Good News Agency – Year VII, n° 6
Weekly - Year VII, number 6 – 5th
May 2006
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 (in charge) and
Elisa Peduto. 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 and to 2,800 NGOs.
It is an all-volunteer 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
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development
Solidarity – Peace and security – Health
– Energy and Safety
Environment and
wildlife – Religion and Spirituality – Culture and education
World Press Freedom Day: Message of the UN Secretary-General
International legislation
(top)
100
countries have ratified the international plant genetic resources treaty
Iran
just joined
Rome, 5 May 2006 – Iran has
ratified the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture, bringing the number of countries that have deposited their
instrument of acceptance to 100, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
announced today.
The treaty, which was approved
by the FAO Conference in November 2001, entered into force on 29 June 2004, the
ninetieth day after the deposit of the fortieth instrument of ratification,
acceptance, approval or accession in accordance with the provisions of the
treaty. FAO Director-General Dr Jacques Diouf said that “this is a legally
binding treaty that will be crucial for the sustainability of agriculture. The
treaty is an important contribution to the achievement of the World Food
Summit's major objective of halving the number of hungry people by 2015.”
The main objectives of the
international treaty are the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic
resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the
benefits arising out of their use, in harmony with the Convention on Biological
Diversity, for sustainable agriculture and food security. (…)
UN
Secretary-General Launches “Principles for Responsible Investment” backed by
world’s largest investors
International
Funds Worth $2 Trillion Announce Endorsement at New York Stock Exchange
New York, 27 April – In a
historic development for global financial markets, United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan was today joined by a group of the world’s largest
institutional investors at the international launch of the Principles for
Responsible Investment. The heads of leading institutions from 16 countries,
representing more than $2 trillion in assets owned, officially signed the
Principles at a special launch event at the New York Stock Exchange. The
Principles were developed during a nearly year-long process convened by the UN
Secretary-General and coordinated by the UN Environment Programme Finance
Initiative (UNEP FI) and the UN Global Compact.
“These Principles grew out of
the understanding that while finance fuels the global economy, investment
decision-making does not sufficiently reflect environmental, social and
corporate governance considerations – or put another way, the tenets of
sustainable development,” the Secretary-General said.(…) The six overarching
Principles, which are voluntary, are underpinned by a set of 35 possible
actions that institutional investors can take to integrate environmental,
social and corporate governance (ESG) considerations into their investment
activities. These actions relate to a variety of issues, including investment
decision-making, active ownership, transparency, collaboration and gaining
wider support for these practices from the whole financial services
industry.(…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=475&ArticleID=5265&l=en
National
plans for eliminating 12 extremely hazardous chemicals
From
talk to action: Governments adopt national plans for eliminating 12 extremely
hazardous chemicals - Geneva to host Stockholm Convention on POPs from 1 - 5
May
Geneva, 27 April – Governments
participating in next week’s annual conference of the Stockholm Convention on
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) will focus on the practical measures now
being taken at the national level to rid the world of some of the most
dangerous chemicals ever created.
The Stockholm Convention,
which became effective in May 2004, targets 12 hazardous pesticides and industrial
chemicals that can kill people, damage the nervous and immune systems, cause
cancer and reproductive disorders and interfere with normal infant and child
development. (…) Governments are required to submit a National Implementation
Plan (NIP) within two years of joining the Convention. They are using these
NIPs to establish their particular priorities and to set out detailed action
plans. They will then report every two years on progress towards achieving
their Plan’s goals. The first National Implementation Plans have been submitted
from a geographically diverse set of countries, including Bolivia, Burundi,
Egypt, Japan, Latvia, Moldova, Niue, Romania and the Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia. (…) Some 130 countries are expected to participate in the Geneva
meeting, which is known formally as the Second Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention (COP 2). Over 50 industry, environmental and
community NGOs have also registered to participate (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=475&ArticleID=5263&l=en
UNICEF
Turkmenistan welcomes decree boosting wheat flour fortification
Presidential
decree will improve nutritional status of children and women in Turkmenistan
Ashgabat, 26 April – President
Saparmurat Niyazov issued a decree mandating the fortification of wheat flour
with iron and folic acid in Turkmenistan. The decree was signed on 24
April at the Presidential Palace. Micronutrient deficiency, including anaemia,
is one of the topics highlighted in UNICEF’s upcoming report card on global
malnutrition ‘Progress for Children’, which will be launched on 2 May.
At the first meeting of the
National Fortification Committee held today, Committee Chairman and Deputy
Prime Minister Gurbangully Berdymukhammedov issued a statement highlighting the
President’s support of this initiative, which demonstrates high-level
commitment to improving the well being of children and women in
Turkmenistan. The Committee was established under Presidential decree and
is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the flour fortification
initiative. UNICEF Representative Mahboob Shareef welcomed the decree and
expressed gratitude to the Government for this crucial step towards reducing
the level of iron deficiency anaemia and contributing to the achievement of
Millennium Development Goals. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_33652.html
Human rights
(top)
New
ILO report: Making the link between poverty and decent work in the fight
against child labour
Brussels, 4 May - The ICFTU
and WCL today welcomed the key findings of the ILO's Global Report "The
end of child labour: Within Reach". The report points to a reduction of
child labourers by 11 per cent over the last four years, with the number of
children in the worst forms of child labour falling most rapidly by 26 per
cent.(…) However, the increase by 15.6 million in the number of children
engaged in other forms of child labour is worrying as it may point to a trend
where children have shifted one form of child labour to another.
The report clearly identifies
that the success of the strategies employed by the ILO, with its employer,
trade union and government constituents, lies in its holistic approach linking
the demand for education for all and the pursuit of decent work to ending child
labour.
The report also points to the
role child labour plays in the vicious cycle of poverty and recognises that
child labour elimination and economic growth do not have an automatic
correlation but instead must be supported by coherent national-level policies
to address the myriad of issues that contribute to the problem. (…) The report
clearly identifies that the solution to the problem of child labour is found in
the nexus between the right of unions to collectively bargain to improve
parents' working conditions and engage in strengthened forms of social
dialogue. (…)
World
Press Freedom Day 2006 to focus on media, development and poverty eradication
April 25 - Media, Development
and Poverty Eradication is the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, 3
May, which UNESCO will observe in Colombo (Sri Lanka) with a two-day
international conference on the subject and the award ceremony of the 2006
UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to Lebanese journalist May
Chidiac. “Free and independent media should be recognized as a key dimension of
efforts to eradicate poverty, [one of the Millennium Development goals adopted
by the international community in 2000] for two main reasons,” explains the
Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura in his message marking World
Press Freedom Day. “First, free and independent media serve as a vehicle for
sharing information in order to facilitate good governance, generate opportunities
to gain access to essential services, promote accountability and counteract
corruption, and develop the relationship between an informed, critical and
participatory citizenry and responsive elected officials.”(…)
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=32741&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Police
Officers Graduate in Somalia
Armo, Puntland, 21 April
– The first police officers from northeast and south Somalia to be
trained in decades graduate from the recently established Armo Police Academy
in Puntland today. The 154 cadets, of whom 19 are female, joined the Academy on
1 December 2005 and came from different regions of Puntland and the Centre/South.
(…) “The significance of this day cannot be overemphasized,” Prime Minister Ali
Mohamed Gedi said. “These 154 police officers of the Somali Republic are the
foundation of the return of rule of law to our country and the respect of human
rights of every child, woman and man. This is a day that we are proud to
witness.”
