In spite of everything, a culture of peace is emerging in all fields of human endeavour
monthly, year 22nd, number 311 – 19th November 2022
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.*
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The news are be divided into seven areas of reference:
1. Government and politics
2. Education and teaching
3. Economy, finance and planning
4. Arts of living and relationships
5. Work, science and industry
6. Society and communication
7. Rules, regulations and environment
In this way we intend to cover seven main fields of human life and activities, in which to record and promote, as always, the presence of goodwill in action and the culture of peace and cooperation that are for us the guiding values in these complex times. Each news item you will find in the seven fields will in turn be linked to one in particular of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030 United Nations
SDGs number 1-No Poverty-
Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
SDGs number 2-Zero Hunger
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
SDGs number 4-Quality Education
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
SDGs number 5-Gender Equality
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
SDGs number 6-Clean Water and Sanitation
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
SDGs number 7-Affordable and Clean Energy
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
SDGs number 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth
Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
SDGs number 9-Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
SDGs number 10-Reduced Inequalities
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
SDGs number 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
SDGs number 12-Responsible Consumption and Production
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
SDGs number 13-Climate Action
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
SDGs number 14- Life below Water
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
SDGs number 15-Life on Land
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
News related with SDGs number 17-Partnerships to achieve the Goals
Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
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Government and politics – Education and teaching – Economy, finance and planning
Arts of living and relationships – Work, science and industry
Society and communication –Rules, regulations and environment
United Nations - Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime – Eleventh session - Agenda item 2 (d) –
Revised Draft Resolution: Strengthening international cooperation to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition
21 October 2022 - The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (…)
2. Encourages States that have not yet done so to consider becoming parties to the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and to fully implement its provisions;
3. Urges States parties to the Firearms Protocol to enhance their efforts to implement the Protocol;
6. Urges States parties to the Firearms Protocol to harmonize their legislation with the Protocol, to develop action plans, programmes or strategies to contribute to the full implementation of the Convention and the Protocol, to address any existing gaps in their legislative frameworks on points such as import and export licensing, marking, tracing and record-keeping, (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/222/386/1E/pdf/2223861E.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
COUNCIL DECISION (CFSP) 2022/1965 of 17 October 2022 in support of the United Nations Programme of Action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects
18 October 2022 - The Council of the European Union (…) has adopted this Decision:
Article 1
1. With a view to the implementation of the EU SALW Strategy, the purpose of this Decision is to support the full and effective implementation of the UN Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument, enhance international, regional and national security, contribute to the realisation of human security, and promote sustainable development through SALW control.
2. Pursuant to paragraph 1, the objectives of this Decision are the following:
(a) to support forward-looking global policy developments in the context of the fourth United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the UN Programme of Action in 2024;
(b) to strengthen effective national and regional implementation of the Programme of Actions and the International Tracing Instrument;
(c) to support gender-responsive SALW control policies and programmes.
