Good News Agency – Year VI, n° 13
Weekly - Year VI, number 13 – 29
October 2005
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi,
Ph. D.
Rome Law-court registration
no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
Good News Agency carries positive
and constructive news from all over the world relating to voluntary work, the
work of the United Nations, non governmental organizations, and institutions
engaged in improving the quality of life – news that doesn’t “burn out” in the
space of a day. Editorial research by Fabio Gatti. Good News Agency is
published in English on one Friday and in Italian the next. It is
distributed free of charge through Internet to the editorial offices of more
than 3,700 media in 48 countries, as
well as to 2,800 NGO and service associations.
It is a service of Associazione
Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà Mondiale, NGO associated with the United Nations Department of Public
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 in the web
site http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_sum_monde.htm
Economy and development – Solidarity –Peace and security – Health
Environment and
wildlife –
Religion and
spirituality
– Culture and education
Lessons
of experience: trade and development board hears that one-sixe-fits-all
approach doesn’t work
14 October (…) UNCTAD´s Trade
and Development Board (TDB), listening as expert panellists and representatives
of developing countries reviewed the results during its annual session the past
two weeks, heard a disillusioning message: Many of the globe´s least developed
countries prettied themselves up as they were told to do, at great sacrifice. .
. and still didn´t receive an invitation to the global economic dance. Their
trade did not expand dramatically, foreign investment in many cases did not
flood in, and where it did arrive it often was focused on "extractive
industries" that used natural resources but did little to create jobs or
spill over into boarder economic growth. (…)
Chastened and wiser,
development experts and a series of government officials said during the TDB´s
3-14 October session that a current, temporary upswing in the economies of many
developing nations - driven by demand from India and China for raw materials -
should not be wasted. Plans for economic growth and development aid should be
tailored to each country´s specific situation; poorer nations should focus on
diversifying their economies; they should foster a domestic investment base
that keeps profits at home; and they should temper the enticements they offer
to foreign investors to avoid a "race to the bottom" . It was noted
that even the current 4.4% growth rate in sub-Saharan Africa, where most of the
world´s least developed countries, or LDCs, are located, is not enough to
significantly reduce poverty there or to meet the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals. Many participants in the meeting -- while lauding recent
international agreements to cancel the foreign debt burdens of many poor
nations -- therefore called for expanded development aid from industrialized
countries. (…) At the Board´s closing
session, Secretary-General Supachai announced the appointment of an
independent, seven-person panel to advise him on ways to make UNCTAD a more
effective and prominent organization.
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=6440&intItemID=1528&lang=1
The US Proposal on agriculture has potential to push
Doha Round negotiations to an ambitious conclusion
17 October (ECA) - The
recent US proposal at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the liberalization
of international trade in agriculture has the potential of moving the Doha
Round negotiations towards an ambitious and successful conclusion. However,
analysis by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and its
affiliate, the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) shows that the benefits
likely to accrue to African countries from this proposal could be easily eroded
depending on the treatment of “sensitive products.”
The
US proposal, initially floated on the 10th October, proposes linear reductions
on four tariff bands, with the highest tariff lines being subjected to the
largest tariff reductions. At face value, this could be very beneficial to
African exporters as it will greatly reduce tariffs payable on agricultural
exports to rich countries, and would particularly reduce tariff peaks and other
high tariffs. However, it is still not clear how the issues of sensitive and
special products will be treated. (…)
The
ECA analysis recommends that African trade negotiators should pay close
attention to the list of sensitive products that will emerge in later stages of
the negotiations. The ECA paper states that: “ the persisting result and
conclusion is that any level of ambition is going to be eroded by high levels
of sensitive products.” It further adds that if Africa loses potential gains
from ambitious tariff cuts to sensitive products; the effect will be like
giving with one hand and taking away with the other.(…)
New
US$17.3 million loan to assist the rural poor in the Lao People's Democratic
Republic
Rome, October 13 - More than 26,200 rural women and food
insecure families will benefit from a new development programme in the poor
districts of Attapeu and Sayabouri provinces in the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic.
The US$25.9 million programme
will be financed in part by a US$17.3 million loan and US$693,000 grant from
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). An additional
US$1.3 million grant will be provided by the World Food Programme and US$2.0
million from the German Government through the German Agency for Technical
Cooperation and the German Development Service. The Government of the Lao
People’s Democratic Republic will contribute US$3.4 million. Today’s loan agreement
was signed by the IFAD President, Lennart Båge, and Soutsakhone Pathammavong ,
Ambassador of Lao People’s Democratic Republic to France , at IFAD Headquarters
in Rome .
