Good News Agency – Year VI, n° 5
Weekly - Year VI, number 5 – 1st
April 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
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international organization in the web site http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development – Solidarity
Peace and security – Health
– Environment and
wildlife
– Culture and education
Further outcome from the Brussels European Council
summit
March
24 - In addition to relaunching the European Union's Lisbon Strategy for
growth, competitiveness and social cohesion in today's knowledge-based world,
focusing on growth and employment, the EU heads of state and government also
covered important ground on climate change, sustainable development (www.europa-eu
un.org/articles/en/article_4499_en.htm) for background material) and preparations for the United Nations
summit (September 2005) at the Brussels European Council summit on March 22-23,
2005 (see http://www.europa-eu-un.org/articles/en/article_4505_en.htm for the Presidency
Conclusions).
The
European Council welcomed the presentation by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
on March 21, 2005 of his report entitled "In
Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All",
as a prime contribution to preparations for the UN summit in
September 2005 on follow-up to the 2000 Millennium Declaration and to
major United Nations conferences and summits. It reaffirmed the Union's firm
resolve to play a major role within the UN in general, and in preparations for
the summit in particular. This process should lead to "ambitious, balanced
results" at the summit, along with common responses to the world's main
development, security and human rights problems.
The EU leaders called on the
European Commission and the Council to step up their work, particularly on the various development components, to enable the
European Union to play an active part in the discussions ahead. They also
underlined the particular importance of Africa in 2005, welcoming the European
Commission's intention to submit early proposals designed to make a substantial
contribution to the review of the Millennium Development Goals, and to
reinforce the Union's support for the African continent.
UNHCR welcomes asylum law in Serbia and Montenegro
Belgrade, Serbia and
Montenegro, March 24 – Serbia and Montenegro today adopted an asylum law that
UNHCR has called "a concrete step" towards establishing a national
asylum system in a country recovering from years of conflict and displacement.
The Law on Asylum of the State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro was adopted at the ongoing 36th Session of the
Parliament of the State Union. This framework law is based on the 1951
Convention related to the Status of Refugees and is the result of years of
negotiations and drafting between the government and the UN refugee agency. (…)
The newly-adopted law sets out the basic principles of refugee protection,
rights and obligations of refugees and asylum seekers, as well as the minimum
procedural safeguards under the 1951 Convention, which Serbia and Montenegro
signed in 2001. (…)
UNICEF applauds Armenian ratification of CRC Optional
Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
Yerevan, 19 March – President
of Armenia Robert Kocharyan today signed the Optional Protocol to the
Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography, ratified by the National Assembly of
Armenia on 28 February 2005.
“The commercial sexual
exploitation of children is a horrific crime and an intolerable violation of
child rights,” says Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative in Armenia. “The
ratification of this Protocol is a major step forward in the campaign to
protect the children of this country from sexual exploitation and abuse. With
its ratification, Armenia joins a transnational partnership to tackle this
global crime.”
The Protocol applies to
children under the age of 18 and obliges ratifying countries to take measures
to prevent, investigate and punish cases of sexual exploitation and sale of
children and provide victims with proper counseling and rehabilitation. “UNICEF
estimates that over one million children worldwide enter the multi-billion
dollar commercial sex trade every year, though accurate statistics are hard to
come by given the clandestine nature of this industry, says Yett. “It is clear that this is a global scourge,
affecting every country in the world, including Armenia.”
These exploited children are
at increased risk of violence, drug abuse, and disease – including HIV/AIDS.
The damage endures long after the violations; sexually exploited children
suffer harm – sexual, physical and emotional – that can last a lifetime.
The Optional Protocol on the
sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography was adopted by the
U.N. General Assembly on 25 May 2000. Armenia’s ratification brings the total
number of ratifying countries up to 88. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_25689.html
Customary law study enhances legal protection of
persons affected by armed conflict
Geneva, 17 March – Following
more than eight years of research, the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) has made public a study of customary international humanitarian law
applicable during armed conflict. ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger today
presented the study, published by Cambridge University Press, to State
representatives during a meeting at the organization's headquarters in Geneva.
