Good News Agency – Year IV, n° 4
Weekly - Year IV, number 4 – 21
February 2003
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
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Information.
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and Safety – Environment and wildlife
Religion and spirituality – Culture and education
Afghanistan: warlords face international criminal court
Future war crimes can be prosecuted
New York, February 10 - Afghan warlords who commit future atrocities can now face prosecution by the new International Criminal Court (ICC), Human Rights Watch said today, as Afghanistan deposited its accession to the ICC Treaty at the United Nations. Under ICC provisions, the treaty will take force in Afghanistan on May 1, 2003. After that date, the ICC will have the authority to investigate and prosecute serious war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity committed on Afghan soil.
This is a historic day for Afghanistan," said
John Sifton, a researcher with Human Rights Watch. "For over two decades,
perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan have
enjoyed total impunity. On May 1, that impunity will formally end." (...)
Human Rights Watch said that future war crimes and
crimes against humanity in Afghanistan were likely to come under the ICC's
jurisdiction, in the near future at least, because of the poor state of
Afghanistan's justice system. Under the treaty, the ICC can only prosecute such
crimes if Afghanistan is unwilling or unable to meaningfully investigate and
prosecute on its own. (...)
Afghanistan's accession to the ICC Treaty brings the
total number of states parties to eighty-nine. The states parties met in New
York last week and elected the court's eighteen judges, who will be sworn in on
March 11. The court's prosecutor will be selected at the end of April.
http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/02/afghan020903.htm
Countries meet to finalize landmark agreement on International Tobacco
Control
Geneva -- A groundbreaking moment in public health history is
just around the corner, as the sixth and final round of negotiations for the
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) begins next week in Geneva. The
convention is part of a global strategy to reduce tobacco-related deaths and
disease around the world.
When in force, this global health treaty – the first ever under the auspices of the World Health
Organization (WHO) – will include international rules on tobacco taxation, smoking
prevention and treatment, illicit trade, advertising and promotion, and product
regulation.
“The tobacco epidemic is killing 4.9 million people
every year, which will double in twenty years if we do nothing to stop it. We
know that a big part of the solution lies in promoting stop-smoking programmes,
raising tobacco taxes, increasing education, banning tobacco advertising and
cracking down on smuggling,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland. (...)
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), which
meets from 17-28 February, will discuss the newly revised text recently
released by INB chair, Brazilian Ambassador Luis Felipe de Seixas Corrêa. Both
Dr Brundtland and Ambassador Seixas Corrêa say that the text provides a solid
basis for broad acceptance while retaining a major impact on public health. (...)
WHO member states are expected to reach consensus on a
final text to be submitted to the World Health Assembly for adoption in May. A
key aspect of the negotiations is the issue of a total ban on tobacco
advertising. The text states that a complete ban on advertising should be the
ultimate goal for signatories to the convention and encourages early
elaboration of a supporting protocol on eliminating cross-border advertising
and promotion. (...)
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr14/en/
FIFA and ILO team up on worldwide campaign to fight child labour
Zurich, 13 February - The Fédération Internationale de
Football Association (FIFA) and the International Labour Organization (ILO)
have agreed to wave a "Red Card to Child Labour", uniting the world
of sport and the world of work in an unprecedented global campaign.
Under the banner of the ILO's existing "Red Card
to Child Labour" campaign, the new alliance will seek to unite world
football with the ILO and its tripartite partners and others in a common effort
to increase global awareness about child labour and address its causes in the
production of sporting goods and in other industries and sectors. Proposed
participants will also include other international sports organizations, the
sporting goods industry, relevant non-governmental organizations, charities,
different international and civil society institutions, and other stakeholders.
The decision to move forward with a joint campaign was
taken at FIFA headquarters in Zurich on 10 February by FIFA President Joseph S.
Blatter and ILO Executive Director Kari Tapiola. (...)
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2003/4.htm
World Bank highlights positive development impact of
trade unions
Brussels, 12 February - The positive impact of trade
unions in economic development, as well as evidence showing the role of trade
unions in combating discrimination and in reducing inequality, are among the
central findings of a new World Bank publication, launched today. According to
the ICFTU, however, there is still a long way to go in terms of translating
these findings into policy at the national level.
