Good News Agency – Year IX, n° 1
Weekly - Year IX, number 1 –
11th January 2008
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi,
Ph. D.
Rome Law-court registration
no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
Good News Agency carries
positive and constructive news from all over the world relating to voluntary
work, the work of the United Nations, non governmental organizations, and
institutions engaged in improving the quality of life – news that doesn’t “burn
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International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development – Solidarity
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Religion and
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Antitrust: European Commission
welcomes Apple's announcement to equalise prices for music downloads from
iTunes in Europe
Brussels,
9 January - The European Commission welcomes Apple's announcement to equalise
prices for downloads of songs from its iTunes online store in Europe within the
next six months. This puts an end to the different treatment of UK consumers
who currently have to pay higher prices for downloads. The different treatment
to UK consumers was a major concern for Which?, a UK consumer protection
organisation, who filed a formal complaint with the Commission. The
Commission’s antitrust proceedings have also clarified that it is not
agreements between Apple and the major record companies which determine how the
iTunes store is organised in Europe. Consequently, the Commission does not
intend to take further action in this case. (…)
Apple
operates an iTunes on-line store with different views in the European Economic
Area (EEA) which sells music downloads.
EEA consumers can only buy music from the view which is directed to
their country of residence and which contains the music that is cleared for
sale in that country. iTunes checks the consumer's residence through their
credit card details. For example, in order to buy a music download from the UK
view a consumer must use a credit card issued by a bank with an address in the
UK. Prices for iTunes downloads in the UK are currently nearly 10% more
expensive than downloads in the euro-zone.
Following
iTunes' announcement, UK consumers will soon pay the same for music downloads
from iTunes as customers from the euro-zone countries. (…)
US Congress Adds $600 Million
for UN Peacekeeping
New
York, 8 January (UNA-USA E-News Update) - Thanks to the efforts of all UNA-USA
members and chapters that contacted their members of Congress in support of UN
funding last year, including during December's Darfur National Action Week, the
President last week signed a bill providing the full budget request for UN
assessed contributions, a $600 million increase for UN peacekeeping, and a $30
million increase for UN voluntary contributions. In addition, the final FY08
omnibus spending bill contained a more flexible version of an impractical
Senate-adopted amendment that would have withheld all UN funding until every UN
agency and program instituted wide-ranging transparency measures.
http://www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=3785515&tr=y&auid=3291768
Central African Republic:
distribution of relief in Birao
January 3 - The town of Birao
was particularly hard hit by the military operations that took place in the
Vakaga region in November 2006 and March 2007. (…) The situation is
particularly acute for people who are elderly, living alone or heads of
household. The ICRC is hoping that its distribution of essential relief (tarpaulins,
mats, soap, blankets, kitchen sets, etc.) to 325 people living in Birao will
help to alleviate their plight. The organization recently handed out essential
items to a group of Sudanese refugees from Darfur.
In addition to providing
assistance, the ICRC, which has been present on a permanent basis in Birao
since October 2007, carries out activities to protect the civilian population
and to spread knowledge of international humanitarian law among bearers of
weapons, the political authorities and members of civil society while
endeavouring to boost the operational and organizational capacities of the
local branch of the Central African Red Cross Society.
The ICRC also strives to
restore family links, especially for people in the Sam Ouandja refugee camp,
where 2,650 Sudanese refugees from Darfur are sheltering.
http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/central-african-republic-news-030108
US$11.9 million IFAD loan to
Armenia for developing microenterprises
Rome,
8 January – A new US$32.2 million Farmer Market Access Programme in Armenia,
supported by a US$ 11.9 million loan and a US$500,000 grant from IFAD, will
provide innovative financing for poor rural and peri-urban people to develop
profitable on-farm and off-farm small businesses. The programme will provide
loans to people who develop rural microenterprises that have the potential for
rapid growth but are held back because they can’t qualify for conventional bank
loans. The loan agreement was signed
today at IFAD headquarters by IFAD’s President Lennart Båge and Armenia’s
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ruben Shougarian.
The
OPEC Fund for International Development will cofinance the programme for US$10
million. Other cofinanciers will contribute US$2 million; the Government of
Armenia US$5 million; participating financial institutions US$900,000; and
project participants US$2 million. (…)
The
programme’s main financing instrument will be a venture capital fund – the Fund
for Rural Economic Development in Armenia (FREDA) – which represents an
innovation for both rural Armenia and IFAD. Those applying for financing under
the programme will have to show that their enterprise will foster sustainable
income growth among the programme’s target groups, which include farmers and
unemployed, under-employed and self-employed people. Applicants for FREDA
support who engage women as suppliers and employees will be given preference.
The
programme will also help participants gain access to the knowledge, technology
and infrastructure they need to enable them to profit from domestic and export
markets. (…)
Contact
information: Farhana Haque-Rahman - Chief, Media Relations, Special Events and
Programmes f.haquerahman@ifad.org
Overview 2007 on trade
agreements and disputes in Latin America
Recourse to the World Trade Organization and
integration regimes as a means of resolving disputes, plus new advances in
regional agreements, took place in 2007.
4
January - Major landmarks during 2007 in Latin American and Caribbean trade,
disputes and the evolution of the Doha Round process are covered in two
articles posted on the web page of the ECLAC Division of International Trade
and Integration. The article Overview of Trade Issues in 2007 (Balance de temas
comerciales en 2007) analyzes the issues and positions held by the countries of
the region in the Doha Development Round, following the resumption of
negotiations last February. It also
reviews progress in extra- and inter- regional trade pacts. In 2007 the members
of the Andean Community of Nations and the Central American Common Market both
began, separately, negotiations toward association agreements with the European
Union (EU). Trade agreements were approved between Peru and the United States,
Chile and Japan, and the CARIFORUM countries (CARICOM plus the Dominican
Republic) with the EU. In Central America, the Protocol to the Treaty on
Investment and Trade in Services was drawn up. In South America, countries
agreed to the creation of the Union of South American Nations and, at the end
of 2007, signed the Founding Act of the Banco del Sur by Argentina, Brazil,
Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela, with initial capital of US$7 billion.
