Good News Agency – Year VIII, n° 2
Weekly - Year VIII, number 2 –
2nd February 2007
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 – Culture and education
Aarhus membership climbs to
forty: Germany to become 40th Party to
environmental rights treaty
Geneva,
18 January -- Germany has become the latest country to ratify the
Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in
Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Germany’s action,
which took place on 15 January 2007, will raise the total number of
Parties to the Convention to 40. Germany follows Sweden, which became a Party
to the treaty in 2005, and Greece, Luxembourg and Slovakia, which became Parties
in 2006. (…)
Mr. Kaj Bärlund, Director of
the UNECE Environment, Housing and Land Management Division, expressed
satisfaction with the progress enjoyed by the Convention: “With the latest
ratifications, the Convention moves much closer to creating a means by which
citizens from across the entire region can enforce their rights to protect and
enhance the environment. With the number of Aarhus Parties rising to 40,
attention may now shift to deepening implementation of the agreement, while
countries outside our region stand to gain from the valuable lessons of UNECE’s
experience with environmental democracy.”
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2007/07env_p03e.htm
On 14 January 2007, the Third
Additional Protocol to the 1949 Geneva Conventions enters into force, six
months after the two first countries ratified it. This completes the process of
establishing an additional emblem for use by Governments and the International
Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The coming into force of this Protocol -
and with it the additional emblem of the red crystal - is considered a concrete
sign of the predominance of humanitarian principles over any other considerations
governing the mission of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC)
Movement. The possibility of using the red crystal will make it easier for
national societies who do not wish to use the red cross or the red crescent
emblems to be recognized and admitted to the Movement. This consolidates the
Movement's universality.
The Protocol provides for new
flexibility, allowing national societies to include a combination of emblems
recognized by the Geneva Conventions inside the red crystal for their
identification. Under international law, the red crystal offers the same
protection as the red cross and the red crescent when marking military medical
personnel, establishments and transport; the staff of national societies;
staff, vehicles and structures of the ICRC and the International Federation.
(Existing law - Additional Protocol I of 1977 - also allows use of the emblem
by certain civilian medical establishments.) The ICRC and the International
Federation are allowed to use the red crystal in exceptional circumstances, if
they consider it necessary for their work; but they will not change their
present emblems or names.
The longer-term challenge is
now to secure the same world-wide recognition and respect for the red crystal
as given to the red cross and the red crescent. This will facilitate access by
humanitarian workers to victims of conflict and other crises, in particular in
situations where the use of an emblem devoid of any perceived political,
religious, cultural and connotations may be an advantage.
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/emblem-keyfacts-140107?opendocument
ECA,
ECOWAS and UEMOA to chart a legal framework for ICT development in West Africa
January
16 - A workshop organized last month in Ouagadougou by ECA's sub regional
Office in West Africa (SRO-WA) and ISTD gathered ICT experts, lawyers, trade
specialists and economists on the most effective legal framework for ICT
development in the region. Discussions focused on how to put in place an
enabling legal environment for e-commerce and for an enhanced cyber crime
control. Two studies commissioned by SRO-WA and ISTD served as basis for
discussion. Funded by Finland and by the Canadian e-Policy Resource Center, the
two studies dealt respectively with a harmonized legal framework for e-commerce
and a harmonized legal framework on ICT in general. In this regard,
participants reviewed the recommendations, the set of priorities and the
proposed roadmap. (…)
A Follow up Committee composed
of ECA, ECOWAS, UEMOA, BCEAO in addition to the Host country (Burkina) and the
Chair of ECOWAS/UEMOA organs (Niger) will coordinate the follow up and
implementation of the workshop recommendations. The final outputs on the legal
framework for ICTs in West Africa are expected by May 2007.
UN
Rights Council appoints Nobel Peace laureate to lead mission to Darfur
29 January (UNRIC) - Jody Williams, winner of the 1997
Nobel Peace Prize and co-founder of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, will lead a
five-person high-level mission to evaluate the human rights situation in the
war ravaged Darfur region, the United Nations Human Rights Council announced
today. The Council’s President, Mexican Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba,
appointed the five “highly qualified persons” comprising the Darfur mission
after conferring with the Council and Sima Samar, the Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in the Sudan, who will also participate in the
mission.
The appointments come more
than a month after the decision to convene a high-level panel to assess the
human rights conditions in Darfur, which has witnessed countless instances of
abuses, among them mass rape, abduction and forced relocation. Over 200,000
people have been killed in the region since 2003 and another 2 million
displaced from their homes due to prolonged fighting among Government forces,
allied militias and rebel groups.
UNICEF and Council of Europe
agree to cooperate to improve the lives of children
Strasbourg, France/Geneva, 23 January -- UNICEF and the Council of Europe today signed a Joint
Declaration to strengthen their partnership to maximize results for children.
Speaking at the Council of
Europe Parliamentary Assembly debate, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman,
called for a renewed commitment to protect children from abuse, violence and
exploitation. Veneman also highlighted the Council’s leadership on
children’s issues and its commitment to bring about positive change for
children. “We look to organizations such as the Council of Europe to further
push the legal standards on prevention of violence and to monitor progress made
in Member States,” said Veneman. “While legal obligations lie with the
state, all sectors of society share the responsibility of condemning and
preventing violence against children.” The partnership will further strengthen
cooperation between UNICEF and the Council of Europe in formulation of
strategies, research, analysis, data collection and policy development.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_38130.html
UN expert to visit US to
discuss respect for human rights in war on terrorism
January
16 – An independent United Nations
expert on safeguarding human rights while fighting terrorism is to visit the United States
this spring at the invitation of its Government for wide-ranging discussions to
help ensure that US counter-terrorism laws and practices respect human rights
and fundamental freedoms. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and
protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism,
Martin Scheinin, welcomed the Government’s decision to invite him following a
request he made in October, when he said the US Military Commissions Act (MCA)
violated the country’s international obligations under human rights laws in
several areas. These included the right to challenge detention and see
exculpatory evidence and he specifically cited the President’s power to declare
anyone, including US citizens, without charge an ‘unlawful enemy combatant’
subject to the jurisdiction of a military commission. He noted that the MCA
denies non-US citizens, including legal permanent residents, in US custody the
right to challenge the legality of their detention by filing a writ of habeas
corpus. (…) Mr. Scheinin said then that he would also like to discuss other
rights concerns such as the Patriot Act, immigration laws and policies, secret
detention centres, rendition flights to countries where detainees might face
torture, breaches of non-refoulement (deportation) and the denial of
extra-territorial human rights obligations. (…)
Special Rapporteurs are unpaid
and serve in a personal capacity, reporting to the UN Human Rights Council.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21240&Cr=terror&Cr1=rights
EU
pay case opens legal door on wage gap
A
U.K. labor union plans to bring a barrage of cases that will test the
significance for female workers of a recent European Court of Justice decision.
Advocates hope it will ease the penalty for taking time out of the paid work
force.
By Mindy Kay Bricker
January 15 -- A labor union
based in the United Kingdom is preparing over 50 legal cases to test the
influence of a recent European Court of Justice decision that has a potentially
major significance for working women. The cases, which were amassed by labor
union Prospect before the court's decision, will be brought to various U.K.
