Good News Agency – Year VIII, n° 5
Weekly - Year VIII, number 5 –
13th April 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
Religion and
spirituality – Culture
and education
April 4 - Copies of the Afghanistan Constitution have
been printed and made available widely in communities throughout the country
thanks to an initiative of the non-profit development and humanitarian agency
Counterpart International. At a hand-over ceremony in the Afghan capital, some
40,000 copies of the constitution (printed in local languages) were made
available, for the first time, in many communities. (…)
Counterpart, under Country
Team Leader Tilly Reed, is implementing the nationwide Initiative to Promote
Afghan Civil Society (I-PACS) with the support of the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID). Since 2005, Counterpart has been working
with community groups and Civil Society Support Centers to strengthen the
capacity of hundreds of civil society organizations in Afghanistan. The
organisation has also worked with the International Center for Non-Profit Law
to frame legislation (signed by President Karzai) which enables
non-governmental organizations to operate under the full protection of the law.
A conference hosted by Counterpart in May will widely disseminate the
implications of the new law.
The US$15.5 million
USAID-funded program also enabled Counterpart to launch initiatives to
integrate gender equity into the civil society strengthening process.
Counterpart teams are working with civil society organizations and the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs for shadow reporting on the International Human Rights
Conventions signed by the government of Afghanistan. Among its many innovative
programs, Counterpart hosts monthly discussions with religious leaders where
Mullahs and Ulemas present their views on civil society and how they might play
a role in it. (…) http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5723
Author(s):
Site Admin <webmaster2SPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org>
On 30 March 2007, at the UN
Headquarters in New York 81 countries and the European Community signed the UN
Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
This is a record number of
signatories on the first day for a human rights treaty. 44 states also signed
the Convention's Optional Protocol, which provides a mechanism for treating
individual violations and for making country visits.The first signatory of the
day – Austria made a statement about the importance of the link between the
Mine Ban Treaty and the Disability Rights Convention. Mine-affected MBT State
Parties signatories included: Ethiopia, Jordan, Nicaragua, Peru, El Salvador,
Mozambique, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda, Yemen, and Colombia.
Countries that sign and ratify
the treaty are legally bound to ensure that people with disabilities have equal
rights as other citizens and the same access to services and opportunities.
Examples of key rights provided for in the Convention: The right to vote - The
right to an education - The right to quality healthcare - The right to work - The
right to equal protection of the law.
The Convention needs to be
ratified by 20 countries to enter into force. Jamaica signed and ratified the
convention at the opening ceremony, bringing the number of ratifications still
required to 19. Disability and human rights groups are now launching a global
campaign to secure fast and broad ratification process. ICBL member organizations, including
Handicap International and Landmine Survivors Network have actively participated
in negotiating the text of the Convention and securing international support. A
list of countries that signed the Convention can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/convsignlistfp.htm The text of the
Disability Rights Convention is available at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/
Cambodia
launches 1st national task force against human trafficking
April 7 - Cambodian Ministry
of Women's Affairs here on Friday launched the kingdom's first national task
force to tackle human trafficking. "The first national task force has just
been established to help resolve the huge concerns of the Cambodian government
in fighting human trafficking effectively," said You Ay, secretary of
state of the ministry. “The national task force is a major step forward for the
Cambodian government's efforts to coordinate a unified campaign to combat all
forms of trafficking of men, women and children for slave labor, begging,
prostitution and other exploitations”, she said. "Cambodia will not
tolerate exploitation," she added.
The force comprises 14
ministries and institutions and its members will be organized into three
working groups to respectively address the problems of human trafficking,
protection and reintegration of trafficking survivors and justice for victims
through prosecution, said a ministry statement. "The force has a broad
mandate to implement agreements and bilateral memoranda of understanding to
eliminate trafficking and assist victims," said You Ay.
According to official reports,
over 180,000 migration laborers toiled irregularly in Thailand, while hundreds
or even thousands of Cambodians are exploited to work as sex slaves in
Malaysia, Japan, China's Taiwan and Hong Kong, Qatar, Somali, and Saudi Arabia.
(Source: Xinhua)
http://www.wunrn.com/news/2007/04_07/04_09_07/041107_cambodia.htm
April 3- Thirty officers of
the 3rd Division of the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) are participating
in a three-day training course on international humanitarian law (IHL), from 3
to 5 April, in the Moroto district of Karamoja. The officers, comprised of
lieutenants, captains and majors, are battalion commanders, political
commissars and intelligence officers. The 3rd Division operates in the Karamoja
region in north-eastern Uganda, an area that has witnessed violence in the
recent past. The course is part of a training programme jointly organized by
the ICRC and the UPDF. A similar event took place in Mbale in November 2006.
An ICRC military expert and a
UPDF instructor trained by the ICRC in international humanitarian law, also
known as the law of armed conflict, are conducting the course. The course will
address the principles of proportionality and distinction, with regard to
military necessity when choosing targets. The course content will cover
behaviour during military action and prevention of abuse of civilians and
people no longer engaged in fighting.
http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/uganda-news-030407
Geneva (ICRC), April 2 – The
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched a new website for
teachers of its Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL) programme, which is designed
to introduce secondary-school students to the basic rules and principles of
international humanitarian law. The fast-growing programme is already being
implemented in over 60 countries worldwide and has outstripped existing
capacity for teacher training – hence the creation of the new website, the EHL
Virtual Campus. (…)
The EHL programme comprises 30
hours of interactive classroom activities that explore a wide array of ethical
and humanitarian issues relating to armed conflict – from child soldiers and
war crimes to prisoners of war and missing persons. One of the aims of the
programme is to foster in students an awareness of the need for humanitarian
norms and an interest and responsible involvement in local and international
events.
The English-language EHL
Virtual Campus offers a range of teaching resources, including learning
modules, workshops, training videos and an online discussion forum. Teaching
materials can be downloaded in English, French, Russian and Spanish. The EHL
Virtual Campus can be accessed at www.ehl.icrc.org
http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/virtualcampus.news.020407
Kenya:
Religious leaders join anti-FGM fight
Isiolo, 30 March (IRIN) - The
decision by Muslim religious leaders in northeastern Kenya to talk about the
dangers of female genital mutilation (FGM) during Friday prayers has turned
into a significant campaign against the practice. "We have managed to
educate people and convince many parents, including those with strong
traditional beliefs, that circumcising girls is not a requirement in
Islam," said Sheikh Harun Rashid of Isiolo Rahma Mosque. "Our first
assignment was to inform the parents that the holy book [Quran] teaches that
the painful act is not an obligation; it is a tradition and not a religious
obligation," he told IRIN in Isiolo.
The campaign, which started in
a small way 10 years ago, is now spearheaded by the Muslim Council of Imams and
Preachers of Kenya. It still relies heavily on teachings delivered during
Friday prayers, to reach the large Muslim populations in northeastern Kenya.
More than 30 Mosques exist in Isiolo and Garissa towns alone, and the campaign
has been extended to the coastal province as well. (…)
FGM involves the cutting
and/or removal of the clitoris and other vaginal tissue, often under unsanitary
conditions. It is practised in at least 28 countries globally and the United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF) estimates that up to 140 million
girls and women around the world have undergone some form of FGM. It is practised extensively in Africa,
including in Kenya. But pressure from human-rights activists has so far
compelled 16 African governments to legislate against FGM, in line with the
2005 Maputo Protocol, an African regional document that explicitly prohibits
and condemns FGM.
Kenya has signed the protocol
and banned the practice under the Children's Act 2001, which protects girls
from early marriage or forced FGM, and charges anyone found practising FGM. But
observers say the law has proved extremely difficult to enforce.
http://www.wunrn.com/news/2007/04_07/04_02_07/040807_kenya.htm
Bahrain
- Women's Union vows to push for family status law
By
Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
26 March, Manama - The Bahrain
Women's Union, a loose association of 12 women's organisations, has pledged to
reinvigorate a dormant plan to promulgate a family status law in the kingdom.
The union said at a press conference on Saturday that it would table its new
proposal after bringing together all concerned parties at a workshop next month
to issue recommendations on the law. "We will hold a symposium for
representatives from the civil society, lawyers, religious leaders and
independent activists to assess past efforts to have the law," Mariam Al
Rowaie, head of the Bahrain Women's Union, said.
