Good News Agency – Year IX, n° 13
Weekly - Year IX, number 13 – 24th
October 2008
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi,
Ph. D.
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. It is
distributed free of charge through Internet to the editorial offices of 4,000 media in 49 countries and to 2,800 NGOs and 500 high
schools, colleges and universities. It is an all-volunteer service
of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà Mondiale,
NGO associated with the United Nations Department
of Public Information. The
Association has been recognized by UNESCO as “an actor of the global movement for a culture of peace” and it has
been included in the web site http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_sum_monde.htm
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development – Solidarity
Peace and security – Health
– Energy and Safety – Environment and wildlife
Religion and spirituality – Culture and education
Convention
on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage will enter into force in
January 2009
14 October -
Twenty States have now ratified the Convention on the Protection of the
Underwater Cultural Heritage, which therefore will enter into force on 2
January 2009, three months after the deposit of the 20th instrument of
acceptance.
“This is a very
important step in the history of the safeguarding of cultural heritage,”
declared Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO. “This represents an
essential addition to UNESCO’s standard-setting apparatus. From now on, it will
be possible to offer legal protection to the historical memory that is in
underwater cultural heritage, thus curtailing the growing illicit trade by
looters.” (...) The international treaty represents the international
community’s response to the increased looting and destruction of underwater
cultural heritage, which is becoming ever more accessible to treasure hunters.
(...)
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=43663&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
The
Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance, focus on Gender,
Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction, Manila, Philippines, 19-22 October
2008
The overall purpose of the
congress is to provide a forum for legislators and decision-makers in
formulating gender responsive legislation in climate change and disaster risk
reduction (DRR). The specific objectives are:
1.
To understand the phenomenon of climate change and its implications, and
study the appropriate risk reduction strategies.
2.
To review gender aspects of climate change and DRR, and formulate
appropriate actions.
3.
To define the roles women can play in addressing the impacts of climate
change and in DRR programs and policies at global, national and subnational
levels.
4.
To identify and define the action agenda for parliamentarians in making
gender responsive legislation and programmes related to gender in climate
change and DRR.
(...) The Congress is
organized by the Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) in
partnership with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UN/ISDR). (...)
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/calendar/
http://www.unisdr.org/english/events/v.php?id=2993
World
YWCA Prepares for 42nd session of CEDAW
7 October - The 42nd session
of the Convention of the Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) will take place
in Geneva, Switzerland from October 20 - November 7. (...) CEDAW is often
referred to as the international human rights treaty for women. Over 185
countries have ratified the convention and many more have adopted specific laws
to support this international bill of rights for women. (...)
“The World YWCA celebrates the
improved status of women brought about, in large measure, by the resilience of
the women’s movement and through instruments such as CEDAW,” says World YWCA
General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda. “We still have large steps to make,
but the World YWCA is committed to improving the lives of women and girls to
ensure the protection and promoting of human rights and gender equality
worldwide.” Full text of the Convention (available in
various languages)
Trade
unions fighting against human trafficking
Brussels, 22 October - On
October 18, the second EU anti-trafficking day will be held across Europe. On
this occasion, the ITUC, its Pan European Regional Council (PERC) and the ETUC
emphasise that labour rights are human rights which apply to all, regardless of
immigration status. Human trafficking, as one of the worst forms of
exploitation of migrant workers, has in previous years been identified as a
priority issue on European and international trade union agendas.
As a result, the Greek
Confederation of Labour GSEE is hosting a conference in Athens on 21-23
November 2008 organised in cooperation with ITUC, PERC and ETUC to develop a
specifically targeted trade union strategy to better defend the rights of these
“invisible” workers.
Unreasonably restrictive
migration policies throughout the world, including in Europe, render migrant
workers extremely vulnerable and often push them into informal and unprotected
working conditions. (…) Ensuring freedom of association for all workers offers
an effective tool for workers to protect and defend their interests themselves,
and to help victims of trafficking regain their lives and dignity. Many
children are also trafficked, and trade union actions on child labour are also
a key area of action. (…) To see the second newsletter of the Global trade
union alliance to combat forced labour and trafficking: http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/doc/Newsflash_2_EN.doc
To see the ITUC Video on
forced labour: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=hzpsVLYmVds
http://www.ituc-csi.org http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI
New
Resource for Media Launched on World Food Day
October 16, New York - Today,
MADRE joins with its sister organizations to recognize World Food Day and to
decry the rising numbers of people suffering from hunger. As the food crisis
continues to rage across the globe, it has only been compounded by the current
financial crisis. By the end of 2008, the number of malnourished people is set
to reach one billion. However, the food crisis is not an issue of shortage but
of inequitable distribution. Even as global crop yields are projected to reach
record levels, rising prices place basic necessities out of the reach of
millions.
Vivian Stromberg, MADRE
Executive Director, said today, “On World Food Day, we must emphasize that the
right to food has been fatally undermined. The first step towards a solution is
to recognize the central role of women in agriculture, as they make up more
than half of that labor force. The next step is to listen to their solutions.
One concrete solution is underway in Sudan, where a MADRE partner Fatima Ahmed
is creating a women farmers’ union. Another solution can be found in Nicaragua,
where MADRE partner Rose Cunningham is coordinating a network of women-run
organic farms.”
Today, MADRE also announced
the launch of a new initiative, the International Network of Women’s Human
Rights Experts. Through this Network, MADRE connects journalists with women
activists and human rights experts working at local, national, and
international levels. Two such experts are available today and listed below.
Membership includes women who span every region of the world and who share a
commitment to defending women’s human rights. More information can be found
here: http://www.madre.org/index.php?s=4&b=15
Brazilian
solidarity with displaced Bolivians in Amazonia
Brasiléia, Brazil,
October 14 - Almost 600 Bolivians have crossed into the north-west Brazilian
state of Acre over the past few weeks to escape political uncertainty and
violence in their country linked to planned constitutional amendments.
According to
official figures, some 570 Bolivians have arrived in Brazil. Most are living in
the border towns of Brasiléia and Epitaciolândia in this Amazon Basin region
and receiving assistance from the government. Some have found shelter with
friends and relatives in Brazil. (...)
