Good News Agency – Year III, n° 6
Weekly - Year III, number 6
– 23 March 2002
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi,
Ph. D.
Rome Law-court registration
no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
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.
Good News Agency is
distributed through Internet to the editorial offices of more than 2,400 media in 46
countries, as well as to 1,000 NGO.
Human rights - Economy
and development - Solidarity
Health - Environment
and wildlife - Culture and education
International Day Against
Racism
21 March is the International
Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and marks the start of a week
of solidarity with The peoples struggle Against Racism and Racial
Discrimination, 21 - 27 March 2002. According to the United Nations,
"Racial Discrimination shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction
or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin
which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition,
enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental
freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of
public life".
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police
opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville,
South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws". In 1966, the UN
General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts
to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. (…)
UNIFEM launches new push to
ensure gender equality in fight against HIV/AIDS
19 March – The United Nations
Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) today announced
the launch of a new initiative aimed at helping 10 developing countries ensure
a gender-balanced approach to combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The three-year,
$3 million effort will be carried out in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zimbabwe,
Rwanda, India, Cambodia, Thailand, Barbados and Brazil. The project centres on
reviewing relevant legislation and policies to ensure gender equality in the
fight against AIDS, according to UNIFEM.
Highlighting the heavy toll
which the disease takes on women and society at large, UNIFEM Executive
Director Noeleen Heyzer pointed out that “Women are forced to abandon their
work, girls are pulled out of school, and the development of countries is
postponed.”
The initiative is being
financed through the UN Trust Fund for Human Security, which is funded by the
Government of Japan.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=3157&Cr=HIV&Cr1=AIDS
Rwanda: Swedish aid for
governance and human rights
Nairobi, 18 March - The
Swedish Minister for development Cooperation, Migration and Asylum Policy, Jan
Karlsson, and Rwanda's Finance Minister, Donald Kaberuka, on Friday signed an
agreement on development cooperation for 2002, a Swedish government statement
said.
The agreement, signed in
Rwanda's capital, Kigali, will focus on democracy and human rights,
institution-building to promote peaceful development and national unity and
reconciliation, economic reforms and capacity-building in Rwandan society, it
said. (…)
Brazil: Human rights seminar
for police instructors
14 March - The Second Latin
American Human Rights Seminar for police instructors was held in the
south-eastern Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte from 18 February to 1 March. The
two-week event was organized by the ICRC delegation in Brasilia in conjunction
with the military police of the state of Minas Gerais.
The seminar was attended by
police instructors from Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru and
Venezuela who had already received training from the ICRC over the last three
years. It offered them the opportunity not only to learn more about human
rights, but also to hone the practical skills they use in teaching the subject
to their fellow police officers. Advice was given on organizing and
coordinating courses to spread knowledge of human rights and humanitarian principles
applicable to policing, and the police officers worked together to produce
standard teaching materials in Spanish and Portuguese.
The 42 seminar participants are now fully
trained specialists in human rights instruction. They will be available to take
part in ICRC dissemination activities intended for police and security forces
in Latin America.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf
Sierra Leone: UNHCR
repatriates 6,400 since mid-February
Abidjan, 14 March - UNHCR has
repatriated at least 6,400 Sierra Leoneans from Liberia since mid-February, the
UN refugee agency reported on Tuesday. UNHCR said it was transporting an
average of 2,400 persons in three convoys each week from refugee camps in
Liberia to Sierra Leone. It has also transported 2,023 spontaneous returnees
from the border with Liberia to locations within Sierra Leone. Moreover, it
said, 3,352 Liberians fleeing the fighting in their country have been moved
from the Sierra Leone border town of Jendema, to four settlements farther away.
The camps were originally built for returning Sierra Leonean refugees.
Heightened insecurity in
northwestern Liberia in February displaced many Liberians and prompted some
Sierra Leonean refugees to return home.
Small grants support human rights in Jordan
12 March - The UN country team in Jordan is carrrying
out an inter-agency initiative at the request of the government to strengthen
the capacity of civil society groups in dealing with human rights issues. The
initiative, built around a small grants programme funded by donors and
implemented by local organizations, addresses key issues related to women's
rights, children's rights, the independence of the judiciary and freedom of the
press.
