Good News Agency – Year VIII, n° 6
Weekly - Year VIII, number 6 –
4th May 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
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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
UN
adopts new International Agreement to protect world’s forests
28 April – After 15 years of discussions and
negotiations on a global approach to protect the world’s forests, countries
meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York have adopted a landmark
agreement on international forest policy and cooperation following two weeks of
intense negotiations. The final agreement was reached after delegates to the UN
Forum on Forests worked through the night, concluding just after dawn this
morning. Exhausted delegates nevertheless called the agreement a milestone,
noting it was the first time States have agreed to an international instrument
for sustainable forest management.(…)
The resulting agreement,
however, is considered a reflection of a strong international commitment to
promote on the ground implementation of sustainable forest management through a
new, more holistic approach that brings all stakeholders together. In addition,
the agreement is expected to reinforce practical measures at the country-level
to integrate forests more closely with other government policies. Another area
of disagreement that has long plagued forest negotiations concerned a financing
mechanism to mobilize funding for sustainable forest management. The agreement
calls on countries to adopt, by 2009, a voluntary global financing mechanism
for forest management.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22389&Cr=forests&Cr1
Top
UN human rights official to wrap up Central Asian tour in Turkmenistan
2 May - On the final leg of
her four-country Central Asian tour, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights Louise Arbour will arrive in Turkmenistan tomorrow to meetings
with Government authorities and representatives from various groups. “The visit
will provide and opportunity to exchange views on human rights related issues
with the Government of Turkmenistan and to engage in discussions about future
cooperation and continued dialogue on issues of mutual concern in the region
and the country,” according to a press release issued by the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Ashgabat, the country’s capital.
During her visit from 3 to 5 May, Ms. Arbour will meet with President
Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and other officials, representatives of regional
and international organizations and diplomats.
Brussels, 26 April - From 20 to 22 April, the 27 national coordinations
of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), federating more than 600 NGOs
across the European Union, gathered in Berlin for their Strategic Congress
under the motto ‘Driving the future of the European anti-racist movement’. They
adopted the strategic plan of the network for the next three years.
“ENAR’s future policy orientations reflect the challenges ahead with
regard to EU public policy and the EU political environment more generally. As
well as concentrating on the ‘traditional’ areas of ensuring the implementation
of EU anti-discrimination legislation and fighting racist crime, NAR has a role
to play in newer policy fields, such as social inclusion and migration.” said
Bashy Quraishy, ENAR President, adding “the Strategic Congress also coincided
with an important agreement on the EU framework decision on racism and
xenophobia, and we welcome the German Presidency’s efforts in making sure it
was adopted. ENAR regrets the watering down of the original Commission proposal
and the introduction of escape clauses, however it is a first step in the right
direction.”
ENAR agreed on four key objectives to be achieved during the 2007-2010
period:
- Combating discrimination, promoting equality and redressing
disadvantage (…)
- Promoting the development of progressive migration and integration
policies (…)
- Increasing recognition of anti-racism in equality and fundamental
rights (…)
- Enhancing the capacity of the network to deliver its strategy (…)
http://www.enar-eu.org/en/press/2007-04-26.pdf
Meeting
the food security challenge through organic agriculture
States
should integrate organic agriculture objectives within national priorities, FAO
says
Rome, 3 May – “Organic
agriculture is no longer a phenomenon in developed countries only, as it is
commercially practiced in 120 countries, representing 31 million hectares and a
market of US$ 40 billion in 2006,” FAO underlines in a paper Organic
Agriculture and Food Security presented here at an International Conference on
Organic Agriculture and Food Security (3-5 May 2007).
The paper identifies the
strengths and weaknesses of organic agriculture with regards to its
contribution to food security, analyzes attributes of organic supply chains
against the Right to Food framework and proposes policy and research actions
for improving the performance of organic agriculture at the national,
international and institutional levels.
“The strongest feature of
organic agriculture is its reliance on fossil-fuel independent and
locally-available production assets; working with natural processes increases
cost-effectiveness and resilience of agro-ecosystems to climatic stress,” the
paper says.
“By managing biodiversity in
time (rotations) and space (mixed cropping), organic farmers use their labour
and environmental services to intensify production in a sustainable way. Organic
agriculture also breaks the vicious circle of indebtedness for agricultural
inputs which causes an alarming rate of farmers’ suicides.”
The paper recognizes that
“most certified organic food production in developing countries goes to export”
and adds that “when certified cash crops are linked with agro-ecological
improvements and accrued income for poor farmers, this leads to improved food
self-reliance and revitalization of small holder agriculture.” (…) Organic
Agriculture website: http://www.fao.org/organicag/
UN
food agency welcomes $55 million contribution from Southern Sudan
28 April – The United Nations
World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a $55 million contribution from the
Government of Southern Sudan for the agency's rebuilding projects in the
region, which is recovering from a 21-year conflict. In a meeting between WFP
Executive Director Josette Sheeran and southern Sudan's Minister of Roads and
Transport, Rebecca Garang Nyandeng, the minister announced that the Government
would donate $41 million to the agency's Road Building and Demining Programme
plus an additional $14 million towards refurbishing several airstrips in
southern Sudan. “Now that peace has been restored to the south, WFP is moving
from emergency programming to helping people restore their independence and
livelihoods. Rebuilding roads destroyed during the war is critical to that
effort,” Ms. Sheeran told the transport minister during their meeting in Juba
on Friday. “Where we have been able to rebuild roads, food costs have gone down
50 per cent and the cost of transportation has gone down as much as 60 per
cent,” she said. (…)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22387&Cr=southern&Cr1=Sudan
Foreign
investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2006
The
annual publication, one of ECLAC's flagship reports, contains a special chapter
on Korean investments in the region.
26 April - José Luis Machinea,
Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC), will offer a press conference to present the Foreign
Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2006 report on Thursday 3 May at
11:00 a.m. at ECLAC's Santiago, Chile headquarters (Raúl Prebisch Conference
Hall, Av. Dag Hammarskjöld 3477, Vitacura).(…) In addition, on Friday, 4 May at
11:30 a.m., ECLAC's José Luis Machinea will give a special presentation of the
chapter on Korean investment in Latin America and the Caribbean. Organized in
conjunction with the Korean embassy in Chile, the presentation will take place
at the Santiago headquarters of the UN regional commission (in the Celso
Furtado Conference Room) with the participation of Korean authorities,
including Korea's Ambassador in Chile, Kee Hyun-seo. The event is part of the
project "The Republic of Korea's Foreign Direct Investment in Latin
America and the Caribbean" conducted by ECLAC with the support of the
Korean government.
The
Brazilian Government and ECLAC agree to promote economic, social and
environmental development
Agreement
will support research and studies on issues such as biofuels, climate change,
intellectual property, and the financing of sustainable industrial processes,
among others.