The report, “Unions and Collective Bargaining”, reaffirms the Bank's support for the core labour
standards "as important elements of a well-functioning labour
market". Based on a survey of more than a thousand studies on the economic
effects of unions and collective bargaining, the newly released book concludes
that high unionisation rates often lead to lower inequality of earnings,
decreased wage discrimination against women and minority workers, and improved
economic performance. It finds that the positive impacts of unionisation tend
to be greater in countries with highly coordinated collective bargaining than
in countries where the labour movement is more fragmented. (...)
http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991217201&Language=EN
High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNESCO reinforce cooperation
Paris, 5 February – The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira
de Mello, and UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura signed a memorandum of
understanding reinforcing cooperation between the two organizations in Paris
today. According to the memorandum, this initiative is “inspired by the reform process of the United Nations
system launched by the UN Secretary-General, which emphasizes the centrality of
human rights in all activities of the system”. The text stresses “that the principle of non-discrimination is the
cornerstone for the recognition and protection of the dignity of all members of
the human family” and recognizes “that extreme poverty is a flagrant violation of human rights and a
denial of human dignity.”
Mr Vieira de Mello and Mr Matsuura agreed to hold
regular consultations on subjects of common interest such as the “rationalization, strengthening and streamlining of the
human rights machinery and reporting mechanisms with a view to improving their
efficiency and effectiveness”, and the “elaboration of strategies related, inter alia, to the right to education
and to human rights education; cultural rights and cultural diversity, freedom
of expression, access to information and academic freedom, rights of women and
gender equality, human rights and bioethics”. (...)
FAO and Libya sign agreements
for agriculture projects
Projects will bolster food
security in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Sudan and Niger
Rome, 20 February - Agreements
to finance agricultural projects in Sahelian and Saharan countries were signed
today between Libya and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The agreements totalled more than $21 million.
The first agreement, part of
the FAO Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), will advance agricultural
production and enhance food security, alleviating hunger and poverty in five
African states. Libya will fund the $9.3 million project. The SPFS programme,
currently operational in 74 countries, aims to ensure access to adequate food
and help poor farm communities increase food production and productivity. The
funds will be divided among five member countries of the Community of
Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) which works for the development and stability of
its 16 member countries. (...)
The second agreement,
Development of a Seed and Propagation Material System, is designed to
develop and modernize the agriculture sector in Libya. (...)
Republic of Korea and UNDP help poor countries attend anti-corruption
forum
14 February - The Republic of Korea and UNDP are
joining forces to enable 49 of the poorest countries participate in an
anti-corruption forum in Seoul, the capital, on 29 - 31 May.
The Global Forum III on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity seeks to help stem the loss of billions of dollars
through corruption, a drain that developing countries can least afford.
First held in 1999, the Global Forum brings together
high-level government officials and experts to identify global anti-corruption
priorities and improve national and international cooperation in fighting
corruption and enhancing government transparency.
The Republic of Korea is allocating US$300,000 to
cover the expenses of two delegates from each country in the group of least
developed countries designated by the UN, and UNDP is using its global network
to arrange their participation. (...)
"Corruption deepens poverty, derails development,
fuels domestic and international conflicts, and destroys confidence in
democracy and the legitimacy of governments," said UNDP Administrator Mark
Malloch Brown, citing the importance of an active role by developing countries
in the events.
Officials from about 150 countries are expected to
attend Global Forum III to share experiences, refine their understanding about
effective practices, and search for new and better ways to defeat corruption. (...)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
UNDP and UK boost efforts to stem poverty in Zanzibar
12 February - UNDP, in partnership with the UK
Department for International Development (DFID), is helping strengthen efforts
to reduce poverty and promote development in Zanzibar, the east African island
that is part of the United Republic of Tanzania.
More than half of Zanzibar's people live in poverty,
and economic strains add to their hardship. The economy has been hit by falling
prices for cloves, its mainstay, and fewer tourists are visiting the island's
beautiful beaches due to global jitters over terrorism.
The three-year, US$9.6 million programme supports the
Zanzibar's poverty reduction plan in four key areas: monitoring, development
management and public finance, support to civil society, and governance. (...)