Employment Tribunals, the country's judicial bodies that resolve employment
disputes. "We are ready for that challenge," said Paul Noon, general
secretary of Prospect. "This case is a wake-up call, particularly for
public sector employers, that additional experience does not lead to better
performance indefinitely or in every case."
The decision by the
Luxembourg-based court, which ensures law is uniformly interpreted throughout
the European Union, was made in the case of Prospect union member Bernadette
Cadman, a 42-year-old inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, an
authority that works with local governments to enforce health and safety
regulations in Great Britain. Reached in October, the decision allows employees
in the European Union to challenge employers when a shorter length of service
justifies their lower salaries.
Prospect, which covered
Cadman's legal expenses, and the Equal Opportunities Commission in Britain hail
it as a potential legal breakthrough for women in the European Union, who, on
average, earn 15 percent less than men for every hour worked, according to the
European Commission's 2006 gender equality report. (…)
http://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/3032
Brussels, 26 January - The
Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita
Ferrero-Waldner will attend the EU-Afghanistan Ministerial Troika meeting in
Berlin on 29th January. The agenda includes implementation of the Afghanistan
Compact, the EU contribution to improving law and order in the country,
counter-narcotics, and regional developments including Afghan-Pakistan
relations. The Commissioner will take the opportunity to present her plans for
the next four years, with proposals for a package worth €600 million for
Afghanistan for 2007-2010, with a focus on three key priority areas: reform of
the justice sector; rural development including alternatives to poppy
production; and health. The Commission remains one of the top donors in Afghanistan
and one of the very few giving a multi-year commitment. (…)
Conference
on good governance and social and environmental responsibility
25 January - The Over the past
decade, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda has moved centre stage
within the business community. The Oslo conference aims to take the ongoing
debate on business and sustainability even further. It will be a platform for
an integrated approach comprising key players from business, government,
academia, trade-unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).Conference
programme
The Oslo conference on good
governance and social and environmental responsibility will address a broad
range of sustainability issues in the global market place: human rights, decent
work standards, environmental and climate change, corruption and corporate
governance. Can we continue to operate as we have, or do we need to think and act
in radically different ways?
The top experts in the field
will be speaking at the conference. It will be an innovative and challenging
event, with focus on some of the most urgent issues facing us today. It will
also provide an excellent environment for networking.
http://otto.idium.no/folkehjelp.no/?module=Articles;action=Article.publicShow;ID=4594;lang=eng
Chilean retail trade:
integrated and international
Chile's largest retail stores
are taking their integrated model of consumer goods and credit to other Latin
American markets.
24 January -- The past decade
has seen the emergence of a group of Chile retail firms capable of halting the
efforts of international corporations to enter the domestic market. At the same
time, major Chilean retail stores have been successful in developing a complex
new model of integrated trade and expanding this to neighbouring countries. In
a context of economic expansion and growing consumption, retail trade in Chile
faces intense competition in a small domestic market. The response of leading
national retail chain stores has been to develop a new kind of enterprise:
integrated retail trade. This is the analysis of Álvaro Calderón Hoffmann, Economic Affairs Officer in ECLAC's Investment and Corporate
Strategies Unit, in the article El modelo de expansión de las
grandes cadenas minoristas chilenas ("Expansion Model of
Chile's Large Retail Chain Stores"), published in Revista de la CEPAL N° 90. (spanish only at
this moment).
Calderón describes this new
Chilean model of integrated retail services, which is based on six pillars:
department stores, home improvement stores, supermarkets, administration of
credit cards, financial services offered through the retail firms' own banks,
and real estate development. Completing the model is the provision of a wide
range of products, including travel, banking and insurance services, all
available in one-stop-shopping. (…) Moreover, at the first sign of saturation
in the local market, these Chilean retail firms successful sought new
opportunities for growth abroad, primarily in neighbouring Argentina and Peru. According
to the author, the success of this Chilean model rests on a combination of
factors: the best practices of international retail chains, familiarity with
local conditions, a diversified product line that includes banking services,
and the ability to survive in a highly competitive market.
The ECLAC website consolidates
its popularity as a key source of economic and social information
In 2006, some 22 million files
were downloaded from the United Nations regional commission's Internet site.
24 January -- In 2006, the Internet site of the Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) consolidated its position as one of the
principal sources of economic and social information in the region, as
evidenced by the latest statistics on site visitors and downloads. The number
of visitors to the ECLAC site at www.eclac.cl (or www.eclac.org ) exceeded 9.5
million between January and December 2006, while the number of files downloaded
was nearly 22,160,000. These statistics illustrate the growing popularity of
the ECLAC website since its launch in 1995. The ECLAC site houses 35 separate
sub-sites corresponding to different divisions within the institution. Each
day, these sites make available a broad range of material, including economic
and social statistics, documents, publications and information for the media.
Among the most popular
documents on the ECLAC site are Globalization and Development, which has been
downloaded some 848,000 times since its May 2002 release, and The Millennium Development Goals: A
Latin American and Caribbean Perspective, with more than 837,000
downloads between June 2005 and December 2006.
Egypt’s
once-barren hills bear fruit with WFP's help
Aswan, 24 January -- Mangoes and cantaloupes are
springing up in the hills along the river Nile in a WFP-assisted project to
help poor Egyptian farmers prosper. WFP spokesperson Khaled Mansour went to see
the flourishing crops in the previously arid area. Six years ago, Abdul Latif
left his carpenter’s shop and a small plot of land in Egypt’s southern Aswan
province, to move into the desert hills bordering the Nile. Abdul Latif was
given six acres of barren land in Wadi Al-Sa’ida, a newly reclaimed area in
Edfu District, under an ambitious government project to help landless and poor
farmers. Today, the area is lush with corn, vegetables and other crops.
“I earned more money as a
carpenter but now I am a real landowner and I have something to leave to my
children,” says Abdul, 45 and a father of six. Abdul has invested any spare
cash in his farm. He says WFP food assistance was vital in allowing him to do
this: “The flour, the oil and the lentils I got every three months enabled me
to throw every extra bit of money I had into the land. When I became more
confident, I sold off my carpenter’s shop and plowed that money into the land.”
WFP has helped some 1,500 families who have settled in the area and now Wadi
Al-Sa’ida houses four newly constructed villages which are equipped with basic
irrigation systems, schools and basic medical services. (…)
http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2350
FAO
urges food aid reform
One
third of aid resources never reach beneficiaries
Rome, 24 January - The United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today proposed a series of
major changes in the way international food aid is managed and delivered. In the latest edition of its flagship annual
report, The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA), FAO recommended an end to the
widespread practice of “tying” food aid -- resulting in roughly a third of the
global food aid budget, or some US$600 million, being spent in donor countries
and never reaching beneficiaries. Emphasizing the critical importance of sound
food aid management, the report also suggested that, wherever possible, aid be
provided in the form of cash or food coupons rather than food aid shipments,
which can affect producers and markets in recipient countries and distort
international trade. (…)
In contrast with aid in kind,
“cash-based transfers or food vouchers can stimulate local production,
strengthen local food systems and empower recipients in ways that traditional
food aid cannot,” the report said. SOFA
noted that as much as 90 percent of all food aid resources may be “tied” to
some specific conditions. These often make it difficult for implementing
agencies to use the aid in the most efficient way and ensure that it
effectively reaches the people who need it most.