3. A detailed description of the project is set out in the Annex to this Decision. (…)
News related with SDGs number 17-Partnerships for the Goals
United Nations – General Assembly - Seventy-seventh session – First Committee - Agenda item 99 (b) - General and complete disarmament: nuclear disarmament
Draft Resolution: nuclear disarmament
11 October 2022 - The General Assembly (…)
1. Urges all nuclear-weapon States to take effective disarmament measures to achieve the total elimination of all nuclear weapons at the earliest possible time;
2. Reaffirms that nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation are substantively interrelated and mutually reinforcing, that the two processes must go hand in hand and that there is a genuine need for a systematic and progressive process of nuclear disarmament;
3. Welcomes and encourages the efforts to establish new nuclear-weaponfree zones in different parts of the world (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N22/625/75/PDF/N2262575.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
United Nations – General Assembly - Human Rights Council - Fifty-first session - Agenda item 8 - Follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action: National human rights institutions
5 October 2022 - The Human Rights Council (…)
2. Encourages Member States to establish effective, independent and pluralistic national human rights institutions or, where they already exist, to strengthen them to enable the effective fulfilment of their mandate to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, as outlined in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, and to do so in accordance with the Paris Principles;
3. Stresses the importance of the financial and administrative independence and the stability of national human rights institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, notes with satisfaction the efforts of those Member States that have provided their national human rights institutions with more autonomy and independence, including by giving them an investigative role or enhancing such a role, and encourages other Governments to consider taking similar steps; (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/G22/514/12/pdf/G2251412.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
United Nations – General Assembly - Human Rights Council - Fifty-first session - Agenda item 3 - Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development: The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
3 October, 2022 - The Human Rights Council (…)
1. Reaffirms that the human right to safe drinking water entitles everyone, without discrimination, to have sustained access to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use, and that the human right to sanitation entitles everyone, without discrimination, to have physical and affordable access to sanitation, in all spheres of life, that is safe, hygienic, secure, socially and culturally acceptable and that provides privacy and ensures dignity, and also reaffirms that both rights are components of the right to an adequate standard of living;
2. Calls upon States:
(a) To take measures (…)
(b) To accelerate (…)
(c) To promote (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/G22/509/95/pdf/G2250995.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 6-Clean Water and Sanitation
UNESCO and the government of Norway renew its partnership through a new 4 year agreement on Norway’s support to Culture and Communication and Information
8 November 2022 - On 24 October 2022, UNESCO and Norway signed a new four-year (2022-2025) Programme Cooperation Agreement on the support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to UNESCO’s work in the field of Culture and Communication and Information. Through the long-term predictable financial support of Norway, UNESCO will strengthen its work in the fields of culture – to support world heritage, in particular preserving World Heritage sites in Africa; protect heritage in emergencies; and support artistic freedom. It will further boost its work in developing communication and defending freedom of expression and safety of journalists. The agreement foresees the provision approximately 20 million USD over four years. The agreement provides flexible funding at thematic levels which allows UNESCO to be more agile, to strengthen coherence of its actions and respond to realities on the ground.
News related with SDGs number 4-Quality Education
Disney offers Full College Tuition for hourly workers
November 2022- Hourly workers are often overlooked when companies plan for their employees' growth – possibly due to the more transient nature of their roles. At Disney, however, hourly workers are in the spotlight, as they roll out a new program that aims to provide the gift of education to as many as 80,000 employees. The Walt Disney Co. announced that they will pay full tuition for their hourly workers so that they can have a proper education, learn new skills, and evolve as individuals alongside Disney, but also if they wish to, beyond the giant entertainment company. This new program, named Disney Aspire, will give employees the means to achieve their personal goals - something that Disney is known to value. The educational program is designed solely for hourly workers and will cater to cast members and employees of The Walt Disney Company, offering them a chance to finish their high school diploma, get specialized training, or even pursue a university degree, Disney announced an initial $50 million investment in this new and ongoing project. The fund will be used to cover 100 percent of the tuition fee up front, along with all the required learning materials.
https://www.workstream.us/blog/disney-offers-full-college-tuition-for-hourly-workers
News related with SDGs number 4-Quality Education
Thirty years of hope and higher education for refugees in West Africa
For the last three decades, DAFI scholarships have given refugees the chance to earn a university degree, providing the gifts of education, hope and a brighter future.
17 October 2022 - The most recent figures show that refugee enrollment in tertiary education globally rose to 6 per cent in the academic year 2020-21. This represents a welcome increase from 1 per cent just a few years ago, but still falls well short of the target of 15 per cent higher education enrollment by 2030 set by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, under its ‘15by30’ campaign. The figures reflect a pervasive inequality whereby refugees suffer enrolment rates that are – at every level of education: primary, secondary, and tertiary – lower than even the poorest sections of society. The DAFI Tertiary Scholarship programme – funded principally by the German Government with support from Denmark, the Czech Republic, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and private donors – is crucial to achieving the 15by30 goal. It has enabled 21,500 refugees to enroll in higher education globally since 1992, including 6,200 in West Africa since 2010. This year, 934 young refugees won DAFI scholarships in 15 West African countries.