By identifying 161 rules of
customary international humanitarian law, the study enhances the legal
protection of persons affected by armed conflict. "This is especially the
case in non-international armed conflict, for which treaty law is not
particularly well developed," said Mr Kellenberger. "Yet civil wars
often result in the worst suffering. The study clearly shows that customary
international humanitarian law applicable in non-international armed conflict
goes beyond the rules of treaty law. For example, while treaty law covering
internal armed conflict does not expressly prohibit attacks on civilian
objects, customary international humanitarian law closes this gap. Importantly,
all conflict parties – not just States but also rebel groups, for example – are
bound by customary international humanitarian law applicable to internal armed
conflict."
In addition to treaty law such
as the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, customary
international humanitarian law is a major source of rules applicable in times
of armed conflict. (…)
Three months after the tsunami: struggling to rebuild
amid daunting challenges
Atlanta, USA, March 25 - In
tsunami-affected regions of Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, India and Somalia,
CARE workers continue to help communities transition from emergency aid to
long-term recovery. CARE has assisted more than 590,000 people in the first
three months following the disaster. At the same time, CARE is working to
ensure that people in geographic areas of long-running civil conflict will have
the right to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.
“CARE’s goal is not just to
help communities get back to where they were on December 25, 2004, but to
achieve higher and more sustainable levels of human development and livelihood
security,” said CARE President and CEO Peter Bell.
Because CARE has been
operating in each of the affected countries for decades, staff responded to the
disaster immediately with food, water and essential supplies. CARE’s history in
the countries (with the majority of staff born there) also informs plans for
long-term recovery and disaster preparedness. CARE understands the cultural and
political challenges many communities must deal with to restore livelihoods and
determine land use where the ground washed away or became too degraded for
agricultural use. CARE has developed plans based on which of the most pressing
needs can be addressed in one-year, two-year and five-year time frames. (…)
Long-term plans encompass
projects in education, health, economic development and environmental recovery,
with the goal of strengthening communities. (…)
http://www.careusa.org/newsroom/pressreleases/2005/mar/20050325_tsunami_update_pr.asp
Ecolabelling schemes to support sustainable fisheries
get a boost
Rome, 23 March - Efforts to
ensure the sustainability of the world's marine fisheries got a boost earlier
this month when the FAO Committee of Fisheries (COFI) adopted a set of
voluntary guidelines for the ecolabelling of fish products during its 26th
session, held 7-11 March.
An ecolabel is a tag placed on
a product that certifies that it was produced in a sustainable,
environmentally-friendly way. Such tags let consumers make informed choices
about what they are buying, so that those who wish to can support responsible
food production. In essence, they create a market mechanism that promotes
sustainable production methods.
The new guidelines are aimed
at providing guidance to governments and organizations that already maintain,
or are considering establishing, labelling schemes for certifying and promoting
labels for fish and fishery products from well-managed marine capture
fisheries. (…)
With trade in fishery products
at an all-time high and concern over the status of wild marine stocks growing,
ecolabelling offers a way to promote responsible fish trade -- crucial for many
developing countries -- while preserving natural resources for future
generations. (…)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/100302/index.html
UNDP supports China in
building all-round Xiao Kang Society
Beijing, China, 23 March --
China’s commitment to establishing a Xiao Kang Society mirrors, in many
respects, the principles of the Millennium Declaration and its Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), adopted by world leaders at a United Nations summit
in 2000, where they pledged to build a better world through a global
partnership for development, according to a senior UN development official.
“Given the strong convergence between the two, there is a unique opportunity
for China to integrate the Xiao Kang and the MDGs,” said today Khalid Malik, UN
Resident Coordinator and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident
Representative in China, referring to a new programme between the United
Nations and the Chinese government, entitled “Supporting the all-round Xiao
Kang Society (2005-2009).”
Launched today in Beijing,
this programme seeks to support the Government’s long-term development vision
of building an all-round Xiao Kang Society by 2020, provide policy
recommendations to the formulation of the 11th 5-year Plan as well as long-term
development strategies for China. (…)
Water for Life Decade launched on World Water Day.
World Water Day 2005
celebrated on 22 March will be guided by the theme of the International Decade
for Action, 'Water for Life' while the UN Department of Economic and Social
Affairs (UN DESA) is the UN body designated to coordinate WWD 2005 activities.
As this International decade
established by the UN in Resolution A/RES/58/217 begins, the United Nations and
governments are seeking to galvanize efforts to meet the internationally agreed
targets of halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water
and basic sanitation by 2015.