The world’s leading food
donors spend as much as half of their food aid budgets on domestic processing
and shipping by national carriers, according to research quoted by the report.
Overall, one third of global food-aid resources were wasted by such
requirements, it added. (…)
A
US$22.2 million IFAD-supported project to help develop small rural businesses
in El Salvador
Rome, 22 January – A US$22.2
million development project will assist over 70,000 poor rural people in El
Salvador’s eastern region to develop and transform small-scale farming
activities into rural businesses. The Rural Development and Modernization
Project for the Eastern Region will be partly financed by a US$15 million loan
and a US$1 million grant from the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
An agreement was signed today by El Salvador’s Ambassador to Italy, José
Roberto Andino Salazar, and IFAD President Lennart Båge, at IFAD headquarters.
The Government of El Salvador will provide the balance of the total funds for
the project.
Poor rural families in the La
Unión, Morazán, San Miguel and Usulatán municipalities usually grow fruit,
vegetables and nuts, and raise pigs, poultry and cattle. Most of the produce is
used for their household consumption. The project will help these families
access the rural financial services they need to develop their farms into
income-generating businesses. Project participants will mainly be small farmers
but microentrepreneurs, artisans and young people will also be included.(…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2007/2.htm
From Somali Family Services
22 January - Construction of
the new Puntland Resource and Service Center (PRSC) commenced January 19, in
Garowe, Puntland (Somalia). PRSC is a project initiated to strengthen civil
society organizations in Puntland through technology transfer and capacity
building. The centre is envisioned to improve the collaboration of civil
society organizations and Puntland government for good governance. The
estimated cost of the project, funded
primarily by United Nation Development
Programme for Somalia and Diakonia, Sweden, the project is close to a
half million dollars. Other partners include: Books For Africa, Counterpart
International, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Metropolitan State
University, Puntland Authority, and many individual donors. This will be the
first resource center in the entire Puntland region of Somalia. (…) The PSRC
project was initiated by Somali Family Services (SFS) nonprofit based in
Minnesota. SFS's International Program (IP) is an initiative to promote
interaction and an exchange of knowledge, ideas and resources. This initiative is intended to enhance
opportunities for all institutions involved to support civil society
organizations, educational institutions, government institutions, health
institutions, and humanitarian efforts
in Somalia. (…)
http://www.counterpart.org/Default.aspx?tabid=340&metaid=H2QP4224-2f6
China
to send agricultural experts to Gabon
Will
help small-scale farmers in agriculture, livestock and fisheries
Rome,
18 January -- China will send 44
agricultural experts and technicians to Gabon to help small-scale farmers there
improve crop and animal production, fish farming and processing of agricultural
products, under an agreement signed today between the two countries and FAO.
The agreement is part of FAO's
South-South Cooperation initiative, which aims to strengthen cooperation among
developing countries at different stages of development to improve agricultural
productivity and ensure access to food for all.
The Chinese specialists, with
expertise in the fields of water control, crop production, animal
diversification, aquaculture and processing, will assist the Government of
Gabon for two years in implementing the first phase of the country’s Special
Programme for Food Security.
Based on the results of the
first phase, a larger National Programme for Food Security will be developed,
and the number of experts and technicians may be increased to assist the
government in implementing the expanded programme.(…)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000481/index.html
Global
Summit of Women 2007 update: meet
participating leaders
January 15 -- The President of
Latvia, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, leads a stellar group of women leaders from
business and government who are planning to be part of the 2007 Global Summit
of Women to be held in Berlin, Germany from June 14-16th. The first woman president of Latvia, Dr.
Vike-Freiberga is credited with enabling her country's inclusion in NATO and in
the European Union. Nominated by three
Baltic States for the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations,
President Vike-Freiberga was initially appointed by Kofi Annan to be part of
the commission looking into implementing reforms within this international
organization.
The Vice President of El
Salvador, Ana Vilma de Escobar, will be attending her second Summit and will be
presenting in the session on "Corporate Social Responsibility." An economist by profession, Vice President
de Escobar once headed up her country's export commission before she became its
first female vice president.
On the corporate side, the
head of IBM France, Francoise Gri, will be part of the Summit's CEO Forum. Named one of Fortune 'Top 50 Powerful
Women', Ms. Gri is an IBM veteran. She
will be joined at the Summit's CEO Forum by the Chairwoman of Microsoft Russia
and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), who has grown her company's
presence in the region; and by Cornelia
Groehl from Germany, who serves as President-Europe of a Johnson & Johnson
division. Several women executives are
also slated to participate in the Summit program, some of whom are featured in
the Summit's website:
http://www.globewomen.com/summit/2007/Summit.main.07.htm
http://www.wunrn.com and http://www.globewomen.com/about/aboutus.asp
Conrad
N. Hilton Foundation awards $2 million grant to Three Square, pioneering effort
to end hunger in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, January 11 – The
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has awarded a grant of $2 million to fund Three
Square, a unique collaborative effort with the Las Vegas community to enhance
production and delivery of meals to those who lack sufficient food in the Las
Vegas area. Formed in late 2006 after a
Hilton Foundation-funded study showed a growing need to address hunger in
Southern Nevada, Three Square is embarking on an innovative program designed to
transform food production, collection and delivery. The grant will fund the
planning that will lead to the construction of a central food production
facility that will produce nutritious meals to be distributed through Southern
Nevada food service organizations. As
a first step in the program and to address immediate needs, Three Square will
produce 5,000 meals per week in 2007. (…)
Three Square began as the
vision of Conrad N. Hilton Foundation board member Eric Hilton, a Las Vegas
resident. “Las Vegas is one of the
fastest growing and most prosperous cities in the country and it is shocking to
find that so many of my fellow citizens are going hungry, especially children
and seniors,” said Hilton.
To understand the enormity of
the need, the Hilton Foundation’s study revealed that, although nearly 150
non-profit agencies in Southern Nevada are providing wholesome meals for people
who lack adequate nutritious food, they are not able to keep up with the
demand, and that only 43 percent are receiving a daily meal. The research further indicated that the need
will double in seven years. (…)
http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/press_release_details.asp?id=55
Developing a socially
responsible private sector, one principle at a time
The South Trinidad Chamber of
Industry and Commerce and the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association
have signed onto the UN Global Compact, confirming their commitment to
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). These are the first two local
organizations to join the Compact. Various sectors were represented when the
announcement was made, including civil society, the private sector and public
sector organizations. The three partners announced the official launch of the
"Corporate Social Responsibility mapping project" which will
hopefully serve as a baseline product to move from "philanthropy to
CSR". The project is co-funded by the Chamber, the STCIC, BP,
Guardian-Holdings ltd and UNDP. The overall objective is to improve the
coordination and cooperation amongst all CSR actors in the country and to
create a stronger impact for current private sector-led initiatives. (…)
http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/january-2007/trinidad-csr-20070125.en;jsessionid=afVct5zhonS6
January 26 - Episcopal Relief
and Development (ERD) is providing emergency assistance to people in Burundi
following floods and those left displaced in Sudan after increasing
unrest. (…) ERD is supporting the
Anglican Church of Burundi to help them provide immediate aid such as food
supplies and basic materials. The support will also provide seeds and tree
seedlings. ERD has been working in partnership with the church on a long-term
development program focusing on food security and primary health care. (…)
In partnership with Action by
Churches Together International (ACT), ERD is supplying critical assistance
such as clean water, health care and other basic necessities. As the height of
the winter season approaches, the most vulnerable populations, including women,
children and the elderly, many of whom live in camps, are in need of vital aid.