The adhesion process of Venezuela to MERCOSUR also continued, among other
developments. (…)
Fisheries and aquaculture
recovery three years after the Asian tsunami
"Soft" assistance
now key
20
December 2007 – (…) FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department has played a
leading role in helping fishers and fish farmers in the region get back on
their feet, building and repairing boats, providing replacement fishing gear,
and clearing and rehabilitating damaged fish farms. Now, as the immediate
impact of the disaster is fading, the UN agency remains engaged in affected
countries, helping fishing communities and national authorities transition from
short-term recovery to looking at long-term issues like fisheries resources
management, safety at sea and sustainable development. "Now that many
fishers and aquaculturists are back to work, we're trying to address the
underlying vulnerability and unsustainability of their livelihoods that
characterized many areas prior to the tsunami," says Lahsen Ababouch of
FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, who coordinates the agency's
post-tsunami assistance in the areas of fisheries and aquaculture. "This
means doing things better. For example, working with national authorities we've
helped establish boat construction standards appropriate to local conditions,
published construction manuals, and have helped train boatbuilders in best
practices. New boats will last longer and be safer," he explains. (…)
Noting that FAO has provided a good deal of material assistance, Ababouch
argues that the UN agency's most valuable contribution to tsunami
rehabilitation is in the area of providing technical training and policy
advice, rather than in delivering goods and making repairs. (…)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000735/index.html
Arsenic threat in rice -
Reducing arsenic levels in rice through improved irrigation practices
19
December 2007, Rome – High levels of arsenic in rice could be reduced by
applying improved irrigation management practices in Asia, FAO said today in a
new report entitled Remediation of Arsenic for Agriculture Sustainability, Food
Security and Health in Bangladesh. Studies have shown that high concentrations
of arsenic in soil and irrigation water often lead to high levels of arsenic in
crops and are posing an increased food safety risk. At present, twelve
countries in Asia have reported high arsenic levels in their groundwater
resources. “The problem of high arsenic levels in crops, particularly rice,
needs to be urgently addressed by promoting better irrigation and agricultural
practices that could reduce arsenic contamination significantly,” said Sasha
Koo-Oshima, FAO water quality and environment officer. “Arsenic-contaminated rice could aggravate
human health when consumed with arsenic-laden drinking water. The widespread
addition of arsenic to soils, for example in Bangladesh, is degrading soil
quality and causing toxicity to rice. Arsenic contamination is threatening food
production, food security and food quality,” she noted. (…) A related Cornell
University project proved that between 30 and 40 percent less irrigation water
is needed in raised-bed- system. Fertilizers are also captured better – with
the effect that farmers will need less fertilizers. The raised-bed-system
represents a major shift in rice production but tests show that farmers prefer
the new approach due to visibly higher yields, water savings, lower tillage and
labour costs and production of a safer crop. (…)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000734/index.html
Economic growth favors drop in
unemployment in Latin America and the Caribbean
Regional unemployment rate will register 8.0% in
2007, and should decrease to 7.6% the following year.
14
December 2007-One of the main characteristics of the current period of economic
growth in Latin America and the Caribbean is the improved situation in
employment. The Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the
Caribbean 2007, released yesterday by ECLAC, notes that this trend continued
over 2007, with an increase of 54.1% to
54.6% in the regional employment rate among the working age population. This is
reflected in a new decrease in unemployment, from 8.6% in 2006 to 8.0% in 2007.
Over the past five years, the regional unemployment rate has dropped a total of
three percentage points, nearing its level at the start of the 1990s. Projections for 2008 suggest continuing
decreases in unemployment, to 7.6%.
The
sustained and elevated economic growth, unprecedented in the region, is
reflected in the dynamic demand for labour. In 2007, wage employment was again
the segment with the highest rate of growth (4.0%), exceeding notably growth in total employment (2.8%). Another 2007 trend was the sharp increase in
formal employment. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Panama and Peru all registered increases of some 5% or more during the first semester or the first three quarters
of the year. Including estimates for 2007, the past five years have seen formal
employment rise by approximately 17.5% in Mexico, 25.3% in Brazil, 26.9% in
Peru, 29.3% in Costa Rica, 31.2% in Chile, 47.6% in Nicaragua and 49.5% in
Argentina. Also over 2007, growth in formal employment exceeded that of
informal employment in Colombia,
Ecuador, Venezuela and Uruguay. (…) However, the ECLAC report also warns of
serious problems that persist in the labour market. Estimates indicate urban
open unemployment of at least 17 million people, with a high percentage of
those employed lacking the income necessary to escape poverty.
ECA Publishes report on
determination of fundamental datasets for Africa
14
December 2007 - The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa has published
a new report defining fundamental geospatial datasets for Africa. The report is
the first attempt to provide a continental common definition of what
constitutes a minimally necessary core of geospatial data and information
products to which policy makers can add other sectoral datasets to ensure
geographic consistency in making decisions on socio-economic development
issues.
The
report comes following an exhaustive literature review and widespread
consultations with other institutions on the continent, details of which was
compiled by EIS-Africa and the South African Human Sciences Research Council.
It proposes the following definition: “Fundamental data sets are the minimum
primary sets of data that can not be derived from other data sets, and that are
required to spatially represent phenomena, objects or themes, important for the
realization of economic, social and environmental benefits consistently across
Africa at the local, national, subregional and regional levels.” Based on this
definition, the report goes on to identify ten fundamental data themes, which
are geodetic control network, imagery, hypsography, hydrography, boundaries,
geographic names, land management units, transportation, utilities and
services, and natural environments.
St. Lucia ready to use US$3.5
million to help reduce youth unemployment
Castries,
St. Lucia- December 11, 2007 - A project to increase youth employment in St.
Lucia by providing private sector-driven training was officially launched today
by Prime Minister Stephenson King. The OECS Skills for Inclusive Growth Project
will improve the knowledge and skills of beneficiaries to help youth transition
to the labor market. The Prime Minister and Minister of Finance was accompanied
by five Cabinet ministers and many other high raking government officials among
them, the Minister for Economic Affairs, Economic Planning, Investment and
National Development, the Hon. Ausbert D'Auvergne, and the Minister for
Education, the Hon. Arsene James. Also
participating in the opening ceremony were Ms. Chingboon Lee, World Bank Sector
Leader, Angela Demas, Task Team Leader for the project, representatives of the
Saint Lucian private sector and members of civil society. Recent economic
expansion in the region provides St. Lucia and other Caribbean countries with
an opportunity to broaden the gains to youth. Youth unemployment in St. Lucia
was 39% in 2005 compared to 13% for the workforce as a whole. Recent World Bank
data estimates that bringing youth unemployment down to the levels of the whole
workforce would increase GDP by 1.3 percent. It would also help to reduce youth
crime and violence which is negatively impacting economic growth. The project
will be implemented by the Ministry of Education and the National Skills
Development Centre (NSDC). It is the first phase of a regional program that is
open to other countries in the region, of which Grenada is expected to be the
second. (…) The project funded by a US$3.5 million zero-interest credit from
the International Development Association (IDA), the institution of the World
Bank that provides interest-free loans, has a 35-year maturity and a 10-year
grace period.