26 April - On the occasion of
his visit to Chile, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federal
Republic of Brazil, held a working meeting today with high-level officials of
the United Nations, based in Latin America and the Caribbean. President Lula
and José Luis Machinea, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), exchanged views on various issues
related to regional development and participated in the signing of a memorandum
of understanding to promote economic, social and environmental development. (…)
The document emphasizes that science and technology play an important role in
the promotion of economic development and social inclusion, and that
cooperation and research & development lead to the creation of new
technologies, knowledge and business opportunities that result in an improved
quality of life. The goal of this agreement is to seek support for program
activities defined in the strategic plan of Brazil's Ministry for Science and
Technology, particularly in the area of sustainable development, and including
the production of biofuels, studies on climate change, the comparative analysis
of innovation policies and intellectual property, as well as financing
instruments and capital risk financing. Under this memorandum, studies will be
undertaken on the viability of biomass as a clean and sustainable energy
source, particularly in small communities. It will also foster research,
training and information-exchange in relevant areas in order to facilitate
their adoption by environmentally sustainable industrial sectors. (…)
ECLAC
and the Government of Germany deepen their cooperation program
New
resources allocated for the study of biofuels, fiscal policy, rural use of
firewood, etc.
25 April 2007 - Yesterday in
Berlin, discussions concluded between Germany's Federal Ministry of Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in which both institutions agreed to deepen their
Cooperation Program "Towards a Sustainable and Equitable Globalization,"
currently underway in Latin America and the Caribbean. Both institutions
expressed their satisfaction with the positive evolution of their association,
ratifying the mutual desire to forge ahead with future work on: Governance,
fiscal policy, equality of opportunities and social policies; energy efficiency
and renewable energy to confront climate change; and regional integration,
fostering technology and innovation. They also agree to take advantage of the
synergies of this Cooperation Program through other bilateral cooperation
projects in the region and by collaborating with new actors. The dialogue held
23 - 24 April 2007 was frank and positive, and reflected the spirit of
friendship and confidence which has characterized the collaboration between
these institutions. The ECLAC delegation was headed by its Executive Secretary,
José Luis Machinea, while the delegation from the Federal Republic of Germany
was led by Reinhard Tittel-Gronefeld, Head of the Division of Regional
Cooperation, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, for BMZ, the organism
on which the German Cooperation Agency (GTZ) depends. (…) The scope of BMZ's
activities covers the whole of Latin America and a large part of the Caribbean.
In partnership with ECLAC, various technical assistance projects and activities
have been elaborated under a wide range of development themes, from budgetary
policies to sustainable use of natural resources.
Shrimp
scampi without the guilt
FAO
partnership working to establish guidelines for certification of farmed fish
20 April, Rome - Where did
that shrimp scampi you're about to tuck into come from? Do you know? Was a sea
turtle accidentally killed when the shrimp were netted? Were the shrimp grown in
a pond where once a biodiverse mangrove swamp stood? What about the
bouillabaisse you just ordered? Is the farmed-raised salmon it contains
healthy? Does the sea farm it came from pollute, or produce responsibly? Who'd
have ever guessed that eating seafood could be so complicated? But as the
world's appetite for seafood increases and greater amounts of it are farmed in
captivity by humans rather than raised in the wild (45% of all fish eaten
today), retailers and consumers alike are paying lots more attention to where
their fish fry comes from and if it's safe to eat.
One way through the maze,
experts say, is certification. Essentially, certification of a seafood product
indicates if it was produced in a sustainable, healthy, socially responsible
and environmentally-friendly way. The practice is being used in both capture
fisheries and aquaculture with growing frequency. Retailers and consumer groups
alike support certification, but still the issue is not without its
controversies.(…) FAO recently began collaborating with the non-profit Network
for Aquaculture Centres in the Asia Pacific (NACA) to hold consultations with a
large group of certification bodies, producer groups, processors and consumer
organizations in order to draw up global guidelines on how aquaculture
certification standards ought to be established and applied.(…) A follow-up
workshop is scheduled to take place later this year in Brazil, following which
FAO and NACA will undertake a series of public consultations with various
stakeholders on the issues with the goal of presenting a draft set of
international guidelines for consideration by governments at the next meeting
of the UN Agency's Subcommittee on Aquaculture, to be held in November 2008 in
Chile.
FAO has already developed
similar guidelines for eco-labelling of fish products from marine and inland
capture fisheries.
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000541/index.html
Sultanate
of Oman provides UN-ESCWA with financial support
The Sultanate of Oman provided
UN-ESCWA with financial support of USD 50,000 to fund development projects and
technical cooperation and support activities for member countries. The
Sultanate is considered one of the most prominent supporters of UN-ESCWA in
recent years since it has already provided USD 300,000 in funds. The amount
provided will be deposited in the UN-ESCWA Trust Fund, which is an expression
of support by the member countries for the Commission's efforts to strengthen
the technical, managerial and organizational capacities of its clients to plan
and deliver more effective policies and programmes, particularly in support of
the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the outcomes of the major
United Nations conferences and international agreements dating back to 1992.
The Trust Fund is also the
medium through which member countries as well as regional organizations and
institutions directly contribute to furthering regional cooperation and
integration. (…) UN-ESCWA Trust Fund was established in 1976 and aims to
support activities and projects that achieve regional cooperation and
integration in the following priority areas identified by UN-ESCWA member
countries: water and energy, integrated social policies, globalization, and
information and communication technology. The Commission also addresses three
cross-cutting priority issues: the advancement of women; statistics; and the
environment. http://www.escwa.org.lb/
Colombia:
half of EU aid to go directly to victims
Constanza Vieira
Bogota, April 16 (IPS) - Half
of Europe's aid for Colombia over the next seven years will go directly to
victims of the civil war and civil society organisations that provide them with
assistance. The European Union (EU) decision "is a political triumph for
the victims," Jorge Rojas, director of the Consultancy on Human Rights and
Displacement (CODHES), a respected local human rights group, told IPS.
During her three-day visit to
Colombia, which ends Tuesday, European Commissioner for External Relations
Benita Ferrero-Waldner announced that Colombia's aid for the 2007-2013 period
would be increased from a total of 105 million euros (142 million dollars) to
160 million euros (216 million dollars), for all of the EU programmes in
Colombia. The issues of greatest concern to the EU in Colombia are social
cohesion, regional economic integration linked to competitiveness, the fight
against drug trafficking, "and of course respect for human rights,"
said the commissioner. (…) The proportion of aid that will go through the
government and directly towards the communities and civil society is
"fifty-fifty," Adrianus Koetsenruijter, ambassador-chief of the
European Commission team to Colombia and Ecuador, told IPS.
The EU is the world's single
largest aid donor, and Colombia is suffering the worst humanitarian crisis in
the western hemisphere, with a decades-long armed conflict in which the state
security forces and far-right paramilitaries are fighting leftist guerrillas.
