In spite of everything, a culture of peace is emerging in all fields of human endeavour
monthly, year 21st, no. 300 – 19th April 2021
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 media and editorial journalists, NGOs, service associations and high schools and colleges around the world.
It is an all-volunteer service of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà Mondiale, an educational charity associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information It is a supporter of the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace. In the final report of the Decade for a Culture of Peace project (2001-2010) provided to the UN Secretary-General for presentation to the UN General Assembly, Good News Agency is included among the three NGOs that have been playing an active role in the field of Information through Internet.*
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development – Solidarity
Peace and security – Health – Energy and Safety – Environment and wildlife
Religion and spirituality – Culture and education
United Nations – General Assembly – Seventy–fifth session – Agenda item 130 (aa) –
Resolution: Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) – Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 March 2021
29 March 2021 – The General Assembly (…)
1. Welcomes the strengthening of cooperation between the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), within their respective mandates and in line with Member State priorities, to accelerate the pace of implementation of the 2030 Agenda and achieve its Sustainable Development Goals; (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N21/076/80/pdf/N2107680.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 17-Partnerships for the Goals
COUNCIL DECISION (CFSP) 2021/509 of 22 March 2021 establishing a European Peace Facility, and repealing Decision (CFSP) 2015/528
24 March 2021 – The Council of the European Union (…) has adopted this Decision:
TITLE I- ESTABLISHMENT AND STRUCTURE- CHAPTER 1
Establishment, scope, definitions and objectives
Article 1
Establishment and scope
1. A European Peace Facility (the ‘Facility’) is hereby established for the financing by Member States of Union actions under the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) to preserve peace, prevent conflicts and strengthen international security in accordance with point (c) of Article 21(2) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), in cases where, pursuant to Article 41(2) TEU, the operating expenditure arising from those actions is not charged to the Union budget.
2. The Facility shall be used for the financing of: (…)
United Nations – General Assembly – Seventy–fifth session – Agenda item 3 –
Resolution: The right to food
16 March 2021 – The Human Rights Council, (…)
1. Reaffirms that hunger constitutes an outrage and a violation of human dignity, and therefore requires the adoption of urgent measures at the national, regional and international levels for its elimination;
2. Also reaffirms the right of everyone to have access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food, (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/G21/063/08/pdf/G2106308.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 10-Reduced Inequalities
United Nations – General Assembly – Seventy–fifth session – Agenda item 130 (I) –
Resolution: Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations: cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe
6 March 2021 – The General Assembly (…),
1. Welcomes the contribution of the Council of Europe and of its member States, at all levels of government, to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Europe and beyond, while also recognizing the need for the United Nations and the Council of Europe to continue to work together, within
their respective mandates, to accelerate the pace of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals towards achieving the 2030 Agenda (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N21/057/96/pdf/N2105796.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 17-Partnerships for the Goals
Businesses and philanthropy unite to fight racial wealth gap
by Glenn Gamboa
7 April 2021 - New York - The CEOs of Starbucks and Goldman Sachs will join leaders from philanthropy and academia in a new effort to address the racial wealth gap in the United States.The effort is called NinetyToZero, so named for the roughly 90 percent wealth gap between white and Black Americans. Its leaders describe the goal as providing a road map for organizations to “counteract centuries of discrimination, segregation, and financial exploitation,” according to the group’s launch plans announced Tuesday. “Every business has a responsibility — and can influence others — to advance racial equity, create opportunities for others, and strengthen the communities it serves,” Kevin Johnson, Starbucks CEO, said in a statement. “Starbucks believes in using our scale for good, and we will address the systemic barriers which keep Americans from reaching their full potential.” Organizations that join NinetyToZero agree to establish internal goals for hiring and promoting Black talent. They also pledge to calculate how much money is spent with Black-owned businesses and invested in Black-owned financial institutions. (…)
https://www.philanthropy.com/article/businesses-and-philanthropy-unite-to-fight-racial-wealth-gap
News related with SDGs number 10-Reduced Inequalities
Palestine Children’s Day
5April 2021– Palestine Children’s Day is observed on April 5th of every year. In 1995, Yasser Arafat started the commemorative day as a way of shedding light on the injustices and struggles that Palestinian children confront under occupation. Palestinian children have trouble accessing education, proper nutrition and health care, opportunities for jobs, and dreams for a brighter future. Some children have even been arrested and detained by Israeli authorities. Anera’s programs in Palestine directly or indirectly help Palestinian children to better confront some of the hurdles that get in the way of their growth and happiness. These photos feature a few of the Palestinian children who have been impacted by our work in Gaza and the West Bank.