The initiative "is crucial to Zanzibar achieving the Millennium
Development Goals,'' UNDP Resident Representative John Hendra emphasized. The
first goal includes the target of halving the proportion of people living on
less than US$ 1 a day between 1990 and 2015. The Government has also set its
own goal eliminating abject poverty in Zanzibar by 2020. (...)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2003/february/12feb03/index.html
IFAD to support
poverty reduction programme in Republic of Ghana
Rome, 7 February
- A loan agreement was signed today at the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) headquarters by H.E. Dr. Koffi Dsane-Selby, and by Mr.
Lennart Båge, President of IFAD. The loan, in an amount of USD 12.3 million,
will help fund the ‘Northern Region Poverty Reduction
Programme’, with a total cost of USD 59.6 million.
The beneficiaries of the Programme are the poor and
vulnerable rural communities of the Northern Region of Ghana, who constitute
70% of the rural population. The target group mainly includes
subsistence-farming households, as well as women headed families, the elderly
and disabled. Poverty is associated with a high dependence on agriculture, an
erratic climate and low productivity of the resource base. The constraints they
have are due to limited availability of labour rather than land. High levels of
malnutrition, disease, disability, early mortality and illiteracy are the
outcomes of these limitations.
The Northern Region Poverty Reduction Programme is a
partnership between the Government of Ghana and its development partners to
address rural poverty by targeting the poorer communities and most vulnerable
groups and empowering them to participate in development activities; these
interventions will be supported through a flexible community development fund.
(...)
With this project, IFAD will have financed 11 projects
in the Republic of Ghana, for a total loan amount of USD 124.5 million.
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2003/3.htm
UNFPA and Rotary renew cooperation on population and development issues
United Nations, New York, 5 February - UNFPA, the
United Nations Population Fund, and Rotary International have renewed a
Memorandum of Cooperation to work together on population and development issues
around the world. UNFPA and Rotary will continue their joint efforts through an
agreement formalized last year, to address development needs and confront
challenges of global population growth.
By the terms of the Memorandum, UNFPA and some of the
30,000 Rotary clubs around the world will consult to identify local population
and development needs and seek ways to collaborate to address them. The Fund
will encourage its offices to connect with Rotary clubs and districts at the
local level. Rotary will encourage its club and districts to support population
and development programmes. (...)
Rotary clubs have already begun dealing with
population-related issues through programmes focused on hunger prevention,
literacy, education and the environment. Examples of the cooperation between
Rotary and UNFPA in the past year included launching HIV/AIDS awareness
campaigns in highly affected areas in India and undertaking efforts to increase
understanding of reproductive health issues in regions of Mexico. (...)
http://www.unfpa.org/news/2003/pressroom/rotary.htm
New project on trade and globalization announced by UNCTAD, India and UK
30 January - UNCTAD, India and the United Kingdom
today announced the launch of a new project to assess the impact and
opportunities for India of trade and globalization.
The five-year project is being funded by the UK
Department for International Development (DFID), in the amount of some £ 5.4
million (Rs. 41,11,72,300).
Entitled "Strategies and preparedness for trade
and globalization in India", the project has two main objectives. First,
it will assist Indian trade negotiators, policy makers and other stakeholders
in understanding the development dimension of key trade issues, particularly as
they related to the current WTO agenda. Secondly, it will strengthen the
country´s human and institutional capacities for analysis of
globalization-related issues and facilitate a policy environment that will
support and sustain a more equitable process of globalization. In the process,
the project should help India derive the greatest possible benefits from the
multilateral trading system and influence international trade rule-making. The
project will work in partnership with the private sector and civil society. It
will focus on institutions and sectors with the greatest potential to affect
the poor in their roles as producers, workers, consumers and citizens. (...)
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=3183&intItemID=1634&lang=1
Rotary International Holds
First Peace and Development Conference in Nairobi
Funds More than 1,000 Eye
Surgeries to Mark Event
Nairobi, Kenya, 18 February - More than 1,000
business leaders, members of Rotary clubs in Africa, Europe, India and the
U.S., will gather at Nairobi's Kenyatta International Conference Centre 21-23
February to discuss ways of promoting peace and development in communities
across Africa. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki was invited to deliver the
opening address; Vice President Honorable Kijana Wamalwa will be representing
President Kibaki at the Rotary conference. Rotary International (RI) President
Bhichai Rattakul, head of the world's oldest service organization, will deliver
the keynote speech. (...)