Over the past three years, ERD has supported people displaced by the conflict
in Sudan as well as refugees in neighboring Chad. ERD is also working on a
multi-year partnership with the Episcopal Church of Sudan’s Sudanese
Development and Relief Agency on capacity building training and workshops. (…)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5617
26 January - Thousands of
typhoon victims in Marinduque and Catanduanes received food and non-food
donations today from the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC). The non-food
items distributed in Marinduque came from the US government through the US
Agency for International Aid (USAID). PNRC chairman Richard Gordon and
secretary general Corazon Alma de Leon led the distribution of relief goods. In
Boac Town Plaza, Marinduque where the first distribution took place, a total of
1,000 families each received non-food items composed of two blankets, two
mosquito nets, two sleeping mats, a water can and a hygiene kit. These non-food
items were purchased using the USAID donation of US$50,000.
At 12 pm, the Red Cross team
boarded a C130 cargo plane going to Catanduanes. More than 1,050 families
received relief goods at the Cabugao School of Handicraft and Cottage Industry.
Over 600 families received non-food items, while almost 500 received food including
15 kilos of rice, canned food, noodles, mongo, salt and sugar.
Last January 22, Gordon and US
Ambassador Kristie Kenney together with the 3rd US Marines Expeditionary
Brigade conducted a similar relief operation in Legaspi, Albay. There they also
launched the USAID-funded “Red Cross Emergency Messaging System” which allows
the Red Cross to instantly broadcast through text, emergency-related
information including evacuation instructions.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EVOD-6XTKCL?OpenDocument
Washington, DC, January 26 –
Save the Children and the Warm Up America! Foundation will host a reception at
the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., (2320 S. Street, NW), at 5:30 pm, Wednesday, January 31, 2007, to
honor more than 18,000 Americans who have created over 250,000 baby caps to
help save the lives of newborns in developing countries.
Knitters and crocheters from
across the country will attend the event to view caps representing the
handiwork of all 50 states and to read excerpts from nearly 10,000 personal
notes asking America’s leaders to support additional funding for child survival
programs in poor developing countries. ABC Senior News Analyst and Save the
Children Trustee Cokie Roberts will serve as emcee for the event.
“Knitters and crocheters in
all 50 states are using their skills and raising their voices to say that
low-cost, low-tech solutions – combined with political will and financial
commitment – could help save three out of five of newborns who die each year,”
said Save the Children President and CEO Charles MacCormack. (…) Save the
Children is calling on America’s policy makers to nearly double spending for
child survival programs to $660 million. Providing support for the health of
mothers and their children is the best investment of U.S. foreign assistance
dollars.
Save the Children plans to
deliver the caps to mothers and babies in Malawi and Bangladesh.
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2006/knitters-and-crocheters-to-be.html
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA,
January 26 – (…) In September of 2005, ADRA initiated a project to assist an
estimated 900 families in the ongoing resettlement projects in Makobola village
in South Kivu province. Currently, ADRA is expanding the ongoing intervention
to support an additional 60 families, bringing the number of beneficiaries to
nearly 6,000 people. The assistance provided for the additional 60 families
mirrors the aid the original 900 families have already received, ensuring that
“all 960 families will have received the same level of assistance by the end of
the project,” assured Njoke.
Each family will receive a
kitchen kit containing eating utensils, plates, cups, and cooking pots; two
20-liter jerry cans for water; a hygiene kit comprised of bath soap, laundry
soap, and a treated mosquito net, as well as blankets and shoes for the
children. As it did with the initial 900 families, ADRA is providing the
additional 60 families with shelter kits containing construction materials,
such as galvanized roofing sheets, roofing and carpentry nails, doors, and
windows. ADRA will help construct the two-bedroom homes with unbaked mud bricks
supplied by the beneficiaries. (…)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5616
WFP welcomes historic donation
from Tunisia
Rome, 25 January -- WFP has welcomed
its first donation from Tunisia since 1997, which will go to assist
impoverished people worldwide. WFP expressed the hope that the donation would set in
motion a continuing and growing partnership with Tunisia. Tunisia donated US$100,000 to
the UN frontline agency for food assistance without any conditions. Most donations to WFP and
other humanitarian organisations are targeted at specific projects or
countries, but the Tunisian donation is multilateral, making it possible for
WFP to use the money for any of its operations facing severe shortfalls. (…)
http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2355
Geneva/Conakry, 24 January –
With the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Red Cross
Society of Guinea has launched a major operation to provide first aid for
victims of the violence in the country. Over 600 volunteer first-aid workers
have been assembled in Conakry and throughout the country.
The ICRC has supplied the
Guinean Red Cross with more than 30 first-aid kits and basic items such as
sleeping mats, blankets and jerrycans. Through its offices in Conakry and
Nzérékoré, it has also provided radios, vehicles, fuel and meals for the volunteers.
Conakry, like most large
cities in the country, has suffered many casualties and significant property
losses. On 22 January the ICRC provided six vehicles to take wounded people to
Donka Hospital in Conakry, where 119 patients were admitted, most of them with
bullet wounds. The ICRC gave the hospital a surgical kit for treating up to 150
gunshot victims. (…)
The ICRC has been conducting
regular reviews of the capacity of Conakry’s medical facilities to deal with
the situation. It has also been providing material and financial support for
the Red Cross Society of Guinea, which has people on the ground in all 33
national prefectures. The skill and high standards of the National Society
volunteers have been commended by one and all.
http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/guinea-news-240107
Johannesburg, South Africa -
24 January - Members of an international team of graduate students at the
University of Witwatersrand raised more than $12,000 to help AIDS orphans in
Africa by completing a 20-day trek across South Africa in the weeks leading up
to Christmas. In addition to the funds, which will go to the organization
Rotarians for Fighting AIDS (RFFA), the students used the high-profile event to
raise public awareness about the plight of the millions of children worldwide
left orphaned or at risk by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The five students from Japan,
Kenya, and the United States - four of whom are Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars
-- walked in relay from Johannesburg to Cape Town, a distance of 1,250 miles.
