Good News Agency – Year V, n° 7
Weekly - Year V, number 7 – 21
May 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 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
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media in 48 countries, as well as to 2,500 NGO and service associations.
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Information. The Association has been recognized by UNESCO as “an actor
of the global movement for a culture of peace” and it has been included as an
international organization in the web site http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development – Solidarity
Peace and security – Health
– Energy and Safety – Environment and wildlife
Religion and
spirituality
– Culture and education
Gland, Switzerland, 17 May –
WWF today said that the entry into force of the Stockholm Convention on
persistent organic pollutants (POPs) will significantly reduce toxic chemical
threats to wildlife and people throughout the world. "While applauding the initiative and commitment of the
countries that have joined the treaty, WWF urges more governments to get on
board quickly," said Clifton Curtis, Director of WWF’s Global Toxics
Programme. "The Stockholm Convention is a shining example of how the
international community can come together to address a serious environmental
and health threat. Whales, polar bears, birds of prey, and people throughout
the world will benefit from this progressive, new global regime."
France became the 50th party
to the Stockholm Convention on February 17, 2004, triggering a 90-day countdown
for the treaty to become binding international law for countries which have
ratified it. In the three years since the treaty has been open for
ratification, 59 countries have joined the Convention. The treaty will ban or severely restrict 12
extremely harmful chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
dioxins, and several pesticides, with provisions to add additional chemicals in
the future. (…)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/other_news/news.cfm?uNewsID=13107
12 May – The United Nations
World Health Organization (WHO) today welcomed the United States Government's
signing of a global treaty aimed at curbing tobacco-related deaths and disease,
which now claim 5 million lives every year, a number that if left unchecked
could double by 2020.
On Monday the US became the
109th country to sign the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control - the
first-ever under the auspices of a United Nations agency. WHO said the signing
showed Washington's commitment to maintaining standards of public health. The
agency added that it was the first step in the process, and hoped that the next
one would be the ratification of the treaty.
The treaty will take effect
once 40 governments have ratified it; so far 12 have, and the European
Parliament has recommended ratification. It requires ratifying nations to
implement a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, sponsorship and
promotion, set new labelling - including larger, more noticeable health
warnings on cigarettes - and clean indoor air controls and strengthen
legislation to clamp down on tobacco smuggling. It also requires Member States
to prohibit tobacco product sales to minors.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10716&Cr=tobacco&Cr1=
By
Sue Wixley
14 May - It may not have
grabbed headlines like Estonia's new membership of the EU and NATO, but the
country's accession to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty is most significant:
Internationally, it sends a signal that Tallinn is committed to tackling
humanitarian problems and recognises the value of collective action in doing
so. Domestically, the move will boost efforts to clear the unexploded ordnance
left behind from World War II and the Soviet era.
In the region, Estonia's
accession turns the spotlight on the three countries in the EU that remain
outside the treaty: Finland, Latvia and Poland. It is hoped that these and
other non-members will join the treaty in the coming months ahead of the 2004
Nairobi Summit on a Mine Free World, a major milestone in the life of the Mine
Ban Treaty.
The 2004 Nairobi Summit on a
Mine Free World, the treaty's first review conference, takes place from 29
November to 3 December in Kenya's capital.
The Mine Ban Treaty entered
into force under international law five years ago. It prohibits any use,
production or trade of antipersonnel mines, and requires destruction of
stockpiled mines in four years, clearance of mined areas in ten years, and
assistance to mine victims.
Estonia completed its
accession formalities at the United Nations in New York on 12 May.
On 28 April, the
United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1540. The
resolution, originally drafted by the US, calls upon all 191 member states of
the UN to “combat by all means” the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The
resolution will require all UN members to “adopt and enforce appropriate
effective laws” to prevent “any non-state actor” from being able to
“manufacture, acquire, possess, develop, transport or use nuclear, chemical or
biological weapons and their means of delivery.” The resolution not only
targets terrorist threats but also requires states, including alleged
proliferators such as Pakistan, Iran and North Korea, to adopt laws or
regulations to enforce the ban on the transfer of prohibited weapons. (…)
The resolution calls for the
creation of a Security Council Committee to be established within six months to
monitor how countries are implementing the provisions.
However, the
resolution is flawed it fails to acknowledge the disarmament obligations under
the Non-Proliferation Treaty and to identify measures to reduce and eliminate
nuclear arsenals. It also reflects the one-sided emphasis on containing
horizontal proliferation while ignoring vertical proliferation of nuclear, as
well as biological and chemical weapons. Furthermore, the initial negotiations
on the resolution were restricted to the Permanent Security Council Members
(China, France, Russia, UK and US), perpetuating concerns regarding the
longstanding monopoly of power in the Security Council and on nuclear weapons
by those five nations.
