Good News Agency – Year V, n° 10
Weekly - Year V, number 10 – 23
July 2004
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. Editorial research by Fabio Gatti. Good News Agency is
published in English on one Friday and in Italian the next. It is
distributed free of charge through Internet to the editorial offices of more
than 2,400 media in 48 countries, as
well as to 2,500 NGO and service associations.
It is a service of Associazione
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Information. The Association
has been recognized by UNESCO as “an actor of the global movement for a
culture of peace” and it has been included as an international organization in
the web site http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development
Solidarity – Peace and security – Health
– Environment and wildlife
Religion and spirituality – Culture and education
The WHO
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on track to become law by the end of
the year
The Treaty
closes for signature with nearly 90% of countries having signed and over half
the ratifications needed for its entry into force
Geneva, 2 July - The World Health Organization Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) closed for signature this week, with
nearly 90% of countries having signed and over half of the required
ratifications, keeping the Convention on track to become binding international
law by the end of 2004. The WHO FCTC has become one of the most rapidly
embraced United Nations' conventions, with 167 WHO Member States and the
European Community (EC) signing, and 23 countries ratifying, accepting,
approving or acceding to the Convention, just one year after it opened for
signature in Geneva. (…) The rapid response to the WHO FCTC demonstrates the
increasing commitment worldwide to control the tobacco epidemic, which
continues to expand at alarming rates, especially among people in
less-developed countries. (…)
The WHO FCTC has, as of 30
June 2004, 168 signatories (including the European Community) and 23
ratifications or equivalent. (…) The WHO FCTC has provisions that set
international standards on tobacco price and tax increases, tobacco advertising
and sponsorship, labelling, illicit trade and second-hand smoke. The Treaty
will enter into force and become law for the countries that are parties to it
90 days after the 40th ratification or equivalent instrument. Seventeen more
Parties are needed for the entry into force of the Treaty. (…)
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2004/pr47/en/
ESPN award
for courage goes to UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
Los Angeles/New York, 14 July
– The global sports network ESPN today honoured UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
George Weah with the prestigious Arthur Ashe Courage Award for his fearless
work on behalf of children caught up in wars worldwide. Actor Denzel Washington presented the award
before a star-studded audience at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood during the
ESPY awards, to be broadcast Sunday 18 July on ESPN.
Mr. Weah dedicated the award
to the world’s children, especially those in war-affected countries like his
own, Liberia. The award caps a decade
of volunteer work for children’s rights that has seen the soccer star use his
fame to draw attention to the most vulnerable children in the most remote
locales. (…) He returned to his native country as soon as the war there ended
in January of 2004 to help UNICEF in the difficult task of disarming and
rehabilitating thousands of children who had been recruited as soldiers and
forced to fight.
As of July, nearly 4,000
children have gone through the disarmament process and with the help of UNICEF
and other partners a total of 2,267 children have been successfully reunited
with their families. UNICEF has plans
in place to reunite 2,000 more children with their families in the coming
weeks. Beyond that, there are currently
2,070 former child soldiers still going through the process of
rehabilitation. Each day new children
are showing up to give up their guns and leave the fighting forces. The work is still ongoing and may take
years. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_22258.html
New
housing and social integration programme gets underway for Serbian refugees
Belgrade, 13 July – UN-HABITAT
on Tuesday announced the launch of a major new housing and social integration
programme for tens of thousands of war refugees and other vulnerable people in
Serbia with financial support from the Italian Government. The Settlement and
Integration of Refugees Programme in Serbia (SIRP) is rooted in a Memorandum of
Understanding UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka signed with
the Government of Italy in September 2002. Under its terms, Italy has provided
15 million euros (US$ 18.6 million) for the programme which will start in
coming months and run for three years.
After initial assessments, an
MoU was later signed with the Serbian Government which designated the seven
municipalities of Cacak, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Nis, Pancevo, Valjevo and Stara
Pazova for implementation of the programme in agreement with Italy and
UN-HABITAT. The Ministry of Capital Investments and the local governments are
the main implementing partners of the
programme.
The programme has been planned
around three main components – to provide some 670 new dwellings for 3,000 of
the most needy direct beneficiaries and build institutional capacities for
social housing development, assist the social and economic integration of
refugees and displaced people, and help boost the development capacity of local
governments in their development planning and municipal information systems.
(…)
http://www.unhabitat.org/serbian_refugees.asp
Creating a
Global Alliance of Investors
UNEP and
investors join forces to launch New Responsible Investment Initiative
London/Nairobi, 15 July – The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) will work with major institutional investors to develop a set of
globally recognized principles for responsible investment by September 2005.
The new principles will protect both the planet and long-term shareholder value
by integrating environmental, social and governance concerns into investor and
capital market considerations.