Bahrain has been sharply
divided over promulgating a status law that would govern family relations and
ensure greater rights for women and mothers. Conservatives have opposed the
law, saying that it would clash with Islamic precepts and would upset social
family order. But activists say that the law is needed to address family
injustices and help women and children with their rights instead of placing
their situations at the discretion of court judges who have no formal text to
guide them on the verdicts. The union added that it would also push for the
introduction of a quota system in the Bahraini elections to help women win.
http://www.wunrn.com/news/2007/04_07/04_09_07/041107_bahrain.htm
March, Washington, DC - CWLA
launched the Children's Memorial Flag Campaign in 1998 to draw public awareness
to the problem of nearly 3 million children reported abused and neglected each
year. The campaign's centerpiece is the Children's Memorial Flag. The banner,
designed by a 16-year-old California youth, depicts five doll-like figures of
children standing side-by-side, holding hands against a red backdrop. A sixth
child in the center is represented by a thin, white chalk outline, symbolizing
a child lost to violence. (…)
This year, many organizations
and communities will fly the flag on April 27 as well as throughout April to
recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month. The United States leads the world in
homicides against children and youth under age 15, accounting for 73% of all
homicides and 54% of all suicides of children, birth to age 15, among the
world's top 26 industrialized countries. In 2002 alone, 1,390 children died as
a result of abuse or neglect in the United States.
To locate organizations and
communities participating in Flag Day activities visit www.cwla.org/advocacy/memorialflag.htm. More information
about Child Abuse Prevention Month is
also located at this site, including a list of ten things you can do to support
Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The Child Welfare League of
America is the nation's oldest and largest membership-based child welfare
organization. It is committed to engaging people everywhere in promoting the
well-being of children, youth, and their families, and protecting every child
from harm.
http://www.cwla.org/newsevents/news070330memflag.htm
New
trade rules expected to benefit some developing countries
Poorer
countries will need flexibility for critical development needs
Geneva/Rome, 11 April –
Multilateral agricultural trade policy reform is expected to stimulate trade
and economic growth, but any new trade rules need to be compatible with the
first Millennium Development Goal, which calls for the proportion of people
suffering from hunger or living in extreme poverty to be reduced by half by the
year 2015, warns the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its annual
report on the State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2006 (SOCO2006), issued today. (…)
According to the FAO report,
“many lower-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, are less well
placed to gain in the short- to medium run from of trade liberalization that
includes improved access to export markets, or from further opening of their
own markets. The extent to which these poorer countries benefit from trade
liberalization will depend upon their economic structures, their
competitiveness and their capacity to respond to new market incentives.” (…)
The new issue of The State of
Agricultural Commodity Markets is intended to raise awareness of the interests
that developing countries have in the Doha Development Round by focusing on
market access issues and the measures needed to ensure that trade policy reform
contributes effectively to the reduction of poverty and food insecurity.
Cooperation
agreement: Republic of Korea and ECLAC to study the creation of public-private
alliances for export development
This
United Nations body will study the Asian country's success in this area.
4 April - The government of
the Republic of Korea and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC) signed a cooperation agreement today to launch the project:
"Building Long-Term Strategies and Public-Private Alliances for Export
Development: The Experience of the Republic of Korea."(…) Financed by this
Asian country, the project will study how the Republic of Korea has created and
implemented a strategy to turn itself into one of the world's primary exporters
of knowledge-intensive, value-added goods and services, and how it has designed
and managed governmental incentives for new private-sector activities in the
fields of innovation and export development.
This issue will be included in
the document to be presented by ECLAC's Secretariat for consideration by its
members during the Thirty-Second Session of the Commission, to be held in the
Dominican Republic in 2008. (…) The Republic of Korea applied for admission as
a Member State of ECLAC on October 23, 2006. This application will be presented
for consideration by ECLAC's Executive Secretary at the next Session of the
Committee of the Whole, which will meet at United Nations Headquarters on June
5.
Africa's
economic growth to improve in 2007, according to ECA
Addis Ababa, 3 April (ECA ) –
African economies are forecast to grow by an average of 5.8% in 2007, according
to the latest edition of the Economic Report on Africa (ERA 2007), the
annual flagship publication of the United Nations Economic Commission for
Africa (ECA), which is launched today. The report, titled “Accelerating
Africa's Development through Diversification,” notes that African economies
continued to sustain the growth momentum of previous years, recording an
overall real GDP growth rate of 5.7% in 2006. 28 countries recorded higher
economic growth rates in 2006 than 2005.
According to the report,
Africa's recent growth performance was underpinned by improvements in
macroeconomic management in many countries as well as strong global demand for
key African export commodities, resulting in high export prices, especially for
crude oil, metals and minerals.
Factors that are likely to
hinder growth in the future include lack of diversification of production and
exports as well as instability and vulnerability to shocks, and the increasing
spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which undermines labour supply and labour
productivity. In addition, inefficient public infrastructure and unreliable
energy supply at the national level as well as poor integration of
transportation and energy networks at the regional level will continue to
undermine the productivity and international competitiveness of African
economies.
ERA 2007 finds that the
diversification process in Africa is highly influenced by investment, per
capita income, and the degree of openness of trade, macroeconomic policy stance
and the institutional framework. Based on these findings the report recommends
several strategies to promote diversification in African economies. (…)
The 2007 edition of ERA is
produced in partnership with the African Union Commission for the first time.
It thus gives a truly African perspective on the performance of African
economies and the key development challenges faced by the continent. The report
seeks to generate constructive debate on effective strategies for addressing
these challenges.
Irish
Aid announces new strategic partnerships with United Nations’ development
agencies
Core
funding for United Nations’ development agencies to exceed €86.44 million in
2007
Dublin, 3 April – Conor
Lenihan TD, Minister of State for Irish Aid and Human Rights, today announced
new strategic partnerships with key UN development agencies. He was joined at
the announcement by the Director of Emergency Programmes for UNICEF, Dan
Toole. Under the strategic
partnerships, Irish Aid will guarantee significant levels of funding for the
next four years, allowing for better strategic planning by the UN agencies. The
partnerships will include strict requirements on monitoring and evaluation,
efficiency and coherence to encourage efforts towards a streamlined UN family.
Partnerships are being agreed with UNICEF, the UN Development Programme (UNDP)
and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_39298.html
FAO
forecasts record cereal crop for 2007
Despite
improved world cereal supply, 33 countries are in crisis
Rome, 3 April – World cereal
production in 2007 is forecast to increase 4.3 percent to a record 2 082
million tonnes, according to the April issue of FAO’s Crop Prospects and Food
Situation report. The bulk of the increase is expected in maize, with a bumper
crop already being gathered in South America, and a sharp increase in plantings
expected in the United States, according to the report. A significant rise in
wheat output is also foreseen, with a recovery in some major exporting
countries after weather problems last year. FAO forecasts coarse grains
production to rise 5.6 percent to 1 033 million tonnes, and wheat to increase
4.8 percent to about 626 million tonnes. Global rice production in 2007 could
rise marginally to 423 million tonnes in milled terms, about 3 million tonnes
more than in 2006, FAO says.
Low-income food-deficit
countries - Although still highly tentative, FAO's first forecast indicates
that for the group of 82 low-income food-deficit countries, 2007 cereal
production could remain around the above-average level of 2006. Following
improved 2006 harvests in most of these countries, cereal imports in the
2006/07 marketing year are expected to decline in most regions. (…) Despite improved food supplies in many food
insecure countries, 33 countries worldwide are in a critical situation, mostly
due to conflict and adverse weather, FAO says.
UNESCAP
Marked 60th anniversary with pride and commitment
Gala
event featured song, dance and keynote address by Thai princess
Bangkok, 28 March -
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
marked 60 years of service to the region today with a commemoration at the UN
Conference Centre in Bangkok. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent a video
message and special guests included Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn,
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. The event also
featured a dance performance and singing by heads of UN agencies in Bangkok.
“Throughout these six decades,
UNESCAP has worked closely with the peoples of the Asia-Pacific region in their
endeavor to build freedom from fear and freedom from want,” said Mr. Ban.