So far, the Netherlands and the UK have provided
funding. The UNDP country office helps identify groups eligible for grants and
monitors how well projects that are funded meet their objectives. UNDP also
fosters linkages between the government and civil society on human rights. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
New initiative to tackle
poverty in one of Iran's poorest provinces
19 March - A community-level
initiative launched recently aims to help alleviate poverty in one of Iran's
poorest provinces. The social mobilization and micro-credit project -- a new
partnership between UNDP and the Government of Iran -- will help communities in
the province of Sistan and Baluchestan establish community organizations,
provide organizational and vocational training, and introduce savings and small
loans schemes. (…)
Villagers will learn how to
conduct regular meetings, identify their development problems and propose
solutions in a participatory manner, with the use of external resources.
Technical training courses will enhance the villagers' capabilities in fields
such as planning small income-generating activities and protecting the
environment. The management-training courses will also create a small pool of
trainers and activists.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Monterrey: European Union
announces increase in Official Development Assistance
19 March - Poul Nielson,
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, European Union
(EU), announced an increase in EU official development assistance (ODA) to 0.39
per cent of gross national product (GNP) -- from the current 0.33 level -- which would translate into an
extra $7 billion in aid per year from EU member States by 2006.
The new EU level of 0.39 per
was not the end of the story, he stressed, as the 0.7 per cent target was still
the goal to which the Union was committed.
The recent decision meant that those Union members that were presently
below the average level of 0.33 per cent of GNP would reach that level by 2006,
at the latest. On the most modest assumption, that new figure would mean that
aid from EU member States would increase by an extra $7 billion per year by
2006. When that amount was accumulated
for the period between now and 2006, some extra $20 billion would be made
available from the Union. (…)
Responding to a question, he
noted that the total level of aid from the 15 member States of the European
Union amounted to around $25 billion compared to $9.6 billion from the United
States. There was room for
contributions from everyone and there was no need for comparisons, he
said. Every country could improve in
the area of development assistance. (…)
Source: UN Information Office, Rome: k.miranda@onuitalia.it
Uzbekistan: Cooperation
agreement signed with US
15 March - Government
representatives of the United States and the Central Asian Republic of
Uzbekistan have signed a broad-based bilateral agreement in a move designed to
further cement the fledgling relationship that has grown between the two
countries since the 11 September events. The agreement, which provides for
economic, political, legal and humanitarian cooperation, as well as an enhanced
security arrangement, was signed by US Secretary of State Colin Powell and his
Uzbek counterpart, Abdulaziz Kamilov, in Washington on Tuesday. As part of the
agreement, Uzbekistan will intensify its commitment to the democratic
transformation of its society and the establishment of a genuine multiparty
system, as well as implementing economic and structural reforms. Both countries
also affirmed their intention to work together to improve training, education,
public health and the implementation of environmental protection schemes in
Uzbekistan.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=25042&SelectRegion=Central_Asia&SelectCountry=UZBEKISTAN
Eritrea: Border area aided by
Dutch-funded housing project
Nairobi, 15 March - A project
implemented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has rehabilitated or
reconstructed over 3,000 houses in Eritrea's border region of Debub, through a
Dutch-supported post-war rehabilitation programme, a UNDP press statement said.
Of these, 2,000 houses have been reconstructed in the town of Tserona on the
border with Ethiopia. Tserona and the surrounding region has been one of the
areas most devastated by the war with Ethiopia. According to the statement, the
Dutch government has provided US $2.3 million for the housing initiative. The
rehabilitation of 2,400 emergency housing units in the neighbouring Gash Barka
Region is also proceeding well.
The housing project was part
"of the UNDP Post War Emergency and Rehabilitation (PoWER)
programme", the statement said. In addition to the provision of housing,
the programme last year rehabilitated 22 schools and 13 health facilities,
including one hospital. It also drilled 12 boreholes and constructed two
hand-dug wells, the statement said. (…)
Djibouti: Over US $7 million
for poverty reduction
Nairobi, 15 March - The
Abidjan-based African Development Bank (ADB) has signed a number of agreements
with Djibouti aimed at poverty reduction and improving the situation of women.