“This is an urgent matter of
human development, and human dignity”, stated United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan in his message to launch the Water for Life Decade. “Together, we
can provide safe, clean water to all the world’s people. The world’s water
resources are our lifeline for survival, and for sustainable development in the
twenty-first century.”
Meeting the targets on water
and sanitation would also contribute significantly to the realization of other
United Nations Millennium Development Goals, including reducing poverty,
promoting gender equality, reducing child and maternal mortality and providing
universal primary education. (…)
Traditional knowledge combined with modern technology
will enable poor farmers to improve crop and animal production in Yemen
Rome, 4 March – About 30,000 families in nine districts of
Al-Dhala in central Yemen will be able to grow more crops and raise healthier
animals through a project that will introduce new farming technologies. The
families will also gain access to credit.
The US$22.8 million project
will be financed by a US$14.4 million loan from the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD). The loan agreement was signed today at IFAD
headquarters by Lennart Båge, President of IFAD and Ahmed Mohammed Sofan, the
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation for Yemen.
Farmers in this area plant
crops on small rainfed plots of land and have little money to pay for
fertilizer. They rely on livestock for food and animal power for agricultural
production, but do not have easy access to medicines or veterinary services to
keep their animals healthy. As a result, yields are low, and poverty acute. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2005/22.htm
Urgent WFP food aid to Afghans hit first by snow, then
floods
Kabul, 22 March – After weeks
of hard work to provide food aid to Afghan communities cut off by snow, the UN
World Food Programme is shifting gear to help Afghans facing floods created by
melting snow and torrential rains, which have burst river banks, damaged roads
and flooded villages in various parts of the country. In southwestern Farah
province, WFP will today start urgently needed food distributions to Afghans
hit by floods. A total of 25 tons of wheat, rice and pulses were sent to the
province last week. This food should cover the most immediate food needs of
nearly 5,000 people.
WFP had already made
contingency plans to provide assistance to people affected by the floods, which
were expected to hit as the snow melted, but have been exacerbated by heavy
rains over the last few days. This is believed to be the severest winter in
this Central Asian country in two decades.
With the help of aircraft supplied by coalition forces and with road
convoys often held up by snow for days on end, WFP succeeded in delivering food
to more than 100,000 snowbound Afghans over the past few weeks. (…)
WFP is also continuing to
provide food assistance to tens of thousands of Afghans in areas that were
snowbound only days ago in the centre and south of the country. The winter
emergency response is part of a wide scale humanitarian relief operation
launched by the UN in support of government efforts to provide relief to people
worst hit by this year’s winter. (…)
Big new contribution proves
Japan’s growing leadership on Africa
Yokohama, 18 March - The
United Nations World Food Programme welcomed an aid package of some JPY 1.954
billion (US$ 19 million) from the Japanese Government to assist refugees,
internally displaced persons and victims of natural disasters and poverty in
Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS). The donation was approved by the Japanese cabinet
earlier today.
This major contribution gives
special attention to Africa, with 70 percent of the package, JPY 1.354 billion
(almost US$ 13 million), allocated to five WFP programmes in nine African
countries.
“WFP is sincerely grateful for
Japan’s continuing support to Africa. It is a major step towards achieving the
Millennium Development Goals and human security,” said WFP Executive Director
James Morris. “WFP’s alliance with the Government of Japan is stronger than
ever, and is vital to our efforts to halve the world’s hungry by 2015.”
While the international
community has responded with unprecedented generosity to the tsunami crisis,
WFP has called for equally generous help to the world’s hungry poor.
Twenty-five thousand people die of hunger and related causes every day – more
than all deaths from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. “Japan’s
leadership in African development gives real hope for the future of millions of
children in Africa suffering from chronic malnutrition,” said Morris. The funds
will be used to buy food such as rice, wheat flour, maize and sorghum. (…)
Historically, Japan has almost
always been one of WFP’s top three donors. In 2004, Japan gave US $136 million
(approximately ¥14 billion), ranking third, and in 2005, it is the second
largest donor so far. (…)
Italian concert raises €1m for Sri Lanka's conflict
and tsunami victims
Milan, Italy, March 22 – A
star-studded concert featuring Italian artistes like Andrea Bocelli, Claudio
Baglioni and Zucchero has raised €1 million for the UN refugee agency's work
for victims of the conflict and tsunami in Sri Lanka.