To ensure quality and
uniformity across the police force, the challenging training course has been a
continuation of the one developed by the Rule of Law and Security Programme at
the Mandera Police Academy in Somaliland covering law enforcement,
international standards of human rights, community policing, basic police
training, investigations, non-violent disarmament, physical fitness,
self-defense and discipline. Computer lessons were also provided for female
cadets. (…)
http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/april-2006/police-somalia-20060421.en;jsessionid=aWbkm_0jkFp9
Women's
issues now part of legal training in Nepal
5 April - The Governing Council of National Judicial Academy
(NJA), the supreme policy making body headed by the Right Honourable Chief
Justice of Nepal, adopted a resolution for mainstreaming gender issues in its
policy and practice. The adoption of resolution is a landmark decision to help
bring about gender responsive legal reforms in the country. Legal workers like
judges and lawyers, now study gender issues related to justice as part of their
standard training. With support from UNDP’s Mainstreaming Gender Equity
Programme (MGEP), the NJA developed a training curriculum focusing on gender
equality and justice. Through the training, the judges acquire skills to
critically analyze the legal provisions related to gender issues. They also
become familiar with international women/ human rights instruments to which
Nepal is a signatory to. UNDP has supported the NJA to compile reference
materials for the training. This will also help the judges and lawyers to refer
to judgements relating to gender justice and women’s rights.(…)
http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/april-2006/womens-legal-training-nepal-20060405.en
Economy and
development
(top)
Japan
steps up contribution to UNDP operations in Africa
27 April – Japan has been
one of UNDP’s key strategic partners in recent years. Japan’s
contribution to UNDP regular resources in 2005 was approximately $82.4
million. The regular resources, as the basis for UNDP’s core operations,
provide UNDP the critical capacity to be a trusted partner to meet global
challenges throughout the world. In 2005, Japan was the fifth-largest
contributor to UNDP regular resources after the Netherlands, Norway, US, and
Sweden. Japan was the top contributor to UNDP regular resources in 2000
and 2001.
In addition to its
contribution to UNDP regular resources, Japan’s trust-fund and cost-sharing
contributions to specific UNDP projects have been significant in recent years
and, in particular, in 2004 and 2005. The most notable is the increase in
Japan’s support to UNDP projects in Africa including Sudan on commitment basis
from approximately $4 million in 2004 to $25.6 million in 2005; the Government
of Japan already disbursed more than $23.4 million to Africa through UNDP
during the first quarter of this year. In his “Message to Africa towards the G8
Summit” in July 2005 at Gleneagles, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi pledged
that Japan would double its ODA to Africa in the next 3 years (to US$1.6
billion annually). From the overall perspective, Japan intends to
increase its ODA volume by US$10 billion in aggregate over the next five years,
compared to the level of ODA on the basis of 2004 net ODA disbursement. (…) http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/april-2006/japan-africa-20060427.en;jsessionid=aWbkm_0jkFp9
High-tech
communications to boost Afghanistan development
Kabul 27 April - Afghanistan
is making enormous technological strides in communications to make up for lost
time during decades of conflict. Optical fibre networks, more than a million
new cell phone users, and wireless fixed telephone lines are all part of the
technological leapfrogging in a country that only a few years ago had banned
the internet.
Afghanistan’s first national
Information and Communication Technology Conference opens tomorrow to celebrate
the country’s communications successes and help make links between public
sector needs and private sector possibilities. The two-day forum, jointly
organized by Afghanistan’s communications ministry and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) will showcase investment opportunities, and promote ICT
awareness within the country. The forum will also launch an easy-to-use online
capability for registering AF website addresses.
Four years ago, Afghanistan
had only 20,000 telephone lines in the whole country. There are now 1.2 million
cell phone owners. By the end of 2006, the wireless fixed telephone lines will
reach 285,000, allowing not only voice, but also data exchange throughout the
network, connecting hundreds of thousands of households in Afghanistan.(…)
Helping
young people in slums tell their story to the world
Nairobi 25 April - A
collection of photographs taken by teenagers given cameras and assigned to
document their lives in the crowded Nairobi slum of Mathari will go on display
at the third session of UN-HABITAT’s World Urban Forum in Vancouver in June as
part of a novel, internationally sponsored project to reflect the concerns of
young people and inspire their peers. The “Image-in” programme depicts the
world of 10 boys and girls aged 13 to 15 asked to focus on the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) aimed at alleviating poverty and showing how they
apply to their lives among the poor and the very poor. Quickly, and with
considerable energy, they soon devised a way of presenting their pictures with
caption stories in a body of work that will also be published as a book.
All of the young photographers
are members of the Mathare Youth Sports Association. Run by young people, for
young people, the association formed in 1987 at the initiative of Bob Munro, a
Canadian former UN official, became the first of its kind to organize football
leagues in the slums. It was also the first to set up teams for girls, and the
first to send a girls’ team to the Norway Cup. (…) http://www.unhabitat.org/mathare.asp
Chinese
Government and ECLAC to Strengthen Cooperation in the Field of Economic
Development
Zeng
Peiyan, Vice Premier of the State Council of China, met with José Luis
Machinea, Executive Secretary of this regional United Nations commission.
25 April - A delegation of the
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), headed by its
Executive Secretary, José Luis Machinea, met with the Vice Premier of the State
Council of China, Zeng Peiyan, on Monday 24 April in Beijing. Zeng Peiyan
expressed his government's interest in increasing exchanges with this regional
United Nations commission. During the meeting, delegates discussed the status
of relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean, analysing the
different mechanisms available to increase cooperation between ECLAC and the
Chinese government. As one of the members of the State Council of China, Zeng
Peiyan is one of the country's highest ranking authorities. He praised ECLAC's
important role in developing economic cooperation with China. He emphasized
that as developing countries, China and the countries of Latin America and the
Caribbean share much in common on many key international issues and are
complementary in economic terms. Moreover, he placed a high value on the
relations between both parties and expressed his intentions of deepening
political ties, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges "to ensure the
development of friendly, mutually beneficial cooperation," he added.(…)
Launch
of a new version of FAO GeoNetwork
Spatial
data sharing among UN agencies
Rome, 24 April - A new version
of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's spatial data catalogue, FAO
GeoNetwork, which provides agricultural information to decision-makers,
allowing them to access satellite imagery, interactive maps and spatial
databases from FAO, WFP, CGIAR and others, was launched today. "This new
version of GeoNetwork is faster and more reliable than the previous one. In
addition, several other UN agencies have joined the network, thus adding an
impressive amount of valuable UN system-wide geospatial information,"
according to Mr Alexander Müller, Assistant Director-General of the FAO
Sustainable Development Department.
The launch coincides with the
release of a new version of the World Food Programme GeoNetwork, which
contributes substantially to the effective sharing and dissemination of
geographical datasets with major emphasis on food security and vulnerability
issues. The WFP network includes nodes at WFP headquarters, regional bureaus
and country offices.
Madagascar
launches new drive to upgrade urban settlements
Antananarivo, 20 April – Prime
Minister Jacques Sylla of Madagascar has launched a national programme to
upgrade informal settlements and prepare sound urban development with the
support of UN-HABITAT and the United Nations Development Programme. He
announced the plan at a seminar 20 April attended by regional leaders, mayors,
municipal administrators, banks, NGOs and civil society representatives. Urban
dwellers currently constitute some 30 percent of the island nation’s total
population of six million people. It is estimated that Madagascar’s cities will
accommodate 10 million more people in the next 20 years.
The national programme jointly
supported by UN-HABITAT and UNDP will build on pilot projects implemented in
major cities. He said it would also include the decentralization and
simplification of urban land management, the establishment and improvement of
financial mechanisms and operational instruments, and the reinforcement of
local government’s capacities to develop and implement local programmes and
projects in partnership with the private sector and local communities.
http://www.unhabitat.org/madagascar_launches2006.asp
Guatemala's
indigenous people to get US$30 million support from UN IFAD for development
programme
Rome, 20 April – Guatemala’s indigenous Mayan people, who
have often been marginalized, will now play a role in planning, managing and
supervising their own development activities. The first phase of the National
Rural Development Programme worth US$38 million is partly financed by a US$30
million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
More than 300,000 Guatemalan people, about 50 per cent of them from indigenous
groups, are expected to benefit from the first phase of the programme. (…) The
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is also providing a loan
of US$10 million.