According to an ADB press release, two loan and two grant agreements were
signed amounting to a total of US $7.22 million.
A structural adjustment loan
will help reduce poverty through the promotion of good governance, improving
the legal framework for business, and the greater participation of civil
society in development. The second loan is aimed at boosting the fishing sector
by increasing fish production and reducing Djibouti's food dependence on the
outside world. (…)
Chile's fruit growers phase
out methyl bromide to save ozone layer
14 March - Chile has launched
an initiative to eliminate the use of methyl bromide in its orchards and
vineyards by 2007, substituting other products that do not damage the ozone
layer in the atmosphere. (…) Chilean fruit growers use some 126 tonnes of
methyl bromide annually for fumigating soil to control destructive microbes,
insects and rodents. This accounts for one third of the chemical's use in
agriculture. The fruit sector is vital to Chile's economy, producing over 1.5
million tonnes of fruit a year worth more than US$1.4 billion.
The project is administered by
UNDP, with US$805,000 in support from the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund.
Two government agencies are carrying out the project: the National
Environmental Commission and the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries
Research.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Teheran, 13 March - Ministers of Agriculture and
delegates from 24 Near Eastern countries endorsed the establishment of an
"International Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty" as called for by
the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Johannes Rau at the
annual World Food Day observance held last October at the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Headquarters.
The endorsement was part of the decisions announced
today at the conclusion of the 26th FAO Regional Conference for the Near East
meeting in Tehran since 9 March. The Conference further called on FAO to
formulate operational modalities for the International Alliance Against Hunger
and Poverty for the timely consideration and adoption by member countries. (…)
http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/english/2002/3160-en.html
Innovative Eco-town project in
West Africa
13 March - The West African
nation could one day be home to a model eco-town that mitigates the problems
caused by both poverty and environmental degradation. The project is the
brainchild of architect Nader Khalili, who pioneered a construction method
known as "Superadobe," in which sand and barbed wire are used to build
beehive-shaped homes. The houses are flood-, hurricane-, and
earthquake-proof, take advantage of solar and wind energy, and do not rely on
timber for structural support -- a critical factor for developing nations
facing severe deforestation. Senegal, which was hit hard by floods in January,
plans to approach the World Bank or the European Union to help fund the
innovative eco-town.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=143&art_id=qw1015993621909B252&set_id=1
3,500 more women bakers to be recruited to help feed Afghan
schoolchildren, WFP says
19 March – In the Afghan
capital, Kabul, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today said it plans to employ some 3,500
women bakers to ensure that more than a quarter of a million Afghan
schoolchildren are fed over the school year.
The agency said it plans to increase the capacity of its existing 21
female-run bakeries in Kabul in order to provide some 5,000 school children in
10 schools with fresh bread each day they attend classes. Eventually, the
programme will reach between 250,000 and 300,000 schoolchildren in the capital,
and about 1 million students nationwide, through bakeries run by Afghans. (…)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=3154&Cr=Afghan&Cr1=relief
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan unveils
FINCA international’s campaign for global endowment for the poor
Washington, DC — On Tuesday, March 19th FINCA Int’l
held a luncheon in Hollywood in conjunction with Queen Rania of Jordan to meet
leaders of the entertainment industry and talk about her support for
micro-finance programs. Her work with FINCA International (Foundation for
International Community Assistance) in creating micro-lending programs is
helping to bring major social change to troubled areas such as Kosovo and now
Afghanistan.
Micro-loans have been a
groundbreaking way to create economic self-sufficiency, particularly for women,
providing a way out of the grinding poverty that often accompanies their lives
in developing nations. During the luncheon, Queen Rania introduced ‘The Global
Endowment for the Poor,’ an initiative of FINCA International’s designed to
create a revolving pool of loan capital to serve the needs of poor
entrepreneurs throughout the world. Queen Rania remarks reflected that
"Micro-finance is all about connecting … connecting people to the capital
they need to control their lives." She encouraged participation to
"start the engine to make a connection to millions of women and families
worldwide." (…) FINCA alone disbursed $100 million in loans last year to some
200,000 poor entrepreneurs, with a repayment rate of almost 100%.
http://www.villagebanking.org/about/news.php3
ADRA opens five new day care
centers in Brazil
During this month of March,
ADRA - the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International - is opening
an additional five new day care centers in central Brazil. The combined service
capacity of these centers will help 1,000 children of families living below the
poverty line. Two new community development centers will also be opened for the
Karajas Indians.