The Sunflower, May 2004 – www.wagingpeace.org
14 May – The number of internally displaced persons
(IDPs) in Burundi has dropped by half, as people have returned home in the past
two years, mainly to the southern provinces, the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.
Some 140,000 IDPs remain out
of the 281,000 who fled their homes in 2002, OCHA said after conducting a new
survey in March and April of those in the IDP camps with help from the
Burundian Ministry for the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Displaced and
Repatriated Persons, as well as the National Commission for the Rehabilitation
of Disaster-affected People.
The rate of return of the IDPs
had speeded up near the end of 2003 and some 58 per cent of the 28,679
displaced families surveyed expressed their willingness to return home in the
near future, OCHA said. (…) Some 44 per cent of the people still living in IDP
camps were in the provinces of Gitega, Kayanza, Kirundo, Muyinga, Muramvya,
Ngozi and Karuzi, OCHA said. People displaced temporarily because of fighting and
IDPs living with host families were not surveyed, it added.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10736&Cr=burundi&Cr1
14 May – The United Nations
refugee agency today began a month-long series of flights between refugee camps
in Algeria and the city of Smarra in Western Sahara, expanding its
two-month-old family visit programme. Smarra is the third Western Saharan city
to be included in the confidence-building initiative, which started 5 March and
began with flights between the Algerian city of Tindouf and Laayoune, the
capital of the Territory, and later expanding to Dakhla.
More than 420 people - both
refugees and residents of the Western Sahara Territory - have participated in
the weekly flights so far, many of them seeing family members for the first
time in decades, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
said. (…)
UNHCR's confidence-building
initiative, which has been in the making for more than half a decade, first got
underway in January when it established phone lines linking people in the
refugee camps with their relatives in Western Sahara. (…)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10740&Cr=western&Cr1=sahara
Lagos, 12 May - The first New
Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Cities Forum organized by
UN-HABITAT opened in Lagos, Nigeria on Tuesday with a clarion call on African
cities representated by some 300 delegates to promote sustainable economic
growth and regional integration.
The Sustainable NEPAD Cities
Programme is a joint initiative of UN HABITAT and the African Union through the
NEPAD Secretariat. The programme seeks to engender in Africa a system whereby
cities showcase the core values of the NEPAD initiative by being functional,
economically efficient, equitable, environmentally sound, safe and secure. The
Lagos Consultative Forum is the first meeting of representatives of the cities
at which they will exchange ideas and strategize on how to attain the goals
spelt out under the initiative. Lagos is Africa’s most populous city with an
estimated 15 million inhabitants. (…)
http://www.unhabitat.org/nepad_city_forum.asp
Afghanistan and its neighbours
shape outline for regional cooperation
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 11 May – "Our politics is the politics of poverty reduction and economic cooperation. We must focus on ways to make the entire region competitive because the advantages are immense," Afghanistan Finance Minister, Ashraf Ghani told delegates at the opening session of a three-day regional conference of high-level government and business leaders from Central Asia, Iran and Pakistan
Their meeting in Bishkek,
Kyrgyzstan will begin to map out new opportunities for trade and investment
with Afghanistan. Representatives from the region's eight participating
countries are exploring mutual avenues for economic cooperation, trade and
transit. Supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and
hosted by the Government of Kyrgyzstan, the conference for "Afghanistan's
Regional Economic Cooperation: Central Asia, Iran and Pakistan" is aimed
at helping Afghanistan's re-entry into the regional economy.
The 150 participants are
learning about the "new" Afghanistan, and considering actions to
regularize trade and transit, harmonize customs procedures and critically
identify trade and investment opportunities. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2004/may/prafghanistan11may04.html
San Diego, California, May
5 -- The World Business Council for
Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and World Resources Institute (WRI) today
released a new edition of the international standard used worldwide by
businesses to report and set targets for their greenhouse gas emissions
(GHGs). The Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A
Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, Revised Edition (http://www.ghgprotocol.org/) was
unveiled during the May 5-7 conference on GHG Registries, Climate Policy and
the Bottom Line held in San Diego.
This standard, first launched
in 2001, has become the most widely used global standard for corporate
accounting of greenhouse gas emissions. It was developed by over 500 experts
from businesses, NGOs, and governments. It has been adopted by over 150
companies, including industry associations representing pulp and paper,
aluminum, and cement, and enjoys the support of NGOs and governments alike.
