Good News Agency – Year V, n° 13
Weekly - Year V, number 13 – 22
October 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
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International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development
Solidarity – Peace and security – Health
Energy and
Safety – Environment and
wildlife
– Culture and education
At
the Second Global Forum in Bangkok efforts to reduce health risks from food
gain momentum
Bangkok, Thailand, 14 October
– Faced with an increasing global burden of food-borne disease, more than 300
food safety regulators from over 100 countries gathered here for the 2nd Global
Forum of Food Safety Regulators from 12 to 14 October. (…)
Profound and at times
revolutionary changes to food safety systems are starting to take place as
countries learn from each other how best to protect consumers from food-borne
illnesses. That was the message coming
from the 2nd FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators Building effective food safety systems,
which ended its 3-day meeting recognizing the need for a more unified approach
to food safety management, according to the two UN agencies.
The Forum brought together 394
food regulators from 90 countries to explore ways to reduce the human and
economic costs of illnesses caused by unsafe food. (…)
The forum achieved a broad
consensus on measures that have proven effective in reducing the incidence of
food-borne diseases. They include the integration of data on animal and plant
health as well as human disease across the full food production and
distribution chain, enabling attribution of disease to food source and thereby
targeted intervention. The need to simplify current fragmented legal systems
for food control and the adoption of uniform approaches to food safety
management through related institutional reforms was also agreed. (…)
Further information on the
Forum is available at: www.foodsafetyforum.org/global2/index_en.asp
Online news: at FAO: http://www.fao.org/newsroom/ at WHO http://www.who.int/foodsafety
8 October - On 6 October the
ICRC and the Yemeni educational authorities concluded a workshop held in Sana'a
to train secondary-school teachers to implement Exploring Humanitarian Law
(EHL), a programme intended to familiarize young people with the basic
principles of international humanitarian law.
The Ministry of Education, the
Educational Research and Development Centre and the ICRC delegation in Yemen
have been working together since October 2003, when a first group of 32
teachers was trained in EHL. The teachers have now introduced the programme in
16 secondary schools in Yemen's main cities and in remote areas like Saada in
the north and the Hadramaut valley in the south. (…)
Monrovia (ICRC), 6 October -
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reunited 644 children
with their families – some after a separation of several years – since the
civil war ended in Liberia in August 2003. (…) Most of the 644 children were
repatriated from neighbouring countries: 229 from Guinea, 199 from Sierra
Leone, 12 from Côte d'Ivoire, seven from Ghana, and four from Nigeria. The 193
others were traced in Liberia itself.
Last April, the ICRC launched
its fourth poster campaign on the subject with the pictures of nearly 500
children separated from their families. The posters have been widely displayed
in public places throughout Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire.
Roland Hunziker, the ICRC tracing coordinator in Liberia, explained how it
works. “If a family member recognizes a child on a photo, we use a regional
database to carefully crosscheck the information with that gathered from
separated children registered in West Africa".
Once the identities of the
children and families have been crosschecked, the ICRC restores contact between
them and ensures that any reunification occurs on a strictly voluntary basis.
(…)
In 2003, the ICRC reunited
2,640 individuals with their families worldwide, most of them children.
Geneva, 1 October (ILO News) -
The International Labour Office (ILO), with the support of the European Union,
today launched a new programme designed to tackle on the job discrimination
that in some countries afflicts up to a third of migrant workers. The new
project will also seek ways of helping such migrant workers, who number some
27.5 million in Europe, integrate into the societies where they work.
The project "Promoting
Equality in Diversity: Integration in Europe" is being implemented in
cooperation with ILO tripartite partners and has the financial support of the
European Union (EU). The project will focus on challenges posed by discrimination
and a lack of integration of immigrants and their descendants.
ILO projections suggest that,
if corrective measures are not taken to change declining workforce
participation rates in Europe that are currently fueled by negative demographic
trends, then the resulting labour shortage could result in a reduction in per
capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to only 78 per cent of the expected level
for 2050. (…)
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2004/44.htm
Rome, 19 October - Hunger eradication and poverty
alleviation programmes cannot be effective unless the poor have a voice in the
planning and implementation of schemes meant to help them, according to a
report by FAO's Sustainable Development Department. Participatory processes and
approaches have become increasingly important in FAO programmes and projects.
They help to motivate and mobilize people to participate in local development
activities. In India, for example, a successful participatory approach has
transformed a poverty-stricken area into a fertile land.
Located in the rainfed
Shivalik hill region in Haryana State, Sukhomajri village was once incapable of
feeding its people, most of whom preferred to migrate to the cities in search
of a livelihood. Today, it is a model watershed development village and
produces three crops every year. (…)
FAO actively promotes
capacity-building programmes to strengthen awareness and skills of local
government staff and representatives of local communities. These programmes
enhance their decision-making ability for participatory planning and
implementation of rural development and poverty reduction projects.