On Monday night, "Music
for Asia: Not to Forget" drew a galaxy of Italian stars together for the
first time to raise funds for a humanitarian crisis. Some 10,000 people turned
up at the FilaForum of Assago in Milan to support the event, which was
organised by Media Friend.
Singer Antonella Ruggiero
said, "The tsunami was a dramatic event that hit the sensitivities of
everyone, including artistes. That's why we felt we had to help not only as
individuals, but also to get together and help in a bigger way."
Among the highlights of the
three-hour concert were a piano and guitar duet by Bocelli and Mario Rejes, and
a virtual duet by Zucchero and the late Miles Davis. The artists, who also
included Alexia, Biagio Antonacci, Gigi D'Alessio, DJ Francesco, Negrita and
Velvet, were accompanied by an orchestra conducted by maestros Fio Zanotti,
Lucio Fabbri and Peppe Vessicchio.
A video reportage shot in
northern Sri Lanka was screened during the concert, giving the audience a
glimpse of the situation on the ground – the destruction and how people doubly
hit by the conflict and the December 26 tsunami are trying to rebuild their
lives. (…)
Mexicans donate nearly US$4 million to rebuild
tsunami-destroyed homes in Indonesia
Mexico City, 18 March - In an
unprecedented national response to an international disaster, Mexicans have
contributed nearly US$4 million in private donations to the victims of the
tsunami disaster in Asia, in an initiative coordinated by UNDP in Mexico and
Indonesia.
The Mexican aid appeal for
tsunami relief came to an official close Thursday. The "Alliance for Asia:
Rebuilding Homes" was a joint initiative that brought together 37 Mexican
civil associations, foundations, companies, financial institutions and
communications groups. The Alliance raised the sum of 42,713,174 pesos (almost
US$4 million) which will be handed over to the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) to be used in the construction of homes in Indonesia (..)
The unit cost of a house is
$2,888. Costs associated with the land and basic infrastructure (access roads,
drainage, etc.) account for 50 per cent of this figure. The other 50 per cent
represents construction costs and will be covered by donations collected by the
Alliance. In total, 2,777 houses will be built with the money donated by
Mexican civil society.
The "Alliance for Asia:
Rebuilding Homes" appeal was launched on 11 January 2005, with the aim of
helping the victims of the tsunami tragedy, which took place on 26 December
2004, in South Asia. Seven hundred thousand Mexican citizens responded to the
appeal, making donations through direct deposits into bank accounts, using
their credit cards, or by calling a dedicated phone number. The Alliance also
received many donations from Mexican companies. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2005/march/pr18mar05.html
Mobile legal clinics travel to tsunami survivors in
Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri Lanka, 15 March -
Mobile documentation clinics for tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka will offer free
legal advice and assistance in obtaining personal legal papers that were lost
in the December disaster. These mobile service camps to address the legal needs
of families affected by the tsunami will be held 18-20 March in the District of
Ampara, one of the hardest hit coastal areas of the country. These roving
facilities are organized by the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs and National
Integration in Sri Lanka in cooperation with the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
The clinics will respond to
the thousands of people who lost important documents such as identifications
cards, marriage certificates, deeds to property or school diplomas. The teams
will include relevant officials who will travel to the affected areas with all
the necessary equipment to directly record requests for replacement
documentation. (…)
The first in a series of
mobile clinics, conducted as part of UNDP’s Equal Access to Justice project,
was launched in mid-February in the Hambantota District. Nearly 10,000 people
were assisted, and 20,000 justice-related requests were recorded. Those are now
in the process of being verified or new documentation has already been issued.
(…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2005/march/pr15mar05.html
Metamorphosis Art Show set for April 30th
25 March - The mission of the
Metamorphosis Art Show is to provide an affordable avenue for artists in the
Northern Virginia/Washington, DC area to display and sale their original works
of art. The event will take place on Friday, April 30, in Herndon, Virginia.
(…) The Metamorphosis Art Show is supporting ICAF's Healing Arts for Tsunami
Survivors Program through donations received during the event. For more
information about the show, including a list of participating artists, and
information on sponsorship, please visit: www.metartshow.com or e-mail Alison
Christ at: metartshow@yahoo.com
The International Child Art
Foundation is a nonprofit organization that prepares children for a creative
and cooperative future so they can lead us into a safer and better world.
ICAF's headquarters are in Washington, DC and its European office is in Munich.
http://www.icaf.org/news/newsfiles/200503250001.html
Dancing Orphans of Dushanbe
Counterpart's staff contributes gifts, talents,
abilities and resources to satisfy the cultural development needs of some very
important young people.