https://www.anera.org/blog/palestine-childrens-day/
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
US Rescinds ICC Sanctions
2 April 2021 - Cancellation of punitive sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC) removes a serious obstacle to the court’s providing justice to the victims of the world’s worst crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. On April 2, 2021, Biden revoked a June 2020 order by then-President Donald Trump authorizing asset freezes and entry bans to thwart the ICC’s work.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/04/02/us-rescinds-icc-sanctions//
UNESCO welcomes new international instrument on children's rights in relation to digital environment
25 March 2021 - The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child launched on 24 March 2021 a guiding document on children's rights in relation to the digital environment, which embeds children’s rights online into the larger framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Building a Planetary Citizen’s Parliament
20 March 2021 - Growing slowly, but steadily, the Multiconvergence of Global Networks continues to build bridges and promote common actions. Continuing our engagement at the World Social Forum in January, we are now planning a new meeting on March 27 to advance the construction of a Parliament of Planetary Citizenship.
https://www.pressenza.com/2021/03/building-a-planetary-citizens-parliament//
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
France supports WFP's agricultural resilience-building projects in the south of Iraq
8 April 2021, Baghdad – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a 250,000 Euro contribution from France towards agricultural resilience-building activities in Basra governorate – in the south of Iraq, that will support 7,500 people and their families. The project is also funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented in collaboration with the municipality in Basra, local communities and NGO partner Action Against Hunger. More than half of the participants are women, and the project is providing business grants to 50 women trainees, to support them in setting up small businesses. This includes advice on food production, marketing and selling to local markets, enhancing linkages and helping create sustainable incomes. Solar water pumps for irrigation are another innovative solution introduced in the project, along with agro-ecology training to participants, covering practices with low environmental impact. In this way, the initiatives help improve livelihoods in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner.
https://www.wfp.org/news/france-supports-wfps-agricultural-resilience-building-projects-south-iraq
News related with SDGs number 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth
Feed the Future supports Bangladesh’s largest online grocer in offering food rations for COVID-19 recovery
7April 2021 – Chaldal is the largest online platform for grocery delivery in Bangladesh. Poised to become the country’s version of Amazon Fresh, the e-commerce giant was overwhelmed by demand when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country. More people living in the capital city of Dhaka, with its dense population of 21 million, began staying home and relying on delivery services. Average daily orders tripled from 2,500 to 7,500. Chaldal has partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Bangladesh Rice and Diversified Crops (RDC) Activity since 2019 to source fine and fragrant rice and other grains from farmers and producers in the Feed the Future zone of southwestern Bangladesh, creating a strengthened supply chain network. The partnership has allowed Chaldal to expand its portfolio and market nutritious foods sourced from rural areas in Dhaka as well as adopt agile management solutions that have allowed the company to not only stay afloat but also thrive in the disruptions caused by the pandemic, despite nearly one-third of their employees leaving their jobs to return to their home villages with no notice. (…)
News related with SDGs number 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth
CALIFORNIA - Black Innovation Alliance and Village Capital launch Project to build infrastructure for Founders of Color
7 April 2021 - Black Innovation Alliance and Village Capital today announced Resource, the first-ever country-wide project in the United States to support entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) led by and focused on founders of color. ESOs face record demand, declining resources and are chronically underestimated, underappreciated and underfunded. Through this project, local accelerators and incubators will provide the contextualized support the founders need to grow and scale. The goal of the project is to create a stronger entrepreneurial infrastructure to support founders of color across the United States. It will do so in two ways:
Training: Resource’s "ESO Accelerator” will train startup ecosystem leaders of color on how to build a more financially sustainable organization, as well as curate connections to potential funders. Resource will provide milestone-based financial support tied to organizational development.