A CD-Rom containing 135
participatory approaches, methods and tools, relevant to a wide range of topics
about the livelihoods of the rural poor, has recently been produced by FAO. The
CD-Rom, which targets extension and training providers, also contains a
selection of 215 documents pertaining to participation in development.
Policy-makers, training providers and partner organizations can obtain a CD-Rom
by e-mailing to IWG-PA-Webbox@fao.org
Rome, 11 October – More than
15,000 poor Quechua and Aymara households living in the Southern Highlands of
Peru will be supported through an innovative USD 21.7 million development
programme aimed to improve the quality of their products and have better access
to markets. The programme will also help indigenous communities of the Sierra region
to manage natural resources and use their traditional knowledge.
Of the total programme cost,
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide USD
15.9 million. The Government of Peru will contribute USD 1.2 million and the beneficiaries
themselves will provide about 13 per cent of the total cost of the programme.
The loan agreement was signed
today by the President of IFAD, Lennart Båge, and the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Peru, Manuel Rodriguez, at IFAD headquarters in Rome.
One of the programme’s most
innovative features is the direct transfer of funds to small farmers and
microentrepreneurs. The participants can use this money to improve the quality
of their products and boost their businesses. (…) Resources will be available
specifically for women farmers, so they can decide what technical services they
need most. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2004/37.htm
Geneva, 15
October - World-famous soccer players, Ronaldo and Zinédine Zidane, are set to
appear in a 30 second TV spot promoting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
on behalf of their role as UNDP's Goodwill Ambassadors. The spot will air
worldwide on 17 October to mark the 2004 International Day for the Eradication
of Poverty, an annual occasion aimed at renewing and realizing collective
commitments to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
Entitled "Let's score
these goals," the TV spot features the star athletes on the pitch while
texts highlighting the MDGs appear on the screen and fly symbolically towards
the goal post. The eight goals were adopted by world leaders at the UN
Millennium Summit in 2000 and they set clear targets for reducing poverty,
hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination
against women-all by 2015.
The TV spot was produced on a
pro bono basis by the Geneva-based production company, FreeProductions and
directed by Swiss photographer, Thierry Bourdeille. Over 50 international,
cable television networks have agreed to provide free airtime to broadcast the
spot. These include, amongst others: MTV, BBC TV, SKY News/Sports, ITN, CNN
International, Discovery Channel, ESPN Star Sports, TF1, France2, France3,
Canal Plus Belgium and France, TV5, and Eurosport.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2004/october/ma15oct04.html
Addis Ababa, 15 October - A
meeting of the annual "Big Table" opened Saturday morning in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia. The event brings together selected African finance and
planning ministers, development partners from OECD countries and
representatives from key development institutions and African private sector
bodies. Since its establishment by the Economic Commission for Africa in 2000,
the Big Table has convened three meetings and a special session in October
2003.
The theme of this Big Table is
Stimulating Private Investment in Africa. The 34 participants will review
constraints to domestic and foreign investment in Africa, and talk about
approaches and mechanisms that could help scale up private investment in the
continent.
Earlier Big Table meetings
considered growth and poverty reduction, the critical importance of African
leadership and commitment, debt sustainability, and the Africa-donor
partnerships and securing financing for development.
Rome, 8 October – More than
120,000 rural poor people living in the North Lower region of Guinea will
benefit from a USD 17.7 million project, designed to increase their incomes and
give them a voice in community-led decisions.
The eight-year project will be financed by a USD 14.2 million loan from
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to the Republic of
Guinea. The government of Guinea will provide USD 2.1 million to the project,
and project participants will contribute USD 1.4 million. (…)
The majority of Guinea’s
population live in rural areas. Limited natural resources and poor quality soil
make the North Lower region of the country particularly impoverished. The new
project will introduce sustainable management of natural resources and
anti-erosion measures in the region. Project participants will identify
agricultural technologies that best suit their needs and the region’s fragile
environment. They will also learn about the use of better quality seeds,
particularly for rice and peanut farming. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2004/35.htm
Casablanca, 8 October –
UN-HABITAT’s Global Campaign for Secure Tenure and the Global Campaign on Urban
Governance were launched in Morocco this week to mark World Habitat Day.
The launch on Monday 4 October
drew more than 700 delegates representing the government, civil society, local
authorities, the private sector, UN-HABITAT and UNDP, and was held in the
district of Ben M’Sik in Casablanca, home of the country’s largest slum..
The World Habitat Day launch
provided an opportunity to announce the implementation of the “Cities without
Slums” programme which will enable Morocco, the first country in the Arab
region to launch the two campaigns, to be a slum-free nation by 2010.