Brazil hosts
around 3,800 refugees from more than 70 countries. It is also one of the few
countries in the world to accept refugees for resettlement, including
Colombians and Palestinians.
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/48f4bee02.html
New European 50/50 Campaign
launch to promote democracy and to increase women’s presence at the top of
European politics
The European Women’s Lobby
50/50 Campaign “No Modern European Democracy without Gender Equality” was
launched on 16 September 2008 and will run until June 2009.
2 October - The European wide
campaign aims to increase the presence of women at the highest level of
European politics and to encourage women and voters in general to cast their
votes in the next European elections. The Campaign is already personally
endorsed by almost 200 well known personalities across Europe such as European
Commission President and Vice President José Manuel Barroso and Margot
Wallström, Prime minister of Belgium Yves Leterme, President of the Slovenian
Republic Danilo Türk, former Irish President Mary Robinson, Nobel Price winner
Orhan Pamuk, and the former President of the European Parliament Simone Veil.
The EWL invites people from
across Europe to support the 50/50 Campaign by signing the petition and by
taking part in lobbying actions. The Campaign website www.5050democracy.eu offers different
tools to be involved and influence political parties and decision-makers in
views of the European elections 2009.
25 September - As part of a
new campaign to demand that world leaders uphold their commitments to halve
world poverty by 2015, a special channel has been launched on YouTube titled In
My Name. A song - In my Name - written by Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am,
was launched, calling on politicians to honor their promises and urging people
to use their individual power to bring about change. “Politicians promised in
2000 to halve poverty in 15 years,” will.i.am said. “They made this pledge in
my name, now they must act to achieve it.”
Mary Robinson joined United
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and many other activists and celebrities
who added their name to a pledge wall set up just metres across the road from
UN headquarters in New York, urging governments to do more to meet the
Millennium Development Goals by 2015. (...)
http://www.realizingrights.org/?option=content&task=view&id=364&Itemid=104
UN-ESCWA launches a supportive
Guide in the Arab Region on Gender in the Millennium Development Goals
Beirut,
14 September - On the occasion of the 12th Regional Coordination Mechanism Meeting
(RCM), UN-ESCWA Executive Secretary, Bader Omar AlDafa, launched on Sunday a
report on “Gender in the Millennium Development Goals: Information guide for
Arab Millennium Development Goals reports” at the UN House, Beirut in the
presence of representatives of UN regional organizations and media institutions.
AlDafa said in his statement that the Guide is the result of cooperation among
the various UN organizations, and it came in response to the need to develop a
single information gathering monitoring system for gender sensitive indicators
and sex-disaggregated data. “It provides a statistical framework for an
evaluation and follow-up of international agreements on the matter, such as
those contained in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action, and the United Nations Millennium Declaration,” AlDafa said. (...)
The Guide can be obtained
through the UN Information Services.
http://www.escwa.un.org/information/press.asp
UN highlights development
successes in EU partnership
The United Nations has
published its third annual report detailing joint
UN/EU achievements. The report covers 2007 with a focus on human rights and the
Millennium Development Goals.
Titled “Improving Lives”, the report coincides with the 60th anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and describes the partnership’s endeavor
to help countries build the necessary capacities, structures and knowledge to
enable people to exercise their rights and achieve the Millennium Development
Goals.
In 2007, the UN and the
Commission have worked together in over 100 countries around the world. The
report captures an impressive array of results achieved under the leadership of
these countries. (...) Human rights and the Millennium Development Goals have
the common objective of promoting human dignity and well-being for all.
Social innovation contributes
to eradicating poverty
Communities improve their
living conditions with a dozen projects selected by social innovation contest.
16
October - “Social innovation is a privileged tool people have to solve their
problems,” said Alicia Bárcena,
Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC), during
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. An array of social
entrepreneurs from the region has demonstrated this with income-generating projects
based on sustainable development models. Poverty in Latin America and the
Caribbean has dropped from 44% in 2002 to 35% in 2007. (...) These figures
could be lower if governments, civil society and communities were to take
action. On the one hand, governments are implementing transfer programmes,
occasionally conditioned, that have effectively helped to alleviate poverty
conditions. On the other, community organizations, sometimes with the support
of local authorities or other civil organizations, have been for years
designing and carrying out innovative programmes that have allowed them to rise
above the conditions of extreme poverty in which they were living.
These are the kind of
successful examples ECLAC has
sought to identify through the “Experiences in Social
Innovation” contest, supported by the Kellogg Foundation. “We are convinced
that these initiatives will serve as an inspiration to others in the region who
may be facing similar situations,” said Ms Bárcena. (…)
http://www.un.int/wcm/content/lang/en/pid/7089
International
Day of Rural Women, 15 October 2008
The first International Day of
Rural Women was observed on 15 October 2008. This new international day,
established by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/136 of 18 December
2007, recognizes “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including
indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving
food security and eradicating rural poverty.” The idea of honouring rural women
with a special day was put forward by international NGOs at the Fourth World
Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. It was suggested that 15 October be
celebrated as “World Rural Women’s Day,” the eve of World Food Day, in order to
highlight the role played by rural women in food production and food security.
“World Rural Women’s Day” has been celebrated, primarily by civil society,
across the world for over a decade. (...)
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/idrw/index.html
14
October - AACDI/VOCA has won a $7.24 million, 5-year USAID-funded
Farmer-to-Farmer (FtF) program in West Africa. ACDI/VOCA will field highly
qualified volunteers to support international agricultural development
activities with an emphasis on improving private agricultural operations in
Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria along with partners Land O’Lakes and
Winrock International. Activities may relate to all aspects of agricultural
production and post-harvest activities, such as processing, marketing, credit
and input supply, as well as improved agribusiness management, environmental
conservation and improved policy and regulatory regimes. The West Africa FtF
program’s primary goal is to generate rapid, sustained and broad-based economic
growth through short-term technical assistance in the agricultural sector. A
secondary goal will be to increase the American public’s understanding of
international development issues and programs. (...)
http://www.acdivoca.org/acdivoca/PortalHub.nsf/ID/news_newprojectWestAfricaFtF
Community efforts can help
rural poor adapt to environmental threats
Barcelona, Spain, 8 October - Expanding
nature-based enterprises can increase income for the world’s rural poor. This
approach, as outlined in the latest World Resources Report 2008, can also
develop the rural poor’s resilience to social and environmental threats such as
climate change.