Today’s launch of the so-called
“Responsible Investment Initiative” follows a meeting of more than 40 investors and fund managers
held last month in Paris. At the meeting, organized by the UNEP Finance
Initiative and hosted by Groupama Asset Management, participants proposed a global
alliance of investors to guide responsible investment best practice. The
initiative is being launched by UNEP in response to this proposal and the
results of a 14-month study published last month by UNEP on the financial
impacts of sustainable development. (…)
The global public and private
investor community, which has a duty to protect long-term asset values, is a
key sector in bringing environmental, social and governance disciplines to the
heart of capital market considerations.
(…)
FAO: New project to help Gabon
develop its fishing sector
Rome, 14 July - Fishers
in Gabon will benefit from a new FAO project aimed at boosting the country's
fishing sector, the UN agency announced today.
While small-scale, artisanal
fishing does provide many with income and food, most modern commercial fishing
in Gabonese waters is conducted by foreign vessels. Just 10 to 20 percent of
the crews on those ships are Gabonese nationals. And due to poor port infrastructure,
most of these vessels offload their catches in other countries, meaning jobs
lost in related sectors, like fish processing. At the same time, Gabon's yearly
fish production - estimated to be between 40 000 and 50 000 tonnes - falls
short of meeting national demand. Each year Gabon imports over 7 000 tonnes of
fish products, FAO noted.
With $270 000 in support from
FAO, Gabonese fishery officials will streamline procedures aiming to assess and
monitor Gabon's fishery resources and will wrap up with the creation of a
national strategy aiming to promote the commercial fishing sector in the west
African nation. (…)
Codex
adopts more than 20 food standards
New guidelines on
animal feeding and milk products, while trade concerns stall progress on
specific products
Rome/Geneva, 9 July -- The
Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) adopted over 20 new and amended food
standards during its annual meeting, which finished 3 July. Among new standards
and other texts that will protect consumers' health and facilitate fair
practices in the food trade worldwide are ones concerning animal feeding, milk
products and a newly adopted definition of traceability/product tracing.
The CAC also looked at means
of improving the function of Codex, including further increasing the
participation of members from developing countries, and streamlining its
committee structure.
However, in areas where
intellectual property concerns were important, such as the labelling and
composition of parmesan cheese, no consensus was reached and the CAC referred
these and other issues to its next session or back to Codex committees for
further work. (…)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/48074/index.html
New
project will restore watersheds and boost farm production in The Gambia
Rome, 15 July – Farmers trapped in poverty because of
declining soil fertility and low crop yields will benefit from a new eight-year
project to restore degraded lands in The Gambia. The project will target 12,000
farmers throughout the country, who depend on upland crops and lowland rice
cultivation. The USD 17.5 million project will be financed partly by a USD 7.1
million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). A
further USD 7.1 million will be contributed by the African Development Bank.
The loan agreement was signed today at IFAD headquarters by Yusupha Kah,
Ambassador of the Republic of The Gambia to the Kingdom of Belgium, and IFAD
President Lennart Båge.
Low crop yields have resulted
from problems including salt and acid build-up that decrease soil fertility. In
addition, runoff and erosion from the upper parts of the watershed endanger
crop production in the lowlands. The project will help farmers to reverse this
damage and to form farmers’ organizations that can develop a coordinated
approach to managing the watershed environment. (…) With this loan, IFAD will
have financed seven projects in The Gambia for a total of approximately USD 39
million.
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2004/25.htm
A new
South-South Cooperation (SSC) project
6 July, UNDP, Beijing - A new
South-South Cooperation (SSC) project assisted by United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), “Promoting South-South Cooperation in the 21st Century”, was
officially launched in Beijing with a paperwork signing ceremony on 6 July. The
project aims at supporting China’s efforts in promoting SSC in the changed
context of globalization and regional economic integration. (…)
The 58th UN General Assembly
stressed that South-South Cooperation, as an important element of international
cooperation for development, offers viable opportunities for developing
countries and countries with economies in transition in their individual and
collective pursuit of sustained economic growth and sustainable development.
(…)
4ED
Sustainable Communities Conference 2004 in Vermont, USA, 14-18 July
As part of the goals of The
Sustainable Communities Conference is to demonstrate ways in which communities
are using the principles of the Earth Charter, Local Agenda 21 and other
instruments to move forward on their commitment to sustainability. The
conference will also offer the space to promote best practices by showcasing
innovative local initiatives to make cities more sustainable. The City of
Burlington, the Global Community Initiatives, and the University of Vermont are
hosting this gathering, which is taking place in Burlington, Vermont from 14-18
July. www.global-community.org/conference
ACDI/VOCA’s
Rural Credit Program Ends in Russia
Washington, D.C., 30 June
—ACDI/VOCA’s Mobilizing Agricultural Credit (MAC) Program officially ends today
after six years of success that some doubted was possible. The project’s legacy
is the Rural Credit Cooperation Development Fund and 47 accredited rural credit
cooperatives which, together, are the backbone of a robust private rural credit
system that has already disbursed $24 million in loans.