The programme will focus on
five areas in the west of Guatemala, where 60 per cent of the country’s
indigenous people live. For many years, discrimination and exclusion have
contributed to the poverty and inequality of Mayan people. Poverty among the
Mayan people is also linked to poor access to natural resources including land
and water, as well as to technology and financial services. (…)
A key idea is to involve
people in planning, managing and supervising activities themselves, so that
they can fully participate in the programme and express their own needs and
concerns. They will be trained in how to participate in community planning
councils, and mechanisms will be set up to give people the chance to express
their views. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2006/17.htm
Camel
milk:
booming demand offers bright prospects
for traditional food source
18 April - The United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sees bright prospects for camel dairy
products, which could not only provide more food to people in arid and semi-arid
areas, but improve the incomes of nomadic herders.
Tapping the market for camel
milk, however, involves resolving a series of humps in production,
manufacturing and marketing. FAO is hoping financing will come forward from
donors and investors to develop the sector not only at local level but to help
camel milk move into lucrative markets in the Middle East and elsewhere.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000275/index.html
"Trans-Latins" the New Investment Trend in Latin America and the
Caribbean
Most
of the region's transnational firms are from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and
Mexico.
12 April - Expansion abroad by
companies based in developing countries has become an increasingly important
trend in the world economy. Within this process, developing Asia has
outperformed Latin America and the Caribbean. Of the 50 largest transnational
firms from developing countries, just seven are from this region. This
contrasts with 1977, when 14 of the 30 main transnational firms from developing
countries were based in Latin America.
Notwithstanding, the companies
of Latin America and the Caribbean have continued to internationalize,
especially from the 1990s onward, driven by factors such as economic reforms,
saturated local markets, opportunities in neighbouring countries, and the need
to diversify risk, ECLAC notes, in its report Foreign
investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2005, released today in
Santiago, Chile. Most of the region's transnational firms, referred to as
"trans-Latins"- are based in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. The
largest trans-Latins, with geographically diverse investment, are involved in
natural resource-based sectors such as mining (CVRD), steel (Techint, Gerdau),
oil and gas (Petrobras, PDVSA, ENAP), and cement (CEMEX). Generally speaking,
the companies in this group have enjoyed strong state support for their
development. Some began life or remain state-owned companies. Others grew by
taking advantage of privatization plans in their own or neighbouring
countries.(…)
Japanese
Parliamentarians pay tribute to IFAD-supported rural income diversification
project in Vietnam
Hanoi, 10 April - Yoshio
Yatsu, Japanese Member of Parliament and Chairman, Global Legislators for a
Balanced Environment (GLOBE Japan), commended the rural income diversification
schemes, supported by IFAD, that has helped improve significantly the
livelihood of farmers and ethnic minorities in more than 66 communes in the
rural province of Tuyen Quang of Vietnam. Yatsu is a former Chair of Asian
Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD). Addressing
Vietnamese officials during his visit to the province as a part of the Asian
Parliamentarians’ Seminar on Poverty Alleviation, organized by the AFPPD, Yatsu
said that the rural income diversification scheme is a model to follow in other
countries in the region.(…)
The parliamentarians visited a
bamboo-chopsticks production factory, which is part of the income
diversification project, at a village in Xuan Van Commune. The chopsticks have
been exported to other Asian countries, including Japan and Hong Kong thus
increasing the incomes of the rural poor villagers. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2006/19.htm
BBC
World Announced The General Media Partner In “The Passion For Africa” Event
10 -
11 May in Bamako, Mali
Internationally renowned BBC
World correspondent Lyse Doucet will chair the opening panel “TOURCOM Dialogue
– The Passion for Africa,” at the forthcoming Regional Conference on Tourism
Communications (TOURCOM Africa). The conference will be held on 10 - 11 May in
Bamako, the capital of Mali. It will be a groundbreaking event for tourism
communications and the objective is to release untapped tourism potential on
the continent.
(…) The “TOURCOM Africa”
conference is organized by the United Nations tourism agency World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO), in cooperation with the Malian Ministry of Handicraft and
Tourism and will follow the UNWTO Regional Commission meeting. (…) A similar
event, but adapted to the Americas, will be staged from 28-30 May 2006 in
cooperation with the Argentinean Government in Rosario, in the province of
Santa Fe.
http://www.world-tourism.org/newsroom/Releases/2006/april/bbc.html
UNDP
and Japan Bank for International Cooperation forge partnership to fight poverty
UNDP and the Japan Bank for
International Cooperation (JBIC) have agreed to join forces to end poverty
across the world. The two organizations agreed on 20 initiatives in more than
10 countries. These include an initiative in Cambodia, where JBIC and
UNDP will address HIV/AIDS in the work place in the context of the expansion of
Sihanoukville port, which is also known as the “virus harbor.” Also, a
proposal for Northeast Thailand will look at providing employment opportunities
to poor farmers affected by the agricultural reform and reduction of
deforestation in the area. “This is a milestone in our partnership with JBIC,
and I expect to see the MOU translated into actual collaborative activities in
many parts of the world,” UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis said in Tokyo, where
he signed a partnership agreement between UNDP and JBIC to work towards
promoting the MDGs.
Solidarity
(top)
EI
Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme: first fully furbished school completed in
Indonesia April 26 - As part of Education InternationaI's Tsunami Rehabilitation
Programme in partnership with NOVIB (Oxfam Netherlands) to restore education
back in the areas affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami in Dec 2004, the first
school has been reconstructed and refurbished.
The "National Elementary
School 70" of the Kampong Jawa village, located in the Banda Aceh district
of Aceh province on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, was completed on 10
April 2006. It not only contains all the furnitures necessary, but also
equipment such as computers. However, the gradual completion of schools is only
the first step towards bringing education back to the area. Pupils who survived
the disaster are already relocated to other schools, and reconstruction of the
surrounding houses has been very slow. The cost of transport between the
current temporary dwellings and the new schools, 4000 rupiahs (0.36 euros or
0.45 US dollars), is unaffordable for the displaced families.
The EI-NOVIB Tsunami
Rehabilitation Programme began in January 2005 to help local teacher
organisations rebuild education for teachers and children affected by the
disaster, in both Sri Lanka and Indonesia. In Indonesia, the main disaster area
is located in the Aceh province. (…)
The EI Tsunami Rehabilitation
Programme is being implemented in partnership with the International Labour
Organisation (ILO) and the Building Workers International (BWI) and is part of
EI's Solidarity Programmes. EI has a Solidairy Fund to which member
organisations and the public contribute. The Fund is then deployed to aid
teachers when their lives are under threat. So far, half of the funds collected
for the Tsunami contributed to the immediate humanitarian assistance after the
disaster. The rest of the funds is being deployed to carry out projects under
the Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme. (…)
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=168&theme=solidarityfund&country=indonesia
Rotary
to build youth complex in Banda Aceh
Evanston, Illinois, USA, 26
April — Rotary clubs have launched an ambitious project to build a children’s
village and a youth center in Banda Aceh for orphans of the Tsunami. The
project will include accommodations, medical and education facilities and a
mosque. When completed, the youth center complex will be able to house 150
children and 500 boarding university students at any one time.
Construction began in January
and the opening of the Rotary Youth Centre is planned for December 2006. The
Centre will include a children’s village, called Gampong Anak, which will have
15 homes that each house 10 children and an adult caretaker. The total cost for
the entire project is estimated to be more than US$5 million. To date, more
than $2 million has been provided by Rotary International and Rotary clubs in
Australia. The land is being provided by the Aceh local government. The local
government in Aceh and five universities in Banda are project partners. Rotary
clubs in Australia, key partners of the project, have committed US$1.5 million
to build the children’s village. In addition to construction funding and
expertise, they will provide living expenses and operation of the orphanage for
five years.
“The building design and
construction drawings will be tasked to students from the universities in
Sydney and the five universities in Banda Aceh,” said Ritje Rihatinah, co-chair
of National Committee for the Solidarity South Asia Fund of the Rotary
Foundation, the disaster relief fund set up immediately following the Tsunami.