(…)
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37372
Colombia:
ICRC assists over 2,000 displaced persons
16 April - During the weekend
of 14/15 April, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) mounted a
new operation to help people who have fled their homes to seek safety in El
Charco (Nariño), Guapi (Cauca) and Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca).
After evaluating the situation,
the ICRC shipped in 21 tonnes of food and over 700 hygiene items, to cover the
most urgent needs of the 470 families staying in hostels or with family and
friends.
Since the first aid delivery
15 days ago, ICRC has supplied 45 tonnes of food in two shipments.
“People displaced by fighting
in the region are in a very difficult situation. In some cases, four families
are sharing a two-room house. In addition, they are short of food and water.
Most of the displaced persons are women and children,” says Cornelia Genoni, an
ICRC delegate involved in the operation.
As part of its mandate to
protect and assist the victims of armed conflict, the ICRC will continue to
monitor the situation, and will decide what further assistance to provide on
this basis of its assessments and its criteria.
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/colombia-news-160407
Blue
helmets in Haiti return school once used by drug gangs to local authorities
26 April – Brazilian
peacekeepers working with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
(MINUSTAH) have handed back to local authorities in a notorious district of the
capital a school that was seized from drug gangs earlier this year. The Ecole
Nationale de Cité Soleil, from the slum district of the same name, will be
rehabilitated with funds from the International Organization for Migration
(IOM), UN spokesperson Michele Montas said today.
The hand-over took place
during a short ceremony yesterday involving Col. Barrosso Magno, commander of
the Mission’s Brazilian contingent, which had been using the site its temporary
headquarters. The return of the school “is a sign of change for Cité,” Col.
Magno said, referring to the district of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where
crime and gang activity has been most rampant in recent decades.
MINUSTAH has been working
actively with UN Police (UNPOL) and Haitian National Police (PNH) to locate and
arrest key gang leaders and to disrupt and reduce their criminal activities.
Elected officials in Cité
Soleil yesterday also returned to work at the bullet-scarred town hall, which
has become functional again, thanks to a joint effort by the Haitian Government,
the PNH and the Brazilian contingent in MINUSTAH.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/ticker/tickerstory.asp?NewsID=22359
India:
Vizag engineering students invent a landmine-detecting robot
From our ANI Correspondent
Vishkhapatnam, April 23:
Students of St. Teresa Engineering College here have developed a robot that can
detect and diffuse landmines. Operated through a laptop, the robot can work
upto a range of 100 kilometres. It can also be operated through a high-end
mobile phone within a range of 100 feet. "It mainly works on the principle
of FM (Frequency Modulation) transmitter and receiver. We transmit signals in
the air through a laptop, which are caught by the FM receiver attached to the
robot. It will then decode the signal and would work according to it,"
said G. Srinivasulu, one of the inventors.
Fitted with a web camera, the
robot helps in detecting metals by sending high-frequency wavelengths through a
FM transmitter, within a radius of 150 yards. The students said that with some
more investment, the range could be increased to half-a-kilometer.
This multi-purpose robot, can
be used in various fields, ranging from helping geologists and farmers, for
detecting metals, for assisting security personnel in identifying landmines.
"It (the robot) will find many applications. In the police department, in
the Border Security Force and for searching landmines and claymores," said
L. Joga, Rao, a senior professor, in the mechanical department of the college.
The robot which costs12,500 rupees has won awards at several national-level
science fairs. The students now plan to patent their invention.(ANI)
Ethiopia:
EU to step up efforts to rid Africa of landmines (Angola)
The
European Union will step up efforts to rid Africa, the world poorest continent
and one of its most conflict-prone regions, of landmines and small arms
Addis Ababa, 21 April - The
European Union will step up efforts to rid Africa, the world poorest continent
and one of its most conflict-prone regions, of landmines and small arms,
officials said Friday. “We are aware that the problems caused by landmines and
the illicit proliferation, circulation, accumulation and trafficking of small
arms and light weapons constitute a serious impediment to social and economic
development,” said Tim Clarke, the EU representative at the African Union (AU)
headquarters in Addis Ababa. “These problems cannot be resolved unless there is
tighter and better coordinated international cooperation.”
Speaking at the end of a
three-day meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Jeffrey Mugumya, director of the
AU’s peace and security department, made an impassioned plea for help. “Africa
is the continent worst affected by the scourge of landmines. We should move
from policy formulations to active implementation of these policies. We want to
ensure that within 10 years, Africa becomes a landmine-free continent. We are
well aware that we cannot do this alone,” he said. The meeting also marked the
10th anniversary of the Ottawa Convention, the most comprehensive international
instrument for ridding the world of antipersonnel mines. The treaty deals with
everything from mine use, production and trade, to victim assistance, mine
clearance and stockpile destruction and has been ratified by 153 nations.
According to the United
Nations Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Somalia
and Sudan are Africa’s worst landmine-affected countries.
http://www.landmine.de/en.titel/en.news/en.news.one/index.html?entry=en.news.0e335ff46ea40000
Three
ethnic armed groups from Burma/Myanmar commit to a ban on anti-personnel mines Geneva, 16
April - The Lahu Democratic Front
(LDF), the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) and the Pa-O People's
Liberation Organization (PPLO), today committed to a total ban on
anti-personnel mines by signing Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment. The signing
took place in the historic Alabama Room, in the Town Hall of Geneva.
Both the Burma/Myanmar
Government - known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) - and a
number of armed ethnic opposition groups continue to use anti-personnel mines,
particularly in conflict areas along the country’s borders. The consequences of
the use of mines on affected populations are dramatic; though exact numbers are
not available, it is estimated that up to fifty percent of landmine victims are
civilians. (…)
The LDF, PSLF and PPLO join
three other ethnic armed groups from Burma/Myanmar in agreeing not to use
anti-personnel mines and to facilitate mine action. Of the new signatory groups
only the LDF were until making this commitment still utilising anti-personnel
mines, whilst the PSLF still possess stockpiles of the weapon. Both the LDF and
PSLF have declared themselves ready to destroy the stockpiles that they
possess, whilst the LDF have pledged to remove the mines that they had laid previously.
(…) It is hoped that as the number of armed groups rejecting the use of mines
increases, the government will also consider banning them.
The LDF, PSLF and PPLO now
calls on the government and other armed groups to also ban the use of
antipersonnel mines and to cooperate in mine action.
Geneva Call is an
international humanitarian organisation dedicated to engaging armed Non-State
Actors in relation to mine-ban action. (…)
http://www.genevacall.org/news/testi-press-releases/gc-16-apr07-burma.htm
Mine
risk education in Lebanon
11 April - Life is slowly
returning after the traumatic 34-day Israeli-Hezbollah conflict last summer
that left Lebanese villages bombed, roads destroyed and thousands injured and
dead. DanChurchAid is currently clearing mines and unexploded ammunition in
Lebanon and is right now engaged in four mine risk education events in Southern
Lebanon.
