Good News Agency – Year XI, n° 178
Weekly – Year XI, number 178 –
22nd October 2010
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi, Ph. D.
Good News Agency carries
positive and constructive news from all over the world relating to voluntary
work, the work of the United Nations, non governmental organizations and
institutions engaged in improving the quality of life – news that doesn’t “burn
out” in the space of a day. It is
distributed free of charge through Internet to 10,000
media and editorial journalists in 54 countries and to 3,000 NGOs and 1,600
high schools, colleges and universities. 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. The Association has been recognized by UNESCO as “an actor of the global movement for a culture of peace” and it is a
member of the World Association of Non Governmental Organizations.
International
legislation – Human rights – Economy
and development
– Solidarity
Peace and
security – Health – Energy and Safety – Environment and
wildlife
Religion and spirituality – Culture and education
UN
Secretary-General message for United Nations Day, 24 October
14
October –
An
independent, permanent court, the ICC was set up in 2002 after the number of
ratifications passed 60 that year. It is currently investigating events in five
countries or regions:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36438&Cr=international+criminal+court&Cr1
New law bans illegal wood from
EU markets
Posted on 12 October – The EU
Regulation on Illegal Logging cleared its final legislative hurdle on Monday,
following the adoption of the proposed draft by the Council of Ministers,
effectively issuing a ban on illegal timber. In July, the European Parliament
overwhelmingly approved a crack down on illegal timber, voting 644-
The new law will require that
all operators placing timber products on the market for the first time to
ensure that their products have been legally harvested. "WWF's Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) welcomes
this development and looks forward to the day on which
In requiring operators to
ensure the legality of their timber products, the Regulation calls for ‘due
diligence’ systems to be put in place that address three elements inherent to
risk management: access to information, risk assessment and mitigation of the
risk identified.
“Combined with the US Lacey
Act, this new Regulation begins to close two of the world's major markets to
those who act irresponsibly and outside the law. The GFTN will continue to
welcome companies that seek guidance on legal compliance and are committed
towards taking this first step towards responsible forest management and
building a solid foundation for robust and responsible forest products
industry," concluded White.
http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?195712/New-Law-Bans-Illegal-Wood-from-EU-Markets
The
Convention comprehensively bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer
of cluster munitions, sets strict deadlines for clearance of contaminated land
and destruction of stockpiles of the weapon, and includes groundbreaking
provisions for victim assistance. To date, 108 countries have signed and 42
have ratified and are already or will soon become States Parties.
Malta ratifies treaty banning sale, prostitution of
children during annual UN event
28
September – A top United Nations official today hailed
The
treaty, one of two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, extends the obligations of States parties to guarantee the protection of
children from sale, pornography and prostitution, through explicit prohibition
of these acts in their laws. (...)
Among
the other ratifications today was that by
In
addition,
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36261&Cr=treaties&Cr1
Maternity
rights: European Parliament votes for more equality between women and men and a
more sustainable future
The revision to the so-called ‘Maternity Leave
Directive’ was first tabled in 2008. ‘If backed by European governments, this
legislation will make a huge difference to the lives of millions of women
across
Currently in
The European Women’s Lobby
(EWL) is the largest umbrella organisation of women’s
associations in the European Union (EU), working to promote women’s rights and
equality between women and men. EWL membership extends to organisations
in all 27 EU member states and the three candidate countries, as well as to 21
European-wide bodies, representing a total of more than 2500 organisations.
http://www.womenlobby.org/?lang=en
Antananarivo, 15 October –
Eighty gendarmerie and national police officers are taking part in two seminars
organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in order to
deepen their knowledge of human rights principles applicable to operations
undertaken to restore and maintain order. The first seminar, attended by
gendarmes and other security officers, ended today in
The seminars, which are part
of a training programme that has been organized by
the French embassy for several years, also include a presentation of the ICRC's mandate and activities, and of the Malagasy Red
Cross Society.
The ICRC has been working in
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/madagascar-news-151010
Human
Rights Council concludes 15th session, adopts 34 texts
The Human Rights Council
concluded its 15th regular session, held from 13 September - 1 October, by
adopting 34 texts which included establishing the mandates of a Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly
and of association; a Working Group on the issue of discrimination against
women in law and practise; and a Working Group to
elaborate a legally binding instrument on the regulation of the activities of
private military and security companies on the enjoyment of human rights.
During the session, the
Council held a number of general debates, including on the promotion and
protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural
rights, including the right to development, and thematic reports presented by
the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights and her
Office, on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention. The
Council heard an update by High Commissioner Navi Pillay on the activities of her Office, followed by a general
debate and an interactive dialogue on her annual report. The Council also heard
a number of high profile reports and held interactive dialogues with the
Special Procedures presenting them, including the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General on children and armed conflict following the presentation of
her report. (...)