Immediately preceding the
conference, Rotary volunteer doctors will perform more than 1,000 cataract
surgeries on patients in the northern Kenyan town of Dol Dol, as well as at
Kikuyu and Lions hospitals near Nairobi. (...)
The conference will address a
slew of topics including the role of Rotarians in assisting those impacted by
HIV/AIDS; combating tuberculosis; promoting education and literacy as keys to
fighting poverty and hunger; providing micro-enterprises and vocational
training; achieving Rotary's goal of polio eradication in Africa and promoting
the Rotary Centers on International Studies in peace and conflict
resolution.
Burundi-DRC-Tanzania:
EC gives Euros 24 million for Burundian and Congolese refugees
Nairobi, Kenya, 14 February -
Tanzania is scheduled to receive Euros 24 million (US $26 million) from the
European Community this year to help meet the humanitarian needs of Burundian
and Congolese refugees in the country, according to the EC Humanitarian Aid
Office (ECHO). In a statement issued on Thursday in Brussels, ECHO reported
that it would channel the funds through partner organisations working in the
field. (...)
According to ECHO, Tanzania
continues to host more than half a million refugees - the largest refugee
caseload in Africa - despite being one of the world's poorest countries. Most
of these refugees are from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
ECHO's Global Plan for 2003 is expected to benefit approximately 520,000
refugees in 14 camps in western Tanzania under the protection of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees. The funds will be spent on food aid, logistics,
water and sanitation, as well as nutrition, health, shelter and protection. (...)
World Relief responds to
crisis in Burkina Faso
Baltimore, February 12 - All
recent attempts at peace in Cote d'Ivoire have failed. The UN has pulled
non-essential staff of the country, and more French troops have been deployed
to protect French nationals in Ivory Coast. As a result of this civil unrest, a
massive influx of people seeking refuge is heading into Burkina Faso. World
Relief is mobilizing a network of churches and Christian organizations in
response to the growing humanitarian need. (...)
World Relief provides training on HIV/AIDS prevention and care to
churches, schools and other organizations in Burkina Faso. The grassroots
organizations are now rallying to meet families fleeing Cote d'Ivoire. World
Relief is providing support so that these organizations can distribute refugee
kits with blankets, cooking utensils, grain, sleeping mats and jerry cans for
the families.
For nearly 60 years, World
Relief has worked with local churches to create sustainable solutions that help
the desperately poor. Operating in more than 20 countries and 26 cities in the
U.S., World Relief's programs include disaster relief, refugee assistance, AIDS
ministries, urban ministries, community health, agricultural development, and
community banking. (...)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=1279
National Council of Churches - Taking Action to Avert
War:
In London, U.S. Church Leaders Meet Blair in Third of
Five NCC-Led Peace Delegations
February 18 - U.S. Christian
leaders spent 50 minutes with British Prime Minister Tony Blair today to convey
a message of widespread opposition to war with Iraq and to explore
alternatives. The visit was the third of five urgent meetings with
European leaders by delegations organized by the National Council of Churches
USA.
Following the private meeting with Mr. Blair,
an NCC delegation member, the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the
Presbyterian Church USA, said the delegates explored with the Prime Minister a number
of alternative approaches including working through the United Nations to
empower the people of Iraq, strengthening the process of weapons inspections,
dealing deeply with the Palestine question, building global policy which
addresses the gap between rich and poor, and building inter faith relations.
Jim Wallis, Executive Director and Editor of Sojourners, who led the delegation
on the NCC's behalf, said, "American church leaders agree that the threat
of Saddam Hussein is very real and that Iraq must be disarmed, but we also
believe that the unintended and unpredictable consequences of war could be
catastrophic. American and British leaders have reminded the world of how
terrible Saddam is, but the churches must remind the world about the realities of
war."
46 Religious Leaders ask urgent meeting with Bush on Iraq
46 U.S. Religious Leaders, uneasy about the proposed war on Iraq,
"with utmost urgency" ask President Bush for face-to-face meeting
January 30, New York City - Citing the "utmost
urgency" of their request, 46 U.S. religious leaders who have been working
"to slow the rush to war" with Iraq today petitioned President Bush
for a face-to-face meeting. War is not only a military matter, write the
leaders - from 11 denominations and four organizations, including 20 United
Methodist bishops. "It is a moral and ethical matter of the highest order,
one that we have made a priority for many months as the possibility of war has
loomed on our national horizon."