Despite the threat of cluster
munitions hidden in the ground, children and adults in mine-contaminated areas
still must live their lives. They have to farm land, walk to school, conduct
business, visit neighbors and play with friends. And they need to know how to
take the proper precautions.
The National Demining Office
(NDO) is right now in the process of implementing four Mine Risk Education
(MRE)/Mine Victim Assistance (MVA) Events in Southern Lebanon. The main funding
agency is the European Commission for Humanitarian Operations (ECHO) funding the
four MRE/MVA events through DanChurchAid. Other donors are Norwegian People’s
Aid (NPA), UNICEF and Balamand University. (…)
Consultative
meeting to enhance peaceful coexistence in Iraq
Within the framework of
addressing the growing threat of ethnic and sectarian tensions in the region,
UN-ESCWA held a consultative meeting to discuss a project entitled
"Enhancing the Peaceful Coexistence in Iraq through Informal and
Non-Formal Education" in Beirut on 19-20 April 2007. The meeting brought
together representatives of the Iraqi Ministries of Education, Human Rights,
Youth and Sports, as well as representatives of a number of Iraqi
non-governmental organizations and other United Nations entities. The meeting
aimed to receive input, comments and suggestions from the participants on the
project that was formulated by UN-ESCWA, the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF), and the Office of Human Rights at the United Nations Assistance
Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
At the conclusion of the
meeting, participants stressed the importance of the project and the dire need
for such an initiative in Iraq. They affirmed that this is a pioneering project
that could lay the groundwork for wider movement within Iraq that would in turn
contribute to strengthening peaceful coexistence. The deliberations of the
meeting also resulted in upholding the project's purpose, objectives,
activities, and target beneficiaries, namely youth between 12 and 18 years old.
Participants suggested a number of amendments, ideas and additional activities
that would contribute to developing the project in concordance with Iraqi
society and its needs, as well as reinforcing it so that it becomes more
systematic in dealing with ethnic and sectarian tensions in Iraq. http://www.escwa.org.lb/
UN
health agency launches nine solutions to save patients’ lives
2 May - Since mistakes made in
health care affect one out of every 10 patients in the world, the United
Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today launched a new programme called
“Nine patient safety solutions” to reduce the harm done to people during
medical treatments. “Implementing these solutions is a way to improve patient
safety,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan of the nine effective methods,
determined by the agency’s World Alliance for Patient Safety and the
Collaborating Centre, to curtail errors made in health care.
The solutions are based on
interventions and other actions taken in some countries that have reduced harm
done to patients, and are aimed at redesigning the processes undertaken to care
for patients and improve their safety. The nine solutions are: look-alike,
sound-alike medication names; patient identification; communication during
patient hand-overs; performance of correct procedure at correct body site;
control of concentrated electrolyte solutions; assuring medication accuracy at
transitions in care; avoiding catheter and tubing mis-connection; single use of
injection devices; and improved hand hygiene to prevent health care-associated
infections.
“Patient safety is now
recognized as a priority by health systems around the world,” said Liam
Donaldson, who chairs the Alliance and is England’s Chief Medical Officer.
“Clear and succinct actions contained in the nine solutions have proved to be
useful in reducing the unacceptably high numbers of medical injuries around the
world.”
Over the past year, WHO has
brought together over 50 recognized leaders and experts in patient safety from
around the world to identify and adapt the nine solutions to meet different
needs. The solutions were tested in the field in order to gather feedback from
leading patient safety organizations, Governments’ health ministries, international
professional health organizations and other bodies.
New
study finds marked improvements in Afghanistan's health sector
Independent evaluation
suggests 40,000 fewer infant deaths per year compared to 5 years ago
United Nations Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
Kabul, 26 April – Infant mortality rates in Afghanistan declined from an estimated 165 per 1,000 live births in 2001 to about 135 per 1,000 in 2006, according to preliminary findings of Johns Hopkins University (JHU) household survey. This means that 40,000 fewer infants are dying each year compared to during Taliban rule. A health facility assessment, also commissioned by the Ministry of Public Health, indicates a 25 percent improvement in overall quality of health services since 2004. The JHU assessment - which surveyed more than 600 health facilities each year since 2004 and used a Balance Score Card (BSC) to measure different aspects of quality of services - found improvements in virtually all aspects of care in almost every province.
“Despite many challenges,
there are clear signs of health sector recovery and progress throughout the
country,” said HE Dr. Mohammad Amin Fatimi, Public Health Minister of Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan. “The JHU evaluations give us some encouragement that
the Government has achieved real successes, but there is a long way to go to
provide access to basic health services for Afghans in far remote, underserved
and marginalized areas across the country. Continuing progress will be
difficult without a firm commitment by the international community to increased
and secure financing for the sector.”
JHU conducted the community
survey of more than 8,000 households nationwide to measure access and
utilization of health services. It found that the proportion of women receiving
antenatal care increased from 5 percent in 2003 to 30 percent in 2006. The
proportion of couples who were using a modern form of family planning increased
from 5 percent to 15 percent in 3 years. Similarly, the proportion of pregnant
women who received attendance by a skilled health worker increased 5 percent to
nearly 19 percent. (…)
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-72MQQX?OpenDocument
Afghanistan
and Pakistan vaccinate over 40 million children against polio
25 April - Two of the four
remaining countries which have never stopped polio vaccinated over 40 million
children between them this week. The two countries share a long border with
regular travel and are considered a single block of transmission for the
poliovirus.
Since the introduction of new
tool – including more potent vaccines – and new tactics in both countries in
2006, both appear to have stopped the bulk of their indigenous polio.
Authorities are now focusing on the inter-country reservoirs, where access is
complicated by security and population mobility, among other factors. Stopping
polio in these reservoirs requires careful international coordination and real
synchronization of activities at borders, as well as concrete help to improve safety, even temporarily. In
both countries, vaccinators aim to reach all children under the age of five: in
Afghanistan, this means 7.3 million children; in Pakistan, 33.5 million.
Only two other countries have
never stopped polio – India and Nigeria, both with larger populations and much
more intense transmission of virus than Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2006,
Afghanistan and Pakistan reported 31 and 40 cases of polio respectively; India
and Nigeria had 674 and 1127 respectively. The independent advisory group to
the global eradication effort concluded last year that 2007 presents the best
chance for Afghanistan and Pakistan to be the next countries to stop
poliovirus. Afghanistan has had no cases of polio since November 2006.