Along the way, the hikers raised funds for children's assistance projects in
several African nations. Rotary's Ambassadorial Scholars program helps students
develop a cross-cultural perspective and a broader worldview by studying abroad
for one year. (…)
With the support of nonprofit
organization Hope Worldwide, RFFA is implementing community-led responses to
help AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in Cote d'Ivoire, Botswana, Kenya,
Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia. In addition to training more
than 40,000 caregivers, RFFA aims to provide psychosocial support for more than
146,000 orphans in the next five years. RFFA members are Rotary members from
around the world who share a common interest in addressing the HIV/AIDS
problem. (…)
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/presscenter/releases/2007/299.html
Washington DC (January 23,
2007) – To aid communities shattered by the fighting between Israel and the
Hezbollah resistance in Lebanon, Counterpart International and a U.S. religious
congregation have combined to provide mobile primary healthcare facilities and
farm animals to replace livestock slaughtered in air strikes. Partnering with
Counterpart, The Community of Christ church from Independence, Missouri,
provided funding for an urgently-needed mobile clinic to support people
affected by the fighting in Lebanon and Israel. A US$30,000 World Hunger Fund
grant from the church will support a livestock replacement project to equip
families with goats and poultry they can raise for food and sell for money to
re-build farm property. (…)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5615
UN
Agencies help Bangladesh provide aid in cold wave
New York, 19 January -- United Nations agencies, local and
international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are supporting the
Government of Bangladesh in responding to a recent cold wave that has hit the
country, killing more than 130 people and affecting at least 100,000 since
early January. During the current cold wave, temperatures of 5 degrees Celsius
have been recorded in three northern districts, reportedly the lowest temperatures
in 38 years. A number of districts have
been affected.(…) The unusually cold weather has damaged crops, disrupted
communication and transportation, and spread diseases, especially among
children and the elderly. The level of
suffering of the poor, street children, women and aged people is high, as they
cannot afford warm clothes and adequate food. Ahead of further expected cold
waves, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is working to complement
the national response by providing emergency assistance to ten affected
districts. (…) The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) has made a cash grant of $50,000 available to the Office of the
United Nations Resident Coordinator to provide warm clothes in the affected
areas, in cooperation with partners such as Bangladesh National Scouts,
Bangladesh National Cadet Corps, Handicap International and other NGOs. (…)
http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?MenuID=12315&Page=2349
United
Nations supports Sri Lanka flood response
New York, 19 January -- The United Nations is undertaking a
number of initiatives to support the Government of Sri Lanka in response to
recent flooding and landslides that have struck Hambantota, Ampara and Nuwara
Eliya districts on the Southern/Eastern slopes and Central Hills of the
country. These activities complement the effective and coordinated response by
the Government of Sri Lanka to the disaster, which has saved many lives and
rendered fewer people homeless. A total
of 18 people died and more than 30,500 people were affected in the two worst
districts of Nuwara Eliya and Hambantota. In support of the Government, the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has fast tracked the landslide
mitigation and hazard mapping programme to minimise future potential landslides
and impacts. The UNDP has committed to
secure $100,000 for mitigation of floods and liaises with the 24/7 unit of the
government Disaster Management Centre.
Together with the United Nations, the Government of Sri Lanka is
organizing assessments for the next stage, which will concentrate on flood
mitigation. (…)
http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?MenuID=12315&Page=2349
United
Nations Emergency Fund helps 31 countries in 2006
New York, 10 January -- The United Nations has committed
$241 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to more than 328
projects in 31 countries during the first nine months of the Fund’s existence.
Some $174 million was disbursed from the rapid response facility for new and/or
rapidly deteriorating emergencies in 24 countries, including Afghanistan,
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq,
Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Myanmar, Niger, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Syria and Timor-Leste, as well as in the occupied Palestinian territory. (…) By the end of the year, 52 Member
States, Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture and the Disaster Resource Network (an
initiative of the World Economic Forum) had pledged nearly $298 million to the
CERF for 2006. (…)
At the well attended
high-level conference in support of the CERF, held at United Nations
Headquarters in New York on 7 December 2006, 49 donors – including 16 new
donors – pledged $344 million for 2007. (…) Approved by the General Assembly in
December 2005 and officially launched on 9 March 2006, the CERF aims to save
lives by providing quick initial funding for life-saving assistance and rapid
response in sudden onset, rapidly deteriorating, and underfunded emergencies.
(…)
http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?MenuID=12315&Page=2349
WFP
has welcomed a donation of more than US$300,000 from the Catalan Cooperation
Agency for Development, an organisation of the Generalitat of Catalonia which
governs this Spanish autonomous community.
The donation will be used to
support WFP operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where it is
assisting more than three million people. Six years of war and unrest in DRC
have taken their toll on the nutritional status of displaced families whose
children have been forced to grow up in harsh conditions – many of them have
perished due to their parents’ inability to provide for them. Sporadic violence
in eastern DRC remains a constant danger for the civilian population, limiting
their ability to plant and grow crops. A further threat comes from HIV/AIDS,
especially for displaced people who lack the means to protect themselves
against the pandemic.
According to the Catalan
Cooperation Agency of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, the 2003-2006
Management Cooperation Plan states the need to respond to complex humanitarian
crises; the provision of assistance in general, as well as during emergencies,
is among the Plan’s strategic objectives.(…) WFP also provides food rations to
those Congolese affected by the violence: among them are demobilised child
soldiers, communities undergoing reconstruction and people affected by
HIV/AIDS. This assistance is being provided against a backdrop of urgent need
for the international community to help with rebuilding infrastructure,
communications and restarting agricultural production.(…) WFP plans to
distribute an average of 7,000 tons per month to 875,000 people across the
country, from January to June 2007.
http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2354
Citigroup
& WFP launch WFP emergency network
Davos, Switzerland, 25 January -
Corporate and Investment Banking and WFP have announced the launch of the WFP
Emergency Network, a ground-breaking partnership between the private sector and
WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian organisation and the UN’s logistics
coordinator in times of disaster as well as its lead agency in the fight
against hunger.
As the rate of emergencies
increases, WFP is faced with an unprecedented challenge of developing a faster
and more efficient response to potential crises worldwide. Amer Daoudi,
Associate Director of WFP Operations division Citigroup also announced that its
Foundation would grant WFP $3.2 million over two years to increase the agency’s
capability to assess food security in crisis-prone countries ahead of disaster,
a critical priority for WFP. (…) SENAC is a three-year initiative to strengthen
WFP’s capacity to conduct robust and impartial emergency needs assessment when
a disaster occurs.(…)
http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2353
Commemoration ceremony marks
the 10th anniversary of the Guatemalan peace accords
The "Firm and Lasting
Peace Accord" was signed in 1996 and its verification was undertaken under
the auspices of the United Nations.
24
January -- A decade ago in Guatemala
City, the government of this Central American country and the commanders of
Guatemala's United National Revolutionary Front signed the "Firm and
Lasting Peace Accord," thus concluding six years of negotiations and
ending more than three decades of armed confrontation and a painful chapter in
Guatemalan and Latin American history. Also party to this process was Boutros Boutros-Ghali, then-Secretary
General of the United Nations, as well as representatives from Mexico,
Colombia, Venezuela, Canada, the United States, Spain and Norway.
"It was an organized and
well-articulated process, but it was not free off difficulties," said Antonio Castellanos, Guatemala's
Ambassador to Chile, during a commemorative ceremony held around the Peace Bell
in the gardens of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC). He added that the United Nations participated in a "direct and
decisive" way in this peace process and the resulting accord, which marks
its tenth anniversary. For his part, ECLAC's
Executive Secretary José Luis Machinea
highlighted the role of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala
(MINUGUA), which supported the path to national peace, from its creation with
the signing of the Peace Treaty on 29 December, 1996, until the end of its
mandate in 2004. He also praised the current process of Central American
integration, in which Guatemala is fully immersed, as an important resource in
advancing towards a renewed social and economic pact.
24 January – United Nations
peacekeepers launched an operation early this morning in Cité Soleil, an
inner-city neighbourhood of the capital Port-au-Prince, to occupy a house that
had continually been used by armed gangs to conduct criminal activities and to
fire on UN troops patrolling the area.