Representatives of different stakeholders, including a woman, living in a slum
of Ben M’Sik, signed the “Casablanca Declaration” that translates the
commitment of all parties to the principles of the two campaigns.
http://www.unhabitat.org/launched_in_morocco.asp
Rome, 11 October – The United Nations World Food Programme
today announced that Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of
Thailand’s Royal Family will become WFP’s Special Ambassador for School
Feeding.
Her Royal Highness, a
recognised authority on nutrition and education, will promote the benefits of
school feeding and good nutrition in WFP’s Food for Education programmes.
Presented today by WFP Executive Director James T. Morris during the agency’s
Executive Board meeting in Rome, Her Royal Highness, the daughter of King
Bhumipol Adulyadej, spoke about her new role and the critical importance of
education combined with good nutrition. (…)
In Asia, 5.3 million children
are enrolled in WFP school feeding programmes in 12 countries -- Laos,
Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, Timor-Leste, India, Indonesia and Nepal. In some countries,
the meals provided in school are combined with de-worming activities to help
children achieve better health as well as literacy. (…)
Poland
emerges as international aid donor
Warsaw, 8
October - Poland, for the past decade a recipient of international economic
assistance as it prepared for entry into the European Union, is now emerging as
a donor country itself. The government has pledged to devote 0.1 percent of
Poland's gross domestic product to development assistance by 2006, with most of
it going to help poor African and Asian countries achieve the Millennium
Development Goals.
From US$27 million last year,
Poland will raise development assistance to $230 million by 2006, equal to 0.1
percent of the gross domestic product. Due to obligations stemming from
membership in the EU and OECD, countries in Central and Eastern European states
are also beginning international aid programmes of their own.
According to the government's
development cooperation policy, the main goal is to contribute to sustainable
development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa
and Asia. Poland will also provide technical assistance to countries in Eastern
Europe under economic transformation. (…) A new public opinion poll shows that
63 percent of the Poles are in favour of contributing aid to developing
nations. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2004/october/pr8oct04.html
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA,
10 October – Five schools destroyed or damaged by war in Nimba County, Liberia
will undergo reconstruction and rehabilitation provided by the Adventist
Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). The six-month project, funded by Japan
Platform through ADRA Japan, supports a government effort by the Ministry of
Education to get children affected by war back to school. (…)
The school rehabilitation
project will also provide schools with furniture, supplies, sports equipment,
training, and health education. Hand-pump water wells and latrines at the
schools will either be rehabilitated or constructed. More than 1,500 students
and 150 teachers living in the Tappita District of Nimba County are expected to
benefit from this project. (…)
Over the last six months ADRA
has conducted similar activities in Tappita and Zoe-Geh Districts including the
construction of shelters for more 500 families. Funding for these activities
was provided by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) through
ADRA Denmark.
http://www.adra.org/ADRANews/101004.html
Khartoum, 6 October – The
United Nations World Food Programme fed more than 1.3 million people in the
Darfur region of western Sudan in September, exceeding its own target of 1.2
million and recording its largest food distribution since the humanitarian
crisis began.
Using a combination of trucks,
aircraft and trains, WFP moved a total of 21,535 metric tons of food aid to
1,336,992 people in crisis-affected areas of North, South and West Darfur.
WFP’s ability to reach this
huge number of people was enhanced by the presence of large stocks of food aid
in the regional centres of Nyala, El-Fasher and El-Geneina. Much of it was due
to be delivered in August, but was held over until September because roads were
blocked at the height of the rainy season, and land routes were closed due to
widespread insecurity.
The end of the rainy season in
September coupled with an increase in WFP’s truck fleet opened up the
possibility of moving a much greater volume of food aid by road. In the camps
for internally displaced people, a stronger capacity among WFP’s
non-governmental organisation (NGO) partners improved the delivery of food into
the hands of those in need. (…)
Beirut, 14
October (United Nations Information Services) - The “Arab International Forum
on Rehabilitation and Development in the Occupied Palestinian Territory:
Towards an Independent State” launched several initiatives today, aimed at
enhancing assistance to the economic and social development of the Palestinian territories.
The initiatives, which were
announced in a press conference at the UN House in Beirut, included: the
launching of a project to replant 1 million trees in the Palestinian
territories by the “Association for Agricultural Relief in Palestine” and
“Al-Arabiah for Nature Protection”, in cooperation with ESCWA; the
establishment of a network of regional NGOs to strengthen civil society in
Palestine; the creation of a start up fund aimed at boosting small business for
women; and an ESCWA initiative to train Palestinian and Arab journalists.
