In spite of everything, a culture of peace is emerging in all fields of human endeavour
monthly, year 21st, no. 301 – 17th May 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
Brussels unveils plans to make better EU laws
30 April 2021 - The European Commission unveiled on Thursday its plans to improve the EU law-making process, including the requirement to assess the UN Sustainable Development Goals in all legislative proposals and to simplify public consultations. Brussels will also introduce the so-called 'one-in, one-out' approach, offsetting new legislative proposals by equivalently reducing existing burdens in the same policy area.
https://euobserver.com/tickers/151715?utm_source=euobs&utm_medium=rss//
United Nations – Economic and Social Council – Fifty-fourth session – Agenda item 3 (b)
Draft Resolution: Population, food security, nutrition and sustainable development
21 April 2021 – The Commission on Population and Development (…)
9. Urges Member States to safeguard food security and nutrition for all, including women, children, adolescents and youth, older persons, indigenous peoples, local communities, rural populations and rural producers, displaced persons, refugees and migrants, the urban and rural poor, persons with disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDS and those living in vulnerable situations, (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/N21/098/20/pdf/N2109820.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 2-Zero Hunger and number 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth
United Nations – General Assembly – Seventy–fifth session – Agenda item 19 –
Resolution: Nature knows no borders: transboundary cooperation – a key factor for biodiversity conservation, restoration and sustainable use
20April 2021 – The General Assembly (…),
1. Stresses the need for international and transboundary cooperation at all appropriate levels, as well as between relevant stakeholders, on the enhancement of connectivity between ecosystems and cooperation in order to maintain healthy and intact ecosystems and habitats, which are needed to conserve biodiversity and to ensure that nature can continue to provide ecosystem services to people; (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N21/096/15/pdf/N2109615.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 15-Life on Land
United Nations – General Assembly – Human Rights Council – Forty–sixth session – Agenda item 3
Resolution: Question of the realization in all countries of economic, social and cultural rights
1 April 2021 – The Human Rights Council (…),
1. Urges all States to respect, protect and fulfil all economic, social and cultural rights by strengthening legal frameworks, adopting adequate policies and programmes and allocating sufficient resources for their implementation; (…)
7. Calls upon all States to take appropriate measures to accelerate efforts to bridge digital divides and technological gaps, including but not limited to those based on gender, age and disability (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G21/078/52/pdf/G2107852.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 10-Reduced Inequalities
United Nations – General Assembly – Human Rights Council – Forty–sixth session – Agenda item 3
Resolution: The right to food
1 April 2021 – The Human Rights Council (…),
2. Also reaffirms the right of everyone to have access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food, consistent with the right to adequate food and the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger, so as to be able to fully develop and maintain his or her physical and mental capacities; (…)
15. Encourages States to promote the conditions for everyone to be free from hunger and, as soon as possible, to enjoy fully the right to food, and, where appropriate, to consider establishing appropriate institutional mechanisms and adopting national plans to combat hunger; (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G21/077/77/pdf/G2107777.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 2-Zero Hunger
Ghana: Office for Safety of Journalists Good Initiative
6 May 2021 - The Minister of Information announced the establishment of an office in Accra for the co-ordinated mechanism for the safety of journalists in the country.He said the office would receive complaints of alleged attacks and intimidation on journalists, validate same, follow up and push for conclusion of investigations and the sanctioning of culprits. The minister said this at this year's commemoration of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) and flag hoisting ceremony in Accra as part of the speech he delivered.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202105070379.html//
EU ready to ‘discuss’ coronavirus vaccine patent waivers
6 May 021 - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that the bloc was ready to discuss a proposal to waive patents on COVID-19 vaccines, stressing that Europe’s priority would be to “ramp up” global supplies.