Community of Practice: Resource will build a national community of practice among ESO leaders of color and their funders to share best practices in entrepreneurial support and develop stronger capital and mentorship pathways for founders of color in communities across the country.
News related with SDGs number 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth
New investment in digital solutions will connect Latin American farmers to markets and banking services in response to COVID-19 restrictions
25 March 2021, Rome – More than 10,000 family farmers in Latin America will soon have access to digital solutions to overcome the obstacles they face in accessing markets and financing due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) announced today. AGRIdigitalización is a project funded by an US$2.3 million IFAD grant from its Rural Poor Stimulus Facility, which was established to help rural populations in developing countries overcome the impact of the pandemic on their ability to produce and sell food. The project will identify and evaluate existing digital platforms, applications, technical assistance and training services. Through the project, 86 producer organizations will be able to market their products online and 132 rural savings cooperatives will be able to offer their financial services through digital platforms. The project will also benefit small internet companies run by young people who will provide services to the producer organizations and rural savings cooperatives. In addition, 3,000 farmers will receive virtual technical assistance and trainings, and digital communication tools will be set up to replace in-person meetings. The organizations participating in the project will achieve greater efficiency thanks to better time management, lower operating and transportation costs, access to new business opportunities, financial inclusion and better communication. (…) With a focus on reaching women and young people, AGRIdigitalización will be implemented in Bolivia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Peru, and lessons learnt from the project will be applied to other IFAD-funded projects in Latin America and the Caribbean region at a later stage.
https://www.ifad.org/en/web/latest/news-detail/asset/42503431
News related with SDGs number 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth
ADRA Provides Emergency Assistance to 2,000+ households displaced in Timor-Leste and Indonesia
Flash flooding and landslides sweep across Timor-Leste and Indonesia displacing thousands
7 April 2021 Dili, Timor-Leste– Torrential rain since Friday, April 2 has caused flash flooding and landslides extending from Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province to Timor Leste in Dili, Baucau and Viqueque. Reportedly, there has been at least 100 fatalities since the weekend across the two nations, including at least six children, with several missing and thousands displaced. In Timor-Leste alone, there are 11,299 displaced in formal evacuations centers and many more sheltering with host families representing 2,000+ households, 76 percent of which are from the capital of Dili. Homes, businesses, and buildings have been inundated with murky water. Road infrastructure and bridges have collapsed under heavy currents and power supplies remain cut in many areas impacting access to vulnerable communities. ADRA in Timor-Leste is currently on the ground responding to provide emergency relief and is a part of the coordinated assessment team organized by the government of Timor-Leste Secretary of State for Civil Protection. (…)
$10 Million Gift from Epstein Family Foundation establishes RAND Veterans Policy Research Institute
1 April 2021 - The nonprofit RAND Corporation has launched the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute to generate creative strategies and interventions to address issues facing veterans and military families. Supported by a $10 million gift from the Epstein Family Foundation, the institute will examine a wide array of topics, including housing, health, and mental health care. The gift is part of RAND's Tomorrow Demands Today fundraising campaign, which has a goal of raising $400 million.
https://www.rand.org/news/press/2021/04/01.html//
India Donates 200,000 COVID Vaccinations to Protect UN Peacekeepers Around the World
1 April 2021 - 200,000 donated AstraZeneca vaccines left Mumbai for Denmark last week—where they will be safely stored and distributed to UN peacekeepers serving in various mission around the globe.
An effective roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine to all peacekeepers is a key priority for the United Nations in order to protect our personnel and their capacity to continue their crucial work, help protect vulnerable communities and deliver on their mandates.”