Three-quarters of the 2.6
billion people who live on less than $2 a day are dependent upon local natural
resources for their livelihoods. Threats such as climate change and ecosystem
degradation are beginning to strain those livelihoods, and it will be necessary
to shape development strategies that build resilience against such threats and
ensure stable and prosperous communities.
World Resources 2008: Roots of
Resilience - released here today as part of the IUCN World Conservation
Congress - closely examines existing community-based efforts. The report argues
that properly fostered nature-based enterprises can improve rural livelihoods
and, in the process, create resilience to economic, social, and environmental
threats. (…)
UN stands up with millions
across the world to take action against poverty
17 October - There is no time
to waste in the fight against poverty, the Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose
Migiro warned as she led a gathering at the
United Nations to symbolically stand up against poverty today, the
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. (…) The event at UN
Headquarters is part of the global “Stand Up and Take Action against Poverty”
campaign, involving some 67 million people - or about 1 per cent of the world’s
population - in over 2,000 events across more than 100 countries this weekend.
The campaign is aimed at mobilizing support to fight against poverty and call
on world leaders to deliver their commitments to meet the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), the internationally agreed targets to halve extreme
poverty and address other social ills by 2015. (…) “This mass mobilization will
demonstrate to world leaders that citizens do not consider the global financial
crisis to be an excuse for breaking promises, and they must commit to concrete
plans of action now to eradicate extreme poverty and
achieve the MDGs by 2015,” said Salil Shetty, Director of the UN Millennium
Campaign.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28617&Cr=poverty&Cr1=mdg
UN
food convey successfully reaches conflict zone in Sri Lanka
17 October - A
major United Nations food convoy arrived today in northern Sri Lanka to assist
over 200,000 displaced persons after being forced to turn back yesterday due to
fresh fighting in the area between Government forces and the rebel Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The 50-truck World
Food Programme (WFP) fleet re-entered the region known as
the Vanni following the UN receiving renewed assurances this morning from both
parties to the conflict that the convoy would be able to proceed safely.
Carrying 750 tons of food for the estimated 230,000 civilians displaced behind
the lines of confrontation in the districts of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, this
is the second convoy in as many weeks and part of an ongoing UN effort to
supply humanitarian aid to civilians moving to avoid fighting. (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28619&Cr=sri&Cr1=lanka
Professional
football against hunger
European
football leagues join FAO to raise awareness
Rome, 15 October - The European Professional
Football Leagues and FAO today launched a campaign to raise funds and awareness
about the increasingly critical problem of world hunger.
The campaign, known as Professional Football Against Hunger, was launched at
FAO headquarters in the presence of Italian former football star and FAO Goodwill
Ambassador Roberto Baggio together with other famous names in European
football. (…) The campaign, which represents an important milestone in the
involvement of professional football in the global fight against hunger and
poverty, will include the twenty-eight Member Leagues and Associate Members of
EPFL, representing more than 960 professional football clubs across Europe.
“The proceeds from the
campaign will be used to finance micro-projects in developing countries.
Currently some 2 600 such projects are underway in 130 countries,” said FAO
Director-General Jacques Diouf at the launching ceremony. (...)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000935/index.html
World
Food Day: 7 things to do for WFP, every day is World Food Day
Rome, 15 October - Among other
things, World Food Day is an opportunity to learn about global hunger and join
in the fight against it! Here are seven things you can do right now, without
leaving your computer.
1) Learn about WFP’s work.
Here are ten facts you never knew about us.
2) Find out where the hungry
are. Check out the interactive hunger map here.
3) Play Food Force, a compelling
computer game that simulates WFP’s work.
4) Become a Facebook fan of WFP and get
your friends to do the same.
5) Check out our HungerBytes
video competition and share your favorite video with friends. Click here.
6) Play FreeRice to expand your
mind and translate your right answers into rice for the hungry.
7) Fill the Cup for a hungry
person. Make a donation.
http://www.wfp.org/English/?ModuleID=137&Key=2959
by Donna Polydoros
Rotary International News, 15
October - Rotarian Bob Solis walked 700 miles from the Open Arms orphanage near
East London, South Africa, to Cape Town in 30 days. Solis, who is a member of
the Rotary Club of Sun City, Arizona, USA, organized A Long Walk for Children
to raise $280,000 to accommodate 50 more children at the Open Arms orphanage in
eastern South Africa. “When you’re walking up hill number 97 and the wind’s in
your face and it’s raining hard, you just think, ‘Hopefully, someone will get a
home out of this effort,’” says Solis.
Solis came up with the idea
for the walk as a way to capture people’s imaginations and expand the donor
base for the South African orphanage he and his wife opened with their life
savings in March 2006.”Every week, we get calls to take in more children,” says
Solis. “Those are the hardest phone calls to get.” Solis presented his idea for
the walk to the Rotary Club of East London Sunrise, which jumped at the chance
to help. Club members arranged all of Solis’s accommodations during his journey
and publicized his walk country-wide. (…)
Solis ended his walk with a
visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for many years.
He bused the children and workers from Open Arms to Cape Town to join him in
paying tribute to Mandela and to celebrate the success of the walk.
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/081015_news_solis.aspx
7 October - Three years after
a powerful earthquake devastated areas of Pakistan on 8 October 2005, most of
the affected families are well on the road to recovery - but more work has to
be done, according to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS). PRCS Secretary
General Ilyas Khan said that Red Cross Red Crescent recovery efforts are
focused on building safer communities for the affected families. (...) The
earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, killed more than 73,000 people
left an estimated 3.5 million homeless. The PRCS, with support from the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),
responded quickly to bring immediate help and relief to more than one million
people in the worst-hit areas in North West Frontier Province and
Pakistan-administered Kashmir. After the emergency phase, PRCS and its Red
Cross Red Crescent partners launched recovery projects such as the
reconstruction of public facilities, strengthening communities’ disaster
preparedness, providing medical and health care, improving water and sanitation
and promoting livelihood opportunities. These activities are still ongoing and
are expected to be substantially completed by the end of 2009. (...)