ACDI/VOCA’s representative Fred Smith came up with the idea, but it took him two years to convince USDA and USAID to invest the initial funding. While there were many skeptics, ACDI/VOCA demonstrated that lending to Russian private farmers could be profitable and that farmers would borrow and repay at market interest rates. ACDI/VOCA subsequently received four cost extensions from USAID to expand the project. A recent letter from USAID in Moscow states, "The MAC program led by ACDI/VOCA for six years in Russia is one of the most successful programs in the mission's portfolio. The MAC program has demonstrated tangible results and outstanding progress in establishing a rural finance system in Russia." (…)
ACDI/VOCA is a private,
nonprofit organization that promotes broad-based economic growth and the development
of civil society in emerging democracies and developing countries.
Rural poor
people in post-war Democratic Republic of Congo to get help in rebuilding
livelihoods
Rome,
15 July – A new programme to rebuild structures and services in war-torn
Democratic Republic of Congo will provide a new lease on life for 70 000 poor
households in the rural hinterlands of the Equateur Province.
The USD 22.6 million programme
will be financed partly by a USD 14.7 million loan from the International Fund
for Agricultural Development (IFAD). A further USD 6.0 million will be
contributed by the Belgian Government through the Belgian Survival Fund. The
loan agreement was signed today at IFAD headquarters by Innocent Mokosa
Mandende, Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to
Italy and IFAD President Lennart Båge. (…)
At the core of the programme
are community organization networks that provide training and capacity
building. For instance, farmers will learn how to raise crop yields by using
seeds and fertilizer, and fishers will increase the value of their catch by
drying or smoking it. Better communications, including rural radio, will bring
market information to remote communities, helping farmers to gain the best
price for their yield.
With this loan, IFAD will have
financed four projects to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a total of
approximately USD 80 million.
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2004/26.htm
Democratic
Republic of the Congo: Aid for families in distress
9 July - Between 28 June and 5
July, the ICRC came to the aid of over 3,300 families in the area of Punia,
Kailo and Pangi in Maniema province, in the east of the country. Each of these
families, which live in the most isolated parts of the province, received soap,
cooking salt, children’s clothing, cooking utensils and blankets. Each also
received soya seed, a hoe and fishing tackle.
Working in conjunction with
the Congolese Red Cross Society and the local authorities, the ICRC carried out
this operation in order to help people whose situation has been made
increasingly difficult by years of armed conflict regain their
self-sufficiency.
Siyathemba:
Tackling AIDS and Building Goals in South Africa
New York, NY - Architecture for
Humanity, a non-profit organization that promotes architecture and design
solutions to humanitarian crises, announces Siyathemba, an international design
competition to develop a football (soccer) facility for young girls in
Somkhele, South Africa. ‘Siyathemba’ is the Zulu word for hope. (…)
Starting July 1, 2004,
Architecture for Humanity is challenging the creative world to design the
perfect pitch in Somkhele, an area with one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in
the world. This facility, run by medical professionals from the Africa Center
for Health and Population Studies, will serve as a gathering place for youth
between the ages of 9 and 14, and will serve as the home for the first-ever
girls football league in the area. The pitch will also act as a place to
disseminate information on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment and eventually as
a service point for mobile health care.
Participants will be
challenged to employ sustainable and/or local building material using local
labor to realize their design. The facility is to include a youth-sized field,
sideline benches, and a small changing room. The entire facility should be
built for US $5,000. The entry fee for the competition is $20 ($30 for late
registration) and designs are due by October 15, 2004. As with all Architecture
for Humanity projects, entries from developing countries and communities in
need are waived. (…) The winning design will be announced on World AIDS day
(December 1, 2004) at
an exhibition to be held in New York City.
http://www.architectureforhumanity.org
New day
dawns for 175 cataract patients in Ethiopia
By
Vukoni Lupa-Lasaga - Rotary International
9 July - It was the dawn of a new day, literally,
for each of the 175 Ethiopians who benefited from an avoidable blindness
mission by an international team of Rotarians and medical volunteers on 15-23
May. Getachew Hirpo of the Rotary Club of Lancaster Sunrise, Pennsylvania, USA,
was the driving force behind the project. Born in Ethiopia, he has firsthand
knowledge of the agony and frustration that comes with lack of access to
medical care.