The Council also adopted texts
on follow-up to religious intolerance; draft guiding principles on extreme
poverty and human rights; human rights and international solidarity; water and
sanitation; leprosy; human rights education; migrants and maternal mortality
and morbidity; indigenous peoples; the right to education; and the right to
development, amongst others. (...)
The 16th regular session of
the Council will be held from 28 February to 25 March 2011.
http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article3057
IFAD
provides additional US$ 10 million to boost sustainable water management in
Rome, 18 October – A US$ 10
million supplementary loan from the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh will improve rural
livelihoods through investments in sustainable management of water resources,
including flood management, drainage improvement and water conservation.
The loan agreement for the
participatory Small-scale Water Resources Sector Project was signed today in
The project due to start
operations in January 2011, received an initial IFAD loan of US$ 22 million in
September 2009. Under the project, this supplementary IFAD loan will enable an
increase in the total number of water management schemes from 230 to 270. The
project is being co-financed by the Asian Development Bank through a loan of
US$ 55 million.
The project is expected to
benefit some 324,000 households consisting of small and marginal farmers, and
also landless households who will benefit from agricultural wage labour opportunities and from non-farm employment generated
by broad-based agricultural growth.
Contacts: David Florentin Paqui d.paqui@ifad.org - Jessica Thomas j.thomas@ifad.org
Useful links: Rural poverty in Bangladesh IFAD operations in Bangladesh
17 October – Marking the International Day for the Eradication of
Poverty, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today underlined
the crucial role of decent and productive work in building peaceful and stable
societies. More than 60 million people around the world have
pushed into poverty by the global economic crisis, with unemployment up by
nearly one third since 2007. Bridging the gap from poverty to decent work, the
Secretary-General said, will require investing in policies fostering job
creation promoting decent labour conditions deepening
social protection systems and easing access to education, public health and job
training.
He also called
for a special emphasis on youth employment. Young people are three times more
likely to not be employed than adults, with more than 80 million youth having
been unemployed last year, the highest number ever. “One of the best ways for
youth to see a future of hope is through the prism of a decent job,” Mr. Ban
stressed. World leaders agreed on an agenda to step up the global fight against
poverty at last month's summit in
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36473&Cr=poverty&Cr1=
15 October –
With nearly one billion people still suffering from food shortages around the
globe, the world must take a united stand against hunger, the United Nations
said today, marking World Food Day. The number of
the world’s hungry has dipped slightly from its record high last year, but “we
are continually reminded that the world’s food systems are not working in ways
that ensure food security for the most vulnerable members of our societies,”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message on
the Day. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the proportion of
hungry people in the world is a pillar for achieving all eight of the
globally-agreed targets with a 2015 deadline, Mr. Ban stressed. He highlighted
the need for global cooperation – bringing together governments,
intergovernmental organizations, regional and sub-regional bodies, business and
civil society groups – to combat hunger.
The Day is
commemorated every year on 16 October, marking the date of the founding of the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in
1945. The agency’s 1billionhungry.org
campaign, which aims to encourage governments to make eliminating hunger their
top priority, has surpassed 1 million signatures. A celebration was held to
commemorate the Day in
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36456&Cr=hung&Cr1=
New
project extension:
6 October – ACDI/VOCA has won
a $2 million, 18-month extension to the USAID-funded Specialty Coffee Program. Acción Social, an entity of the Colombian government that
coordinates social development programs, will contribute an additional $700,000
in funding.
The USAID Specialty Coffee
Program will continue its activities to develop the Colombian specialty coffee
sector’s value chain. Specific activities include working with indigenous
communities within the Sierra Nevada area, partnering with the private company Nespresso in identified cluster coffee regions and
strengthening the Colombian Association of Specialty Coffee. The extension
allows ACDI/VOCA to continue to provide smallholder Colombian coffee farmers
with skills and capacities to improve coffee quality, increase incomes and
connect to high-value markets.
http://www.acdivoca.org/site/ID/news-New-Project-Extension-Colombia-USAID-Specialty-Coffee-Program
European Match Day against
Hunger - 22-24 October
16 European football leagues
will join forces to fight hunger
"The 1billionhungry project” is a global outreach initiative of FAO
and its partners. Since its launch in May, the petition has attracted more than
1.6 million signatures. "This shows that people around the globe are
deeply troubled by the fate of the world’s hungry,” said FAO Director-General
Jacques Diouf. "They are urging governments to
take more forceful action against hunger and extreme poverty.”