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/pr08/6208.asp
Los Angeles, 29 September -
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation today announced nearly $24 million in grants to
organizations focused on some of its key program areas including blindness and
trachoma prevention, early childhood education and development, safe water
development and disaster relief and recovery. (...) The foundation awarded $10
million to The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia to help eliminate trachoma,
the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness, in Mali, Niger and Ghana
and implement a control program in two states of southern Sudan. (...) The
foundation has awarded a $500,000 capital campaign grant to Special Care Inc.
in Oklahoma City, OK to expand facilities for educating children with special
needs, as well as their families. Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust in Uttaranchal,
India will receive $650,000 towards the development of safe water and
sanitation initiatives. (...) United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area will
receive $1.3 million to support the Bridge to Quality Program of the Greater
New Orleans Child Care Rebuild Collaborative, a group of non-profits that are
partnering to help rebuild child care facilities in the area. (...)
http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/press_release_details.asp?id=66
UN
donates satellite system to produce border map in Sudan
19 October - The head of the
United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has handed over a
satellite imagery system to the team tasked with producing a border map, one of
the key elements of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended the
long-running north-south civil war in the vast African nation. Ashraf Jehangir
Qazi presented the equipment, worth $600,000, to the Ad hoc Technical Border
Committee - whose 18 members are drawn from both parties to the peace accord –
yesterday in the capital Khartoum. It will be used to create the map to
delineate the 1 January 1956 border, one of the major benchmarks of the CPA.
Next month, a final report, including the map, will be presented to the
Presidency. Once it is endorsed, the Committee must proceed with demarcation on
the ground. (...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28625&Cr=unmis&Cr1
Bogotá, 16 October - As armed
conflict continues to rage in the departments of Antioquia and Cauca, more
families are being forced to abandon their homes in search of safety. In the
past two weeks, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has
delivered 28 tonnes of food and other aid to over 1,600 displaced persons. In
Antioquia, 285 people living in the rural area of Punta de Ocaidó (Urrao municipality)
have fled to the nearest village, which is two days’ travel by mule from the
main town. About 30 per cent of the displaced are indigenous people and the
remainder are of African descent. (...) The ICRC was able to carry out this
humanitarian operation thanks to the cooperation of Programa Aéreo de Salud de
Antioquia (a Colombian airborne health service), which supplied a helicopter.
The Colombian Red Cross also lent a hand. In Timbiquí, Cauca, over 1,300
indigenous people who had fled their rural homes because of the fighting -
including 285 women and 808 children - received assistance from the ICRC. (...)
http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/colombia-news-151008
During its 2nd International
Rendez-Vous, held in Geneva, Paris and Abu Dhabi from 8 to 15 October, the
French film festival Cinema Verite called on its prestigious guests to support
the Convention on Cluster Munitions by signing the People’s Treaty.
15 October - Last year, Cinema
Verite had joined with ICBL Ambassador Jody Williams and with the ICBL, Nobel
Peace Prize Co-Laureates, to shed light on the crisis caused by landmines and
cluster munitions. A convention to ban cluster munitions was being negotiated
at that time. It has since then been adopted by 107 countries in May 2008 in
Dublin. (…) Through their signature on the People’s Treaty, they joined over
100,000 citizens in 89 countries who have already signed to remind governments
that the world is watching and that they must fully commit to solving the
cluster bomb problem by signing the Convention on Cluster munitions in Oslo, on
3 December 2008. Help us make history again! Follow this link to add your
signature as well to the People’s Treaty: http://www.minesactioncanada.org/peoples_treaty
http://www.icbl.org/news/cinemaverite
www.swissinfo.ch
10 October - Switzerland is
committed to fighting terrorism and promoting worldwide disarmament, its
delegation told the United Nations General Assembly this week.
They said the country would
ratify the latest four protocols to battle terrorism on October 15. But
Switzerland believes there is an urgent need to draw up an international
convention to define the concept clearly in international law.
With an international disarmament
conference in Oslo two months away, the Swiss also confirmed their intention to
destroy all cluster bombs in the country’s arsenals within eight years.
As for nuclear weapons,
Switzerland believes that nuclear nations should no longer keep their missiles
on constant alert but be subject to international regulations.
http://www.landmine.de/en.titel/en.news/en.news.one/index.html?entry=en.news.10fa0b0c17410000
Baku, 6 October - (Rashad Suleymanov-APA) - Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action
(ANAMA) cleared 1,695,875 sq.m territory of Azerbaijan from mine and unexploded
ordnance (UXO) last month, Press Service of ANAMA told APA. 15,101 unexploded
ordnances were found and neutralized. 339 workers, 5 mine clearance flail
machines and 30 mine seeking dogs were used.
ANAMA has cleared 75,109,944
sq.m territory by now and 343 932 mines and unexploded ordnance have been found
and neutralized. (…) According to statistics quoting various sources from
September, 2001, 101 mines killed 57 and injured 137.
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=89651
Grozny, 20 October - The
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), working in cooperation with
the Chechen Branch of the Russian Red Cross Society (RRC), delivered emergency
supplies last week to over 2,700 families in three villages in the Kurchaloy
region and one village in Gudermes region. The villages had been severely
affected by an earthquake on 11 October. (...)
On 13 and 14 October, the
ICRC, in coordination with the Chechen Ministry of Health, also provided three
surgical kits to Central Regional hospitals in Gudermes and Shali and to
Hospital N9 in Grozny. The kits can treat about 75 patients each. The ICRC is
currently conducting additional assessments, focusing on water needs and on
assistance to hospitals damaged by the quake. The ICRC’s budget for the Russian
Federation totals 19 million US dollars. (...)
http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/7KLAQB
16 October - The New England
Journal of Medicine today published two new research papers which affirm the
technical feasibility of polio eradication. The first study, by researchers
from the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population and national and
international counterparts, demonstrates a doubling of seroconversion rates in
newborns receiving mOPV1. The second, by researchers from Imperial College
London, evaluates the efficacy of monovalent oral polio vaccine type 1 (mOPV1)
in northern Nigeria. Investigating the immunity status of more than 20,000
children, the study found mOPV1 to be four times as effective against type 1
polio than the traditionally-used trivalent OPV. The programmatic implications
of these studies are significant to the global effort to eradicate polio. (...)
