary
skills, capacity and infrastructure to develop on their own. All of these elements are needed to create
the right conditions. ODA can then be a
boon.
The other important factor in the context of development is
whether developing countries have been able to arrange their governance
structures appropriately. Governance
issues also are important not only in the national context but also in the
global context. We must assure that
global decision-making is more democratic and participatory. The recipient developing countries should be
assured substantial input into decisions affecting their own countries and
their development. This will increase
their capacity to absorb external shocks, because one of the indicators
defining an LDC is its vulnerability to absorb drastic changes.
It is rather
early to say whether Monterrey is making progress, but indications of progress
are visible. Monterrey emphasized global partnerships for development in a much
more focused way; in a way that was meaningful and practical. If implemented, this will result in enhanced
development.
While
ODA in 2002 had made some modest gain, these gains had been more than offset by
the largest-ever net resource transfer from the developing to the developed
world over the same year by US$200 billion.
“If what we say about financing for development is not to ring hollow,
if financing for development means anything, we must reverse the negative
balance sheet and fix the system so that all countries, and all people,
especially the poorest, can benefit,” commented the U.N. Secretary-General,
Kofi Annan. How does this negative
balance hit the LDCs, the LLDCs and the SIDS, and what ways do you see as
viable in the medium term to reverse this?
This is an aspect of resource
transfer that has not been emphasized. When we find that ODA is declining and
there is no progress on debt cancellation – it creates a problem. There are many reasons for this, and the
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has very rightly emphasized how necessary it is
that this flow be reversed. This can be
done in several ways. Most important is
the cancellation of debt for the LDCs.
They are spending more for debt service than for their own commodity
export. We are putting more and more
responsibilities on the LDCs' shoulders to shape up their governance structures,
to devote more resources, for education, health and empowerment of people,
etc., but instead of providing them with
more resources the developed world is removing those resources! So it is very necessary that the debt for
these 50 LDCs – and all of them are not heavily indebted, though most are – be
cancelled once and for all; so they can utilize their export earnings for
development purposes.
The other aspect would be to encourage increased foreign
investment in the private sector -- Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The report by UNCTAD has for the first time
demonstrated an increase in FDI in the developing countries – this can contribute to the reversing of the flow.
Another factor would be to
open up markets of the industrial countries and of the developing countries,
specifically the LDCs. They can get a
better deal on their exportable products if the markets are open and if there
is duty- and quota-free access, not only in the industrial but also in the other developing countries. There are potentials for doubling, tripling,
quadrupling the international resources and export earnings through these new
markets! The developing countries face
more trade barriers from other developing countries than they face from
developed countries.
So
what is the role of the Office of the High Representative?
The
role of my office is to highlight the need to provide new trade opportunities
for the LDCs; to give them totally duty-free and quota-free access. The LDCs have a very minor share of world
trade -- less than half a per cent. To
provide them markets would not disrupt world trade in any way. That is what we have been lobbying about –
to give the developing countries more market access, cancel their debts, and
increase Foreign Direct Investment. All
these strategies would have an effect on reversing the flow.
Our statistics show an
increase for the first time in ODA.
Member countries of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC)
increased their official development assistance to developing countries by 3%
in real terms from 2002 to 2003, following a 7% real increase between 2001 and
2002. These “real terms” data are
adjusted both for inflation and for the large fluctuations in exchange rates over
the past two years. Total Development Assistance Committee ODA reached US$68.5
billion in 2003. This is the highest-level increase ever both in nominal and real terms. This 2003 total represented 0.25% of DAC
members’ combined gross national income, up from 0.23% in 2002 and 0.22% in
2001. So in real terms we have experienced a US$2.3 billion rise in 2003.
How
has this ODA been distributed?
Some of this assistance has
gone to two conflict-ridden countries -- Afghanistan and Iraq. So much of that assistance is post-conflict
assistance for nation building and categorized as ODA. You’ll remember the United States promised
US$5 billion extra for the next five years – and that has now been put into
“The Millennium Challenge Account,” providing US$1 billion per year for five
years. Recently 16 Countries were
identified to receive the resources from this Account. Of these, eight are LDCs so our Office is
pleased. We feel that our advocacy efforts are paying off.
In terms of ODA, LDCs get
priority for two reasons – they form a “group” based upon their economic and
social development situations and because of their structural inadequacies for
having sustained development. The other
point for which LDCs are the focus is that out of 31 Landlocked Developing
Countries, there are 16 LDCs. So there
is an overlap; and out of 42 Small Island Developing States, 12 are also Least
Developed Countries.
To impact this resource reversal, debt cancellation is the first
priority. The debts must be cancelled,
and we should ensure that these developing countries do not incur future
debt. They should be bound by certain
disciplines that will require them not to incur new debt. This will require some structural changes
within their societies and also the commitment of their development partners to
see to it that they have the resources they need to improve the lives of their
people.
ODA has been increasing even though much of this funding goes to
fight the war on terror. The
Secretary-General has said that the war on terror, while necessary and relevant
to make the world secure and peaceful, should not lead to the diversion of
resources already committed to development.
Which
of the Millennium Development Goals that all U.N. Member States have pledged to
reach by 2015 are the most critical for the LDCs, the LLDCs and the SIDS, and
which are the main programmes that have the highest potential to reach these
goals or at least to get significantly closer to them?