The press conference followed
a closing ceremony that concluded the Forum. In her closing remarks to the
participants, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for
Western Asia (ESCWA) Mervat Tallawy said the Forum had achieved its aim – to
provide a coordinated Palestinian vision for development – despite criticisms
that planning for development at a time of war and occupation was futile. (…)
http://www.escwa.org.lb/information/press/main.htm
13 October - The International
Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) will urge world leaders to build on their
successes in tackling the antipersonnel landmine plague when the historic
Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World opens next month.
The Nairobi Summit is the
first review conference of the convention which prohibits all use, production,
trade and stockpiling of antipersonnel mines and the biggest milestone since
its birth in Ottawa on 3 December 1997. The conference runs from 29 November to
3 December at the United Nations Gigiri convention centre in Kenya’s capital
and on the world’s most mine-affected continent.
“The Summit will be a success
if it produces a bold, practical action plan, plus financial pledges and
political commitments to make this happen,” said ICBL coordinator Liz
Bernstein. “With our goal of a mine-free world now within reach, states needs
to show some staying power!” she added.
Some 200 campaigners, landmine
survivors, deminers and others in ICBL will participate in the Summit alongside
several hundred representatives from governments and international
organisations. In addition to the Mine Ban Treaty’s 143 member states that will
be represented there, a number of non-members are expected to send observers.
(,,,)
http://www.icbl.org/news/nairobi_advisory
Training
seminar in Morocco on international cooperation against terrorism and organized
crime
Vienna, 4
October - Fifty high-level Moroccan authorities, predominantly judges and
prosecutors are attending a training seminar in Tangier on international
cooperation in criminal matters, from 4 to 6 October 2004. The training seminar
is being sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and
the Ministry of Justice of Morocco, and aims at sharing with participants the
knowledge and legal expertise necessary to enhance cooperation with other States,
by effectively applying the United Nations Convention against Transnational
Organized Crime and the universal instruments against terrorism.
The Training Seminar, which
follows Morocco’s ratification of 10 out of 12 counter-terrorism instruments
and the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime, includes
presentations by both UNODC and Moroccan experts, as well as discussion of case
studies related to the daily practice of extradition and mutual legal
assistance, in order to strengthen international cooperation in criminal
matters.
The Seminar also provides an
opportunity for the UNODC experts to present the main features of the new
United Nations Convention against Corruption, which Morocco has recently
signed.
http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2004/uniscp501.html
Building
the Capacity and the Vision for Peace in the 21st Century:
Policies
and Methods for Conflict Transformation, Peacebuilding, War to Peace
Transition, and Post-War Recovery for Governments, Citizens, NGOs and Community
Organisations
Building the Capacity and the
Vision for Peace is an intensive four-days training programme designed for
UK-based diplomats, local and national policy and decision-makers,
international and national NGOs and those working with conflict transformation,
peacebuilding and post-war recovery in communities and countries affected by
war and violence. The programme has been created at the request of ministry for peace – UK by TRANSCEND to
bring together practitioners, policy makers, community workers, NGO and
government staff from across the UK (…)
The four-day programme will
introduce participants to the UN-adopted TRANSCEND method for Conflict
Transformation by Peaceful Means. Drawing upon extensive experiences in
peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and post-war recovery and
reconciliation from Latin, America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, Building the
Capacity and Vision for Peace will address contemporary war and peace issues
confronting Britain and the world following the September 11th
attacks, the continuing wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan (Dharfur), Somalia,
Colombia, Israel-Palestine, Chechnya and elsewhere, and develop concrete and
practical policy proposals for governments, organizations and citizens working
for peace and the constructive transformation of national and international
conflicts.
ministry
for peace is an organisation working for the creation of a Ministry for Peace
within government and an independent Commission for Peace, whose joint purpose
will be to implement, in all areas of UK government and society, the programme
of action outlined in the 1999 UN Declaration on a Culture of Peace. This
aims to encourage values, attitudes and behaviours that address the root causes
of violence, with a view to solving problems through dialogue and negotiation
among individuals, groups and nations.
United Nations, New York, 14
October - The European Union will give $75 million this year to UNFPA, the
United Nations Population Fund, to provide reproductive health supplies needed
by developing countries. UNFPA immediately welcomed the decision, announced
today at a special meeting of the General Assembly, marking the tenth
anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development
(ICPD).
Hans van den Broek of the
Netherlands, Special Envoy of the European Union Presidency, told the meeting
that the Union’s 25 member States and the European Commission would
collectively “fill the entire reproductive health commodities gap of $75
million in 2004 through a special contribution to UNFPA’s Reproductive Health
Commodity Fund”. UNFPA has estimated it will need that amount to meet the 2005
supply requirements of 49 developing countries that depend on external
assistance for contraceptives and condoms for HIV prevention. (…)
http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=515
Campaign
to end fistula now active in 30 countries
United Nations, New York, 12
October 2004 — A new web site for the global Campaign to End Fistula, a tragic
childbirth injury that affects at least 2 million women in developing
countries, was launched today. Features include a three-minute web film, an
interactive map highlighting Campaign progress, a photo gallery and testimonies
of fistula patients and the doctors who care for them.