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/india-donates-200k-covid-vaccines-un-blue-helmets//
European Union supports WFP operations to transport critical Covid-19 relief
19 March 2021, Rome – A €4.5 million (US$5 million) contribution from the European Union has enabled the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide vital support to the global pandemic response by transporting humanitarian staff and cargo needed to fight COVID-19 to destinations all around the world. With global supply chains suffering unprecedented disruptions due to measures aimed at stopping the spread of the disease, WFP put its expertise and vast operational footprint at the service of the humanitarian community. Through its Global Common Services Plan, WFP provided the logistics backbone of the global pandemic response. Leveraging a network of eight humanitarian response hubs around the world, connected by air, road and sea links, WFP has dispatched over 148,000 m3 of critical health cargo to date. Supplies including ventilators and personal protective equipment have been transported to 173 countries on behalf of 72 organizations. WFP has also transported over 28,000 health and humanitarian workers from 424 organizations to 68 destinations, and as part of its role in the UN Medevac cell, has carried out 121 medical evacuations globally.
https://www.wfp.org/news/european-union-supports-wfp-operations-transport-critical-covid-19-relief
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
WFP welcomes U.S. Government’s support in fighting hunger in Mozambique
19 March 2021, Maputo – The United States Government is the largest donor of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Mozambique. Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), $38.4 million was awarded to WFP in 2020 alone. USAID support in 2020 enabled WFP to provide life-saving food assistance to approximately 400,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) affected by the crisis in Cabo Delgado. USAID funding also allowed WFP-managed UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). Since the beginning of its operations in December 2020, UNHAS has transported over 589 passengers from 16 different organizations. Consistent support from USAID as well as other local and international partners is fundamental for maintaining WFP operations in a critical time. Cabo Delgado has one of the highest rates of chronic malnutrition in the country, over half of the children are malnourished. The rise in insecurity which is causing population displacements has also been worsening the situation.
towards WFP’s activities across Mozambique over the past five years.
https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-welcomes-us-governments-support-fighting-hunger-mozambique
News related with SDGs number 2-Zero Hunger
Brazil: Policy for the Culture of Peace and Restorative Justice is prepared by the Municipality of Recife
4 April 2021 - On Monday [March 26], the City of Recife drafted a Bill 009/21 with a proposal for a new Municipal Policy for the Culture of Peace and Restorative Justice and sent it to the City Council. According to the press office of the City Hall, the project was the result of a broad debate with the society.
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
$15.5 million gift will fund new Rotary Peace Center in Middle East or North Africa
1April 2021– The Otto and Fran Walter Foundation has pledged $15.5 million to The Rotary Foundation to start a Rotary Peace Center in the Middle East or North Africa. The new center will offer a professional development certificate program focused on peacebuilding and development issues in the region. This generous gift from the Walter Foundation, which is based in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, USA, will fund the center’s startup costs and operating expenses, as well as an endowment that will provide peace fellowships in perpetuity for up to 40 students to study there each year. “Rotary has, for a long time, looked at how we can make a tangible contribution to the one area of the world where the element of peace has seemed so elusive,” says Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair K.R. Ravindran. “Now that opportunity has come our way, thanks to the immense generosity of the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation. We will take full advantage to create a center where we can inspire our peace fellows to give flight to their spirit and equip them to be able to support action that will bring about peace and goodwill in a troubled region.” The Rotary Foundation will select a partner institution to host the Otto and Fran Walter Rotary Peace Center in 2024, and the first Rotary Peace Fellows are expected to start studying there in January 2026. Otto and Fran Walter established their family foundation to promote peace and other charitable causes, and their mission lives on even after their deaths. (…)
https://www.rotary.org/en/gift-will-fund-new-rotary-peace-center-middle-east-or-north-africa
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Historical memory for reconciliation and peace: project in the diocese of Valledupar
29 March 2021 - Thanks to an initiative supported by the National Conciliation Commission (CCN) and the Norwegian Embassy in Colombia, between December 2020 and March 2021, the Diocese of Valledupar, through its Social Pastoral Team, has accompanied the communities of Guacoche and Guachochito in the Cesar Department, offering meeting spaces, pastoral and psychosocial support, as well as cultural strengthening, useful for the construction of historical memory and reconciliation and peace processes, with an environmental approach.