“Today, this region of four billion people is a powerhouse for global economic
growth,”
UNESCAP has chosen “Building
an Asia-Pacific Century” as the theme of the 60th anniversary celebrations. “It
is our privilege to serve the people of the region, and to be associated with
their success,” said UNESCAP Executive Secretary, Kim Hak-Su. “On this historic
occasion, we rededicate ourselves to building an ‘Asia-Pacific Century.” (…)
UNESCAP was founded as the
Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) on 28th March 1947. ECAFE
moved its headquarters from Shanghai to Bangkok in 1949.
http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2007/mar/g09.asp
Asian
investment in Africa: a new era of cooperation
27 March - This joint
UNCTAD/UNDP publication aims to help African countries attract and benefit from
FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) inflows from Asia with a view to harnessing FDI
to achieve long-term, sustained development based on the Asian experience. FDI
is a significant source of external finance and a means of integrating into the
global marketplace. So far, Africa has been left out of this process. This may
be attributed to small market size, poor infrastructure, weak regulatory
framework, debt problems and, in some cases, political instability. Over the
past decade, however, there has been considerable progress with reforms in
several African economies.
Trends in Asian FDI in Africa
Outward FDI from developing
Asian economies has grown significantly since the early 1990s. Outflows from
the region have reached a new high of an estimated US$ 90 billion in 2006. Only
a small percentage of Asian FDI is currently targeted at Africa, but this is
likely to change. (…)
Promoting investment in Africa
has become a strategic priority in the international economic cooperation
efforts of some Asian countries, including Malaysia and China. The recent rapid
growth of Chinese FDI in Africa is partly the result of joint efforts by the
Chinese and African Governments, including initiatives adopted in Beijing at
the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Page.asp?intItemID=4179&lang=1
Solomon
Islands: UN continues to provide aid as 5,500 displaced in wake of tsunami
9 April – After a deadly
tsunami struck the Solomon Islands one week ago, the United Nations continues
to provide aid and technical assistance in the wake of the natural disaster
which has displaced at least 5,500 people in the South Pacific nation, the
world body’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. According
to Government figures, 35 people have died after last week’s tsunami which was
caused by an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale, whose epicentre was
345 kilometres northwest of the country’s capital. Approximately 1,500 people
who were forced to flee their homes are now residing in 12 camps around the
town of Gizo. Sanitation remains a problem in the camps around Gizo, as streams
and rainwater are the main source of water for the displaced. (…)
The UN Disaster Assessment and
Coordination (UNDAC) team dispatched to the
Solomon Islands is working closely with the Government in bolstering
coordination and information management, while the UN Resident Coordinator based
in Fiji, Richard Dictus, is in Honiara to meet with UN agencies on the ground
and officials. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has sent
emergency health kits, as health officials continue to monitor
diarrhoea-related illnesses, malaria and measles. OCHA said that a measles and
vitamin A campaign will be launched next week.
The Government reports that
there are enough medical professionals and supplies to administer to the current
needs. However, the number of injured may climb as people from
disaster-affected communities return to their homes from higher ground and go
to hospitals, OCHA said.
Five medical teams from
France, Taiwan, Canada, Australia and the Red Cross have been deployed to
support the Ministry of Health, and the French military has airlifted drugs and
other medical supplies to Gizo.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22164&Cr=solomon&Cr1=tsunami
WFP
cranks up emergency relief for Afghan flood victims, delivering enough to feed
60,000 people
Kabul, 5 April - Within hours
of the first reports of devastating spring floods reaching the Afghan capital,
WFP accelerated relief plans that by today have managed to deliver 1,000 tonnes
of emergency rations, enough to feed 60,000 victims of the rising waters for 30
days. Despite the effort, WFP remains concerned about the fate of many who may
be beyond the reach of immediate help, stranded in remote, sometimes war-torn,
mountainous regions cut off by the destruction of access roads and subsequent
landslides and avalanches. (…)
WFP’s relief effort is further
complicated in the flooded southern province of Helmand, where security is a
major concern as a result of frequent clashes between insurgents and Government
and international forces. Reaching flood victims in such areas has become a
huge challenge as trucks carrying WFP food are frequently attacked by
anti-government elements. (…) WFP’s assistance is part of a coordinated relief
effort that includes several Government ministries, UN agencies, NGOs and the
international military. (…)
http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2429
April 5 - The ICRC is
supporting the Afghan Red Crescent Society in an emergency operation to assist
8,500 people affected by flooding in conflict-affected areas of southern and
eastern Afghanistan.
Unexpectedly heavy rainfall
and the flooding that ensued has exacerbated an already complex humanitarian
situation in Helmand, Daikundi, Uruzgan, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces.
Over the past week, the ICRC
has been providing food and non-food assistance to the victims of the flooding.
"More than 120 tons of food items, such as rice, peas, ghee, salt, sugar
and tea have been distributed among the families affected by the disaster. In
addition, 600 families received tarpaulins, jerry cans, blankets and basic
hygiene items to take care of their essential needs in the aftermath of the
flooding," said Bruce McRae, ICRC coordinator for the relief operation.
The ICRC is coordinating
closely with the Afghan Red Crescent Society in responding to these sensitive
areas in conjunction with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies. The organization is seeking to ensure access to the most
remote villages suffering from the flooding. (…9
http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/afghanistan-news-050407
CRS stands ready to commit an
initial $100,000 for emergency response.
Baltimore, MD, USA, April 2 –
Catholic Relief Services stands ready to commit an initial $100,000 to aid
emergency relief operations in the Solomon Islands after a powerful earthquake
triggered a tsunami that flooded several villages and killed more than a dozen
people. (…) The most serious damage appears to have hit the island of Gizo,
which is located in the northwestern Solomons, close to the Bougainville area
of Papua New Guinea. (…)
Catholic Relief Services is
the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the
United States. The agency provides assistance to people in 99 countries and
territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed.
CRS is a member of Caritas
Internationalis, a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social
service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories
worldwide. Caritas Internationalis is the official humanitarian agency of the
global Catholic Church.
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5721
UN
Democracy Fund’s Advisory Board to meet tomorrow to review first-year progress
9 April – The Advisory Board
of the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), established to promote and
consolidate new and restored democracies with financial and technical help,
will meet tomorrow to review the Fund’s progress after its first year of
activities and decide on future priorities and policies.
UNDEF began its first day of practical work on 6 March last
year, although it was established by the Secretary-General in July 2005 and
welcomed at that year’s World Summit, which reaffirmed democracy as “a
universal value based on the freely expressed will of people to determine their
own political, economic, social and cultural system.” The 2005 World Summit also affirmed that
“there is no single model of democracy, and that it does not belong to any
country or region”.
The Fund complements current
UN efforts to promote free and fair elections, human rights, support to civil
society, pluralistic media and the rule of law. So far, it has received a total
of $61.2 million from 28 countries, with an additional contribution of $4
million firmly pledged by donors. The largest financial contributor is the
United States with $18 million, followed by Japan and India.
The Secretary-General’s
Advisory Board is composed of 17 members, including representatives from the
largest Member State contributors to the Fund, those from Member States
selected by the Secretary-General to reflect diverse geographical
representation, and also representatives from civil society and personal
representatives of the Secretary-General. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is
scheduled to address the Board early on Tuesday morning in New York.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22165&Cr=UNDEF&Cr1=
Remembering
Rwanda, Ban Ki-moon calls for ‘global partnership against genocide’
9 April – Thirteen years after
some 800,000 Rwandans were murdered by their compatriots in an orchestrated
criminal campaign, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called today for “a global
partnership against genocide” and pledged to strengthen United Nations
mechanisms to ensure that such an event never happens again.
The post of UN Special Adviser
for the Prevention of Genocide – currently held
by Juan E. Méndez of Argentina – will be upgraded to a full-time position, Mr.
Ban said in a message marking the anniversary of the start of the genocide. The
UN Advisory Committee on Genocide Prevention will also be boosted, the
Secretary-General said, adding that Africa has taken its own steps as well,
such as the proposed Pact on Security, Stability and Development for the Great
Lakes Region, which contains measures on genocide prevention and punishment.
“Preventing genocide is a collective and individual responsibility,” Mr. Ban
said. “Everyone has a role to play: governments, the media, civil society
organizations, religious groups, and each and every one of us. Let us build a
global partnership against genocide. Let us protect populations from genocide
when their own government cannot or will not.” Mr. Ban paid tribute to both the
victims of the 1994 genocide and the survivors, whose “resilience continues to
inspire us.”