ADRA International is an independent humanitarian agency
established in 1984 by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the specific
purposes of individual and community development and disaster relief. The
Economic and Social Council of the United Nations granted ADRA general
consultative status in 1997. As an internationally recognized non-governmental
organization, ADRA helps people without regard to ethnic, political or
religious association. ADRA believes in each individual’s potential to reflect
the image of God, the dignity which is inherent in each person, and the
importance of quality in human life. ADRA’s development and relief work is
divided among five core portfolio activities: Food Security, Economic
Development, Primary Health, Disaster Preparedness and Response, and Basic
Education.
In the Mayuge District of
Uganda more than 48,000 people will benefit during the next phase of the Bunya
Integrated Health Project. By January 2005, this project will build the
capacity of the area’s health programs by training health workers and
increasing the community’s understanding and involvement with health care. The
Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) is providing a grant of USD
1.2 million to fund this phase of the health project. (F. G.)
Source: ADRA
WFP launches inter-ethnic consortium in Kosovo
14
March, Rome -The United
Nations World Food Programme announced today the establishment of the Consortium
for Inter-ethnic Development (CID), which is to assist people living in Kosovo
after the U.N. agency ends its emergency food assistance on March 31. CID is
comprised of six local NGOs, which have been the distribution partners of the
WFP’s food aid programme in Kosovo. (…)
WFP first presented the idea for a consortium to local
NGOs in February 2002. A series of meetings followed and on March 8 a Framework
Agreement was signed by all participants. This marks the first time a
multi-ethnic group has agreed to publicly work together for the benefit of
Kosovo’s diverse population. “CID is
not only a move towards inter-ethnic cooperation but it will also assist the
local population after WFP ends its operations” said Saeed Malik, director for
Eastern Europe at WFP headquarters in Rome.
(…)
http://www.wfp.org/newsroom/subsections/year.asp?section=13#
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: ICRC delivers
aid to remote villages
14 March - The ICRC has recently launched a new distribution programme in the
Skopska Crna Gora region for people living in villages affected by last year's
conflict. During December 2001, the ICRC provided assistance to help vulnerable
groups through the winter months. The new relief effort is intended to ensure
people have enough food and other resources, so that both inhabitants and
returnees can concentrate on reconstruction. In turn, this will create
conditions allowing people displaced from villages directly affected by the
fighting to return home in safety.
On
7 and 8 March, the ICRC distributed supplies to 180 people in the remote
mountain villages of Malina Mala and Brest. Over the coming days, the
organization will distribute aid to some 520 people from the same region who
either remained during the fighting or returned recently.
The
ICRC is handing out food parcels, flour (bought from local Macedonian
suppliers), hygiene products and baby parcels. The aid will help people in
isolated villages who have no reserves to fall back on. (…)
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf
Rome, 12 March - Approximately 30,000 families in
rural areas of Northern Afghanistan have received 1,500 tonnes of wheat seeds
and fertilizers for the spring planting by the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), the UN agency said today. FAO estimates that farmers could
finally harvest around 16 000 tonnes of wheat from the seeds distributed. (…)
The seeds were distributed for spring planting to poor
farmers, returnees and internally displaced people in remote areas in Northern
Afghanistan in the provinces of Faryab and Saripul. People there are suffering
from food shortages caused by drought and conflict.