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Peace: Today for tomorrow
(By Maria Kliavkoff)
24 March 2021 - What difference can one conversation, one action really have? As a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada living and working in the border area between Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia, I have always had a passion for peace. By good fortune, I have had the opportunity to meet four RI presidents, and I asked each what polio eradication has taught Rotarians about peace. The answer that inspired me most came from past RI President Barry Rassin, who told me “peace happens one conversation at a time.”
https://blog.rotary.org/2021/03/24/peace-today-for-tomorrow//
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Peace Dividend. Widening the economic growth and development benefits of the Abraham Accords
(by Daniel Egel, Shira Efron, Linda Robinson)
23 March 2021 - These accords represent a major political breakthrough. They also represent a possible new chapter in the region's development: away from conflict and toward a shared vision of economic prosperity. If these new relations evolve into deeper economic integration, we estimate that the economic benefits for Israel's partners in this endeavor could be particularly significant, creating approximately 150,000 new jobs for just the four current signatories.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA1149-1.html//
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
International Humanist Party on World Health Day: “It cannot be postponed to make health effective as a human right”.
8 April 2021 - From the earliest civilisations to today’s planetary civilisation, healers, scientists and scholars have contributed enormously to reducing the pain of illness and the suffering that results from it, leaving behind a wealth of knowledge that continues to develop. For us, health is a social-historical process of increasing physical, psychological and environmental well-being, which involves all human beings without distinction. It is a process because it recognizes different moments in the conquest of better living conditions that make it possible to live longer and better.
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
Individual, interpersonal, and health care factors associated with informal and formal advance Care Planning in a nationally-representative sample of midlife and older adults
(by Daniel Siconolfi, Julia Bandini, Emily K. Chen)
31 March 2021 - Informal ACP was positively associated with greater confidence, history of life-threatening illness, designation as health care decision maker for someone else, knowing at least one negative end-of-life (EOL) story in one's personal network, a desire to ease surrogates' decision making, and having a health care provider who had broached ACP. Formal ACP was positively associated with greater confidence, designation as a health care decision maker, having a provider who had broached ACP, and primarily receiving medical care from a doctor's office, and marginally negatively associated with health worry.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP68587.html//
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
United Nations – General Assembly – Seventy–fifth session – Agenda item 3 –
Resolution: Ensuring equitable, affordable, timely and universal access for all countries to vaccines in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
17March 17, 2021 – The General Assembly (…),
1. Emphasizes the urgent need for ensuring the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and for facilitating the development of robust health systems and universal health coverage, encompassing universal, timely and equitable access to all essential health technologies, diagnostics, therapeutics, medicines and vaccines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other health emergencies, in order to ensure full access to immunization for all, (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/G21/066/56/pdf/G2106656.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
Clean Planet Energy unveil two new Ultra-Clean Marine Fuels, made from non-recyclable plastic waste
30 March 2021 – Clean Planet Energy has today (March 29) released details of two new ultra-clean fuels manufactured to replace fossil fuels in the Marine industry, for use in any ship or vessel. The products (…) can provide CO2e reductions of over 75 percent, and significantly reduce harmful air-pollutants by up to 1,500x. Both fuels are produced using non-recyclable waste plastics as the feedstock, therefore removing waste which would otherwise go to incineration, landfill or into our oceans. (…)
News related with SDGs number 9-Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
UK business giants sign up for ‘Race to Zero’
30 March 2021 – Thirty of the UK’s FTSE 100 companies have signed up to the United Nation’s Race to Zero campaign – the largest ever global alliance committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The tally of firms committing to the pledge has doubled in the past five months, said UK Energy Department BEIS. (…) Globally, more than 2000 companies of all sizes have joined the UNFCCC Race to Zero so far, and around a third of these of these are British businesses from across sectors such as transport, technology and finance. (…)