The Security Council
established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to prosecute individuals
responsible for committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide
during 1994, when Hutu militias and others killed Tutsis and moderate Hutus,
often using machetes or clubs. Noting that Member States have agreed in
principle to the “responsibility to protect” populations in danger of genocide
or war crimes, Mr. Ban said the “challenge now is to give real meaning to the
concept, by taking steps to make it operational. Only then will it truly give
hope to those facing genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic
cleansing.”
Analysis
by Praful Bidwai
New Delhi, April 7 (IPS) -
South Asia, home to more than one-sixth of humanity, and situated at the
junction of three important sub-regions of the Asian continent, has made
cautious moves towards mutual cooperation and greater integration. (…)The South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has just admitted
Afghanistan as its eighth member-state. Iran has been also invited to SAARC as
an observer. (…)
At SAARC's 14th summit
meeting, which ended here on Wednesday, the leaders of the eight nations that
constitute its membership resolved to develop "cross-border regional
projects" pertaining to four issues that affect their people's daily lives
-- water, energy, food and the environment. They set up a SAARC Development
Fund for poverty alleviation, with an initial modest capital base of 300
million US dollars. They also called for the full implementation of the South
Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement in "letter and spirit",
signed earlier.
And they demanded a
international convention on terrorism, "which would take every possible
measure to prevent and suppress, in particular, financing of terrorist acts by
criminalising the provision, acquisition and collection of funds for such
acts." (…)
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37265
5 April - A Swiss-based
demining organisation has announced a two-year operation to clear hundreds of
hectares of farmland in Laos heavily contaminated by unexploded ordnance. The
Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) aims to return the land to 70,000
inhabitants in central and southern parts of the country that were recently hit
by major food shortages. The two-year project, revealed on the eve of
Wednesday's International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action,
is being funded by the United States and Australia.
According to the Geneva:based
FSD, the US Air Force dropped over two million tons of bombs and other
ammunition on Laos during the Vietnam War, which ended more than 30 years ago.
Today it is estimated that over 25 million pieces of unexploded ordnance still
litter the countryside, injuring and killing over 50 civilians every year and
preventing the rural population from planting sufficient crops. (…)
The FSD is active in almost
ten countries including Burundi, Angola, Iran, Sudan and Sri Lanka. Two of its
mine clearance experts were killed last August in southern Sudan.
http://www.nzz.ch/2007/04/05/eng/article7686557.html
UNICEF,
Canadian Government support ‘Vital markers for a safer living environment’
Sarajevo, Bosnia and
Heregovina, 4 April – An additional 133 square kilometers of suspected mine
areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will be clearly marked with 10,400
warning signs. With funding from the Government of Canada, UNICEF is providing
the signs and other equipment to the BH Mine Action Centre, a local NGO.
An estimated one million
landmines and explosive remnants of war are among the many dangerous legacies
of the conflict of the 1990s that continue to face the people of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, including children. Unless dangerous areas are clearly marked,
people may forget or ignore their existence in the flurry of daily life.
“BH MAC expresses its
gratitude to UNICEF and Canada for everything done on mine action so far,
especially for mine risk education and marking of suspicious territories,” said
Mr Dušran Gavran, BH MAC Director. “Mines will be a threat in BiH for a long
time, so continuous Mine Risk Education and minefield marking are necessary to
avoid new victims of mines and unexploded ordnances (…)” The marking of
mine-contaminated areas is an essential component of risk reduction at the
community level, as highlighted by research and feedback from field visits. It
is a constant reminder of the lurking danger of landmines and the most
efficient tool against complacency.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_39304.html
Australia to assist with
Cambodia demining (Cambodia)
4 April - The Australian Government has committed $US9.7 million to assist with clearing landmines in Cambodia. The donation marks International Mine Action Day, and will be spread out over the coming for years. Canberra says the funds will help clear explosives from millions of square kilometres of Cambodian territory. The United Nations says millions of Cambodians live in areas affected by landmines, and that a third of all victims are children. (…)
Canberra has also committed for the first time to joining international talks aimed at phasing out the use of controversial cluster bombs. Humanitarian groups say cluster bombs, which scatter tiny explosives across vast areas, are to blame for many civilian casualties in conflicts around the world. Australia is joining a group of countries seeking to develop a legally binding treaty to ban or restrict the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster bombs. (…)
http://www.landmine.de/en.titel/en.news/en.news.one/index.html?entry=en.news.0e19390c69e70000
Britain in £30m bomb-clearing
fund (Lebanon)
4 April - Britain is to pay
for specialist sniffer dogs to travel to Lebanon to help clear unexploded
cluster bombs from last summer's fighting.
The move is part of a £30
million Government funding package for projects to remove deadly explosives
from former warzones. The cash, spread over three years, will also be used to
clear landmines, cluster bombs and other killer devices in countries such as
Angola, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. www.dailyecho.co.uk
www.landmine.de/en.titel/en.news/en.news.one/index.html?entry=en.news.0e191ea00a4a0000
Author(s):
Site Admin <webmaster2SPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org> .
22 March - After leaving Lima,
Colombian cyclists travelling from Bogota tu Ushuaia, Argentina, on a mission
to spread awareness about the landmine situation in their country and the
world, continue their journey south through Peru and Chile. They feel that
through their ride - sponsored by the Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines -
they are achieving their goal of generating awareness about the antipersonnel
mine problem in individual countries and in the world, using Colombia as an
example.
Unfortunately, one of the
three members of the expedition had to leave his mates to return to Colombia
due to personal problems. The Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines, would like
to thank Edwin for his help and commitment. During the rest of the journey, the
two remaining members of the team, 22-year old Juan Guillermo Bohórquez and
30-year old John Rivas, came across all kind of stories, but there was a very
special one that touched their hearts: that of Jesús Rolando Janampa Lazo, a
Peruvian antipersonnel mine victim.
Jesús Rolando lost his left
leg at the age of 14, and as a result he walks with the help of a prosthesis.
And yet, he decided to accompany Juan Guillermo and John in their trip, cycling
along with them for many kilometers and giving them a great life lesson.
After leaving Jesús, Juan
Guillermo and John crossed the remaining part of Peru, confirming the awareness
generated by the Campaign and the force it has developed. (…)
http://www.icbl.org/layout/set/print/news/travesia2
April 6 - On April 9, Medical
Teams International will send its first medical volunteer to West Darfur in 18
months. Dr. Jon Bird, an emergency room physician from Farmington, Missouri,
will help care for thousands of families forced to flee their homes from
ongoing violence. Dr. Bird will spend four weeks in the Sudanese region of
Darfur, an area that the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian
crisis. He will train local health care workers with the Sudan Ministry of
Health and treat displaced people living in makeshift camps—temporary shelters
where outbreaks of malaria, acute respiratory diseases, dysentery and bacterial
infections run rampant.
A combination of violence, and
more recently government restrictions on access, by foreigners, have prevented
Medical Teams International from sending volunteers to the area. A member of
the Darfur Relief Collaboration, Medical Teams International has been providing
health care assistance in Darfur since 2004. The Collaboration provides food
support, medical care, shelter and sanitation/hygiene assistance to 60,000
displaced Sudanese people. (…)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5731
VietNamNet Bridge, 5 April -
Four cooperative projects between Vietnam and the United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF) will be implemented in 2007 with the aim of bettering the
protection and care for children. The
information was released at a conference held in Ha Noi on Apr. 3 by the Viet
Nam National Committee for Population, Family and the project management board
of UNICEF.
The UNICEF will grant a total
of 1.44 million USD to these projects, which aim to build a children protection
system and raise public awareness of the need to prevent children from
accidents and injury. The third project is on preventing mine and bombs-related
accidents, and the fourth on family policy. (Source: VNA)
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/social/2007/04/681514/
by
Amit Kumar of the International Federation in Delhi
2 April - Some 5.2 million
people in India are living with HIV but many are left isolated and untreated
because of stigma and misconceptions about the disease. The Indian Red Cross is
therefore working to ensure that people living with HIV have access to
information, care and medical support. At the same time, the National Society
is working to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among the public, media, police
and health workers in an effort to help those affected by the virus to live
full and useful lives within their communities.