Nepal’s ‘poorest of the poor’
reap the benefits of innovative leasehold project
In
the Middle Hills district of Nepal, an IFAD-funded project has helped reverse
environmental degradation and bring people out of poverty. As a result of the
project’s impressive impact, the government adopted a leasehold forest policy
in 2002 and integrated the approach in its poverty strategy. Now a new project
is building on the success of the first, introducing livestock and microfinance
components. (…)
Nepal’s
government launched the Hills Leasehold Forestry and Forage Development Project
in 1993. Its goal was to reduce poverty and restore environments in the Middle
Hills by offering 40-year leases of small plots of degraded, public forest land
exclusively to groups of the poorest rural households. Leasehold forestry user
groups usually consist of 10 or fewer households. The stronger the group, the
better chance it has to continue to maintain and improve the site. Participants rehabilitate the land by
banning grazing and by stall-feeding their livestock. They also use and sell
forest products such as timber, fuelwood and fodder. The leases provide poor
rural people with long-term land tenure and give them the incentive to
regenerate, protect and manage degraded forest areas under their use, while
offering them benefits in terms of improved livelihoods.(…)
As a
result of the project’s impressive impact on poverty, the government identified
leasehold forestry as a priority programme in its Poverty-Reduction Strategy
Paper for 2002-2007. To help Nepal
implement this national programme, IFAD designed the Leasehold Forestry and
Livestock Programme, which began in 2004. It focuses on further improving
household forage and tree crop production, increasing household production of
livestock, especially goats, providing access to microfinance institutions, and
supporting the government’s capacity to implement leasehold forestry in a
gender-sensitive way. (…) During a joint review of the programme, IFAD and the
government discussed the criteria for choosing participants in the forest
development programmes, options for diversifying incomes, and for collaborating
with civil society. (…)
http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/english/regions/asia/npl/voices/forest.htm
Small-scale farmers become
entrepreneurs
Have
you ever wondered where the cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes and green beans
sitting on supermarket shelves come from? In Mozambique if you shop at
Shoprite, Africa's largest food retailer, which has operations in 16 countries,
you'll be buying vegetables produced locally by small-scale farmers. The
IFAD-funded PAMA Programme - the Agricultural Markets Support Programme -
supports the implementation of major economic reforms launched by the
government during the 1990s, including the commercialization of small-scale
farming through better access to markets and improved linkages with private
sector operators. The programme enables small-scale farmers in Boane, 30 km
south of Maputo, to cultivate cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes and other cash crops
in the rehabilitated irrigation schemes which were severely damaged during 16
years of civil war. The province of Maputo is taking advantage of existing
irrigation infrastructure to improve market linkages and increase agricultural
production.
Today,
in the Boane area, the irrigation schemes cover 405 ha of land and the
programme works with approximately 400 farmers. "Before, the farmers did
not have any know-how, they did not know which crop would be more
marketable," explains Mário Quissico, the marketing specialist from AGEMA.
"Now farmers know what the market needs. They negotiate directly with the
buyer and cultivate to meet demand. As a result their activity is profitable and
sustainable." The PAMA team contracted AGEMA to provide support to
farmers. Together they had to work hard to get the farmers to where they are
today. "Before we came into the picture, farmers produced low quality
products. They were unable to sell directly to the buyer and had no idea of how
to link up with big buyers. At best they sold their goods through
intermediaries or at farm gate, and had little or no negotiating power"
says Rui N. Ribeiro, PAMA coordinator. "Now they are organized in
associations and as a result have more bargaining power." (…) Thanks to the efforts of Ribeiro and his
team, the farmers’ associations are now well established in the market. The
associations have matured and are well organized. (…)
http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/english/regions/africa/moz/voices/pama/index.htm
WFP food convoy leaves Nairobi
for Kenya's Rift Valley
WFP is delivering food to
thousands of desperately hungry people fleeing Kenya's post-electoral violence.
Nairobi,
7 January - A convoy of food from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
left Nairobi today for displaced people in Kenya’s Northern Rift Valley and
more WFP food left the town of Eldoret for thousands of desperately hungry
people in the western town of Kisumu. Twenty trucks loaded with 670 metric tons
of food – enough to feed at least 70,000 people for two weeks – arrived in
Nairobi from the port of Mombasa on Sunday. Nine of the trucks unloaded their
food in Nairobi today and the remaining 11 headed on to Eldoret. The trucks
were escorted by police from Mombasa because transporters refused to leave
without security escorts. The 11 trucks left Nairobi with a WFP escort vehicle
for the town of Nakuru, 150 kilometres northwest of the capital, and will pick
up an escort for the last leg to Eldoret. The trucks for Eldoret are carrying a
total of 380 tons of pulses, nutritious corn-soya blend (CSB) and vegetable oil
– enough food to feed more than 38,000 displaced for two weeks.
The trucks unloading in Nairobi will provide
stocks that WFP can draw on as soon as a plan to provide food assistance to the
hungry in Nairobi’s slums is agreed by the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRC), other
partners, church-based organizations and the authorities. A total of 40 tons of
WFP food left Eldoret by truck today for the western town of Kisumu, where WFP
partners report 3,000 displaced people are in desperate need of food. The KRC
told WFP on Sunday that it has distributed 229 tons of food to 42,000 people in
the Northern Rift Valley. One hurdle is that the displaced population is in
flux with people using the relative calm to move. But assessments are underway to
find those in need. (…) To respond to the current crisis, WFP is drawing on
stocks from its other operations in Kenya – feeding 700,000 people hit by
drought and 1.1 million children in 3,800 schools and an HIV/AIDS project in
Nairobi and Eldoret. But the borrowed food will need to be repaid.
http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2736
UNICEF ready with critical
supplies for children affected by unrest in Kenya
Nairobi,
4 January - As roads begin opening in Kenya and transport becomes possible,
UNICEF is working with the Kenya Red Cross to send essential supplies to
children affected by the violence due to political upheaval. Throughout the
country, an estimated 500,000 people may need humanitarian assistance. The majority are women and children, says
UNICEF. After four days of violence, the number of reported dead is more than
300 including up to 50 children who perished in a church in the town of Eldoret
which was set ablaze by rioters. The violence has affected much of the country
including in the highly-populated slums in the capital, Nairobi. The Kenya Red
Cross describes the Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza provinces as experiencing a
complete breakdown of law and order. Humanitarian needs include food, water,
shelter, sanitation, medical supplies and protection. “Safe spaces” for mothers and children must be set up to protect
them from violence. There have been
reports of sexual violence against children and women in the affected areas. In
addition, there is an acute shortage of fuel as many petrol stations have been
looted or destroyed by rioters.(…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_42333.html
Rehabilitation of livelihood
structures
January 4 - DanChurchAid (DCA)
has received Euro 250.000 from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid
department in response to the situation in Bangladesh after the Cyclone SIDR.
The contract is focused on
rehabilitation of livelihood structures as well as water and sanitation in two
southern districts of Bangladesh. (…)
DanChurchAid (DCA) has
recently established a permanent presence in Bangladesh in order to be better
prepared to respond to the recurring annual floodings but especially to the
sudden disasters striking regularly but unexpectedly. The DCA presence in
Bangladesh is essential for the ability to secure funding from the European
Commission Humanitarian Aid department as well as other donors. http://www.danchurchaid.org/
Our
Giving Community leads transformation of $4 billion charitable marketplace
2008 National Workplace Giving
Summit set for February 6-8 in Los Angeles
Portland, ME, January 4
(CSRwire) - The National Alliance for
Choice in Giving, founded in 1987 to promote diversity and donor empowerment in
on-the-job giving, announced today that it has changed its name to Our Giving
Community. (…) Our Giving Community represents more than 60 charitable federations
and funds and 3,000 nonprofits nationwide that raise over $100 million annually
through workplace-based giving programs. (…)
Our Giving Community's
signature event is its annual workplace giving conference. The 2008 National
Workplace Giving Summit will be held at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Los Angeles
next February 6-8. Scores of leaders of
the nation's new generation of workplace giving federations will attend,
including representatives of Earth Share, Community Shares USA, Community
Health Charities, America's Charities, Global Impact and Neighbor to Nation.