News related with SDGs number 4-Quality Education
The Green Office Movement is sprouting new branches across Europe
17 October 2022 - Green Office Gent is an example of a ‘Green Office’ that follows the Green Office Model and acts as a sustainability platform that empowers students and staff to embed sustainability in the curriculum, research, operations, community, and governance. Green Offices engage student and staff communities to act towards sustainable development, while also influencing institutional policy, educational opportunities, and research directions to move towards more sustainable practices. While Green Offices inevitably encounter challenges due to institutional barriers, networking and collaboration can lead to overcoming these challenges and achieving institutional sustainability. Undoubtedly, the Green Office Movement greatly contributes to global efforts towards Education for sustainable development (ESD). ESD seeks to provide learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and power to address interconnected global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, unsustainable resource use, and inequalities.(…)
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/green-office-movement-sprouting-new-branches-across-europe
News related with SDGs number 4-Quality Education
Yemen: Cash for Work
3 November 2022 - In addition to the human suffering inflicted on populations by the on-going conflict, the country’s cultural heritage has become at high risk, as many sites and monuments have been either damaged or destroyed. It is estimated that 77.3 % of the buildings in the Historic City of Sana’a have been severely damaged and are in urgent need of repair. It is in this context that UNESCO and the European Union have embarked on a €10 Million project, which aims at creating job opportunities for young Yemenis in urban areas and empower them to become actors of the preservation and restoration of their unique heritage. Building synergies with the regional project Protecting Cultural Heritage and Diversity in Complex Emergencies for Stability and Peace, funded through the EU Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, UNESCO, in partnership with the Yemeni Social Fund for Development (SFD), undertook a comprehensive damage assessment survey of four historic sites: Sana’a, Shibam, Zabid and Aden. Using an innovative approach combining rapid-assessment tools and digital applications with satellite visualizations techniques, this survey lays a solid foundation for future rehabilitation plans and provide first-hand information to determine priority intervention sites through cash-for-work schemes in the target cities.
2540 heritage buildings in the Historic City of Sana'a were assessed.
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/yemen-cash-work
News related with SDGs number 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities
United Nations – General Assembly - Human Rights Council - Fifty-first session - Agenda item 3 - Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 6 October 2022: The right to development
12 October 2022 - The Human Rights Council (…)
1. Reaffirms its commitment to effectively integrate the right to development into its work and that of its mechanisms in a systematic and transparent manner;
2. Acknowledges the urgent need to strive for greater acceptance, operationalization and the realization of the right to development at the international level while urging all Member States to undertake at the national level the necessary policy formulation and to institute the measures required for the implementation of the right to development as an integral part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms;
4. Stresses that South-South cooperation is a complement to North-South cooperation, and hence should not result in the reduction of North-South cooperation or hamper progress in fulfilling existing official development assistance commitments, and encourages Member States and other relevant stakeholders to incorporate the right to development into the design, financing and implementation of cooperation processes; (…)
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G22/522/03/PDF/G2252203.pdf?OpenElement
News related with SDGs number 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth
Smooth (and sustainable) sailing with algae bioplastic boat
(by Rebecca Coons)
10 October 2022 - In Italy, Furf Design Studio and designer Cesar Pieri have created a sailboat concept with a transparent, algae-based bioplastic hull and internal structures and fabrics made from plastic trash collected from the ocean. (…)
News related with SDGs number 9-Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Reebok and National Geographic launch plant-based sneakers with endangered species designs
(by Rebecca Coons)
10 October 2022 - In the United Kingdom, Reebok and National Geographic have partnered on a collection of plant-based sneakers aimed at raising awareness of endangered species. The Club C 85 Vegan line includes 16 patterns dedicated to various endangered animals, including the Galapagos Penguin, Black Rhino, Eastern Gorilla, Ring-tailed Lemur and Fiji Banded Iguana. The Nano X2 Grow “Formidable Species” line is comprised of plant-based versions of Reebok’s Nano X2 training shoes. Available patterns include Grizzly Bear, Puffer Fish, Poison Dart Frog, and Scorpion. The Nano X2 Grow “Wild Cats” line is inspired by big cats, with upper designs depicting Tiger, Cheetah and Jaguar coats. While materials were not specified, previous Reebok plant-based materials include cotton, corn, castor beans, algae, natural rubber, and eucalyptus.