With the technical feasibility of polio eradication now fully confirmed, the
focus is on rapidly overcoming the operational challenges to reaching every
child in the remaining endemic areas of northern Nigeria, India, Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
http://www.polioeradication.org/content/general/LatestNews200810.asp#NEJM
14 October - The monsoon came
early this year in India. Flooding left millions homeless and official reports
say nearly 1,500 people lost their lives. In the north-eastern state of Bihar,
one of the last areas in the world where polio still stalks children, the Kosi
River burst its banks. (...) Survivors faced perilous days waiting to be
rescued, perched on rooftops, in trees or on any piece of dry land, often
without food, clean water or shelter. Among the hundreds working to rescue
survivors and provide relief to stranded communities was Saurabh Kumar Singh, a
polio eradicator in Bihar. A Field Volunteer for the National Polio
Surveillance Programme (NPSP) in Madhepura District, one of the hardest-hit by
the floods, Saurabh is one of many from NPSP who have worked tirelessly to
support the Indian Government and military services move people to safety.
Saurabh repeatedly risked his own life by plunging into the swollen Kosi River,
personally rescuing dozens of drowning women and children. His intimate
knowledge of the district was invaluable to rescuers (...). Thanks to true
polio heroes like Saurabh and his colleagues, thousands more will make the
journey home this year as the waters subside.
http://www.polioeradication.org/content/general/LatestNews200810.asp#HERO
WHO agreed on a research
agenda on climate change and public health
Madrid/Geneva, 8 October - A
meeting of experts convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Madrid
agreed today to a research agenda to develop an evidence-based framework for
action on the human health implications of climate change. The plan builds on a
comprehensive review of what is already known about health risks from climate
change. It was developed by WHO with more than 80 top researchers on climate
change and health along with representatives of donor and other UN agencies.
The meeting took place 6-8 October and hosted by the Ministry of Health of
Spain. “Many agencies, including WHO, have highlighted the health dangers of
climate change” said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO’s Director-General. “Our 193 Member
States asked WHO to help them strengthen the evidence base for policy action.
This plan provides the framework for doing just that. It sets out guidance to
governments, research institutions and donors looking to fill crucial knowledge
gaps.” (...) The plan aims to speed-up, focus and intensify climate change and
health research to strengthen the evidence base for discussion at the 15th
United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP15), to be held in Copenhagen
in December 2009, where world leaders will forge a new global climate agreement
to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. (…)
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr36/en/index.html
Westport, Conn., 7 October -
Save the Children is working with the government of Haiti to ensure that
lifesaving medicines and medical supplies reach survivors of four recent
tropical storms, which left nearly 800 dead after widespread flooding and
destruction on the western third of the island of Hispaniola. Save the Children
coordinated delivery yesterday of more than 30,000 pounds of medicines and
medical and surgical materials - including antibiotics, antiseptics,
oral-rehydration salts to treat dehydration from diarrhea, pain medicines,
multivitamins, gauze and sutures. The shipment, valued at nearly $3 million and
donated and delivered to Port-au-Prince, Haiti by AmeriCares, will help meet
the emergency medical needs of tens of thousands of displaced people. Managed
by the Ministry of Public Health and Population’s Pharmaceutical Control
Division, the products will be distributed free of charge to patients in need
through regional medical supply chains, hospitals, clinics and health
facilities. (…)
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2008/vital-medicines-haiti.html?sourc=hp_ln_100708
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SolarWorld
Opens 500-MW Solar Cell Manufacturing Facility
Oregon, United States, 17
October - SolarWorld has opened one of North America’s largest solar cell
manufacturing facilities. The new plant is located in Hillsboro, Oregon and is
expected to reach a capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) by 2011.
SolarWorld Hillsboro is a
480,000 square foot facility, measuring one-quarter mile end-to-end. Raw
silicon is transformed through the manufacturing process into solar cells that
are shipped to the SolarWorld Camarillo plant where they are processed into
solar panels.
SolarWorld acquired the Hillsboro factory,
which belonged to Japan’s Komatsu Group, in March 2007 for US $40 million and
is investing more than US $400 million in the new facility. The company expects
to employ 1,000 people at the Hillsboro facility by 2011 to meet this
increasing demand worldwide. (…)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53876
New
energy economy emerging in the United States
by Lester R. Brown
15 October - As fossil fuel
prices rise, as oil insecurity deepens, and as concerns about climate change
cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new energy economy is emerging in the
United States. The old energy economy, fueled by oil, coal, and natural gas, is
being replaced by one powered by wind, solar, and geothermal energy. The
transition is moving at a pace and on a scale that we could not have imagined
even a year ago.
Wind appears destined to
become the centerpiece of the new U.S. energy economy, eventually supplying
several hundred thousand megawatts of electricity. Solar power is also
expanding at a breakneck pace. (...) The largest U.S. solar cell installation
today is a 14-megawatt array at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. (...) Solar
thermal plants that use mirrors to concentrate sunlight on a vessel containing
a fluid - heating it to 750 degrees Fahrenheit to generate steam and produce
power - have suddenly become an enormously attractive technology. (...) Along
with wind and solar, geothermal energy is also developing at an explosive rate.
(...)
The new energy economy will be
powered largely by electricity from renewable sources. (...) This new energy
economy can be our legacy to the next generation.
http://www.earthpolicy.org/Updates/2008/Update77.htm
Manila, Philippines, 9 October
- With the passing of its Renewable Energy Act - legislation that spent 19
years in limbo - the Philippines can save over US$2.9 billion, a WWF and
University of the Philippines study has found. The savings would come from
increasing the country’s renewable energy share in its power generation mix
from 0.16 per cent to 41 per cent from wind, solar, ocean, run-of-river
hydropower and biomass. Today 26 per cent of the country’s power comes from
burning imported coal, whilst 23 per cent comes from burning oil. Last year the
country imported 101.4 million barrels of oil alone, costing US$7.5 billion.