Several Los Angeles area workplace giving federations also will be on hand,
including Asian Pacific Community Fund, Community Health Charities of
California, Earth Share of California and Brotherhood Crusade. (…) http://www.socialfunds.com/news/release.cgi/10511.html
Bangladesh:
Rebuilding begins in earnest
By
World Vision staff
27 December 2007 - World
Vision relief teams in Bangladesh have commenced their second phase of the
Cyclone Sidr response after a smooth and successful distribution of emergency
relief goods.
On 9 December, World Vision
completed distribution in the severely-affected districts of Bagerhat and Pirojpur.
In the Bhandaria sub-district under Pirojpur district, food and non-food items
were distributed to 13,000 people in the unions of Ekri, Goiuripur and
Telikhali. In the Morelegonj sub-district under Bagerhat district, relief
packs, including blankets and jerry cans, were distributed to 12,000 people in
the unions of Nishanbaria, Ghawkhali, and Chingrakhali.
World Vision has set up water
purifying units that were donated by the United States government in three
areas that face water crises. These units are able to pump out clean water
while regular water sources are restored.
With the completion of the
first phase emergency response, World Vision is now focusing on medium-term
activities, both within and outside of normal project areas. Through the end of
February, relief teams will concentrate on repairing water points and deep
tubewells, and will help people to restore their livelihoods, especially in the
local agricultural and fishing industries. World Vision is also distributing
building materials and helping rebuild infrastructure such as marketplaces.
Child-friendly spaces will continue to operate in cyclone-affected communities,
providing a safe place for children to play and learn while their parents
rebuild or participate in World Vision cash-for-work initiatives.
The World Food Programme will
partner with World Vision to distribute 1,430 metric tons of food to
cyclone-affected people in the Shamnagar sub-district under the Satkhira
district. The food, which includes rice, pulses, salt, vegetable oil, high
energy biscuits and wheat soya blend will help to support nearly 50,000 people
over a period three months. Local women are taking a lead role in managing the
distribution of this food.
Relief teams are grateful for
the collaboration between local government officials, the Bangladesh army,
union council members, community leaders and residents, who have joined up to
deliver food and other goods.
http://www.wvi.org/wvi/wviweb.nsf/maindocs/B851A0BEDF366860882573BE006CC90C?opendocument
Hunger in 2007: inspired help
from a caring world
In 2007, the Internet helped
make the hungry world a smaller place for people wanting to support WFP.
Rome,
27 December 2007 - The year 2007 saw the United Nations World Food Programme -
the world’s frontline hunger agency - battling against the effects of climate
change, soaring food prices, and the needs of millions of hungry people across
the world. Thankfully, the growing problem of global hunger has inspired new,
creative efforts to galvanize more support to feed a hungry planet.
The
internet, with its immense power and reach, combined with social networking,
chalked up many successes: Freerice.com : 11.5 billion grains of rice donated
to WFP -- enough to feed more than half a million people for a day -- since
this vocabulary-based game became an overnight success just three months ago;
500,000 to 1 million people have been playing on-line at any one time, including
500 registered groups on Facebook. Chez Pim : US$90,300 raised (more than 9,000
raffle tickets sold) through a leading international food blogger’s seasonal
fundraiser, “Menu for Hope”. Through sales of on-line tickets that give
purchasers a chance to win a variety of donated “foodie” items, a unique
connection was made between people with a fascination for fine food, dining and
gastronomic delights, and the lives of impoverished farmers in Lesotho who
stand to benefit from the funds raised. Food-Force.com : 6 million copies now
in circulation of the world’s first and most popular humanitarian video game
(http://www.food-force.com) designed for kids to understand more about hunger,
an increasingly invisible and distant concept in the developed world. Hungerbytes!
140,000 viewings of a provocative video designed to inspire students, would-be
filmmakers and others unleash their creativity through a unique, international
competition to produce the best, short video about ‘byting’ global hunger on
YouTube. Walk the World: In its fifth year, over half a million people
participated in “Fight Hunger: Walk the World” -- a global walk in all 24 time
zones which raised US$1.5 million, supported by WFP’s corporate partners, TNT
and Unilever. Rugby World Cup: Billions of rugby fans learned more about hunger
through the “Tackle Hunger” campaign which was launched during the Rugby World
Cup in France. WFP is the humanitarian partner of the International Rugby
Board. “World Hunger Relief Week”: Through its customers in 35,000 restaurants
in more than 110 countries and territories YUM! Brands raised awareness of
hunger and mobilised over US$10 million to feed hungry people during its
October campaign. “Child Vitality”: Unilever’s marketing campaign in the
Netherlands, Pakistan and Indonesia raised almost US$200,000 to support school
children, while spreading the word about global hunger. Top Chefs for Home
Cooks (“Topkoks voor thuiskoks”): The current number one bestseller in the
Netherlands, this recipe book brings together 52 famous international chefs to
help WFP feed thousands of school children in Malawi through book proceeds ($10
per book); one of many initiatives launched by WFP corporate partner TNT. The
above initiatives helped strengthen efforts to get ahead of the hunger curve,
but much more needs to be done: Hunger’s toll: 25,000 people a day die from
hunger-related causes – one child every five seconds.
WFP:
Will feed some 80 million people this year, in 80 countries -- more than 80
percent of those assisted are women and children. Almost 80 percent of the food
WFP purchases with cash donations is bought in developing countries, benefiting
local farmers. In 2007, WFP received over $2.6 billion in contributions, mainly
from donor governments. Low overhead: Out of every dollar donated, 93 US cents
directly supports WFP field operations.
http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2730
Barron Hilton contributes $1.2
billion from sale of Hilton Hotels & Harrah’s to the Conrad N. Hilton
Foundation
Expands philanthropic legacy
of his father Conrad Hilton
Los Angeles, December 26, 2007
-The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has announced that its Chairman, Barron
Hilton, is building on the philanthropic legacy of his father by contributing
approximately $1.2 billion of proceeds from the sale of Hilton Hotels
Corporation and the pending sale of Harrah’s Entertainment into a charitable
remainder unitrust that will eventually benefit the foundation. This brings the total value of the Hilton
Foundation and its related charitable entities to approximately $4.5 billion.
Barron Hilton also indicated
at a recent meeting of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation board of directors that
it is his intent to further follow in his father’s footsteps by contributing
97% of his entire net worth, estimated today at $2.3 billion, including the
created trusts, at whatever value it is at the time of his passing. (…)
Conrad Hilton established the
foundation in 1944 and, when he died in 1979, left virtually all of his fortune
to the foundation. In keeping with Conrad Hilton’s directive that the
foundation be global in its reach, more than 50 percent of its grants annually
are directed to international initiatives.