https://renews.biz/67560/third-of-ftse-100-sign-up-to-race-to-zero/
News related with SDGs number 13-Climate Action
Enel X and Fincantieri commit to the energy transition for maritime transport in Italy
The two companies are working together to assess initiatives on creating electricity-powered infrastructure in Italian ports
29 March 2021 – Enel X and Fincantieri have signed a letter of intent to work together on building and running next-generation port infrastructure with a low environmental impact and developing electricity-powered solutions for ground logistics services. (…) The partnership will also ensure that initiatives rolled out in Italy can be replicated in other countries, such as Spain, Portugal and Greece. The letter of intent might be subject to future binding agreements that the parties will define in compliance with the applicable normative and regulatory profiles, including those relating to transactions between related parties. (…)
News related with SDGs number 9-Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
EU consortium to study economic benefits of ocean energy
25 March 2021 – An EU-funded project has launched that aims to produce quantifiable information to show the benefits associated with integrating ocean energy in low carbon energy systems across the regions of north west Europe. (…) As Europe looks to renewable technology as part of a green post-Covid recovery and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, the ability to demonstrate the value of ocean energy is becoming more crucial (…).
https://renews.biz/67487/eu-consortium-to-study-economic-benefits-of-ocean-energy/
News related with SDGs number 13-Climate Action
Secretary-General’s Message On World Water Day
(Originally published on United Nations website and on the World Water Day website)
23 March 2021 – “This year’s World Water Day, with the theme “Valuing water,” asks: What does water mean to me? The value of water is profound and complex. There is no aspect of sustainable development that does not fundamentally rely upon it. For me, water means protection. A well-managed water cycle (…)”
https://cleantechnica.com/2021/03/22/secretary-generals-message-on-world-water-day/
News related with SDGs number 14- Life below Water
INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY – The IDB and IRENA foster a sustainable energy Future in Latin America and the Caribbean
12 March 2021 – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) have today (Feb 9th) signed a partnership that will help drive the energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. The partnership is built around knowledge-sharing in the context of promoting regional integration, renewable energy investment, finance and risk mitigation in the Latin America and the Caribbean. In particular, the two parties will support each other's initiatives (…)
News related with SDGs number 13-Climate Action
GLOBAL WIND ENERGY COUNCIL – Africa is only tapping into 0.01% of its wind power potential
9 March 2021 – (…) According to the latest data released by GWEC Market Intelligence, the Africa and Middle East region installed 821 MW of new wind power capacity in 2020, bringing total capacity in the region to over 7 GW. (…) According to a report published by the IFC, the African continent alone has over 59,000 GW of technical wind resource potential - enough to power the continent's energy demand 250 times over. Yet, current installed wind power capacity in Africa only accounts for 0.01 per cent of this potential. (…)
Global initiative tackles marine litter to clean up the world’s oceans
8 April 2021, Rome - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has partnered with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and 30 countries in a major initiative to tackle marine litter and clean up the world's oceans. The GloLitter Partnerships Project is being implemented by FAO in partnership with the IMO, with initial funding from the Government of Norway through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). GloLitter will assist developing countries in identifying opportunities to prevent and reduce marine litter, including plastic litter, from the maritime transport and fisheries sectors. The project aims to decrease the use of plastics in these industries and identify opportunities to recycle plastics, to better protect our fragile marine environment, as well as lives and livelihoods in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14. The GloLitter project will help the sector to apply best practices for the prevention and reduction of marine plastic litter, including lost or discarded fishing gear, in a bid to safeguard coastal and global marine resources. It will look at the availability and adequacy of port reception facilities; as well as enhancing awareness within the shipping and fisheries sectors, including seafarers and fishers and encouraging fishing gear to be marked so it can be traced back to its owner if discarded or lost at sea.