(…) A separate Renewable Energy Coalition analysis says that renewable energy
sources can reduce the country’s oil imports by half, and the savings can be
used for social and infrastructure programs. (…) The landmark legislation aims
to accelerate the development and use of the nation’s vast renewable energy
resources through fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for investors. (...)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=147523
GE Energy
invests more than $100 million to launch 2.5xl wind turbine and services,
expands manufacturing operations in Europe
Salzbergen, Germany, 1 October
(Business Wire) - GE Energy today announced it has already received more than
one gigawatt of commitments for its 2.5xl wind turbine over the next year and a
half. That represents enough clean, wind-generated electricity to meet the
needs of more than one million German households.
To meet the growing demands of
Europe’s wind power industry, GE Energy also announced the evolution of its
wind turbine manufacturing facility in Salzbergen, Germany. The Salzbergen site
will allow GE Energy to focus additional resources on meeting the strong demand
for wind energy in Europe.
Historically, Europe has been
and continues to be one of the world’s strongest regions for wind energy
development. According to the European Wind Energy Association, Europe’s
installed wind capacity has increased almost six-fold since 2000 and GE expects
strong growth to continue.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/ge-energy-invests-more-than,563175.shtml
EWEA:
Pure power on the horizon
More than one third of the EU’s new electricity generating capacity will
be wind power
In its latest
report entitled “Pure Power - Wind Energy Scenarios up to 2030”, the European
Wind Energy Association (EWEA) outlines the road towards large-scale wind
energy. Presenting three development scenarios for 2010, 2020 and 2030, the
report examines in detail the probable impact on electricity, greenhouse gas
emissions and the EU economy. It confirms the positive prospects of a
technology that last year became the leader in terms of net power capacity
additions in the EU (1). Wind power’s share of new generating capacity is
forecasted to be 34% in the period 2005-2020 and 46% in the decade leading up
to 2030. Wind power’s share of new capacity in Europe in the 25-year period
2005-2030 is 39%. (...)
The wind
industry target of 180 GW by 2020 (4) is equivalent to supplying the
electricity needs of 107 million average EU households. Such penetration level
would avoid the emission of 328 Mt of CO2 - the equivalent to taking 165
million cars off the road -, contribute 44% of the EU greenhouse gases
reduction target and avoid yearly fuel costs of €20.5 billion and CO2 costs of
€8.2 billion. It would also create hundreds of thousands jobs. (...)
Global Handwashing Day
celebrated in 700 schools across Angola
Luanda, Angola, 17 October -
On the first-ever Global Handwashing Day, 15 October, students and teachers
from more than 700 participating schools across Angola engaged in symbolic acts
of handwashing and listened to government leaders speak out about the
importance of using water and soap. The official tune for the festivities was
‘Wash your hands! Wash your hands! Wash your hands with soap!’ by the young
Angolan singer Pedrito do Bie.
In Luanda, Minister of
Education Burity da Silva presided over a handwashing ceremony at the Dom Bosco
School in the populous municipality of Sambizanga. “It is crucial that teachers
and parents - and anyone else responsible for the teaching and upbringing of
children - carry forward the message of handwashing with soap. Many sectors
have been involved in preparing this day, and we must ensure that the effort to
promote good hygiene continues to be an all-out effort,” said Mr. da Silva.
(...) National print and broadcast media, as well as news agencies, had an
ample presence at the ceremonies, carrying the message of handwashing with soap
to viewers and listeners in all corners of Angola.
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/angola_46021.html
New
list of hazardous substances spotlighted for International Action
Up to nine more persistent organic pollutants may be
banned or restricted under the UNEP Stockholm Convention
Geneva/Nairobi,
13 October - A new range of everyday and industrial chemicals used in carpets and
textiles up to aviation devices and medical equipment may soon be controlled or
eliminated under an international hazardous substances treaty. Scientists today
began reviewing four to add to a list of five substances already short-listed
last year for consideration under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants.
The four additional substances
are: Commercial uses of octabromodiphenyl ether, a brominated flame retardant
used in textiles and carpets. Pentachlorobenzene, found in electrical
transformer fluids and as an impurity in herbicides, fungicides and wood
treatments. Alpha and beta hexachlorocyclohexane which are by-products of the
production of the pesticide Lindane.
Their possible listing will be
reviewed in Geneva over the next few days by the Persistent Organic Pollutants
(POPs) Review Committee in advance of the Convention’s Conference of the
Parties meeting in May 2009. (...)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=548&ArticleID=5947&l=en
Barcelona, Spain, 9 October -
New hope was extended to some of the world’s most diverse and endangered
forests today as WWF, four Indonesian ministers and ten provincial governors
announced a bold commitment to protect the remaining forests and critical
ecosystems of Sumatra. The agreement, announced to wide acclaim today at the
IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Indonesian government and
WWF, is the first-ever comprehensive commitment to protect the world’s sixth
largest island and one of its major environmental hotspots.
Sumatra is the only place on
earth where tigers, elephants, orangutans and rhinos co-exist, but all are
under threat as are the island’s indigenous peoples. Deforestation and forest
conversion for palm oil and acacia plantations in lowland deep peat forests is
a major contributor to global carbon emissions. (…) WWF, CI, FFI, WCS, and
other conservation groups working in Sumatrahave agreed to help implement the
political commitment to protect what remains of the island’s species-rich
forests and critical areas. (…)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=147524
Green
Awards 2008 shortlists announced
London, 9 October - Organisations wanting to
demonstrate their commitment to communicating sustainability will soon be
recognised when the winners are announced in the third annual Green Awards™
ceremony on the 12th of November. (...) This year Baroness Peta Buscombe, Chief
Executive of the Advertising Association boldly followed in the footsteps of
UNEP and DEFRA as chair with an esteemed panel of judges including Nick
Gammage, Director of Communications at WRAP, Marc Sands, Marketing Director
from the Guardian and Philip Sellwood, CEO of The Energy Saving Trust to name
but a few. As may be expected, the hot topic throughout was whether companies
could be accused of ‘Greenwash’ or were in fact truly living their values by
providing both qualitative and quantitative evidence of the positive
sustainable impact of their campaigns. (...) The spread of entries included
submissions in two new categories, Best Green International Campaign and Best
Green Campaigner. According to Green Awards™ producer Iain Patton “one of the
greatest challenges in the future will be to bring about change in the values
and behaviours of individuals regarding the environment through effective
communication.” (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=548&ArticleID=5945&l=en
World
Habitat Day, 6 October 2008
“Harmonious
cities”, inclusive cities where everyone and every culture is at home.