The UN Stabilization Mission
in Haiti (MINUSTAH) initiated the operation at 4:30 a.m. to take control of the
house from where gangs often shot at peacekeepers, putting the area’s
population in danger. UN forces returned fire only after identifying the
shooters – who then quickly fled the scene – as gang members. UN blue helmets
acted to “increase the presence on the ground” of troops and also to “continue
to reinforce the security of Cité Soleil,” MINUSTAH acting spokesperson Sophie
Boutaud-de-la-Combe told the UN News Centre. No UN forces were injured in
today’s operations.
Two Jordanian peacekeepers
with MINUSTAH, Tareq Al Jaafreh and Rabi Merei, were assassinated in Cité
Soleil on 17 January last year while patrolling a security checkpoint. MINUSTAH
troops now maintain a permanent presence in the neighbourhood that has long
been regarded as one of the most violent in the entire Western Hemisphere.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/ticker/tickerstory.asp?NewsID=21332
Contact: Gohar Gyulumyan,
Rotary World Peace Fellow, Phone: +1 919-724-0117
Sandra Prufer, Rotary Media
Relations Europe/Africa, Phone: +1 847-866-3208
Evanston, Ill., USA, 22
January -- Amid today's headlines of war, suicide bombings, and violent crime
signs of peace are welcome. Gohar Gyulumyan has decided to make a career of
working towards peace and sustainable economic development in the Caucasus
region, and Rotary International is helping the 37-year-old Yerevan native by
awarding her with a fellowship in peace and conflict resolution studies.
Launched in 2002, this two-year program is aimed at helping the next generation
of government officials, diplomats and humanitarian leaders develop the skills
needed to reduce the threat of war and violence worldwide.
Gyulumyan says that because of
the political instability and ethnic conflicts after the break-up of the Soviet
Union, especially the territorial Nagorny Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan,
she felt the call of duty to reduce the violence and to create a better life for
her people. "Even 10 years after the ceasefire the conflict can
re-escalate at any point,"says Gyulumyan, who worked for the Ministry of
Finances and Economy in the 1990s and most recently for the Worldbank's office
in Yerevan. "Our political and economical problems are interrelated. We
moved from a planned to a market-oriented economy, but the lack of security
hinders the economic progress in our country.” The fellowship allows Gyulumyan
to earn a Master's degree at one of seven Rotary Centers for International
Studies around the world. Centers are located at leading universities in the
United Kingdom, the U.S., France, Japan, Argentina and Australia. (…)
Up to 70 Rotary World Peace Fellows are selected each year in a globally competitive selection process based on their professional and academic achievements. Their interests and areas of expertise include public health, sustainable agriculture, international law, public policy, economic development, journalism, and social justice. (…) Application for the Rotary World Peace Fellowship must be made through a local Rotary club. The deadline for the 2008-10 class is 1 July 2007. For more information: www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/centers/index.html
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/presscenter/releases/2007/298.html
More equipment to clear
landmines, unexploded ordnance in Vietnam
As part of the U.S. commitment
to strengthen U.S.-Vietnamese relations, the Department of State recently
provided nearly $1 million worth of state-of-the-art equipment to Vietnam to
help clear unexploded ordnance and landmines left there from past conflicts.
Since joining the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program in 2000, Vietnam has
received more than $37 million in U.S. assistance for demining, mine risk
education, survivors assistance, an ongoing Landmine Impact Survey, and
demining equipment.
This latest lot of equipment
was provided by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S.
Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, and turned over by
the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi to the Vietnamese Army Engineer Command's Technology
Center for Bomb and Mine Disposal (BOMICEN). It included mine detectors, bomb
locaters, spare parts, personal protective equipment, explosive ordnance
disposal suits, and medical trauma kits to treat any Vietnamese deminers
injured during the course of clearance. See related photos at
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/pix/b/78448.htm . (…)
http://www.landmine.de/en.titel/en.news/en.news.one/index.html?entry=en.news.0dbe240d3fd90000
CIDA:
Canada's new Government invests in Afghanistan's Minefield Clearance and
Community-Led Development
The Honourable Josee Verner,
Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for La Francophonie and
Official Languages, today announced that Canada will provide $8.8 million
dollars for demining activities in Kandahar Province and across Aghanistan as
well as $1.9 million dollars to promote community-led development in Kandahar
Province. The Minister made the announcement during a visit to CFB Valcartier.
(…)
Canada's contribution will
support activities undertaken by the United Nations Mine Action Centre for
Afghanistan (UNMACA) across the country, including minefield survey and
clearance, stockpile destruction, mine risk education, victim assistance and
capacity building and co-ordination. The objective of the UNMACA and the
Government of Afghanistan is to reduce by 70 percent the land area contaminated
by mines and UXOR - estimated at 720 million square metres - by the end of
2010. Over the past 17 years, more than one billion square metres of land has
been cleared of mines and UXOR in Afghanistan. (…)
http://www.landmine.de/en.titel/en.news/en.news.one/index.html?entry=en.news.0dbe22e83c500000
New
findings by scientists in Denmark are proving that red foliage is far more than
aesthetically pleasing. Red foliage could indicate the presence of landmines
buried below.
January - Jarne Elleholm and Carston Meier, scientists with Aresa, a
Copenhagen-based biotech startup company, are conducting experiments with the
thale-cross plant. The genetically modified plants’ leaves turn color when the
roots come in contact with nitrogen dioxide, a compound that is naturally
leached into soil from home-made landmines. In many conflict-affected
countries, homemade landmines are made in plastic and rubber containers,
allowing compounds in the explosive to leak into the surrounding soil. The
modified version of the plant detects those compounds and produces red foliage
upon contact. (…)
In order to plant seeds in a
large area (such as a minefield), Aresa uses a seeding hose, known as a
“hydroseeder”, which can seed the size of a football field in a day. The time
delay comes as the thale-cross plant grows, a process that normally takes
four-five weeks. The genetically modified thale-cross will react to nitrogen
dioxide and turn red, rather than naturally neutralizing it. So far the
thale-cross plant has turned red in all experiments, but it does not grow to be
very large, making it difficult to see. Elleholm says that if the current
success rate of experiments continues, Aresa will have a reliable
mine-detecting plant in two years. Aresa has not mastered the plant-technique, but
the process is well underway, and presents a distinct approach to
mine-detection in the future.
http://www.landminesurvivors.org/news_feature.php?id=116
New phase of Nepal’s peace
process begins with UNDP support
The United Nations has begun
registering and storing weapons of Maoist former combatants in Nepal, marking a
new phase in the peace process following last year’s comprehensive agreement ending the long-running civil war in the
Himalayan country. The registration and storage process is under way at two of
seven designated cantonment sites across the nation. This significant process
is being supported by teams of registration experts on loan from UNDP in
Afghanistan. The experts are training Nepalese registration officers. (…)
The disarmament of former
combatants is one of the steps being taken by the UN in support of the peace
accord signed in November by the Nepalese Government and Maoist rebels who had
been conducting an insurgency for a decade. More than 13,000 people are
estimated to have been killed during the conflict, and thousands more have been
displaced from their homes.