Numerous climate initiatives, including reduction programs, trading schemes,
environmental standards, and registries have based their measurement and
reporting guidelines on the GHG Protocol. (…)
The World Business Council for
Sustainable Development (www.wbcsd.org) is a coalition of 175 international
companies united by a shared commitment to sustainable development. The council
also benefits from a Regional Network of 48 business councils and partner
organizations, representing more than 1,000 business leaders worldwide.
http://newsroom.wri.org/newsrelease_text.cfm?NewsReleaseID=284
More than 130 volunteers
attended this year's CARE Capitol HIll Day in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., May 12 -
Activism took on a new dimension on May 5 and 6 when more than 130 CARE
volunteers took to the halls of Congress to meet with senators and
congressional representatives to enlist their aid in the global fight against
poverty. Supporters came from as far away as Seattle, WA and as nearby as
Alexandria, VA, right across the Potomac River, to fan out in the various
office buildings on Capitol Hill for CARE’s first national Capitol Hill Day.
(…)
The two-day program began with
workshops, where CARE staff offered tips on effective advocacy and an in-depth
review of CARE’s policy agenda — covering everything from better access to
basic education and women's health care to addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Andrew Natsios, administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), and Frank Sesno, former CNN Washington bureau chief, gave
an energetic overview of the current policy environment in Washington.
The next day, participants met
with 113 legislators and staff to urge greater support poverty-related issues
(…)
http://www.careusa.org/newsroom/featurestories/2004/may/05122004_caphilldayfeature.asp
Rotary creates "Miracle
Field" for disabled children near Chicago
Chicago, 1 May - The Bloomingdale-Roselle Rotary Club and the Chicago White Sox announced the opening of the Roselle Miracle Field on Saturday, May 1. It is the first public Miracle Field in the Chicago area, where children with disabilities can play America's favorite pastime with able-bodied children. White Sox former players Moose Skowron and Minnie Minoso attended the opening day celebration. The $350,000 Miracle League Field was built with the help of a $150,000 grant from Chicago White Sox Charities, with the remainder raised for the Bloomingdale-Roselle Rotary Club's Centennial Project. The Roselle Park District is providing the use of the land.
The Miracle League was formed in 1998 by the Rockdale, Georgia Youth Baseball Association. Today, nearly 100 fields have been constructed in cities across the U.S. Miracle Fields are made from a weather-resistant rubberized surface, designed specifically for wheelchair bound and/or physically disabled children and adults.
A soccer/football facility for Somkhele, South Africa
This weekends' announcement by FIFA to bring the 2010
World Cup to South Africa did more than bring joy to a country that recently
celebrated 10 years on independence, but in a small corner of Kwa Zulu Natal
there was an extra reason to celebrate. For the past six months Architecture
for Humanity has been preparing for the launch of their 2004 Summer Design
Competition - to design a soccer facility in Somkhele, South Africa.
In
many parts of Africa sporting activities, in particular soccer/football, are
being incorporated into a variety of programs geared towards helping youth to
address a broad range of issues affecting their lives. The "team"
approach is especially important if countries are to successfully meet and
overcome their current challenges, from poverty to HIV/AIDS, and from
malnutrition to educational access.
This summer we are challenging the creative world to
design a football facility in Somkhele, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. This
facility, run by medical professionals from the Africa Center for Health and
Population Studies, will serve as a gathering place for youth between the ages
of 9 and 14 including home to the first-ever girls football league in the area.