The 46 leaders of tens of millions of Protestant and
Orthodox Christians across the United States note that they are in
communication with their clergy, lay leaders and church members across the
nation and with their counterparts in Europe and elsewhere around the globe on
this issue.
Active in the search for peaceful solutions to the
Iraq crisis since August, religious leaders "have become all the more
alarmed as U.S. military activity keeps escalating," said Dr. Bob Edgar,
general secretary of the National Council of Churches, which facilitated
circulation of the letter for signatures. "We want to meet with the
President before he decides to go to war with Iraq."
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. www.ncccusa.org; news@ncccusa.org
http://www.brethren.org/Iraq/MeetWithBush.html
Local relief agency moves office in Iraq
Portland, Oregon, USA, February - With increasing security concerns in Iraq,
Northwest Medical Teams’ staff in the northern region of the country are moving their offices,
including records, equipment and supplies, to an undisclosed rural location.
The Portland-based relief organization is also briefing volunteer medical
professionals in preparation for deployment to the region and beginning
emergency preparedness processes. (...)
Northwest Medical Teams supports a staff of 24
international workers who administer a children’s health care program in northern Iraq. The staff
provides medical care in partnership with local doctors and teaches medical and
dental procedures to other medical providers.
Northwest Medical Teams is one of only five U.S.
agencies recently to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of State to
support a child health project in northern Iraq, and one of a handful of groups
currently working in the country. It was also one of the first to receive a
license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control to provide direct aid in
Iraq. (...)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=1280
March 1 -
Sharing the Spirit of Peace Summit, Sydney, Australia
A group of service
organisations, concerned citizens, businesses, youth and politicians is
gathering to organise a Peace Summit in Sydney entitled: Share the Spirit of
Peace. Peace is essentially the establishing of right human relations, the
recognition of the indissoluble unity of the human family – one world- one
humanity, with its resultant co-operation and interaction between the world’s
nations on behalf of the whole.
Australia
has an opportunity to voice a united appeal, with the four major political
parties invited to share the platform and speak for peace. This demonstration
of unity will echo across the planet at this critical moment in time. U.S.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich will also speak. The Utopian Singers (young people
ages 12-26) will sing and accompany a World Peace Flag Ceremony with the flags
of all nations. At the closing of the event, the flags and participants will
parade outside to Victoria Park, where a Peace Pole will be dedicated.
The
"Share the Spirit of Peace" Peace Summit was inspired by the "We
the People Summit for Peace" held in Vermont in September 2002. The note
sounded initially in Vermont and carried to Sydney for this Summit, will in
turn be built on by other Peace Summits throughout the world.
The
next is planned for New York City in September 2003.
http://www.sharethespiritofpeace.com
FAO, WHO launch $40 million trust fund to help poor countries
participate in Codex Alimentarius
Codex sets international food trade and safety
standards
14 February, Rome,
Geneva -- A $40 million
Trust Fund to help the world’s least developed countries participate in Codex Alimentarius was
launched in Geneva today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and
the World Health Organization (WHO). Codex Alimentarius sets food standards
that protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in food trade.
The FAO/WHO Project and Fund for Enhanced
Participation in Codex is expected to run for 12 years and has already received
its first contribution from Switzerland.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) was
established in 1962 by FAO and WHO and has 168 member countries today. (...)
The new Trust Fund will help some 120 developing countries and countries in
transition increase their participation in the vital work of the Commission.
The fund will also help regulators and food experts from all areas of the world
to participate in setting international standards and enhance their capacity to
develop effective food safety and quality standards, both within the framework
of the Codex Alimentarius and national food safety systems in their own
countries. (...)
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr12/en/
WFP and UNAIDS join forces against HIV/AIDS
Rome, 6 February - The United Nations World Food
Programme (WFP) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
formally joined forces to cope with the growing links between HIV/AIDS,
regional food shortages and chronic hunger. An agreement signed today at WFP's
Executive Board meeting increases their co-operation to save millions of lives
- especially in Africa, South-East Asia and the Caribbean. (...)