Thus, three years ago, when he
met Dr. Albert Alley, an ophthalmologist and Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Rotarian,
at the District 7390 conference, he saw an outstanding opportunity to do
something about the plight of sight-impaired Ethiopians. More than 900,000 of
the country's 65 million people are blind and an additional 3 to 4 million are
at risk of losing their sight. Eighty percent of Ethiopia's blind could have
been spared that fate if they had had access to treatment.(…)
After securing the support of
World Blindness Outreach, a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Alley, Hirpo
persuaded his club to consider sponsoring a medical mission to Ethiopia.
Through fundraisers and a Matching Grant contribution from The Rotary
Foundation, the project received US$24,000 for the purchase of medical supplies
and lens implants. A team of three lay Rotarians, a nurse, and eight doctors
from Ecuador, Kenya, and the United States, traveled to Addis Ababa, the
Ethiopian capital. Mobilized by Dr. Berhanu Tadesse, assistant governor of
District 9200, five local ophthalmologists and several Ethiopian nurses joined
the team at Addis Ababa's Ras Desta Hospital. (…) For more information about
the support World Blindness Outreach extends to Rotarian eye missions, visit
the organization's Web site.
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/polio/news03.html
Formula One star Jarno Trulli
puts the brakes on child hunger
Rome, 2 July – Formula One star Jarno Trulli is helping put the brakes on child hunger by appearing in a United Nations World Food Programme public service announcement (PSA) that indicates the speed at which malnourished children are dying around the world.
The Italian racing driver, who
won his first-ever Grand Prix at Monte Carlo earlier this year, warns that
hunger claims the life of a child in the same time it takes his Renault F1 car
to reach 200 kilometres per hour. “In five seconds, my Formula One racing car
can go from 0-200 kilometres per hour. Every five seconds, a child dies of
hunger – that’s 720 children an hour, all day, every day. We can’t stop time,
but we can stop the dying,” says Trulli in the TV spot.
Several international
broadcasters have started airing the 30 second TV spot worldwide.
Trulli joins a team of
international sports stars, who have recently appeared in television PSAs to
help WFP raise awareness of the world’s number one threat to health: hunger and
malnutrition. They include world marathon record holder Paul Tergat of Kenya, a
former beneficiary of WFP’s school feeding programme, and Rugby World Cup
winners Nick Farr-Jones and David Kirk. (…)
Basic
Demining Course' training completed
13 July - On 7th of July 2004,
the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) Training and Quality Assurance
Team (TQA) completed the 'Basic De-mining Course' (BDC) training for 13
attendants. The BDC training started on the 1st of June and continued up the
7th of July.Two-part training was conducted in two regional bases of ANAMA, the
first 3 weeks in Horadiz Regional Base and last 3 weeks in Khanlar Regional
Base.
The participants had a chance
to practice the demining techniques in different types of soil. The training
took in account the lessons learned from previous trainings.
At the end of the training the
participants were tested and encouragingly enough all of them successfully
passed the test. They were then offered job contracts as deminers (…) This
training and contracting of the new de-miners were initiated by ANAMA and
funded by UK Government (…) Being responsible for planning and coordination,
management and monitoring of mine action related activities all over the
country, ANAMA is the executing agency in Azerbaijan Mine Action Programme, the
joint project of the Government of Azerbaijan and UNDP signed on April 2, 1999
(Project No.AZE/98/003, Thematic Area: Crisis Prevention and Recovery).
http://www.anama.baku.az/frames/_anama_news.htm#130742
11 Days of
Global Unity – 11-21 September, worldwide
The Global Declaration of
Interdependence, elaborated based on the Earth Charter, will be publicly signed
as part of the activities of the 11 Days of Global Unity. This
international initiative will be held concurrently in more than 100 cities
worldwide on 11 - 21 September. The event has the purpose of raising
awareness about humanity's major challenges, and accelerating action towards
sustainability and peace. For more information please visit www.11Days.org or
www.WeTheWorld.org/11days
The launch
of a Palesitinian-Israeli Radio Station
The
first Palestinian-Israeli Internet Radio Station "All For Peace" is
now on the air at http://www.allforpeace.org
The Palestinian organization Biladi - The Jerusalem Times
and the Israeli organization The Jewish-Arab Centre for Peace, Givat Haviva,
which are partners in the youth magazine Crossing Borders and maintain a
long-standing, good and egalitarian working relationship, propose to create a
joint radio station broadcasting in Hebrew, Arabic and English, which aimed at
a wide audience amongst both peoples and provides messages of peace,
cooperation, mutual understanding, coexistence and hope.