The programme will assist
rural poor people, especially women, living in the uplands, including people
who have moved recently from the remote uplands and resettled in more
accessible areas. It will enable poor farmers to make better use of services
and natural resources to increase their incomes and food security. Better roads
will link remote villages to produce markets and help them generate more
income. The programme will provide access to essential social services and
strengthen the capacity of local community organisations to manage and plan
development activities in their villages. (…) http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2005/40.htm
New
US$20 million project to support Government of Rwanda 's strategy to reduce
poverty through improved agriculture
Rome, 7 October - More than
75,000 rural poor people in Rwanda will benefit from a project that will test
innovative farming and livestock practices, strengthen the capacity of farmers
associations and local government to deliver services and interact with central
government offices, and build a knowledge management system to share technical
innovations with farmers throughout the country. The project is being supported
by a US$8.2 million loan and US$200,000 grant from the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD), with cofinancing from the United Kingdom 's
Department for International Development and the Government of the Netherlands
. The loan agreement was signed today at IFAD headquarters by IFAD Vice
President Cyril Enweze and Rwanda 's Minister of State for the Ministry of
Finance and Economic Planning, Monique Nsanzabaganwa. (…)
The seven-year Support Project
for the Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture responds to a
request by the Government to put some of the elements of their national strategy
into action. The project will eventually contribute to a sector-wide approach
to agriculture in the country, with support from multiple donors. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2005/38.htm
Eating orange fights Vitamin A
deficiency and poverty
Ouagadougou , Burkina Faso,
October 7 – Helen Keller International (HKI) recently launched a four-year
project, funded by The McKnight Foundation, to introduce and promote new
varieties of orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes (OFSP) in Burkina Faso. Consumers in
the United States are used to eating sweetpotatoes that are orange-fleshed and
an excellent source of vitamin A, but, in most of the rest of the world,
sweetpotatoes are white-fleshed and contain no vitamin A. Introducing OFSP
varieties has been shown to be an effective strategy to control vitamin A
deficiency (VAD) and improve food security. The McKnight Foundation has
supported similar projects in Eastern Africa, but the introduction of OFSP in West
Africa remains limited. HKI initiated this newest project in an effort to
demonstrate the potential for OFSP to alleviate malnutrition in the fragile
Sahel region of West Africa, where Burkina Faso is located.
At a workshop held in
September in Ouagadougou as part of the project, HKI worked with
representatives from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization
(FAO), the National Farmers Federation, the French Agency for Food Security,
other NGOs and Ministries of Agriculture, Education and Health to develop a
plan for OFSP production and consumption. (…)
Organized
by ECLAC, with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation: Twenty Projects from
Nine Countries Reach Final Stage of Competition on Social Innovation
2004-05
winners to be announced 10-11 November at ECLAC headquarters, Santiago,
Chile.
6 October - Twenty projects
from nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have been selected as
finalists in the competition "Experiences in Social Innovation",
organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC), and supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Initiatives are from
Argentina (3), Bolivia (1), Brazil (9), Chile (1), Colombia (2), Guatemala (1),
Haiti (1), Paraguay (1) and Peru (1). All have made an important contribution
to the fight against poverty and inequality in their respective countries, by
offering innovative approaches to improving health care, education, nutrition,
agricultural production and people's incomes, particularly those of the
poorest, most excluded sectors. Moreover, four projects work with indigenous
populations and two have brought growing recognition of the traditional
medicine of these original peoples.
The awards ceremony will take
place on 10 - 11 November 2005 at ECLAC headquarters, in Santiago, Chile. The
winning project will receive US$10,000; the second, US$8,000; the third,
US$5,000; the fourth, US$3,000; and the fifth, US$2,000. The other 15 finalists
will receive honourable mentions.(…)
Forest
and timber sector expresses concern for economic viability, illegal logging,
and the public image of wood: Markets for forest products continue at record
levels
Geneva,
4 October - The UNECE Timber Committee analyzed the current forest products market
situation in 2005 and forecast markets for 2006 in light of current policy
issues. The theme of the annual Timber Committee Market Discussions was “Forest
certification policies’ influence on forest products markets in the UNECE
region.” (…)
The UNECE Timber Committee
reviewed the current major developments affecting forest sector policies and
markets: illegal logging, inside and outside the UNECE region, the threats to economic
viability of forest owners and industries from intense global competition, the
challenge and opportunities presented by the growing demand for wood energy and
the coming into force of the Kyoto Protocol. Governments, civil society and
industry are working increasingly together to address these issues, for
instance through public procurement policies, certification, corporate
responsibility measures, “green building” schemes and improved
communication.(…)
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2005/05tim_n01e.htm
Gender
Budgets and Valuing Women's Voluntary Work: UNIFEM and UNV Launch New
Initiative in Latin America
New York/Bonn, 3 October -
Using gender-responsive budgets to recognize and strengthen women's role in
governance and resource allocation in Latin America is the focus of a new
initiative launched by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.
The two-year project,
"Engendering budgets: Valuing women's voluntary contributions to national
development in Latin America," will work to mainstream a gender
perspective into local government expenditure plans. Through this project,
UNIFEM and UNV will make women's unpaid and volunteer contributions to the
health of their communities, which is still largely unrecognized, both visible
and valued.(…) The project will take
place in five Latin American countries where previous and continuing efforts to
bolster women's participation in local decision-making processes serve as best
practice examples.(…)
http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=327
CRWRC begins food distribution
to hungry in Malawi
Grand Rapids, MICH, USA, October
20- The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) an agency
acknowledged by the United Nations for its integrated approach to disaster
relief, will begin distributing food on Thursday, October 19 to 5,000 families
plagued by famine in Malawi.
