Good News Agency – Year IX, n° 15
Weekly - Year IX, number 15 –
5th December 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
Poland 19th state to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Action
against trafficking in human beings
The Council of Europe
Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings entered into force on
1 February 2008. On 17 November 2008 Poland became the 19th state to ratify the
Convention. For Poland the Convention will enter into force on 1 March 2009.
Albania, Armenia, Austria, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Georgia, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Slovakia are the first 19
states to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Action against trafficking
in Human Beings.
The Convention has been signed
by 21 other Council of Europe member states: Andorra, Belgium, Finland,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Netherlands, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, “the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
http://www.coe.int/t/dg2/trafficking/campaign/default_en.asp
27 November - On 27 November 2008, the Commission sent
reasoned opinions to six countries to fully implement EU rules prohibiting
discrimination in employment and occupation on the grounds of sex. Austria, Lithuania,
Slovenia, Hungary, Italy and Malta have two months to respond. If they fail to
reply or if the response is unsatisfactory, the Commission can decide to take
them to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) (…) The main problems include
definitions of direct and indirect discrimination; rights of women on maternity
leave; and the functioning of equality bodies.
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=423&furtherNews=yes
Expert Seminar on the Council
of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings
Madrid, 2-3 December - An
Expert Seminar on the Council of Europe Convention on Action against
Trafficking in Human Beings will take place in Madrid on 2-3 December 2008. The
seminar will provide technical assistance on the implementation of the measures
contained in the Convention as well as promote ratification of the Convention. (...)
The first working session of the seminar will give a general overview of the measures contained in the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The following sessions will be devoted to specific aspects, including the need for national coordinating bodies for combating trafficking, the necessity to adopt a multidisciplinary approach in preventing trafficking, civil society’s action to prevent trafficking, the question of the identification of victims of trafficking, the recovery and reflection period, the need to criminalise trafficking in human beings, as well as an overview of the monitoring mechanism of the Convention. (...)
http://www.coe.int/t/dg2/trafficking/campaign/Docs/activities/Current_en.asp
World Congress
against the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents comes to a close in
Brazil
Nations leave with blueprint
for action in the fight to protect the world´s children
Rio de Janeiro, 28 November -
The sexual exploitation of children is not inevitable. That was the message
coming out of Rio de Janeiro today where 137 governments have been meeting with
children, international organizations, NGOs and private sector companies. While
those gathered in Brazil recognize that ending child sexual exploitation is a
long and difficult battle, the organizing partners say countries are in a
better position now to win the fight as a result of days of work developing a
blueprint for action called the Rio Declaration and Action Plan to Prevent and
Stop the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_46636.html
November 25th & 16
Days of Activism
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender
Violence is
an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership
Institute in 1991. Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women
and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human
rights. The 16 Days Campaign has been adopted as an organizing strategy by
individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all
forms of violence against women.
UNIFEM is sponsoring or supporting numerous
events and activities to commemorate November 25th and the 16 Days of Activism
campaign.
http://www.unifem.org/campaigns/vaw/16days.php
http://www.un.org/events/women/violence/2008/pdf/vaw_backgrounder.pdf
Juvenile
justice topic of first regional conference of judges and prosecutors in South
East Europe
Skopje, 28 November - UNICEF,
Representative, Mr. Sheldon Yett and Deputy Minister of Justice, Mr. Ibrahim
Ibrahimi opened today a conference to discuss issues related to juvenile
justice and making judicial reform work for children. Judges and other
professionals from Albania, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro have come to
Skopje for the conference. (...) “The aim of juvenile justice systems should be
the rehabilitation and reintegration into society of those children in conflict
with the law, not their punishment,” said UNICEF Country Representative Mr.
Sheldon Yett. (...) The conference has been organised as part of the
Government’s national plan for action for implementation of the juvenile
justice law. During the conference experts will discuss the main
characteristics of procedures for working with juveniles in the domestic
courts, share experiences in working with children at risk, and best practices
in implementing of alternative measure and mediation. (...)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_46641.html
Scranton, Pa., USA, 24
November - The Fifth Session of the Interparliamentary Conference on Human
Rights and Religious Freedom opened today at Marywood University with speeches
from foreign and local dignitaries and a top White House official. Michael G.
Kozak, the senior director for democracy at the National Security Council gave
the keynote address and spoke about the necessity for U.S. foreign policy to
support freedom and pro-democracy movements around the world. “Given the
chance, people around the world will choose democracy over authoritarian
regimes,” Kozak said. “This does not mean that all democracies will look like
the USA. But the basic value of giving voice to the people is common to all:
free elections, freedom of expression and belief.” (...) This year’s session in
Scranton marks the first time that an Interparliamentary Conference has been
held outside a national capital. The Interparliamentary Conference on Human
Rights and Religious Freedom is a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated program of the
Institute.
http://religionandpolicy.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1641&Itemid=492
New Report
shows cultural sensitivity critical to successful development strategies, women’s
equality
New York, 12 November - Development strategies that are sensitive to
cultural values can reduce harmful practices against women and promote human
rights, including gender equality and women’s empowerment, affirms The State of World Population 2008 report from UNFPA,
the United Nations Population Fund.
Reaching “Common Ground:
Culture, Gender and Human Rights”, launched 12 November 2008, reports that
culture is a central component of successful development of poor countries, and
must be integrated into development policy and programming.
The report, which coincides
with this year’s 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
is based on the concept that the international human rights framework has
universal validity. Human rights express values common to all cultures and
protect groups as well as individuals. The report endorses culturally sensitive
approaches to development and to the promotion of human rights, in general, and
women’s rights, in particular.