https://www.pressenza.com/2021/05/eu-ready-to-discuss-coronavirus-vaccine-patent-waivers//
COVAX: Enhance Transparency, share intellectual property
6 May 2021 - The COVAX vaccine initiative should publish its contracts with vaccine developers and facilitate sharing of intellectual property to make vaccines swiftly available and affordable for all, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Public Citizen said today. COVAX, which was created in April 2020 to procure and distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income countries, should incorporate human rights standards and principles of transparency and accountability.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/05/06/covax-enhance-transparency-share-intellectual-property//
Sudan: World Press Freedom Day in Sudan - Still a lot of work to do
4 May 2021 - Khartoum — On the occasion of the official World Press Freedom Day yesterday, journalist networks called for more press freedom and made statements against the repression of journalists. Sudan's prime minister and minister of information congratulated the journalists and appreciated their efforts.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202105050281.html//
Cuba: Amnesty International and artist Erik Ravelo launch ‘The Eternal Flame’, a digital conceptual memorial in support of San Isidro Movement and freedom of expression
29 April 2021 - In response to a recent wave of detentions and harassment of members of Cuba’s San Isidro Movement – composed of artists, academics, and alternative thinkers – Amnesty International calls on artists and human rights defenders and activists across the world to join the campaign “The Eternal Flame”, in solidarity with the Movement and independent artists in the country.
EU and FAO call for the transformation of agri-food systems
6 May 2021, Brussels/Rome - The European Union (EU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have agreed to increase joint efforts to transform agri-food systems, in order to make them more inclusive, efficient, resilient and sustainable. The 2021 Strategic Dialogue focuses on five priority areas: food systems and One Health; climate change, biodiversity and natural resources; food crises, food security and resilient livelihoods; sustainable agri-food value chain investments and policies, and food system transformation through digitalisation. The EU and FAO cooperate closely on agriculture, fisheries, forestry, biodiversity, food security, food crises and food safety. In the last three years cooperation agreements of a value of about EUR 540 (USD 650) million were signed, many with respect to international cooperation and the response to food crises; the EU and its Member States provide over 30 percent of FAO's voluntary resources. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the EU joining FAO as Member Organization in 1991.
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1397898/icode/
News related with SDGs number 15-Life on Land
LOS ANGELES - LA Galaxy and TreePeople Team up to plant trees in Watts, Los Angeles in celebration of Earth Month
4 May 2021: - AEG’s LA Galaxy recently teamed up with TreePeople to plant trees in Watts, Los Angeles in celebration of Earth Month on Thursday, April 29. Together, LA Galaxy staff and supporters spent the afternoon planting trees alongside LA Galaxy and MLS legend Cobi Jones and team mascot Cozmo. Volunteers planted trees in residential neighborhoods with the design of providing shade for residents and neighbors. The event coincided with the LA Galaxy’s environmental sustainability program, Protect the Pitch, which focusses on reducing the environmental impact of LA Galaxy games and practices, as well as supporting environmental projects in the surrounding community and inspiring fans to help create healthier, more sustainable communities. An on-going partner of the LA Galaxy, TreePeople is an environmental nonprofit organization geared toward inspiring the Los Angeles community to take personal responsibility for the urban forest by growing a greener, shadier and more water-secure city.
News related with SDGs number 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities
FAO and BADEA scale-up partnership in support of African countries
29 April 2021, Khartoum/Rome - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) have formalized their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). FAO and BADEA began working together in 1975 and have previously collaborated on projects in several African countries. This includes recent assessment studies to prepare for large investments in Mali’s cotton value chain and in a pilot project in Niger for integrated support to pastoralism. The new MoU will scale-up the partnership even further. Building on FAO and BADEA’s common interest in promoting agricultural development and food security, both parties have agreed, through this MoU, to further intensify their collaboration in order to strengthen the effectiveness, impact and sustainability of their development work. The signed memorandum covers a number of areas of future collaboration, including agricultural infrastructure development, private sector engagement in agriculture, market information, agricultural value-chains development, skills development for women and youth, scaling up production and productivity for pastoralists as well as boosting Climate-Smart Agriculture.