"Its the worst maize
harvest in 10 years," says Bruce Campbell-Janz, CRWRC relief program
manager. "One third of the population is in need of food assistance."
Distribution of 1,750 metric tons of maize and 350 metric tons of beans will
begin first in the southern Malawi district of Mangochi and will continue for
seven months until the next harvest in April 2006. Thirty-four metric tons of
drought-resistant cassava and sorghum seed (along with other alternative
drought-resistant seed) are also being distributed to help prevent the
recurrence of famine in 2006.
"Planting, cultivating
and eating drought-resistant crops leads to greater ongoing food security for
the community," says Campbell-Janz. CRWRC has three staff persons working
alongside established partners in Malawi - Nkhoma Synod of the Church of
Central Africa Presbyterian in the Salima district and Save Orphans Ministries
in Mangochi - to ensure that those who are hungry receive the food they need.
(…) CRWRC has contributed USD$167,000 of its own funds to the USD$838,000 food
aid and food security project. The remaining USD$671,000 has been provided
through matching funds granted by the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA). For more information about these programs, please visit www.crwrc.org
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=4492
Caritas Pakistan travels to
remote villages to assess needs
By Nana Anto-Awaukye, CI Field
Communicator in Pakistan
Balakot, 18 October 2005 –
Driving along the Balakot road, life carries on as normal. Market traders
display their bananas, apples, and grapes. Herds of goats and cattle wander
aimlessly on the roads between cars, motorbikes, bicycles, and trucks. As the
road takes you into Balakot, the devastation of the earthquake is everywhere
–buildings reduced to rubble, people forced to clamber over what was once their
home, and the homes of neighbours, as the only way to reach their destinations.
Along the roadside there are piles of brightly coloured clothes and tower-high
packets of biscuits. These are some of the goodwill relief items sent by people
in the first days after the earthquake. Today, the coordination of relief is
more focused, and Caritas Pakistan is listening and talking to elders in
communities to find out what their real needs are.
Trucks, military vehicles, and
the familiar white 4x4 cars of international aid agencies jostle for space on
the small winding road to the village. The best way to reach people is to get
out and walk, which means climbing over what was once the front of houses, to
reach the village of Naraha. On reaching the village, the first thing that
strikes you is the collapsed minaret, with its shiny silver crescent moon
glinting in the sun and the men of the community gathered around it. (…)
WFP welcomes swift response from Japan to earthquake
Yokohama, 18 October 2005 -
WFP has welcomed a swift contribution from the Government of Japan of US$2.5
million to the agency’s emergency operation for those hit by the South Asia
earthquake. Japan was one of the first countries to donate to WFP’s relief
effort, confirming its contribution just one week after WFP sought emergency
aid as part of the UN’s overall flash appeal. To date WFP has received US$10.6
million of the US$ 88 million it requires.
Japan’s donation will be used to purchase high-energy biscuits, which are
ready to eat – essential when people have no kitchens or stoves on which to
cook. WFP plans to provide food aid to one million of the people most severely
affected by the earthquake for the next six months. As the lead agency for logistics, WFP is identifying the fastest
way to reach earthquake survivors, many of whom are located in remote,
mountainous areas. Helicopters and trucks are being deployed to reach towns and
villages cut-off by landslides.
http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=1876
FAO
and Brazil collaborate to promote school nutrition and food security
Other developing countries to benefit
17
October, Rome - Brazil and FAO will work together on school nutrition programmes in
poor countries, according to a multilateral agreement signed in Rome today.
Through this initiative, Brazil wants other countries to benefit from its
National School Nutrition Programme and from the experience gained through the
Zero Hunger Programme championed by President Lula. (…)
The first country to benefit
from the Brazilian school nutrition experience will be Haiti, whereas three
African countries, Angola, Cape Verde and Mozambique will collaborate with
Brazil and FAO in food security programmes. Other countries may join later.
Brazil will send nutrition and food security experts to these countries to
assist them, together with FAO technical services, in developing national
school feeding and food security projects.
In Brazil, the National School
Nutrition Programme provides meals to 37 million schoolchildren and adolescents
of up to 14 years of age, representing around 20 percent of the country's
population.(…)
Today's agreement
was signed by the Minister for Education of Brazil, Fernando Haddad, the
Ambassador of Brazil to FAO, Flávio Miragaia Perri and FAO Assistant
Director-General Henri Carsalade, together with Ministers or Ambassadors of the
beneficiary countries.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/108199/index.html
Rotary
members worldwide unite to fight polio
Role
of civil society vital in world’s largest global health endeavor
Evanston, IL, USA - October -
This fall, hundreds of Rotary club members from the United States, Canada, France,
The Netherlands, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia will join thousands of their
fellow Rotarians and millions of other volunteers and health workers in India,
Indonesia and African nations to help immunize children against polio.