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/home.html
New
German funds for anti-hunger projects
$14.2
million pledged for food security, forestry and biofuel initiatives
Rome, 3 December - Germany has
pledged an extra $11 million to support various FAO projects in the fight
against hunger. The new funds bring Germany's 2008 extrabudgetary contributions
to $14.2 million-the largest amount Germany has ever committed to FAO in one
programme year.(…)
Germany's contributions
support a variety of FAO activities in countries ranging from Tanzania to
Sierra Leone. One project promoting reduced deforestation in Ghana is being
financed through Germany's Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and
Development. The project will assist Ghana in implementing the
"Non-legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forest" (NLBI) which
was adopted by the United Nations Forum on Forests in May 2007.
Four other projects will
benefit from Germany's funding being funnelled through its Federal Ministry of
Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. These include: a project enhancing
forestry conservation in the Congo Basin; a seed enterprise development project
in Sierra Leone; food systems development in the United Republic of Tanzania;
and a project supporting interregional biofuel development.
Malawi President
awarded Agricola Medal
President Mutharika leads country from deficit to food exporter
Rome-Lilongwe, 28 November - Malawi’s President
Bingu wa Mutharika was awarded FAO’s Agricola Medal in honour of his
substantial contribution towards transforming the country’s economy from a
state of food deficit to a net exporter of maize. During a ceremony held in the
Malawian capital Lilongwe on 27 November, FAO Director-General, Jacques Diouf,
conferred the medal on President wa Mutharika, noting that despite sharply
rising food and energy prices earlier in the year, and the negative impacts of
climate change, Malawi has been able to contain food prices to the extent that
economic growth of 8 percent was forecast for 2008.
In 2005, thanks in a large part to the adoption of an Agricultural Input
Subsidy Programme piloted by the Government of President wa Mutharika, the
country has succeeded in restoring national food security by increasing access
to fertilizers and improved seeds by poor farmers and other vulnerable
population groups. (...)
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/8618/icode/
Haiti:
UN mission funds public works projects employing more than 2,000 people
26 November - The United
Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is providing $250,000
to fund two construction projects in the Central Plateau region of Haiti, one
of the poorest regions in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Some
2,500 people will be put to work over a period of six months on the
construction of two roads as part of public works projects in Haiti. The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) is charged with overseeing
the project in Marmont, which is estimated to cost some $157,000 and employ
around 1,800 people as a dirt road linking the town to a road leading to the
nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is rehabilitated. The second project, costing
a little less than $100,000, involves paving road in the city of Hinche, close
to the border with the Dominican Republic and about 30 miles from Marmont.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29094&Cr=haiti&Cr1=minustah
Crafting a blue-print for a
Green Global Economy
Geneva, 25 November - Leading
environmental economists researchers, business leaders and senior figures from
international organizations are to meet in Geneva to take forward the United
Nations’ Green Economy initiative. Also headlined as a ‘Global Green New Deal’,
the $4 million initiative was recently announced in London by Achim Steiner, UN
Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, UN Environment Programme
(UNEP).
The initiative aims to
re-shape and re-focus markets and public spending towards areas such as clean
technologies, renewable energies and natural assets such as the planet’s
ecosystems and their trillion dollar goods and services. The initiative is
aimed at assisting governments overcome the current economic crisis while
outlining the strategies and policies needed sustainably grow economies,
generate employment and accelerate a transition to a low resource-use, low
carbon society. The Green Economy initiative will deliver a comprehensive
roadmap for governments within two years, but key elements of the Global Green
New Deal will be outlined within the next six month. (...)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=553&ArticleID=6006&l=en
Vietnam:
cow bank project offers better life to the blind
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA,
24 November - Through an income generation cow bank project, the Adventist
Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is helping visually impaired and blind
persons in Vietnam’s southeastern Binh Phuoc province achieve financial
independence and improve their self-confidence through skills training in
agriculture, health, and finances.
As a result of the Cow Bank
Project, worth more than $50,000, nearly 70 participants and their families
have improved their economic standing in the last twelve months through
financing opportunities. This initiative, launched in November 2007, has
allowed families living in rural areas to purchase cows, opening up new income
streams and improving their overall economic stability. (…) To extend the
sustainability of this project, participants are required to return to ADRA a
female calf, which in turn is sold to a new family joining the project.
Over the last year,
beneficiaries have also received training in technical skills and safe farming
techniques, and are taking a more active role in their own communities. (...)
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9603&news_iv_ctrl=1141
ANERA
rehabilitates an ancient site in Jericho
USAID
and ANERA inaugurate a revitalized Hisham’s palace.
Jericho, West Bank, 20
November - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and
American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) held an inauguration ceremony at
Hisham’s Palace. This 1,300 year-old archeological site, near Jericho, is the
most important monument from the early Islamic period in the Palestinian
Territories. It is a great tourist attraction, but was badly in need of repairs
to make it more accessible to visitors. With $850,000 from the USAID, ANERA was
able to do extensive work on the site.