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1397012/icode/
News related with SDGs number 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth
International Chamber of Commerce and WFP partner to mobilize the private sector in support of Zero Hunger around the globe
23 April 2021, Rome/Paris – The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and World Food Programme (WFP) have launched a global partnership to engage the business community and foster strategic collaborations at regional and national levels in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goal 2: Zero Hunger. Ending hunger and malnutrition are key to building life-long prosperity for all, which requires close collaborations between the private sector, national governments, local communities and organizations like WFP focused on sustainable development.Representing 45 million companies across the world, ICC will leverage its broad network for knowledge-sharing and facilitate strategic partnerships with private sector companies at the global, regional and local levels. Working closely with governments and local communities in 88 countries, WFP will channel private sector expertise to build dynamic partnerships that can create systemic change together. The partnership will also nurture strategic collaborations between ICC’s worldwide network of chambers of commerce and WFP’s regional offices to support future food delivery and emergency assistance operations.
News related with SDGs number 2-Zero Hunger
IFAD and the Islamic Development Bank commit $500 million to address hunger and climate change in poor rural communities
14 April 2021, Rome – Joining forces to tackle rising hunger and the devastating impact of climate change in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) today signed a US$500 million cooperation and cofinancing agreement. The agreement will strengthen the two institutions’ four decades-long collaboration in support of the world's poorest rural communities. Using their own resources, IFAD and IsDB will jointly finance priority projects in some of their 57 common member countries over the next five years with a cofinancing target of $500 million ($250 million from each institution).The partnership will work on agricultural and rural development projects, support to agribusinesses, improved access to markets and rural financial services, water for rural development and South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
News related with SDGs number 2-Zero Hunger
European Union provides €500,000 to WFP for Covid-19 recovery in Rwanda
10 May 2021, Kigali - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes €500,000 from the European Union (EU) to provide technical support to Rwanda’s COVID-19 recovery efforts. With this contribution, WFP will support Government efforts to ensure that social protection is expanded to the most vulnerable and food insecure Rwandans and responds to the unique challenges presented by the pandemic. The new funding will also support evidence generation on food security, markets, and supply chains to inform the Government and partners in their investments in COVID-19 recovery. This support is a contribution to the ongoing food security and vulnerability analysis as well as to food market and supply chain monitoring and their recovery from COVID-19. This contribution is 100% funded by the EU under the Sector Reform Contract to enhance the agriculture sector's sustainable use of land and water resources, value creation and contribution to nutrition security through its budget support action in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
https://www.wfp.org/news/european-union-provides-eu500000-wfp-covid-19-recovery-rwanda
UN releases $65 million to aid Ethiopia, most for Tigray
7 May 2021 - The United Nations announced Thursday it has released $65 million for humanitarian aid in Ethiopia, including $40 million for the Tigray. The U.N. humanitarian office said the remaining $25 million will fund aid operations in the rest of Ethiopia, including in response to drought in the Somali and Oromia regions.
https://www.africanews.com/2021/05/07/un-releases-65-million-to-aid-ethiopia-most-for-tigray//
Couple donates $25M for equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines
(by Sarah Ferguson)
5 May 2021 - As India battles a devastating second wave of COVID-19 cases and vaccination rates remain below 1 percent in many parts of the world, it's clear that the fight to end the pandemic is far from over. That's why Jen Rubio, cofounder and CEO of Away, and her partner, Slack and Flickr founder Stewart Butterfield, pledged $25 million to support UNICEF's work procuring and delivering COVID-19 vaccine doses to low- and middle-income countries through the COVAX initiative — and went on national television to challenge other tech and business leaders to donate as well.
https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/couple-donates-25m-equitable-delivery-covid-19-vaccines/38543//
Afe Babalola donates N50m to fund emergency national conference
4 May 2021 - Aare Afe Babalola, legal luminary and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, (ABUAD), on Tuesday, announced a donation of N50m to a self-sponsored National Conference, christened “Summit of Hope” According to him, this becomes necessary “in order to find urgent ways out of the current crisis facing the country”.