Fistula is preventable, and
also treatable, through surgery that costs under $300. The Campaign was
launched by UNFPA in 2003 in response to emerging evidence of the devastating
impact obstetric fistula has on women’s lives. It involves a wide range of
partners and currently supports 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia
and the Arab States. The long-term goal is to make fistula as rare in
developing areas as it is in industrialized countries today. (…)
The Campaign works in three
areas to: prevent fistula from occurring; treat women who are affected; and
help women reintegrate into their communities once they are healed. In Niger,
600 community health agents received basic training on fistula prevention. In
Bangladesh, the National Fistula Centre now performs surgery three days a week
and has treated 140 women this year. In Chad, hundreds of women were taught new
skills and received small grants following surgery, through an
income-generation project. (…)
http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=510
97.7%
(against expected 95%) of children immunized!
Antananarivo, October 11 - In
the presence of the President of the Republic and the National Measles
Coordinating Committee, the Minister of Health announced today that 7,314,520 children
– 97.7% of the some 7.7 million targeted -- had been vaccinated against
measles. (…)
Before this campaign, some six
out of ten children in Madagascar were un-immunized and therefore unprotected
from some of the big vaccine preventable diseases such as measles, tetanus,
diphtheria and pertusis. This is one of the main reasons why Madagascar decided
to launch this campaign this year – both to reduce illness and death from this
disease as well as to meet international commitments to eventually eradicate
the disease.
The launching of the measles
campaign in Madagascar is part of a longer term strategy to strengthen routine
immunization. This strategy, known as Reach Every District, has already been
initiated, with the technical and financial assistance of UNICEF and WHO, in
several districts and will be expanded in the coming years
The national measles campaign,
which began on September 13, was made possible with the generous support of
international partners such as UNICEF, WHO, the UN Foundation, CDC, the
American Red Cross, CIDA, JICA, USAID, Rotary and numerous private and national
companies, not to mention thousands of community workers, volunteers, scouts,
army personnel and religious groups.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_23571.htm
55 Rotary members from
Seattle, Portland, Atlanta and Honolulu will travel to Ethiopia to immunize
children against polio orphans
Seattle, WA, USA, 15
October - As polio still threatens
children in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, Rotary remains steadfast in its
20-year commitment to eliminate this crippling disease worldwide. In support of
this global endeavor, 55 Rotary club members from Seattle, WA — Portland, OR —
Atlanta, GA and Honolulu, HI will depart for Ethiopia on Friday, 15 October and will return on Sunday, 24 October. While in
Ethiopia, the Rotary members will join a vast array of other volunteers and
health workers to systematically go house-to-house and village-to-village, to
administer the drops of the oral polio vaccine children. (…) In addition to
protecting children from polio, members of the group — all contributing their
personal resources to cover trip expenses — will visit a well project launched
by Seattle area Rotary clubs to provide safe and clean drinking water. (…)
Once a major reservoir of the
poliovirus, no new cases of polio have been reported in Ethiopia for three
years — a marked improvement from the year 2000 when 144 children were infected
by this crippling disease. (…) Much of this progress is due in part to Rotary's
commitment. Rotary has contributed US$5.7 million to polio eradication efforts
in Ethiopia, more than US$205.8 million to eradicate polio throughout the
African continent and more than US$500 million worldwide; as well as countless
volunteer hours during national immunization campaigns.
Today, half of the world's
population now lives in certified polio-free areas. The Americas were declared
free from polio in 1994, as well as the Western Pacific region in 2000, and
Europe in 2002.
Once eradicated, polio will be
the second disease after smallpox ever to be eliminated worldwide.
Geneva, 11 October -- The
World Health Organization (WHO) today co-sponsors the first Global Day Against
Pain, which seeks to draw global attention to the urgent need for better pain
relief for sufferers from diseases such as cancer and AIDS. The campaign,
organised by the International Association on the Study of Pain (IASP) and the
European Federation of the IASP Chapters (EFIC), asks for recognition that pain
relief is integral to the right to the highest attainable level of physical and
mental health..