The pitch will also act as a tool to disseminate information on HIV/AIDS
prevention and treatment and eventually a service point for a mobile health care clinic
www.architectureforhumanity.org
May 12 - The Canadian
Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ms. Shelley Whiting today announced a
$3.3 million (US) multi-year contribution by the Government of Canada for mine
action in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The contribution will be made through
the United Nations Development Program's Integrated Mine Action Programme
(IMAP). Ambassador Whiting made the announcement together with Minister Safet
Halilovic, Minister of Civil Affairs and Mr. Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, UNDP
Resident Representative. (…)
IMAP was officially launched
by UNDP and the Ministry of Civil Affairs on February 26, 2004. The 5-year
Programme creates a clear link between mine clearance priorities and Bosnia's
long-term economic development and integrates it with the UNDP's institutional
capacity building efforts in the area of mine action. IMAP will be a
fundamental support factor for the BiH Government in meeting objectives of the
National Demining Strategy and for the BiH citizens through the reduction of
the mine threat in the country. (…)
http://www.undp.ba/shnews.asp?idItem=154
By
Jackie Hansen
14 May -The ICBL
[International Campaign to Ban Landmines] is creating a multimedia exhibition
to open at the Nairobi Summit, being held 29 November - 3 December 2004 at the
United Nations in Nairobi, Kenya. This exhibition will provide a rare glimpse
into the life of the civil society movement to ban landmines through the voices
and images of campaigners. It will show how individuals have successfully
created change and how they will continue to work for social change until
landmines no longer pose a threat to communities. (…)
Exhibition of 30 photographs,
accompanied by text quotations, a textual history of the movement to ban
landmines and a slideshow with video and audio interviews and photographs
documenting campaign activities. (…)
30 April - The ICRC launched its "Children and War" campaign in Syria on Wednesday.- The opening event, held at al-Assad Library Auditorium, was attended by Assma al-Assad, wife of Syria’s president, as well as various ministers, ambassadors, academics and representatives of international organizations, the media and Syrian child-aid organizations. It was organized to raise public awareness of the plight of children affected by armed conflict and of the campaign activities planned for the coming year. There was a stark contrast between the video clips viewed by audience of the suffering endured by children in war and the normal pleasures of children dancing and singing on the auditorium stage.
In current conflicts,
widespread lack of respect for and ignorance of international humanitarian law
means that children caught up in war are exposed to the risk of death and
severe injury but also to other terrible ordeals such as separation from their
loved ones, a pitiless struggle for survival in a hostile environment,
imprisonment, economic exploitation, recruitment by warring parties, and sexual
abuse. (…) The year-long "Children and War" campaign is being carried
out in close cooperation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. In addition to
publicizing the particular problems faced by children affected by armed conflict,
its purpose is to spread knowledge of the basic rules of humanitarian law.
The future workshop Tamera
invites you to an international Summer University and the first large
preparatory meeting for the Experiment "Monte
Cerro" . In this experiment 200 participants will live
and work together for three years in order to develop general conditions for a
long-term peace among humans and between humans and nature. The Summer
University will inform about the experiment and give a first impression of the
expected living together.
To the Summer University,
potential participants for the experiment as well as all interested and
committed persons in the different research areas are invited. The following
working groups will take place: technology, ecology, place of the children,
youth school, political network. In addition there will be a peace village
group with participants from Israel and Palestine.
The 10 day Summer University will be a lively network meeting to the
questions of a future worth living: There will be common morning attunements,
lectures, possibilities for practical cooperation, music, study, art and
community. For further information: Future Workshop Tamera, Monte do Cerro, P-7630
Colos, Portugal
tamera@mail.telepac.pt www.tamera.org
Geneva/New York, 17 May -
Asian and North African countries could be polio-free within months, while west
and central African countries must change track to stop the virus, according to
data presented in Geneva today by Health Ministers from the world's six
remaining polio-endemic countries. The ministers announced a two-pronged
strategy to further accelerate
eradication activities in both areas.
With
latest figures showing the Asian and north African regions at record low levels
of polio (together reporting only 21 cases in 2004, compared to 94 this time
last year), ministers of health of Afghanistan, Egypt, India, and Pakistan
announced an accelerated strategy to “mop-up” each new virus. Under this
ambitious initiative, each new poliovirus found will trigger two massive,
tailored immunization campaigns in response, targeting between one and five
million children, before the virus has the opportunity to spread. (…) The new
strategy for the African region includes the reintroduction of a mass,
synchronized immunization campaign across 21 countries by early 2005 at the
latest. This strategy will be supplemented, where appropriate, with
mop-up campaigns around any importations. (…)
The Global Polio Eradication
Initiative is spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary
International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
UNICEF. The poliovirus is now endemic in only six countries, down from
over 125 when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched in
1988. The six countries with indigenous wild poliovirus are: Nigeria,
India, Pakistan, Niger, Afghanistan and Egypt. (…)
For further information on the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative: www.polioeradication.org, Rotary International’s
PolioPlus site atwww.rotary http://www.rotary.org/foundation/polioplus/, www.cdc.gov, or the polio site on www.unicef.org/polio
Geneva, Switzerland, 16 May
− An urgent plea to all national governments and health
professionals to stop procrastinating on the HIV/AIDS pandemic has been issued
by the world's nursing, pharmacy and medical leaders. Representatives of the three
health professions, attending the historic first conference of the World Health
Professions Alliance in Geneva today, unanimously passed a resolution urging
governments to recognise the scale of the tragedy facing the world and to
immediately commit the necessary funds to fight the pandemic.