The idea of a joint Israeli-Palestinian radio station is unique and innovative, and
one through which we can bring the vast accumulated experience of both the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace at Givat
Haviva and the Palestinian organization Biladi - The Jerusalem Times to bear through the electronic media and reach a new
audience, previously not exposed to the message of peace, and bring to them our
message. (…)
A central aspect of the conflict between the two peoples arises from the
distance and alienation between them. Common sense dictates that the more we
know each other the less we will hate, be angry at and fear each other. A large
portion of each of the two populations does not know the other side at all,
except for what they learn through the local media, which do not always paint a
picture truly reflecting the other side. (…)
One of the items most lacking in the Middle East is hope. The loss of
hope is also the greatest threat to both peoples. Both populations have
undergone periods almost impossible to bear in recent years, and many people
have ceased believing that the situation can change. The existence of a sane
voice, which invites its listeners to become part of an involved group of
citizens who are not willing to forgo a better future, can assist by serving as
the ray of light at the end of the tunnel. (…)
The Earth
Charter Youth Initiative will participate in The World Peace Smmit
The Earth Charter Youth
Initiative will participate, as strategic partner, n the World Youth Peace
Summit. This is a major youth conference to be held in Nairobi in October
2004. Plans are on the way to bring together 2000 elected youth from all over
the world to discuss matters of world peace
with Nobel Prize laureates and distinguished political and religious.
Russian
Federation/Chechnya: Gudermes hospital reopens following major repairs
13 July - Central Hospital No.
1 in Gudermes (Chechnya) reopened on 6 July following major repairs financed by
the ICRC. Work included rebuilding the surgical department, trauma department
and laundry and restoring the hospital's water supply. The work was carried out
by a private company at a cost of $95,000. To mark the reopening, the ICRC
provided a range of vital equipment including operating tables, sterilization
units, cots and electrocardiographs.
The ICRC regularly supplies 10
central hospitals in Chechnya with drugs and equipment, and has already funded
major repair work at hospitals in Shaly, Urus-Martan and Argun.
UNFPA welcomes UK's fund
increase to an annual $36.4 million for four years
United Nations, New York, 9 July - UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund,
has welcomed the decision of the United Kingdom Government to increase its
annual contributions to UNFPA from about $30.2 million to some $36.4 million to
expand access to reproductive health services, support safe motherhood
initiatives and HIV/AIDS prevention in developing countries. The country also
pledged the new sum to the Fund for the next four years. The higher dollar
figure is based on a conversion of the United Kingdom’s four-year pledge of an
annual 20 million pounds.
“This multi-year pledge will
support UNFPA’s efforts to increase access to reproductive health services,
skilled birth attendance and HIV/AIDS prevention for needy women and men in
developing countries,” said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA’s Executive Director.
“Multi-year commitment of substantial resources and predictable funding will
help UNFPA and other United Nations development agencies translate
internationally agreed development goals into concrete national programmes to
promote health and reduce poverty. I hope more donor nations follow this
example.”
http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=473
An advance
for HIV/AIDS treatment access in the developing countries
1 July - A fixed-dose
combination of generic antiretroviral drugs is validated in a clinical
trial.
Combination therapy with three generic antiretroviral drugs in a single tablet has been validated for the first time in an open clinical study in a developing country. Follow-up of 60 patients treated in Yaoundé, Cameroon, has demonstrated the excellent efficacy and safety of a generic fixed-dose combination. The results of this clinical trial (ANRS 1274) have been published in The Lancet by a team of researchers from the Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), Cameroon and Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) Switzerland.
Generic fixed-dose
combinations (FDCs) of antiretrovirals are a key factor in access to treatment
of HIV/AIDS infection in the developing world. FDCs combine three
antiretroviral drugs in a single tablet and have the twofold advantage of being
simple to use and substantially cheaper than brand name drugs.
Lack of scientific evidence
for the efficacy of FDCs has until now caused some international AIDS donors to
refuse to fund the use of these treatments, even though they have recently been
prequalified by the WHO. ANRS 1274 is the first trial to provide scientific
evidence for the efficacy and safety of an FDC in a clinical study. The results
were published in the 3 July 2004 issue of The Lancet. (…)
Upcoming
national measles campaign: September 13 – October 8, 2004, Madagascar
Measles is a leading cause of
childhood death. In 2000, it caused nearly half of all the 1.7 million
childhood vaccine preventable deaths around the world. Of all health
interventions, measles immunization carries the highest return for money – just
US$0.26 per dose.