The global drive to eradicate
polio, which has reduced the number of polio cases worldwide by over 99%, is
predicated on reaching all children under five years of age with oral polio
vaccine multiple times.
http://www.polioeradication.org/content/general/LatestNews200704.asp#AFG/PAK
Iranian
Red Crescent volunteers take to the roads to save lives
Hossein Sharifara,
International Affairs Department, Iranian Red Crescent Society
23 April - More than 50% of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are active in road safety and the Iranian
Red Crescent Society (IRCS) is particularly well-organized to provide emergency
services to road victims. In Iran, the toll of road crashes is high - between
28,000 and 30, 000 people die on the roads, and 300,000 are injured each year.
In response, the Iranian Red Crescent offers first aid courses – more than
12,300 in 2006 alone, to people from many different walks of life, and
organizes country-wide road rescue operations carried out from 530 fixed and
mobile posts set up on Iranian roads. These operations include the distribution
of brochures, road maps, the provision of temporary shelters for travellers in
need, the distribution of food in emergencies, relief and rescue services when
road crashes occur, as well as evacuation of the injured and transferral to the
nearest medical institution.
More than 1,500 volunteers and
hundreds of medical personnel are mobilized on the roads at particularly
“sensitive” times, such as the celebration of the Iranian New Year. (…)
The Iranian Red Crescent
Society is committed to ensuring the health and safety of travellers by
addressing road accidents both as part of its overall disaster preparedness and
emergency response responsibilities and as an auxiliary to the governmental
emergency medical services. Its trained volunteers are on alert in 530 fixed
and mobile road posts across the country to assist the victims of road
accidents and to provide relief services wherever there is need. (…)
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/07/07042301/index.asp
22,000
new children a day protected from malaria by Red Cross/Red Crescent societies
and their partners in 2006
23 April - Red Cross and Red
Crescent national societies and their partners protected some 22,000 new
children per day from malaria in Africa in 2006. This results from the
distribution of 8.3 million long lasting insecticidal nets to mothers of
children under the age of five, says the International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies on Africa Malaria Day which will be marked on 25 April.
“Despite this spectacular achievement, malaria is still one of the most
devastating global public health problems with more than one million deaths
every year. Some 3,000 children die of malaria every day,” says Jean Roy,
Senior Adviser at the International Federation Health and Care department in
Geneva. More than 80 per cent of cases occur in Africa, south of the Sahara.
In 2006, Red Cross and Red
Crescent National Societies distributed 2.2 million nets in Niger, 875,000 in
Sierra Leone and also supported large distribution campaigns in Kenya (3.4
million nets distributed) Angola and Rwanda. Approximately another 7 million
children under the age of five are expected to receive nets in 2007. (…) Keep
Up programmes started in Togo in 2005. They were extended later to Mozambique
and Kenya. Similar plans are being developed in Ghana, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and
Uganda.
Besides the massive
distribution of nets and the mobilization of volunteers to make sure the nets
are used, the International Federation is also involved in rapid response to
emergency situations in Africa, for instance by making nets available during
the recent floods that affected eastern and southern Africa to prevent an
increase in malaria cases. It is also working with governments to ensure that
appropriate malaria treatment is available. Access to nets for people living
with HIV is also a priority, as they are among those at higher risk for
developing malaria, just like young children and pregnant women. The
International Federation is working with more than 25 partners representing
international agencies, institutions and non-governmental organizations.
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/pr07/2307.asp
MSF
responds to outbreaks across Africa's "Meningitis Belt"
April 5 - Doctors Without
Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been quick to respond to meningitis
epidemics in several countries in Africa's "meningitis belt." In the
four countries–Burkina Faso, Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC)–where the epidemic threshold has been reached- MSF's first response
was to evaluate the outbreak, identify the strain of meningitis, and treat
people infected with the disease. Now in the second stage of treatment and prevention,
MSF has also been carrying out mass-vaccination campaigns to prevent the spread
of this highly contagious disease.
The outbreak was first
recorded in late 2006. Since then 27,650 cases and 1,840 deaths have been
reported in the four countries worst affected.
In the last few weeks, teams
in Uganda and DRC have successfully assisted in the vaccination of more than
700,000 people and case numbers appear to be dropping. In Burkina Faso, MSF
vaccinated 475,000 people in the capital Ouagadougou and plans to vaccinate an
additional 500,000 in rural areas of the country. In southern Sudan nearly
491,000 people have been vaccinated by MSF and an additional 290,000 will be
vaccinated in the coming weeks. Teams in other countries where outbreaks are
feared are on the alert. (…) After
several years of low incidence in the belt, the 2006 epidemic season saw a
marked rise in meningitis outbreaks across the region and the WHO considers it
highly likely that a new epidemic wave will emerge in the coming years. (…)
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/2007/04-05-2007.htm
Youths
kick AIDS out of Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso,
April 5 – (…) Africare, in conjunction with the North Region Department of
Sports, held the regional Kick AIDS championship in Ouahigouya last March 30th.
This highly anticipated event also served as the closing ceremony for the Kick
AIDS pilot project, running from April 2005 to March 2006 with funding from
USAID/West Africa Ambassadors’ AIDS Fund (WAAF) through U.S. Embassy
Ouagadougou. UNICEF and UNAIDS provided additional funding for project
equipment as well as monitoring and evaluation of the project. (…)
Two youth teams were crowned
regional Kick AIDS champions: “FC Olympic”, a boys’ team from Gourcy, and “The
Queens of Yatenga”, a girls’ team from Ouahigouya. These teams were awarded
first-rate equipment (soccer uniforms, warm-up suits, and sports bags) donated
by an American youth soccer team, “The Cavaliers” from McLean, Virginia. To
qualify for this regional Championship game, these teams had to first triumph
at the provincial level, not only by win soccer games, but also by accumulating
points through team visits to their local HIV testing centers and team meetings
with and donations to people living with HIV/AIDS. Teams also received points
for with signing individual Game Plans for Life, in which players pledged to
either Abstain, to Be faithful, or to use Condoms. Furthermore, players had to
answer questions about HIV/AIDS at the end of each match and points granted for
correct answers were added to the total score of the game. (…)
The Kick AIDS tournament was
the culminating stage for these youths, who had been learning vital HIV
prevention and care information during prior months through the Sports For Life
Coach’s Guide. Developed by Johns Hopkins University’s Health Communication
Partnerships, the Sports For Life Coach’s Guide is a participatory life skills
curriculum, which enables youths to learn and practice healthy behaviors
through sports drills, games and discussions. (…)
http://www.africare.org/news/documents/YouthsKickAIDSOutofBurkinaFaso.pdf
(top)
UNECE
launches EUR 250 million Eastern European energy efficiency and renewable
energy investment fund
Geneva, 27 April - The UNECE
Energy Efficiency 21 Project (EE21) is to assist in the development and
launching of an Investment Fund to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Eastern
Europe, Central Asia and South-Eastern Europe. The UNECE has received grants
totalling US$ 7.5 million from the United Nations Foundation (UNF), Fonds
Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM) and the Global Environmental
Facility (GEF) for ‘Financing Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Investments for Climate Change Mitigation’. This technical assistance project
will launch a public-private equity Fund under the auspices of the Global
Environment Facility, assist local experts to develop investment projects for
financing and work with local authorities on the energy policy reforms to
support these investments. The Energy Efficiency 21 Project promotes the
formation of an energy efficiency market in Eastern Europe so that
cost-effective investments can provide a self-financing method of reducing
global greenhouse gas emissions.