Under the agreement a new
constitution will be drawn up. Recently UNDP launched an initiative to improve
capacities and the readiness of key national actors and the public at large to
participate in a successful constitution building process in Nepal. Already a
small team has begun work, providing advice and expert technical support to
decision makers, civil society and other key players. (…)
The
Peace Alliance Annual Conference, February 3 – 5 Washington, D.C.
Now, more than ever, we must
connect with hundreds of citizens from across the country who have come to
Washington to lobby for a US Department of Peace. Expand your understanding of the US Department of Peace
legislation, being re-introduced in the U.S. House and Senate. After two days of education and training,
you will walk the Halls of Congress, visiting your members of the House and
Senate to lobby for the bill.
Wage Peace with Marianne
Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Congressman
Dennis Kucinich, Michael Bernard Beckwith, plus leading experts in: Conflict
Resolution & Prevention - Peacebuilding & Global Security - Human
Security: Keeping America Safe - and more...
A Department of Peace will
augment our nation's current problem-solving options, providing practical,
nonviolent solutions to the problems of domestic and international conflict.
This legislation will be re-introduced into the new 110th Congress at the end of
our conference. This is an important time for us to be in Washington working
with our members of Congress. Join us!
http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/76/68/
UNICEF completes construction
of first health and development centre in Aceh
Banda Aceh, 26 January --
UNICEF has completed construction of the first of the 227 mother-and-child
health centres it is building in Indonesia’s tsunami-devastated Aceh province
and earthquake-hit Nias Island. The
Tanjung Polindes, a 190 square metre midwifery centre and residence on the edge
of the capital Banda Aceh, will be handed over to the provincial government on
26 January. Three more health centres are under construction, 40 are under
tender, and another 80 are under design with sites already identified. UNICEF has committed to build a total of 227
health centres across Aceh and the North Sumatran island of Nias under its
“Posyandu Plus” programme, a cornerstone of its $335 million tsunami recovery
effort. (…) To ensure quality of service, UNICEF in collaboration with Aceh
provincial health authorities and partners will roll out an inclusive training
programme for healthcare providers. Systems for supervising and monitoring the
quality of services will be designed to help maintain and improve the services
of the Posyandu-plus centres. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_38147.html
25 January - Over the past few
weeks, the ICRC improved the water and sanitation infrastructure of 21 primary
health care centres (PHCC), in three governorates (Salaheddine, Kerbala and Diwaniya).
Works included the repair of the electrical system, water pipes, water storage
tanks and sanitation facilities.
The ICRC also improved the
water supply system in Al-Karamah Hospital in Baghdad.
Aware of the immense needs in
Iraq and of the lack of maintenance of health infrastructures, the ICRC has
been working to rehabilitate a large number of health centres throughout the
country. In 2006 alone, the ICRC improved the water and sanitation facilities
in 67 PHCCs, in various governorates, serving some 9,000 patients per day. In
addition, emergency rehabilitation work have been done in 10 Iraqi hospitals.
ICRC emergency interventions focus on areas and governorates affected by
violence and those hosting a large number of internally displaced people.
http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/iraq-stories-250107
Global goal to reduce measles
deaths in children surpassed
New York/Geneva, 19 January -
Measles deaths have fallen by 60 per cent worldwide since 1999 – a major public
health success. This exceeds the United Nations goal to halve measles deaths
between 1999 and 2005 and is largely due to an unprecedented decline in measles
deaths in the African region. The progress was announced today by partners in
the Measles Initiative: the American Red Cross, the United States Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF and
the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to new data from
WHO, global measles deaths fell from an estimated 873,000 deaths in 1999 to
345,000 in 2005. In Africa, the progress has been even greater, with measles
deaths falling by 75 per cent, from an estimated 506,000 to 126,000. The data
will be published in this week’s edition of The Lancet. (…)
A strategy to reduce measles
mortality, consisting of four components, has been key to ensuring the massive
global decrease in measles deaths. The strategy calls for the provision of one
dose of measles vaccine for all infants via routine health services; a second
opportunity for measles immunization for all children, generally through mass
vaccination campaigns; effective surveillance for measles; and enhanced care,
including the provision of supplemental vitamin A.
As a result of this strategy,
between 1999 and 2005, global measles immunization coverage with the first
routine dose increased from 71 per cent to 77 per cent, and more than 360
million children aged 9 months to 15 years received measles vaccine through
immunization campaigns. (…) http://www.measlesinitiative.org/presskit/measles_PR_FINAL.pdf
After historic ratification,
European countries meet for the first time to improve water management and
curb water-related diseases
Geneva,
17 January -- Today, the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health
to the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary
Watercourses and International Lakes are meeting in Geneva for the first time.
Their goal is to translate into action the Protocol’s provisions for the coming
three years. The meeting is expected to launch ambitious programmes to prevent,
control and reduce water-related diseases. (…) The programmes to be decided on
at the meeting include activities related to the setting of targets under the
Protocol and the report on progress achieved; surveillance of water-related
disease and response systems; the human right to water and equitable access to
safe drinking water; water supply and sanitation and climate change adaptation
strategies; and public awareness and capacity-building activities.
Transboundary water resources
play a vital role in the region: it has several hundred transboundary water
bodies, including rivers, lakes and groundwaters, and countries depend on their
neighbours for up to 90% of their water. Thus international cooperation is
crucial to ensure the sustainable use of such resources. The spread of diseases
transmitted by water is especially common in Eastern Europe, where 16% of the
population still has no access to home drinking water. (…) In Western Europe
there is growing awareness of the importance of emerging diseases and new
challenges posed by global change. Projected more frequent heavy rainfalls,
increased periods of drought in the Mediterranean and water stress in other
regions, and global temperature increases in seas, lakes and rivers – all of
these may affect water quality and quantity. This can lead to unexpected
outbreaks of water-borne diseases, increased harmful algal blooms and the
creation of environmental niches for previously unknown vectors. (…)
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2007/07env_p02e.htm
(top)
Joint press release issued with the Liaison Unit
Warsaw of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe
(MCPFE) and the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI)
Geneva,
23 January - Wood is gaining an increasing attention, in the framework of climate
change discussions and energy security, as a carbon neutral energy to replace
non-renewable energy sources. This, combined with rising energy prices, is
leading to an increase in wood demand. "Since traditional use of wood in
Europe, notably by the pulp and paper industry, continues to expand as well,
the competition between wood for bio-energy and for traditional wood processing
industry is an increasing challenge", emphasizes Bernard de Galembert,
Forest Director at CEPI, the Confederation of European Paper Industries. On the
other hand, forest inventories have shown that in most European forests, annual
growth exceeds by far the volume of wood harvested. This has led to discussions
on how best to mobilize additional wood resources, considering the impacts by
and on other sectors and finding ‘win-win’ solutions. During a two-day workshop
(11-12 January 2007) on ‘Mobilizing Wood Resources’, over 100 different
stakeholders and country delegates presented their positions and strategies
towards increasing wood mobilization and then discussed and assessed their opportunities
and risks. (…)
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2007/07tim_p01e.htm
Steiner announces finalists
for 2007 Environment & Development Awards
World
Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland, 25 January -- Mr. Achim Steiner, Executive
Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), today announced
the 10 finalists for one of five Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and
Development (Seed) Awards. The winners of the Seed Awards, an incentive scheme