“I feel better when I come
here,” says Kavita, an HIV-positive casual labourer, who is undergoing
treatment through an Indian Red Cross project at Thambaram Hospital. “They
understand my problem.” The project,
which has been running since July 2004, provides food and hygiene items to
people living with HIV, as well as counselling to them and their families. The
hospital has 16 wards for HIV patients, 12 for people with tuberculosis, an
intensive care unit, a children’s ward and a palliative care ward. (…)
The Thambaram Hospital project
is just one example of the strategies developed by the Indian Red Cross in
response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. (…) Equally important is the Red Cross’
massive advocacy initiative addressing stigma and discrimination. As part of
this, the Indian Red Cross national headquarters recently organised a painting
competition and seminar on the theme “HIV/AIDS prevention – keep the promise”
to coincide with the last World AIDS Day.
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/07/07040202/index.asp
Fewer
bird flu outbreaks this year - sign of progress, FAO says
Avian
influenza still threatens people’s lives and economies
Rome, 2 April -- Despite
substantial progress in global efforts to bring the deadly H5N1 avian influenza
virus under control, the disease continues to spread to new countries and to
new areas in some countries where containment has not been successful, FAO said
today. The virus continues to threaten the lives of people living and working
around poultry, while hurting farm incomes and reducing the availability of
nutritious food. (…)
Fewer cases of H5N1 outbreaks
seen this year - According to FAO’s
Chief Veterinary Officer, Joseph Domenech, worldwide ”there have been fewer
cases of the disease this year than last year at the same time, indicating that
there is a reduction in overall viral load. The presence of H5N1 in wild birds
is less than it was last year when we saw a surge in the virus, particularly in
Europe. Also there is more transparency, better surveillance and improved and
timelier reporting of outbreaks”.
According to Dr. Domenech,
”The risk of a pandemic will be with us for the foreseeable future. However,
looking on the positive side, many countries have managed to control the
disease. Many have also eradicated the virus. The negative side is that the
virus still circulates in some countries in Asia and Africa. Egypt and
Indonesia are heavily infected, as is Nigeria, though to a lesser extent. This
situation is a constant call to increase global efforts to contain this disease
before it has an opportunity to mutate into a form that can threaten the world
with a human pandemic.”
2007
Africa Malaria Day, April 25 – Roll Back Malaria now!
Africa Malaria Day is every
year commemorated on 25 April. This day has been set aside by African
governments committed to rolling back malaria and meeting the United Nations
malaria-related Millennium Development Goals. It is, therefore, an opportunity
for the RBM Partnership to show solidarity with African countries battling
against this scourge by supporting several events and activities around the
world.
In Africa, many countries will
be organizing events and activities in the run up to 25 April and on Africa
Malaria Day itself. In Europe, coalitions and alliances against malaria will be
advocating in Parliaments. As for the malaria community of the United States,
it will be highlighting this day with the first Malaria Awareness Day. The
focus of this year's Africa Malaria Day will be on the need to work in
partnership to reverse the progression of malaria and make a significant impact
in endemic countries: Leadership and Partnership for Results.
http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/amd2007/
Howard
Chang and A.C. Peter (a.c.peter@vsnl.com)
Delhi, India, 30 March - Four
children from rural India will receive life-saving heart surgeries next week
thanks to a partnership with Rotary clubs and Delhi-area hospitals. The
children, from the Madanpur Khadar in Delhi, remote areas of Haryana, and
Kashmir states, have congenital heart conditions which can be fatal if left
untreated. The children will be admitted for tests on 30 March to the National
Heart Institute, and the Delhi Heart and Lung Hospital. (…)
The project is part of the
Rotary’s Gift of Life program, which teams Rotary clubs with hospitals to bring
young children with serious heart ailments to medical centers that can provide
proper treatment. “The families of
these children suffering from chronic heart illness have no monetary resources
and would never be in a position to raise enough money for the surgery,” says
A. C. Peter, a member of Rotary Club of Delhi East End and one of the project
leaders. “Rotary came forward to reach out to the children and their family.”
According to recent statistics
in India, approximately 8 of every 1,000 children suffer from congenital heart
diseases. Only a small portion of the children get medical expertise since the
majority cannot afford the high cost of surgery. The Gift of Life project was
launched by Rotary clubs in India in December 2002. Under the project, hundreds
of children born with heart ailments have been given free cardiac surgery,
medicine, and other services. The Rotary Club of Delhi East End, which
established its Gift of Life program three years ago, has provided heart
surgeries for 28 children over the past five months. Many children from
neighboring countries have also come to India and undergone successful heart
surgery under the Gift of Life project.(…)
Rotary clubs in India plan to
arrange free surgeries for 100 more needy children by end of this year in
partnership with the National Heart Institute, Delhi Heart and Lung Hospital,
Fortis Hospital, Apollo Hospital and Indian medical community.
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/presscenter/releases/2007/309.html
March 30 - Medical Teams
International has received a $485,732 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation to support an 18-month program to improve the health of impoverished
women and children in northern Uganda.
The grant will train 232
Ugandan health care workers, refurbish two critically-needed medical clinics
and implement sanitation services for more than 40,000 people living in
Uganda’s Lira District. The health projects will help thousands of families who
are returning to their villages after years in makeshift camps. The World
Health Organization estimates more than two million Ugandans have fled their
homes since 2002 when fighting escalated. (…)
Many Ugandan families are
returning home to villages devastated by years of conflict. Water and
sanitation systems are broken down and medicines and health clinics are
nonexistent. Lack of hygiene and clean water contribute to conditions that
quickly become deadly: malaria, dehydration from diarrhea and acute respiratory
infections. Working together with the Ministry of Health, Medical Teams International
will train community health providers, helping them to update their primary
health care skills and better manage childhood illnesses.
Medical Teams International
has been working in northern Uganda since June 2004, providing medical care,
health education, and medicines and supplies to local clinics and hospitals.
More than 40 local staff manage projects in the Lira and Pader districts. Ten
volunteer medical teams are scheduled to serve month-long assignments during
the next 12 months.
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5717
Over 1.5 million to be
immunized against meningitis
Large-scale meningitis
vaccination campaign in Uganda.
March 13 - During the past
weeks, teams from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
assisted in the vaccination of over 860,000 people against meningitis, a
contagious and potentially fatal infection of the brain membrane. These mass
immunization campaigns, have taken place across large swathes of northern
Uganda, southern Sudan and the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
countries which make up part of what is traditionally known as the
"meningitis belt," which stretches from Senegal in the west of Africa
to Ethiopia in the east. The total population at risk in these countries is
around 300 million.
Without treatment, bacterial
meningitis kills up to 50 percent of those infected. Even if the disease is
diagnosed early and treated with appropriate antibiotics, the case fatality
rate remains five to ten percent. As many as one out of five survivors will
suffer from neurological after-effects such as deafness or mental retardation.
In southern Sudan, MSF is
currently in the process of vaccinating a further 528,000 people, mostly under
the age of 30, bringing the total number vaccinated to over one million. (…) In
addition to the planned vaccination of a further 600 000 people in the West
African state of Burkina Faso, assessments are being carried out in a number of
areas and teams are on alert in other countries where outbreaks are feared. In
addition to the vaccinations, MSF is also supporting efforts to treat people
who have contracted the meningitis as well as conduct epidemiological
surveillance. (…)
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/2007/03-13-2007.cfm
(top)
Green
Schools program also greens students' homes
As
part of a program to increase energy-efficiency in schools, almost thirty
schools in Southern California are helping students trade conventional
lightbulbs for compact fluorescents
San Bernardino County, Calif.,
USA, April 4 (source: Solar Cookers International) - The Alliance to
Save Energy has partnered with Southern California Edison to enroll an initial
nine elementary and high schools in the Alta Loma, Hesperia, and San Bernardino
Unified School Districts in a program to bring home energy-efficient CFLs.
Southern California Edison provided the energy-efficient bulb, and the program
is funded by California utility rate payers and administered by Southern
California Edison under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.
(…)
The immediate goal of the
exchange program was to substitute some 4,000 CFLs for incandescent bulbs
during the 2006-2007 school year. The program's long-range goal was to swap
12,000 bulbs over three years. But the energy- and money-saving idea caught on
so well that in just four months -- and with just nine schools initially
participating -- schools had to scramble to keep up with the demand for CFLs.
When the dust had settled, more than 8,000 bulbs had been swapped in the fall
semester alone. Now, 20 more schools are gearing up for bulb exchanges during
the spring semester, with the potential of exchanging several thousand more
CFLs and surpassing the 12,000 three-year goal in only one year. (…)
Based on these numbers,
students in the nine participating schools have already saved more than
$400,000 in overall energy costs for their families and about 3 million kWh
over the lifetime of the CFLs. Given the projections for spring, the Green
Schools program anticipates that the schools will save more than $700,000 and
5.2 million kWh by the end of the school year in June.