The conference, bringing
together for the first time members from the International Council of Nurses,
the International Pharmaceutical Federation and the World Medical Association,
were moved to adopt the resolution after hearing a compelling and inspiring
plea for support from Stephen Lewis, United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS
in Africa.
The World Health Professions
Alliance brings together medicine, nursing and pharmacy through their
representative international organisations, International Council of Nurses
(ICN), International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and the World Medical
Association (WMA) and represents more than 20 million health professionals
worldwide.
www.icn.ch
14 May – The impact of HIV/AIDS which has already
orphaned 14 million children worldwide, the worst forms of child labour that
affect 180 million youngsters, and the "critical" need to empower
women are central themes of the International Day of Families being celebrated
throughout the United Nations system tomorrow. This year's celebration carries
special significance as 2004 marks the 10th anniversary of the International
Year of the Family.
Progress has been made in
instituting national programmes of action and integrating family perspectives
in national legislation and policy, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a
message noting that the well-being of families has become a central focus of
all concerned with national development and poverty eradication. (…)
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
highlights the particular urgency for families affected by HIV/AIDS, whose toll
of orphaned children is expected to exceed 25 million by 2010, and the vital
role of women. (…) The UN Children's
Fund (UNICEF) warns that children growing up without parental care are at
grater risk of violence, exploitation, trafficking and discrimination. "Family is a child's first line of
protection," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy says. (…) She notes
that some 246 million children work, with about 180 million engaged in the
worst forms of child labour, and that ensuring that all children, especially
girls and children without parental support, can attend school is one of
UNICEF's key missions.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10742&Cr=families&Cr1=day
14 May – Partnering with religious
groups is crucial to the successful implementation of vaccination programmes
worldwide, according to a new guide launched by the United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF) highlighting the increasing importance of community organizations
in global public health initiatives. (…) Over 50 public health and religious
community insiders attended the conference, "Building Trust: Religious
Groups, the Media and Immunization," jointly organized by UNICEF, the
World Conference on Religion for Peace (WRCP) and the Communication for Social
Change Consortium - the first in a series geared at integrating religious
communities in immunization efforts.
The conference featured
in-depth discussions about the challenges and successes of working with
religious communities in Nigeria, Iran, the Philippines and India. The guide
includes extensive case studies of lessons learned and success stories from
Sierra Leone, Angola and India.
After just two years of
activity in Sierra Leone, a UNICEF-led social mobilization team, in collaboration
with Christian and Muslim organizations, raised the immunization coverage of
children under one year of age to 75 per cent, up from 6 per cent. In Angola,
UNICEF partnered with churches in a campaign to end polio, which was essential
during the period of civil war as social mobilizers were needed who were
respected from both sides of the conflict. In India, meanwhile, Muslim leaders
are working with UNICEF to counter resistance to polio vaccination in their
communities, through informal discussion as well as public talks. (…)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10731&Cr=vaccination&Cr1=
11 May 2004 – With more than
half of Ethiopians suffering from chronic malnutrition, the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) has funded programmes to train trainers at three
Ethiopian medical schools, adding nutrition to the expertise of more than 100
medical professionals so far this year, the agency said today.
A group of UN experts,
including two UNICEF consultants, along with government employees and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) developed an Ethiopian protocol for the
treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) during a crisis in 2002 and 2003.
The UNICEF training programme gives participants practical experience in
dealing with such cases, using therapeutic feeding units (TFUs), the agency
said.
Since January, 41 nurses, 12
physicians and 54 medical interns had been trained in using the national
protocol at universities in Addis Ababa, Gondar and Jimma, UNICEF said, while
201 professionals from health clinics, health care NGOs and medical schools
have received training in managing therapeutic feeding centres. The SAM
protocol has been extremely effective in reducing the fatality rate of children
treated for severe malnutrition to less than 5 per cent, UNICEF said.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10701&Cr=ethiopia&Cr1=
Botswana's 200,000 young
children to be immunized, following 'importation' of polio from Nigeria
Washington, 10 May - The
Minister of Health of Botswana today kicked off a massive emergency
immunization campaign in the southern African nation of Botswana, following the
re-introduction of the poliovirus into the country from Nigeria in
February. Prior to this, polio had not been seen in Botswana since 1991.