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1393148/icode/
News related with SDGs number 14- Life below Water
Quality climate change education for all: Education International launches global campaign
7April 2021– Representing 32.5 million educators worldwide, Education International is leading in the movement for climate education. On 21 April 2021, Education International will launch a multilevel campaign to ensure that climate education, based on science with a civic action focus, becomes as fundamental as teaching reading and writing. Educators have a crucial role to play when it comes to climate action. What we teach matters. The survival of our students matters. We must inspire students and communities to action. The Global Education Summit Education International will launch the campaign with the Teach for the Planet: Global Education Summit. Taking place on 21 April from 1 to 4 pm CEST, the multilingual virtual event will feature prominent activists from every continent focused on the crucial role that educators and their unions play in combating climate change and why we need transformative climate education now. The event will also introduce Education International’s Manifesto on Quality Climate Change Education for All.
Find out more about the event and register at www.teach4theplanet.org. (…)
News related with SDGs number 13-Climate Action
Cameroon: A radio station for the protection of the Waza biosphere reserve
3 April 2021 - The Waza biosphere, the oldest in Cameroon, is located in the Lake Chad basin, in the Far North region. It is classified as a forest reserve, wildlife reserve, national park and sanctuary. This special status justified its reclassification in 1979 to the rank of biosphere reserve.
News related with SDGs number 15-Life on Land
Viet Nam to take co-host role in high-level dialogues on plastic pollution: turning commitment into action
1April 2021– WWF congratulates Viet Nam as the country officially joins Ecuador, Germany and Ghana as co-convenors of a Ministerial Conference on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution, expectedly in this year’s third quarter. The announcement marks the country’s emergence as a champion of global cooperation in addressing the plastic pollution crisis. Viet Nam is now one of the four countries – together with Ecuador, Germany and Ghana – to co-organise a Ministerial Conference on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution in 2021 third quarter. The Conference is expected to advance high-level dialogues on a new international agreement that will unite and elevate national and regional actions under a coherent global strategy and framework in the lead up to the UN United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) meeting in February 2022. The announcement was made at a high-level panel discussion facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme on March 31st 2021, following the initial pledge by Ecuador, Germany and Ghana at the Fifth Session of the UNEA in February this year (UNEA-5.1). (…)
News related with SDGs number 15-Life on Land
Startup’s New Method to Recycle CO2 into Protein-Rich Animal Feed Gets $9 Million in Funding
(By Andy Corbley)
29 March 2021 - The protein would come from carbon dioxide generated by industrial exhaust, and would be combined with hydrogen to create scalable, cheap animal feed to replace soybeans—a major feed crop linked heavily with deforestation.
News related with SDGs number 15-Life on Land
Religion and spirituality
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Join the Parliament in Exploring "Spirituality and Ecology: Religious Wisdom for the Future"
7 April 2021 - On Thursday, April 29th join the World Congress of Faiths (WCF) and the Parliament of the World’s Religions for a special program on, Spirituality and Ecology: Religious Wisdom for the Future. This collaborative seminar will explore the shared contributions that religious traditions can make toward healing the natural world by ensuring environmental sustainability and a vision of inclusive justice for all the peoples of our island home.
Buddhism. Detox Your Mind: 5 Practices to Purify the 3 Poisons
(By Melvin Escobar, Melvin Mcleod, Narayan Helen Liebenson, Sister True Dedication, Koun Franz And Judy Lief)
5 April 2021 - Five Buddhist teachers share practices to clear away the poisons that cause suffering and obscure your natural enlightenment. I think what makes Buddhism unique — what makes it Buddhism — is its diagnosis of what causes suffering, which is called the second noble truth. Looking at the other noble truths, most religions acknowledge the pervasive reality of suffering, that it can end (if not in this life, then after), and that wisdom, compassion, and ethical living are a path to less suffering. But why do we suffer at all? This is where Buddhism stands alone, offering a real-world explanation that is simple, testable, and, to my mind, irrefutable.