Aerial Assessments help Timor-Leste recover following the worst floods in 40 years
23 April 2021, Dili – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), with support from Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), has conducted a series of assessment flights on behalf of the Government to determine the extent of agricultural and infrastructural damages caused by Cyclone Seroja that hit the Timor-Leste early April. The cyclone brought torrential rains and flash floods - the worst in 40 years, with Dili, the capital, hardest hit. Following the disaster, the Government declared a State of Calamity and called for international assistance. According to the preliminary data, some 1,600 hectares of rice and 295 hectares of maize crops are damaged in 6 municipalities alone. Starting next week, WFP, together with the The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will conduct a crop and food security assessment mission to determine the overall impacts of the floods on the food security situation.
https://www.wfp.org/news/aerial-assessments-help-timor-leste-recover-following-worst-floods-40-years
Colombia: Medellín advances in developing a culture of peace
6 May 2021 - What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible? Despite the pandemic, actions continue to be implemented in neighborhoods and territories, to develop a culture of peace and non-violence, through different strategies, including schools of art and peace. And like the culture of peace, it must start from the youngest, with them programs have also been implemented from the secretariat, such as peace reporters.
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
67 Years in the Peace Movement
(by Pía Figueroa)
6 May 2021 - by John Scales Avery - A new freely downloadable book - I would like to announce the publication of a book which discusses the things that I have experienced during my 67 years of work in the peace movement.
https://www.pressenza.com/2021/05/67-years-in-the-peace-movement//
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Catholic cycling champion who saved Jews during World War II honored in Assisi
(By Hannah Brockhaus)
5 May 2021 - A cycling champion and devout Catholic who helped to save more than 800 Jews from Nazi persecution during World War II was remembered in Assisi Wednesday on the 21st anniversary of his death.
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Changing minds: 20 mental health leaders supporting the nation’s wellbeing
(by Nicola Slawson)
8 May 2021 - To mark Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, we celebrate 20 people who, in diverse ways, are making a difference to the wellbeing of millions. Discover their projects, and see which may be helpful to you.
https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/health/mental-health-awareness-week-20-mental-health-leaders//
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
FAO will implement a new Nutrition Strategy to ensure healthy diets for all
7 May 2021 - After an extensive consultative and iterative process over the last two years, the Vision and Strategy for FAO's Work in Nutrition (FAO’s Nutrition Strategy) was endorsed at the 166th Session of the FAO Council last week. The new strategy establishes FAO’s objectives for nutrition going forward and provides a framework to guide FAO’s action over the next five years.
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1397879/icode//
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
Message on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2021
5 May 2021 - Every year, 8 May marks World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, a day to celebrate the principles, values, history and impact of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. In over a century and a half since Henry Dunant's initiative to establish voluntary relief societies in each country, the nature of wars and other disasters have changed. But human suffering remains unbearable. These many years have not brought more peace to humankind.
https://www.icrc.org/en/document/red-cross-red-crescent-day-2021//
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
WHO, Germany launch new global hub for pandemic and epidemic intelligence
5 May 2021 - The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence will be a global platform for pandemic and epidemic intelligence, creating shared and networked access to vital multi-sectoral data, driving innovations in data analytics and building the communities of practice needed to predict, prevent, detect, prepare for and respond to worldwide health threats. The WHO Hub will be a new global collaboration of countries and partners worldwide, driving innovations to increase availability and linkage of diverse data; develop tools and predictive models for risk analysis; and to monitor disease control measures and infodemics.
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
DR Congo declares end of new Ebola outbreak
3 May 2021 - The Democratic Republic of Congo officially declared the end of the twelfth epidemic of the Ebola virus on Monday. It comes three months after a resurgence in the east of the country in the North Kivu province.