News related with SDGs number 9-Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
IOC Emphasises Power of Sport in Combatting Youth Violence and Crime at Special UNODC Forum
(by International Olympic Committee)
10November 2022– Sport and Olympism play a key role in building safer communities and preventing violence and crime among young people. Addressing Member States of the United Nations (UN) in New York, IOC Member Kirsty Coventry made an appeal for increased cooperation and partnerships to leverage the contributions of sport in preventing violence and crime and building peaceful, safe communities. She was speaking at the Partnerships in Community-Based Crime Prevention high-level forum at the UN headquarters (…) She also attended the launch event of Sport against Crime: Outreach, Resilience, Empowerment (SC:ORE), a joint IOC - UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) initiative that supports the effective use of sport to prevent and combat violence and crime. “Sport is not just physical activity,” Coventry told the forum. “It’s a powerful means to build bridges, bring people together and contribute to building more peaceful and safer communities.” Coventry introduced the new SC:ORE initiative in the context of Olympism 365, the IOC’s new strategy to strengthen the role of sport as an important enabler for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(…)
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
USA - Medtronic launches new platformt to accelerate innovation in stroke care
3 November 2022: Medtronic launches new platform to accelerate innovation in stroke care. Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability around the world, but only a fraction of people who suffer a stroke get treatment in time. Medtronic is taking bold new steps to change that by launching the Medtronic Neurovascular Co-Lab™, an innovation process and platform for new ideas in the treatment of stroke care. The goal: rapidly gather new ideas to improve stroke care, identify the ones that show the most promise, and quickly develop therapies that can improve outcomes for patients.
How it works:
Medtronic Neurovascular Co-Lab™ Platform is creating a one-of-a-kind system to collect and quickly examine ideas from doctors, individual inventors, entrepreneurs, startup companies, or anyone else passionate about improving stroke care. A team analyzes the ideas, then expedites the best of them toward investment in more research or development of prototypes. Eventually, Co-Lab can also help shepherd a therapy through clinical and commercial stages of development. The need for speed:
The need for speed in stroke care is critical. When a person suffers a stroke, the brain is deprived of blood. Every minute that passes kills more brain tissue that can’t be repaired or regrown.
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
CHICAGO - Better Together: Action for Healthy Kids and RMC Health join forces to tackle child health & well-being with greater impact
3 November 2022: Action for Healthy Kids and the Rocky Mountain Center for Health Promotion and Education (RMC Health), two established nonprofit organizations with decades of experience serving education and public health at the local, state and national levels, have joined forces to tackle child health and well-being of America’s youth. A merger agreement between the organizations has been signed. Focusing on a whole child approach, the organizations employ complementary programs and services. Action for Healthy Kids brings together and mobilizes educators, families and key stakeholders through its Family-School Partnership model. RMC Health facilitates professional development and capacity building for education and public health professionals using best-in-class adult learning techniques. Together, the organizations will provide a wide range of resources to schools to meet the urgent needs of America’s youth and families. The merger will result in the availability of robust programs and services, enhanced subject matter expertise, new partnerships, improved efficiency, and a greater capacity to serve the communities most in need.
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
Belarus – A revolution in TB treatment leads to safer and more effective practice
A revolution in TB treatment
31October 2022– For decades, DR-TB patients had no option but to undergo this long and exhausting course of treatment. But in 2017, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) started a revolutionary clinical trial, known as TB-PRACTECAL, to test innovative approaches towards DR-TB treatment. In three countries – Belarus, South Africa and Uzbekistan – we treated patients with a new short course of drugs, which were all taken orally, avoiding the need for painful injections. In 2022, the results of TB-PRACTECAL were released. They proved that the new all-oral six-month treatment regimen – comprising the drugs bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid and moxifloxacin, known collectively as BPaLM – was safer and more effective at treating DR-TB than current accepted treatment practices. This announcement turned over a new page in the history of TB treatment worldwide. Soon after, the World Health Organization released a rapid communication on the guidance for the treatment of DR-TB, now recommending programmatic use of the six-month BPaLM regimen in place of the longer existing regimens. (…)
https://www.msf.org/belarus-innovative-safe-tuberculosis-treatment-programme
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
Global leaders commit US$ 2.6 billion at World Health Summit to end polio
More than 3000 scientists and health experts from 115 countries urge the world to fully fund eradication strategy following resurgence of disease
18 October 2022, Berlin (D) – Today, global leaders confirmed US$ 2.6 billion in funding toward the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) 2022-2026 Strategy to end polio at a pledging moment co-hosted by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) at the World Health Summit in Berlin. The funding will support global efforts to overcome the final hurdles to polio eradication, vaccinate 370 million children annually over the next five years and continue disease surveillance across 50 countries.