The EPFL/FAO “Match Day against Hunger” will bring together 16
professional football leagues and involve 314 professional football clubs
playing in 157 stadiums across
Online newsroom: http://www.fao.org/news/newsroom-home/en/
Vemma's
second annual campaign raises $40,000 to benefit Children's Miracle Network
Children's Miracle Network
organization helps create miracles every day by raising funds for over 170
children's hospitals. Donations to Children's Miracle Network fund the medical
care, research and education necessary to help save and improve the lives of
over 17 million children each year. For more information, please visit www.childrensmiraclenetwork.org. (...)
HP
connects people with technology services experts to raise funds for CARE
HP
will donate $10 to CARE for every vote for a favorite HP Technology Services
Expert
As part of the HP Technology
Services Experts sweepstakes, HP will donate $10 to CARE every time a
registered visitor votes for his or her favorite Technology Services Expert on
the sweepstakes site. Visitors are welcome to vote up to seven times a day.
This effort is part of a new
HP Technology Services program designed to put the “humanity” back into
services. The program showcases the expertise and know-how of the HP team –
from engineers to service professionals – so clients can spend less time on
problems and more time moving their business forward.
More information on the HP
Technology Services sweepstakes, including how to enter a vote to havve HP donate to CARE, is
available at www.hp.com/go/TSvote. (...)
http://www.care.org/newsroom/articles/2010/10/hp-sweepstakes-to-support-care.asp
Motorola
volunteers in 37 countries support more than 300 community organizations, with
a focus on environmental sustainability
More
than 6,600 employees participate in Motorola's fifth annual Global Day of
Service
Projects cover a broad range
of activities including: an electronics recycling event in
Red
Cross responds to new flooding in
Ahmad Husein,
IFRC,
8 October – Torrential rains
over the past six days in South East Asia have created severe flooding in the
Indonesian
Staff and volunteers from
local chapters of the Red Cross of Viet Nam (RCVN) have been active since the
onset of the disaster. They have assisted with evacuations and distributed
household kits comprising blankets, mosquito nets, kitchen utensils and water
containers, as well as plastic sheets. The IFRC has provided 155,064 Swiss
francs (160,853 US dollars / 115,896 euros) through its Disaster Relief
Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the Red Cross of Viet Nam in delivering
immediate assistance to some 50,000 beneficiaries.
http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/10/10100801/index.asp
IFRC
and PRCS to supply 1 million flood victims with shelter
Recovery
effort to take a lot longer than originally anticipated says the IFRC President
1 October – President of the
International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Tadateru Konoé, told a press
conference today that the IFRC wants to extend its relief programming to
include a second round of relief aid distribution.
Some 150,000 families are
currently benefiting from Red Cross and Red Crescent relief aid, consisting of
both food and non-food items. Close to one million men, women and children are
also receiving emergency and/or transitional shelter in time for the oncoming
winter.
“The IFRC, in partnership with
the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, now hopes to conduct a second round of aid
distribution to these families,” said Tadateru Konoé. “Winter is fast approaching and we are hoping to
provide as many people as possible with more blankets to help them cope with
the cold. But to do this, we need more money now.”
37 National Societies are
working together with the IFRC to support PRCS in the provision of food and
non-food relief items to hundreds of thousands of men, women and children. “We
are committed to continuing our support to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society in
relief and rehabilitation of the victims,” said Konoé.
PRCS staff and volunteers, including foreigners, are working round the clock to
provide relief supplies to flood victims in 89 districts.
http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/pr10/5610.asp
by Erika Viltz
Under this partnership, funded
by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Governor M. Jodi Rell has designated the Departments of Social Services,
Public Health and Emergency Management and Homeland Security to work with Save
the Children, local emergency personnel and local child care programs to ensure
that each program will have a comprehensive plan in place in case of an
emergency.
This collaboration makes
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=6230287&ct=8737533
Campaign
urges governments to get on board cluster bomb ban
Lao
PDR to host historic meeting of the Convention on Cluster Munitions - 9-12
November
The 2008 Convention on Cluster
Munitions, which entered into force as binding international law on 1 August
2010, bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions
and requires the destruction of stockpiles, the clearance of affected land and
the provision of assistance to victims and affected communities. To date, 108
countries have signed the treaty and 42 have ratified.
The First Meeting of States
Parties to the Convention will take place from 9-12 November in
Contact: in
in
13
October -
http://www.africagoodnews.com/conflict/ethiopia-signs-peace-deal-with-ogaden-rebel-faction.html
UN-backed demobilization process kicks off in southern
12
October – Thousands of former fighters are taking part in a new United
Nations-supported disarmament drive in the far south of
They
are the first of some 2,600 people set to be disarmed in the scheme carried out
by the Integrated UN Disarmament, Demobilization and Rehabilitation (DDR) Unit,
comprising the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the
World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Population Fund
(UNFPA).