The Alliance to Save Energy is
a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer
leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit
consumers, the environment, economy, and national security.
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34856&CFID=16269766&CFTOKEN=43115861
Buildings
can play a key role in combating climate change
Significant
gains can be made in efforts to combat global warming by reducing energy use
and improving energy efficiency in buildings
Oslo, 29 March – The right mix
of appropriate government regulation, greater use of energy saving technologies
and behavioural change can substantially reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
from the building sector which accounts for 30-40 % of global energy use, says
a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sustainable
Construction and Building Initiative (SBCI). The new report, Buildings and
Climate Change: Status, Challenges and Opportunities, says many opportunities
exist for governments, industry and consumers to take appropriate actions
during the life span of buildings that will help mitigate the impacts of global
warming. Citing the example of Europe, the report says more than one-fifth of
present energy consumption and up to 45 million tonnes of CO2 per year could be
saved by 2010 by applying more ambitious standards to new and existing
buildings.
Achim Steiner, UN
Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said:"Energy
efficiency, along with cleaner and renewable forms of energy generation, is one
of the pillars upon which a de-carbonized world will stand or fall.” (…) “This
report focuses on the building sector. By some conservative estimates, the
building sector world-wide could deliver emission reductions of 1.8 billion
tonnes of C02. A more aggressive energy efficiency policy might deliver over
two billion tonnes or close to three times the amount scheduled to be reduced
under the Kyoto Protocol," he added. (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=502&ArticleID=5545&l=en
Key
Points from the Buildings and Climate Change report
Oslo, 29 March - In the life
time of an average building most energy is consumed, not for construction, but
during the period when the building is in use. That is, when energy is being
used for heating, cooling, lighting, cooking, ventilation and so on.
Recognising this, the report pushes for a greater use of existing technologies
like thermal insulation, solar shading and more efficient lighting and
electrical appliances, as well as the importance of educational and awareness
campaigns. Typically more than 80% of the total energy consumption takes place
during the use of buildings, and less than 20% during construction of the same.
"To achieve improved
energy efficiency in buildings you often do not need to use advanced and
expensive high-tech solutions, but simple solutions such as smart design,
flexible energy solutions and provision of appropriate information to the
building users," says Olivier Luneau, SBCI (Sustainable Building and
Construction Initiative) Chairman and Director for sustainability at Lafarge.
"Simple solutions can include sun shading and natural ventilation,
improved insulation of the building envelope, use of recycled building
materials, adoption of the size and form of the building to its intended use
etc," he said. "Of course you can achieve even better results if more
sustainable construction system solutions are used, such as intelligent lighting
and ventilation systems, low temperature heating and cooling systems and energy
saving household appliances."
In addition to a greater use
of relevant energy saving technologies, the report stresses the importance of
appropriate government policies on building codes, energy pricing and financial
incentives that encourage reductions in energy consumption. (…)
The Buildings and Climate
Change report will be presented to the annual general meeting of the SBCI,
which is convened in Rabat, Morocco, from 2 to 4 April 2007.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=502&ArticleID=5545&l=en
“100 Pumps in 100 Days”
campaign provides clean drinking water to children in Africa
Tennis star Nicole Vaidisova helps launch campaign to bring clean water to African communities through PlayPump™ water systems
Westport, CT, USA, March 22 -
To commemorate World Water Day and to improve children's access to clean
drinking water worldwide, PlayPumps International, together with Save the
Children, is launching a campaign to bring clean water to 100 schools and
communities in Africa.
Supported by tennis star
Nicole Vaidisova, the 100 Pumps in 100 Days campaign aims to raise $1.4 million
to fund PlayPump™ water systems — an innovative pump powered by a
merry-go-round. (…) The campaign, which will begin on March 22 and end on June
29, will engage students, clubs, faith-based organizations, and others in
raising money and awareness. The campaign's Action Kit contains 100 ideas for
fundraising and outreach.
PlayPumps International, which
raises money to donate PlayPump™ water systems to schools and communities in
sub-Saharan Africa, is known for its collaborative approach. PlayPumps
International has enjoyed the support of foundations, corporations, governments
and celebrities, including music artist Jay-Z, whose MTV documentary
"Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life" raised awareness of the water crisis.
A PlayPump™ water system is a
child's merry-go-round attached to a water pump and storage tank that provides
clean drinking water and powerful educational messages to schools and
communities in Africa. By 2010, 4,000 PlayPump™ systems will be installed in 10
sub-Saharan African countries. (…)
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2007/clean-drinking-water.html
Solar
cooking keeps on spreading around the globe
(Source: Solar Cooking
International)
Uganda - In the last six
months of 2006, the Solar Connect Association (SCA) distributed 300 solar
CooKits in rural areas of western Uganda, including the villages of Kikokwa and
Ruharo, as well as in the Orukiga refugee settlement. With support from its new
partner the Foundation for Solar Cookers in the Netherlands the SCA plans
to disseminate an additional 2000 solar cookers in the western areas by the end
of 2007. The SCA has worked with Project Environmentale de Virunga in the
eastern Congo, near the habitat of the mountain gorillas, and with the
Association Burundais pour la Protection des Oiseaux in Bunjumbura-Burundi.
Both of these neighboring organizations reportedly need sources for low-cost
aluminum foil and other materials. Contact: Solar Connect Association, Uganda.
E-mail: solarconnect23@yahoo.com,
www.solarconect.4t.com
India - Fair Fabricators has been
honored for its “outstanding performance” in India’s solar cooker program. The
award was sponsored by the governmental Ministry
of Non-Conventional Energy Sources. Fair Fabricators reports that it has
manufactured and sold more than 100,000 solar cookers in the last two decades.
The company is a leading manufacturer of aluminum-bodied solar box cookers, but
also manufactures parabolic-type solar cookers and expects to begin production
of solar box cookers made of fiber-reinforced polymer. Contact: Mahendra Kumar Rawat,
Fair Fabricators, India, e-mail: fairfabricators@rediffmail.com
Bolivia - The Center for
Development of Solar Energy (CEDESOL) is working to install 2000 solar cookers
and 2500 fuel-efficient, two-burner “rocket” stoves in Bolivia by the end of
May. Over the next 12 months it hopes to scale up to 15000 stoves and cookers.
CEDESOL contributes to a campaign led by the German aid group GTZ to distribute
100000 solar cookers, heat-retention cookers, and fuel-efficient stoves by
2010.The GTZ campaign is to be launched during an international seminar in La
Paz this month. Contact: CEDESOL, Bolivia, e-mail: david.cedesol@gmail.com
Germany
- The
Mueller Solartechnik company will soon release its latest solar box cooker, Pil
Kaar 2. It has two opposing reflectors
that automatically adjust throughout the day to track the movement of the sun,
using a microcomputer powered by photovoltaic cells. This allows for constant
temperatures to be maintained over extended periods of time without manual
adjustment. Due to the design of the cooker and placement of the reflectors, it
is recommended primarily for those in equatorial regions. Contact: Mueller
Solartechnik, Germany, mueller-solartechnik@gmx.net , Web: www.mueller-solartechnik.com
Earth
Day Network climate change workshop at AARP WomenVision Summit
April 12-15, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Washington, DC, April 9 -
Earth Day Network (EDN) presents the workshop Climate Change: Challenges and
Opportunities for Women at the AARP's upcoming Womenvision Summit, April 12-15,
in Tucson, Arizona. Speakers include Teresa Heinz Kerry, one of the nation's
leading environmental advocates, and Susan Joy Hassol, who wrote the widely
acclaimed HBO documentary Too Hot Not to Handle.
"The timing and focus of
this workshop is so important because of the current worldwide debate about how
best to address global warming." said Kerry. "It will take the
leadership of women in government, business and throughout society to insure
that climate change solutions are not only effective, but responsive, as we
transition to a greener economy and a healthier environment."