This campaign is deemed critical to protect the country's children from further
spread of the poliovirus. "The massive effort being launched in Botswana
today is testimony to Africa's commitment to getting polio eradication back on
track and ending this terrible disease," said Jonathan Majiyagbe,
President of Rotary International. "Just eight years ago, polio
paralyzed more than 75,000 children across the continent. Last year,
fewer than 500 cases were reported in Africa." Rotary International
is one of the four spearheading partners in the Global Polio Eradication
Initiative, and the first with a vision of a polio-free world.
From 10 to 14 May,
approximately 2,600 vaccinators, district and national health supervisors and
volunteers in Botswana will be involved in immunizing almost 200,000 children
under the age of five years against polio. A second immunization campaign
will take place from 14 to 18 June.
For further information on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative: www.polioeradication.org Rotary International's PolioPlus site at www.rotary.org/foundation/polioplus/
, www.cdc.gov , or the polio
site on www.unicef.org/polio
(top)
Rome, 17 May - Biotechnology holds great promise for agriculture in developing
countries, but so far only farmers in a few developing countries are reaping
these benefits, FAO said in its annual report 'The State of Food and Agriculture
2003-04', released today. Basic food crops of the poor such as cassava, potato,
rice and wheat receive little attention by scientists, FAO said.
"Neither the private nor
the public sector has invested significantly in new genetic technologies for
the so-called 'orphan crops' such as cowpea, millet, sorghum and tef that are
critical for the food supply and livelihoods of the world's poorest
people," said FAO Director-General Dr Jacques Diouf. "Other barriers
that prevent the poor from accessing and fully benefiting from modern
biotechnology include inadequate regulatory procedures, complex intellectual
property issues, poorly functioning markets and seed delivery systems, and weak
domestic plant breeding capacity," he added.
Biotechnology, one of the
tools of the gene revolution, is much more than genetically modified organisms
(GMOs), sometimes also called transgenic organisms. While the potential benefits and risks of GMOs need to be
carefully assessed case by case, the controversy surrounding transgenics should
not distract from the potential offered by other applications of biotechnology
such as genomics, marker-assisted breeding and animal vaccines, FAO said. (…)
Gland, Switzerland, 14 May -
Fire experts from around the world will gather in Sigriswil from 16–18 May to
discuss one of the biggest threats to forests today. The first such meeting, it
is organized by the Global Fire Partnership, founded by WWF, The Nature
Conservancy and IUCN–The World Conservation Union. The meeting brings together
experts from Australia, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Russia, Spain, South
Africa, Switzerland, and the US.
Wildfires have become a major
issue in recent years. Each year, major areas are burnt — with terrible
consequences for both people and nature. According to the European Forest Fires
Information System, last year's summer heat wave in Europe saw over 25,000 fires
in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Austria, Finland, Denmark, and Ireland. The
total area of forest burnt was 647,069 hectares — four times the size of
Greater London. More than half this area, 390,146 hectares, was in Portugal,
making last year the worst forest fire season the country had faced in the last
23 years. (…)
The expert meeting in
Sigriswil will discuss recent research, which the Global Fire Partnership hope
could help pinpoint potential fire hotspots, and identify major issues in
dealing with large destructive fires,and their implications for nature
conservation worldwide. (…)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/other_news/news.cfm?uNewsID=13063
14 May – With 80 per cent of
ocean pollution coming from land-based activities and half the coasts - home to
1 billion people - already threatened by development activity, the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today took part in the launch of a new
campaign to clean up the seas by ensuring that people have access to toilets
and safe drinking water. (…)
The new campaign, launched in
Cairns, Australia, along with the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative
Council (WSSCC), is called "Wastewater Emission Targets - Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene for All, or WET-WASH. "WET-WASH is significant
because of the linkages between WETs and the UN Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) for water and sanitation that are vital for poverty alleviation and
sustainable development efforts," WSSCC Chairman Jan Pronk said. The MDGs
are a set of time-bound a measurable goals that world leaders agreed to in 2000
that deal with halving extreme poverty and hunger, educational parity,
eradicating diseases and illness and other global problems.
Globally, sewage is that
largest source of marine contamination by volume; although industrial pollution
and more diffuse sources, such as from agricultural practices and sedimentation
due to deforestation and mining operations also pose a significant threat to
the health and productivity of coastal resources. According to UNEP, the global
economic burden due to ill-health, disease and death related to the pollution
of coastal waters is estimated at $16 billion a year. (…)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10741&Cr=water&Cr1=sanitation
10 May - Egypt is using
indigenous plant life to treat dirty drainage water entering Lake Manzala, one
of several large, heavily polluted lakes in the Nile delta, which then flows
into the Mediterranean. Livelihoods in communities there will benefit from fish
farming and improved farm irrigation as a result of the water treatment. The
innovative initiative began operating in March.