“No place is safe until polio has been eradicated everywhere. As long as the virus still exists somewhere in the world, it can spread – including in our own country. We now have a realistic chance to eradicate polio completely, and we want to jointly seize that chance,” said Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany. (…) Wild poliovirus is endemic in just two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, after just six cases were recorded in 2021, 29 cases have been recorded so far this year, including a small number of new detections in southeast Africa linked to a strain originating in Pakistan. Additionally, outbreaks of cVDPV, variants of the poliovirus that can emerge in places where not enough people have been immunized, continue to spread across parts of Africa, Asia and Europe, with new outbreaks detected in the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom in recent months. (…)
News related with SDGs number 3-Good Health and Well-Being
DUBLIN - New Report Highlights Eaton's Efforts to become a model of inclusion and diversity in its industry
4 November 2022: As part of its ongoing commitment to becoming a model of inclusion and diversity (I&D) in its industry, intelligent power management company Eaton (NYSE:ETN), released its second annual Global Inclusion and Diversity Transparency report. The report details the progress the company has made in achieving its ambitious 2030 inclusion and diversity (I&D) commitments. They include: maintaining or exceeding the current representation of women and U.S. minorities on the board of directors and global leadership team; increasing representation of salaried global women to 40%; increasing representation of salaried U.S. minorities to 34%; achieving an inclusion index score of 80% or higher in our employee engagement survey.
Highlights from the report include: more than two-thirds of Eaton’s directors are either women or U.S. minorities and 54% of the company’s global leadership team is made up of U.S. minorities; second chance hiring practices continue to broaden Eaton’s talent pool and improve access to employment and advancement for people with prior criminal convictions; global services and allyship programs enhance support for well-being and mental health; spending with diverse suppliers, including minority- and disabled-owned businesses, increased year-over-year.
News related with SDGs number 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth
Climate plans would allow up to 2.6C of global warming: UN
(by Patrick Galey)
27 October 2022 - Country climate pledges leave the world on track to heat by as much as 2.6 degrees Celsius this century, the United Nations said on Wednesday, warning that emissions must fall 45 percent this decade to limit disastrous global warming. The United Nations Environment Programme, in its annual Emissions Gap report, found that updated national promises since last year's COP26 summit in Glasgow would only shave less than one percent off global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. (…)
https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Climate_plans_would_allow_up_to_26C_of_global_warming_UN_999.html
News related with SDGs number 13-Climate Action
Eni ends palm oil procurement for its biorefineries
(by Meghan Sapp)
26 October 2022 - In Italy, Eni has definitively ended the procurement of palm oil for use at the Venice and Gela biorefineries for the production of hydrogenated biofuels. The last shipments arrived in the last few weeks, ahead of the declared goal of becoming ‘palm oil free’ by the end of 2022. Eni’s biorefineries in Venice and Gela are already fuelled with ‘waste & residue’ raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fats, for more than 85% of their processes, as well as other biomasses regulated by current national and European regulations. (…)
News related with SDGs number 9-Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics can help Europe become “Fit For 55”
13 October 2022– Plastics are a key element of our modern lives given that they can easily be moulded into multiple shapes. In the form of packaging, they give our food a longer shelf-life, they contribute to health and hygiene, and are core elements for the construction of houses and transport. Given their importance, EU policy aims to transform the way plastic products are designed, produced, used and recycled in the EU in its upcoming Policy Framework on biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics.