https://www.africanews.com/2021/05/03/dr-congo-declares-end-of-twelth-ebola-outbreak//
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
GWEC predicts millions of new wind jobs by 2026 – Growth in workforce in the next five years due to major industry expansion
29 April 2021 – New analysis by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) shows that over 3 million new wind power jobs can be created globally over the next five years due to major industry expansion. This total 3.3m figure includes direct jobs in both onshore and offshore wind, and covers the entire value chain of the sector: project planning and development; manufacturing; installation; operation and maintenance (O&M); and decommissioning. (…)
https://renews.biz/69190/gwec-forecasts-33m-new-wind-jobs/
News related with SDGs number 12-Responsible Consumption and Production
Over 230 Companies complete Climate Neutral Certification
(by Jim Lane)
22 April 2021 – In California, more than 230 brands completed the rigorous certification process, overseen by Climate Neutral, to measure, offset, and reduce their 2020 “cradle-to-customer” greenhouse gas emissions, according to Climate Neutral, an independent non profit that provides a climate neutral certification for businesses. The Climate Neutral Certified label provides customers with a trusted 3rd-party verification that a company has taken full responsibility for its collective carbon emissions from the previous year. The number of certified brands has more than doubled over the past year (…)
News related with SDGs number 13-Climate Action
Solar and wind are leading fastest energy transition the world has seen
(by Andrew Blakers)
20 April 2021 – Arguably, the fastest change in global energy systems in history is underway. In 2020, new solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind capacity comprised 75% of global net new generation capacity (Figure 1) according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. New PV and wind capacity was 10 times larger than net new hydro and coal capacity and 100 times larger than net new nuclear, carbon capture & storage, bioenergy, geothermal, solar thermal and ocean energy generation capacity. (…) The global solar and wind energy resource is vastly larger than global energy requirements. (…)
University of Augsburg researchers looking at green building materials from ag and wood waste
(by Meghan Sapp)
19 April 2021 – In Germany, over the past four and a half years, an EU project involving the University of Augsburg has explored the potential of environmentally friendly building materials, insulation foams or fuels from agricultural and forestry waste. The results also show how much a holistic view is needed when using them in order to avoid undesirable side effects. (…)
News related with SDGs number 12-Responsible Consumption and Production
Ireland to replace last coal plant with huge green hub and floating wind farm
(by Joshua S. Hill)
12 April 2021 – The Republic of Ireland is set to say goodbye to coal, after the state-owned Electricity Supply Board announced it would transform its last remaining coal generation, the 915MW Moneypoint facility, into a green energy hub, including a 1.4GW floating offshore wind farm. The closure of the Moneypoint coal-fired power station is in line with the Ireland Government’s ambition of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. It was already scheduled “no later than 2025”. (…)
News related with SDGs number 7-Affordable and Clean Energy
63% of Europeans living in cities support EU ban on petrol & diesel car sales after 2030
(Originally published on Transport & Environment by Eoin Bannon)
April 2021 – Almost two-thirds of urban residents support banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in Europe after 2030, according to a new YouGov online poll in 15 European cities. A Europe-wide phase-out of fossil-fuel car sales is one option for EU lawmakers as they prepare sweeping legislation to achieve a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. (…)
WFP and Tajik Government sign a MOU on climate change adaptation
4 May 2021, Dushanbe – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Agency for Forestry of the Republic of Tajikistan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work together to build Government capacity to adapt to climate change Within this MOU, WFP and the Agency will collaborate in developing and disseminating information on forestry management in relation to local climate, establishing 400 hectares of orchards and agroforestry covering 200 hectares. In addition, training on tree selection suited to local ecosystems, planting, and application of compost is planned for the employees of the Agency.
WFP will also raise awareness about climate change and adaptation among the 50,000 people participating in the project, ensuring they have timely and relevant climate information for household decision-making when it comes to food security. Through its resilience projects, WFP helps food-insecure households and communities build their common assets to boost their resilience against climate-related shocks. While they are engaged in asset creation projects, such as building and rehabilitating roads, irrigation canals, and water supply systems.