Through Rotary International,
the fight against polio has been largely driven by volunteers. Never before
have individual volunteers and the influence of the private sector played such
a core role in a global public health effort. (…) Rotary volunteers will join
tens of thousands of traditional and religious leaders, teachers, parents and a
huge force of other volunteers and health workers to reach every one of the 80
million children during these immunization campaigns. (…)
Overall, great progress has
been made in the effort to end polio worldwide. In the two decades since Rotary
and its global partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, cases
worldwide have been slashed by 99 percent with 1,255 reported all year in 2004.
Today, half of the world’s population now lives in certified polio-free areas.
The Americas were declared free from polio in 1994, as well as the Western
Pacific region in 2000, and Europe in 2002. (…)
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/presscenter/releases/2005/245.html
FAO appeals for $7 million to
assist farm families affected by Pakistan earthquake
Help needed to restart herding and farming activities once rescue and
relief activities over
13
October, Rome -- FAO has launched an appeal for $7 million to help farm families
affected by the earthquake in northern Pakistan resume their agricultural
activities over the next six months. Following the immediate rescue and relief
activities and as soon as conditions permit, FAO will field assessment missions
to determine the impact of the earthquake on agriculture and to work with the
Government to prepare a plan for reconstruction of the agriculture sector, the
U.N. agency said. (…)
Based on the results of the
assessment, FAO will prepare targeted interventions for around 100 000 of
the most affected farm families. Assistance is necessary during the next six
months to help farmers and herders re-establish their livelihoods.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/108098/index.html
UN-HABITAT pledges Pakistan earthquake recovery
support
Nairobi,
11 October – Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary-General of the United
Nations and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, this week offered the agency’s
immediate support with emergency relief and recovery following a massive
earthquake in Kashmir on Saturday that claimed more than 33,000 lives. (…) UN-HABITAT staff and experts were
sent to Pakistan to help both the government and the United Nations Resident
Coordinator effectively address and coordinate immediate and transition
elements related to shelter and settlements recovery. UN-HABITAT also appealed to the donor community for approximately
US$ 8 million to bring relief to more than 150,000 families affected by the 7.6
magnitude earthquake that struck close to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered
Kashmir on Saturday morning claiming more than 33,000 lives and causing
widespread devastation.(…)
http://www.unhabitat.org/pakistan_earthquake_2005.asp
MSF: More teams and cargo to
Asian earthquake area
First projects are up and
running in Pakistan and Indian Kashmir.
Islamabad, 10 October - The
international medical aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has
started to provide medical assistance and relief goods to the victims of
Saturday's earthquake in Pakistan and India. At the Pakistani and Indian
controlled sides of Kashmir MSF teams are focusing on medical assistance,
mental health counselling and the distribution of relief and medical supplies
to assist the existing response.
In Pakistan a team is offering
medical assistance in the local district hospital in the town of Muzaffarabad,
north east of the capital Islamabad. From Muzaffarabad several teams will focus
on delivering medical and relief assistance to some areas of
Pakistan-administered Kashmir. (…)
In Indian-administered
Kashmir, teams concentrate on giving assistance to the towns of Baramullah and
Uri and the region of Tangdar. Additional medical and logistical supplies are
under way. Additional support is also given to the hospital of Srinagar. (…)
In both regions MSF is setting
up psycho-social support for those who have lost family members, especially
children who have lost their parents. (…)
Physicians
for Peace® partners with Old Dominion University to bring Dominican exchange
students to Norfolk, VA, USA
Norfolk, VA.,USA – October 19,
2005) In partnership with Old Dominion University (ODU), Physicians for Peace
(PFP), an international, humanitarian, non-profit, medical education
organization will bring five third year physical therapy graduate students from
Universidád Católica in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Norfolk, VA
October 19-28, 2005. (...)
The mission of Physicians for
Peace (PFP) is to further the cause of world peace and international goodwill
by providing quality medical education and care to those in need. Founded by
internationally acclaimed humanitarian Dr. Charles E. Horton, Sr. of Norfolk,
Virginia, USA, Physicians for Peace has sent teams of medical volunteers
throughout the world to deliver much-needed healthcare services, medical
education and medical supplies. Using medicine as a peace-building tool, PFP
has conducted programs in more than 45 countries over the past three decades,
building bridges between diverse cultures, ethnicities and religions.
Physicians for Peace is a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization that encourages financial and in-kind
contributions to underwrite its mission-based work. For more information,
please visit www.physiciansforpeace.org.
Croatia to Host International
Conference on Landmines Ban in November
HINA
news agency, Zagreb
Zagreb, 18 September - The
sixth meeting of countries which have signed the Ottawa Convention Banning
Landmines will take place in Zagreb from 28 November to 3 December, an adviser
to the Croatian foreign minister, Diana Plestina, said earlier this week. (…)
Plestina said about 1,150 square metres of land in Croatia were suspected of
hiding mines, mostly in eastern Slavonia and in the Zadar hinterland. She
recalled that 410 people in Croatia had been killed by mines so far, while some
1,460 had been wounded.