(…) Reducing waste and giving plastic waste new life by reusing and recycling are fundamental to ensuring a better future for the planet and build a circular economy. This is where the EU chemical industry has an important role to play. Bio-based plastics (BBP), and biodegradable and compostable plastics (BDCP), with proven environmental and climate benefits, e.g. based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies, can play a key role in achieving the “Fit for 55” and climate neutral economy ambitions, as well as the restoring sustainable carbon cycles, How? As plants grow, and thanks to photosynthesis, they capture and use the carbon from the atmosphere. This “captured carbon” is thus stored over the life span of any product made out of this biomass. Thanks to recycling this “biomass-based product”-life span can be further prolonged and as long as the plastics do not degrade when recycled, It can continue to keep the carbon embedded in the material. (…)
https://cefic.org/media-corner/newsroom/
News related with SDGs number 12-Responsible Consumption and Production
Greta Thunberg Book Includes Advice From 9 Climate Activists
(by Steve Hanley)
10 October 2022 - In her latest book, Greta Thunberg cites ideas from 9 progressive thinkers from Bill McKibben to Thomas Piketty. Greta Thunberg has a new book called The Climate Book (no splashy PR inspired titles for Greta). In it, she includes advice from 9 climate activists on how to stop destroying the Earth. Distilled to their essence, those words of wisdom could be summarized as follows — “Stop Setting Things On Fire!” (…)
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/10/10/greta-thunberg-book-includes-advice-from-9-climate-activists/
News related with SDGs number 13-Climate Action
New Roadmap provides path to rapidly and equitably scaling Global Solar Investment and Deployment
9 November 2022, Sharm El-Sheikh (November 9, 2022) — Today at COP27, World Resources Institute (WRI), the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and Bloomberg Philanthropies launched Our Solar Future: Roadmap to Mobilize USD 1 Trillion by 2030 to help meet the urgent need for a massive and more equitable scale-up of investment in solar energy. Our Solar Future outlines priority actions by governments, development finance institutions, and other actors to rapidly scale solar investment. It was developed in collaboration with CONCITO, the Investment Fund for Developing Countries, and the World Climate Foundation. In this pivotal moment — as the world grapples with escalating climate impacts and energy security and supply chain issues — scaling up solar energy is essential for decreasing dependence on fossil fuels and ensuring sure all people have access to clean, affordable and reliable energy. Our Solar Future builds on the Solar Investment Action Agenda that was launched at COP26 and identifies areas for broader collaboration to accelerate the transition to solar energy (…).
News related with SDGs number 15-Life on Land
UK - AMD Partners with suppliers to advance Human Rights and Environmental Sustainability
4 November 2022: With an estimated 76 percent of global trade passing through them, supply chains continue to be one of the most important levers for businesses to create a positive impact in the world. By working together, companies and their suppliers can make a significant impact on advancing human rights, fair labor practices and environmental progress. Over the last few years, our industry has experienced unprecedented demand for semiconductor technology, and this requires a strong supply chain. The link between resilient and responsible supply chains is clear. Consequently, stakeholder expectations for transparency and data-driven results remain a focus in 2022. Together, with our supply chain and industry partners, AMD embraces the opportunity to help drive social and environmental progress in the supply chain. Although we adhere to the highest standards, we know the social and environmental risks in the supply chain are persistent and real. With the growing number of electronic devices being used globally comes the responsibility to ensure that we are doing the right thing and conducting our business ethically. We are committed to delivering high-quality products and helping ensure that working conditions throughout our supply chain are safe, workers are treated with respect and dignity and the manufacturing processes of our products are environmentally responsible.