The project was carried out in close collaboration
with non-governmental organizations such as Save the Children (USA),
Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (Pakistan), and ACTED (France), which
will also provide fertiliser to complement the seed distribution. The United
States funded the seed distribution with around one million dollars. (…)
http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/english/2002/3102-en.html
Kabul, 12 March - The first student and classroom
materials for Kabul schoolchildren began to roll out of the capital's
distribution centre Monday, as the nationwide "Back to School"
campaign moved up a gear this week. The campaign, which is led by the Afghan
Interim Administration and supported by UNICEF, the United Nations Children's
Fund, aims to equip up more than 1.5 million primary school age children in
over 4,000 schools and other learning environments by the start of the new
school year on 23 March.
The supply of Kabul city
schools commenced with deliveries of stationery for over 20,000 primary school
aged children, 200 teacher kits and 91 blackboards plus textbooks to a total of
five schools on Monday. Transport was provide by the International Security
Force in Afghanistan (ISAF). The distribution equipped students and teachers
with basic stationery items, teaching materials and schoolbags. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/newsnotes/02nn06afghanschool.htm
UN agencies combine forces to promote access to quality HIV medicines
20 March – The United
Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today published the first list of HIV-related
medicines that were found to meet the agency’s recommended standards, part of a
joint effort by UN programmes to assess the quality of HIV drugs to help make
treatment services more accessible to poor countries.
Forty products from eight branded and generic
manufacturers are included in the initial phase of the project, which is
managed by WHO, and supported by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the
Secretariat of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the UN Population
Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank. Today’s list includes 11 anti-retrovirals
(ARVs) – which allow for several triple therapy combinations – and five
products for opportunistic infections. (…)
Pharmaceutical products are
evaluated according to WHO recommended standards of quality and for compliance
with good manufacturing practices, and other drugs and suppliers will be added
to the list as they meet the set standards. The list is now available on the
websites of WHO and the other collaborating agencies. Eight companies have been
evaluated so far but another 13, as well as 100 products, are currently under
review.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=3167&Cr=HIV&Cr1=AIDS
Senegal: World Bank approves
US $14.7 million for nutrition project
Abidjan, 18 March - The World
Bank is to fund a community nutrition programme in Senegal that will support
the growth of poor children under three years of age. The programme will also
build institutional and organisational capacity to carry out and evaluate
nutrition interventions in the country, the World Bank reported on Thursday.
The Nutrition Sector
Enhancement Programme (NSEP), for which $ 14.7 million was approved last week,
will also support the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women in
poor urban and rural areas. It builds on an earlier successful Community
Nutrition Project in urban areas in Senegal which was also supported by
the World Food Program and a German NGO, Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau.
(…)
Ethiopia: EC gives funds to
tackle meningitis
15 March - The EC has
allocated one million euros (about US $873,534) to help control a meningitis
epidemic in Ethiopia. As of 3 March, the Ethiopian health ministry reported a
total of 2,329 cases of meningitis, including 118 deaths. The disease first
broke out in September 2001, with the Southern Region worst-affected. About 2,022
cases have been reported there, with 89 related deaths. According to an EC
statement, the funds are being channelled through the EC Humanitarian Aid
Office (ECHO) to nongovernmental organisations involved in tackling the current
outbreak. The money will be used to support mass vaccination campaigns, to
purchase the vaccines and to improve treatment in the affected areas.
The Ethiopian government has
appealed for US $2.5 million to deal with the outbreak, the World Health
Organisation (WHO) reported.
UN Foundation announces
partnership with Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi
March 8, Washington,
DC - In response to the need for increased resources and investments in
HIV/AIDS prevention, the United Nations Foundation announced a new partnership
with the Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi and the UN Joint Programme on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to fight the pandemic in India. The “Coordinated
HIV/AIDS/STD Response through Capacity-Building and Awareness” project, or
CHARCA, will receive a multi-year, $2.8 million grant from the United Nations
Foundation with a $2.8 million matching contribution from the Netherlands to
reduce the risk of HIV infection among the most vulnerable Indian populations,
particularly adolescent girls.