The foundation concentrates most of its funding on major long-term
projects that will affect systemic change.
It has been a pioneer in providing water and sanitation systems for
villagers in developing countries; supportive housing for mentally ill homeless
and homeless mothers and children in the U.S.; blindness prevention and
treatment worldwide; drug abuse prevention among youth; and early childhood
education for children with disabilities.
Since its inception, the foundation has committed more than $560 million
to charitable work throughout the world. (…) Barron Hilton’s current gift and
his commitment to leave the bulk of his estate to the Conrad Hilton Foundation
guarantees that the work of the foundation will continue and expand for many
years to come, further supporting the foundation’s grantmaking strategy of
funding for the long-term.
http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/press_release_details.asp?id=61
Adopt a Duck today and help
support Clean Up and Life Saving Victoria
Help
raise money for Clean Up Australia and Life Saving Victoria by adopting a
rubber life saving duck to compete in The Great Australia Day Duck Race 2008.
Held as part of the Australia
Day long weekend celebrations, thousands of numbered bright yellow ducks will
race down Melbourne's Yarra River. The first duck to reach the Parks Victoria
Duck Catcher will win a brand new Mitsubishi Lancer ES for its owner.
Life Saving Victoria, Parks
Victoria and Mitsubishi will be presenting the event along with Network 9 and
Westpac on Monday 28 January 2008. You can adopt a duck for $5.00, $20 for a
family of four, $35 for a flock of seven or $50 for a flotilla of ten.
http://www.cleanup.com.au/au/Donate/adopt-a-duck.html
NAPF launches an Appeal to the next US President
January 7 - The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
has launched an Appeal to the next President of the United States calling for
US leadership for a nuclear weapons-free world. The Appeal will be delivered to
the White House on January 20, 2009 when a new President is inaugurated.
You can sign the Appeal online by clicking here.
The Appeal reads in part, "The era of
nuclear weapons must be brought to an end...it is our responsibility to
eliminate them before they eliminate us."
It continues, "I call upon the next
President of the United States to make a world free of nuclear weapons an
urgent priority and to assure US leadership to realize this goal."
Please sign the Appeal today on our website: www.wagingpeace.org/menu/action/urgent-actions/appeal_to_next_pres/
You
can also download the Appeal to collect printed signatures here.
www.wagingpeace.org/menu/resources/sunflower
Angola: landmines clearance
facilitates national reconstruction
Luanda, 19 December 2007,
allafrica.com - The chairman of the National Inter-Sectoral Commission of
Demining and Humanitarian Assistance (CNIDAH), Santana André Pitra
"Petroff" Wednesday here said that landmines clearance in the country
has been enabling the implementation of the national reconstruction programme.
(…) He referred that 453 kilometres of power supply networks and 36,007
kilometres of railway lines were cleared from landmines. To him, this activity
counted on the participation of national and international institutions and
NGOs.
Demining units of the Angolan
Armed Forces (FAA) and of the Civil House of the Presidency verified 395
kilometres of road, cleared or removed various anti-personnel and anti-tank
mines.
He described the landmines
action as being of extreme importance of the country's economic development
process, due to enabling the implementation of plans of the government, aimed
at reducing poverty and improvement of their living conditions. The official
stated that apart from having allowed turning the country into a scene of
undertakings, the demining process is also enabling the increase of
cattle-raising activities. (…)
http://www.landmine.de/en.titel/en.news/en.news.one/index.html?entry=en.news.0f6fe753547a0000
First Regional Workshop:
‘Towards an Anti-Personnel Mine-Free South Caucasus’ a success.
Civil society organizations
from the South Caucasus region agreed to create a regional NGO consortium
Geneva, 18 December 2007 – For
the first time, representatives of civil society organizations and media
agencies from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, including Abkhazia,
Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia, gathered in a workshop in Kiev, 26-27
November 2007. (…) The civil society delegates were joined by members of
international NGOs and intergovernmental organizations as well as
representatives of the European Commission, Germany, Switzerland, Lithuania,
and the United Kingdom. Also, representatives of the de facto authorities in
Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia attended the meeting as observers
and presented papers giving their respective positions on the landmine issue.
(…)
The workshop was organized by
Geneva Call in collaboration with the Ukrainian Peace Keepers Association, a
Ukrainian NGO. It was generously funded by the European Commission, Germany,
Switzerland and Lithuania. Immediately after the workshop, representatives of
civil society organizations from the “frozen conflict” regions in the South
Caucasus participated in a three-day training to enable them to do a survey on
the socio-economic needs of landmine survivors and other persons with
disabilities in the conflict zones. Also for the first time the civil society
organizations from both sides of the conflicts agreed to work together in this
common project. This need assessment survey is kindly financed by the European
Commission and Germany.
http://www.genevacall.org/news/testi-press-releases/gc-18dec07-caucasus.htm
Vietnam: 100,000 items of UXO
removed
18 December 2007 - More than
100,000 landmines and items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) have been removed from
two provinces in Vietnam by MAG since the organisation started humanitarian mine
action in the country in 1999. In eight years, MAG – the largest civilian
clearance agency conducting clearance operations in the country – has removed
almost 120,000 landmines and UXO, cleared 643 hectares of land for development
projects and visited nearly 150,000 houses during operations in provinces
straddling the former demilitarised zone (DMZ).
At the end of hostilities with
the US, the Vietnamese military estimated that there were between 350,000 to
700,000 tonnes of UXO still scattered across the country. The military’s
estimate was based on the failure rates of US ordnance dropped during the
conflict between the north and south of Vietnam. There is also UXO left behind
from Vietnam’s fight for independence from France in the 1950s and a later conflict
with China.
In Quang Tri alone, the
provincial military estimated that there is still almost 400,000 hectares of
UXO-contaminated land, accounting for 80% of the province’s entire land area.
MAG Vietnam’s Country
Programme Manager, Jimmy Roodt, said the MAG’s mine action teams (MATs) had
initially focused on the two provinces either side of the DMZ because they were
the hardest hit during hostilities. (…)
http://www.mag.org.uk/news.php?p=11111&a=0
Ten years in Mine Action
17 December 2007, alertnet.org
- Thousands of people have been able to return home to restart their life,
since the Danish Refugee Council started its Mine Action unit, Danish Demining
Group (DDG), ten years ago. Today, Mine Action is an important component of the
humanitarian work of the Danish Refugee Council. Every day people are injured
or killed by mines or unexploded ordnances.