(…)
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/presscenter/releases/2006/259.html
Indonesia: launch of the
Tsunami Skills Development and Vocational Training project in the Aceh province
April 25 - As part of the
Global Unions Tsunami Solidarity (GUTS) programme, co-operating partners
including EI launched the Tsunami Skills Development and Vocational Training
project in the Aceh province in Indonesia. A Manpower Training Centre was set
up in this area most affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami, and the centre aims
to train 300 persons over the next 12 months in various skills. The project is
co-ordinated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Asia -Pacific
Regional Office (ICFTU-APRO) of the International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions (ICFTU), the Global Union Federations (GUF) including Education
International (EI), as well as the Indonesian Trade Union Centre (ITUC). (…)
The GUTS Programme is a joint
effort designed to aid workers and their families whose lives were under threat
after the Tsunami disaster of 26 Dec 2004. Under the programme, several
projects are being developed. Specifically in the Aceh province, the projects
centre around trade union awareness, leadership training, organising, gender
equality, publication of trade union materials, occupational health and safety
(OSH), English language classes, computer skills training etc. A Global Unions
Workers Welfare Centre has also been established in the office building of EI
affiliate PGRI in the city of Banda Aceh.
EI's Tsunami Rehabilitation
Programme is also building 28 fully furbished and equipped schools in
Indonesia, in co-operation with NOVIB (Oxfam Netherlands).
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=170&theme=solidarityfund&country=indonesia
Pakistan:
ICRC moves to kickstart farm production in quake zone
April 19 - The earthquake on 8
October destroyed many agricultural assets in Pakistan-administered Kashmir such
as tools, seeds and animals.
To help the local economy
recover, the ICRC is distributing seeds and tools by helicopter and by road to
30,000 households. The following items are involved: 750,000 kg of maize seed,
600 kg each of onion, turnip, tomato, carrot, chilli and spinach seed, 3,000 kg
of ladyfinger seed, and 450,000 kg of fertilizer. Each household will also
receive tools for planting and harvesting.
Farming is a pillar of the
traditional way of life in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the ICRC hopes
that the operation, which should be completed by the end of April, will help
local people become self-sufficient.
Rebuilding
after Stan
Six
months has passed since heavy rains from Hurricane Stan lashed the whole
Central America region, affecting Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico and Nicaragua,
and causing extensive flooding and mudslides. (By Linda Nordahl Jakobsen and Heinrich Ludwig
Stachelscheid)
April 18 - The hurricane
destroyed homes, crops and other property, putting many poor people already at
risk before the hurricane, under further threat. (…) Like doña Ana and her
family some 500 families in the municipalities of Ixchiguán and Tajumulco
(named after Guatemala´s highest volcano Tajumulco with its 4.220m) have lost
their homes. Some of them have found shelter in barns or remaining kitchens, or
now live with their relatives or neighbours.
The local partner, the
Pastoral Social of San Marcos’ Diocese, supported by DanChurchAid and ECHO, has
started to rehouse doña Ana and another 359 families with provisional, but
firmly built transitory homes, while 175 new latrines are being constructed as
well.
The whole project is funded by
the EU Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) with 215.000 Euros and
with 23.889 Euros from DanChurchAid (DCA), a Danish ngo, that has been working
in Guatemala for more than 20 years. (…) All together 4.275 persons in
Ixchiguán and Tajumulco will benefit from new provisional shelters, water and
sanitation. (…)
http://www.dca.dk/sider_paa_hjemmesiden/news_focus/news/rebuilding_after_stan
ADRA
responds to heavy flooding in Ecuador
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA,
April 21 - During the month of March, the Adventist Development and Relief
Agency (ADRA) provided aid for 200 Ecuadorian families devastated by the
intense rainfall that drenched the coastal region during this winter’s rainy
season. The most severely affected areas lie in the coastal provinces of Los
Rios, Manabi, Guayas, El Oro, and Esmeraldas.
An estimated 20,000 families
have been directly or indirectly affected by the evacuations implemented by
Ecuador’s Civil Defense, and the Ecuadorian Red Cross. (…)
ADRA has provided medicines
and medical care, mattresses, bed linens, and mosquito nets. Additionally, 500
schoolchildren living along the hard-hit coastline received urgently-needed
backpacks filled with school supplies from ADRA.
The project, which is valued
at $10,000, is funded in partnership by ADRA International, the ADRA office
located in Ecuador, and the ADRA South American division office located in
Brasilia, Brazil. The distribution was completed in late March. (…)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=4985
Peace and security
(top)
IHD launches anti-mine
training drive (Turkey)
IHD
draws mine risk map; prepares to educate children and adults on protection.
Results to be shared with MPs. General Secretary Tastan says "Mined
settlements are being ignored. An Action Plan and Law are required".
27 April (Istanbul) - Turkey's
Human Rights Association (IHD) is launching a challenging educational drive
targeting populations of settlements that are under the threat of land mines
and other types of unexploded military ammunition in the country.
IHD General Secretary Nejat
Tastan, interviewed by Bianet, said the first stage of the project consisted of
creating a mine risk map which identifies the dangerous regions and that with
this map, both children and adults in the areas of risk would be offered
education in protective measures. Tastan said they aimed to inform the public
of this project by May 15 and listed its components as:
* Concluding the mine risk map
* Preparing an educational documentary on protection from mines * Delivering
protection education to children and adults in risk areas * Cooperating with
the National Education Ministry to organise for hour-long protection classes in
village schools
* Preparation of a documentary
on the accounts of mine victims (…)
Tajikistan:
Demining on the Afghan border started
Ankara, 12 April (IRIN) -
Efforts are now under way to clear landmines along Tajikistan's 1,344 km-long
border with Afghanistan, one of the highest mine-risk areas in the former
Soviet republic. (…) The Tajik demining body is planning to demine the area -
which spans some 2,000 sq metres - within three weeks. Tajikistan has the
largest landmines problem in Central Asian, with more than 25,000 sq km of land
to be cleared of mines - an area over half the size of Switzerland. (…)
In 2003, Tajikistan acceded to
the 1997 Ottawa Convention. According to the Convention, Tajikistan is expected
to destroy all anti-personnel landmines and clear its territory of them by 1
April 2010. (…)
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/RURI-6NSLFW?OpenDocument
"Building
A Just And Sustainable Peace: Improving Education, Healthcare, the Environment,
and Social Equity," conference in
Hiroshima, August 31 - September 4, 2006
The
Honorary Chair Tadatooshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima, Japan, and President of
Mayors for Peace will open the conference.
On august 6, 1945, the first
atomic bomb used against humanity exploded over Hiroshima. Instantly, most of the city crumbled and
burned. More than 140,000 people perished.
Those who managed to survive suffered from grievous mental and physical
trauma from which many continue to suffer.
Since then, Hiroshima has become a spiritual center for the movement to
ban nuclear weapons. Rising from the
ruins the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum opened, mandated to convey the facts,
contributing to the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of genuine
and lasting world peace.
In this spirit all are invited
to participate in "a gathering of global conscience" to galvanize
support for a just and sustainable world peace. Several institutions of higher
learning are collaborating to sponsor this international symposium, Lehman
College, Penn State Abington, The University of the District of Columbia and
United Nations Non Governmental Organizations, International Health Awareness
Network and The Ribbon International.
The conference will provide an open forum to learn from each other, and
together address the challenges we face in achieving global security and universal
human rights. For more information and
application see:
www.lehman.edu/hiroshimaconference
Health
(top)
ERD
celebrates Africa Malaria Day 2006
April 25 - Episcopal Relief
and Development (ERD) recognizes Africa Malaria Day 2006. Each year in Africa,
300 million people contract malaria and one in 20 children under the age of
five die from the disease.