WHO representatives will join
global specialists in chronic pain management and relief at a conference in
Geneva convened to highlight the Global Day Against Pain and to press for
urgent action from governments across the world. The conference coincides with
the release this month of the Council of Europe's newly formulated
recommendations on palliative care including management of pain. The
recommendations provide detailed guidance for setting up a national policy
framework, and are available in 17 European languages. (…)
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2004/pr70/en/
United
Nations Drugs Office confirms steady reduction in opium cultivation in Myanmar
Vienna, 11
October (UN Information Service) -- Opium cultivation in Myanmar shows a 29 per
cent decline in comparison to 2003, according to the Myanmar Opium Survey 2004,
released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). (…)
According to the survey,
260,000 households were involved in opium cultivation in 2004. Most of them
reside in remote, mountainous, and isolated areas, and opium is often their
primary or sole source of income. Most importantly, the average income of
non-opium producing households is 30 per cent higher than opium producing
households. “Opium is a last resort for farmers confronting hunger and
poverty,” said Mr. Costa. “If we do not provide for the basic human needs of
farmers in Myanmar, they will never escape the vicious circle of poverty and
opium cultivation. The opium communities will remain vulnerable to human rights
abuses, human trafficking and forced relocation,” added Mr. Costa, the
Executive Director of UNODC. (…)
http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2004/unisnar860.html
One
million polio vaccinators, 80 million children, 23 countries: Africa
launches largest-ever immunization campaign
Africans
unite across borders in massive effort to combat epidemic and get polio
eradication effort back on track
More than one million polio
vaccinators in 23 African countries embarked on the continent's single-largest
immunization campaign in history, aiming to immunize 80 million children across
sub-Saharan Africa against polio over just four days. This massive effort
is a direct response to an ongoing polio epidemic in the region, which risks
paralyzing thousands of children for life.
Tens of thousands of traditional and religious leaders, school teachers,
parents and Rotary club members joined nurses and a vast array of other
volunteers and health workers to systematically go house-to-house and
village-to-village, to hand-deliver the vaccine to every child under the age of
five years.
Civil unrest in a number of
the participating countries complicates access to children, particularly in
parts of Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and the Sudan. The recent spread of polio
in the Darfur region of the Sudan and spread to Khartoum underscores the speed
with which the virus can re-infect communities, particularly those which are
displaced and isolated by conflict. (…) Start dates for each respective
national campaign vary - 19 of the 23 countries' campaigns will be conducted in
October.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by the World Health
Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
For further information visit:
www.rotary.org or www.polioeradication.org
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World
Food Day 2004 highlights the importance of biodiversity to global food security
Agricultural
diversity holds one of the keys to ending hunger, FAO Director-General says
Rome, 15 October - Biological
diversity is one of the keys to ending world hunger, Dr. Jacques Diouf,
Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said today. (…)
During World Food Day's
observance at FAO headquarters, a farmers' event also took place as well as a
civil society forum. For the first time on World Food Day, farmers from
different parts of the world had a chance to speak about their experience in
enhancing biodiversity and increasing food production in a sustainable way.
Elsewhere, various events were
organized to celebrate World Food Day's theme. In the United States, sponsored
by the U.S. National Committee for World Food Day, hundreds of WFD
teleconference sites were set up at colleges and at U.S. Embassies across the
world. Some colleges organized a week-long observance. In Sweden, substantive
seminars for Parliamentarians and media, and the scientific community were
organized. A conference on the importance of biodiversity took place in
Stockholm and a scientific seminar on biological diversity was organized today
at the University of agriculture, in Uppsala. In India, essay competitions were
organized in schools in Delhi. In several European and Middle Eastern capitals,
school children competed in drawing contests on biodiversity and food security.
Bangkok, 13 October (United
Nations Information Services) - UNESCAP has already begun a “focused thrust” on
community e-centres to share best practices, build capacity and demonstrate
pilot projects as a practical step toward to assist members and associate
members in realizing the benchmarks established by the World Summit’s Plan of
Action. (…)
The First Session of the
Subcommittee on Information, Communications and Space Technology of the United
Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) is
being held from 13-15 October 2004 at the United Nations Conference Centre in
Bangkok. (…)
The Subcommittee is mandated
to promote capacity-building for creating an enabling environment for the
development of information and communication technology (ICT), transfer and
application, particularly through regional cooperation and networking of
governmental, non-governmental and private sector organizations for the benefit
of developing economies.
http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2004/oct/g22.asp
Earth
Charter motion at the IUCN World Conservation Congress - Bangkok, 17-25 November
The 3rd IUCN World Conservation
Congress will be held from 17-25 November 2004 in Bangkok, Thailand. The
Congress will be the key event of the year to address the world’s most pressing
challenges of environment and development.
At this meeting the UICN
Council will present a motion on the Earth Charter in which they are asking the
Congress to endorse the Earth Charter and consider it as an ethical framework
for their policies and programs, as well as an instrument for education on
sustainable development, among other things. The conclusive statement of the
Resolution is the following:
Resolution for 3rd
World Conservation Congress, Bangkok 2004 - Earth Charter endorsement (…)
1. ENDORSES the Earth Charter
as an inspirational expression of civil society's vision for building a just,
sustainable and peaceful world.