Although in Madagascar,
measles officially accounted for 1% of all hospital based deaths and 350,000
reported illnesses in 2002, only half of all children in the country are
completely vaccinated and therefore protected. (…)
From September 13 – October 8,
one of the largest immunization drives in Madagascar’s history will be launched
– a nationwide measles campaign to vaccinate 7.5 million children all around
the country. The campaign is an extraordinary undertaking for a country whose
sheer size (think France, Luxemburg, Netherlands and Belgium all put together),
topography, poor communication infrastructure and limited human resources
present enormous challenges. (…)
This campaign is without
precedent and involves the mobilization of thousands of community health workers, students,
teachers, private sector companies, local healers, traditional chiefs,
soldiers, religious groups and medical students amongst others to ensure that
every child between the ages of nine months and fourteen years is vaccinated
against measles. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_22283.html
Cambodia
protects 75% of children against parasites, becoming first country to reach key
target
Geneva, 2 July - With the recent completion of its latest
treatment campaign against intestinal parasites, Cambodia has become the first
country to protect three out of four school-aged children against intestinal
parasites and reach WHO's anti-parasite target – six years ahead of schedule.
Just five years ago, more than
70% of Cambodian children were infected with intestinal worms. The impact of
these parasites is stark. Not only do affected children weigh as much as two
kilograms less than healthy children, they also have a much higher chance of
becoming anaemic. Once anti-parasite treatment is administered, infected
children show a dramatic increase in their short- and long-term memory, as well
as their reasoning capacity and reading comprehension. School absenteeism drops
by as much as 25%.
In 2001, WHO set a target of
covering at least 75% of school-aged children with regular treatment as the
global goal for parasite control for 2010. According to reports sent in from
the more than 6500 schools where the campaign took place, more than 75% of
Cambodia's nearly three million school-aged children have now been treated. (…)
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2004/pr46/en/
New ADRA initiative fights
HIV/AIDS throughout africa
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, July
15 - The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) initiated a project to
combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the continent of Africa. The three-year
project, funded for $526,000 by the Swedish government through ADRA Sweden,
will train trainers of counselors in the care, support, and counseling of those
infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. A curriculum is being developed to train
health professionals, teachers, and influential community or religious leaders.
Once the selected trainers have been trained, they will, in turn, train others
to provide counseling in hospitals, clinics, schools, communities, and other
related institutions.
“The precedent for this
project was set by the experience ADRA has gained in dealing with HIV/AIDS in
other countries in Africa and around the world,” said Charles Sandefur,
president of ADRA International. “Other similar projects have had tremendous
impact on a smaller scale.”
One such project, the HIV/AIDS
Awareness for Youth Project in Kenya, trained 2,470 young people who then
disseminated information about HIV/AIDS to other youth (10-19 years of age).
The project reportedly reached more than 90,000 youth. A second similar program
implemented in Uganda also aimed to decrease transmission of HIV/AIDS through
this method by educating 12,000 children in 40 schools. It is estimated this
project has now reached 29,000 people with the life changing information it
provides.
http://www.adra.org/ADRANews/071504.html
Feature
your NGO in our on-line directory
EPHA is launching an EU funded
project to boost collaboration with non-governmental organisations based in
Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. Our goal is to create an extensive and
comprehensive online directory of NGOs working on health issues.
This Directory will be
searchable and freely available on the internet. One section of the Directory
will list all the major pan-European networks active on health issues and the
second section will feature national NGOs in each of the CEE, SEE and NIS
countries. To ensure that your NGO features in the directory, please fill in a
questionnaire with information about your organisation, its structures and
policy areas. EPHA’s primary objective is to ensure the representation of health
NGOs at European and international level.
EPHA also works in a number of
stakeholder dialogues and partnerships including the EU Health Policy Forum,
the WHO European Environment and Health committee, the Platform of European
Social NGOs and the European Commission DG Trade’s civil society contact group.
By providing us with
information about your organisation, you will let us respond more effectively
to your needs and priorities. In addition, featuring your NGO in the directory
will give you unique networking possibilities, allowing you to share experience
and information with other organisations throughout Europe and find partners
for common projects.
To enter the details of your
organisation in the Directory, follow this weblink: http://survey.epha.org/index.php?sid=2
Tampa becomes national office for
Earth Charter USA Community Initiatives
The Institute for Ethics &
Meaning launched the Earth Charter Community Summits in 12 cities in 2001 and
now over 30 cities are represented in the grassroots network Earth Charter
Community Alliance. Because of this effort, the Institute has become the
national office for Earth Charter USA Communities Initiatives. With Steven
Rockefeller, Earth Charter Commissioner, and Mirian Vilela, Executive Director
of Earth Charter International Secretariat, in attendance at a recent reception
in Burlington Vermont, Rick Clugston, Director of Earth Charter USA
Administration and Research, announced the office and partnership. This
recognition is due to
the work being done around the country by Summit organizers who have put their
hearts and energies into bringing the Earth Charter to life in their hometowns.
http://www.earthcharterusa.org/aboutus.html
Liberia
strengthens efforts to help protect global environment
13 July - Liberia has launched
a US$215,000 one-year initiative funded by UNDP and Global Environment Facility
to help build up government capacity and examine ways to help address global
environment concerns such as biodiversity, climate change and land degradation.