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, March 24
- A dancer who once trained with the storied Bolshoi Ballet company, Irina
Wunder today is more accustomed to the company of truck drivers, container
shippers and cargo freight forwarders in her role as a manager of Counterpart
International's humanitarian arm which ships hundreds of containers of relief
supplies.
But she finally found time to
combine her two loves, ballet and humanitarian assistance.
Irina found her stage in
Dushanbe, Tajikistan's leafy capital where Counterpart had delivered supplies
to a school. It was at the school she recruited her line of orphans. Outfitting the 8-10 year old girls in soft
ballet shoes and tiny pink tutus donated by well-wishers in the Washington D.C.
area, Irina put the petite ballerinas through their paces. Young legs were
coaxed to stand en point and to feel the beauty and elegance of classical
ballet.
So charmed was he by the
poignant sight of the young dancers,
Mr. Mirali Dostievhe, Director of the Tajik Ballet Theater, gave the
tiny troupe his theatre for its world debut.
Determined to ensure an audience to appreciate the debut performance,
Counterpart's Rachel Roseberry rallied locals and members of the diplomatic and
expatriate communities to enjoy the exquisite event (...)
The U.S. Department of
State-funded Small and Medium U.S. Private Voluntary Organization
Transportation Program (SMTP) provides for the annual delivery of more than 200
containers of humanitarian assistance to the Former Soviet Union. Counterpart International, an international
non-profit development organization based in Washington, D.C., administers this
program for the U.S. Department of State. (…)
http://www.counterpart.org/dnn/Default.aspx?tabid=49&metaid=F4PQ3415-c3c
ADRA responds to flooding in Venezuela
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA,
8 March—ADRA is providing emergency assistance to 150 families affected by
flooding in Venezuela. Concentrating
its efforts in the towns of Tovar, Santa Cruz de Mora, and Puerto Rico, ADRA is
providing locally-purchased kitchen, hygiene, and food materials to benefit as
many as 1,000 persons. The flooding
occurred in mid-February when the MocotÌes River and the Guayabel Creek
overflowed. The governor estimated that more than 6,000 people were affected.
The $10,000 project is funded
by ADRA International, the headquarters for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in
Inter-America, its regional headquarters in Southwest Venezuela and
Venezuela-Antilles, and local churches. The three-week project is scheduled to
end March 12.
ADRA is using the help of
volunteers at local churches and schools for relief items collection and the
provision of shelter and food. Beneficiaries were identified in coordination
with the National Civil Protection Department.
http://www.adra.org/ADRANews/030805.html
DRCongo: UNDP copes successfully with "Big
Bang" demobilisation operation in Ituri
Aru/Kinshasa, DRCongo, 23
March - Following an unprecedented
operational effort in support of a massive spontaneous disarmament operation in
the north-eastern district of Ituri, the UNDP in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo managed to open a seventh disarmament Transit Site for ex-combatants on
Monday and began receiving up to 4000 ex-combatants from the armed group Forces
Armées du Peuple Congolais (FAPC).
At 7 a.m., after six days of
intense preparations carried out by the UNDP’s Rapid Response Mechanism, the
facility located in Aru close to the Ugandan border admitted the first
ex-combatants who had previously disarmed at a disarmament point jointly
managed by the Forces Armés Congolaises (FA-RDC) and the UN peace-keeping force
in the country known as MONUC. The Transit Site in Aru has a running capacity
of 400 ex-combatants, a number which will be reached Thursday. (…)
Analysts believe the sudden
willingness to disarm and demobilise within the framework of the USD 10,5
million Disarmament and Community Reinsertion Plan in Ituri, the “Plan
DRC”, is due to a combination of
political will from the armed group leaders as well as an intensified
sensitization campaign carried out by MONUC and a UNDP coordinated network of
local NGOs in the war-torn district.
(…)
http://www.cd.undp.org/news_Aru.htm
Working in Colombia to engaged Non State Actors
By Mehmet Balci
14 March - Geneva Call and the
Colombian Campaign against Landmines (CCCM) have been working together in
Colombia for the last two years in framework of a Memorandum of Understanding
for Engaging Colombian Non State Actors in banning antipersonnel landmines.