2. ADOPTS the Earth Charter as
an ethical guide for IUCN policy, and pledges to implement its principles
through the IUCN Programme.
3. RECOMMENDS that the Earth
Charter be used by the IUCN to help advance education and dialogue on global
interdependence, shared values, and ethical principles for sustainable ways of
living.
4. ENCOURAGES member
organisations and states to consider endorsing the Earth Charter and
determining the role the Earth Charter can play as a policy guide within their
own spheres of responsibility.
Bujumbura, 14 October - A
“Back to school” campaign was launched today by the Government of Burundi supported by UNICEF in collaboration with other UN agencies. The objective is to
boost the primary school enrolment in Burundi where the net school enrolment
rate only reaches 56 per cent. The campaign is targeting approximately 440,000
children through the distribution of 350 metric tonns basic school materials.
The distribution of school
material is complemented by other activities such as rehabilitation of class
rooms and water and sanitation facilities in schools, the
introduction/extension of school canteens and support to school gardens in
addition to the provision of school benches, pupil and teacher’s manuals, black
boards, de-worming tablets and uniforms. Training of teachers and the revision
of the curriculum will further improve the quality, make schools child friendly
and transform schools to safe heavens against violence, abuse and
discrimination. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_23640.htm
St. Petersburg hosts international conference
on the protection of cultural property in armed conflict
More
than sixty state officials have gathered in Russia's second city to attend the
third regional conference held to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1954 Hague
Convention
14 October - Organised by the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the CIS Interparliamentary
Assembly, with the participation of UNESCO and under the auspices of the State
Hermitage Museum, this is the third regional conference being held to mark the
50th anniversary of the 1954 Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property
in the Event of Armed Conflict. While UNESCO has a general mandate to protect
cultural property, the ICRC's mandate concerns the protection of cultural
property in situations of armed conflict. The commitment of the International
Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in this area was expressed in a resolution
on cultural property adopted at its 2001 Council of Delegates. (…)
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The recent DPI conference was
a look at the Millennium Development Goals; what has been accomplished so far,
what more needs to be done, and the problems and successes of actions taken so
far. It was very specific and focused on this theme in all workshops and
plenary sessions.
This conference demonstrated the will of humanity toward
building a more coherent and focused effort to successfully implement the
Millennium Declaration and the 8 Goals which all 191 Member States pledged to
meet by 2015. Repeatedly throughout the
three days, comments were made that we need more political will. Speakers asked
that NGO’s apply more pressure to governments to live up to their commitments
and pledges and over and over again, the spiritual Will was invoked in many
ways.
The role of women, in Africa particularly, was highlighted by
Bineta Diop, who discussed the progress made by women’s groups working at the
regional/local level. There is a strong gender and peace building program in
Senegal (co-incidentally, Senegal is one of the places where the Global
Ecovillage Network is very strong.)
Miklos Marschall of “Transparency International” outlined
certain structures that tend to become “rolling disasters” because of lack of
proper planning. He discussed the lessons learned and the consequences of
corruption and results that can be expected when corruption is not stopped.
“Corruption”, he said, “is a crime against humanity”. He discussed the idea of
whistle blowing and how important it is in some situations. (www.transparency.org)
Wu Qing of China discussed the wide spread use of women’s
circles, empowerment workshops, literacy classes and the efforts there of
certain groups to encourage women to speak up and be part of the decision
making process. She repeatedly
mentioned “Circles of sharing” and “Seeds of sharing”. She said she wanted to make transparency the rule of law and the
floor erupted in cheers when she said,” I want China to be ruled by law, not by
men!” She added that because of the
large trafficking of women and girls added to the fact of female infanticide in
China, 60-80 million men are now faced with the prospect of not being able to
find wives.
Sir Emyr Jones Parry, Ambassador and Permanent Representative
of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, made the point that in the effort
to move toward a more responsible international society, the old idea of “live
and let live” doesn’t work any longer because we’ve seen what can happen with a
hands off approach when genocide and corrupt governments are allowed to go
unchecked, such as recently in Sudan.
In this plenary session, all speakers emphasized the critical
importance of the role of NGO’s and their work in the implementation of the
MDG’s, pointing to the truth of the idea of “with human hands and feet…”
Later, the theme of diversity within unity arose as Alicia
Barcena discussed the asymmetry in different countries and how the MDG’s need
to be tailored for individual countries’ needs and situations. In a biological
model, “development” means diversity.
She stressed the importance of interdependence and the need for global
citizenship. She mentioned that the citizenship agenda should be at the heart of public policies, highlighting
the important role of humanity as a whole.