The United Nations has
designated the first Monday in October each year as World Habitat Day. The idea
is to reflect on the state of our towns and cities and the basic right to
adequate shelter for all. It is also intended to remind the world of its
collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat. The global
observance of the occasion this year will be led from the Angolan capital,
Luanda. The celebrations in Angola will show the world, how the country, after
years of conflict, is progressing in the establishment of harmonious cities
through improvements in urban infrastructure and services, and a new urban development
strategy.
The United Nations chose the
theme of “Harmonious Cities” for 2008 to raise awareness about the problems of
rapid urbanization, its impact on the environment, the growth of slums, and the
urbanisation of poverty as more and more people teem into towns and cities
looking for a better life. (…) Urgent action is thus needed to foster
widespread use of new energy efficient and environmentally friendly
technologies to reduce urban pollution. (...)
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=5660&catid=564&typeid=24&subMenuId=0
Fourth
session of the World Urban Forum, 3 - 6 November 2008, Nanjing, China
“Harmonious
Urbanization: The Challenge of Balanced Territorial Development”
The World Urban Forum was
established by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing issues
facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities,
cities, economies and policies. It is projected that in the next fifty years,
two-thirds of humanity will be living in towns and cities. A major challenge is
to minimize burgeoning poverty in cities, improve the urban poor’s access to
basic facilities such as shelter, clean water and sanitation and achieve environment-friendly,
sustainable urban growth and development.
The World Urban Forum is a
biennial gathering that is attended by a wide range of partners, from
non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, urban
professionals, academics, to governments, local authorities and national and
international associations of local governments. It gives all these actors a
common platform to discuss urban issues in formal and informal ways and come up
with action-oriented proposals to create sustainable cities. (…)
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=4613&catid=535&typeid=24&subMenuId=0
Week
of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns – 20 - 24 October, UN, New York
Sponsored by the NGO Committee
on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns (NY), Spiritual Caucus, Values
Caucus, UNSRC Enlightenment Society (SEAT) & United Religions
Initiative-UN.
In honor of the anniversary of
the United Nations, the Week of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns has
been created to bring about a culture of peace in which we, the peoples of the
world, can address together our common challenges in a holistic, positive and
transformative way. The Week’s activities recognize that spirituality and
adherence to universal values, such as those expressed in the United Nations
Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are key to providing
solutions to global concerns.
The Week of Spirituality,
Values and Global Concerns takes place at UN headquarters, during the United
Nations anniversary, to inspire and generate collective engagement in an annual
worldwide celebration.
Download Here 2008 Calendar brochure
Living
in community: the goal of Christian-Muslim dialogue
20 October - “Living together
in community must take the centre stage of Christian-Muslim dialogue,” said
Catholicos Aram I at the opening of an 18-20 October ecumenical consultation
aimed at developing a common Christian theological understanding of dialogue
with Islam.
“The prevailing
misperceptions, ambiguities, polarizations, tensions and collision [of values
between Muslims and Christians], hijacked and sharpened by politico-ideological
agendas and geo-political strategies, can be transformed only through a shared
life in community,” stated Aram I, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church (See
of Cilicia), in delivering the key-note speech of the consultation. For Aram I,
such a “community building must take place on the basis of equal rights and
obligations, as well as full and active participation in all aspects of society
life, including decision-making”. It “presupposes a quality of integration that
provides equal opportunities, ensures diversity and enhances mutual
acceptance”. (...)
Organized by the World Council
of Churches (WCC), together with a number of Christian world communions, the
World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and the Roman Catholic Church, the
consultation has gathered some 50 church leaders and experts on
Christian-Muslim dialogue in Chavannes-de-Bogis, outside Geneva, Switzerland. (...)
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1722/living-in-community-the.html
UN
Secretary-General stresses role of religions in building peace
17 October - All of the
world’s great religions have a critical role to play in building and cementing
global peace, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told a gathering of Asian
religious figures today.
In a video message sent to the
General Assembly of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace, held at
Manila, Mr. Ban called on the religions to work together with the UN to build
peace.
“Asia is the cradle of great
religions that share noble values pursued by all humanity - values such as
mercy, justice and peace,” he said. “And yet mankind has created so many
conflicts in the name of religion. That is why organizations like yours are so
important.”
Mr. Ban noted that the UN had
created the Alliance of Civilizations, which brings together religious leaders,
governments, philanthropists, corporations, the media, academia and activists,
for the same reasons. “By working with a broad range of partners, in the UN and
beyond the UN, the Alliance is addressing the conditions that allow extremism
to fester, and helping to create the foundations for peace.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28620&Cr=ki-moon&Cr1=relig
7th
International Conference on Peace and Nonviolent Action, 10-14 November
Inter Religious Federation for World Peace: “A future world of peace is
not possible without active, substantial cooperation among the leaders and
members of the world’s religions”.
(...) This
conference is different from most other peace conferences in that it is not
merely academic. Apart from the exchange of ideas on the highest possible
level, it is our conviction that peace is not only a matter of discussion and
the implication of good ideas, but that peace belongs to the inherent nature of
human beings themselves.
The aggression and
many other problems in the world are a manifestation or reflection of the inner
problems each man or woman, and humankind in its totality. This conference will
not only exist of intellectualism, but take the people into a recognition of
inner peace and a deeper understanding of what ‘peace’ actually is. (...) Of
paramount importance for humanity, especially in the long term, is to change
our lifestyles. (...)
The conference is
being organized by Anuvrat Global Organization (ANUVIBHA) (a transnational
center for peace and nonviolent action associated with the Department of Public
Information of the United Nations) and is being cosponsored by several
internationally acclaimed organizations.