This program, supported by the
European Union and the Suisse government, included a large sensitizing and
awareness work. The aim was to raise awareness about the landmine problem in
Colombia among the Non State Armed Actors and to seek their commitment to a
total ban on Anti-personnel Mines, trough civil society participation and
trough direct dialogue with them and trough the Colombian government
collaboration.
An International Forum, a
National Forum with Indigenous and Afro Colombian communities, and 5 regional
forums have been held already within this project. Other 5 regional forums are
programmed for this year. During the regional forums, several local actors
–civil society, NGOs, local politicians and functionaries, military personnel…-
are called to think together about the landmine problem and the possible
actions to face it. (…)
http://www.icbl.org/news/colombia?eZSESSIDicbl=ea9d48a554e5ea39d22f6196d03622ff
V International Peace Museum Conference
Gernika-Lumo (Basque Country –
Spain) 1st-6th May 2005
Following on from the Peace
Museum Conferences in Bradford (Great Britain, 1992), Stadtschlaining (Austria,
1995), Osaka and Kyoto (Japan, 1998) and Ostend (Flanders, Belgium, 2003),
Gernika-Lumo (Basque Country, Spain) is the venue for the V International Peace
Museum Conference in May 2005. The Conference will be held at a privileged
location in Euskadi in the north of Spain, an enclave replete with beauty and a
long history, and brought to the attention of the entire world by the terrible
bombing of Gernika on 26 April 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and the
painting by Picasso inspired by the atrocity and named after the town,
"Guernica" (now a universal anti-war symbol, a symbol of peace).
The main objective of this
Conference is to bring together the representatives worldwide of the best-known
peace museums, memory museums, human rights museums, anti-war museums etc., and
also people with a sympathetic interest in the issues discussed, in order to
reflect on their vital role in propagating a culture of peace and
reconciliation to exchange information on projects and activities, and push
forward a relationship which began in 1992 with the creation of the
International Network of Peace Museums.
The Conference motto is :
"Peace Museums: A contribution to remembrance, reconciliation, art and
peace". The Conference will discuss three main topics in relation to the
motto:
1: The contribution of art to
a culture of peace.
2: Peace Museums, seeds of
reconciliation in the world.
3: The importance of
remembrance to build a world in peace.
http://www.vinternationalconferenceofpeacemuseumsguernica.org/ingles/localizacioning.html
Rotary grants emergency funding for polio
immunizations in Ethiopia
Evanston, IL, USA, 22 March -
Rotary International today approved a US$500,000 grant to the World Health
organization in response to two children that recently contracted polio in
Ethiopia. The money will be used to support massive polio immunization
campaigns in Ethiopia during early April and May. This marks the first time the
virus has been reported in that country in four years. Epidemiologists of the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative say that the boy and girl living close to
the Sudanese and Eritrea borders contracted a virus linked genetically to the
poliovirus endemic to northern Nigeria, which has also spread through Chad, the
Sudan and to 12 other previously polio-free countries in recent months. (…)
With a global investment of
over US$3 billion since 1988 for the eradication effort, including more than
US$500 million contributed by Rotary International, tremendous strides have
been made toward a polio-free world. In the 1980s, approximately 1,000 children
were infected by this crippling disease every day. Since then, polio cases have
been slashed by 99 percent, with less than 1,300 cases reported globally last
year.
Rotary International is the
world's first volunteer service organization with 1.2 million members in more
than 160 countries. In 1985, Rotary created PolioPlus and set one of the most
ambitious goals in the history for global public health — to immunize the
children of the world against polio. To date, over one million Rotary members
have volunteered their time and personal resources to help immunize more than
two billion children in 122 countries.
The Global Polio Eradication
Initiative is spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary
International, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/presscenter/releases/2005/218.html
MSF responds to meningitis outbreak in southern Chad
A
vaccination campaign is aimed at protecting people against the two strains
found in this particular outbreak. Teams will first cover the zones identified
as hardest hit then will vaccinate the rest of the target population in 18
zones.
N'Djamena/Brussels, 16 March –
MSF has started a vaccination campaign in Bongor District, Chad, following a
recent outbreak of meningitis. The campaign, due to last one month, will
provide preventative cover all persons aged between six months and 30 years,
which represents 72% of a total population of 272,000.