This year, ERD will expand its
malaria program in Africa to work in 10 countries and provide education and
training, long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and access to effective drug
therapy to over 300,000 people. The program will expand to 16 countries over
the next three years. ERD's malaria program targets the most vulnerable rural
communities, particularly pregnant women and children under five. In sub
Saharan Africa where malaria is the leading cause of death, ERD is working in
Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia,
Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia to improve the long-term health of
local communities. (…)
In Angola and Zambia, ERD has
been working for the past year on education, community mobilization and
training health care workers. A weeklong series of events hosted by ERD and the
Anglican Church of Zambia will celebrate Africa Malaria Day. On April 27, a
community launch in Lusaka, Zambia, being attended by the Zambian Minister of
Health and other dignitaries, will distribute nets. In Angola, nets are being
distributed in Vige, in the north, and the Cunene Province, in the south. (…)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=4994
New
malaria treatment introduced in Somalia
Africa
Malaria Day boost for children and women
Nairobi, 25 April – A new
effective treatment has been introduced in Somalia to curb the incidence of
malaria, one of the leading killers of children and women, UNICEF Somalia
Representative Christian Balslev-Olesen announced today on the occasion of
Africa Malaria Day. An estimated one million children under five years of age
die of malaria annually in Africa. In central and southern Somalia,
malaria is estimated to account for approximately eight per cent of all illnesses
among children under five. The burden is highest along the rivers and
settlements with artificial water reservoirs where there is all-year-round
transmission. “By introducing effective drugs for malaria treatment in Somalia,
UNICEF and its partners will be addressing the challenge faced by children and
women in combating malaria,” said Balslev-Olesen. (…) Africa Malaria Day, which
is commemorated annually on April 25, will mark the launch of ACTs and
diagnostic tests in Somalia. To sensitize the public on the availability
of the new treatment, UNICEF, in collaboration with international and local
NGOs, is organizing public events today in different locations.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_33593.html
North
Korea: ICRC inaugurates a second physical rehabilitation centre
The
ICRC, in cooperation with the Red Cross Society and the Armed Forces' Military
Medical Bureau of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has opened a new
physical rehabilitation centre in Pyongyang for both military and civilian
patients.
April 24 - The Rakrang
Physical Rehabilitation Centre, located in the southern outskirts of Pyongyang
has been constructed over a one year period, and once fully operational will
have a capacity to treat up to 400 patients annually.
Specialized ICRC technical
delegates have provided their expertise for the design of the workshop and the
ICRC has fully equipped it to be able to provide professional, up to date
physical rehabilitation. They continue to train and cooperate with local
orthopaedic technicians and physiotherapy assistants. As part of a longer-term
investment in training, the ICRC is financing a three-year course of five
orthopaedic technicians from the armed forces and the Ministry of Public Health
at the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics in Phnom Penh. (…)
ICRC activities in physical
rehabilitation began in 2002 with the establishment of the Songrim orthopaedic
centre in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and the Red Cross
Society of DPRK. To date, some 2,300 disabled persons have been fitted with
orthopaedic devices. (…)
Chernobyl: Red Cross Red
Crescent thyroid cancer detection programme can prevent hundreds of premature
deaths
18 April - Twenty years after
Chernobyl, the world’s worst nuclear accident, the number of cases of thyroid
cancer among those who were children at the time of the disaster continues to
increase markedly. The explosion of the nuclear power plant, on 26 April 1986,
irradiated vast areas of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
Scientists predict the rise in cancer cases will continue to peak over the next
five years, while remaining a major health problem for years to come.
Through its Chernobyl
Humanitarian Assistance and Rehabilitation Programme (CHARP), the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is screening rural and
remote populations in the irradiated zone for thyroid cancer, through palpation,
ultrasound examinations and biopsies. (…) Using six mobile diagnostic
laboratories (MDLs) staffed by national Red Cross medical personnel, CHARP
provides medical screening to 90,000 people per year. (…)
Since its inception in 1990,
the CHARP programme has assisted more than three million people, screened
almost 810,000 and provided millions more with medicine, multivitamins, health
information and psychological support. Each year, CHARP ensures some 50,000
children receive multivitamins through the Red Cross Societies of Belarus, the
Russian Federation and Ukraine. Annually it also provides vital psychological
support to some 15,000 people, who suffer from depression and anxiety. (…)
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/pr06/2606.asp
Bangladesh
launches mass immunization campaign after polio re-emerges
By Zafrin Chowdhury
Chandpur, Bangladesh, 13 April
– After a five-year absence, polio has re-emerged in Bangladesh, sending a
fresh alert and boosting eradication efforts across the country. (…) Bangladesh’s latest polio outbreak has
sparked an urgent new effort by the Global Polio Eradication Campaign – a
partnership between UNICEF, Rotary International, WHO and the U.S. Centres for
Disease Control – working closely with the government. Their ambitious goal is
to reach 18 million children under the age of five through three rounds of
National Immunization Days on April 16, May 13 and June 11. Twenty four million
doses of vaccine have so far been procured for this effort. A huge
communication and social mobilization drive is under way, broadcasting polio
immunization messages through the mass media, distribution of printed materials
and door-to-door, interpersonal communication targeting parents and caregivers.
(…)
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/bangladesh_33390.html
Energy
and safety
(top)
EU
and China to link up high-speed electronic networks for an open exchange among
their best researchers and students
Brussels, 28 April -
Communication and collaboration among 45 million researchers and students
across Europe and China will be greatly facilitated by a new Sino-European
high-speed network connection announced today. Co-funded by the European Union,
China and European National Research and Education Networks, the €4.15 million
ORIENT (Oriental Research Infrastructure to European NeTworks) project will
benefit all Sino-European research, including radio astronomy, sustainable
development, meteorology, and grid computing, by helping to step up the flow of
information between Europe and China. The ORIENT project is supported by the
EU’s 6th Research Framework Programme. (…)
ORIENT will connect Europe’s
GÉANT2, the world’s most advanced international research and education network
(see IP/05/722) and the Chinese research networks CERNET and CSTNET on an
overland route via Siberia. Scheduled to go live later in 2006 it will link
over 200 Chinese universities and research institutions, at speeds of up to 2.5
Gbps. It will be co-ordinated by research networking organisation DANTE in
Europe and the CERNET network in China. (…)
Volunteers
drive recovery of Chernobyl-affected communities 
Bonn, 26 April – For Olga
Kolosyuk, clean water represents progress in a post-Chernobyl Ukraine. The fact
that her village of 1,000 has safe drinking water demonstrates what the
community has accomplished—most notably the refurbishment of a local water
supply—since taking the lead in improving their situation. Olga is a leader of
a community organization called Dryzhba, a collective of residents from
Kirdany. She is one of numerous volunteers who, with the help of the United
Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, set up a community organization in the
village.
More than 200 community-led
organizations exist in 139 villages throughout the Chernobyl affected area. The
organizations are charged with the task of addressing the economic,
environmental and social problems stemming from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster,
which occurred 20 years ago today. The organizations were established between
2002 and 2005 as part of the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme
(CRDP), a joint initiative of the Government of Ukraine, UNDP, UNV and the UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), with funding from
Japan, Canada and Switzerland. (…) To build the capacity of the communities to
implement the projects, the UN Volunteers provided training in planning,
communications, leadership, fundraising and other skills to bring about
effective project management. In 2005, nearly 4,000 people, including
representatives of local government, participated in various trainings. (…)
http://unv.org/infobase/news_releases/2006/06_04_26_UKR_at.htm
FAO sees major shift to bioenergy
Pressure
building for switch to biofuels
Rome, 25 April - Under the pressure of soaring oil prices
and growing environmental constraints, momentum is gathering for a major
international switch from fossil fuels to renewable bioenergy, according to
FAO, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. (…)
Factors pushing for such a
momentous change in the world energy market include environmental constraints –
increased global warming and the Kyoto Protocol’s curbs on emissions of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gasses – and a growing perception by governments
of the risks of dependence on oil. “Oil
at more than 70 dollars a barrel makes bioenergy potentially more competitive”,
Müller said. “Also, in the last decade global environmental concerns and energy
consumption patterns have built up pressure to introduce more renewable energy
into national energy plans and to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.”