"Landmines and unexploded
ordnances are still a huge problem in current and former war torn countries
around the world," says Head of DDG, Anette Christoffersen. "People
are injured by remnants of war, and not at least women and children are at
risk." The Mine Action unit, DDG, was established in beginning of 1998
right after Denmark signed the Ottowa Convention. So far, 156 States have
signed the convention and thus committed themselves to ban the use of
anti-personnel landmines. It further prohibits countries from developing,
producing, storing, or transferring anti-personnel landmines. (…)
DDG works, amongst others, in
Afghanistan, which is one of the most contaminated countries worldwide. Around
four million Afghans live in places contaminated by mines and unexploded
ordnances. "Since 1998, we have cleared more than 1 million square meters
land, thus enabled people in these areas free access to their land and to
infrastructure. Still, there is a long way to go in Afghanistan - on average
some 65 people, especially women and children, are injured or killed by
landmines or unexploded ordnances every month," says Anette
Christoffersen. (…)
http://www.landmine.de/en.titel/en.news/en.news.one/index.html?entry=en.news.0f6c05077e130000
UNICEF welcomes International
Year of Sanitation 2008
Children and women comprise 90
per cent of those affected
New
York, 1 January – UNICEF today officially welcomed the first day of the
International Year of Sanitation 2008. The international year aims to highlight
the need for urgent action on behalf of the more than 40 per cent of the
world’s population who continue to live without improved sanitation. Lack of
proper sanitation contributes to the deaths of thousands of women and children
every day from largely preventable causes, including diarrhoeal diseases.
Though more than 1.2 billion people worldwide have gained access to improved
sanitation between 1990 and 2004, an estimated 2.6 billion people -- including
980 million children – have yet to be reached. This is one of the single
biggest development challenges facing the world today.
The
International Year of Sanitation 2008 was established by the United Nations
General Assembly in December 2006 to accelerate progress towards meeting the
Millennium Development Goal target of reducing by half the proportion of people
living without access to improved sanitation by 2015. In addition, progress on
sanitation will contribute to the achievement of all the Millennium Development
Goals. Improved sanitation includes clean, safe toilets, wastewater management
and hygiene promotion, all of which prevent the transfer of pathogens in human
excreta. When not treated safely, it adversely impacts health, often deprives
children of getting an education, and impedes social and economic development.
(…)
Improving
sanitation leads to improved health, dignity, social and economic development,
protects the environment and helps people break the cycle of poverty. The year
will include major regional conferences on sanitation to share best practices
and help accelerate progress, including those that focus on school
sanitation. It will also help encourage
public and private partnerships, to help tap into the comparative strengths of
each sector, advocate and raise awareness on sanitation, leverage additional
funding, and develop country-level plans of action. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_42304.html
(top)
Democratic Republic of the
Congo: drinking water flows again for over 500,000 people
21 December 2007 - Two major
water-supply projects have recently been completed with ICRC assistance in Goma
and Bukavu, the largest cities in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic
of the Congo. "The population of these two cities has exploded as a direct
result of the fighting in North and South Kivu," said Max Hadorn, head of
the ICRC's delegation in the country. "The existing infrastructure is
totally inadequate and lack of water has been a serious problem for the
inhabitants."
The Bukavu project, which is
being managed by the national water board, Rigideso, was completed in less than
two months. By restoring to working order a section of the water-distribution
system that serves 300,000 people, it will bring relief to thousands of
household that have been without running water for three years in an area hard
hit by a series of cholera epidemics, the most recent in late 2006.
The Goma project, also carried
out in cooperation with Regideso, required two years of work and 300,000
dollars to complete. It has provided the city with its largest pumping station,
which is connected to three densely populated neighbourhoods. Over 200,000
people, including many of those displaced by the fighting, will benefit from
the new facility. "In situations
like this, we must not forget that scarcity of water in urban areas is a
problem for host families as well as for displaced people," said Florence
Dapples, an ICRC coordinator for water-supply projects.
The ICRC has also connected
the Katindo military hospital to the existing urban water-supply network and
built an incinerator, a placenta pit and a sterilization room. The facility is
currently treating numerous patients wounded in the recent fighting in North
Kivu. (…)
http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/congo-kinshasa-news-211207
World
Future Energy Summit
Meet
the leaders, change the world
Abu Dhabi, January 21-23, -
With a fantastic line-up of speakers confirmed, a large international
exhibition and a wide range of networking events, we are delighted to be
working with Masdar to present the first World Future Energy Summit. The conference will cover a wide
range of issues looking at World Future Energy Policies and Strategies, Making
It Happen – projects, technologies and commercial realities as well as Pushing
the Boundaries – energy on the horizon to 2028 and beyond. Plus a number
of streams focusing on carbon management, waste to energy, solar, wind,
biofuels, clean transport, green property and sustainable architecture. (...)
Since
it's launch in January 2007, the World Future Energy Summit has received
outstanding support and enthusiasm from leaders throughout the world keen to
debate the future developments as climate change concerns reach an all time
high.
http://www.wfes08.com/page.cfm/Link=159/t=m/goSection=14
http://www.wfes08.com/page.cfm/Action=Seminars/t=m
2008
Iowa renewable fuels summit -
Johnstone, IA, USA, January 31
The second annual Iowa
Renewable Fuels Summit will be held on Thursday, January 31, 2008 from 1 p.m.
to 5 p.m. at the Polk County Convention Center.
Panel discussions will include
"A Sustainable Renewable Fuels Future", "Future Fuels Need
Future Markets" and "Economic Vitality of Renewable Fuels."
The Iowa Renewable Fuels
Association (IRFA) brings together Iowa ethanol and biodiesel producers to
foster the development and growth of the state’s renewable fuels industry
through education, promotion and infrastructure development. IRFA is committed
to making Iowa a leader in producing renewable fuels and value-added
co-products.
Energy
Efficiency & Renewables: policies, applications & research
University
of Malta, 29 January
A one-day seminar on energy
efficiency & renewable energy policies, application and research is being
organised by the Institute for Energy Technology, of the University of Malta.
The seminar will be held on Tuesday 29 January 2008, at the Coastline Hotel,
Salina.
Policy making, research and
applications on energy efficiency and renewables have recently become major
areas of interest to legislators, energy providers and users. Various EU Energy
Directives focus on energy efficiency as the immediate measure required to curb
increasing use of fossil fuels. Malta is an island that is fully dependent on
imported fossil fuel supplies, and hence it would be the first to suffer the
consequences of sudden changes in the provision or cost of this essential
commodity. Consequently, Malta should be at the forefront of applying energy
efficient measures to everyday life. Likewise, renewable energy technologies
are important to diversify the energy mi of the Island and reduce
pollution. This seminar aims at presenting existing policies, experiences and
case studies of energy efficiency and renewables as applied in some European
countries and Malta, in order to raise awareness and stimulate further
cooperation between interested parties. The seminar covers a number of topics
that include energy policies, energy efficiency and renewable energy in Spain,
the U.K. and Malta. An exhibition by companies active in the field of energy
efficiency will also be displayed.
http://www.um.edu.mt/newsoncampus/events
Where a UNDP Goodwill
Ambassador planted Seedlings of Hope
A section of the Manatuto-Dili
road which was recently damaged by mudslides. Experts say deforestation is
partly to blame.
Timor-Leste,
27 December 2007 - Although Mr. Nuncio Pereira, a resident of Hatu-Udo
sub-division of Ainaro district in Timor-Leste is not particularly media savvy,
he would like to make an acquaintance with Japanese celebrity and UNDP Global
Goodwill Ambassador Ms Misako Konno whose contribution is transforming the
lives and livelihoods of communities in one of Asia’s remotest and poorest
frontiers.