Chad is part of the so-called
meningitis belt in Sub-Saharan Africa, an area where epidemics occur regularly,
affecting large numbers of people, and usually requiring the intervention of
specialised teams such as those of MSF. Epidemic thresholds in the district, located
250kms south of the capital N'Djamena, were reached at the beginning of March.
The MSF teams, in
collaboration with local medical authorities and the Ministry of Health, will
first cover the zones of Moulkou, Bongor city and its urban area, Bongor Sieke
and Magao. (…) On average, three to four days are necessary to cover one zone.
Mobile teams with cars ensure vaccination in the remote rural areas, while the
rest of the population in villages and urban areas are invited through public
announcements to come to health centres or vaccination posts set up by the
teams. (…)
WWF participates in post-tsunami reef clean-up day
Phuket, Thailand, 23 March –
Following extensive coastal damage caused by the December 2004 tsunami that hit
Southeast Asia, WWF continues its involvement in post-tsunami reconstruction by
participating in a beach and reef clean-up event with Thai school children.
While hundreds of students
from the Rajabhat Institute and the Baan Mai Khao School collected rubbish on a
local beach for recycling, divers cleaned a reef in the vicinity of the Mariott
Phuket resort — one of a few hotels that withstood the full impact of the tsunami
— by gathering over 100kg of fishing nets and remains of plastic bags and
bottles. (…)
Following the tsunami, an ad
hoc assessment conducted by the Dive Operators Club Thailand – Phuket, and the
private sector, used established dive-masters to estimate damage done to known
dive sites. The areas surveyed were in the world-renowned Surin and Similan
archipelago, and those in the south of Phangnga Bay, the sites closest to
Phuket.
Of the 70 sites surveyed (a
fairly comprehensive list of the Thai dive sites commonly visited from Phuket)
51 were found to have suffered “slight” damage, with 27 of these having no or
minimal damage. A further six sites suffered “moderate” damage, while 13 sites
were found to have suffered “heavy” damage. (…)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/news.cfm?uNewsID=19238
Innovative
Waste Strategy: Berkeley's Race to Zero
At the March 22 Berkeley City
Council meeting, environmental history was made when the Council officially
established one of the nation's first Zero Waste Goals. The Council unanimously
approved the resolution which officially adopts a 75% waste reduction goal for
2010, and establishes a Zero Waste Goal for 2020. The resolution also suggests
that Solid Waste Management Commission change its name to the Zero Waste
commission. (…)
Zero Waste is a concept that
couples aggressive resource recovery with industrial redesign to eliminate the
very concept of waste. "If it can't be reused, rebuilt, refurbished,
reconfigured, recycled, or composted, then it needs to be redesigned-or removed
from production all together," said Dan Knapp, founder and owner of Urban
Ore, Berkeley's premier reuse retailer.
(…) "In the 1980's when Berkeley set a goal of reducing waste by 50%,
everyone said it couldn't be done", said Mayor Tom Bates who sponsored the
resolution(…)
New website on forest invasive species
Rome, 24 March - A new website
on forest invasive species in Africa will enable countries to share information
on outbreaks and on ways to tackle them, the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization said today at the launch of the web site. The site will help
countries to more effectively address the problem of invasive species. (…)
Invasive species are species
not native to a specific forest ecosystem, whose introduction does or is likely
to cause harm to the ecosystem. Invasive species have always been of concern
but their threat has grown seriously with the increase in trade, travel and
transport.
The website has been created
by African specialists at the initiative of the Forest Invasive Species Network
for Africa (FISNA), and is hosted by FAO. Features include information on new
outbreaks of invasive pest species and woody species. It also provides
references, publications and other links related to invasive species in Africa.
(…)
Through FISNA, countries are
already sharing information on the latest outbreaks of invasive species. For
example, an insect pest, the blue gum chalcid, has recently been discovered in
Kenya and Uganda damaging young eucalyptus trees and nursery seedlings. On the
website it is noted that the pest has previously been recorded in Morocco,
Iran, Israel and Italy. (…)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/100308/index.html
Rescued Borneo pygmy elephant returned to forest
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, 24
March – WWF, together with Malaysia’s Sabah Wildlife Department, have
successfully treated and returned an injured Borneo pygmy elephant back to the
forest.
The elephant, which was
rescued earlier in the year along the boundary of the Kinabatangan Wildlife
Sanctuary in eastern Malaysia, and taken to the Sepilok Orang-Utan
Rehabilitation Centre for treatment of a leg injury caused by an illegal
wildlife trap, was released back into the forest sanctuary.