Croatia has fulfilled a very
important provision from the Ottawa Convention - the destruction of 10,000
stored mines. The convention was signed in 1997 after negotiations in Oslo with
the purpose of adopting a ban on landmines, demining, and helping mine victims.
The Zagreb meeting is expected
to pool some 600 delegates.
http://www.banminesusa.org/archives/newsletters/current.html#6
Switzerland
donated once more to the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims
Assistance
Ljubljana, 18 October -
Memorandum of understanding was signed today between International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance
(ITF) and Swiss Federation in amount 250.000,00 CHF (…)Funds will be earmarked
for demining operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina for support of two manual
clearance teams within the project of Norwegian People's Aid. Swiss Federation has already, over the past
seven years, contributed to ITF more than 3 millions of american dollars and
remains one of biggest and most regular donors to ITF.
Problem of eliminating mines
and unexploded ordnance (UXO) still remains very present in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, which is the most mine polluted country in South-East Europe
region. Mine affected areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina still cover more than
2.000 square kilometers of surface, which represents approximately 4 percent of
total country size
Bangladesh Campaign organizes
Artist's Camp for a Mine Free World
Authors: Rafique Al Islam and
Fred Lubang
Bangladesh, 13 October - The
Bangladesh ban landmine campaigners led by Nonviolence International-Bangladesh
and the Chattagram Charushilpi Foundation culminated the month-long Artists
Camp with the theme, “For Peace, Let the World be Mine Free”, through an
exhibit which featured the paintings of renowned artists along the said theme.
Hundreds of people participated and witnessed the series of activities that
were held weeks before and during the event. The activities were comprised of a
number of public briefings and orientation seminars on various aspects of the
landmine issues which included a brief introduction to the International
Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and its history; the latest status of the Mine
Ban Treaty and the Nairobi Action Plan; Bangladesh’s position on the landmine
issue as well as the other neighboring South Asian countries; and the next
steps that the Bangladesh government should take in relation to the national
legislation and its commitments. These topics led to many interesting
discussions amongst the various participants. The documentary film, Disarm was
also screened as well as other films along the theme.(…)
The organizers plan to bring
the paintings to be displayed at the forthcoming States Parties Meeting in
Zagreb, Croatia in November 2005.
http://www.icbl.org/news/bangladesh_artist_camp
Adopt-A-Minefield® - Night of
a Thousand Dinners® 2005
Each year, people across the
country and around the world come together on a single night to enjoy a
fundraising dinner to help end the global landmine crisis. This year,
Adopt-A-Minefield’s Night of a Thousand Dinners® event will be held on or
around Thursday, November 3, 2005. Any gathering that you hold, including
office holiday parties, can be transformed into an event of global
significance. Awards will be given this year for ‘Most Funds Raised’, ‘Most
Creative Dinner’ and ‘Best Photo’ so be sure to send in your stories and photos
with your donations!
Night of a Thousand Dinners
2004 inspired citizens to take action against landmines and raised nearly
$500,000 for mine action. (…) It is a campaign of the United Nations
Association of the USA, which engages individuals, community groups, and
businesses in the United Nations effort to resolve the global landmine crisis.
The Campaign helps save lives by raising funds for mine clearance and survivor
assistance and by raising awareness about the landmine problem.
The idea behind Adopt-A-Minefield® is both powerful and simple. Designed to move beyond the political and policy debates typically associated with banning the use of landmines, the Campaign provides a practical solution to the tens of millions of mines that contaminate the world and to the countless survivors of landmine accidents.
Pakistan-administered Kashmir:
ICRC field hospital opens in Muzaffarabad
Geneva, 21 October – A 100-bed
field hospital was opened in Muzaffarabad today by the International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC). Its first patient was a girl with a broken and badly
infected leg, a type of injury all too frequent as a result of the earthquake.
The hospital is staffed by
over 50 medical personnel furnished mainly by the Norwegian and Finnish Red
Cross and by over 100 locally hired medical and support personnel. The latter
will number 150 within a few weeks. The facility, which will serve as a general
hospital, consists of an assembly of over 30 tents, including staff
accommodation, a kitchen, administration office and pharmacy. It will provide
care in the domains of surgery, obstetrics, internal medicine and paediatrics.
(…)
Uganda: Fighting malaria
Geneva, 19 October – The International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) is distributing insecticide-treated mosquito nets to over 40,000
internally displaced families as part of a month-long anti-malaria campaign in
Uganda's three northern districts of Gulu, Pader and Kitgum, where malaria
remains one of the major causes of death. The beneficiaries, who so far number
3,000 families in five camps for internally displaced people in Gulu and Pader
districts, are being taught how malaria is transmitted and how to use the nets
correctly.