It offers a solution to one of
Egypt's most pressing environmental problems —- water scarcity — by helping it
clean and reuse water for productive purposes. This could point the way to
cleaning up other coastal lakes, contributing to a cleaner Mediterranean.
Pollutants entering the lake
come from industries, households and farms. Much of the polluted water comes
from eastern Cairo, where it is carried 170 kilometres by the Bahr El Baqar
drain to the lake. Everyday 25,000 cubic metres of water will undergo the
unique, low-cost treatment in which pumps channel water from the drain into
huge ponds, where sediments settle. The water then flows into a series of
specially designed wetlands where plants filter it gradually, removing at least
three-quarters of the pollutants.
The Ministry of State for
Environmental Affairs executed the project with support from UNDP, and the
Global Environment Facility provided the funds. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2004/may/10may04/index.html
2004 Parliament of the World’
Religions – Barcelona, Spain, July 7-13
Thousands at fourth “Parliament of the
World’s Religions” to pledge concrete community action to confront religious
violence, other community crises
Chicago
– May 13
– The Council for a Parliament of
the World’s Religions today announced the 2004 Parliament of the World’s
Religions (www.cpwr.org/2004Parliament/),
the world’s largest interreligious gathering that will convene in Europe for
the first time. The event—last held in Cape Town, South Africa in 1999—will be
held in Barcelona, Spain July-7-13 and is expected to draw thousands of people
of faith and spirit from around the world to find inspiration and forge new
pathways to peace in the new age of international terrorism.
As part of its
theme, “Pathways to Peace: The Wisdom of Listening, the Power of Commitment,” experts will train
2,000 of the Parliament attendees in how to perform these acts in their own
diverse communities. Additionally, the Parliament
will offer more than 400 programs, performances and lectures with leading
thinkers such as His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, scientist Jane Goodall, Nobel
Peace Prize Winners Shirin Ebadi and Mairead Corrigan McGuire, theologian Hans
Küng, Ela Gandhi (social activist and granddaughter of M. Gandhi), bishop
Samuel Ruiz, Raimon Panikkar and many more.
The Parliament is organized by
the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions in partnership with the
Universal Forum of Cultures – Barcelona 2004, a 141-day event that includes 40
congresses and “dialogues” on conditions of peace, cultural diversity and
sustainable development. The Parliament is also organized
in association with the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia, a
non-governmental organization dedicated to international peace and cooperation
through the promotion of dialogue and collaboration.
The Council for a Parliament
of the World’s Religions is a Chicago-based, interreligious organization that
cultivates harmony between the world’s religious and spiritual communities and
fosters their engagement with the world and other guiding institutions to
achieve a vision of a peaceful, just and sustainable world.
12 May – A supportive policy
environment as well as political commitment is needed to ensure quality indigenous
education both as a right in itself and as a means to improve the economic and
health prospects of women, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous
Issues has been told. Several recent studies show that one extra year beyond
primary school boosts economic possibilities for women by 10 per cent, leads to
greater literacy and lower fertility, reduces child mortality and fosters
democratic citizenship, Linda King, Interim Chief of the Section on Education
for Peace and Human Rights in the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), told the Forum.
Some 1,500 people from 500
groups are meeting over the next two weeks in the Forum’s third session at UN
Headquarters in New York to focus attention on indigenous women and girls, whose
well-being is critical to the survival and prosperity of their peoples' unique
culture in this age of globalization. (…) Other needs include culture-based
curricula appropriate to the community, curricula promoting positive aspects of
indigenous cultures, and the use of indigenous languages. In addition, teachers
should be familiar with indigenous cultures and languages, and use responsive
and experiential teaching methods. (…)
The Forum advises and makes
recommendations to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on social
development, economic, cultural, human rights, environmental, education and
health issues.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10710&Cr=indigenous&Cr1=people
Five different UN video tapes
now available!
From: American Model United
Nations International mail@amun.org
29 April - American Model
United Nations (AMUN), in conjunction with the Ambassador's Club at the United
Nations, is pleased to present the United Nations Video Series. The full series
now includes five different video tapes, each covering two or more topics.