Working in close cooperation
with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Municipality of Jericho,
ANERA rehabilitated the existing museum (…) The rehabilitation of Hisham’s
Palace provided short-term employment opportunities for approximately 4,000
Palestinians and will benefit some 50,000 visitors a year. (…)
http://www.anera.org/newsResources/ANERAsWorkatHishamsPalace.php
Architecture
for Humanity - Biloxi Model Homes, a creative
reaction to hurricane Katrina
The goal of the Biloxi Model
Home program is to provide design services and financial assistance for the
construction of homes that for families in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA, whose
houses were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. (…) By rebuilding responsible homes
in a devastated community families have a real base for contributing to the
reestablishment of their community, rather than just getting by until the next
disaster. (…)
To jump start the program,
Architecture for Humanity invited twelve established local and national firms
to create proposals for homes that meet the new challenges of
disaster-mitigation in the post-Katrina environment. In August 2006 these firms
participated in a House Fair. The event was open to the public, but also served
as a vehicle for seven participating families to meet and talk with the
architects one-on-one and select a design team with which to work. Through out
the construction of these 7 homes different construction methods and materials
were proposed and tested. The results of the near complete program provide
community building partners with valuable resources.
In addition to sponsoring the
Model Home program, Architecture for Humanity collaborated with the East Biloxi
Coordination Relief and Redevelopment Agency, Hands On Gulf Coast and the Gulf
Coast Community Design Studio to bring volunteer designers and architects to
East Biloxi and provide support for continuing rebuilding efforts.
http://architectureforhumanity.org/projects/biloxi_model_homes
India:
Red Cross aid for displaced people in Assam
New Delhi-Geneva, 28 November
(ICRC) - The Assam State Branch of the Indian Red Cross Society and the
International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) are delivering aid to over 20,000
people who had to flee their homes when communal violence flared up in the
Udalguri and Darrang districts of Assam. (...) After assessing needs, the Assam
Branch of the Indian Red Cross, in cooperation with the ICRC, proceeded with a
distribution of blankets, mosquito nets, kitchen sets, tarpaulins, clothing,
hygiene items and other supplies. Assam Branch Red Cross volunteers also
promoted good hygienic practice and proper sanitation. “Together with our
colleagues from the ICRC, we will keep on monitoring the humanitarian situation
of the displaced population,” said Ms Renuka Devi Barkatak of the Indian Red
Cross. “That way, we’ll be able to meet their most urgent needs.”
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/india-news-281108
Honduras
flooding: ADRA funds relief efforts after latest tropical storm
Silver Spring, Maryland, 25
November - In an effort to assist more than 16,000 survivors of Tropical
Depression Sixteen in Honduras, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency
(ADRA) provided more than 2,100 hygiene kits and nearly 1,300 clothing kits in
cooperation with COPECO, the Honduran government office for disaster response,
on October 28. More than 10,500 affected residents benefited from the
distribution of hygiene kits, while approximately 6,000 benefited from the
clothing kits, according to Claudio Sandoval, country director for ADRA
Honduras. The items were distributed in the regions of Comayagua, El Sur,
Ocotepeque, and El Paraíso, areas severely affected by the storm. Each hygiene
kit contained hand towels, soap bars, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and combs, and
every clothing kit provided enough clothing items for a five-person family. (…)
ADRA has been active in
Honduras since 1998, working primarily in the areas of infrastructure, health
care, economic development, food security, emergency management, and education.
ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency
management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender,
race, or ethnicity.
http://www.adra.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9611&news_iv_ctrl=1141
Victims
of Congo’s other crisis get help
25 November - Caritas has
delivered aid to 2000 families in northern Congo where thousands of people have
fled their homes because of Ugandan rebel violence. Over the past two months,
villagers have been uprooted because of Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) attacks.
(...) Caritas has given out items such as covers, clothes, cutlery, plates and
soap in the diocese of Dungu-Doruma to help those who have left everything
behind. A second distribution of items will take place in a different area in
two weeks’ time. (…)
Caritas was established in
Congo in 1960. It is currently appealing for US$5.5 million to help people
caught up in the crisis in eastern Congo and in Ituri region. It also carries
out development work in areas such as peace building, HIV prevention and
education.
http://www.caritas.org/newsroom/press_releases/victims_of_other_congo_crisis_get_help.html
Central
African Republic: aid for 20,000 displaced people
Bangui, 19 November (ICRC) -
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has just completed a
distribution of basic necessities to nearly 20,000 people in villages between
Bouzoum and Paoua and between Talley and Billacaré, in the Paoua sub-prefecture
of north-western Central African Republic. (...) The distribution of
tarpaulins, blankets, mosquito nets, buckets, soap, hoes, sleeping mats,
clothing and household items was carried out with the help of volunteers from
the Central African Red Cross Society. (...) In addition to providing displaced
people with essential items, the ICRC’s sub-delegation in Padoua, opened in
2006, carries out activities raising awareness of the basic rules of
international humanitarian law among people who bear weapons. The
sub-delegation also visits people detained in connection with the conflict and
provides support for local Red Cross chapters to boost their capacity to bring
aid to those who need it most.
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/central-african-republic-news-191108
Mine-affected
states given clearance extensions but told to work urgently
Ninth
Meeting of the States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty concluded in Geneva today.
Geneva, 28 November - Under
pressure from the States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty and civil society, the
United Kingdom announced that it will immediately begin demining the Falkland
Islands and reaffirmed its commitment to their full clearance as soon as
possible. This was the most contentious issue at the annual Meeting of States
Parties which concluded today in Geneva. (...) The pressure exerted by civil
society and the extremely serious concerns expressed by States Parties to the
Mine Ban Treaty resulted in positive declarations from Belarus, Greece, Turkey,
which have been in violation of the treaty since they missed their 1 March 2008
stockpile destruction deadline. Greece announced it had started stockpile
destruction this week and intended to finish in mid-2009, Turkey stated that it
has destroyed almost 800,000 mines in 2008 and aimed to finish destruction in
early 2010, and Belarus re-stated its need for much-delayed financial
assistance. (… ) Author(s): Site Admin
http://www.icbl.org/news/pr28nov08
Students
mobilize in support of cluster bomb ban, People’s Treaty
28 November - As the
Convention on Cluster Munitions signing conference approaches, Canadian
students are joining the worldwide movement to ban cluster bombs. At both high
schools and universities from Victoria to Kingston, students have shown their
support for the ban and the People’s Treaty in creative, effective ways.