The goal of the workshop,
scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, April 14, 2007, is to discuss how
participants, as consumers, investors, professionals, civic-minded citizens,
and member of religious communities, can contribute to developing and promoting
solutions to climate change. The workshop will also highlight the financial,
employment and other opportunities for women presented by the green technology
revolution that is being driven by climate change. (…)
http://www.earthday.net/news/04-09-07_release.aspx
Earth
Day Network counts down to Earth Day 2007, April 22nd
Washington, D.C., April 3 -
For the first time since Earth Day 1970 officially launched the modern
environmental movement in the U.S., a single environmental issue - global
warming - has captured simultaneous worldwide attention. (…)
Earth Day Network has engaged
in several national campaigns for Earth Day 2007 and beyond, many of which will
be announced in the weeks leading up to Earth Day, April 22nd. In addition, www.earthday.net offers the
following resources for Earth Day 2007:
Register and Find Earth Day
Events & Sermons - Join thousands of others who have registered their
events around the world. Find an event to attend and show up to support the
health of our planet
Offset the Carbon Emissions of
Your Event - Take the extra step and offset the carbon emissions of your Earth
Day event and all your events year-round
What You Can Do - Find out
what you can do in your home, office, and at school year-round to help the
Earth and then spread the word
Join Project Switch - Pledge
to switch out your inefficient incandescent light bulbs. Together we can cut
our energy use and carbon emissions and save millions of dollars
Bring Earth Day to the
Classroom - Join the EDN Teachers Network and find a variety of environmental
lesson plans dealing with current issues, along with contests and games
Earth Day Network,
www.earthday.net, seeks to grow and diversify the environmental movement
worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a
healthy, sustainable planet. (…) http://www.earthday.net/news/04-03-07_release.aspx
By
Aditya V. Bahadur and Stacey M. Winston of the International Federation
2 April - Faced with the growing
threat of climate change and extreme weather, several communities in Bangladesh
have come up with an innovative solution to reduce the impact of severe
flooding. These creative projects – aimed at reducing the risk of disasters –
are supported by the Bangladesh Red Crescent (BDRCS), the International
Federation and the British Department for International Development (DFID).
Clasping a small branch,
Amirul Islam proudly stands in front of a group of curious onlookers. “These
trees will lead to an improvement in our environment and play a role in the
overall development of our community,” he explains. Amirul is a Bangladesh Red
Crescent volunteer. He and a small group of fellow volunteers have planted
about 300 trees on two plots of land close to Sirahkunj, a small village on the
low-lying, flood-prone northern plains of Bangladesh.
Once they reach a certain
size, these trees will be replanted along riverbeds and roadsides where they
will reduce the impact of seasonal floods by increasing soil coherence and
preventing the erosion of precious top soil that is so important for
agriculture. In addition, community forestry makes a small contribution towards
balancing the effects of green house gases.
The project is also building
resilience within the community by providing a sustainable source of income,
explains Sifayet Ullah, a disaster management officer with the International
Federation. “Once the trees mature, they will be replaced with fresh saplings
and their wood will be sold in local markets with the profits going back into
the community,” he said. (…)
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/07/07040203/index.asp
New
offensive against Desert locust
Aerial
control operations on the Red Sea coast and in the Horn of Africa
Rome, 28 March – In a new
offensive against Desert Locust, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
called on countries in northeast Africa to intensify surveys and control
operations, particularly on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea and Sudan and in
northwest Somalia.
FAO and the Desert Locust
Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) have launched aerial control
operations on the Red Sea coast near the Sudanese and Eritrean border to
eliminate small swarms that are forming from a local outbreak that has been
underway since the end of last year. Ground control operations against hopper
and adult infestations have been in progress in both countries for several
months. DLCO-EA aerial operations will also start this week on the coast of
northwest Somalia near Djibouti. This new offensive against an old enemy is
conducted in close cooperation with local anti-locust teams. If the swarms are
not controlled on the Red Sea coast, they are likely to migrate to cropping
areas in the Tokar Delta on the coast of Sudan and to the Eritrean Highlands
where it will be difficult to stop them from attacking pastures and crops.
Climate
change challenges open up opportunities for developing countries
Climate
change recognized as one of the major political, technical, developmental and
societal challenges of the century
26 March – (…) At the 2007
Trade Commission session on 22 March in Geneva, which was devoted to emerging
issues in the trade, environment and development debate, experts pointed out
that global warming was accelerating due to human activities. Changing climate
patterns were negatively affecting all countries, the poorest being the least
able to react and adjust.
Despite the urgent need for
action, the meeting participants agreed that climate change response measures
should not prevent developing countries from achieving their economic growth
and poverty reduction objectives. On the contrary, the present and future
climate change regime should provide an opportunity for creating new jobs and
new business opportunities and for developing innovative products, services and
technologies that could contribute to climate change mitigation. Trade rules
and practices should facilitate the widespread use of those goods and services.
(…)
The Kyoto Protocol mechanisms,
in particular the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), had already delivered
emissions reductions of more than 1.9 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. With
carbon price well above US$ 10 per tonne, there was an enormous potential to
generate green investment flows to developing countries. Ultimately,
participants agreed that climate change was above all a development challenge,
making it an issue that UNCTAD should prominently address, for example through
the promotion of the biofuels option.
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Page.asp?intItemID=4177&lang=1
Environmentally-friendly
UN building in Montenegro
Podgorica - The first United
Nations premises incorporating ecological principles will be built in
Montenegro’s capital to a design by Daniel Fügenschuh. The City of Podgorica
has donated a very attractive site on the banks of the River Moracˇa for
this energetically autonomous building. The special equipment for the
ecological technology and building services will be financed by the Austrian
Development Agency and implemented by the World University Service Austria. The
building itself is being financed by the Montenegrin government and will have a
usable surface area of approximately 1400 m². Completion is scheduled for 2008.
The project is the result of
an invited architecture competition held in 2005. The building, which opens up
to the riverbank, is embedded in the landscape and presents itself as the
horizontal counterpart to the adjoining Millennium Bridge, Podgorica’s newest
landmark. The various UN agencies operating in Montenegro (UNDP, WHO, UNICEF,
UNHCR, IOM and UN consultants) will be brought together under a single roof
slab that is perforated with large openings for natural ventilation and
lighting purposes. Photovoltaic cells floating above the roof slab act as a
shading device while also providing enough energy to meet the building’s
estimated annual energy demands. The ventilation system works on the
displacement principal, using the heat generated in the interior to drive the
movement of air. (…)
Earth
Charter Initiative: religion strategy launched
For the past six months, ECI
has conducted a process of consultation and research to strengthen its active
engagement with religious communities and faith-based organizations. The
consultation resulted in the development of a specific Earth Charter Program on
Religion and Sustainability, for which ECI is currently seeking funds and
support. The program will center around the production of high-quality
educational materials to increase the level of awareness, knowledge of best
practices, and commitment to action among the religions on key international
issues like climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainable living.
A major element of this
program will be the creation of an Earth Charter Guidebook on Religion and
Sustainability. The guidebook will present basic background information,
success stories, and best practices on how the Earth Charter can be used within
religious contexts to foster reflection and dialogue on, and commitment to,
sustainable development. A central piece of the booklet will be a narrative on
the contributions of spiritual and religious thinkers and communities in the
drafting of the Charter.
The core elements of the
program were presented at the first International Experts’ Workshop on
Faith-Based Organizations and Education for Sustainable Development, organized
by UNESCO Catalonia in Barcelona from March 22 to 24. The workshop was attended
by leaders, experts, and activists from various local, regional, and international
faith-based organizations, and was aimed at mobilizing faith-based
organizations for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. (…)
http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/2007/03/eci_religion_strategy_launched.html
A
Centre for the World Religions: a spiritual agenda for peace
May,
11th, 2007, 9:00 a. m. to 6:00 p. m. at UNITED NATIONS, 326 East 48th Street,
Room E
You are cordially invited to
participate in a one day’s conference that ACWR will hold May 11th, 2007, at
the UN, New York. This is a follow-up of two previous meetings in 2005 and
2006, in promotion of a peace initiative that takes renewal of religion as a
starting point for peacemaking in the political and economic arenas. These
conferences dealt with a concrete and comprehensive eight point agenda that met
with great interest and support.
Therefore we feel inspired to
take the level of discussion a big step ahead by inviting NGOs and individuals
active in other interfaith, peace and social justice initiatives to join an
intense working session on May, 11th, 2007, again at the UN. This meeting is
designed to explore possibilities of close cooperation between a range of
organizations and individuals so as to turn this agenda into a joint venture
that will gain momentum and spread through many voices. We are aware that
success will depend on a broad basis of support. We aim to promote a global
peace initiative and not a particular organization. We envisage a chorus of
distinct voices, each with their own emphases, to join in a campaign for
thorough change.