The
move to disarm former combatants began in
After
undergoing disarmament and demobilization, including medical examinations and
career counselling, the ex-fighters in Eastern Equatoria will be reintegrated by receiving training in
small business skills and vocational training in carpentry, tailoring, auto
mechanics, driving, plumbing and others areas.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36409&Cr=Sudan&Cr1=
SIGNIS-WACC
Human Rights Award 2010 goes to documentary on
The Garden at the End of the
World follows the work of two remarkable women – humanitarian Mahboba Rawi, and internationally
recognised permaculturalist
Rosemary Morrow, who offer alternatives to international ‘reconstruction’
efforts that have patently not worked. The documentary reveals how urban and
rural families and communities have disintegrated after losing fathers,
husbands, and brothers to 30 years of political conflict, poverty and the drug
trade. Rosemary, a Quaker, brings a holistic perspective to these experiences, emphasising the links between sustainability and genuine
empowerment.
Mahboba Rawi, a refugee from the Soviet occupation of
More information: http://www.thegardenattheendoftheworld.info
SIGNIS, World Catholic
Association for Communication:
www.signis.net - www.waccglobal.org
Ban lauds global youth campaign to rid world of
nuclear weapons
4
October – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed
a civil society initiative that aims to raise awareness about the importance of
reducing military spending and ridding the world of nuclear weapons. “This
impressive petition from more than five million young people of faith from all
regions is testament to a groundswell of civil society backing for these
goals,” Mr. Ban told participants at the meeting in New York of Religions for
Peace. (…)
Mr.
Ban welcomed the contribution that the group’s “Arms Down! Global Youth
Campaign for Shared Security” is making to raising awareness about the importance
of cutting military expenditure and promoting a nuclear-weapons-free world.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36333&Cr=disarmament&Cr1=
Due to speedy demining process underway in war torn areas in the
The event was organized in
parallel to the grand "Vap Magula"
ceremony in "Maha" season.
Ariyalai East in the Nallur Divisional Secretariat remained a restricted area
for civilians until Army Engineers cleared the area of mines laid by the LTTE.
Governor Northern Province
Major General (Retd) G.A. Chandrasiri
made a special note of thanks to Commander Security Forces - Jaffna Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe and all Army personnel who took a tireless
effort for the farmers to resume their livelihood.
The event was coincided with
distributing of Agriculture equipment among the farmers from the allocations of
the Governor's fund. Thirteen hand tractors and paddy seed were issued free,
while seventeen more hand tractors, water pumps and a stock of fertilizer were
given at concessionary rates. The Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian
Department of Jaffna organized the "Vap Magula" ceremony with
assistance of the Army.
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20100930_01
MAG cleared two areas
contaminated by cluster submunitions in Kherava, around
The second area is used by
workers from Kherava to collect stones that are then
taken to
http://www.maginternational.org/news/iraq-cluster-submunitions-cleared-near-mosul/
Windows to each other - Palestinian,
Jewish youth publish giving voice to one another
Windows
- Channels for Communication -- http://www.win-peace.org/ - since 1991 brings
together Jewish and Palestinian citizens of
Young women and men of excellence
create media-related educational programs to involve Jewish and
Palestinian youth more deeply in the experience of acquaintance with the
“other”, and to communicate with each other about the Israeli-Palestinian
relationship.
Foremost among their Youth
Media Projects is the production and distribution of Windows Hebrew-Arabic Youth Magazine -- http://www.win-peace.org/?page_id=16 The
unique bi-lingual publication is written by and for Palestinian and Jewish
youth ages 12-16.
Since 1995, Windows’ Youth
Editorial Boards have produced 30 issues of the Magazine, with current
distribution at 15,000-20,000 copies per issue. Graduates of the Magazine program can continue
on in our Through the Lens: Video Program (9th and 10th grade) and Youth
Leadership Program (11th and 12th grade). Approximately 200 young journalists
have taken part in a long-term process of producing the magazine reaching a
large, diverse readership.
See
video
of Windows young journalists from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsxLrfzyAIo
As part of our role in
reducing the risk to communities threatened by the presence of landmines,
unexploded ordnance (UXO) and Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), MAG
The MAG Community Liaison (CL)
team provided all the children with a Mine Risk Education session. The children, aged one to 17,
were shown pictures of the most common landmines and UXO found in southern
Next, the CL team helped the
children to understand the effects of playing with mines and UXO, using
role-play activities. Six-year-olds James and Emmanuel were chosen to try
playing football with just one leg, while Saima and Oremama, both 11, collected bricks to help build a house
with just one arm.