During the last few years, the
UNECE has demonstrated that it is possible to identify, develop and finance
energy efficiency investment projects in Eastern Europe. But it has also shown
that this is a time consuming and labour intensive process that needs to become
much more fluid or business-as-usual in order to succeed on any meaningful
scale. The market for energy efficiency projects with a payback period of less
than five years is estimated to be between EUR 5 and 10 billion. But the
capital investment requirements needed to tap this potential are so large that
only commercial sector finance on a significant scale can actually deliver
meaningful results. This market will need to provide opportunities for the
commercial sector to make large investments with low transaction costs that
make adequate returns at acceptable risk within a reasonable period of time.
The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Investment Fund is designed to
provide a bridge between demonstration investments financed under special
conditions in selected Eastern European locations to the establishment of an
investment fund that can serve as a vehicle for the large scale participation
of private sector investors in partnership with public entities including
current and planned GEF projects. (…)
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2007/07sed_p02e.htm
Rotary
International: Water Day activities include launch of new action group
Rotarians
around the world celebrated World Water Day on 22 March by calling attention to
water issues that affect some 2.6 billion people worldwide.
By
Joseph Derr, Rotary International News
During a World Water Day press
conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Ron Denham announced
the launch of the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group. Denham, a past RI
district governor who also chairs the Water Resource Group for 2006-07, said
the newest Rotarian Action Group will help strengthen ongoing Rotary water
initiatives. It also will enhance networking and collaboration between Rotary
clubs and districts working on water initiatives as well as foster cooperative
water projects with other organizations. Visit the Water and Sanitation
Rotarian Action Group’s Web site to learn more and sign up for the action
group.
More Water Day activities
• In a joint project with the
office of the Belgian Senate and nongovernmental organizations, three districts
in Belgium (1620, 1630, and 2170) sponsored an exhibit of photos of water
issues by photographer Dieter Telemans in the federal parliament building in
Brussels.
• Belgian Rotarians helped organize
a youth forum on water in which secondary school students from around the
country participated. Belgium’s Prince Laurent also attended one of the
workshops.
• Past RI President Glenn E.
Estess joined local Rotarians in Columbus, Georgia, USA, to raise awareness of
water issues during a World Water Day walk.
• In Canada, the Rotary Club
of Ancaster, Canada, sponsored a Water for Life Walkathon to help raise funds
for ongoing well projects in Haiti. Learn more.
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/programs/070319_waterday3.html
UNEPs
India Solar Loan Programme wins prestigious Energy Globe
Brussels, 12 April - After helping more than 100,000 people in
18,000 Indian households finance clean energy from their PV solar electric home
systems, the United Nations Environment Programme's Indian Solar Loan Programme
has been honoured with a prestigious Energy Globe. The Energy Globe (www.energyglobe.info) is the
"World Award for Sustainability" and considered today's most
prestigious and acknowledged environmental award bestowed on projects from all
over the world "which make careful and economical use of resources and
employ alternative energy sources". "The award shows that improving
access to finance can help to influence the shift towards cleaner energy in the
developing world," says UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner. "In
the past there has been a lot of investment in market development schemes,
particularly subsidies to lower capital costs, but with little success."
Launched in 2003 with support
from the UN Foundation and Shell Foundation, the four-year Indian Solar Loan
Programme is a partnership between UNEP, the UNEP Risoe Centre, and two of
India's largest banking groups to establish a consumer credit market for
financing solar home systems (SHS) in Southern India where the conventional
electricity grid is absent or unreliable. The innovative financing arrangement
involves an interest rate reduction, market development support, and a process
to qualify solar suppliers. The interest rate reduction was phased out during
the Programme and today the market for financing solar home systems is on
purely commercial terms. (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=504&ArticleID=5562&l=en
Build
a tiger online: Web campaign seeks photos to stop tiger trade
23 April - Thirty conservation
groups have launched a worldwide campaign to collect supporters’ pictures
online to create the world’s largest photo mosaic of a tiger. The mosaic, built
with thousands of photos from tiger supporters submitted around the globe, will
be unveiled to world leaders in June as they gather to discuss wildlife trade
at a meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Visitors to the mosaic can zoom in on the larger tiger picture and find images
submitted of themselves and family and friends.
The mosaic campaign launches
as China considers lifting its ban on trade in tiger bones and other body
parts, a move that would be disastrous for wild tigers since an increase in
poaching would likely follow. “Your photos and actions could help save tigers,”
said Dr Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF’s Global Species Programme. (…)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=99680
Recent
findings on mountain gorillas show hope for species’ survival
Nairobi, Kenya/Gland,
Switzerland, 20 April – After a decade of conservation efforts, the mountain
gorillas in Eastern Africa are showing a slow but steady comeback, says WWF,
the global conservation organization. Results of a survey released today
indicate that there are now 340 gorillas within the Bwindi Impenetrable
National Park in south-western Uganda, a 12 per cent growth over the past
decade. Although this translates to an annual growth rate of about 1 per cent,
it is indicative of a healthy and well protected population. The park is home
to almost half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas.
“This is indeed great news for
the survival of the mountain gorilla,” said Marc Languy of WWF’s Eastern Africa
Regional Programme. “However, with only about 720 individual mountain gorillas
surviving in the wild, more efforts are still needed to ensure these beautiful
animals do not become extinct.” WWF notes that both the eastern and northern
sections of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park have had high levels of human
disturbance in the past, such as hunting, habitat encroachment and civil unrest
in the region. (…)
The survey in Bwindi was
conducted by several conservation organizations, including WWF. To avoid
double-counting, genetic analysis of faecal samples of the gorillas in each
group was used. (…) Mountain gorillas are the main tourist attraction in the
DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, earning these countries about US$5 million every year.
Of the 30 gorilla groups found in Bwindi, five are habituated - a total of 76
individuals. The Uganda Wildlife Authority is planning to habituate two more
groups as part of efforts to boost tourism.
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=99520
2007
UNEP Champions of the Earth Awards Make Big Splash at Gala Ceremony in Singapore
Inspirational
Winners from Algeria, Brazil and Jordan to the Philippines, Sweden and the
United States Lauded for "Extraordinary" Leadership in Environment
and Sustainable Development
Singapore, 19 April -
Hollywood star and environmental campaigner, Daryl Hannah was among the high
and the humble in Singapore last night to honour the 2007 Champions of the
Earth. Ms Hannah, famous for films like 'Splash' and her support for renewable
energies, received the trophy on behalf of Al Gore - the former US Vice
President and climate change campaigner was awarded the regional North America
Champions prize.