Another theme that emerged strongly was the equitable
distribution of the world’s resources and wealth and the destructive effects of
aid which creates a dependency and fosters corruption. Often, in several
contexts, “aid” was seen as highly destructive and demeaning.
Microcredit: Mercedes Canalda of the Dominican
Republic sounded a very positive note in her description of the success of
microcredit in her area. It is a mechanism that can reach small farmers who
don’t want gifts, but simply a temporary helping hand. She cites that 8 out of
10 businesses in her region are micro businesses and that macro policies are
definitely influenced by micro business. These loans are meant for the poorest
of the poor, echoing Muhammad Yunus’ philosophy.
Some statistics: average loan
size $10 - $175, 75% operate out of their homes. 85% are women. There is a
98-99% payback rate among women.
On Friday September 10th, the morning of the final
day, the opening session was chaired by Salil Shetty, Director of the UN
Millennium Campaign. He stressed the idea of political will as a necessary
component to the implementation of the MDG’s, that every person has a voice and
that it is important for resources to reach people in a transparent fashion. He
reminded us that each country (191 to date) who signed on to the MDG’s pledged
to give 0.7% of their national income toward these goals. The United States is
currently giving only 0.14%.
Oded Grajew, a former special assistant to President Lula of
Brasil, again repeated the fact that although 3,000 people died in the World
Trade Center attacks which are constantly discussed, 30,000 children die EVERY
DAY of hunger related causes and no one seems to say anything! He also echoed
the importance of engaging the political will of governments and suggested that
citizens should publicize the facts if their governments are not meeting their pledges for the
MDG’s. (Editor’s note: Recent years showed a slow trend of increase. Total
Official Development Assistance (ODA) from member countries of the OECD’s
Development Assistance Committee (DAC) reached US$68.5 billion in 2003. This 2003 total represented 0.25% of DAC members’
combined gross national product, up from 0.23% in 2002 and 0.22% in 2001.)
He stressed the importance of supporting and legitimizing the
United Nations as the only global organization which is promoting peace and
social justice. He questioned whether wealthy countries are doing enough and
came to the general conclusion that they are not with a few exceptions, such as
Sweden, which is really the only “developed” nation actually publicizing the
MDG’s and the progress made. He urged the assembled group to create a greater
sense of awareness regarding these issues critical to the health and future of
humanity. The organization he
represents is Ethos Institute for Business and Social Responsibility – www.ethos.org.br.
Many speakers mentioned that MDG #8 (Develop a global
partnership for development) is the most important goal, highlighting the idea
of the reality of global synthesis and importance for humanity to look at itself
as a functioning whole which requires a transparent and rule based financial
system and truly free and non-discriminatory global trade. The bottom line is a commitment to good
governance.
The final Plenary session was a report back to the whole
conference on the midday workshops. One of the speakers, Kavita Ramdas, who is
President of the Global Fund for Women, had the assembly on its feet with her
exhortations to the world community to wake up and begin to take care of our
brothers and sisters who are undergoing terrific suffering while we sit and
talk about what to do. She eloquently portrayed the lives of some of the women
she knows and serves as desperate, lacking in any kind of hope or freedom, and
debased beyond the ken of most of the people present.
Midday workshops: All workshops in
the 1:15 – 2:45 slot were on the topic of the MDG’s and several of them had the
word or concept of spirituality in the title or workshop description.
Lifebridge Foundation and Findhorn Foundation along with another foundation in
Mexico presented one of the midday workshops on the Zero Hunger Program of
Brasil. Spiritual advisor and Special Assessor to the President of Brasil, Frei
Betto, presented a report on Brasil’s innovative program at this workshop as a
special guest. Later that day, Frei Betto was present at the ECOSOC briefing on
this issue and was able first hand to observe his work actualizing at the
United Nations.
In one workshop entitled, “Spiritual and Ethical Dimensions of
the MDG’s”, Noel Brown encouraged the group to, “summon real spiritual
authority and not apologize for it” and suggested that a paper be formally
submitted to the Secretary General’s office on the ethical dimensions of the
MDG’s. He urged us to build coalitions
of the spiritually and morally willing because we are now in a world which has
no sanctuary or safe spaces.
In conclusion, there was a palpable sense of the oneness of
humanity and the stirring and waking of the human being. Again and again,
comments along the lines that all successful movements begin at the grassroots,
or that “We the Peoples” hold the power, were enunciated with vigor and
conviction. There was a strong sense of hope and commitment to achieving the
Millennium Development Goals and that WE, together, can accomplish anything for
the benefit of our fellow human beings.
*Co-convener of the Spiritual
Caucus at the UN, www.spiritualcaucus-un.org
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