Students in Grade 12 at St. Michaels University School organized a
demonstration and collected signatures for the People’s Treaty, the initiative
that allows regular citizens to pledge their support for the Convention.
Inspired by Dariusz Dziewanski, a former MAC Youth Ambassador and an alumnus of
St. Michael’s University School, they also gave a presentation and held a
moment of silence for the victims of cluster munitions and landmines on
November 20. (…) The People’s Treaty has signatories all over the world and it
will be presented to global leaders at the signing conference for the
Convention on Cluster Munitions on December 3.
http://www.minesactioncanada.org/home/index.cfm?fuse=Home.News&ID=361
Early HIV testing and
treatment can save newborn lives, new U.N. report released on World AIDS Day
states
New
York, 1 December - Early diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve the
prospects for survival of newborn babies exposed to HIV, according to a report
released today by four United Nations agencies. The report, titled Children and
AIDS: Third stocktaking report, was jointly prepared by UNICEF, the World
Health Organization (WHO), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and released on World
Aids Day. “Without appropriate treatment, half of children with HIV will die
from an HIV-related cause by their second birthday,” said Ann M. Veneman,
UNICEF Executive Director. “Survival rates are up to 75 per cent higher for
HIV-positive newborns who are diagnosed and begin treatment within their first
12 weeks.” (...)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_46600.html
“Keep the Promise”
is the message for World AIDS Day December 1
28 November - This
year World AIDS Day will be celebrated under the banner “Stop AIDS. Keep the
Promise” and will highlight the special theme of “Leadership”. Events will take
place around the world to highlight existing programmes, launch new initiatives
and raise awareness of key HIV and AIDS-related issues. The emphasis will
be placed on the shortfall between commitments made to halt the spread of HIV
and AIDS and actions taken to follow through on them. UNESCO offices around the
world will commemorate the day with a range of activities. (...)
http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=58293&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Nairobi, 25 November -
UNICEF’s inaugural report The State of Africa’s Children 2008 was
launched today by Former President of Mozambique Joachim Alberto Chissano in
Nairobi, Kenya. During a press conference hosted by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila
Odinga, the renowned African leader called the report “an excellent blueprint
on how to accelerate the attainment of health-related MDGS.” The inaugural
edition of The State of Africa’s Children complements The State of
the World’s Children, UNICEF’s annual flagship report on the world’s
youngest citizens. The report outlines some of the recent achievements in child
survival and primary health care in Africa. The
inaugural edition of The State of Africa’s Children complements (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_46565.html
Mosquito
net projects help prevent malaria
Evanston, Il, USA, 21 November
- One of the most sobering facts about malaria is that it can be prevented
simply by sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net. These nets can
last five years and cost about US$10 - expensive to families who survive on
less than $1 a day but, thanks to Rotarian efforts, now accessible to many of
them.
The Rotary Club of Kråkerøy,
Norway, teamed up with the Rotary Club of Machakos, Kenya, in 2004 on a $16,000
Matching Grant project to distribute 3,000 mosquito nets to children under five
and pregnant women in a slum of Machakos and nearby rural villages.
It was such a success that the
clubs are collaborating on a second Matching Grant project to hand out 5,000
nets during 2008, with plans for a third effort in the works.
Malaria prevention often fits
in with larger community development ventures. The Rotary Club of Red Deer
Sunrise, Alberta, Canada, for instance, is partnering with the Rotary Club of
Iganga, Uganda, on a $33,000 Matching Grant project that’s providing rainwater
harvesting tanks, livestock, agricultural education, and 1,400
insecticide-treated mosquito nets - enough for everyone in Uganda’s Buntaba
village. “Malaria is almost like the common cold [to people in Buntaba],” says
Ed Grose, of the Red Deer Sunrise club. “And because it’s so commonplace, it
becomes almost acceptable.” (…)
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/081121_news_mosquitonets.aspx
MSF
teams react to ‘biggest ever’ cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe’s capital
Up to
1.4 million people are endangered if the outbreak continues to spread.
18 November - In Zimbabwe’s
capital, Harare, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is responding to an outbreak of
cholera, which the local Ministry of Health has declared “the biggest ever in
Harare”. MSF has set up cholera treatment centres (CTC) in Budiriro Polyclinic
and Harare Infectious Diseases Hospital, where 500 patients have been treated
to date and, on average, 38 new patients are admitted every day. (…) Up to 1.4
million people are endangered if the outbreak continues to spread.
Since being asked to assist
with the outbreak in Harare, MSF has been providing staff as well as medical
and logistical resources at both CTCs. Amongst a growing team of over 40
national staff are nurses, logisticians, chlorinators, and environmental health
workers. (…)
US$1
million gift to fight polio eradication
by Arnold R. Grahl
Evanston, Ill, USA, 17
November - A 92-year-old Taiwanese Rotarian with more than 40 years service to
his club has been honored for his family’s donation of more than $1 million to
further Rotary’s polio eradication efforts.