“This project serves as a
model for the new public-private partnerships -- between NGOs, governments and
the UN system -- that are needed to meet the world’s biggest challenges,” said
Timothy E. Wirth, President of the UN Foundation. (…)
http://www.unfoundation.org/unfnews/press/2002/03/08/pr_24374.asp
United Nations forum on
forests concludes second session
18 March - The United Nations Forum on Forests
on Friday, 15 March, concluded its second session, which began on 4 March, by
adopting the report of its session and eight draft decisions. (…) Adopted this
afternoon were draft decisions on: combatting
deforestation; forest conservation and protection of unique types of forests
and fragile ecosystems; rehabilitation and conservation strategies for
countries with low forest cover:
rehabilitation and restoration of degraded lands and the promotion of
natural planted forests, as orally amended; concepts, terminology and
definitions; proposed revision for medium-term plans; and specific criteria for
the review of the effectiveness of the international arrangements on
forests.(…)
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/ENVDEV627.doc.htm
Report by Environment Canada
supports enacting Kyoto agreements
18 March - Canada's federal
government has prepared a report to counter opponents' forecasts that enacting
the Kyoto Protocol would devastate the country's economy. The report by
Environment Canada, the country's environmental agency, says industry claims
that Kyoto could cost the country as much as $19-25 billion and as many as
450,000 jobs are bunk. The agency says both sets of figures assume that
no other country but Canada would implement the treaty on climate change --
even though Kyoto can only come into force once 55 countries have ratified
it. In recent weeks, the oil-rich province of Alberta, the Canadian
Chamber of Commerce, and the association Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters have
attacked Kyoto as impractical. This weekend, Alberta Environment Minister
Lorne Taylor said Environment Canada's report was unconvincing and showed that
the pro-Kyoto forces were desperate.
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/heatbeat/thisjustin030802.asp?source=daily
CITES incentives inspire vital reforms in wildlife
management
Falcons, sturgeon, corals and other at-risk species to
benefit
Geneva/Nairobi, 15 March - Trade suspensions and other
incentives have succeeded in spurring the United Arab Emirates, the Russian
Federation, Fiji, Vietnam and other governments to move towards more effective
and sustainable management systems for a number of endangered species that
offer economic benefits to poor communities. A Standing Committee meeting on
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES) has agreed here today to lift or modify imposed trade measures in
response to pledges by governments to reform their wildlife management and
trade practices. (…)
Around the world, many species of plants and animals
have become endangered because of habitat destruction, pollution, unsustainable
trade, and other forces. CITES was adopted in 1973 to ensure the long-term
survival of any species that are potentially threatened by international trade.
Its 157 member governments strictly regulate international trade in threatened
wild animals or plants via an Appendix II listing and prohibit international
commercial trade in species threatened with extinction via inclusion in
Appendix I.
Columbia: management of natural park
in Amazzonia assigned to indigenous people
14 March - In what
conservationists hope will serve as a model for future projects, Colombia has
set aside a 167,960-acre park in the Amazon basin and granted the indigenous
people who live there control over its management. Formally established
late last month after years of negotiations between the government, indigenous
people, and environment groups, Indiwasi National Park is located in the most
biologically diverse region of Colombia. In addition to being home to
rare and endangered animals and plants, the park is sacred territory to the
Ingano tribe, which will manage it. Colombia has 46 other national parks,
but none is managed by indigenous groups.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/723156.asp
Shenzhen City, China to host 2002 International World
Environment Day Celebrations
Nairobi, 11 March - The City of Shenzhen in the
People's Republic of China will be the venue for the main celebrations of
this year's World Environment Day (WED), on 5 June. The
announcement was made today by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP). (…)
Nations sign historic agreement to boost the health of
the Northeast Pacific for the benefit of people and wildlife
Antigua, Guatemala/Nairobi, 11 March - Big cuts in pollution and improved
conservation of fish stocks are now likely in the Northeast Pacific following
the signing of an historic, environmental agreement, by Central American
nations. The agreement should also lead to better conservation and a boost in
the quality of key coastal habitats including mangrove swamps, coral reefs and
beaches upon which millions of people depend for food, construction materials
and income from industries such as tourism.
The prospects have emerged as a result of Costa Rica,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, signing the Convention
on Cooperation in the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Marine and
Coastal Environment of the Northeast Pacific. Mexico and Colombia, the two
other nations involved in the region, have indicated that they will sign the
Convention before the end of the year.