His view is shared by a
growing number of investors, including Bill Gates, who recently decided to
finance a US ethanol company to the tune of US$84 million. Other new entries in
the field are a French company hitherto better known for making Foie Gras, and
Hungary, which plans to turn one million ha of farmland over to biofuel crops
in the next few years.
FAO’s interest in bioenergy
stems from the positive impact which energy crops are expected to have on rural
economies and from the opportunity offered countries to diversify their energy
sources. “At the very least it could mean a new lease of life for commodities
such as sugar whose international prices have plummeted,” noted Gustavo
Best, FAO’s Senior Energy Coordinator.
Environment
and wildlife
(top)
Launch
of the State of the Environment in Asia and the Pacific 2005 Report
Greener,
more eco-efficient economic growth patterns urgently
Bangkok, 28 April – The United
Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) will
launch a new report urging immediate action to “green” the Asia-Pacific’s
economic growth patterns as the current rate of regional growth is
unsustainable. The State of the Environment in Asia and the Pacific 2005 report
-- the latest in a series of environmental reports published every five years
since 1985 -- report takes a new look at the implications of the rapid economic
growth of the Asia-Pacific region. The report asserts that Asia-Pacific
economies must continue to grow to reduce poverty but rapid economic growth is
exerting increasing pressure upon the limited environmental carrying capacity
of the region. While UNESCAP member countries have managed to make progress in
improving pollution control, these actions alone are not enough. Long-term
environmental sustainability requires new approaches that go beyond pollution
control, it says. The International Launch of the State of the Environment in
Asia and the Pacific 2005 report will take place at the UNESCAP regional
headquarters in Bangkok, on Friday, 28th of April 2006. (…) UNESCAP’s “green
growth” approach aims to shift economic growth patterns away from the
conventional “grow first, clean up later” approach, towards more ecologically
efficient production and consumption. Synergies between environmental
protection and economic growth objectives can be developed – environmental
protection must be viewed as an opportunity, not a burden and cost. Adoption of
greener growth patterns is more relevant in the context of fast-growing
Asia-Pacific economies than anywhere else in the world, and will determine the
global environmental outlook. (…)
http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2006/apr/n19.asp
World Resources Institute’s
Sustainable Urban Transport Project receives $7.5 million contribution by
Caterpillar Foundation
Washington, DC, April 27 --
The World Resources Institute's Center for Transport and the Environment, known
as EMBARQ, gained significant momentum with the announcement today of a new
$7.5 million contribution from the Caterpillar Foundation. The Caterpillar
Foundation joins the Shell Foundation, which recently renewed its initial $7.5
million investment in EMBARQ's efforts to meet the sustainable mobility needs
of cities across the world. These two
contributions will form the core of a $43 million philanthropic investment to
scale up EMBARQ's expanding projects in some of the world's largest and
fastest-growing cities. (…)
Working with local governments
and leaders, EMBARQ develops environmentally and financially sustainable
solutions to urban transport problems, addressing issues of air pollution,
greenhouse gas emissions, traffic congestion and safety. Solutions to these problems include
replacing outdated equipment and retrofitting existing buses with modern diesel
technology, areas where Caterpillar has significant expertise. (…)
http://newsroom.wri.org/newsrelease_text.cfm?NewsReleaseID=361
U.S. investors
support global warming resolution with dominion resources
Boston, MA, April 27 - Several
leading U.S. institutional investors, representing over $475 billion in
invested assets, today announced they are supporting a shareholder resolution
requesting that Dominion Resources in Richmond, VA prepare a report on the
company's strategies and potential risks from foreseeable regulations to reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power plants. The resolution will be voted
on at the company's annual meeting Friday April 28.
The shareholders include many
of the country's largest public pension funds, including the California Public
Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), the California State Teachers'
Retirement System (CalSTRS) and the New York City Employees Retirement System.
The resolution also won the support this month from Institutional Investor
Services (ISS), an influential advisor to institutional investors.
The resolution was filed by
Trillium Asset Management in Boston and the New York City Employees Retirement
System.
Noting that nearly a dozen
U.S. states are taking steps to reduce power plant emissions and the growing
momentum for national greenhouse gas limits, investors will be supporting a
resolution requesting "a report, reviewed by a board committee of
independent directors, on how the company is responding to rising regulatory,
competitive, public pressure to significantly carbon dioxide and other
emissions from the company's current and proposed power plant operations."
The resolution requests that the report be finished by Sept. 1, 2006.
The resolution comes as a
half-dozen other leading power companies, including American Electric Power,
DTE Energy, Cinergy, TXU and Southern, have already issued reports to
shareholders about the implications of climate change regulations for their
businesses. Four other power companies in the Midwest also agreed earlier this
year to prepare climate risk reports requested by shareholders, including Great
Plains Energy and Alliant Energy. Dominion has received similar shareholders
requests in recent years, but has balked at producing such a report. (…)
http://www.iccr.org/news/press_releases/2006/pr_dominion042806.htm
IDB
starts $10 million disaster prevention fund
Grant
resources to improve risk management and reduce vulnerability in Latin America
and the Caribbean
April 26 - The Inter-American
Development Bank has established a $10 million grant fund to finance activities
to improve risk management and prepare disaster prevention projects in Latin
America and the Caribbean, the IDB announced today.
Vulnerability to natural
hazards is one of the biggest threats to development in this region, where many
countries are exposed to hurricanes, tidal waves, floods, earthquakes,
landslides, volcanic eruptions, forest fires and droughts.(…) Over the years,
multilateral agencies and donor countries have provided billions of dollars for
reconstruction after disasters. While such efforts have regularly emphasized
prevention and mitigation against future events, most countries in Latin
America and the Caribbean still need to strengthen their capacity to manage
disaster risks.
The Disaster Prevention Fund
will make grants to assist countries in activities such as identifying risks to
natural hazards; preparing disaster prevention projects; designing prevention
and mitigation investments in high-risk areas and improving early warning,
communications and public information systems. (…)
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-6PAEAE?OpenDocument
Global
‘Green’ Leaders Honored at Environmental Gala in Singapore
Singapore/Nairobi, 21 April -
Seven ‘green’ leaders, instrumental in bringing environmental issues to the
forefront of political action, are today celebrated as the 2006 Champions of
the Earth at a gala event hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), the Singapore Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the
Singapore Tourism Board. The awards are presented in recognition of the
leadership, creativity and vision that each leader has demonstrated. The
winners will share their hopes in advancing the cause of the environment.
Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher from Ethiopia, Africa, who championed against
the patenting of life forms and for community rights in Africa said that with
the myriad of environmental problems that now exist, “the world will need many
more Champions.” (…) The Champions of the Earth ceremony is organized with the
support of various sponsors and partners that include the Asia Pacific
Resources International Holdings (APRIL), the Lien Foundation and Nanyang
Technological University. Other supporters of the ceremony include: CNN
Fortune, Time, Eco 4 The World Foundation, Singapore Environment Council, and
Channel News Asia.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=475&ArticleID=5261&l=en
Churches
help southern neighbors, environment with support of ‘eco-Palm’ Sunday
Montreal, April 6 – Churches
in 34 states helped protect rainforests, stimulate jobs and create education
scholarships with the purchase of over 80,000 ‘eco-palm fronds’ for Palm Sunday
services this week. The palm fronds, imported from Mexico and Guatemala, are
being certified as environmentally sustainable by Rainforest Alliance under a
project of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Integrated Natural
Resources and Agricultural Management (CINRAM).
Dean Current, program manager
for CINRAM, says 282 congregations paid up to double the normal price for
chamaedorea palm fronds to ensure that they were harvested in a sustainable
manner to avoid damaging the palms themselves, as well as to provide improved
income to the harvesting communities. (…)
The certification and improved
quality empowers harvesters to negotiate with wholesalers like Continental
Floral Greens—a partner in the project—extra funds that stimulate local job
growth and contribute to community funds allocated to educational scholarships.