Shui-Sen Hsu, a member of the
Rotary Club of Taipei Northwest, and his wife, Pei-Tsen, were recognized for
their contribution, made by the Hsu Family Foundation, during the 2008 Rotary
Institute for RI Zones 4B, 6B, and 7B in Taipei on 18 October.
RI President Dong Kurn Lee and
Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Jonathan B. Majiyagbe presented Hsu and his
wife with a crystal piece in recognition of their contribution in support of
Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge during the institute, held 17-19 October and
attended by more than 1,100 Rotarians from 16 Rotary countries and geographical
areas in Asia. (…)
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/081117_news_hsu.aspx
Rotarians
on the move
Rotary International Board of
Directors has approved a new worldwide Action Group on Diabetes. Many Rotary
clubs have diabetes education projects in Bolivia, Sri Lanka and elsewhere.
On 8 November, 1605 Rotarians
from 44 countries visited the UN for a full-day program on Water, Health
(Diabetes, Polio), Literacy, and Hunger. The main program attracted 1100 people
and a special youth program in another UN Conference Hall attracted 600.
Sylvan Barnet, Alt. Rotary
Intl Rep. to UN (NYC) mbarnet1@nyc.rr.com
(top)
EU nears deal on car CO2
emissions
25 November - The EU is getting closer to
reaching an agreement to reduce CO2 emissions from cars, amid
speculation that the bloc’s car-making countries have struck a deal
to lower fines for manufacturers that fail to meet their CO2 targets. The
French EU Presidency, the European Parliament and the European Commission
resumed talks yesterday (24 November) to thrash out an agreement on the main
points of the proposed legislation. These include introducing emissions
targets and setting out the proportion of the European fleet to
which they will apply. It also foresees the establishment
of a penalty system for non-compliance. (...) The agreement will be a
careful balancing act between the bloc’s environmental goals and the interests
of the European car industry, currently weighed down by the economic crisis.
(...)
http://www.euractiv.com/en/transport/eu-nears-deal-car-co2-emissions/article-177483
Securing your
energy future: Commission presents energy security, solidarity and efficiency
proposals
Brussels, 13 November - The European Commission has
proposed today a wide-ranging energy package which gives a new boost to energy
security in Europe, supporting the 20-20-20 climate change proposals which
should be agreed by December. The Commission puts forward a new strategy to
build up energy solidarity among Member States and a new policy on energy
networks to stimulate investment in more efficient, low-carbon energy networks.
The Commission proposes a new EU Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan
which sets out five areas where more action is needed to secure sustainable
energy supplies. The Commission also looks at the challenges that Europe will face
between 2020 and 2050. In addition, a package of energy efficiency proposals
aims to make energy savings in key areas, such as reinforcing energy efficiency
legislation on buildings and energy-using products, and enhancing the role of
energy performance certificates as well as inspection reports for heating and
air-conditioning systems. (...)
13 November - The European Wind Energy Association
(EWEA) welcomes the key role given to offshore wind energy in the European
Commission’s Strategic Energy Review (SER) published this morning, and above
all its commitment to publish a Blueprint for a North Sea offshore grid. With
1,486 MW of capacity currently installed offshore and 30,882 MW more capacity
planned by 2015, investor interest is high, but the sector needs a European
legislative framework, including a dedicated offshore grid to reach its full
potential. (…)
Although nine countries - one-third of the EU
Member States - now have operational offshore wind farms, up from just five 11
months ago, the offshore electricity infrastructure needs to be vastly improved
and the overall electricity grid updated and reinforced. Crucially, the
European Commission gives one of its aims in the Strategic Energy Review as to
“ensure the development of the grid to permit the achievement of the EU’s
renewable energy objectives”. (...)
1 December - The latest round of United Nations-led
negotiations aimed at reaching an ambitious global climate change deal next
year began today in Poznan, Poland, drawing around 9,000 participants from
governments, business and industry, environmental groups and research
institutions. The two-week meeting of the
Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) is the halfway mark on the road to a major summit in Copenhagen in
2009, at which countries hope to reach agreement on a successor pact to the
Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions reductions, whose first commitment
period ends in 2012. Addressing the delegates in Poznan, Yvo de Boer, Executive
Secretary of the UNFCCC, pointed towards the need to achieve progress on issues
which are important in the run-up to 2012, including adaptation, finance,
technology and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
(...)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29133&Cr=Poznan&Cr1=
Green
Cross International at the UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan
Green
Cross International’s Chairman Dr Jan Kulczyk to host UN Poznan panel
discussion on business and climate change, calls for a Global Solar Fund to
help generate new ‘clean’ energy investment and ‘green’ jobs
Dr Jan Kulczyk, the Chairman
of Green Cross International, will host an important panel discussion at the
Poznan UN Conference on Climate Change on 2nd December. The panel will focus on
the economic opportunity of climate change for the business community. In
particular, the Green Cross International initiative of creating a Global Solar
Fund to make solar power a viable affordable energy source will be addressed.