Liberia's Environmental Protection Agency will examine the human, institutional
and material resources with the aim of implementing the three Rio Conventions
on sustainable development.
Papua New
Guinea to protect valuable eaglewood forests
Papua New Guinea, 15 July -
Four sites in remote areas of Papua New Guinea have been selected for
establishing Eaglewood Management Areas — forests that are to be protected for
the extraction of eaglewood and other non-timber forest products. Eaglewood, also known as gaharu or
aloeswood, is a fragrant resin used in incense and perfumes, and can sell for
many thousands of US dollars per kilogram. The Eaglewood Management Areas are
believed to be the first in the Pacific specifically set up to manage a forest
product other than timber. (…)
The Papua New Guinea Forest
Authority will implement the Eaglewood Management project with funding from the
Un Food and Agriculture organization (FAO).
WWF and Partners with Melanesia will assist in carrying out an
environmental impact assessment of eaglewood utilization.
An Interagency Committee on
Eaglewood has been set up to coordinate between stakeholders and assist in the
smooth implementation of the Project. (…)
Underwater
World Singapore and WWF make a splash for marine conservation
Singapore,
12 July – Underwater World Singapore
(UWS) and WWF today launched an exhibit to raise awareness of the threats
to Southeast Asia’s coral reefs and the importance of marine parks and public
aquaria as a means of protecting them. (…)
The Asia-Pacific region hosts
the most biologically diverse coastal and marine ecosystems in the world, and
is home to roughly two-thirds of the world’s coral reef ecosystems and
mangroves. The global centre of marine biodiversity and a fifth of the world’s
total coral reef area are in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas of Indonesia, Malaysia, and
the Philippines. However, Southeast
Asia also has the world’s highest incidence of unsustainable and destructive
fishing methods such as bombs and poisons, which is destroying coral reefs that
take 50 years or more to recover. This is compromising productivity in the
region and destroying precious marine resources.
Altogether, more than a
quarter of all the world's coral reefs have already been virtually destroyed,
and up to 70% of coral reefs are threatened by human activities. (…)
The new exhibit supported by
UWS and WWF features marine protected areas and their role in restoring fish
stocks and safeguarding critical ecosystems. Marine parks and public aquaria
like Underwater World Singapore, are also an important tool for educating
visitors and introducing them to the beauty and complexity of the tropical
marine environment. (…)
The
Parliament of the World's Religions results in thousands of commitments to address
religious violence and other urgent issues facing the world
The
Barcelona meeting of 8,000 religious leaders and lay people is deemed a success
Barcelona,
Spain, 14 July - As the Parliament of the World's Religions came to a close
after a week of debates by nearly 8,000 members of diverse religious
communities centered around commitments on the issues of religious violence,
access to safe water, the fate of refugees worldwide, and the elimination of
developing countries' debts, religious leaders who convened the gathering
deemed the event a success.
The
Council for a Parliament of the World's Religion's Executive Director Dirk
Ficca said that one fundamental difference between this gathering and others
discussing the same subjects was that, "when people of faith commit to
address religious violence and other pressing issues facing the global
community they follow through. We make a commitment not only to the world, but
out of a deeply rooted religious or spiritual conviction. That is what makes
the Barcelona Parliament commitments so special, and why this year's Parliament
in Barcelona is going to make an impact." (…)
The
Parliament's priorities over the next five years are to assist the world's
religions in meeting their commitments. "Our organization's work does not
start or end here", said Ficca. "The Council for a Parliament of the
World's Religions has established a network of interreligious movements in
partner cities around the world", said Diane Goldin, founder of the Annual
Goldin Institute for International Partnership and Peace. "These strong
grassroots partnerships are a powerful vehicle for implementing these
commitments." (…)
http://www.cpwr.org/2004Parliament/index.htm
The Paul Carus
Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Interreligious Movement
The
Board of Trustees of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
announced today the first recipient of The Paul Carus Award for Outstanding
Contributions to the Interreligious Movement. Bishop McLeod Baker Ochola II and
the Acholi Religious Leaders' Peace Initiative (ARLPI), a multi-faith
peacegroup in Northern Uganda, were selected from international nominees for
their work to end violence in their region. (…)
The Bishop
and his fellow Anglican, Roman Catholic and Muslim religious leaders have been
anything but cowards in their seven-year long struggle to bring a peaceful
solution to the 18-year old war that has devastated the people and many of the
villages of the Acholi region of Northern Uganda. Chiefly, the ARLPI has served
as a link between the LRA Rebels (Lord's Resistance Army) and the Ugandan
Government, a position that has, at times, made them a target of both groups.