https://www.lionsroar.com/detox-your-mind-5-practices-to-purify-the-3-poisons//
Zoroastrian faith. The story of the Iranian new year, Nowruz, and why its themes of renewal and healing matter
(by Pardis Mahdavi)
4 April 2021 - Nowruz – or “new day” in English – is the Iranian new year. Celebrated at the exact moment of the spring equinox, this is a secular festival with roots that go back over 3,000 years. It was shaped by people of the Zoroastrian faith, believed to be the world’s oldest religion. The celebration of Nowruz dates back to at least the 11th century A.D. In the Shahnameh – or “Book of Kings” – a text that dates to the first century, the story of King Jamshid is told as part of the Nowruz origin story.
Interfaith dialogue. New book tells story of Human Fraternity document
1 April 2021 – A press release describes the publication of the "first-ever book to recount the journey of human fraternity".
Vatican hosts webinar on disarmament and interreligious dialogue
23 March 2021 – The Vatican on Tuesday hosted a webinar on “advancing integral disarmament in times of pandemic,” with speakers from international organizations and video messages from representatives of the world’s major religions.
USA: Education unions join forces to build back better education system
7 April 2021 - In a joint analysis and appeal, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have outlined “the essential elements needed to effectively understand and address the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted students’ academic, social, and developmental experiences”.
News related with SDGs number 4-Quality Education
The World Centre for Humanist Studies is organising its 8th Symposium “A New Humanism for a new world. Plural exchanges from a world in crisis”.
(by Javier Tolcachier)
4 April 2021 - From the 16th to the 18th of April, under the slogan “A New Humanism for a new world. Plural exchanges from a world in crisis”, the 8th International Symposium of the World Centre for Humanist Studies (WCHS) will take place virtually.
News related with SDGs number 4-Quality Education
FUTURO. UNESCO “World in 2030” Survey Report highlights youth concerns over climate change and biodiversity loss
31 March 2021 - UNESCO publishes its new “The World in 2030” Survey report, which presents the results of an interactive survey and consultation collecting responses from more than 15,000 people worldwide in 2020. The report provides global insights into the most pressing challenges for peaceful societies over the next decade, including the specific worries people have and the solutions needed to overcome them. This was part of a new consultation process with a view to contribute to the organization’s medium term strategy.
News related with SDGs number 4-Quality Education
Connectivity, gender and teachers: How the Global Education Coalition is supporting COVID-19 learning recovery
29 March 2021 - As the pandemic revealed and amplified inequalities in education, UNESCO quickly mobilized support to ensure the continuity of learning around the world by establishing the Global Education Coalition in March 2020. This multi-sector Coalition brings together 175 institutional partners from the UN family, civil society, academia and the private sector currently working in 112 countries around three central themes: Connectivity, gender and teachers. A new report, published ahead of a high-level ministerial meeting, is showcasing the innovative responses that have been achieved through this unique partnership in the past year.
News related with SDGs number 4-Quality Education
WFP and the Government of Finland begin building a coalition to support school feeding worldwide
12 March 2021, Rome – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced the Finnish Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Ville Skinnari, as the founding member of a high-level steering committee to support a global scale up of school meal programmes. Announced off the back of the State of School Feeding Worldwide 2020 report, Skinnari’s leadership of the coalition is the first step toward fulfilling the report’s recommendation of a coalition to support governments in the reintroduction and scale up of school meals programmes following COVID-19. At the beginning of 2020, half (388 million) of all school going children in 161 countries received school meals, making it the world’s largest social safety net. A decade of growth for school meals ended with the onset of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns which saw 370 million suddenly missing out on their school meals which was often their only meal for the day. As schools re-open, school feeding programmes are more important than ever because they address child hunger, protect children’s nutrition, provide powerful incentives for parents to re-enroll children in school, and increase retention rates, especially among girls. The school feeding coalition will involve development agencies, donors, the private sector and civil society organizations to support governments as they resume and increase school feeding initiatives.
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