(…)
The panel discussion will be
followed by presentations from Global Green USA, (the US affiliate of Green
Cross International) and Green Cross Australia. Global Green USA will present
the Global Solar Country Report Card comparing country efforts in encouraging
the development of solar energy and encouraging the transition to a clean
energy future. (…)
www.gci.ch For further information on
the panel discussion: adam.koniuszewski@gci.ch
International Wildlife
Conference: Rome, Italy, 1-5 December
The 9th Meeting of the Conference of
the Parties to the Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) will be held in
Rome, 1-5 December 2008. 300 representatives from governmental and
non-governmental organizations as well as scientists will come together to
discuss urgent conservation responses to address the rapid decline of migratory
animal species across the globe. “2010 and Beyond: Wildlife Renaissance” is the
theme of CMS COP9. CMS, also called the Bonn Convention, is an international
treaty concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) dedicated to the conservation of migratory animals such as birds, whales
and dolphins, sharks, marine turtles and elephants. CMS has committed itself to
reducing the loss of biodiversity, of migratory animals and their habitats
beyond 2010. (...)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=550&ArticleID=5996&l=en
Cheetahs, dolphins and falcons
among species proposed for conservation boost across countries and continents
Rome/Bonn, 28 November - Whether they are speeding across the African savannah or navigating brackish waters in Asia, some of the world’s most charismatic species need an urgent boost in international protection.
Over 100 governments meeting
next week for the ninth conference of the parties to the Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) will consider proposals
to strengthen conservation of close to 30 endangered land and marine animals
that often cross international borders, by placing them on the Convention’s
appendices. (...)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=550&ArticleID=6001&l=en
African
governments commit to protect gorillas
Rome, Italy, 28 November - The
first meeting of the Parties of the Gorilla Agreement, to be held in Rome
tomorrow, is expected to come up with practical proposals to further gorilla conservation
work in Africa. The meeting is being held against a backdrop of increasing
humanitarian crisis from continuing conflict in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC), with the Virunga National Park home to nearly a third of the
world’s remaining mountain gorillas.
The Gorilla Agreement came in
to effect in June 2008 and is the first to legally oblige governments to work together to combat the threats faced by gorillas in
the wild, and find coordinated solutions for gorilla conservation by requiring collaboration
on issues such as anti-poaching and law enforcement. Today’s meeting occurs on the eve of the United
Nations announcement of 2009 as the ‘Year of the Gorilla’, part of the UN
Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. (…)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=151421
The
2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, Australia - 3-9 December
2009
“There will be no world peace
until there is peace among the religions.” Hans Küng
Since 1993, a Parliament of the World’s Religions has convened every five years in a major international city (Chicago 1993, Cape Town 1999, Barcelona 2004). Sponsored by the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, the 2009 Parliament will take place in Melbourne, Australia. A multi-religious, multi-lingual, and multicultural city, Melbourne offers an ideal location for the 2009 Parliament. Culturally vibrant and global in vision, Melbourne and Victoria are home to indigenous and Aboriginal spiritualities as well as the major world religions - Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism among others. Over 10,000 participants will come to Melbourne for the Parliament. The 2009 Parliament will turn worldwide attention to Melbourne as a destination city with international appeal. The Parliament will run for seven days with approximately 450 events including keynote addresses, seminars, conferences, debates, performances, concerts and exhibitions. (...)
In today’s world,
understanding between people of different traditions is not optional. It is
essential. The 2009 Parliament will give people of faith, spirit and goodwill
new reason to say that peace is still possible. (...)
http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/index.cfm?n=8&sn=12
European
Youth Centre Budapest: study session “Religions in the Media” ends
Christian, Muslim and Jewish
young people from 18 European countries gathered in Budapest in the European
Youth Centre Budapest from 9th to 16th of November 2008 to promote
inter-cultural learning, youth participation and overcoming stereotypes at the
study session organised by the Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe.
The aim of the Study Session
was to explore the role and potential of different types of media in overcoming
differences, and to equip young people with competencies in order to be able to
promote respect for diversity of cultures and beliefs as well as to protect
human rights. Thus, young religious youth leaders reaffirmed their ongoing
commitment to Human Rights.
The programme ranged from
building bridges between cultures and religions to gaining knowledge on the
relationship between religious communities and media in European countries.
http://www.eyce.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=PagEd&file=index&topic_id=15&page_id=824
Rome, 2 December (H2Onews) - The
World Catholic Association for Communication, SIGNIS, celebrated 80 years of
its existence in Rome and has announced that the World Congress in 2009 will be
held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from October 17 to the 21st, 2009, with the theme
“Media for a Culture of Peace - Children’s Rights, Tomorrow’s Promise.” A series of conferences
took place from November 20 to 26 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of SIGNIS
in the Eternal City. (...) Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, President of the
Pontifical Council for Social Communications, stated that the influence of
technology on modern culture and further development and training are some of
the objectives for Catholic communicators today. (...)
SIGNIS is a consultant member of Unesco and the
Council of Europe and is officially recognized by the Holy See as a Catholic
organization for communication.
http://www.signis.net/article.php3?id_article=2804
Sacrificing
education quality is not an option
“Overcoming inequality: why
governance matters”
25 November - The Education For All Global Monitoring Report 2009 provides a useful blueprint for achieving greater equality of opportunity and improved quality of education for learners of all ages around the world. (…) The Global Monitoring Report entitled “Overcoming inequality: why governance matters” is scheduled to be released today in Geneva. It is the seventh report examining worldwide progress towards the six Millennium Development Goals agreed to by the international community in 2000.
It warns that, although much
progress has been made, this progress is undermined by a failure to tackle
persistent inequalities due to gender, race, ethnicity, language, location,
disability or other factors. (...) Education is a fundamental human right, yet
opportunities for learning are vastly different across rich and poor countries.