This year, the second of the project, 20 temporary jobs were created and an
extra US$4,000 contributed to two community funds. (…)
The CINRAM project began as an
initiative of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, an international
organization created in a side accord to NAFTA. The organization aims, in part,
to demonstrate that freer trade among the NAFTA countries can yield
environmental benefits. (…)
http://www.cec.org/news/details/index.cfm?varlan=english&ID=2700
Religion and
Spirituality
(top)
UN Secretary-General underlines importance of
understanding among peoples, pursuit of harmony, promotion of peace, in message
on Day of Vesak
May 3 (UNDPI) - Following is the text of the message by UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the occasion of the Day of Vesak, 11 May 2006:
It gives me
pleasure to send you my warmest greetings on the Day of Vesak, when we
commemorate the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha.
The ideals
celebrated on this day are close to those of the United Nations: understanding among peoples, the pursuit of
harmony, the promotion of peace.
This Day of Vesak
falls as the United Nations continues its efforts to adapt the United Nations
to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century, and in particular to
implement the commitments made by leaders at the 2005 World Summit last
September. Our success in advancing this agenda of renewal will depend not only
on Government representatives and international officials. It will rest on
voters, consumers, civil society groups and concerned individuals of all ages,
in rich and poor countries alike, thinking and acting as global citizens.
As we mark this
year’s Day of Vesak, let us recognize, as Buddhism does, our essential
interdependence. And let us resolve to work together towards the common good,
and for the harmonious and peaceful coexistence of all the world’s people. I
thank all of you for your commitment to those ideals, and wish you a wonderful
celebration for the Day of Vesak.
In Observance of World Invocation Day; The Festival of
Humanity; The Festival of Goodwill Friday, 9 June 2006; 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.;
United Nations Conference Room
How can the use of goodwill, meditation and other
spiritual practices support the work of the United Nations?
It is difficult to
remain without water even for a day. It
is likewise difficult for our consciousness to remain without illumination from
far-off worlds. As with food or water, one also needs the sustenance of the
Higher Planes of Consciousness. (Signs of Agni Yoga, 407) - Goodwill is the touchstone which will
transform the world. (Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. I)
Join us for an
afternoon of sacred music, meditation, talks and discussion. At this time of
planetary crisis all spiritual workers can contribute to building a thoughtform
of solution to world problems. Since 1952 World Invocation Day has been
observed as a global day of spiritual healing.
Initial supporting
and sponsoring organizations: Aquarian
Age Community, Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà
Mondiale, Operation Peace through Unity; Pathways to Peace.
For further
information: UN@aquaac.org
Culture and
education
(top)
UNA-USA
- “Going Global with the UN: From
Westchester to the World”
Three
new programs developed in Westchester County, with potential for replication in
other areas
April 27 - To reach a larger audience among the 925,000 people of
Westchester County, New York, our chapter has developed three electronic
communications products. Each product has potential for replication by other
chapters.
“Going
Global with the UN: From Westchester to the World” is a 26-week, 1/2 hour
series of videos about the UN and its work, airing since October 2005 on
14 public access cable TV stations throughout the County. The series makes available to the public
selected videos produced by the UN and its agencies (FAO, World Bank, UNICEF). Themes include UN History, Human Rights,
Education, Poverty Reduction, Development, Health, the Environment, War &
Peace, Gender Issues and Ageing.
“Peace
Makes the World a Better Place,” is a
20-minute video, produced by the Chapter and based on its Spring 2005 project
in Yonkers public schools. This shows
270 pieces of artwork drawn by third-graders after conversations with chapter
members and interns in their classrooms.
Interviews with children from 1st through 6th grade, done during
“Yonkers Mayfair” and at the Yonkers YMCA, bring out the themes of peace in the
home, neighborhood, school, playground and in the world. The video is available for sale and is being
marketed widely.
“Marketing
UN Radio in the USA.” Interns from LaGuardia Community College, under
Chapter supervision and with an office at UNA headquarters, are helping UN
staff to market UN Radio in the U.S. UN
Radio is a free international resource giving news and features about the UN
which became available to US radio stations in autumn 2005. This collaboration supports outreach to
local, tri-state collegiate and other radio stations and to UNA chapters. The interns also assist UN Radio staff with
research in preparing for various conference presentations.
For further information:
jbs@stratdev.com
Indonesia:
PGRI wins court case for increase in education budget to 20%
April 26 – Education
International (EI) affiliate in Indonesia, the Persatuan Guru Republik
Indonesia (Teachers' Association of the Republic of Indonesia – PGRI) has won
the case in the Constitutional Court to increase public education budget from
the present 8.1% to 20% as according to the constitution. After almost a year
of wrangling, the Constitutional Court ruled on 22 March that the present
budget allocation of 8.1% is against the 1945 Constitution which implicitly
states 20% allocation to education. The Court also ruled that the Government
and the House of Representatives should not avoid implementing the
Constitution.
Since 2005, both PGRI and the
Indonesian Educationists' Association have been demanding a judicial review of
the annual state budget allocation. (…)
Timely interventions by EI in the form of appeal letters to the
President of the Republic of Indonesia, the Chairman of Indonesian Parliament, the
Constitutional Court and the Minister for National Education urging the
implementation of the constitutional provision as requested by the PGRI, helped
pressurise authorities into the prompt resolution of the case in favour of
PGRI. (…)
With this new development in
place, education in Indonesia will surely improve. Thousands of children who
are out of schools will have better access to schooling, the underpaid
voluntary teachers will be replaced by fully-paid trained teachers and all of
this will contribute to the attainment of Education for All in the country.
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=169&theme=educationforall&country=indonesia
1st
Meeting of ACP Ministers of Education - 5 May 2006, ACP House
Brussels, 19 April
(Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States) - The ACP
Ministers of Education will hold their first meeting in Brussels on 5 May 2006,
to deliberate on the strategic role of intra-ACP cooperation in the attainment
of the objectives and the strategies adopted by the World Education Forum held
in Dakar in 2000. The meeting will provide an opportunity for participants to
share their experiences in the implementation of Policies on Education for All
(EFA), and the promotion of higher education for sustainable development.
This first meeting will also
avail the Ministers the opportunity to hold focused discussions on the relevant
elements of the objectives and strategies outlined by the Dakar Forum. Special
attention will be given to the crucial problems that have an impact on
educational reforms such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic and financial resources. (…)
The Ministerial Session will
be preceded by the meeting of ACP Senior Education Officials on 3 and 4 May
2006, which will have focussed discussions on key thematic areas in Education,
including basic education, tertiary education, intra-ACP cooperation as well as
exchange of views on the implementation of the ACP-EU cooperation Programme in
Higher Education (EDULINK).
UNESCO:
Close of a very positive session of Executive Board - urging mutual respect for
cultural diversity, religious beliefs and religious symbols
April 14 - The 174 session of
UNESCO’s Executive Board ended yesterday - after more than two weeks of debates
qualified by its Chairman, Vice Minister of Education Zhang Xinsheng (China),
as particularly enriching – with the adoption of a decision urging mutual
respect for cultural diversity, religious beliefs and religious symbols. In his
closing remarks, Mr Zhang welcomed the outcome of the session saying it had met
his hopes for work marked by harmony, hexie in Chinese, and teamwork. Among the
items on the agenda of the session, the issue of freedom of expression and
sacred beliefs was the subject of extensive debates leading to the adoption by
consensus of a decision that was welcomed by the Chairman of the Executive
Board and by the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura.
In a communiqué, the
Director-General notably welcomed the fact that: “For the first time in many
weeks, a consensus has been achieved within an intergovernmental forum on an
issue that has seriously troubled efforts of dialogue and rapprochement among
cultures and civilizations.” In his closing remarks, Mr Zhang for his part
stressed that the Board has sent out a clear signal, “a signal that says: here
in UNESCO is where such sensitive problems must be addressed, and can be addressed.”
He added: “Our future on this planet cannot be anything other than a shared
future, and we have no other building blocks except respect and more respect;
understanding and yet better understanding of each other and our diversity.”