for local entrepreneurs to promote economic growth, social development and
environmental protection will be announced at the forthcoming United Nations
Commission on Sustainable Development in New York in May 2007. This
announcement compliments a similar release made at the World Social Forum in
Nairobi, Kenya, today. (…)
Finalists for the Seed Awards
2007 take a range of promising, locally-adapted approaches to sustainability,
including the promotion of traditional medicine and community-based tourism and
the production of alternative fuels. The countries represented by finalist
initiatives are Brazil, Ecuador, India, Nepal, Kenya, Peru, Sierra Leone,
Suriname, Tanzania, and Vietnam. (…) The announcement of the 2007 finalists
follows a rigorous 10-month selection process that drew together more than 230
applications from more than 70 countries worldwide – representing close to
1,100 organisations from the private sector, nongovernmental organizations,
women’s groups, labour, public authorities, UN agencies and others. The
selection process to shortlist finalists involved an external selection team of
ten international experts. (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=498&ArticleID=5501&l=en
France joins the Billion Tree
Campaign
Paris, 18 January -- From
Paris, France, the United Nations Environment Programme launches a second
appeal to the international community to join its first global tree planting
project Plant for the Planet: the Billion Tree Campaign. Several partners in France
(Planète Urgence, ADEME - Botanic - Comité 21 - Groupe Yves Rocher -
Forestavenir - Fédération des Forestiers Privés de France - France Nature
Environnement - Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Pêche - Ministère de
l'Ecologie et du Développement durable - Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle -
Nature & Découvertes - Office National des Forêts - IUCN - UNESCO-MAB)
offer their support to the initiative, which will help mitigate climate change
and catalyze environmental action around the world. (…)
This people-centred campaign
is raising awareness of the interdependence between humankind and the planet’s
ecosystems, as well as the linkages between tree planting and climate change
mitigation, the restoration of biodiversity, air and soil quality, and food
security. To date, over 157 million tree planting pledges have been recorded,
including 5.5 million in France. (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=498&ArticleID=5497&l=en
New
measures to protect Mediterranean fish stocks
FAO
General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean concludes annual meeting
Rome,
16 January -- A large group of nations
whose fishing fleets regularly ply the waters of the Mediterranean have agreed
upon a series of new measures aimed at conserving the region's fish stocks, FAO
said today. The measures were adopted during the annual meeting of FAO's
General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), held last week in
Rome and attended by 19 countries plus the European Community. One of the
meeting's main outcomes was an agreement on the use of new, more selective
types of netting in bottom trawls. Changes to the shape of the mesh holes in
the "cod end" section of the trawls will permit small juvenile fish
that have not yet reproduced to escape capture and return to the wild to breed.
Among the species that will benefit are red mullet and hake, popular with
consumers and of economic importance but categorized as either fully- or
overexploited by FAO.
The commission also agreed on
a common set of benchmarks for measuring the capacity of fishing fleets in the
region and assessing their impacts on shared fish stocks, the first time such a
unified system has existed in the Mediterranean. Additionally, GFCM members
signed off on new rules for tuna fishing, recently adopted by the International
Commission on Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) and forwarded to the GFCM since both
commissions share responsibility for managing migratory bluefin tuna stocks in
the Mediterranean region. This raises the number of countries who have directly
agreed to abide by these ICATT rules from 42 to 56. (…)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000479/index.html
Green Cross Sri Lanka is in
the process of establishing a park at Wellawatta beach in the Colombo district
to be named the “Shoo Iwasaki Green Cross Park.” This park will have all the
normal facilities and amenities for visitors including a canteen and an
information center, which will be lit by Solar panels that will be do- nated by
Green Cross Japan and its President Shoo Iwasaki. The Government of Sri Lanka,
through the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, will provide some financial
assistance.
http://www.greencrossinternational.net
The
2007 UNA-USA National High School Essay Contest on the United Nations
“What
can the United States do to improve maternal health” around the world
Chapter Winners Announced
January 30 -- Since 1986, the
National High School Essay Contest on the United Nations has inspired students
to engage global issues and the work of the UN through scholarship and critical
thinking. Each year, UNA-USA publishes a topic and question of particular
importance to the international community. Students then conduct research and
write a response to the question, based not only on the information they have
found, but also on their own views and opinions. (…)
For many students, this essay
contest is a continuation of the work they have already undertaken in school,
whether for a social studies course, an elective class on international
affairs, or a club or program such as Model UN. For others, the event is an
introduction to global issues and the UN's work. Regardless of their
experience, students should all have the opportunity to gain knowledge and form
opinions about the issues that impact their lives. (…)
This year, the contest
returned its focus to the MDGs, looking specifically at Goal Five, which calls
on the world to make motherhood safe by improving maternal heath in developing
regions. By reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters between
1990 and 2015, we can end the untimely deaths of hundreds of thousands of women
and the suffering of their families and communities. Students were asked to
answer this question: What can the US do to help improve maternal health around
the world? (…)
The national winners of the
contest will be announced in mid-February 2007. For information about the
judging and other details, click here.
http://www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=475725
Christian
Brother Encourages Adoption, Teaching of Earth Charter
Janiuary 3 - Australian
Christian Brother Moy Hitchen tells the Catholic News Service that he
encourages adoption and teaching of the principles of the Earth Charter by the
Christian Brothers, because it offers "guidelines for stewardship of the
earth." Advocacy for environmental justice has taken Brother Moy, who
blogs his Eco-Journeys at the web site of Edmund Rice International. into some
of the globe's most economically and ecologically challenged communities.
"In a sprawling slum in Nairobi, Kenya," reports the CNS, "he
was struck by the contrast between environmental disaster -- a "filthy
black river (of) industrial waste, human sewage and plastic bags full of
household garbage" -- and vestiges of the natural world that were struggling
to survive." (…)
Brother Moy visits Christian
Brothers around the world explaining the connections between ecology,
spirituality, and social justice. "The great spiritual traditions are in
partnership with the earth," he says. "And the Congress of Consecrated
Life in Rome in 2004 had 16 recommendations, one of which was to maintain a
triple dialogue -- dialogue with the poor, dialogue with the world religions
and dialogue with the earth..."
Read more: Catholic News Service, “'Love your local ecosystem,' Christian Brother tells others," by
Barbara J. Fraser, 02 Jan 2007.
The International Child Art
Foundation (ICAF) announced today that the world’s largest celebration of
children's creativity and imagination will take place this June at the most
prestigious public venue in the world – The National Mall. The Festival will
open every day with a ceremony at 10:30 am and festivities will continue until
5:00 pm. The Festival on the Mall will be open and free to the public.
The fusion of art, sport and
technology with dance and musical performances, co-creation of works by child
artists and famous artists, and workshops on peace education and creative
leadership, will make the Festival a complete synesthetic experience – a total
work of art that will transform the Mall. The Festival showcases children's
creativity, imagination and talent; equips them with communication,
collaboration and leadership skills; and promotes mutual respect and trust as a
foundation to future peace-building initiatives. American children host their
international counterparts, serving as youth ambassadors. Washington Area
families host the international delegations.
Hosted every four years by
ICAF, the Festival is a culmination of ICAF's global art program in which more
than 3 million children in 100 countries are participating. (…)
http://www.icaf.org/news/newsfiles/200701170001.html
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