(…)
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=916&theme=educationforall&country=global
31
Nobel Peace Prize Winners issue first-ever joint statement initiated by Save
the Children
Westport, Conn., USA, 20 November - In a first-ever joint statement, 31 winners of the Nobel Peace Prize enlisted by Save the Children called for urgent action to implement quality education and build peace in conflict-affected countries. The Nobel Laureates, including President Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel, and Wangari Maathai urged world leaders to take action on behalf of the 37 million children who live in areas of armed conflict and are unable to go to school. “War and conflict are perpetrated by adults,” the letter reads. “But every adult was once a child and grew up with experiences and guidance that shaped their lives. At the heart of this lies education. But if more than 70 million children do not even have the chance to go to school, and more than half of these children live in countries affected by armed conflict - what are these children learning?” The Nobel Peace Prize winners support Save the Children’s global campaign, Rewrite the Future, which seeks to provide quality education for children living in conflict-affected fragile states. (…)
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2008/Nobel-Peace-Challenge.html?print=t
SmART
Schools gets $817,000 from Dept. of Education to enhance arts instruction in
New Hampshire, Rhode Island
Newton, MA, USA, 13 November -
Elementary schools in Conway and Manchester, New Hampshire and in Warwick,
Rhode Island have been selected to implement SmART Schools, a program that
supports making the arts a core academic subject in the school curriculum and
strengthens the use of high-quality arts in other academic subjects. SmART
Schools, based at Education Development Center, instruction in Newton, Mass.,
has garnered nationwide attention for its results in improving academic
performance by expanding classroom focus on the arts.
SmART Schools, now in nine
elementary and middle schools in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, will be
expanded to six new schools with federal funding from the U.S. Department of
Education. The grant, totaling approximately $275,000 per year for each of
three years, will fund testing, refining, and documenting the SmART Schools
program. (…)
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Public opinion, CPNN, and the expressions of a culture
of peace
Sergio Tripi interviews the Coordinator of CPNN-USA,
David Adam
The culture of peace is an emerging reality,
germinating and growing in the values, attitudes and actions of people, a
problem-solving process that needs to be cultivated and supported, hence the
official slogans of the International Year for the Culture of Peace:
"Cultivate Peace" and "Peace is in Our Hands." (http://cpnn-world.org/about.html)
The Coordinator of the Culture of Peace News Network-USA, David Adams, appreciates the role of Good News Agency in
the creation of a more aware public opinion and agreed to give an interview to
its Publisher and Managing Editor.
1. As
CPNN’s website well points out, the values, attitudes and behaviour that are
necessary for a culture of peace can be expressed in these fields: Education for a culture of peace - Tolerance, solidarity and international
understanding - Democratic participation - Free flow of information -
Disarmament - Human rights - Sustainable development - Equality of women and
men. Could you describe, for each of these human endeavours, some of the main
examples of expression of civil society’s efforts that you know have inspired
public opinion and given rise to consequent and relevant behaviour from
far-sighted institutions?
Education
for a culture of peace. We are about to celebrate the tenth anniversary of one
of the most influential initiatives, the Hague Appeal for Peace. The Hague Appeal was launched in a
remarkable meeting of over 10,000 people, many of them youth, on the 100th
anniversary of the first Hague meeting for Peace in 1899 which led to important
disarmament measures. The Appeal led to
the several education initiatives and books, including a campaign for disarmament
education and the three volumes of Learning to Abolish War: Teaching toward a
culture of peace. Another more recent
initiative that has great potential is the law for the teaching of peace
recently adopted by Spain, modelled on a similar law that was passed earlier in
the region of Andalusia. Mention also
needs to be made here, and developed further below, that the non-formal
education of the mass media is perhaps the most influential educational system
and needs to be oriented toward the culture of peace instead of its present
orientation toward violence.
Tolerance,
solidarity and international understanding. At the United Nations over the past few years, the culture of
peace agenda has been dominated, with good reason, by the question of inter-cultural
dialogue and, in particular, inter-religious dialogue. This has led to the Alliance of
Civilizations and a number of other similar initiatives. As we have emphasized in the Bulletin of the
World Report on the Culture of Peace ( available at http://decade-culture-of-peace.org/bulletin/bulletins.html
), a particularly fruitful approach has been the Global Youth Solidarity Fund
supported by the Alliance of Civilizations as a result of the 2006 Youth for a
Culture of Peace Report.
Democratic
participation. I am especially
impressed by the new model of democracy at the local level that has been
developed in South America under the banner of participative budgeting. CPNN recently gave coverage to the
inauguration of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and the inaugural
address of Bolivian President Evo Morales, who said, among other things:
"Let the people decide, submit to them and not to big money, with citizen
participation and pluralism. A
participatory democracy and not only of polls every four or five
years." The methodology of
participative budgeting is now spreading around the world at the local level,
as may be seen, for example, at the websites of www.participatorybudgeting.org
and www.oidp.net .
Free
flow of information. CPNN and the Good
News Agency are part of a growing movement of independent media providing information
by means of the Internet, and thereby "pushing the envelope" of the
mass media. More and more, people, and
especially young people, are going to the independent media to obtain their
information. This is discussed further
below in response to question 4.
Human
rights. As I write this we are about
to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR). In fact, for the first half of
these years, the UDHR was very little known.
According to the Social Science Citation Index, there were less than one
thousand citations during the first 30 years, whereas now there are more than
one thousand citations every month. The
reason for this acceleration of interest was the activity of the civil society,
as exemplified by Amnesty International which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977
for their work. This was the point in
time when references to the UDHR began to accelerate. Although the UDHR now receives more support from the civil
society and an increasing recognition by the United Nations, there is still
resistance to it from the powerful nation states. For example, the United States continues to refuse to sign the
protocols for economic and social rights.