All aspects of education, the main priority of the Organization, were
considered by the Board. (…)
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=32660&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
“E-Technology
Challenges and Opportunities: Empowering the Graying Society”
A
two-date day free International Conference addressing the “Age of Connectivity”
United
Nations Headquarters, New York, June 19-20
New York, 10 April - As part
of a series of Interlinked Congresses addressing the “Age of Longevity” held in
cities around the globe, this conference is organized in coordination with the
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations
Programme on Ageing, Department of Public Information, Stony Brook University
(SUNY), NGOs, and the private sector.
The Conference is an implementation initiative of the World Summit on
the Information Society and in support of the United Nations Sixtieth
Anniversary Commemoration.
The “E-Technology” Conference
interrelates basic elements that influence our quality of life -- family,
education, health, housing, multi-levels of government, and the information
highway (of ICT) – offering a quality blueprint for an empowered Graying Society.
When perceived with an open mind, these interrelationships offer endless
opportunities for us all. (…)
Program will address: Social
and Economic Sustainability through Technology, E-health, Networks, and Capacity Building. Topics include:
Healthcare, life-long learning, workforce transition, “people-friendly” accessible technology, elder abuse, and
HIV/AIDS.
Please check UN Web-site for
Conference up-date and required registration form
www.un.org/events/agingcf.htm or www.international-iccc.org
USAID provides $2 million for
inclusive education in Indonesia
April 6 - Helen Keller
International and the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) signed a $2 million agreement to strengthen education for children in
Indonesia with special needs. Over the next two years, USAID-HKI's
“Opportunities for Vulnerable Children” (OVC) program will work in Jakarta to
strengthen the management and teaching capacity of government counterparts to
provide higher quality, inclusive education to children through the development
of policy and educational programs that improve access to local schools and
opportunities for children. The program builds on pilot activities, including
the Early Intervention Center opened by President Yudhoyono.
Since the early 1980’s, HKI
has pioneered rehabilitation and education programs for students with visual
impairments in Indonesia. HKI created a model that can be expanded and adapted
to serve other disabled and disenfranchised populations. (…)
http://www.hkworld.org/about/press_releases/indo_educ_usaid.htm
Maestro
Zubin Mehta lends support to European Children’s Festival, Paris, 27 May-1 June
April 3- ICAF e.V. is pleased
to announce that Mr. Zubin Mehta has agreed to be a patron of the European
Festival of Children’s Creativity & Art to be held at Olympia Park in
Munich on 27 May – 1 June 2006. In a letter to Mrs. Elena Janker, Executive
Director of ICAF e.V., Mr. Mehta wrote: “My congratulations to you on your
wonderful activities. Today it’s more important than ever to connect children
from around the world through art and creativity to establish the fundamentals
for peace. With the project Children Take a Stand the International Child Art
Foundation finds a way from one to all for more openness and tolerance. With
art, children and music it is really possible to overcome all limits and to
create a better world. I like this idea and wish you great success.” (…)
Mr. Zubin Mehta is Music
Director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Born in Mumbai, Mr. Mehta
initially studied medicine. At the age of eighteen, he abandoned his medical
career to attend the Academy of Music in Vienna. Seven years later, he
conducted both the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics. The Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra appointed him Music Director for Life in 1981. His many honors
include the Padma Bhushan (Order of the Lotus), India's highest cultural award
for outstanding accomplishment in the arts and sciences.
The International Child Art
Foundation is the only international non-governmental organization that
promotes children’s creative development and cross-cultural cooperation through
the arts.
http://www.icaf.org/news/newsfiles/200604030001.html
World
Citizens Siberia-Planet 3000 meeting, 3-7 Sept. in Novosibirsk, Russian
Federation
Devoted
to the 10th anniversary of Planet 3000 – Altai 3000 project & the 55th
birthday anniversary of Planet 3000 Voice Nina Goncharova . Motto: Life is
Celebration of Creation
In 10 years of wandering as
Planet 3000 project (initiator is T. Akbashev), we have collectively created
teams who take real responsibility for life. We are planning to hold a
Celebration meeting of World Citizens – people who take responsibility for our
planet. We also are planning to pay special attention to Altai as a place for
creating Altai Cultural Complex for United World (ACCEM) as a model world
community, destined to play a great role in transforming the world from
competition to cooperation, from conflicts to culture of peace.
We invite people from all over
the world who consider the Earth to be our common house and humanity as one
family. We are focused on presenting
the essence and results of 10 years of Planet 3000 team work in creating a
society and culture of peace though education for world citizens. We will
integrate our visions and actions for future.
This meeting will be a new step in our interrelated actions as one
loving world team. We will celebrate our meeting in Novosibirsk – children,
youth and grown ups will take part in a joint “Star Way” performance and create
a wonderful New World celebration of love, harmony and peace. Then we will
travel to Altai Mountains to visit the envisioned site for ACCEM and create new
horizons of life for a new loving and conscious humanity.
Talgat Akbashev, Nina
Goncharova, Claude Veziau and Planet 3000 team
gong3000@ngs.ru
http://www.worldcit.citymax.com/page/page/3163394.htm
International
Website: A New Culture Of Peace From
Social Harmony And Children’s Priority
Multilingual
site uniting more than 140 authors from 27 countries of the world
The International,
Cosmopolitan, Multicultural and InterdisciplinaryWebsite is a daughter Website
of the International Forum for the Literature and Culture of Peace: IFLAC PAVE
PEACE. This remarkable organization, and especially the tireless work of its
founder and president, Professor Ada Aharoni, a true global citizen, have
inspired us to start this Website “Peace from Harmony and Children’s Priority”
Our website is created as a
collective, multilingual, living and growing "how to" book for a new
culture of peace from harmony on the children's priority basis. It is a worthy
place for friendly meetings, and for dialogs among different cultures,
languages and civilizations in search of finding ways to work together, to
achieve harmonious peace in an information (global) society.
The site co-authors put a
beginning to a new global civil movement "Making children a
priority in the
world " and
addressed to the leaders of some
countries (Australia, USA, Russia,
England, India, Israel and others) with this appeal. 26 site co-authors from 12 countries of the world created a
Harmonious Era Calendar
as alternative to military calendars of an industrial society. This
Calendar is included
into the "Address to youth and future generations".
http://www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en
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World Press Freedom Day, 3 May
Secretary-General says freedom of expression
fundamental, universal;
Appeals
for Right to be exercised responsibly, in World Day message
(UNDPI,
New York, 28 April) - Following is UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message on
World Press Freedom Day, observed 3 May:
Information is all around
us. With the proliferation of so-called
new media, new technologies and new ways of distributing content, information
has become far more accessible. It is
also becoming more diverse. Mainstream
media reporting, for example, is being supplemented by “participatory media”,
such as blogs.
But, as media and journalism
evolve, certain bedrock principles remain paramount. On World Press Freedom Day, I again declare my firm support for
the universal right to freedom of expression.
Many members of the press have been killed, maimed, detained or targeted
in other ways for pursuing that right in good conscience. According to the Committee to Protect
Journalists, 47 were killed in 2005, and 11 have lost their lives so far this
year. It is tragic and unacceptable
that the number of journalists killed in the line of duty has become a
barometer for measuring press freedom.
I urge all Governments to reaffirm their commitment to the right to
“seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and
regardless of frontiers”, as set out in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights.
At the same time, I appeal to
everyone to exercise that right responsibly and, where possible,
proactively. Media have a powerful
influence on human behaviour. As such,
and as the General Assembly affirmed in its recent resolution establishing the new
United Nations Human Rights Council, they have “an important role to play in
promoting tolerance, respect for and freedom of religion and belief”. Media should not be vehicles for incitement
or degradation, or for spreading hatred.
It must be possible to exercise discretion, without encroaching on
fundamental freedoms.
On World Press Freedom Day,
let us recognize that national and global media not only report on change, but
are themselves agents of change. We
should all be grateful for the work and imagination of the press. I trust old and new media alike will be able
to continue their work, unencumbered by threats, fear or other constraint.
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Next
issue: 26 May.
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