For details and
registration form, please visit our website www.anuvibha.in
European
Commission launches “Study in Europe” website to promote European higher
education
Brussels, 17
October - The European Commission has launched a new web portal called “Study
in Europe” to promote the attractiveness of European Higher Education to
students from other parts of the world. The portal, at www.study-in-europe.org, is part of a
wide-ranging campaign to increase the number of students from outside Europe
who study in the EU. “Study in Europe” provides clear and up-to-date
information about the range of courses on offer in European higher education
institutions, admission procedures, costs, scholarships and the higher
education environment in Europe.
Potential students will find
help to decide which country they should go to, which university they should
choose, what they may need before they leave home and what will happen when
they arrive at their chosen campus. “Study in Europe” covers thirty-two
European countries, their universities and what it takes to live and study in
them. (…)
by Ryan Hyland
Rotary International News,16
October - Collecting donated computer equipment for budget-strapped middle
schools in and around northern Tarn, France, has become a central cause for the
forward-looking Rotary Club of Carmaux, which is providing students with the
tools needed to keep pace with fast-moving technology.
For years, club member Jacky
Cathala, with the support of District 1700 (Andorra; France), sent donated
computer supplies to underequipped Romanian schools that taught French. After
media reports on the success of Cathala’s efforts, requests for equipment began
to pour in from school authorities in northern Tarn. So the club launched the
Better Computer Learning Conditions in Schools vocational project. (…)
Now Cathala and fellow club
members spend hours networking with French organizations that are willing to
donate old computer equipment. Rotarians also coordinate with information
technology specialists to ensure the systems are working and up-to-date.
Since its launch in December
2006, the project has delivered more than 180 computers and 24 printers to 40
schools. (…)
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/081016_news_frenchvocation.aspx
UN-HABITAT
signs education agreement with Afghanistan
Kabul, 15 October - UN-HABITAT
and the government of Afghanistan this week signed an agremeent aimed at making
education more accessible to the country’s citizens.
The agreement was signed by
the Afghan Minister for Education Hanif Atmar and the UN-HABITAT Chief
Technical Adviser Binod Shrestha while Peter Argo, Acting Mission Director,
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Afghanistan
witnessed the ceremony.
Speaking during the occasion,
Mr. Atmar said that under the programme, known as Learning for Community
Empowerment, his ministry would for the first time be implementing a truly
national programme covering all the provinces in Afghanistan. He stressed that
the programme was designed by Afghan professionals and will be implemented by the
Ministry with the technical assistance from UN-HABITAT. (...)
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=5972&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
Egyptian
Professor Gaber Asfour and Portuguese author Adalberto Alves to receive 2008
Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture
7 October - The
Director-General has attributed the 2008 Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture to
Professor Gaber Asfour of Egypt and Portuguese writer Adalberto Alves, on the
recommendation of an international jury that examined 33 candidates presented
by 20 UNESCO Member States.
The Director-General of
UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura will present the Prize to the laureats in a ceremony
at Organization Headquarters on 17 November (Room II, 6.30 p.m.).
Dr Gaber Asfour, professor at
several Arab, European and American universities, is a former President of
Egypt’s Supreme Council of Culture. Currently at the head of the National
Translation Foundation in Cairo, he plays a major role in the dissemination of
Arab culture worldwide. His highly original literary criticism has gained
international recognition. A champion of intercultural dialogue, he has
promoted values such as women’s rights, respect for others, creative diversity
and tolerance.
The writer, poet and oriental
scholar Adalberto Alves - born José Adalberto Coelho Alves - heads the Centro
de Estudos Luso-Arabes of Silves (Portugal). His work has inspired many
Portuguese and Spanish writers and has contributed to the dissemination of the
history of Arab culture of Portugal’s Moslem era (the Gharb al-Andalus). (...)
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=43615&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
The
United States Meets Germany: A Forum for Young Leaders - Berlin, November 10
-14
The Institute for Cultural
Diplomacy (ICD) is pleased to announce The United States Meets Germany: A Forum
for Young Leaders (USAMG) taking place in Berlin from November 10th to November
14th, 2008. The ICD is now accepting applications for participants interested
in taking part in this Forum, that is designed with the intention of bringing
together young, influential people from both sides of the Atlantic in order for
them to gain insight into cultural diplomacy, exchange ideas and experiences
and learn from influential players already working in the field.
Participants will develop
contacts on both a social and professional level, and participate in
challenging discussions. The Forum will therefore produce a dynamic, informed
group of Young Leaders who are aware of the potential for cultural diplomacy
and have the necessary resources to organize their own initiatives. It is hoped
that these participants might cooperate on independent initiatives together in
their future. Ultimately the USAMG Forum will improve understanding between the
US and Germany, and improve future cooperation and exchange between the two
countries.
The Institute for Cultural
Diplomacy is an international, not-for-profit and non-governmental organization
concerned with the promotion of inter-cultural understanding, through research,
bi-lateral and multi-lateral programs and leadership initiatives. To learn more
about the ICD, please visit our website: www.culturaldiplomacy.org
More detailed information
about the USAMG and the application process is available on the USAMG website:http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?en_program_usamg_introduction
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Next issue: 14 November 2008.
* * * * * * *
Good News Agency is
published in English on one Friday and in Italian the next. Past issues
are available at www.goodnewsagency.org . Rome Law-court registration
no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
Managing
Editor: Sergio Tripi, Ph.D. Editorial research by Fabio Gatti, Maria Grazia Da
Damos, Elisa Peduto, Azzurra Cianchetta. Editorial Secretary: Maria Grazia Da
Damos.
Good News Agency is distributed free of charge through Internet to 4,000 editorial offices of the daily newspapers and periodical magazines and of the radio and television stations with an e-mail address in 49 countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, 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 2,800 NGOs and 500 high schools, colleges and universities.
It is an all-volunteer service of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà Mondiale, a registered educational charity chartered in Italy in 1979 and associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations. The Association has been recognized by UNESCO as “an actor of the global movement for a culture of peace”. 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. It is based in Via Antagora 10, 00124 Rome, Italy.
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