https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-and-tajik-government-sign-mou-climate-change-adaptation
News related with SDGs number 13-Climate Action
Australia Announces $100 Million Initiative to Protect Our Oceans
2 May 2021 - Australia last week committed $100 million to ocean conservation in an effort to protect ‘blue carbon’ environments and reduce emissions.Uniquely suited to care about marine life, as the world’s only island continent, the investment package will also support Australian Marine Parks, expand the Indigenous Protected Areas in the Sea Country and protection of marine species.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/australia-announces-100m-initiative-to-protect-oceans//
News related with SDGs number 14- Life below Water
Collaborative Partnership on Forests calls for halt to deforestation
27 April 2021, New York - A group of 15 international organizations working on forestry today issued a joint statement highlighting the need to halt the destruction of the world's forests. Chaired by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) comprises UN agencies, four conventions and other organizations with substantial programmes on forests, and supports the work of the United Nations Forum on Forests and its member countries. In the joint statement released on the sidelines of the 16th Session of the UN Forum on Forests at UN Headquarters, the CPF outlined the impacts of deforestation as well as the opportunities and actions required to reverse it. The CPF statement outlines how the COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional pressure on forest resources and may result in a significant increase in deforestation. Healthy forests are essential to building back better and are also key in decreasing the risk of future zoonotic diseases, according to the statement.
While important public and private commitments to halting deforestation have been made, the CPF explains that implementation is lagging and needs to be accelerated if the goals are to be met. Progress on legal timber production and trade and strong forest governance are equally critical. Ending deforestation is essential to confront the "quadruple planetary emergency", of a climate crisis, a nature crisis, an inequality crisis and a global health crisis, according to the CPF statement.
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1396759/icode/
News related with SDGs number 15-Life on Land
UNESCO designates eight new Global Geoparks
21 April 2021 - UNESCO’s Executive Board has approved the designation of eight new UNESCO Global Geoparks, which brings the number of sites participating in the Global Geoparks Network to 169 in 44 countries.
https://en.unesco.org/geoparks2021//
EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK – East African and international political leaders and financial experts highlight green investment best practice
15 April 2021 – (…) The Secretary General of East African Community today (April 14) joined more than 150 African business leaders, financial experts and diplomats in the Nairobi EU-Africa Green Talk to share investment best practice and outline how to mobilise private sector support for sustainable development across Africa. (…) Participants highlighted how recent and future private sector led clean energy, sustainable transport and business investment across East Africa can unlock economic opportunities, strengthen resilience to COVID-19, increase protection from a changing climate and ensure more sustainable use of resources in the future. (…)
News related with SDGs number 13-Climate Action
Religion and spirituality
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ASIA/INDIA - Christians observe a special National Day of fasting and prayer for the nation affected by the pandemic
7 May 2021- While the Catholic Church in India loses another Bishop due to Covid-19, recording the death of 65-year-old Mgr. Basil Bhuriya Bishop of Jabhua, in Madhya Pradesh (after the death of Antony Anandarayar, Archbishop Emeritus of Pondicherry-Cuddalore), Christians in India observe today, May 7, a special "National Day of Fasting and Prayer" to ask God for an end to the pandemic. "The devastating second wave of the pandemic has greatly altered everyone's life, with millions of people struggling under the weight of a severe health and financial crisis. At this time of global pandemic, we urge Christians across the country to unite as one family to pray for a world free from Covid", reads the note released by Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, and President of the Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), and sent to Agenzia Fides. The CBCI has appealed to all Christian confessions to share the day of prayer and fasting and turn to God in these moments of anguish, panic and pain caused by the spread of Covid-19 infections. The faithful, are asked, wherever they are, to light a lamp at eight o'clock in the evening (Indian time) as a sign of spiritual communion. The proposal was accepted: this "National Day of Fasting and Prayer" is celebrated not only in all Catholic communities, but also in the communities of the "National Council of Churches in India", the ecumenical forum of Protestant and Orthodox Churches.
A scientific investigation of meditation by russian neuroscientists
5 May 2021 - Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - Mrs Natalia Inozemtseva, Deputy Director of Save Tibet Foundation, Russia, introduced this morning’s dialogue between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a group of Russian neuroscientists. She recalled that the first in this series of meetings took place in Delhi in 2017 under the banner ‘Fundamental Knowledge’. A subsequent meeting was held in Dharamsala in 2018. Consequently, Russian scientists launched a project of research into ‘thukdam’, the phenomenon that sometimes occurs when an accomplished meditator dies and their subtle consciousness remains in the body, even after clinical death.