Under the agreement, WFP and UNAIDS will direct their
joint efforts to emergency situations with a special focus on pregnant women
and orphans, among the most vulnerable to the impact of HIV/AIDS. At the same
time, they will strive to make food security an integral part of the battle
waged by governments and partners against HIV/AIDS.
WFP takes responsibility for the management of
HIV/AIDS-related food programmes, while UNAIDS will offer technical assistance,
promoting access to care including home-based care, impact evaluation, the
reduction of vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and the identification of appropriate
local partners. (...)
http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/press/eng/WFPRome060203.html
India launches largest ever campaign to tackle polio epidemic
165 million children to be vaccinated in a country faced with 85 percent
of new polio cases in the world
Geneva/New York, 5 February - To combat the largest
polio epidemic in recent history, on 9 February India will launch the largest
ever mass immunization campaign against polio, targeting 165 million children.
Over 1.3 million vaccination teams of volunteers and
health workers, equipped with nearly 200 million doses of vaccine, will go
house-to-house and work at booths in communities to reach every child under the
age of five years. To succeed, the teams will have to cover a country the size
of Western Europe in six days.
The campaign, the second of 2003, is to combat a
growing polio epidemic that swept the northern part of the country last year.
In 2002, the target year to stop poliovirus transmission globally, India was
one of only two countries (with Nigeria) to see a significant rise in new
cases. New cases totalling 1,561 were confirmed, representing 85 percent of new
polio cases worldwide. The northern state of Uttar Pradesh, with a population
of 173 million, accounted for 66 percent of cases in the world. (...)
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/2003/03pr05polio.htm
(top)
Renewable energy focus of meetings with multinational corporations and
government leaders
Mexico City, 7 February – Business leaders from DuPont to Volkswagen were among
the dozen multinational companies talking renewable energy in Mexico today.
At a meeting organized by the Commission for
Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of North America in Mexico City, government
officials met with private sector representatives to identify obstacles and
potential solutions to the development of renewable energy.
Supported by the Center for Private-Sector Studies on
Sustainable Development (Cespedes) and the National Commission for Energy
Savings (Conae), the CEC sought to strengthen regional cooperation on this
important issue. (...) American and Canadian companies thus shared their
experiences with the purchase of renewable electricity, and discussed
opportunities for collaboration with some of Mexico’s largest energy consumers. (...)
Mexico, which is currently considering a restructuring
of its electricity sector, has long been identified as a country with abundant
renewable energy resources. Its geographic situation and climate conditions
make the country an ideal location for many sources of renewable energy,
including wind, solar, geothermic and biomass power.
These clean energy sources could complement fossil
fuels, which currently account for about 75 per cent of electricity production
in Mexico. For instance, wind potential in Mexico is estimated to have an
electrical capacity of approximately 10,000 megawatts (MW)—roughly one third of the maximum national power grid
load. (...)
http://www.cec.org/news/details/index.cfm?varlan=english&ID=2524
The International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the
UNECE Trans-European North-South Motorway (TEM) Project agree to cooperate more
closely
Geneva, 7 February - A Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) between the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), laying down the basis for
closer cooperation between the two organizations in the framework of the UNECE
Trans-European North-South Motorway (TEM) Project, was signed today in Geneva
by Mr. Martin Marmy, Secretary General of the IRU and Ms. Brigita Schmögnerová,
Executive Secretary of the UNECE.
This MoU is inspired by the common objective of the
two organizations to support European road transport integration and development
as well as the need to coordinate their efforts for the promotion of road and
motorway infrastructure efficiency, safety and quality throughout the TEM
Network.
Among the important actions foreseen in the MoU, is
the cooperation of the two sides in the elaboration of the TEM Master Plan
aimed at establishing specific guidelines and a consistent investment strategy
for the TEM member countries for the development of their priority national,
regional and international road transport infrastructures. (...)
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2003/03trans_p02e.htm
New UNECE treaty to make the environment part of
strategic decision-making
Geneva, 7 February
- Under a major new international environmental treaty, countries will
assess the environmental consequences of their official draft plans,
programmes, policies and legislation. Negotiators from Europe, North America
and Central Asia have worked for two years to finalize the Protocol on
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) under the auspices of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
The Protocol provides for extensive public
participation in government decision-making in numerous development sectors,
from land-use planning to transport and from agriculture to industry, covering
everything from oil refineries to ski-lifts. (...) SEA allows the
identification and prevention of possible environmental impact right from the start
in decision-making — developing a more sustainable transport policy rather than just
minimizing the environmental impact (...)