These activities caused a lot
of laughter, but the message was clear: “Playing with a mine or UXO can hurt
you very badly,” said eight-year-old Fiona. “You may lose your arm or leg and
then you cannot do many things. Maybe you can even die.”
http://www.maginternational.org/news/sudan-keeping-children-safe-from-landmines-and-uxo/
Handwashing with soap could save lives of millions
New York/Geneva 15 October - For the third annual Global Handwashing Day, more than 200 million schoolchildren,
parents, teachers, celebrities and government officials around the world will
lather up, but at the end of the day, they aim to have more than just clean
hands. This year the theme of Global Handwashing Day
– more than just a day – aims to make the simple, life-saving practice of
washing hands a regular habit long after the sun sets on October 15. Global Handwashing Day shines a spotlight on the importance of handwashing with soap and water as one of the most
effective and affordable health interventions.
The global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap is a coalition of international
stakeholders focusing on the importance of handwashing
and child health. Established in 2001, the partnership aims to give
families, schools, and communities in developing countries the power to prevent
diarrhea and respiratory infections by supporting the universal promotion and
practice of proper handwashing with soap at critical
times.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_56528.html
Campaign
against deadly cattle plague ending
End
of field activities sets stage for rinderpest
eradication
Rinderpest does not affect
humans directly, but its ability to cause swift, massive losses of cattle and
other hoofed animals has led to devastating effects on agriculture for
millennia, leaving famine and economic devastation in its wake. "The
control and elimination of rinderpest has always been
a priority for the Organization since its early days in its mission to defeat
hunger and strengthen global food security," FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said as ministers, animal health experts and partners
gathered in
Participants of the symposium
discussed lessons learned from international efforts to stamp out the disease,
how to apply lessons learned to eradicate other diseases, and reviewed what
remains to be done before and after a final declaration of eradication.
A joint FAO/OIE announcement
of global rinderpest eradication is expected in
mid-2011, pending a review of final official disease status reports from a
handful of countries to the World Organisation for
Animal Health (OIE).
FAO has spearheaded a
coordinated, global effort to study the pattern and nature of rinderpest, help farmers and veterinary services recognize
and control the disease, develop and implement vaccination campaigns and,
ultimately eradicate the disease within the framework of the OIE pathway. That
effort has involved a broad alliance of international partners such as the OIE,
IAEA and donors, most recently under the Global Rinderpest
Eradication Programme (GREP).
Online newsroom: http://www.fao.org/news/newsroom-home/en/
Prefab
container hospital could bring a decade of healthcare to
October 13 – The hospital was
built by Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) in Léogâne within five months and was
inaugurated on October 8. Haitian officials attended the ceremony. The town of
Following the devastating
earthquake, MSF teams were treating patients under canvas sheets and tents.
While the new structure was being built, staff and patients had to be moved
twice. The containers offered the possibility of being put together rapidly. It
will also be possible to adapt this structure according to needs. “We
had to finish this as quickly as possible, before the cyclone season. Normally
it takes a year to complete such a project,” explained MSF’s
logistics operational manager Guillaume Queyras. It
took five months from start to finish.
The containers offer a
12 October – The deteriorating
security situation and the multiplication of armed groups throughout
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/afghanistan-update-121010
Mental
healthcare a core part of MSF's emergency aid
October 11 – Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)
provides emergency medical aid in catastrophes all over the world - armed
conflicts, natural disasters, famines and epidemics. But for more than 20
years, MSF has also been caring for patients’ mental health. For people who
have lived through terrible events, the psychological consequences can be
severe. Depression and anxiety can immobilize them, at just the time when they
need to take action for themselves and their families.
MSF’s mental healthcare
aims primarily to reduce people’s symptoms and improve their ability to
function. Often this work is done by local counsellors
specially trained by MSF. MSF psychologists or psychiatrists provide technical
support and clinical supervision. When appropriate, MSF’s
counselling services may reinforce or complement
mental healthcare approaches that already exist in the local community. At
the same time, specialized clinicians treat severe mental illness. But severe
illness accounts for a minority of the cases that MSF sees.
Afghan
students raise awareness for polio eradication
By
Rotary International News, 8
October - Afghan students from several high schools fanned out across Jalalabad in September, raising money and awareness for
efforts to eradicate polio from their country. The students were all
participants in the Global Connections and Exchange Program, a project of the
Rotary Club of
On 21 September, Abdul Qaum Almas, a member of the
Rotary Club of Jalalabad and director of the program,
and
Ajmal Pardis, the regional director of public health, made
presentations with his staff, while a few of the students put on a play they
had prepared about a young person who became crippled because his parents would
not allow him to receive the polio vaccine. The students left the
workshop fired up to design their own fundraising drives, and spent two days
visiting schools, businesses, homes, and government and political offices.