News related with SDGs number 15-Life on Land
KANSAS - Black & Veatch Initiates sponsorship to help combat human trafficking
4 November 2022: The Senior Policy Operating Group, part of a U.S. cabinet-level entity through The President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, estimates there are nearly 25 million adults and children around the world who are victims of human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery that includes forced labor and sexual exploitation. Black & Veatch, a leading global provider of critical infrastructure solutions, announced at its recent leadership conference in Kansas City, Missouri, that it is taking steps to join the fight against this global issue by supporting three anti-human trafficking organizations: the Center for Combating Human Trafficking, the International Justice Mission, and Veronica’s Voice. These organizations help empower victims of human trafficking. The International Justice Mission (IJM), based in Washington, D.C., for example, is a global collection of lawyers, social workers, criminal investigators and storytellers. A Kansas City, Kansas-based organization, Veronica’s Voice works to empower women to exit lives of sexual exploitation, to prevent recurrence, and to end demand through education and advocacy.
News related with SDGs number 16-Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
MEMPHIS - FedEx, One Tree Planted, and Memphis City Beautiful Urban Tree Planting
3 November 2022: On Saturday, November 5th, One Tree planted and local partners Memphis City Beautiful, with support from FedEx, will be planting 15 large-caliper native trees at Washington Bottoms, a vacant urban greenspace in Memphis. Additional planting sites include the Hampline Corridor, Fourth Bluff Park, and River Garden Park, and will result in the planting of 100 new urban trees throughout Memphis. This project is Memphis is just one of 27 the projects that One Tree Planted is supporting across the United States as part of their recently launched Tree Equity Fund - a portfolio of high-impact urban forestry projects aimed at planting urban trees to address environmental justice issues - such as urban heat, air pollution, and lack of community greenspaces - and ultimately help communities achieve tree equity. Studies have found that in the United States, communities of color and low-income communities have 33% less tree canopy than whiter, more affluent communities. In Memphis, data from American Forests’ Tree Equity Scores tool tells a similar story to many urban communities - the greater the percentage of people in poverty, the less urban trees and forests. From schools in Phoenix, Arizona to playgrounds in Detroit, Michigan - from urban wilderness in Portland to the streets of New Orleans still facing the impacts of Hurricane Katrina - the 27 projects supported by One Tree Planted’s Tree Equity Fund will result in the planting of nearly 11,000 new urban trees (…).
News related with SDGs number 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities
World Cities Day, acting locally to become global
October 2022- World Cities Day (WCD), established on December 27, 2013 by the UN General Assembly, is celebrated every year on October 31. On this day we try to raise awareness among the international community on the issue of urbanization in order to contribute to sustainable urban development around the world. The theme of the 2022 edition is "Better city, better life", while the sub-theme is "Act Local to Go Global". The place for its global observance is Shanghai, China. Local action is very important to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
News related with SDGs number 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities
Rules, regulations and environment
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European Parliament moves to mandate EVs By 2035
(by Jennifer Sensiba)
31 October 2022 – (…) The EU Parliament has agreed to a set of rules that will see an increase in the number of recharging and alternative refueling stations for cars, trucks, trains, and planes. This is part of the “Fit for 55 in 2030 package” which plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% come 2030. In 2024, each member state must have a plan to meet the minimum national targets for MPs who agree to put in place infrastructure for using alternative fuels. (…) The electric car charging stations should be placed every 60 kilometers (about every 37 miles in non-metric speak) on main EU roads by 2026. (…)
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/10/31/european-parliament-moves-to-mandate-evs-by-2035/
News related with SDGs number 12-Responsible Consumption and Production
EU Cities can offer new opportunities for prosumers of renewable energy
(by Tim Tyler)
31 October 2022 - In a briefing published a few days ago by the European Environment Agency (EEA), it was promoted that European cities can assist in Europe’s shift to a low-carbon future by utilizing urban centers to facilitate urban prosumption. This would offer opportunities for citizens to produce renewable energy as prosumers and accelerate the shift to a low-carbon future. The EEA briefing, “Energy prosumers and cities,” builds on recent EEA work on prosumption by focusing on challenges and opportunities that urban areas present and how local authorities can promote prosumption in their cities. (…) These cities have the potential to become models for low-carbon lifestyles and allow citizens to become prosumers to help decarbonize their communities. (…)