Besides considering the typical environmental effects
of plans and programmes, the Protocol places a special emphasis on the consideration
of human health, going beyond existing legislation in the region. This reflects
the involvement of the World Health Organization in the negotiations as well as
the political commitments made at the 1999 London Ministerial Conference on
Environment and Health.
The Protocol is expected to be formally adopted and
signed at the forthcoming Ministerial ‘Environment for Europe’ Conference’ in Kiev, Ukraine, on 21-23 May 2003. Although
negotiated under UNECE, the Protocol will be open to all members of the United
Nations, which means it will have a worldwide effect when it comes into force.
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2003/03env_n01e.htm
Action on chemicals pollution and support for Africa agreed at end of
Global Environment Ministers Meeting
UNEP's 22nd Governing Council Starts Making Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation Operational
Nairobi, Kenya, 7 February - A global crackdown on
mercury pollution, an agreement to help rescue the environment of the Occupied
Palestinian Territories and assistance for small island states to reduce their
vulnerability to climate change, were among the key agreements made at the end
of an international environment ministers meeting.
Over a thousand delegates and more than 130 nations
attended the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
(...)
Countries agreed that 'there is sufficient evidence of
significant global adverse impacts from mercury and its compounds to warrant
further international action to reduce the risks to human health and the
environment'. Under the action plan agreed today, UNEP has been asked to assist
all countries, particularly developing ones and countries with economies in
transition such as former states of the Soviet Union, in a wide ranging
initiative to cut emissions of mercury from sources such as coal-fired power
stations and incinerators. (...)
http://www.unep.org/Documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=277&ArticleID=3211
Court Settlement brings stronger
clean air protection for Pittsburgh
EPA
agrees to require additional anti-pollution steps
Washington, DC, February 6 - A settlement agreement announced today calls for stronger steps to
prevent future violations of federal health standards for ozone (smog)
pollution in metropolitan Pittsburgh. The settlement came in a lawsuit filed by
Earthjustice on behalf of the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) and the
Sierra Club. The groups filed the suit last year, contending that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency had improperly re-labeled the Pittsburgh area
as meeting clean air requirements without mandating additional steps to prevent
future violations of standards. (...)
“This settlement will help to protect Pittsburgh
residents from air pollution for years to come,” said Earthjustice attorney David Baron. “It’s a health insurance policy for everyone who breathes the air.” The settlement calls for stronger limits on pollution
from certain industries, and requirements to reduce ozone-forming fumes from
paints, varnishes, and certain consumer products. It further sets out
requirements for “contingency” measures to be triggered if standards are violated in the future. (...)
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/display.html?ID=539
University of Dayton gives Honorary Degree to Ursula King, theologian
urges religions to unite, be part of solution for peace
Dayton, Ohio, USA, 3 February -- As the U.S. teeters
on the verge of a war with Iraq, an internationally known Catholic theologian
urges people of various faiths to work to unite people and sow seeds of peace.
"Today the yearning for peace is greater than
ever, yet we seem to live in a permanent state of war and violence," said
Ursula King after receiving an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the
University of Dayton on Jan. 30. "Religions are often part of the problem
of violence. They must become part of the solution."
A Catholic scholar and feminist, King is professor
emerita and senior research fellow at the University of Bristol, England. A
prolific writer, she has published nine books, including Christian Mystics: the Lives and Legacies Throughout the Ages, Women and Spirituality and Voices of Protest and Promise. While on
campus, she helped launch UD's new Women's Center. (...)
King traced the "seeds of faith" in
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism and urged people to
practice what they preach. (...) The theologian called for a new "peace
consciousness" and urged people to learn about each other's faiths.