At
one point, the rebel leader issued orders to kill the religious leaders. On a
number of occasions, carefully planned peace talks have been sabotaged by one
of the groups breaking promises. On occasion some of the religious leaders have
narrowly escaped death.
Nevertheless,
the religious leaders group, with widespread popular support, has kept at their
peacemaking task. The Bishop is emphatic that the role of ARLPI is not to
mediate peace talks. There are others in the international community to do that
task. According to the Bishop, religious leaders should be a bridge that builds
the level of trust and confidence on both sides, and their strategy is to put
pressure on the rebels and the government to stop fighting and talk peace.
http://www.cpwr.org/2004Parliament/index.htm
Center for
Purposeful Living: a program of practical spirituality
July
- The Center for Purposeful Living is taking applications for its Soul Centered
Education program. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, the program
provides free room, board and tuition for students accepted into the intensive
one year program of personal and spiritual development.
With its emphasis on "practical
spirituality" the program has become a model for assisting those who aspire
to world service to manifest their potential and pursue their life
purpose. Students range in age from 17 to 70 and come from all parts of
the world. For those who aspire to become World Servers, the Center for
Purposeful Living is the place to take that next step. An application
form and other information may be found at www.ufhg.org
Students
discuss the future of Russia-EU relations
14 July - From the 2nd until
11th of July 2004, in the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, AEGEE's
International Politics Working Group successfully organised a large-scale
international conference devoted to Russia-European Union relations in the
field of culture and politics after the latest EU enlargement. After a profound analysis of the cultural
and political relationships between EU and Russia and their future development,
as well as problems and perspectives of collaboration in the light of EU
enlargement, the discussions in the circles of Russian and European students,
scientists, diplomats and experts in the field of international relations
brought a concrete outcome of several proposals to improve the mutual relations
between the two regions. (…)
AEGEE is one of Europe's
largest interdisciplinary and voluntary student associations, operating without
being linked to any political party, promoting a unified Europe, cross-border
co-operation, communication and integration in academic environment, and at the
same time striving to create an open and tolerant society by involving students
and young graduates in valuable projects and discussions over the topics of
importance for the communities they live in. It is represented in 260
university cities, in 42 countries all around Europe and has about 17000
members.
http://www.karl.aegee.org/aeg-info.nsf/PRelByIssue/r200423?OpenDocument
ICAF – Global art competition involving
more than one million children
Washington, D.C., July 7
– This fall marks the beginning of
ICAF’s next Arts Olympiad, based on the theme “My Favorite Sport”. The
theme was chosen to shed light on the importance of holistic health. It will provoke
creative expression through the arts while promoting physical activity.
The Arts Olympiad is a
comprehensive art program that begins with local, regional and international
lesson plans, art festivals and art exhibits for child artists ages 8 –
12. The program includes a global art competition involving more than one
million children, who submit art on a designated theme. Finalists of the Arts
Olympiad competition are then invited to the International ChildArt Festival,
traditionally held in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall.
The Arts Olympiad is good news
for children all over the globe, because it offers a language independent
medium to communicate peaceably with other youth of the world, promoting global
unity and understanding of diversity.
The International Child Art
Foundation (ICAF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing children
for a creative and cooperative future through art. It is recognized as
the leading art and creativity organization for children in the United States.
ICAF’s upcoming events will take place over the next four years, concluding in
a prospective strategic alignment with the Olympic Games in 2008. ICAF
calls this four-year process the Arts
Olympiad
A Master's
Degree for Change Agents uses the Earth Charter
A new master's in community
and organizational change is under development at National-Louis University,
USA. The program has adopted the Earth Charter as its values statement.
The degree, which would draw faculty from several colleges, is designed for
people who see themselves as change agents to create a more peaceful, just and
sustainable world. For more information on the development of this
master's degree, please contact Marie Nelson at mnelson@nl.edu
Egypt
promotes Millennium Development Goals through radio
13 July - A leading Egyptian
radio network, Voice of the Arabs, will air a weekly 15-minute programme in 26 episodes,
featuring documentaries and interviews aimed at raising awareness of the
Millennium Development Goals. The UNDP-supported progamme is the result of a
successful pilot radio broadcast ""2015: Keeping the Millennium
Promise," begun a few months ago to highlight Egypt's challenges towards
the Millennium goals. Topics include poverty, education, women empowerment,
health and human rights in Egypt.
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Next issue after the summer holidays:
10 September 2004.
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