For the LDCs, the most
important is goal number one, which is the Poverty Reduction Goal. On the basis
of the reduction of poverty, will depend on how these countries will advance in
other areas of development. That is why
I believe that poverty reduction is very important. Out of these eight Millennium Development Goals seven are the responsibilities
of the developing countries; and Goal Eight, which speaks about Partnership,
brings in the industrial countries.
Even Goal Eight mentions the needs of the LDCs in a very clear, targeted
way. It says that the needs of the LDCs
for more ODA, FDI and market access must be addressed by development
partners. So that’s why for the LDCs,
Goals One and Eight are the most important.
Poverty reduction is difficult for many of the LDCs. However, in terms of the other Millennium
Development Goals, such as those addressing infant and maternal mortality,
serious efforts are being made and in these areas we can show very substantive
progress at the end of the Millennium target year, 2015.
The international community is becoming increasingly aware that the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals is a crucial passage to our
sustainable future on this planet. In the LDCs, LLDCs and the SIDS, what is the
present role of NGOs in this respect, and are plans underway to enhance
recognition of their roles with the aim of increasing their influence in the
decision-making and implementation processes?
The LDCs have a Programme of
Action called the “Brussels Programme” which covers the period from 2001 to
2010. For the Landlocked countries at a
Conference last year in Kazakhstan, we adopted “the Almaty Programme of
Action.” And then, for the Small Island
Developing States, we adopted “the Barbados Programme of Action” in 1994, and
in January 2004 we are going to have a 10 Year Review at an International
Meeting in Mauritius. These are the
three Programmes that had highlighted clearly the role and involvement of NGOs
and the support these most vulnerable countries can get from civil society
organizations.
Support for NGOs is a major area of emphasis for our
Office. We believe that without NGOs
many of the programmes and activities within the LDCs will not make much
headway. They participated in the
Brussels Programme design, and now it is very necessary that they participate
in its implementation. NGOs are able to
help LDCs in two ways: first, through national level support to the government
or to their own fellow organizations to promote development programmes; and
second, they can be global advocates for the LDCs. We work very closely with NGOs.
Our Office has regular contacts with NGO groups and caucuses
within the UN. We work also with
academic and educational institutions to highlight the cause of the LDCs and with
caucuses of NGOs. I believe that without the spearheading of the NGOs in the
development programmes in the LDCs, progress would be slow. Last year in Geneva when the Brussels
Programme was taken up by ECOSOC for review, the NGOs had significant input and
we involved them in the process in a big way. In Geneva there was an NGO pre-discussion
event, and we involved them in the participatory level during the 2004 ECOSOC
to discuss the resource needs of the LDCs.
Public-Private Alliances are key factors in involving NGOs. The first Public-Private Partnership for
rural development has been started in Madagascar, an LDC. It is a good opportunity to show that such a
Public-Private Alliance can work.
In
view of the International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Barbados
Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States from 10 to 14 January 2005 in Mauritius, what ways do you see as viable
to mobilize the international community, and what role could civil society play
in this process?
It is very important to focus
global attention on the Small Island Developing States. The Barbados Programme was adopted 10 years
ago. During the course of this decade
the attention to SIDS has declined. We
need to bring back international attention, and to achieve this we are working
with these governments as well as with the media, NGOs, academic institutions,
etc., to highlight their needs.
It is very necessary that we prioritize the 14 Priorities of the
Barbados Programme; the 14 points for implementation. We’ve made progress, but it’s not broad enough to make a
difference without prioritizing.
Another very important element in the implementation of Barbados is an
effective follow-up and monitoring mechanism at the country level. Many of them have not even taken up the
issues or done the follow-up in their own national contexts. It is very necessary that they realize that
without such an effort on their part the response from development partners may
not be very positive.
For the SIDS there exists a tremendous opportunity for
South-South cooperation amongst themselves, as these countries can benefit from
one another’s experience and be supportive.
Civil society for the Barbados Programme has a major role because NGOs
are very vocal in many international fora, and speak for the concerns of these
countries -- on sea-level rise, climate change, global warming, etc. The SIDS are also confronting the pandemic
of HIV/AIDS and the fear of international terrorism. Most of these countries are idyllic, but also vulnerable to
natural disasters. Now with their
threat of international terrorism, it has become very expensive for them to
undertake broad-based development efforts.
Do
you think it is possible that the increased knowledge of NGOs’ roles and work
on the part of public opinion can trigger an increased positive influence on
governments’ decisions regarding their allocation of resources for bilateral as
well as multilateral programmes of development cooperation?
It is very necessary to
understand that NGOs are an indispensable partner in the implementation process
of the outcomes of all major UN conferences.
NGOs have been very well organized in terms of preparing for these
conferences. They have been effective
in organizing lobbies and advocating for these causes and can be equally
effective if not more in implementing
the outcomes of these conferences. The
role of NGOs should be understood globally and internationally and I believe
that active NGO groups at the national level can surely influence government
policies in a positive way. NGOs have a
strong role to play in advocacy – both in their own countries and outside, for
the LDCs. They have been lobbying very
hard for the LDCs in their respective countries and working with their
governments to reflect in their ODA policies a larger share of development
assistance for the least developed countries.
*******
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