(...)
Rotary Foundation Trustee
Stephen R. Brown, a member of the
National
immunization days in
Leadership
takes to the streets to ensure children are vaccinated
3 October – In response to a
lengthy and growing polio outbreak in
http://www.polioeradication.org/content/general/LatestNews201010.asp#02
Africare
launches Obama water project
Washington, 17 September –
More than 800 government representatives, district chiefs, traditional leaders,
heads of institutions and community members gathered in the Wassa
Amenfi West District of Ghana on September 1, 2010 to
witness the launch of the Ghana Water Access, Sanitation and Hygiene for Health
(WASHH) Project. The six-month project, a response to the significant
challenges related to access to clean water and decent sanitation in
Through the Ghana WASHH
Project, Africare is partnering with the Ministry of
Water Resources, Works and Housing, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural
Development and the Wassa Amenfi
District Assembly to improve the health status of people living in three
communities in the District through increased access to clean water and
sanitation.
The U.S. $ 100,000 that
started the WASHH project was donated to Africare by
President Barack Obama from
a portion of his Nobel Peace Prize,, awarded to him in
October 2009. Right from his inauguration, President Obama
has been committed to working alongside people in developing nations. http://www.africare.org/news/news2010/obama-water-project.php
(top)
Water For
People launches new mobile application for monitoring water and sanitation
projects in developing countries
Open-source reporting system
uses Google Earth for faster response times to problems and data-driven
decisions
Denver, USA, October 21 - /CSRwire/ - /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ - Water For People,
(www.waterforpeople.org), a U.S.-based international development organization,
introduced a visual, open-source mobile-based data monitoring and mapping tool
called Field Level Operations Watch (FLOW) today at the annual Pop!Tech conference. This new mobile application baseline
and monitoring tool allows the organization to capture,
report and analyze real time and historical data on water-point and
sanitation-project status in developing countries over time.
At the touch of a button, community members, entrepreneurs, industry
professionals, partners, staff and volunteers can quickly report on the status
of their projects - showing the world that water is in fact flowing or
indicating that the water system is not working properly. This rapid feedback
of information will allow Water For People to
understand the long-term status of their work, build on programmatic strengths
and proactively address weaknesses so that investments truly can transform
lives with sustainable services.
Utilizing cutting edge technology, including Android® cell phone technology
and Google Earth, FLOW enables Water For People to
demonstrate real data as soon as it's reported. This wide-spectrum view into
the organization's work will allow Water For People to
be flexible and quickly respond when problems arise.
Cassava: a bio-energy
crop?
Rome, 13 October – The
Governments of Finland and Italy will join forces with experts from the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Foundation, in Accra,
Ghana, from October 18-19, to assess the impact of cassava as a bio-energy
crop. Specialists from a broad spectrum of stakeholders; the private sector,
public institutions, government officials, development organizations, research
institutions, and academia, are gathering to consider aspects of the cassava
value chain, with a special emphasis on bio-fuel/bio-energy production to
benefit the rural poor, especially women.
This consultation will
identify the issues in developing cassava as a bio-fuel/bio-energy: from
breeding, production through to processing and the treatment of wastes, to
develop the potential of cassava to meet both food and fuel needs of the rural
poor, without compromising food security and environmental considerations.
IFAD has invested a total
amount of about US$110.0 million in the cassava value chains in the four major
producer countries in Western and Central Africa:
http://www.ifad.org/events/cassava/index.htm
Sony
with WWF support invites you to tackle environmental challenges through
technology
12 October – Sony Europe has
launched Open Planet Ideas, www.openplanetideas.com, a new online community
that challenges users to rethink a smarter use for today’s technologies in a
way that addresses key sustainability issues like climate change, biodiversity
and water conservation.
Community members from across
the globe can draw their inspiration from the environmental information hosted
on the platform itself, which gives a snapshot of current environmental
challenges based on the latest facts and figures assembled by WWF.
Open Planet Ideas will remain
open until January 2011, when the most viable concepts – as selected by the
community and a panel of top Sony and WWF experts – will be taken forward to
examine their technical and environmental viability. The top collaborators and
the creators of the winning idea will then work together with a team of Sony
designers and engineers to develop the idea further in the ‘realisation’
stage of the programme.
Open Planet Ideas was
developed in collaboration with global design and innovation consultancy IDEO
to harness the collective power of communities to foster environmental and
social good. It draws on community input at every stage of the project – from
the initial ‘inspiration’ phase to help refine the challenge through to
evaluation and eventual realisation. (...)