Mid
this year, Ms Misako Konno made a US $ 52, 173 contribution to UNDP Timor-Leste
to support tree planting activities in the Ainaro and Manatuto districts. “I
would like to thank her and all the Japanese people for supporting us in a most
beneficial way,” says the skinny, middle-aged man. “They are giving us not only
fish but also showing us how to fish,” he remarks emphatically. A member of the
twenty-member Aitano Harii Self Help Group (SHG), Mr. Pereira derives great
pleasure in taking visitors on a tour of the group’s tree-nursery project which
boasts a record 35,000 seedlings of various species. The group is the talk of
the village. Through its small income generating activities it has secured US $
725. The cash is accessible to members as a credit facility. In the two
districts of Ainaro and Manatuto, over 250,000 seedlings are being prepared in
nurseries to be planted in January and February 2008, courtesy of Ms Konno’s
contribution.
“We
had no idea of Self Help Groups, let alone savings and credit schemes,” says
Mr. Leopoldo De Araujo, the group leader, Aitano Harii SHG. Most importantly,
members now see themselves as the vanguard of a new generation and the
custodians of the local environment. “We would like to leave lots of trees as a
legacy to our children,” observes Mr. Bosco De Araujo. That legacy is largely
the work of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ainaro and Manatuto
Community Activation Project (AMCAP). It is a project that blends elements of
innovative farming technology, community mobilization techniques and
micro-credit enterprises to facilitate sustainable development in a territory
blighted by chronic poverty and natural---as well as man-made---disasters. (…)
http://www.tl.undp.org/undp/newsroom/News/news3.html
UN, Costa Rica, New Zealand and Norway Outline
Climate Neutrality Strategies in Bali and Beyond
Bali/Nairobi/Oslo/San
Jose/Wellington, 12 December 2007 - The United Nations has become part of the
growing worldwide effort to become climate neutral. Members of the UN attending the crucial climate convention
meeting in Bali today announced that they are offsetting their greenhouse gas
emissions linked with travel to and from the event. The move, covering some 20 agencies, funds and programmes, also
includes the Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, and his team. In order to show leadership and demonstrate
practical action in support of developing countries and the urgent need to
counter global warming, the UN bodies have jointly agreed to invest in credits
accumulating in the adaptation fund of the Kyoto Protocol. The UN calculates that its greenhouse gas
emissions arising from travel to and from Indonesia represents around 3,370
tonnes of carbon dioxide worth approximately $100,000 at current carbon
prices. Achim Steiner, UN
Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme
(UNEP), said today: "The UN is today delivering as one on the issue of
climate change as it is increasingly doing across the range of 21st century
challenges as part of its on-going and forward-looking reform
agenda".
Norway,
one of four countries that have pledged to go climate neutral nationally, today
also reconfirmed that it is backing the UN system-wide work towards climate
neutrality with an initial investment of $820,000 for the UNEP-hosted
Environmental Management Group. Erik
Solheim, Minister of the Environment and International Development, said:
"We believe it is important that the UN take the lead and facilitate a
common understanding of what climate neutrality is and how to achieve it. We
are very happy to witness the strong system-wide response across the UN these past
months, coordinated by the UN Environmental Management Group, the EMG, and we
are proud to be a key financial supporter." The news comes as Costa Rica,
New Zealand and Norway fleshed out some of the pioneering plans and strategies
they are developing in order to achieve climate neutrality in their own
countries. (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=523&ArticleID=5724&l=en
Climate change: a growing
challenge for development and poverty reduction
by
Lennart Båge, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD), published in the official book of the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting (CHOGM)
In
2007 the world focused on climate change as never before, following the release
of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that put to
rest any reasonable doubt about human contribution to global warming. The panel
found that warming is unequivocal, and added that it was at least 90 per cent
certain that human activity, rather than natural climate variation, was
responsible for the higher average temperatures we have seen in the past 50
years. (…) Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for most poor rural
people, and it is also the human activity most directly affected by climate
change. In the months following the report, there have been many millions of
words dedicated to climate change and its impact. Attention has focused on
mitigation, slowing the pace of climate change, and adaptation, helping people
cope with its effects. Remarkably little has been said or written about the
people who will feel the impact most – the poor rural people of developing countries
– and even less attention has been given to how they can contribute to slowing
its advance. (…)
Poor
rural people can play a key role in activities that collectively result in
significant emissions savings. But governments and public policies must put the
right incentives in place for this to happen, particularly compensation and
payment for the environmental services poor rural people provide. With
appropriate and innovative incentives, poor farmers, forest dwellers and
indigenous peoples can make an important contribution to emissions reduction
and carbon sequestration.
Climate
change will affect us all, but it poses a particular risk to development and
poverty reduction, and to the achievement of the MDGs. Our efforts will be more
effective if we recognize poor rural people as effective custodians of the
natural resource base, and ensure they have access to the technology and
financing they need to cope with climate change and be part of the solution. By
listening to the voices of poor rural people when planning adaptation and
mitigation processes, we can reduce the risks of climate change, while
accelerating progress towards a world without poverty.
http://www.ifad.org/events/op/2007/commonwealth/index.htm
Recovery of the Circuit of
Four Lakes in the Peruvian Andes
The
Recovery of the Circuit of Four Lakes is registered as a PARTNERSHIP with the
United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. This Partnership in Sustainable
Development is composed of major groups: Indigenous Peoples, NGOs and Local
Communities. The Partnership is mentioned in the United Nations Secretary
General Report to the 62nd Session of the General Assembly on Sustainable
Mountain Development (Doc. A/62/292).
The
First phase of the project received a grant from Rotary International. It
consists of cleaning the waters and banks (over ground and underground) of
Lakes Acopia and Pomacanchi. Project leader is Alberto Delgado Araoz.
Coordinator is Engineer E. David Perez Mercado. Environmental Biologist is
Carla Zuzunaga Palomino.
On
Saturday November 17, 2007, Rotary Club del Cusco President Federico Alarco and
past President Flavio Miraval, met with project coordinator E. David Perez
Mercado and Luis Delgado Hurtado, President of Yachay Wasi, to inspect work
accomplished. A positive review was given.
On
November 23, 2007, Yachay Wasi representatives met with Dr. Alejandro Soto
Reyes of the Compania de Television Cusquena (CTC) who aired news of the project
and of the beauty of the Circuit of Four Lakes on his Sunday show.
Yachay Wasi, a 501(c)(3) non profit tax exempt
Cultural and Educational Organization based in
New York City and in Qosqo (Cuzco), Peru, is
also a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in
consultative
status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and
associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI).
Yachay Wasi is also in
Operational
Relations with UNESCO.
http://www.yachaywasi-ngo.org/NewsWinter2007.pdf
Interfaith
Talk Radio
On Interfaith Talk Radio, you
are invited to become part of the deepening dialogue on spirituality.