The ICRC helps provide primary
health care in the camps and supports seven hospitals, including the facility
run by the Ugandan army in Gulu. (…)
African AIDS Commission meets in Washington ahead of final report
Addis
Ababa, 17 October (ECA) – One of Africa’s leading initiatives against HIV/AIDS,
the Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA), holds its final
meeting in Washington, D.C., this week at the end of its two-year mandate. The Commission’s brief is to advise African governments on how to
strengthen their effectiveness against the pandemic, which is having a
profound, structural impact on the continent's capacity to meet its development
challenges.(…) The Commission’s report will offer policy advice
and action points on how to reinforce prevention efforts; strengthen health
systems and treatment; protect vulnerable groups, including women, young girls
and orphans, more effectively; and achieve more sustainable and coordinated
funding, among other challenges. (…) http://www.uneca.org/
Arsenic removal water filter could help save millions
of lives : UNESCO-IHE calls for donors
13
October - A filter that removes
arsenic from water and that could save tens of millions of lives was launched
today at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Simple and ecologically sound, the
filter uses an absorbent recycled by-product available at no cost almost
everywhere in the world. It was developed by the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water
Education.
Arsenic
in drinking water is both a natural phenomenon and the result of human activity
(mining, extraction of minerals, coal-burning electricity production). There is
no medical treatment for intoxication by arsenic-contaminated water. Prevention
is the only recourse. It is a serious problem in many countries around the
world including Bangladesh and the United States, as well as Argentina, Chile,
China, Ghana, Hungary, India, and Mexico. (…)
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=30103&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
CARE launches bird flu
awareness campaign in Vietnam
9 October - CARE is launching
a campaign to raise awareness about Avian Influenza, or bird, flu, in Vietnam,
as concerns grow that a type of bird flu will cross over from animals to humans
and jump borders, creating a global epidemic of disease. Vietnam is one of four
countries with confirmed human cases of bird flu.
Public service announcements
on Avian Influenza (AI) created by CARE are now airing on television in Binh
Dinh province in Central Vietnam and Long An province in the Mekong Delta.
These announcements are expected to reach 1,500,000 people — approximately 60
percent of the total population of both provinces. They provide information on
who can become infected with AI, how people can protect themselves and their
families from the virus, and how farmers can keep their flocks of poultry from
getting the disease. (…)
http://www.careusa.org/newsroom/articles/2005/10/20051014_vietnam_avian_influenza_pr.asp
CARE and WGBH Boston provide
prescription for child survival
9 October - CARE, Save the
Children and UNICEF are participating in Rx for Child Survival, a campaign
created by public television station WGBH in Boston, which provides basic
preventative healthcare necessities for children in developing countries,
including immunizations, antibiotics, vitamins and essential nutrients, liquids
for hydration and insect netting. The campaign is part of the Rx for Survival —
A Global Health Challenge television series premiering in November, 2005 on
local Public Broadcasting System stations in the U.S.
Advanced medical science has
produced new vaccines, cured diseases and increased the life expectancy of many
people in the world. Even so, developing nations actually have a decreased life
expectancy due to new and deadlier diseases, microbial resistance to
antibiotics and a travel network that can spread diseases around the world more
quickly than ever before.
According to WGBH, the series
is intended not only to increase awareness of the health risks problems
surrounding the people in developing nations, but also to get viewers to take
action — locally and globally — by speaking out, volunteering and through
donations.
Rx for Child Survival is
specifically focused on preventing millions of children under five who die
every year, by providing them with basic medical interventions. (…)
http://www.careusa.org/newsroom/articles/2005/10/20051007_rxchildsurvival.asp
Singapore
to Host UN Champions of the Earth Awards
Nairobi/Singapore, 19 October -- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will host the award
ceremony of its premier environmental award – Champions of the Earth – in
Singapore in 2006. This was announced by the Director of Communications and
Public Information of UNEP, Mr. Eric Falt, today in Singapore. The Champions of
the Earth award, a new international environment award established in 2004, is
presented annually by UNEP to outstanding environmental achievers and leaders.
Award
winners are selected from nominated individuals or groups who have made a
significant and recognized contribution regionally and globally to the
protection and sustainable management of the Earth’s environment and natural
resources. Selected candidates are rewarded for their creativity, vision and
leadership. The awards will be presented in Singapore in April 2006 at a
ceremony to be attended by well-known regional and international personalities
and dignitaries. The event is supported by the Ministry of the Environment and
Water Resources, Singapore, (MEWR), and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=455&ArticleID=5011&l=en
UNESCO and Italy take first step towards creation of
environmental institute
19
October - UNESCO and Italy have taken the first step towards establishing an
institute for environmental development. The proposed institute would be
located in Trieste (Italy) and offer an international programme for education,
training and capacity building in environmental development. Following the
usual procedure for such a project, UNESCO’s Director-General Koichiro
Matsuura, the Italian Minister of Environment and Territory Altero Matteoli
and, representing the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Delegate
of Italy to UNESCO Giuseppe Moscato signed a memorandum of agreement yesterday
at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. (…)
The
next phase of development for the institute on a partnership for environmental
development (IPED) will be a feasibility study carried out jointly by the
Italian authorities and UNESCO, in particular the Natural Sciences Sector. It
will be submitted to the Executive Board during the next biennium for a final
decision to be taken at the next General Conference.