India: Ranchi Church offers free lunch to relatives of Covid-19 patients
(by Robin Gomes)
4 May 2021 - The Catholic Church in Ranchi has tried reaching out to those hit by the pandemic and its adverse effect on the economy.
Many Catholic institutions in India have being making their facilities available in the nation’s battle against a devastating second wave of Covid-19 infections that is severely straining its healthcare system.
ASIA/INDONESIA - A Catholic nun fasts during Ramadan as a sign of spiritual communion and interreligious solidarity
4 May 2021: A Catholic nun, committed to promoting peace and interreligious harmony in Indonesia, has made the decision to share fasting, as a sign of spiritual communion, which the Muslim faithful experience during the month of Ramadan, sacred to the Islamic tradition. Sister Gerardette Philips, a 55-year-old nun of Indian nationality, of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, has lived and carried out her mission in Indonesia since 2000. According to Fides, the idea of fasting during Ramadan came to her during Lent many years ago. It was 1991, she tells Fides, and Lent and Ramadan coincided. During that period, she began practicing the spiritual weapon of fasting.
Concerning the ‘Heart of Wisdom’
1 May 2021 - The principal recipients of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s online teaching today were assembled in a large hall in Taipei, Taiwan. They commenced their recitation of the ‘Heart of Wisdom’, the ‘Heart Sutra’, in Chinese the moment His Holiness appeared on their screens. This they followed with a short mandala offering, after which His Holiness asked them also to chant a further verse, which encapsulates the practice of the Dharma:
May I be able to dispel the three poisons
May the light of insight shine brightly
May I be able to overcome all obstacles
May I be able to engage in the deeds of Bodhisattvas.
https://www.dalailama.com/news/2021/concerning-the-heart-of-wisdom//
Mandala as a symbol of the self, spirituality and wholeness
(by Genevieve Balance-Kupang)
11 April 2021 - Mandala is a Sankrit word that means “sacred or magic circle.” Babies as young as seven days old prefer seeing this primal shape known to man more than any other shape. In Asia, among Buddhists and Hindus, mandalas are circles symbolically designed to represent the cosmic order. Mandalas have some expressions of it in most diverse religions and indigenous traditions throughout the world as universal articulations of the human heart to be whole and achieve harmony and peace in one’s being, and wholeness within creation.
https://www.pressenza.com/2021/04/mandala-as-a-symbol-of-the-self-spirituality-and-wholeness//
5-Year-old is a neighborhood hero for drawing colorful messages of hope on her house during lockdown
5 May 2021 - A little girl has become famous in her neighbourhood after drawing colourful messages of hope on her family’s garage door in lockdown. Mom-of-two Christine Hilditch has been letting her five-year-old daughter Eilidh turn their black glossy garage door into a massive art project. Twice a week since April 2020, Eilidh has let her imagination run wild, covering the space with mermaids, dolphins, Spiderman, and dinosaurs.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/eilidh-hilditch-garage-drawings-scotland-covid-19//
News related with SDGs number 4-Quality Education
Education International’s Manifesto: Education, a tool to fight the threat of the climate crisis
29 April 2021 - The Education International’s Executive Board has adopted the Manifesto on Quality Climate Change Education for All. This instrument outlines the teaching profession’s vision for quality climate change education and the policy framework necessary to implement it.
News related with SDGs number 4-Quality Education
WFP to provide school meals in Venezuela
19 April 2021, Panama City – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has reached an agreement to commence operations in Venezuela with the priority of serving the most vulnerable children. The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and WFP signed today a memorandum of understanding whereby WFP will establish a presence in the country and commence the humanitarian operation. WFP will provide nutritious school meals to children, particularly in pre-primary and special education schools, as well as invest in the rehabilitation of school canteens and training school staff on food safety practices. The WFP operation will reach up to 185,000 children by the end of this year. Through a phased scale-up, WFP will aim to provide daily meals to 1.5 million students by the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Its expected annual budget of US$190 million is part of the Venezuela Humanitarian Response Plan.
https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-provide-school-meals-venezuela-0
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