These include tapes about how the inner workings of the United Nations, as well
as a number of issue oriented tapes covering a wide variety of topics on the
UN's agenda. Each video tape features UN Ambassadors and senior Secretariat
members discussing a specific issue before the UN. (…)
Series I includes four
segments which provide an in-depth view of diplomacy and the workings of the UN
General Assembly. Each tape in Series II through V include two segments,
featuring Ambassadors and high ranking UN Secretariat members discussing some
of the most important issues facing the United Nations. These videos are
appropriate for both university/college and high school level students, and
have segments which can appeal to everyone, from experts to students who know
very little about the work of the United Nations. They are available for order
on-line at http://www.amun.org/video.php and are distributed
exclusively through AMUN. All proceeds go to further work in educating students
about the United Nations.
The Instituto Nacional de
Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal (INAFED) is an organization that supports
activities of the municipalities in Mexico. Mateo Castillo Ceja, Director of
the Earth Charter Secretariat in Mexico, met with them at the beginning of
May. As a result of the meeting, the Earth Charter was sent to all
municipalities and INAFED has published, on their website, an article in
support of the Earth Charter (http://www.alcaldesmexicanos.org/inafed.htm) where they state:
"The Intituto Nacional para el Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal
supports this initiative and invites all municipalities from Mexico to support
the Earth Charter and commit to the defense of life."
The project Ciudadanía
Ambiental Global was launched in Ecatepec, Mexico, on April 22. After the
three-day PNUMA/Earth Charter meeting on Ethics for Sustainable Development
(April 23-25) at Ixtapan de la Sal, the Earth Charter's four main principles
were included within the ethical framework of the project. Some of the
objectives of the project are to promote organized social participation and to
produce a change in the daily conduct of each individual and society as a whole
towards the environment. More on the project and the meeting at www.rolac.unep.mx/
Relevant Mexican
personalities, many school children and teachers attended the launch of an
Earth Charter adaptation for children on April 29th. Media coverage was wide.
The event was full of engaging activities and a brochure was given to each of
the children that encouraged them to follow the principles in the Charter and
take care of the planet.
A new global ethical framework is needed to
guide our decisions and actions ensuring the common good. Use the Earth Charter as an instrument to understand and achieve a more
sustainable future
Youth
Participation: See for Yourself
On 16 April, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s Youth Programs Director Michael Coffey organized a trip for a group of students to the University of California, Irvine to hear a special message from the Dalai Lama. A member of the Foundation’s Advisory Council, the Dalai Lama addressed approximately 5,000 young people and entertained many questions from the audience. The trip to UC Irvine was a collaborative effort with Santa Barbara City Teen Programs to nurture continued leadership development among local youth.
A senior at Santa Ynez High
School, Liz Weinstein says, “The Dalai Lama's message could be summed up in a
single word, compassion. After hearing the Dalai Lama speak, I purchased a few
of his books and am now trying to bring as much compassion and happiness into
my life.”
The Foundation’s Director of
Youth Programs, Michael Coffey plans to continue these “See for Yourself” field
trips on a monthly basis with the goal of building community and better
illustrating the connections between nuclear weapons and other social justice
issues. He encourages Foundation members to participate in these trips or to
organize similar trips where they live. A list of possible sites is available
online: http://www.wagingpeace.org/menu/programs/youth-outreach/getting-started/see-for-yourself.htm
Institute for
Purposeful Living: Soul-Centered
Education for a Lifetime
The Soul-Centered Education
for a Lifetime Program builds common sense, clear thinking, interpersonal and
leadership skills, freedom from barriers, and a clearer sense of life purpose.
This program is the planned
outgrowth of the organization's internationally acclaimed, all-volunteer
project which, for 14+ years, provided free, hands-on care for terminally ill
adults and developmentally disabled children. The resulting discoveries about
human relations, effective group work, and spirituality are the cornerstones of
this program. This knowledge has inspired the development of more than 20 other
volunteer-based service organizations throughout the US. The teachers and
facilitators are members of the board of directors of the IfPL. The next “Come and See”
weekend is scheduled for September 4-5.
The Institute is not a
religious organization. People of all faiths, backgrounds, and ages (students
range from 12 - 81 years old) discover a common ground through their spiritual
connection with the goodness or soul within. As a result, students grow
personally, professionally, and spiritually.
What more than 70
thousand people have found invaluable to their success is now available to
qualified students of the Institute for Purposeful Living . This opportunity
comes with a full scholarship to boot (including room and board)! Full-time
students participate in a minimum of 45 hours per week of applied
service-learning. Part-time
students, living off-campus, may take one or more weekly
classes and complete a minimum of 6 hours of applied learning per week per
class taken.
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