"We are not short of seeds," she said. "How can we sow those
seeds? Make them grow and flourish?"
http://www.udayton.edu/news/nr/020303.html
Bellamy visits Kenya to support back-to-school drive
Nairobi, 14 February - Carol Bellamy, Executive
Director of UNICEF, is visiting Kenya to support the new government's
initiative to bring Kenyan children back to school. She is scheduled to meet
with President Mwai Kibaki and key cabinet Ministers. Kenya's abolition of
primary school fees saw an additional 1.5 million children show up at the start
of the school term. UNICEF immediately responded to January's announcement with
a contribution of $2.5 million dollars to support the free education initiative
and encourage girls' attendance in school. UNICEF has also launched a donor
appeal to raise an additional $4.5 million to increase support to the Kenyan
school system and to help ensure that all children have an opportunity to go to
school. -
http://www.ei-ie.org/main/english/index.html
Official international launch of the United Nations Literacy Decade
(2003-2012)
14 February - The official international launch of the
United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012) took place yesterday at United
Nations headquarters, New York. The keynote speaker at the main ceremony was
the President of Mongolia, Mr Natsagiin Bagabandi, who had sponsored the Resolution
in the UN General Assembly that called for the establishment of the Decade.
Other speakers included Mme Louise Frechette, Deputy Secretary-General of the
UN, and the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koichiro Matsuura. UNESCO will serve
as the coordinator of the Decade at the international level.
Warmly welcoming the Literacy Decade as a key feature
of the drive towards Education for All, Mr Matsuura said that the highest
priority must be “ reaching the poorest and most marginalized groups whose lack of basic
literacy skills is most severe”. He explained that the unifying theme of the Decade – “Literacy as Freedom” – seeks to promote “approaches to literacy acquisition and development
which free people from ignorance, incapacity and exclusion, and free them for
action, choices and participation.” (...)
Angola: Biggest-ever education drive
Johannesburg, Souh Africa, 6 February - On Monday
250,000 Angolan children will return to school in the biggest education
campaign in the country's history, backed by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
and the Angolan government. The size and scope of 'Back to School'
"underlines the fact that education is being unswervingly endorsed as the
engine to drive Angola's long-term recovery" after three decades of civil
war, UNICEF said in a statement.
In partnership with the Ministry of Education and
Culture, a UNICEF campaign is this month helping to train 4,000 new teachers,
restore 1,300 classrooms, and prepare thousands of education kits to be
supplied to children and teachers in the central Angolan provinces of Bie and
Malanje - the launch sites of the programme. (...)
In Bie and Malanje - among the worst hit by the civil
war - every primary school age child will have the opportunity to go back to
the classroom. Funds from the European Union will expand the project to 30
other municipalities across the country, where returning refugees will be a
priority. Currently 44 percent of Angola's children are out of school. (...)
“Dialogue
Among Civilisations - The Key to
a Safe Future” - Warsaw, 23-26 April
A world conference will be
held in Warsaw in April 2003 on the role of contemporary dialogue between civilisations
in generating international security policies. The conference to be held under
the heading: “Dialogue Between Civilisations. The Key to a Safe Future” is
being organised by the Polish Asia and Pacific Council Association, the Polish
National Committee for UNESCO, the Institute for Political Studies at the
Polish Academy of Sciences and the Centre for East Asian and Pacific Studies of
Trier University (Germany) in collaboration with
a large group of scientific institutions from all the world's great
civilisations.
The conference will be held
under the national patronage of Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller and the
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has been approached by the
organisers with the request to act as the conference’s international patron. (...)
Some 600 guests and participants representing various cultures and
civilisations are expected to attend the conference.
For further information: prap@post.pl
Global Action Week 2003 (7-13 April 2003)
Girls' education will be the focus of this year's
Global Action Week. In an effort to
promote the Education for All commitments adopted by the World Education Forum,
the Global Campaign for Education will concentrate on the 2005 goal, to enable
all girls to access quality primary education and to abolish gender
discrimination in education.
Through the Global Action Week, EI and the GCE hope
to:
§
generate
greater awareness of the 2005 goal as a key step to achieving EFA
§
influence and
change policy towards girl's education through lobbying and advocacy
§
launch new
research on the topic
§
encourage
action at the regional and national level
According to the most recent EFA Monitoring Report, 31 countries are at risk of not
achieving gender parity by 2015. (...) In April 2000 in Dakar, Senegal, 185
governments committed to provide education for all by the year 2015.
The Global Action Week is one of several events
organised by the Global Campaign for Education with the intention of mobilising
public opinion to exert pressure on governments and intergovernmental agencies
to provide free, quality education for all. (...)
http://www.ei-ie.org/main/english/index.html
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