The awards, presented at a
gala ceremony in Singapore recognize individuals whose extraordinary action and
personal commitment to the environment are deemed outstanding and exceptional
by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The other winners are His
Excellency Mr. Cherif Rahmani of Algeria; Elisea 'Bebet' Gillera Gozun of the
Philippines; Viveka Bohn of Sweden; Her Excellency Ms. Marina Silva of Brazil;
His Royal Highness Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan and Jacques Rogge and the
International Olympic Committee. (…)
The seven trophies, made by
the Kenyan artist Kiko from recycled metal, were presented to the winners and
their representatives by Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP
Executive Director. (…) Mr Steiner said: "If we are to shape a new
partnership between human-kind and the natural environment upon which all life
ultimately depends then we need leaders, we need champions-champions in public
life, champions in business and champions in our communities". (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=504&ArticleID=5567&l=en
How
can global consciousness respond to the cry of the Least Developed Countries?
Seminar
at the United Nations Headquarters, New York - Thursday, May 31, 2:00—4:30 p.m.
Join us for an afternoon of
keynote talks, sacred art, discussion and meditation. We are using the occasion of this gathering to raise awareness of
the plight of the world’s least developed countries, whose populations suffer
inordinately under the weight of the present global economic imbalance. At this time of planetary crisis all
spiritual workers can contribute to building a thoughtform of solution to world
problems.
This meeting is held in
observation of The Festival of Humanity, also known as The Festival of Goodwill
and World Invocation Day—recognized worldwide as a day of prayer, meditation
and invocation. By joining together with men and women of goodwill throughout
the world we can contribute towards the healing of the nations and the
fostering of world unity.
Guest Speakers and Keynote
Talks:
1) Ambassador Anwarul K.
Chowdhury, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least
Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island
Developing States, addressing the plight of the 50 Least Developed Countries
through a multi-media presentation;
2) Janosh, Computer Graphic
Design Artist, presenting sacred art in the form of brilliant holograms,
accompanied by music;
3) Ida Urso, Ph.D., President,
Aquarian Age Community and Spiritual Psychologist, addressing the theme, “How
Can Global Consciousness Respond to the Cry of the Least Developed Countries?”
Everyone is required to
register. Those without a valid UN Pass may request a One-Day Guest Pass. The
website for registration is accessible from the home page of the Aquarian Age
Community (address below) or you can go directly to the following address:
http://www.aquaac.org/meetings/wid2007/info/
World
Congress on media and religion: risk or opportunity?
The
impact of modern media on religious experience and social conscience
3 -
10 June 2007, Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
The contemporary religious
situation is commented on every day by the media. Whether it is about its
contribution to peace, its constitutional nature, inter-religious connections,
or its public presence, religion in life is deeply influenced, indeed formed by
the media. Can it be asserted that this virtual space has become the inevitable
place where religious contemporaneous phenomena are conceived? Can we think
that media treatment of religious phenomena contribute to awakening the social
conscience of various cultural communities? Do we believe that religious
realities and the values they bear might influence the world of the media?
For this to happen, let us
consider three important angles which will help us measure the merger between
the world of the media and the religious realities of today's world.
1. The media and the making of contemporary religious phenomena.
2. Ethics and the media.
3. Religious journalism and the awakening of a social conscience.
The Congress is open to all
those interested in the theme, those involved in print and electronic
journalism, professors, publishers and other media specialists and experts.
http://www.iijc.info/ca/cte.htm
German
town re-erects monument
Bad Mergentheim, Germany, 25
April (BWNS) - A Baha'i memorial removed when the Nazis were in power has been
restored by municipal authorities in this resort town in southern Germany. The
stone commemorates the visit in 1913 of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the successor of
Baha'u'llah as head of the Baha'i Faith. The original memorial was erected in
1916 but removed in 1937 at a time when the Baha'i Faith was outlawed by the
Nazis. (…)
The new memorial was unveiled
earlier this month, on 7 April, by Mayor Lothar Barth accompanied by Bahman
Solouki, a representative of the Baha'i community of Germany.
"Bad Mergentheim can be
proud that 'Abdu'l-Baha came here," the mayor said at the ceremony.
"The Baha'i Faith is one of the six major world religions -- there is no
other way to put it -- and this should be honoured accordingly."
He continued: "I consider
this a good sign. It shows that in Bad Mergentheim we are a tolerant society,
that we integrate people of different faiths in our town and are cosmopolitan
enough for that." (…)
http://news.bahai.org/story/524
4th
Annual Youth Assembly - August 12-15, UN Headquarters, New York
The Youth Assembly is an
annual gathering of outstanding individuals and young leaders from around the
globe at the UN Headquarters. The Youth Assembly is about showing how one
person can make a difference by engaging with the challenges of the present and
being an educated and active citizen. In 2007, the 4th Annual Youth Assembly at
the United Nations will take place from August 12-15, with a Leadership
Training extension August 8-12. The Assembly has grown to become a major
gathering of young people at the United Nations. Every year, the Assembly
provides avenues for students and young professionals (18-26 years old) to
learn about and become involved with programs that address global and local
issues. Endorsed and supported by the
Permanent Missions to the United Nations
and affiliated NGOs. All participants reside at Pace University,
Manhattan for the entire program and optional, post-program activities.
Registration is now open for:
• The Youth Assembly at the
United Nations (Dr. Elaine Valdov, Secretary General; Free, after
registration): August 13-15, 2007, UN Headquarters
• The U C Peace arts festival
in the UN and around NYC: August 8-16, 2007
• The Leadership Seminar
(cost) - Developing practical skills on building campaigns and NGOs: August
8-12, 2007, Pace University and includes a participation certificate upon
completion and all Youth Assembly programming and special events
• The Youth Achievement Award,
open to youth 16-18 for recognition of work done toward humanitarian goals,
worldwide
A project of Friendship
Ambassadors Foundation, Inc. http://www.faf.org/
The
United Nations and Freedom of the Press: What more can be done?
In
Observance of World Press Freedom Day –
3 May ,Conference Room 1, 10:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
World Press Freedom Day
reminds us all – governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations as well as civil society – of the crucial role a free press plays
in strengthening democracies and fostering development around the world.
Proclaimed by the General Assembly in 1993, the Day has been observed on 3 May
ever since.