Wednesday January 2, and
subsequent wednesdays, 2 - 3 p.m., on KKNW, 1150 AM radio or live at http://www.1150amkknw.com ; Northwest
Interfaith Community Outreach takes a step forward with the new, weekly
Interfaith Talk Radio Show featuring Rabbi Ted Falcon, Muslim Sufi Minister
Jamal Rahman and Pastor Don Mackenzie. Listen in and contribute to the growing
and deepening interfaith dialogue on matters of Spirituality, Faith,
Compassion, Inclusion And Social Justice. Info
http://www.interfaithtalkradio.com
UNESCO
- Encounter of African Religious Traditions with Islam, Christianity and
Secularism according to the works of Leopold Sédar Senghor - Paris, 15 January
Intellectuals and scientists
meet to reflect on the theme of interreligious dialogue and examine the
question of the different religions in Africa, the relationship between them,
their influence on culture and secularism in various countries.
This meeting is organized at
UNESCO Headquarters on 15 January 2008 (Room IV, 9 am-6 pm) and is followed by
a round table on 16 January (9.30 am - 1 pm)
This encounter is organized by
the Centre international francophone d’échanges et de réflexion (CIFER), World
Assembly of Religions for Peace, Société des Africanistes with the assistance
of the Permanent Delegation of Senegal to UNESCO.
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=35940&URL_DO=DO_PRINTPAGE&URL_SECTION=201.html
Call
to Prayer and Action - 15-18 January
Students
and youth call to prayer and action for Christian Unity
From 18 to 25 January 2008
Christians all over the world will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity. On this occasion, we, the major global Christian
student and youth organizations and youth desks of the different Churches call
upon all our members to take action and make our voices heard for Christian
Unity. (...)
The annual Week of Prayer has
become one of the most symbolic and active signs of Christian unity among
Christians around the world.
http://www.eyce.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=PagEd&file=index&topic_id=3&page_id=727
World
Religion Day - 20 January 2008
Observed on the Third Sunday
of January each year in over 80 countries, World Religion Day helps foster
interfaith understanding and harmony.
The aim of World Religion Day
is to foster the establishment of interfaith understanding and harmony by
emphasising the common denominators underlying all religions. The message of
World Religion Day is that, mankind, which has stemmed from one origin, must
now strive towards the reconciliation of that which has been split up.
http://www.worldreligionday.org/
A call to peace in the
USA and prayers for native American
ancestors of the land
The Global Link Teleconference - January 20th,
Sunday, 4pm Eastern Standard Time USA
Voices
of global citizens calling for peace to prevail on earth will be connected Live
by Teleconference. Starting with Blessings for the Native American Ancestors of
the Land, prayers for peace in each of
the 50 US States will follow. Your active prayers for peace will commune with
voices from around the world to inspire, awaken and further elevate the conscious
evolution of humanity. A multi-cultural, interfaith opportunity for the global
heart to merge as ONE through LIVE interactive prayers.
This
Teleconferences will be broadcasted live by the All One Now Network webcast
service - www.allonenow.org. The Global
Link Teleconferences are hosted by The World Peace Prayer Society . To learn more and register please visit: http://www.worldpeace.org/teleconference.php
Jesus
and Buddha paths to awakening - January 25-27, 2008
Albuquerque, NM - The Four
Noble Truths are the distilled essence of the Buddhist teaching. In this
retreat, each of the Four Noble Truths will be introduced and explored, with
emphasis given to the presence of each Noble Truth at the heart of Jesus’ call
to awaken to God’s presence in every detail of our daily lives.
http://www.monasticdialog.com/events.php#36
http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/conferences/JB/
Literacy project hits the road
with a renowned African explorer
By Susie Ma
Rotary
International News, 26 December 2007
African explorer Kingsley Holgate has teamed up with U.S. and South
African Rotary clubs on a humanitarian mission through 33 African nations to
distribute books to poor children. The books come from a literacy project
spearheaded by District 5890 in Texas and District 9300 in South Africa. The
project, called “books for the world,” strives to provide reading and writing
materials where few are available. U.S. clubs collect the books and South
African clubs distribute them.
The project started after a meeting
between Charlie Clemmons, past governor of District 5890 in Texas, and Edward
Pope, past governor of District 9300 in South Africa. “I said ‘We’ll bury you
in books’,” Clemmons recalled of that meeting in 2000. “So for the last seven
years, we’ve been working on burying them in books, and for the last seven
years they’ve been increasing distribution.”
The project got a big boost
this year when Rotarians from District 9300 began working with Holgate to
distribute the books and bring publicity to the project.
Holgate, who has been compared
to Scottish adventurer David Livingstone, has been trekking through Africa with
his wife and son for the past decade. His journeys have been featured on
National Geographic Television. In April 2007 he started a yearlong expedition
around the rim of Africa. He and his team are distributing mobile libraries –
beige trunks with the Rotary emblem that contain books and pencils – to schools
and libraries along the way. He is also giving away mosquito nets and eyeglasses
as part of his mission. (…)
The book project has shipped
19 containers of books from Houston to Johannesburg, South Africa, this year.
Each 40-foot container weighs 42,000 pounds and contains at least 50,000 books.
District 9300 in South Africa recently opened a new distribution center to keep
up with demand and donations. The books come from schools, libraries,
individuals, and Rotary clubs in 16 states in the United States as well as
Canada and Australia. Not only are the donated books getting a second life –
but so are the containers. They are large enough to be converted into
classrooms, medical clinics, or libraries.
The project operates on
individual, club, and corporate donations as well as grants from the Rotary
Foundation. The project was awarded a US$12,500 Matching Grant from the
Foundation this year. It costs $7,700 to purchase a container and ship it to
South Africa.
Last year 20 containers were
purchased and shipped at the cost of $134,800. This year Rotarians estimate
they will spend $288,000 to send books valued at $20 million. “It’s all
volunteer,” Clemmons said. “Every dollar in the program goes into books or
containers or shipping.”
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/071220_news_bookcollection.aspx
CSE awards schools for their
environmental best practices in 2007
New Delhi, December 17, 2007 -
A government school in the small hamlet of Boormajra in Punjab’s Ropar
district; a rural school in a remote corner of south Sikkim; and two schools
from Delhi and Noida respectively have been adjudged the ‘greenest’ in the
country by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). (…)
Under the Green Schools
Programme, schools across India carry out rigorous self-audit on environmental
practices within their own premises, following a set of guidelines outlined in
CSE’s Green Schools Manual. The schools have used the manual in their
environmental studies programmes and as an activity in the eco- clubs.
From 1,200 schools in 2006,
the Programme is now reaching out to and covering 3,500 schools in the country.
The rural-urban ratio has tripled. Of the 20 schools shortlisted in 2006, only
3 were rural or semi-urban; in 2007, this number has climbed to 9. Also, more
than 50 per cent schools from 2006 have repeated the audit.
The 2007 awards initiative has
shown that environmental awareness levels in these schools have increased
sharply. In 2006, none of the schools had clear data on per capita waste
generated -- this year, all the 20 had extensive data. (…)
http://www.cseindia.org/Aboutus/press_releases/press_20071217.htm
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Next issue: 1st
February 2008
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