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=30252&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Pere David's deer thrive in
China 20 years after re-introduction
Wuhan, Hubei, China, 19 October
– Twenty years after being re-introduced back into the wild in China, Pere
David’s deer are once again thriving in the Central Yangtze region.
The Pere David's deer was once
found only in China along the central and lower Yangtze River basin. But, years
of overhunting and loss of its wetland habitat due to reclamation led to the
extinction of the species in the wild in the early 20th century. However, a
small population of Pere David's deer bred at the Woburn Abbey wildlife park
outside of London were re-introduced to the Central Yangtze in 1985 by the
Chinese government, and in 1986 by WWF. From this founder population of 39, the
numbers of Pere's David deer in China have increased steadily. A recent count
put the number at 2,500 individuals at three national nature reserves. (…)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/news.cfm?uNewsID=23995
Bolivia takes the lead in
certifying tropical forests
Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 12 October
– Bolivia has certified more than two million hectares of its forests, making
the South American country the world leader in tropical forest certification.
In recognition of achieving
good forestry management, timber company CIMAL/IMR received an award, on behalf
of the certifier SmartWood, for its commitment to certifying 300,000ha of its
forests. Of the 300,000ha, 25 per cent is considered a forest of high
conservation value and has been designated a reserve. Also recognized at the
award ceremony were 23 national forest operations for their contributions in
making Bolivia a world leader in forest certification. (…)
The Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) is an independent, not-for-profit, non-government organization based in
Bonn, Germany, providing standard setting, trademark assurance, and
accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in
responsible forestry. It was created in 1993 by environmental organizations
such as WWF.
Bolivia was one of the first
countries to initiate efforts promoting the conservation of its forests through
sustainable management and FSC forest certification, a trend that began early
in the 1990s and grew stronger following the passing of the country’s forestry
law in 1995. (…)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/news.cfm?uNewsID=23875
Tackling wastewater pollution
at source cheaper than cleaning up
Policies using
taxes to cut pollution offer the most cost effective route to reaching EU
wastewater targets
Copenhagen, 7 October - A
'Polluter pays' approach, based on taxes and levies, reduces volumes of
polluted water and offers the most cost effective route to compliance with EU
legislation, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency
(EEA) based in Copenhagen. The pilot study, 'Effectiveness of Urban Wastewater
Treatment Policies in Selected Countries', analyses successes and failures in
policy for Denmark, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. It
explains the relationship between effective wastewater management and the
policies behind them.
Water pollution caused by
'untreated' wastewater continues despite three decades of efforts to clean up
European surface waters. Several EU Member States have not satisfied the
requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD), originally
adopted in 1991 to cut waste water pollution by 2000. The Dutch model, which is
based on high water pollution levies and full costing of sewerage, comes close
to satisfying the legislation and is the most cost-effective of the examples in
the report. The report suggests that the absence of water pollution taxes in
France and Spain will result in these countries failing to reach the 2005
targets cost-effectively. Denmark complies fully with the Directive, with
discharges decreasing by 90%. (…)
http://org.eea.eu.int/documents/newsreleases/urban_wastewater-en
Values highlighted on UN
anniversary
United Nations, 7 October
(BWNS) -- In observance of the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, the
Baha'i International Community has issued a major statement that focuses on the
importance of the oneness of humanity and religious freedom as critical values
in the process of UN reform. "The blurring of national boundaries in the
face of global crises has shown, beyond a doubt, that the body of humankind represents
one organic whole," says the statement, which is titled "The Search
for Values in an Age of Transition." Accordingly, the oneness of humanity
must become the overriding focus as humanity searches for solutions to global
challenges such as poverty, AIDS, environmental degradation, terrorism, and the
proliferation of weapons.
"It is clear that none of
the problems facing humanity can be adequately addressed in isolation from one
another," the statement says. "The increasingly apparent
interconnectedness of development, security and human rights on a global scale
confirms that peace and prosperity are indivisible -- that no sustainable
benefit can be conferred on a nation or community if the welfare of the nations
as a whole is ignored or neglected." Moreover, the statement asserts that
the issues surrounding religion and freedom of belief have now risen to a level
of "consuming global importance, which the United Nations cannot afford to
ignore." (…)
Within the framework of these
two main themes, the statement offers a number of concrete recommendations to
the United Nations. These recommendations fall in four broad areas: human
rights, development, democracy, and collective security.
The full text of "The
Search for Values in an Age of Transition" can be read at:
www.onecountry.org/e172/BIC_UN_60th.htm
http://news.bahai.org/story.cfm?storyid=391
Education International
affiliates attend seminar for Peace Education Materials
21 October - The 3rd
Korean-Japan Seminar for Peace Education Materials was held from October 7th to
9th. The theme of this year’s annual seminar was Practical teaching cases in
teaching about Japanese colonial period of Korea. 40 Participants from EI
affiliates the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA), Korean
Teachers and Educational Workers' Union (KTU), and Japanese Teachers’ Union (JTU)
attended the seminar. The seminars aim for better education on the history
shared between Korea and Japan. They have done a lot to promote the exchanges
of views on the period from 1910 to 1945 when Korea was an occupied colony of
Japan. (…)
As
the world’s largest Global Union Federation, and the only one representing
education workers in every corner of the globe, Education International unites
all teachers and education workers no matter where they are. Education
International protects the rights of every teacher and education worker, and
every student they educate.