An action plan, detailing how the countries concerned
will improve the environment of the Northeast Pacific for the benefit of people
and wildlife, has also been approved. (…)
IFLAC launches the World Ban-War
Campaign 2002
London, March 14-17: IFLAC’s
conference on Conflict Resolution through Culture
brought together academicians, writers, poets, peace researchers, media, and women
leaders from a broad range of fields to discuss the impact of the social
dimensions of conflict resolution through cultural bridges, and its key roles
in the development, definition and construction of identity in the Middle East
and in other conflicted areas. Specifically on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, representatives of both sides agreed on the need to enhance the
understanding of each other’s expectations on the basis of mutual respect and
dignity.
Participants
to this third conference of the International Forum for the Culture of Peace
agreed to support IFLAC’s new initiative: the World Ban-War Campaign launched
recently with a letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General focussing on the need “to initiate and pass a powerful "International Law"
that will enforce the banishment of the practice of War from our endangered
world at the dawn of our 3rd millennium”.
http://tx.technion.ac.il/~ada/home.html
United Nations General Assembly Special Session on
Children, postponed in September, brings world leaders back to New York eight
weeks from today
Geneva / New York, 13 March - Eight weeks from today
world leaders will gather in New York City for a major conference focused on
global progress for children and the key role that investment in children can
play in building global peace and security, the United Nations announced today.
Originally scheduled to take place in September 2001
but postponed following the attacks in New York City and Washington, the United
Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children is expected to bring at
least 60 Heads of State and Government to New York for three days 8-10 May.
The Special Session, an end-of-decade follow-up to the
1990 World Summit for Children, will present world leaders with a detailed
review of what has been achieved for children and what has not been achieved.
The Special Session is expected to focus on how investment in children's
education, health, and protection contributes to global stability and peace.
The Special Session on Children will conclude with the
adoption of a new set of global goals focused on children and an action plan to
reach them. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/02prssoc1.htm
UN Foundation launches conflict prevention web resource
March 7, Washington, DC -
In response to the release of the United Nations Secretary-General’s report on
conflict prevention, the United Nations Foundation has launched a comprehensive
page on its website, www.unfoundation.org, to raise
awareness about the United Nations’ work on preventing deadly conflict around
the world. (…)
The United Nations Foundation, which was established to oversee
administration of businessman and philanthropist R.E. Turner’s historic gift in
support of the United Nations and its causes, has awarded more than $446
million for UN projects to date. The UN Foundation considers support of
UN causes in four areas – Women and Population; Children’s Health; the
Environment; and Peace, Security and Human Rights. Within its Peace,
Security and Human Rights program, conflict prevention is a major focus.
http://www.unfoundation.org/unfnews/press/2002/03/07/pr_24496.asp
Tamera,
Portugal: “Love - Power for Survival”- Summer University, 5-14 August
The course will address these crucial and fundamental issues:
Is there still something we can do to counteract the globalization of
violence? Is
there still a realistic possibility for practising peace, without closing our
eyes to the events of the world? When we speak of "inner peace", do
we include within this a commitment to a peace that effects our environment? On
what grounds are realizations and discoveries based where there is a
possibility for global peace? How can we stabilize the humane network in the
peace movement and create iterating processes for a political movement
signalled by courage, humanity and joy of life?
This session at the Summer University is followed by an exploration time
from 19 August to 6 September with four, possibly five,
theme courses: Ecology – peace with nature and co-operation with
all living beings; New Building Structures; Basics for a functioning
human community; International peace work "Israel/Palestine". A fifth course about "autonomous energy
supply" is still in preparation.
Information and Registration: Institute for Global Peace Work, (IGF)
Tamera, Monte do Cerro, P-7630 Colos, Portugal. Tel./Fax 00351-283-635 306 (374 fax), email: tamera@mail.telepac.pt www.tamera.org
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operates for the development of consciousness and supports the activities of
the Lucis Trust, the Club of Budapest, the Earth Charter, Radio For Peace
International and other organizations promoting a culture of peace in the
‘global village’ perspective based on unity within diversity and on
sharing. Via Antagora 10, 00124 Rome, Italy. E-mail: s.tripi@tiscalinet.it
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