UN climate change talks in
On 4-9 October more than two
thousand participants, including government delegates as well as representatives
from business and industry, environmental organizations, civil society and
research institutions, gathered at the UN Climate
Change Conference in Tianjin, China, to
continue discussions on the development of a long-term shared vision to deal
with climate change; on adaptation and mitigation; on key operational elements,
such as climate finance, technology transfer and capacity-building; and on the
future of the Kyoto Protocol. This was the final meeting before the UN Climate Change Conference (COP16)
in Cancun (29 November – 10 December 2010).
On the last day of the
meeting, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) Christiana Figueres mentioned that
According to the Earth
Negotiations Bulletin’s brief analysis of the meeting, progress was made, but
“measuring how much progress was achieved … resides firmly in the eye of the
beholder." Third World Network notes that deep divisions between developed
and developing countries remain regarding a second commitment period under the
Kyoto Protocol and on further emission reduction commitments.
http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article3069
enVision
30 September -
Making a decision to change the way an entire city conducts its legally
mandated planning is not something that anyone does quickly or without thorough
consideration. Never imagine that just because it is a good idea, all the
political and financial processes of city government will fall in line. Cities
are large ships, and turning them, even a few degrees, takes careful planning
and forethought. It also takes time – making a change from a traditional master
plan to a sustainable master plan that follows the principles and ethics of the
Earth Charter will typically take between 18 months and three years, depending
on the city, its leadership, and how many different aspects of city policy need
to change.
* an extensive public
outreach and participation campaign designed to involve a broad cross-section
of the city and its stakeholders in the planning process (find here the
outreach plan, and participation report);
* a grant program
that allowed projects consistent with the planning process to move forward even
before it was completed;
* the adoption of
the Vision and Goals of the plan by the City Council as an intermediate stage
in the project;
* and a citywide
prioritization exercise that allowed citizens to have a voice in what the top
priority strategies would be.
2010 International conference
on Youth and Interfaith Communication - October 22-24,
Best-practices from Jewish-Palestinian successes
will soon be experienced in Jos, central
"Building Bridges Through Interfaith Dialogue and Youth
Participation" will be the theme for youth choosing to create their shared destiny even in
the midst of this years heartbreaking death all around them. Their days
together will not be unlike past successful Palestinian-Jewish Peacemakers
Camps. Many of the best-practices are preserved to freely use worldwide at http://traubman.igc.org/campacts.pdf
The conference coordinator is Emmanuel Ande Ivorgba (eivorgba@gmail.com). This week, Emmanuel
is one of four Nigerians selected by his Ministry of Education to represent
Civil Society Groups in a 3-day Roundtable on Education in
http://www.youthinterfaithconference.org/conference_speakers.html
Unity
Program - Transforming the present, shaping the future
The Unity Program is a course
designed to educate high school students about Muslims, Jews, Islam, and
Judaism while strengthening the relationships students have to their own
communities and religious traditions. We examine issues within North American
Jewish and Muslim communities, the historical relationship between Muslims and
Jews, and the relationship between Judaism and Islam. Each of these components
deepens students' understandings of their individual and group identities in
the contemporary world as well as the textual, ideological, and historical
relationship between and within each community.
This course derives its name
from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who writes in his epic treatise, Why We Can’t
Wait, “unity has never meant uniformity”. Whereas
uniformity describes something unvaried and monolithic, unity portrays a
pluralism of opinion and expression within a collective that shares a
singleness of purpose. The Abraham’s Vision Unity Program is aimed at
developing both Jewish and Muslim identities while drawing from the similar
religious purposes of these two communities, teaching students the vital imperative
to learn with and from the ‘other.’
The four major components of
the Unity Program are:
(1) Teacher-led classes on
issues related to Jewish-Muslim relations, Islam, and Judaism.
(2) Presentations by Muslim
and Jewish guest speakers.
(3) Inter-school field trips
to sites of cultural, historical, and/or religious significance.
4) Inter-school meetings in
which train facilitators lead students in group dynamics sessions.
http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unity-program/unity-program/course-summary.html
EI
and ESU launched a toolkit on student-centred
learning
October 15 – At the final
event of the joint project with the European Students’ Union currently taking
place in
The launch took place in
Commenting on the crisis of
financing for the higher education and research sector which resulted in staff
having to do more with less, Fouilhoux remarked that
by working together with the students on student-centred
learning, staff send a strong message to governments and institutions that
quality education requires the necessary resources and supportive environment.