News related with SDGs number 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities
A quantum shift in city design thinking is on the horizon
(by Gavin Davids)
27 October 2022 – (…) The concepts of smart cities and sustainability are often intertwined, as it is impossible to consider one without the other. By their very nature, smart cities involve the implementation of eco-friendly projects that improve the quality of life for residents and communities, while still respecting the environment. (…) Eco-friendly or sustainable cities stand out for their ability to marry smart management, mobility, green housing and smart economies. Therefore, a smart city can claim that it is sustainable when its overall goal is to improve urban services and utilise technology to answer the economic, social and ecological challenges cities face, while still reducing costs. (…)
https://meconstructionnews.com/55072/a-quantum-shift-in-city-design-thinking-is-on-the-horizon
News related with SDGs number 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities
UN's Guterres says continued fossil fuel reliance is 'stupid'
26 October 2022 - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday it would be "stupid" for the world to keep relying on fossil fuels, saying they triggered today's climate emergency. "If the world, and then particularly if Europe, had invested massively in the past two decades in renewable energy, we will not be facing the energy crisis that we are facing today," Guterres said in an interview with the BBC (…)
News related with SDGs number 13-Climate Action
IRENA and Partners urge closer iInternational collaboration to ramp up Green Hydrogen
19 October 2022 - Hydrogen is experiencing unprecedented momentum and given the current geopolitical turmoil leading to severe risks for global energy security, the need to accelerate its development has become even more important. This was recognised by the German G7 presidency who announced, in the G7 Hydrogen Action Pact" earlier this year, the need for strengthened collaboration between G7 members on the development of green and low carbon hydrogen value chains. (…) Recommendations for action include aligning efforts on standards and certification, close collaboration for information exchange and lessons learned, balancing hydrogen supply and demand, promoting hydrogen uptake in the hydrogen sector, and conducting outreach to stakeholders on the priority uses for low carbon and green hydrogen. (…)
News related with SDGs number 17-Partnerships for the Goals
Scientists develop “wind harvester” to generate power from a light breeze
(by Joshua S. Hill)
11 October 2022 - Scientists from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a low-cost “wind harvester” which can harness energy from wind as gentle as a light breeze and store it as electricity. Designed by scientists from NTU Singapore, the new wind harvester is able to generate and store power at wind speeds as low as 2 metres per second (m/s). Each wind harvester is only 15cm by 20cm and can produce a voltage of 3 volts and generate electricity power of up to 290 microwatts. The wind harvesters also boast low wear and tear, made as they are from a fibre epoxy. The main energy generating attachment that interacts with the wind is also made from inexpensive materials such as copper, aluminium foil, and Teflon (…).
https://reneweconomy.com.au/scientists-develop-wind-harvester-to-generate-power-from-a-light-breeze/
News related with SDGs number 12-Responsible Consumption and Production
Green hydrogen: faster progress with modern X-ray sources
(by Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie)
7 October 2022 - In order to produce green hydrogen, water can be split up via electrocatalysis, powered by renewable sources such as sun or wind. A review article shows how modern X-ray sources such as BESSY II can advance the development of suitable electrocatalysts. In particular, X-ray absorption spectroscopy can be used to determine the active states of catalytically active materials for the oxygen evolution reaction. This is an important contribution to developing efficient catalysts from inexpensive and widely available elements. (…)
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221007112108.htm
News related with SDGs number 12-Responsible Consumption and Production
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Good News Agency is published monthly (except August) in English, Italian and Portuguese. Past issues are available at www.goodnewsagency.org . Rome Law-court registration no. 265 dated 20 June 2000. Managing Editor: Fabio Gatti. Editorial research by Fabio Gatti, Isabella Strippoli, Elisa Minelli, Salvatore Caruso Motta, Chiara Damilano, Francesco Viglienghi, Carlo Toraldo, Andrea Landriscina, Nazzarena Franco. Webmaster, media and NGO coverage: Simone Frassanito (simone.frassanito@goodnewsagency.org)
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* http://decade-culture-of-peace.org/2010_civil_society_report.pdf - In section A - International Organizations, page 12, the Report says: ”Diffusion and exchange of culture of peace information via the Internet has become the major instrument for several international organizations, notably the Culture of Peace News Network, the Good News Agency and the Education for Peace Globalnet.”