If you wish to share in an
effort that draws on the unchanging wisdom of our religions and turns this deep
inspiration into a campaign of active solidarity with the suffering, please, do
come and join hands with us! (…)
http://www.centreworldreligions.org/cms/website.php?id=/index/unconference/may07.htm
School
enrolment more than doubles in Southern Sudan as new academic year opens
Juba/Sudan, 2 April – Some
850,000 children are enrolled in school today in Southern Sudan – a major
increase from an estimated 343,000 during the war. Many of these students have
joined school in the single year since a campaign to significantly increase
primary-school enrolment was launched on 1 April 2006. The ‘Go to School’
initiative, led by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of the
Government of Southern Sudan, and supported by UNICEF, aims to get 1.6 million
children into school by the end of 2007. (…) Of the 850,000 children now in
school, 34 per cent are girls – a significant milestone in overturning taboos
that restrict girls from obtaining an education. (…)
The two-decade war that ended
in January 2005 left Southern Sudan’s infrastructure in tatters. Of the 2,922
schools currently operating in the region, only 16 per cent are permanent
buildings.
The 'Go to School' initiative
is supporting the development of over 200 new permanent classrooms, along with
the rehabilitation of nearly 300 existing ones. Over 400 emergency classroom
tents have already been provided to ensure shelter for outdoor schools while
permanent construction gets under way. Over 2,500 teachers were trained in
2006. In 2007, the 'Go to School' initiative aims to reach a further 5,000
teachers through intensive English language training and fast-track training in
teaching methodologies.
The ‘Go to School’ initiative
provides an unprecedented opportunity to reverse the worst effects of the war,
thanks to generous contributions from donors including the Governments of
Japan, Denmark and the Netherlands; The US fund for UNICEF; and the German and
Swiss National Committees for UNICEF, among many others.
UNICEF is appealing for $30
million for education in Southern Sudan to train teachers; construct permanent
schools; build capacity; and provide the much-needed learning materials that
will help pupils stay in the classroom and obtain a quality education. Pledges
so far cover about 30 per cent of this amount. (…) UNICEF is funded entirely by
the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_39278.html
Chairperson of the German
Committee on Education says education is a public good, not a commodity
29 March - "Education is a public good, not a commodity," said Ulla Burchardt, Chairperson of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment of the German Bundestag, at a meeting organised by the Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW), one of EI’s German member organisations. The EI delegation met Ulla Burchardt in Berlin to share its views about the negotiations currently going on in the framework of the Doha Round and their potential impact on education. It was an occassion for EI to express its concerns and advocate for education to be excluded from trade agreements negotiations in general, and GATS in particular.
(…) This meeting follows a
series of meetings with trade negotiators from the EU, Brazil, Argentina, the
Caribbean Group, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand held in Geneva on 20-22 March
focusing mainly on domestic regulations.
Education International shares
all available information with its network of partners and stakeholders who
hold the same principles and values about the issue.
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=427&theme=gats&country=germany
Paraguay:
master’s degree in sustainable development and renewable energy
In February, Paraguay became
the first country in Latin America to offer a master’s degree in sustainable
development, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Paraguay is following the
lead of Spain, which has offered such a degree for five years. The degree is
offered in response to global climate change and strains on global energy
supplies. (…)
The course was organized by
the UNESCO professorship in sustainability of the Universitat Politècnica de
Catalunya, the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA), and several other
universities in Spain, Paraguay, Nicaragua and Argentina. It is sponsored by
the European Union's Urb-Al program, which links interested urban and rural
organizations from various European and Latin American countries in
decentralized cooperation networks. For more information about this course,
contact Ing. Lisa Lugo (Universidad
Católica “Nuestra Señora de la Asunción”) lugo@uca.edu.py or Ing. Juan Carlos Silvero (UNA), jsilvero@ing.una.py
World
Book and Copyright Day - April 23
By
celebrating this Day throughout the world, UNESCO seeks to promote reading,
publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.
© Unesco - 23 April: a symbolic date for world
literature for on this date and in the same year of 1616, Cervantes,
Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of
birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, K.Laxness,
Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. It was a natural choice
for UNESCO's General Conference to pay a world-wide tribute to books and
authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to
discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the
irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural
progress of humanity.
The idea for this celebration
originated in Catalonia where on 23 April, Saint George's Day, a rose is
traditionally given as a gift for each book sold. The success of the World Book
and Copyright Day will depend primarily on the support received from all
parties concerned (authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and
private institutions, humanitarian NGOs and the mass media), who have been
mobilized in each country by UNESCO National Commissions, UNESCO Clubs, Centres
and Associations, Associated Schools and Libraries, and by all those who feel
motivated to work together in this world celebration of books and authors.
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5125&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
10th
United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF)
October
24-28, 2007 Stanford University – Call for Entries
UNAFF, which is now completing
its first decade, was originally conceived to celebrate the fiftieth
anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was
created with the help of members of the Stanford Film Society and United
Nations Association Midpeninsula Chapter, a grassroots, community-based,
nonprofit organization. UNAFF is an independent project of the UNA-USA.
The Festival celebrates the power of international
documentary films and videos dealing with human rights issues, environmental
survival, protection of refugees, famine, homelessness, racism, disease
control, women's issues, children, universal education, war and peace.
The theme for UNAFF 2007
is: “Camera As Witness”. Formats: 16mm
and 35mm film; 1/2", Beta SP, DVD, PAL/NTSC. Preview on 1/2" VHS
(PAL/NTSC), DVD (NTSC region 0 or 1). All lengths are eligible. Deadline is June 1, 2007 (Late deadline June
10). Entry fee: $25 for films up to 30 min. (late deadline $35), $35 for films
longer than 30 min. (late deadline $45)
http://www.unaff.org/2007/submission.html
15th
Annual international conference on conflict resolution
May
5-13, St. Petersburg, Russia ( Formal Conference Program: May 6-11
At a time of rising turmoil- a
time that calls for new thinking, new vision, new understanding, and new ways
of relating in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent global
community.
A multidisciplinary,
multicultural conference sponsored by Common Bond Institute (USA) and Harmony
Institute (Russia) in cooperation with the Int.’l Humanistic Psychology
Association. This effort has received
support over the years from former President Clinton, former President Yeltsin,
and St.Petersburg Governor Jakovlev. It is endorsed by over 80 organizations
internationally
The Annual International
Conference on Conflict Resolution (ICR) held each spring in St. Petersburg,
Russia, represents a collaboration between two institutes - one American, one
Russian. More than ever, it speaks to the immediate potential for both dramatic
and violent decline in world relations, and at the same time compelling
movement toward peace, understanding, and harmony in the global community.
This year's conference is
again part of an integrated Series of International Conferences CBI is
coordinating in 2007 to explore The Consciousness Of Peace, leading to the 2nd
a new international conference series on "Engaging The Other" being
held in fall of 2007 in the USA. The ICR program examines fear-based belief
systems, negative stereotypes, prejudice, scapegoating, revenge, victim
identity, and justified violence for a deeper understanding of how these become
embodied in our concepts of "The OTHER." Among the rich variety of related
topics addressed this year are dynamics of Terrorism throughout the world,
Trauma, Forgiveness and Reconciliation, as well as issues in regions of
conflict, including the Middle East, South Asia, and the Balkans.
http://www.cbiworld.org/Pages/Conferences_ICR.htm
* * * * * * *
Next
issue: 4 May 2007
* * * * * * *
Good News Agency is distributed free of charge through Internet to over 3,700 editorial offices of the daily newspapers and periodical magazines and of the radio and television stations with an e-mail address in 48 countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Holland, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, USA. It is also distributed free of charge to over 2,800 NGOs around the world and it is available in its web site: http://www.goodnewsagency.org
It is an all-volunteer service of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà Mondiale, a registered non-profit educational organization chartered in Italy in 1979 and associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations.
The Association operates for the development of consciousness and promotes a culture of peace in the ‘global village’ perspective based on unity in diversity and on sharing.
Via Antagora 10, 00124
Rome, Italy. E-mail: s.tripi@tiscali.it
* * * * * * *
(TOP)