Sustainable
development. The movement for
sustainable development has provided the model for an effective social movement
on a global scale. In the civil
society, thousands of organizations are involved, and increasingly, they are
joined by initiatives of local governments.
See, for example, the International Council of Local Environmental
Initiatives at www.iclei.org . If anything, we may expect this movement to
intensify and deepen as the world enters an economic crisis unseen since the
Great Depression of the 1930's. There
is the risk of a crash of the globalized food system that depends on huge
agrobusiness and the transportation of food between and across continents. It is important, in the face of this risk,
to return to sustainable agriculture on a local level.
Equality
of women and men. In the developed
countries there has been more progress in this area than in the other areas of
a culture of peace. At first, the
progress was led by the civil society, and in recent years it has been taken up
by local and national governments.
However, where there is exploitation, it is still women who earn much
less than men and women are not paid for many forms of labour, especially
labour in the home. And in the
countries of the South, the victims of the exploitation of the global economy,
it is still the women who suffer the most.
2. The role and voice of public opinion can
take a certain time to be expressed in innovation within public institutions.
Could you describe those campaigns that are being executed in those fields and
that have a considerable potential to induce change, but that need a higher
cumulative build-up to express their impact tangibly?
The campaign that in my
opinion is the most important, the most difficult, and which faces the greatest
resistance is the Global Movement for a Culture of Peace. Although the Declaration and Programme of
Action on a Culture of Peace, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1999, first
called for this movement, since then there has been decreasing support at the
level of the UN system. It seems that
at the level of the UN and the Member States, the culture of peace is seen as a
menace and a threat, especially by the most powerful states. Their opposition is mirrored in the almost
total silence from the commercial mass media, as we found in the World Report
on the Culture of Peace in 2005, and as will be discussed below in Question
4. In fact, it is the civil society
that has continued to work for a culture of peace, although this is hampered by
a lack of consciousness that ALL of the eight programme areas are equally
important, necessary and inter-related.
Many civil society organizations consider that they work only for one of
the eight areas and fail to see the connection between what they are doing in
their own area and what other organizations are doing in the other areas. As for my own priority at this time, it has
been to expand the Global Movement to include cities, towns, local and regional
governments.
3. “WE
the people…”: the preamble of the UN Charter expresses a vision that implies
understanding, sharing, and responsibility. How are these attitudes interlinked
in today’s world?
It
is interesting that you raise the question of "responsibility". Recently, I was told that there was an
unpublished exchange of letters on this subject in 1948 between Mahatma Gandhi
and Julian Huxley who was then the Director-General of UNESCO. Huxley had sent Gandhi a draft of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, asking his opinion and suggestions. Gandhi apparently replied that it was good
as far as it went, but would be much stronger if it were the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and Responsibilities. Indeed, it is not enough to understand, and not even enough to
share. We must be responsible for each
other, and that goes beyond education, information and development aid. We are, in fact, "our brother's
keeper." Injustice against one is
injustice against all. The vision of a
culture of peace is a vision for all, not just for the fortunate few.
4. In
this context, how could public opinion become more aware of the NGOs’ role and
work around the world? Or, in more general terms, how could the media be
persuaded to report regularly the evidence that public opinion is on the move
to reflect those values, attitudes and behaviour that are the foundation of a
culture of peace?
It
has been my belief in working on the Culture of Peace News Network and in
watching the success of the Good News Agency, that we are part of a growing
movement of independent media that is gradually commanding the attention of the
new generation as their major source of information. As this grows, the commercial media will have to change. After
all, they are driven by the profits from their advertisers and sponsors, and
since the advertisers and sponsors want, above all, to keep the attention of
young people, they will be forced to demand that the media compete by printing
the news of the culture of peace in all its areas. This has already happened in the area of sustainable
development. A few years ago,
sustainable development was only described and discussed by the independent
media, but now it is a major topic in the commercial media as well.
5. The young is a fundamental
group for the long-term preparation of a public opinion that fosters a culture
of peace. What else do you think could be done by civil society at large as
well as by national and international institutions to enhance the youth role?
In
every initiative that is undertaken, we need to give priority to youth. An example was the youth initiative of the
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations mentioned above. Five young people were hired and trained to
undertake the survey of youth organizations around the world. In a record time of only two months they
obtained information from 475 youth organizations. The final report was co-edited by one of these young people, and
as a result she then went on to the United Nations in New York to oversee the
initial development of a Global Youth Solidarity Fund. Some details are available in recent
bulletins of the Decade Report (http://decade-culture-of-peace.org/bulletin/bulletins.html
). Hopefully, this fund will continue to support youth activities for a culture
of peace.
Another
example is the Youth Advocacy Teams that have lobbied for a culture of peace at
the United Nations General Assembly.
Two such teams have already taken place, as described on the website http://decade-culture-of-peace.org and another team is being planned for next
year. The young people who took part in
these teams remain active today in a wide range of important international
actions for a culture of peace both inside and outside the United Nations
system.
It
is important that the culture of peace enter into school curricula. Readers of the Good News Agency (GNA) and
the recent article on GNA in the Culture of Peace News Network are aware that
the GNA is being used in 500 high schools, of which 130 were
"recruited" by Rotary Clubs.
In Spain, the law for the teaching of culture of peace in schools, first
developed in the region of Andalusia, has now been adopted for all of Spain.
In
the various initiatives, it is not a question of "lecturing" to the
young, but rather of involving them (including work at proper wages) in the
work of promoting a culture of peace, so that they learn through doing, and so
they can take on a leadership role for the coming generations.
* * * * * * *
* * * * * * *
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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