Opening Segment:10:00 a.m. –
10:50 a.m. Message from the General Assembly President, (delivered by Vice-
President of the General Assembly); Message from the Secretary-General
(delivered by the Under-Secretary-General of Communications and Public
Information); Rudolf Christen, Chairman, Committee on Information; Message from
the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), (delivered by Helene-Marie Gosselin, Director, NY Office
of UNESCO); Tuyet Nguyen, President, United Nations Correspondents Association
(UNCA)
Panel Discussion: 11:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Evelyn Leopold,
Chief of Bureau, Reuters, UN Office; Juan Francisco Ealy Ortiz, Publisher, El
Universal, Mexico; Laura Trevelyan, Correspondent, BBC; Abderrahim Foukara, Chief of Bureau,
Al-Jazeera Arabic, for the Americas; Josh Friedman, Director of International
Programs, Columbia School of Journalism
Source: NGO Section, DPI
United Nations www.un.org/dpi/ngosection
ESCAP
Film wins Bronze Prize at UN Documentary Film Festival
Bangkok (UN Information
Services), 30 April - The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) won the Bronze Prize for short documentary at the
3rd Annual United Nations Documentary Film Festival for its film ‘A Future Within
Reach’. Over two hundred films competed for the awards at the film festival
held in New York on 21-22 April 2007 to showcase documentaries that reflect the
Millennium Development Goals. The film highlights the often forgotten ‘human
face’ behind the MDGs. It draws findings from the second regional MDG report, a
tripartite initiative of ESCAP, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). ‘A Future Within Reach’ looks at how
Asia-Pacific region, characterized by much diversity and disparity, is creating
better living conditions, livelihoods and choices for its people. (…)
http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2007/apr/n23.asp
Teachers
and students around the world join up to demand education rights now
27 April – (…) Education
International (EI) is working with the Global Campaign for Education to raise
awareness of the enormous gap between the right of children to learn and the
harsh reality of ignorance and poverty for so many millions. Today marks the
beginning of Global Action Week, April 23-29, when hundreds of thousands of
concerned teachers, students, parents, and activists all over the world will
join together to demand that governments and international agencies live up to
their promise of ensuring that all children receive the free quality education
to which they are fundamentally entitled.
In 2000 at the World Education
Forum in Dakar, Senegal, 191 governments committed to provide Education for All
by the year 2015. Many developing countries have made significant progress, but
continue to need assistance and solidarity. Some developed nations that are
signatory to the agreement still fall far short of the target of 0.7% of Gross
National Income committed to Overseas Development Assistance, which includes
education aid. “We are at the halfway point to meet the Education for All
goals,” noted EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen. “The deadline is looming
and millions of children should not have to wait any longer for their chance to
go to school. Now is the time for governments to deliver on the promises made
in Dakar.” To send that message loudly and clearly, education advocates all
around the globe have organized an event-filled week of lobbying, artwork and
activities to urge governments to take action. (…)
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=467&theme=educationforall&country=global
Distribution
of the Green Lane Environment Diary, 2007, is underway
April 24 - The theme for the
8th edition of the programme is focused on the question, " What we can do
in our daily life?" 100,000 diaries have been printed and are being given
to school children in primary schools, municipal education committees,
children's day care-centres, and private companies. A Sri Lankan version will
also be made available by Green Cross Sri Lanka, of which 40,000 copies have
already been set aside for those who applied for the diary.
Over the course of the eight
year programme it is estimated that 400,000 kids have participated, with each
year around 200 children being shortlisted to go to the Award Ceremony and
receive certificates for their hard work. Contact : Mr. Tsunehiko Kawamoto,
Green Cross Japan, tom@gcj.jp http://www.greencrossinternational.net/index.htm#
ADRA
empowers internally displaced women in Colombia
April 23 - Female heads of
household and women who have been displaced by war in Colombia are becoming
more empowered through vocational training and personal development classes
provided by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). ADRA’s one-year
project, which began in March of 2007, will benefit 240 displaced women and
female heads of households between two training centers, one in Cartagena and
one in Bogotá. Beneficiaries will receive training in tailoring and
cosmetology, providing them with income-generating job skills with which they
can support their families. (…)
With more than 3.5 million
internally displaced persons, Colombia is second only to Sudan in number of
IDPs. Colombia’s long-standing civil conflict figures as the primary reason
behind the displacement. According to the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an estimated 49 percent of IDPs in Colombia
are adult women, with more than a third of IDP families headed by women. Bogotá
and Cartagena have the highest rates of displaced population in the country.
(…) Beneficiaries will also participate in health education, women’s rights,
and personal development classes designed to improve their quality of life and
self-esteem. The project is funded in partnership with ADRA Spain and the
Generalitat Valenciana, the local government of Valencia, Spain. (…)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5750
World
Children’s Festival - June 23-26, Washington DC
The world’s largest
celebration of creativity and imagination – the World Children’s Festival --
will showcase children’s talents, equip them with communication and
collaboration skills, and promote mutual respect and trust for the next
generation of global leaders.
The World Children’s Festival
culminates the Arts Olympiad, in which more than three million children from
100 countries produced artwork on the theme “My Favorite Sport” to celebrate
the artist-athlete ideal of a creative mind and healthy body.
Children performance groups
from around the world will join the visual artists and artist-athletes on the
National Mall on June 23-25. The World Festival will occupy 4th to 7th Streets
of the National Mall, between the National Gallery of Art and the National Air
and Space Museum. The Festival is free and open to the public, and based on
previous festivals in 1999 and 2003 is estimated to attract more than 10,000
visitors and attendees. (…)
“Art and sport have the powers
to change the world, the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way
that little else can. Art and sport speak to people in a language they
understand. Art and sport can create hope where there was once only despair.
They are instruments for peace, even more powerful than governments,” said
Nobel Laureate Nelson R. Mandela.
11th
Education for World Citizens Congress - 27-30 June, Turgoyak Lake, Chelyabinsk
Region, Russia
In the framework of the
"Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence", we invite you to the
11th International "Education for World Citizens" Congress. It
coincides with the 11th "Ural-Planet Youth Festival of Social
Creativity", so it will be a great opportunity to integrate youth and
adults' visions, models and actions for civil human education to create a New
World- a culture of peace. These two events will be a bridge from the 10th
"Education for World Citizens" Congress (17-21 October 2005, Samara ,
Russia) and the 2nd Planetary Congress of Biospheric Rights (22-26 September
2006, Brasilia , Brazil).
We will pay attention to
creating "Education for World Citizens" as a mechanism to change the
civilization vector of social development from competition to cooperation, from
conflict to peace, from terrorism to consent. People from different countries,
cultures, and ages will come together as one big family in a loving atmosphere
for effective collective work. Our main goal is to integrate our possibilities
for creating conscious humanity to take total responsibility for life. Our task
is to learn to cooperate as a planetary team. We will all keep our
individuality and uniqueness, yet we will strengthen our best individual and
collective qualities. We will establish a program of integrated actions for
realizing the "Education for World Citizens" project, thereby
positively influencing the development of humanity and creating a culture of
peace. (…)
http://planet3000.site.voila.fr
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Next issue: 25 May 2007.
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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
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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
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