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1399&theme=highereducation&country=global
Young
workers: champions of quality public services
October 13 - “There is no
work-life harmony; there is only work-life integration – you have to live as
you work.” This joke set the tone for the Young Workers’ Forum held on 11
October, leading into the Quality Public Services, Action Now! Conference.
The Forum provided a valuable
space for young workers to discuss their input into the Quality Public Services
Charter and Action Plan. The participants from
The participants were
encouraged to think about how different groups are affected, in particular
whether young people are being affected differently than others. Identifying
the negative impacts was relatively easy and it became clear that participants
faced similar issues across the globe.
Participants then faced the
more difficult challenge of identifying the positive impacts of the crisis as
well as signs of hope and concrete actions which can be taken.
The need for integration of
young worker structures and a stronger union presence in the workplace were
identified as some of the key concerns that were given greater urgency in the
crisis. Many good ideas and suggestions came out of these sessions, in
particular, participants felt that global union cooperation and networking was
essential.
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1395&theme=ei&country=global
EI Africa
Conference to advocate for investment in quality education
October
8 - Educators from across Africa are invited to attend the seventh Education
International (EI) Africa Region Conference, to take place in November, in
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1392&theme=ei&country=global
PM Salam Fayyad and USAID inaugurate a newly constructed co-ed
school in Beit Ijza,
October 5 - The United States
Agency for International Development (USAID), representatives of the
Palestinian Authority (PA), and other dignitaries celebrated the completion of
the newly built
The new
http://www.anera.org/newsResources/BeitIjzaSchoolinWestBank.php
Haitian
children get a fresh start at school
Save
the Children constructs prototype school at Quake Epicenter
Safer construction has been at
the center of plans for rebuilding schools. Save the Children has rebuilt the Institut Abélard in Léogâne, at the epicenter of the earthquake. It is an
example of disaster risk reduction construction principles taken to the next level
— it features innovative yet simple techniques that make it more hurricane- and
earthquake-resistant than buildings erected prior to the January 12 quake. The
construction techniques used have been studied by both private builders and
non-governmental organizations. The school serves as an example of best
practices and as a prototype for building other schools around the country.
(...)
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=6230287&ct=8738231
2010
Right Livelihood Awards honour the power of change
from the grassroots
30 September - The 2010 Right
Livelihood Awards go to four recipients who will share the Euro 200.000 cash
award:
Nnimmo Bassey (
Jakob von Uexkull, Founder and Co-Chair of the Right Livelihood
Awards, noted after the jury decision: “True change starts at the grassroots
level: physicians who did not wait for politicians before acting to end
unnecessary suffering in the Middle East; villagers who work themselves out of
poverty; and environmental movements which unite the victims of ecological
devastation. Combine this work on the ground with targeted advocacy, for
example for the constitutional rights of indigenous people, and you understand
why this year’s Right Livelihood Award Laureates yet again offer role models,
whose work and commitment can be replicated throughout the world.”
Founded in 1980 the Right
Livelihood Awards are presented annually in the Swedish Parliament and are
often referred to as 'Alternative Nobel Prizes'. Jakob
von Uexkull, a Swedish-German professional
philatelist, sold his business to provide the original funding. Since then, the
Award has been financed by individual donors.
This year, there were 120
proposals from 51 countries, whereof 69 candidates from "developing"
countries. Award Ceremony and press conference with the 2010 Laureates will be held in
* * * * * * *
(top)
The Secretary-General message for United Nations Day,
24 October 2010
On United Nations Day, I
express my great appreciation to the millions of people throughout the world
who believe deeply in our work for peace, development and human rights and who
uphold our ideals and help us achieve our goals. To all of you, friends and fellow citizens of
the world, I say: thank you.
Sixty-five years ago on this
date, the founding Charter of the United Nations entered into force. Every year on UN Day, we reaffirm our global
mission. We reassert the universal values
of tolerance, mutual respect and human dignity.
And we recognize the progress we have made together: gains in literacy
and life expectancy, the spread of knowledge and technology, advances in
democracy and the rule of law.
But above all, UN Day is a day
on which we resolve to do more. More to
protect those caught up in armed conflict, to fight climate change and avert
nuclear catastrophe; more to expand opportunities for women and girls, and to
combat injustice and impunity; more to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
Last month’s MDG Summit at the
United Nations generated political momentum as well as financial commitments
that are especially significant in these difficult economic times. I am
determined to press ahead as the 2015 deadline approaches.
Despite our problems, despite
polarization and distrust, our interconnected world has opened up vast new
possibilities for common progress. Let
us commit to do even more to realize the great vision set out in the UN
Charter.
* * * * * * *
(top)
Next issue: 12 November 2010.
Good News Agency is published in English
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