Borneo pygmy elephants frequently
venture into privately-owned land, including villages and oil palm plantations.
Due to barriers formed by large rivers, large water channels, oil palm
plantations and villages, the forest downstream of the Sandakan-Lahad Datu
highway is divided into 15 fragmented patches. Elephants can move between these
patches by swimming across rivers and walking through plantations and
villages. (…)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/news.cfm?uNewsID=19290
Afghan new year heralds return to school for millions
Kabul, 17 March 2005 – As
Afghanistan prepares for its New Year celebrations this weekend, millions of
children will also be readying themselves for the start of another academic
year, scheduled to begin on 22 March.
The Afghan Ministry of Education and UNICEF expect more than 4 million
children to return to school in most parts of the country from next week;
Afghanistan has two academic cycles – the majority of schools reopen in March
after the winter vacation, while schools in southern and some eastern provinces
close during the hot summers. Over the last three years more children than ever
before in history have enrolled for classes across Afghanistan, and education
planners expect student numbers to increase again in 2005.
In preparation for the return,
UNICEF and the Ministry of Education have been working to provide basic
classroom stationery and materials to schools nationwide. The harsh winter has
caused some delays in distribution with some materials held up en route from
Pakistan, and classroom kits for northern provinces delayed in transit from
Kabul. Despite the difficult conditions, the Ministry of Education’s Logistics
Centre in the capital has now prepared tens of thousands of student kits,
containing materials such as exercise books, pens, pencils and other stationery
for more than 2 million children, as well as teacher stationery kits for 94,000
teachers, which have now arrived in the provinces. The full distribution to an
estimated 4.3 million children is expected to be completed by mid-April. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_25618.html
UNESCO programme grants funding to 51 new media
projects in developing countries
Paris, 9 March - The Bureau of
UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC)
granted US$1,050,000 million to 51 media projects in developing countries and
countries in transition at its meeting at Headquarters, (March 7 - 9), which
was chaired by Torben Krogh (Denmark). Projects that received financial assistance
from the IPDC include broadcast, print and electronic media, as well as
training programmes. Among them, is a US$500,000 project approved for funds in
trust arrangements to enable radio broadcasters in the Indonesian province of
Aceh to resume their operations. Radio infrastructure was severely damaged in
the province, more than half of it was wiped out, by last December’s tsunami.
The IPDC granted initial seed money to help launch the project, which is vital
for relief and reconstruction operations in Aceh.
Financial assistance was also
extended to six projects in small Caribbean islands, including the creation of
community multimedia centres in Haiti and Grenada, which received US$25,000 and
US$ 20,000 respectively. US$ 319,000 were channelled to 13 projects in Africa
(…) Three Palestinian projects figure among those that were granted funding in
the Arab states (…)
The IPDC is the only
multilateral forum in the UN system to promote media development in developing
countries. It provides funding from voluntary contributions by donor countries
while working to secure a better environment for the growth of free and
pluralistic media in developing countries.
The IPDC consists of an Intergovernmental Council of 39 Member States
elected by UNESCO’s General Conference and of a Bureau of eight Member States
nominated by the Council. (…)
EDC's Zubrowski receives National Prize for Children's
Science Books from American Association for the Advancement of Science
Newton, MA, USA, 2 March –
Bernie Zubrowski, a longtime science educator at the Newton-based Education
Development Center, has been awarded the SB&F Prize for Excellence by the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his
"distinguished contribution to the world of children's hands-on science
books." Zubrowski received the award at the recent AAAS Annual Meeting in
Washington, DC.
Zubrowski was honored for his
16 children's books over 12 years, including, Bubbles, Tops and Yo-Yos, and
Messing Around With Drinking Straw Construction. His books and accompanying
curriculum guides have influenced museum designers, educators, and parents
throughout the world, and have engaged thousands of children in scientific exploration,
teaching them to use simple materials to build houses out of drinking straws,
tops out of paper plates, and cars powered by balloons. (…)
The award, sponsored by AAS's
Science Books & Films (SB&F) publication is the association's
authoritative guide to science resources. SB&F brought together scientists,
librarians, science educators, and experts in the field of children's science
books who spent months reviewing Zubrowski's work, which was continually proven
to meet the high standards of the AAAS judges.
http://main.edc.org/newsroom/press_releases/aaas.asp
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