Business Schools respond to
new global realities, survey shows
New York, NY, October 19 -- A
biennial report – Beyond Grey Pinstripes, released jointly today at Citigroup
by World Resources Institute and the Aspen Institute – finds that more business
schools are doing a better job preparing students for the reality of tomorrow's
markets, equipping them with an understanding of the social, environmental, and
economic perspectives required for business success in a competitive global
economy. The 2005 survey finds that an increasing number of business schools
are offering courses in ethics, corporate social responsibility, or environmental
sustainability. (…)
In the survey, changes in
coursework proved noticeable. Of the 91 business schools surveyed on six
continents, 54 percent require a course in ethics, corporate social
responsibility, sustainability, or business and society, up from 45 percent in
2003 and 34 percent in 2001. Additionally, the report finds that some leading
schools are launching innovative courses on such topics as exploring
private-sector approaches for addressing problems in low-income markets. The
number of these courses offered has increased dramatically since 2003.
As a clear indication of the
importance of these issues globally, three of the top five ranked schools, and
12 of the top 30, are located outside the United States. (…)
http://newsroom.wri.org/newsrelease_text.cfm?NewsReleaseID=346
Tertiary education soars in middle-income countries
13
October - More students than ever are seeking higher education in middle-income
countries, where tertiary enrolment has jumped by 77 percent over the past
decade. This compares to an increase of 43 percent in rich countries, according
to a new study by UNESCO and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD). Entitled Education Trends in Perspective - Analysis of the
World Education Indicators, the study tracks demand for primary to tertiary
levels of education between 1995 and 2003 and then analyses the policy choices
made by 19 middle-income countries participating in the UNESCO/OECD World
Education Indicators (WEI) programme. The results are all the more surprising
given the relatively high cost of higher education. Even wealthy nations of the
OECD find it difficult to mobilize the financial resources needed to maintain,
let alone expand, access to higher levels of education. And as the report
points out, OECD countries had the relative luxury of building their education
systems for more than four decades without population growth: the number of
children in 1995 and 2003 remained the same as in 1960. (…)
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=30096&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
LIFE 2005-2015: UNESCO’s new initiative for literacy
6
October - UNESCO’s new Literacy
Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) was launched today during the 33rd session of
the Organization’s General Conference. Its objective: to help reduce by half
the rate of adult illiteracy in the world by 2015. Some 771 million adults in
the world today are illiterate, a large majority of them women and girls. In
addition, approximately 103 million children have no access to school and are
therefore not learning to read, write or count. About 85% of illiterate people
are concentrated in 34 countries*, particularly in rural areas. The LIFE
strategy will help accelerate the literacy drive in countries where the rate of
illiteracy is higher than 50% and/or the number of illiterate people is more
than 10 million. (…)
The
strategy will be implemented in three phases, starting in 2006 for the first
group of countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Haiti, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Senegal and Yemen), then 2008 and 2010 for the second and third
groups respectively. (…) The initiative will emphasize South-South cooperation
among countries. (…)
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29669&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Iraq:
Scholarships go to Dhi Qar University from Italy Campania Region
On the basis of a Letter of
Intent (LOI) UNESCWA signed with the Ministry of Universities and Research and
Innovation Centres in Campania, Italy, and Dhi Qar University, Iraq, 7
scholarships were awarded to the university. The scholarships are the result of
a partnership seeking to build capacities in higher education, research and
development. The partnership was formed on the basis of recommendations made at
the Forum on Capacity Building through Technology Transfer and Networking held
by UNESCWA from 11 to 12 March 2004.
The scholarships amount to
70,000 and will be paid annually over 3 consecutive years to cover the studies
of 7 students from Dhi Qar University seeking graduate studies at the following
Italian universities: Università Federico II, Università orientale, and Seconda
Università degli Studi di Napoli. UNESCWA is seeking to secure more
scholarships for universities in its member countries, particularly in Lebanon
and Syria for which 2 similar LOI were signed in late 2004.
FAO
recognizes journalists' role in the fight against hunger
Journalists are key allies for
FAO in raising awareness of the problem of hunger in the world. Journalists
inform readers, listeners and viewers around the world of the plight of those
who do not have enough to eat. They communicate complex agricultural and
economic issues to the wider public. They report on successful solutions and
projects in the battle against hunger. And they provide millions of farmers
with valuable information on how to produce more food in a sustainable way.
In recognition of the
important role of the media in the fight against hunger, FAO has since 1979
presented the A.H. Boerma Award to journalists or groups of journalists from
around the world who have helped focus public attention on food security and
rural development in developing countries. The award honours former FAO
Director-General Addeke Hendrik Boerma (1968-1975). Winners receive US$10 000,
a medal inscribed with their name and a personalized handcrafted scroll. The
prize is awarded every two years during the FAO Conference.
http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/boerma/index.html
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